Information processing device, information processing method, and program
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024540666
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-03
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-19
- Estimated Expiration
- 2044-03-08
Abstract
Description
Information processing device, information processing method, and program
[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.
[0002] Conventionally, there have been disclosed technologies that set certain standards such as charging time and charging capacity, and charge electric vehicles in order within those standards so that no electric vehicle remains uncharged, and that if a user gives a low priority to charging, the user's electricity bill is discounted (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003] JP 2011-244630 A
[0004] Advances in charging technology for electric vehicles and other driving devices have shortened the time required for charging. While there are still some users who want to charge quickly, there are also an increasing number of users who are not as reluctant to let others go before them, and it is desirable for each user to enjoy the benefits. Furthermore, although the time required for charging has been shortened, it can be said that the time spent waiting can be boring for users. As such, users have a variety of needs when it comes to charging locations.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide each user with benefits when charging a moving machine.
[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a charging monitoring means for monitoring a predetermined charging device and detecting, as a charging state, a state in which the battery of a battery-powered driving device is being charged; and an advertisement providing means for providing a predetermined advertisement to a user of the driving device when the charging state of the predetermined charging device is detected.
[0007] An information processing method and a program according to one aspect of the present invention are respectively a method and a program corresponding to the information processing system according to one aspect of the present invention described above.
[0008] According to the present invention, each user can enjoy benefits when charging a moving machine.
[0009] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system including a server that is an embodiment of an information processing device of the present invention. It is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the server in the information processing system of FIG. 1. It is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a server having the hardware configuration of FIG. 2. It is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 3. It is a diagram illustrating how a charging reservation is made using a smartphone app. It is a diagram illustrating an app screen displayed when a charging reservation is made using a smartphone app. It is a diagram illustrating how a charging reservation is completed using a smartphone app. It is a diagram illustrating how an incentive is given to a skipped vehicle among vehicles waiting for charging at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. It is a diagram illustrating how a vehicle is guided at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. It is a diagram illustrating how an abandoned vehicle can be charged with another cable even at a charging stand located at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. It is a diagram illustrating how the charging status can be checked using a smartphone app. It is a diagram illustrating how an incentive is given if the vehicle is moved immediately after charging at the charging stand is completed. It is a diagram illustrating a charging stand that supports contactless charging at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. It is a diagram illustrating how a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied ensures scalability as an evacuation site in the event of a disaster by utilizing space-time synchronization technology.
[0010] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system including a server that is an embodiment of an information processing device according to the present invention.
[0011] The information processing system shown in FIG. 1 includes a server 1 managed by an administrator S, one or more chargers ST-1 to ST-p (p is an integer greater than or equal to 1) (charging equipment) located at one or more charging stations JS-1 to JS-n (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1), and electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m (driving equipment) managed by m users U1 to Um (m is an integer greater than or equal to 1). These electric vehicles are connected to user terminals UT-1 to UT-m managed by the users U1 to Um via a predetermined network NW for mutual communication. The charging stations JS are so-called charging spots equipped with vehicle parking spaces and chargers ST. One or more chargers ST-1 to ST-p are installed at the charging stations JS. The driving equipment includes not only electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m that are powered solely by electricity, but also plug-in hybrid vehicles and the like. In other words, the driving equipment may be any equipment that uses power from a battery or other storage device.
[0012] The server 1 is an information processing device managed by an administrator S, and communicates with the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m and the user terminals UT-1 to UT-m to exchange information. The administrator S may also be the administrator of the charging stations JS-1 to JS-n. The electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m are each equipped with a battery BT-1 to BT-m to be charged. The electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m are driving devices powered by the batteries BT-1 to BT-m. The user terminals UT-1 to UT-m are, for example, smartphones, tablet terminals, laptop computers, etc., and travel with the users U1 to Um. However, the user terminals UT-1 to UT-m also include in-vehicle navigation systems and the like, as long as they are information processing devices capable of accepting operations from the users U1 to Um and communicating with the server 1.
[0013] In the following, when there is no need to distinguish between multiple vehicles or multiple people, the terms will be referred to as follows: Charging stations JS-1 to JS-n will be collectively referred to as "charging stations JS." Chargers ST-1 to ST-p will be collectively referred to as "chargers ST." Electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m will be collectively referred to as "electric vehicles EV." Users U1 to Um will be collectively referred to as "users U." Batteries BT-1 to BT-m will be collectively referred to as "batteries BT."
