Notification control method and notification control device

Abstract

Provided is a notification control method wherein, on the basis of vehicle state history information that includes information which indicates a travel route history and the position of a vehicle (30) and charge / discharge facility information that includes information which indicates the position and state of each of a plurality of charge / discharge facilities (20), a first charge / discharge facility that is positioned in the surroundings of a travel route of the vehicle (30) and that is capable of sending and receiving electricity to / from the vehicle (30) is extracted. In the notification control method, when a first frequency with which the vehicle (30) used the first charge / discharge facility in the past is higher than a first threshold value, notifications to the user are suppressed as compared to a case where the first frequency is less than or equal to the first threshold value. In the notification control method, when the first frequency is less than or equal to the first threshold value, a second charge / discharge facility that is positioned in the surroundings of the travel route of the vehicle (30) and that differs from the first charge / discharge facility is extracted. In the notification control method, when a second frequency with which the vehicle (30) used the second charge / discharge facility in the past is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, it is determined that there is compatibility between the user and the second charge / discharge facility, and notifications to the user are suppressed as compared to a case where the second frequency is lower than the first threshold value.

Description

Notification control method and notification control device

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification control method and a notification control device.

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a management server that can communicate with a vehicle equipped with a drive battery via a communication network, and notifies the vehicle user when the vehicle is in a position where it can transmit and receive power to and from the power grid.

[0003] Patent No. 7049278

[0004] The management server described in Patent Document 1 calculates the frequency with which a vehicle is connected to charging / discharging equipment when parked, and suppresses notifications to the user if the calculated frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold. The management server described in Patent Document 1 notifies the user in a timely manner until the user gets into the habit of connecting the electric vehicle to charging / discharging equipment, and suppresses notifications to the user once the user gets into the habit of connecting the electric vehicle to charging / discharging equipment.

[0005] However, the management server described in Patent Literature 1 does not suppress notifications to the user until the user gets used to connecting the vehicle to the charging / discharging facility. Therefore, the user is notified even when there is a reason for the user not to connect the vehicle to the charging / discharging facility, which can be annoying to the user.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a notification control method and notification control device that can reduce the inconvenience of notifications to users of electric vehicles in a system that transmits and receives power between an electric vehicle and charging / discharging equipment.

[0007] A notification control method according to one aspect of one or more embodiments extracts a first charging / discharging facility that is located in the vicinity of the driving route of the electric vehicle and that is capable of transmitting and receiving power to and from the electric vehicle, based on vehicle state history information including information indicating the position and driving route history of the electric vehicle, and charging / discharging facility information including information indicating the position and status of each of a plurality of charging / discharging facilities; if a first frequency at which the electric vehicle has previously used the first charging / discharging facility is higher than a first threshold, the method suppresses notifications to the user about the first charging / discharging facility compared to when the first frequency is equal to or lower than the first threshold; if the first frequency is equal to or lower than the first threshold, the method extracts a second charging / discharging facility that is located in the vicinity of the driving route of the electric vehicle and is different from the first charging / discharging facility; if a second frequency at which the electric vehicle has previously used the second charging / discharging facility is equal to or higher than the first threshold, the method determines that there is an affinity between the user and the second charging / discharging facility, and suppresses notifications to the user about the first charging / discharging facility compared to when the second frequency is lower than the first threshold.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present embodiment, in a system for transmitting and receiving power between an electric vehicle and charging / discharging equipment, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience of notifying a user of the electric vehicle.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a power transmission and reception system including a notification control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a table illustrating utilization rates of charging and discharging facilities by time period, which are included in vehicle state history information. FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a notification control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a notification control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a notification control device according to an embodiment to determine whether or not there is affinity with other nearby spots. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a notification control device according to an embodiment to determine whether or not there is acceptability to potential transit spots. FIG. 6 is a table illustrating examples of notification messages according to notification types. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a map for calculating an SoC dependency coefficient.