[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG.
[0015] The server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an input unit 16, an output unit 17, a memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.
[0016] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs recorded in the ROM 12 or programs loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13. The RAM 13 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.
[0017] The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. An input unit 16, an output unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20 are connected to the input / output interface 15.
[0018] The input unit 16 is made up of various hardware buttons etc. and inputs various information in response to user instructions. The output unit 17 is made up of a display such as a liquid crystal display and displays various images.
[0019] The storage unit 18 is configured by a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or the like and stores various data. The communication unit 19 controls communication with other devices (e.g., a charger ST or an electric vehicle EV) via a network NW including the Internet.
[0020] The drive 20 is provided as needed. Removable media 31, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, is appropriately attached to the drive 20. Programs read from the removable media 31 by the drive 20 are installed in the storage unit 18 as needed. The removable media 31 can also store various data stored in the storage unit 18 in the same way as the storage unit 18.
[0021] Although not shown, the user terminal UT, the charger ST, and the electric vehicle EV in the information processing system of FIG. 2 also have the hardware configuration shown in FIG.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server having the hardware configuration of FIG.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 18 of the server 1 stores a user DB 41, a charging management DB 42, and an advertisement management DB 43. The user DB 41 stores information about the administrator S and the user U (e.g., name, user account (user ID and password), information about the user as a member of this service (contract details linked to the user ID (e.g., membership contracts by fee or priority, such as SLOW Pass, NORMAL Pass, FAST Pass))), and other attributes of the user U. The attributes of the user U include, for example, the user's age, family composition, hobbies, contact information, the specifications of the electric vehicle EV owned (fuel efficiency, charging capacity, etc.), vehicle inspection information (vehicle model, date of first registration, date of next inspection, etc.), and automobile insurance information (insurance company, premium, etc.). The advertisement management DB 43 stores the date and time, distribution content, distribution requester, hourly rate, target users, ID (identification information) of the charging station / charger to which the distribution was made, distribution results, etc., which are read out by the advertisement provision unit 25 as needed and provided as an advertisement.
[0024] The charging management DB 42 stores, linked to a user ID, usage history of the charging station JS and the charger ST therein (such as the charging date and time, charging amount, payment amount, and incentive information linked to charger identification information (charger ID)), member information classified into several categories based on the contract method (for example, SLOW Pass, NORMAL Pass, FAST Pass, etc.), reservation information, etc. A NORMAL Pass member is a member registered as a regular user of the charging station JS (general member). A FAST Pass member is a preferential member who is given priority in guiding users to a charging station when there is a congestion at the charging station JS due to waiting for charging. Such preferential treatment can also be called an incentive. In addition, both NORMAL Pass members and FAST Pass members can receive incentives when they give up their turn in the charging queue. The charging management DB 42 stores previously acquired information of the user U or the electric vehicle EV linked to a user ID, a vehicle ID, etc. Specifically, the information includes location information and remaining battery charge of the electric vehicle EV heading toward the charging station JS. The incentive information is an incentive, such as points or coupons, that is granted to the user U or the electric vehicle EV when the user U or the electric vehicle EV fulfills incentive provision conditions (predetermined conditions). The incentive provision conditions may be, for example, whether the user U has responded to a questionnaire about an advertisement provided to the user U. Another incentive provision condition may be whether the user has given up their turn to wait for charging to another user. The charging management DB 42 also stores information about all chargers ST under the control of the server 1, including device names, device IDs, specifications, and operation information about each device (charging status (charging), charging completion, waiting for charging (standby, available, etc.)). It is possible to detect whether each charger ST is in a charging state from the operation information. The charging management DB 42 also stores map information, including information about the locations of charging stations JS (charging station location information) that are used to guide users to the locations of the charging stations JS (charger ST). Guidance conditions are stored in the charging management DB 42.The guidance conditions are, for example, when the remaining charge of the battery BT falls below a predetermined level, for example, 1 / 5 or less of the full charge level, or when estimated information such as the remaining travel distance and remaining travel time estimated from information on the rate at which the remaining charge of the battery BT is decreasing falls below a predetermined level, for example, when the remaining travel distance falls below 50 km. In other words, the guidance conditions are conditions for notifying the user U of the nearest charging station JS that can be reached with the current remaining battery charge, in order to prevent the vehicle from unintentionally stopping due to a decrease in the remaining battery charge.