[0010] An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of a power transmission and reception system including a notification control device 40 according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 , the power transmission and reception system includes a power grid 10, multiple charging and discharging facilities 20, vehicles (electric vehicles) 30, and a server 40. The multiple charging and discharging facilities 20, the vehicles 30, and the server 40 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network. The server 40 is also configured to be able to communicate with an energy trading server (not shown) via the communication network. The communication network may include a transmission path for wired or wireless communication. The communication network may include a communication network including the Internet, a P2P network, a dedicated line, a VPN, a power line communication line, a mobile phone line, etc. The power transmission and reception system may include multiple stationary batteries (not shown) and multiple power generation facilities (not shown) in addition to or instead of the multiple charging and discharging facilities 20.

[0012] The power network 10 may include a transmission system or a distribution system of a power system, or a distribution network of a power grid. The vehicle 30 and the charging / discharging equipment 20 are connected to the power network 10. The power network 10 may be provided for each region. The power network 10 may also be a microgrid. The power network 10 may also be a distribution network of any scale that connects power-consuming power devices to a power source. For example, the power network 10 may be a distribution network provided in any facility, such as a commercial facility. The power network 10 may also be provided for each building.

[0013] The charging / discharging equipment 20 is an example of a power transmission / reception equipment for transmitting and receiving power between the vehicle 30 and the power grid 10. The charging / discharging equipment 20 includes a communication unit 21 and an information transmission unit 22. Note that the charging / discharging equipment 20 may be any equipment capable of transmitting and receiving power between the power grid 10 and the vehicle 30, and may include a battery that stores the power transmitted and received between the power grid 10 and the vehicle 30. The charging / discharging equipment 20 is managed by a power aggregator.

[0014] The communication unit 21 has a function of transmitting and receiving various types of information to and from the server 40 via a communication network.

[0015] The information transmitting unit 22 transmits, for example, a spot ID (SP-ID) for identifying the charging / discharging equipment 20 and information indicating the position and status of the charging / discharging equipment 20 to the server 40 via the communication network. The information indicating the status of the charging / discharging equipment 20 is, for example, information indicating the number of vehicles currently using the charging / discharging equipment 20 and the number of vehicles waiting in line for the charging / discharging equipment 20, the charging / discharging output for each port installed in the charging / discharging equipment 20, and the total amount of power that the charging / discharging equipment 20 can currently transmit and receive between the charging / discharging equipment 20 and the vehicle 30.

[0016] The vehicle 30 is an example of a transportation device. The vehicle 30 is a vehicle equipped with a power source driven by electric energy, such as an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle. Electric vehicles include battery-powered electric transportation devices, hybrid vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine that provides at least a portion of the power, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The vehicle 30 includes a communication unit 31, a battery 32, a status acquisition unit 33, and an output unit 34.

[0017] The battery 32 may be any of various secondary batteries, such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. The battery 32 is an example of a power source for driving the vehicle 30. The driving power source includes a power source that consumes fuel to generate electrical energy to be provided to the power source of the vehicle 30, such as a fuel cell. The fuel may be hydrogen, a hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline, diesel, or natural gas, or an alcohol fuel. The driving power source may be any power source that can generate electrical energy to be provided to the power source of the vehicle 30.

[0018] The communication unit 31 has a function of transmitting and receiving various types of information to and from the server 40 via a communication network.