[0025] 3, when a process related to charging is executed in the CPU 11 of the server 1, a location acquisition unit 21, a remaining battery charge acquisition unit 22, a guidance unit 23, a charge monitoring unit 24, an advertisement provision unit 25, and an incentive provision unit 26 function. When a process related to charging is executed, each of these units executes the process while writing and / or reading information to the user DB 41, the charge management DB 42, and the advertisement management DB 43 of the storage unit 18.
[0026] The location acquisition unit 21 acquires location information of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m or users U1 to Um (location information such as longitude, latitude, altitude, and movement speed obtained by receiving information from beacons installed on roads by an in-vehicle navigation system or radio waves from a GPS), and stores the information in the charging management DB 42 of the memory unit 18, linking it to the ID of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m.
[0027] The remaining battery capacity acquisition unit 22 acquires information relating to the reduction in the battery BT of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m, and stores the information in the charging management DB 42, etc., linked to the ID of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m. Note that the information relating to the reduction in the battery BT is, for example, information on the remaining capacity of the battery BT and information on the rate at which the remaining capacity is decreasing, and is stored in the charging management DB 42 together with estimated information such as the remaining travel distance and remaining travel time estimated from the rate at which the remaining capacity is decreasing.
[0028] When the information regarding the decrease in the battery BT satisfies the guidance condition, the guidance unit 23 notifies the user U of the presence of a charging station JS (charger ST) that exists in a location (a range that satisfies the guidance condition) that the electric vehicle EV can reach with the current remaining battery charge from the current location of the user U. Specifically, when the acquired information regarding the decrease in the battery BT is, for example, a predetermined amount or less of the remaining battery charge, or when estimated information such as a remaining travelable distance and remaining travelable time estimated from information regarding the rate at which the remaining battery charge is decreasing is below a predetermined amount, the guidance unit 23 notifies the user U of the presence of a charging station JS (charger ST) within a predetermined range (a location where the electric vehicle EV can travel with the remaining battery charge) based on the location of the user U or the location of the electric vehicle EV, the information regarding the decrease in the battery BT, and further information regarding the location of the charging station JS. Specifically, when the remaining charge of the battery BT falls below a predetermined amount, for example, 1 / 5 or less of the amount when fully charged, or when estimated information such as the remaining driving distance and remaining driving time estimated from information on the rate at which the remaining charge of the battery BT is decreasing falls below a predetermined amount, for example, the remaining driving distance is 50 km or less, the guidance unit 23 presents, on the app screen of the user terminal UT, charging stations JS (chargers ST) that are present within a driving range from the current position of the electric vehicle EV with the current remaining battery charge, based on the current position of the electric vehicle EV acquired by the position acquisition unit 21, the current remaining battery charge and the rate at which the remaining charge is decreasing of the electric vehicle EV acquired by the remaining battery charge acquisition unit 22, the estimated information such as the remaining driving distance and remaining driving time estimated from the rate at which the remaining charge is decreasing, performance information (fuel efficiency) of the electric vehicle EV of the user U stored in advance in the user DB 41, and map information stored in advance in the charging management DB 42.
[0029] The charging monitoring unit 24 monitors a predetermined charger ST and detects the state of charging of the battery BT of an electric vehicle EV powered by the battery BT as the charging state. Specifically, the charging monitoring unit 24 monitors the operating status of the charger ST (predetermined charger ST) at the location where the electric vehicle EV is stopped, based on information from cameras and object sensors, etc., installed in a charging station JS where multiple chargers ST are present, in addition to information from the charger ST. When the charging cable of the charger ST is connected to the electric vehicle EV and charging of the electric vehicle EV is initiated by the charger ST, the charging monitoring unit 24 determines the accuracy of the charging state information received from the charger ST and stores the charging state in the charging management DB 42, linking it to the ID of the electric vehicle EV. The cameras, object sensors, etc. may be used not only to determine and monitor the charging state, but also to monitor the alive status and status of the charger ST itself. Note that the cameras, object sensors, etc. are not essential elements for realizing the present invention.
[0030] When it is detected that a predetermined charger ST is charging, the advertisement provision unit 25 provides a predetermined advertisement to a user U who uses the electric vehicle EV. Specifically, when it is detected that a predetermined charger ST is charging, the advertisement provision unit 25 provides the predetermined advertisement to the user U who uses the electric vehicle EV by outputting the predetermined advertisement on the display of the charger ST being charged and / or on an app screen of the user terminal UT of the user U of the electric vehicle EV. Here, the predetermined advertisement is an advertisement that is of interest to the user U, derived from attributes of the user U and the electric vehicle EV, among advertisements for presentation that are pre-registered in the advertisement management DB 43. For example, if the next vehicle inspection of the electric vehicle EV is approaching, advertisements for vehicle inspection companies, automobile insurance companies, new car dealers, etc. may be provided. For example, the advertisement provision unit 25 may be an AI that learns information input from various users U, user terminals UT, and electric vehicles EV that visit the charger ST, as well as information about the user U that responded to a questionnaire about the presented advertisement, and then presents an advertisement that is likely to be of interest to the user U when the user U newly visits the charger ST.
[0031] The incentive providing unit 26 provides a predetermined incentive to the user U when the user U or the electric vehicle EV satisfies a predetermined incentive providing condition (predetermined condition). The case where the user U or the electric vehicle EV satisfies the incentive providing condition is, for example, when the user answers a questionnaire in an advertisement provided while the battery BT is being charged by the charger ST. Another case is when a second user who is already waiting to be charged gives up his or her turn to charge to a first user who is a member and wants to charge quickly. Specifically, for example, after a predetermined advertisement is displayed on the app screen of the user terminal UT of the user U, if the user U answers the questionnaire, the incentive providing unit 26 issues an incentive such as points or a discount coupon to the ID of the user U or the ID of the electric vehicle being charged.
[0032] As described above, the server 1 of this embodiment acquires information about the user U or the electric vehicle EV (such as family composition, hobbies, and vehicle information) while the user U parks the electric vehicle EV at the charger ST and charges the battery BT. Based on this information, advertisements of interest to the user U are provided, allowing the user U to fill in the wasted time while charging by viewing the advertisements. Furthermore, the administrator S who manages the charging station JS can earn advertising revenue by providing advertisements to the user U. As a result, both the user U and the administrator S can enjoy benefits when charging the electric vehicle EV.
[0033] Next, the operation of the server will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a server having the functional configuration of Fig. 3. In this case, in step S1, the location acquisition unit 21 of the server 1 acquires location information of the electric vehicle EV. In addition, in step S2, the remaining battery capacity acquisition unit 22 acquires, for example, the remaining battery capacity as information related to the decrease in the battery BT of the electric vehicle EV. In addition to this, other information related to the decrease in the battery capacity may also be acquired, such as the rate at which the remaining battery capacity decreases, and this information may be calculated on the server 1 side, as long as it is information related to the decrease in the battery.
[0034] In step S3, the guidance unit 23 determines whether the acquired information regarding the decrease in battery BT satisfies a preset guidance condition. If the determination result indicates that the guidance condition is satisfied (YES in step S3), in step S4, the guidance unit 23 provides guidance to reachable charging stations JS based on the current location of the electric vehicle EV, the information regarding the decrease in battery BT, and the location information of charging stations JS. Specifically, if the acquired remaining battery BT charge is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, or if the remaining battery BT charge is not equal to or less than the predetermined amount but the remaining drivable distance and remaining drivable time estimated from the rate at which the remaining battery BT charge is decreasing are equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the guidance unit 23 provides guidance (notification) of the presence of charging stations JS (chargers ST) located within a nearby range that the user U's electric vehicle EV can reach with the current remaining battery charge from the current location indicated by the user's location information. The guidance (notification) method may be a guidance display on the screen of the user terminal UT, or a guidance message may be issued by the user terminal UT via voice.
[0035] Thereafter, the user U drives the electric vehicle EV according to the instructions to the charging station JS, stops the vehicle at the location of a charger ST within the charging station JS, connects the cable of the charger ST to the electric vehicle EV, and starts charging.