[0019] The status acquisition unit 33 acquires vehicle status information of the vehicle 30 from various sensors mounted on the battery 32 and the vehicle 30. The vehicle status information includes, for example, a user ID that identifies the user of the vehicle 30, the battery capacity and charge state of the battery 32, the location of the vehicle 30, the driving route to the destination of the vehicle 30, and the desired arrival time at the destination. The vehicle status information also includes information such as a spot ID that identifies the charging / discharging equipment 20 used by the user of the vehicle 30, the time when the user of the vehicle 30 used the charging / discharging equipment 20, whether the user of the vehicle 30 accepted a notification received from the server 40 (described later) (hereinafter referred to as a notification acceptance result), and the rate at which the user of the vehicle 30 accepted notifications for each of the multiple charging / discharging equipment 20 received from the server 40 (hereinafter referred to as a notification acceptance rate). The notification acceptance rate is calculated for each charging / discharging equipment 20 by dividing the number of times the notification was accepted by the user by the number of times the notification was received. The status acquisition unit 33 stores the acquired vehicle status information in a memory (not shown) or the like, and transmits the history of the vehicle status information as vehicle status history information 421 to the server 40 via the communication network.

[0020] The output unit 34 is, for example, a display, a speaker, etc. The output unit 34 receives a notification from the server 40, and outputs the received notification as an image or sound to notify the user of the vehicle 30.

[0021] The vehicle 30 is connected to the charging / discharging equipment 20 via the charging / discharging cable 23. In FIG. 1 , the vehicle 30 is connected to the power grid 10 via the charging / discharging cable 23 and the charging / discharging equipment 20. The vehicle 30 transmits and receives power to and from the charging / discharging equipment 20. For example, the vehicle 30 transmits (discharges) power obtained by discharging the battery 32 to the charging / discharging equipment 20 via the charging / discharging cable 23. The vehicle 30 also receives power supplied from the charging / discharging equipment 20 via the charging / discharging cable 23 and charges the battery 32. The charging / discharging equipment 20 transmits and receives power transmitted and received from the vehicle 30 to and from the power grid 10.

[0022] The server (notification control device) 40 has a function of notifying a user of the vehicle 30 about charging / discharging equipment 20 that can transmit and receive power to and from the vehicle 30 in the power transmission and reception system. The server 40 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a communication unit 43.

[0023] The communication unit 43 has a function of transmitting and receiving various information between the plurality of charging / discharging devices 20 and the vehicle 30 via the communication network.

[0024] The control unit 41 is a general-purpose computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an input / output unit, etc. A computer program is installed in the control unit 41. By executing the computer program, the control unit 41 functions as a plurality of information processing circuits.

[0025] The control unit 41 includes an information acquisition unit 411, a determination unit 412, and a notification control unit 413 as a plurality of information processing circuits.

[0026] The information acquisition unit 411 acquires vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30 from the vehicle 30. The information acquisition unit 411 stores the acquired vehicle state history information 421 in the storage unit 42. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 411 generates a time-band SP utilization rate table, as shown in FIG. 2 , indicating the proportion (utilization rate) by time band that the user used each of the multiple charging / discharging facilities 20 in the past, based on the spot IDs that identify each of the multiple charging / discharging facilities 20 that the user used in the past, which are included in the vehicle state history information 421. The information acquisition unit 411 stores the generated time-band SP utilization rate table in the storage unit 42.

[0027] In addition, the information acquisition unit 411 acquires from each of the multiple charging / discharging equipment 20 a spot ID that identifies each of the multiple charging / discharging equipment 20 and information indicating the location and status of the charging / discharging equipment 20, and stores this in the memory unit 42 as charging / discharging equipment information 422.

[0028] The information acquisition unit 411 may further acquire information regarding the benefits of transmitting and receiving power between each of the plurality of charging and discharging facilities and the vehicle 30, and store the information in the storage unit 42 as charging and discharging facility information 422. The information acquisition unit 411 may further acquire information regarding the benefits of transmitting and receiving power between each of the plurality of charging and discharging facilities and the vehicle 30, for example, from an external server (not shown). The information regarding the benefits may include information regarding the unit power fee, which is the electricity fee per unit amount of power, when transmitting and receiving power between each of the plurality of charging and discharging facilities 20 and the vehicle 30. The information regarding the benefits may also include information such as discounts for users of the vehicle 30 when transmitting and receiving power between each of the plurality of charging and discharging facilities 20 