[0036] In the server 1, the charging monitoring unit 24 monitors the charger ST in step S5 and detects a state in which the battery BT of the electric vehicle EV is being charged as the charging state. If the charging monitoring unit 24 detects the charging state of the charger ST (YES in step S5), the advertisement providing unit 25 provides a predetermined advertisement to the user U who uses the electric vehicle EV in step S6. Specifically, the advertisement providing unit 25 delivers the predetermined advertisement to an app screen of the user terminal 2 of the user U, or displays the advertisement on a display disposed on the housing of the charger ST. Then, in step S7, the advertisement providing unit 25 determines whether the incentive provision conditions are satisfied. As an example of determining whether the incentive provision conditions are satisfied, for example, the advertisement providing unit 25 may conduct a survey on the provided advertisement for the user U (request the user U to respond). If a response to the survey is obtained from the user U as a result of conducting (requesting) the survey, the advertisement providing unit 25 determines that the incentive provision conditions are satisfied. The condition for determining that the incentive provision condition has been met may be other than the above, for example, it may be when it is detected that the user U has viewed the provided advertisement for a certain period of time or more, or the distribution of the advertisement itself may be deemed to be the fulfillment of the condition. Viewing detection may be performed, for example, by capturing an image of the user U's face using a camera attached to the charger J, and when the user U's line of sight is confirmed for a certain period of time, the number of impressions is counted and this is deemed to be viewing detection. Then, when the incentive provision condition has been met (YES in step S8), in step S9, an incentive such as points or a coupon is provided to the user U who has satisfied the incentive provision condition.
[0037] In this way, according to the operation of the server 1, when the charging state by the charger ST is detected, an advertisement suitable for the user U who uses the electric vehicle EV or an advertisement suitable for the electric vehicle EV managed by the user U is provided, and incentives such as points or coupons are provided to the user U who fulfills the incentive provision conditions, for example, by answering a questionnaire about the advertisement, thereby providing benefits to the user U when charging the electric vehicle EV. Furthermore, by having the user view the advertisement, the manager S of the charging station JS can also earn advertising revenue, and benefits can be enjoyed by all parties involved: the user U, the manager S, and advertisers who can deliver targeted advertisements.
[0038] Various functions of the server will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 14. FIG. 5 illustrates a charging reservation process using a smartphone app. FIG. 6 illustrates an app screen displayed when a charging reservation is made using the smartphone app. FIG. 7 illustrates the completion of a charging reservation process using the smartphone app. FIG. 8 illustrates a process in which an incentive is awarded to a skipped vehicle among vehicles waiting for charging at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 9 illustrates a process in which a vehicle is guided at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 10 illustrates a process in which an abandoned vehicle can be charged using another cable at a charging stand located at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 11 illustrates a process in which the charging status can be checked using a smartphone app. FIG. 12 illustrates a process in which an incentive is awarded if the vehicle is moved immediately after charging at the charging stand is completed. FIG. 13 illustrates a charging stand that supports contactless charging at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 14 illustrates a process in which a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied ensures scalability as an evacuation site in the event of a disaster by utilizing space-time synchronization technology.
[0039] First, the charging reservation function provided by the server in Figures 2 and 3 will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 7. In this information processing system, if the user terminal UT that the user U always carries is, for example, a smartphone (hereinafter referred to as a "smartphone"), an application program (hereinafter referred to as an "app") provided by the administrator S, who is the provider of this service, is installed on the smartphone, and charging-related functions are provided to the user U on the app screen (hereinafter referred to as an "app screen") through communication between the server 1 and the app. However, the app does not necessarily have to be installed on the smartphone, and also includes a program in the form of a web app that can be accessed from a web browser. Below, some of the charging-related functions will be described.
[0040] One of the charging-related functions is a charging reservation function. In the following description, the user terminal UT is assumed to be a smartphone UT. As shown in FIG. 5 , a user U of an electric vehicle EV can make a charging reservation at a desired charging station JS by operating the app screen on the smartphone UT before or when entering the charging station JS. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6 , a selection menu, such as a “Normal Pass” or a “Fast Pass,” is displayed on the app screen of the smartphone UT. By selecting a desired path from the selection menu, a charging reservation can be made at a charger ST corresponding to the selected path. For example, by simply selecting the “Fast Pass,” which allows priority charging upon arrival at the charging station JS, a reservation for charging at a pre-set charging station JS is completed, and a “reservation completed” notification is displayed on the app screen of the smartphone UT, as shown in FIG. 7 . After charging is completed, payment for the charge is automatically processed based on information such as the amount of charge and the charging time. In this way, the process from reserving charging at a charger ST to paying can be completed smartly from the app screen installed on the smartphone.
[0041] When the user U selects, for example, "FAST Pass" to make a charging reservation and then arrives at the charging station JS, as shown in FIG. 8 , the electric vehicle EV-4 in which the user U is riding can travel in the "FAST Pass" exclusive lane at the charging station JS, skipping over the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3 waiting to be charged, and go to the charger ST to be charged. At this time, an incentive 61 is given to the skipped electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3. The incentive 61 may be, for example, points or coupons. Note that, although points and coupons are given as examples of incentives here, other incentives may also be given.
[0042] Next, the guidance function of the charging station JS will be described. The charging station JS is equipped with numerous chargers ST, making it difficult for the user U to find the reserved charger ST among the multiple chargers ST-1 to ST-p while moving around the charging station JS. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9 , a smartphone app screen 71 is provided within the charging station JS. The app screen 71 displays a plan view showing the layout of the chargers ST within the charging station JS, the electric vehicle EV driven by the user U, a parking space 72 for the charger ST to be reached, and a route 73 connecting the electric vehicle EV and the parking space 72 in real time as the vehicle moves, and simultaneously provides audio guidance. While this example describes an example in which route guidance to the charger ST is displayed on the app screen 71, it may also be displayed on a display other than the app screen 71, such as a display in front of the nearest charger ST, a large-screen display installed in the space above the charging station JS, or a built-in display installed in the ground. Furthermore, in addition to a screen and audio notification, a screen-only or audio-only notification may also be provided. In this way, with this guidance function, the user U can reach the reserved charger ST without getting lost searching for the charger ST that he or she has reserved, thanks to the well-designed guidance notification.
[0043] Next, the twin charging function will be described. As shown in Figure 10, multiple charging cables 81, 82 are connected to a charger ST. Due to the above guidance (guidance), when a user U parks an electric vehicle EV-4 in the parking space of a target charger ST, even if an abandoned vehicle EV-5 that has been charged is located on the other side of the charger ST, the user U can charge his or her own electric vehicle EV-4 without any time lag using another charging cable 82 that is prepared separately from the charging cable 81 currently being used by the abandoned vehicle EV-5.
[0044] Thus, with this twin charging function, even if a vehicle (such as an electric vehicle EV-5) is left unattended after charging, the other cable 82 can be used to charge the vehicle (such as an electric vehicle EV-4) without any time lag.
[0045] Next, the charging status notification function will be described. During charging at the charger ST, the charging status of the user U's vehicle is displayed (notified) on the application screen of the smartphone UT. As shown in FIG. 11 , during charging, the application screen 91 displays the charge level of the battery BT, for example, "99%." Then, when the battery BT is fully charged, the application screen 92 displays the charge level of the battery, for example, "100%," and a voice notification such as "Charging is complete" is issued. Furthermore, these application screens 91 and 92 may also display the estimated remaining time until full charge, the total amount of power charged since the start of charging, and an estimated cost for the charging.
[0046] In this way, this charging status notification function notifies the user U of the charging and fully charged states, allowing the user U to quickly exit the charging station JS as soon as charging of the battery BT is complete. In addition, the charging station JS can also reduce the number of abandoned vehicles, thereby alleviating congestion while waiting to charge.
[0047] Next, an incentive granting function will be described, which grants an incentive to a vehicle that moves within a predetermined time after charging. As shown in FIG. 12 , an incentive 61 is granted to a vehicle (electric vehicle EV) that moves (withdraws) from the parking position of the charger ST within a predetermined time after charging, or to the user U of the vehicle. The incentive 61 may be, for example, points or coupons that can be used here. Note that the predetermined time after charging is, for example, one minute. The time shown here is an example, and does not have to be a fixed time and may be changed depending on the situation. For example, the time may be set to a short time when there is a mixed traffic situation in the station, and to a long time otherwise.
[0048] In this way, according to this incentive granting function, an incentive 61 is granted to a vehicle that moves within a specified time after charging, so that a user U who wants to receive the incentive 61 will quickly leave the charging station JS after charging the battery BT, thereby alleviating congestion at the charging station JS.
[0049] Next, the contactless charging function will be described. As shown in Fig. 13 , a contactless charging compatible power transmission coil 101 and the like are buried in the road surface of the parking space of the charger ST of the charging station JS, and when an electric vehicle EV that supports contactless charging moves and parks on the power transmission coil 101, a user U can charge the electric vehicle EV without connecting a charging cable.
[0050] Next, we will explain its function as an evacuation site. As shown in Figure 14, this charging station JS has a large site area and is equipped with charging facilities and a communications environment. Therefore, it can not only charge electric vehicles (EVs), but also function as a regional disaster prevention center and evacuation site in the event of a disaster. The communications environment utilizes time-space synchronization technology, etc. This will enable it to contribute to the local community in the event of a disaster.
[0051] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and modifications and improvements within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention are included in the present invention. Furthermore, it is not necessary to include all of the above functions, and it may be configured with only a part of them.
[0052] Furthermore, for example, the above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. In other words, the functional configuration shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient for the information processing device to have the functionality to execute the above-described series of processes as a whole, and the functional blocks used to realize these functions are not particularly limited to the example of FIG. 3. Furthermore, the locations of the functional blocks and databases are not particularly limited to those shown in FIG. 3 and may be arbitrary. For example, at least some of the functional blocks and databases required to execute various processes may be transferred to a user terminal or the like. Conversely, the functional blocks and databases of the user terminal may be transferred to a server or the like. Furthermore, one functional block may be configured as hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof.
[0053] When a series of processes is executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed onto a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium. The computer may be a computer incorporated into dedicated hardware. The computer may also be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a personal computer.
[0054] The recording medium containing such a program may be composed of not only a removable medium (not shown) that is distributed separately from the device main body in order to provide the program to users, etc., but also a recording medium that is provided to users, etc. in a state where it is pre-installed in the device main body.
[0055] In this specification, the steps describing the program recorded on the recording medium include not only processes that are performed in chronological order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed in chronological order but are performed in parallel or individually. Also, in this specification, the term "system" means an overall device composed of multiple devices or multiple means, etc.
[0056] In other words, an information processing device to which the present invention is applied is only required to have the following configuration, and can take various forms. (1) That is, an information processing device to which the present invention is applied (e.g., server 1 in FIG. 3) includes: charging monitoring means (e.g., charging monitoring unit 24 in FIG. 3) that monitors a predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) and detects, as a charging state, a state in which a battery (e.g., battery BT in FIG. 3) is being charged for a driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) that is driven by the battery; and advertisement providing means (e.g., advertisement providing unit 25 in FIG. 3) that provides a predetermined advertisement to a user of the driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) when the charging state of the predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3 is charging) is detected. When a user (e.g., user U) stops at a charging location (e.g., charging station JS) with a driving device (e.g., an electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ) and detects that the charger ST is in a charging state (charging), a predetermined advertisement (advertisement tailored to the user) is provided to the user U using the electric vehicle EV based on information acquired from the user U or the electric vehicle EV. In other words, by providing advertisements of interest to the user during the user's downtime (intervals) while charging, the user can fill in the wasted time while charging. Furthermore, the person managing the charging location (e.g., the charging station) can earn advertising revenue by providing advertisements to users. As a result, both the user and the administrator can enjoy benefits when charging the driving device (e.g., an electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ).
[0057] (2) The information processing device (e.g., server 1 in FIG. 3 ) includes an incentive providing unit (e.g., incentive providing unit 26 in FIG. 3 ) that provides a predetermined incentive (e.g., points, coupons, etc.) to a user (e.g., user U) or the driving equipment (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ) when the user (e.g., user U) or the driving equipment satisfies a predetermined condition (e.g., the user answers a questionnaire to an advertisement provided while the battery (e.g., battery BT in FIG. 3 ) is being charged by the charger ST in FIG. 3 ). This allows the user to make up for wasted time while charging, and a person managing a charging location (e.g., charging station JS) can earn advertising revenue by providing advertisements to users (e.g., user U). Furthermore, for example, if a second user who is waiting to charge ahead of a first user who needs to charge quickly gives way to the first user, an incentive can be provided to the second user who gave way. This allows the first user to benefit from being able to charge more quickly, and the second user to benefit from receiving an incentive (e.g., points, coupons, etc.).
[0058] (3) In the information processing device (for example, the server 1 in FIG. 3 ), the driving device is a device that moves with the user (for example, the electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ), and the driving device is a location acquisition unit (for example, the location acquisition unit 21 in FIG. 3 ) that acquires information indicating the location of the driving device (for example, the electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ) or the user as user location information; battery information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the battery level of the driving device; and battery information acquisition unit (for example, the battery level acquisition unit 22 in FIG. 3 ) that acquires information regarding the battery level of the driving device (for example, the electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ) (such as the remaining battery level of the battery BT, information regarding the rate at which the remaining battery level is decreasing, etc.) when the information regarding the battery level decreases satisfies a guidance condition. and a notification means (e.g., the guidance unit 23 in FIG. 3 ) that notifies the user of the presence of the charging equipment (e.g., the charger ST in FIG. 3 ) that is located within a range that satisfies the guidance condition (e.g., a location that the electric vehicle EV can reach from the current location of the user U with the current remaining battery charge) when information related to the decrease in battery charge (e.g., the remaining battery charge, the rate at which the remaining battery charge is decreasing, the remaining battery charge, the current remaining battery charge, the route to the location of the charging equipment (e.g., the charger ST in FIG. 3 ) that can be reached with the remaining battery charge, etc., is notified (guided) when the remaining battery charge of the driving equipment (e.g., the electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ) is low, so the user can calmly head to the location of the charging equipment (e.g., the charger ST in FIG. 3 ) within the remaining battery charge range and charge.
[0059] (4) An information processing method executed by an information processing device (e.g., server 1 in FIG. 3 ) may include: a charging device monitoring step (e.g., step S5 in FIG. 4 ) of monitoring a predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3 ) and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged as a charging state for a battery-powered driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ); and an advertisement providing step (e.g., step S6 in FIG. 4 ) of providing a predetermined advertisement to a user (e.g., user U in FIG. 3 ) using the driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ) when the charging state of the predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3 ) is detected.
[0060] (5) The program can cause a computer to execute control processing including: a charging device monitoring step (e.g., step S5 in FIG. 4) of monitoring a predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) and detecting a state in which a battery of a battery-powered driving device is being charged as a charging state; and an advertisement providing step (e.g., step S6 in FIG. 4) of providing a predetermined advertisement to a user (e.g., user U in FIG. 3) who uses the driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) when the charging state of the predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) is detected.
[0061] 1...Server, 11...CPU, 12...ROM, 13...RAM, 14...Bus, 15...Input / output interface, 16...Input unit, 17...Output unit, 18...Storage unit, 19...Communication unit, 20...Drive, 31...Removable media, 21...Location acquisition unit, 22...Battery remaining capacity acquisition unit, 23...Guidance unit, 24...Charging monitoring unit, 25...Advertisement provision unit, 26...Incentive provision unit, BT-1 to BT-m...Battery, EV...Electric vehicle, ST, ST-1 to ST-p...Charger, S...Administrator, U, U1 to Um...User, JS, JS-1 to JS-n...Charging station, UT, UT-1 to UT-m...User terminal
Claims
1. a charging device monitoring means for monitoring a predetermined charging device and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged as a charging state for a battery-powered driving device; an advertisement providing means for obtaining information regarding at least one of a user who uses the driving device and the driving device when the charging state of the predetermined charging device is detected, and providing a predetermined advertisement according to the obtained information; An information processing device comprising:
2. an incentive providing means for providing a predetermined incentive to the user when the user or the movable machine satisfies a predetermined condition; The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
3. the driven device is a device that moves with the user, a position acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a position of the movable machine or the user as user position information; a battery information acquiring means for acquiring information regarding a decrease in the battery of the movable device; a notification means for notifying the presence of the charging device in a range that satisfies a guidance condition when the information regarding the decrease in the battery satisfies the guidance condition; The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
4. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a charging device monitoring step of monitoring a predetermined charging device and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged as a charging state for a driving device driven by the battery; an advertisement providing step of acquiring information regarding at least one of a user who uses the driving device and the driving device when the charging state of the predetermined charging device is detected, and providing a predetermined advertisement according to the acquired information; An information processing method comprising:
5. On the computer, a charging device monitoring step of monitoring a predetermined charging device and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged as a charging state for a driving device driven by the battery; an advertisement providing step of acquiring information regarding at least one of a user who uses the driving device and the driving device when the charging state of the predetermined charging device is detected, and providing a predetermined advertisement according to the acquired information; A program that executes control processing including: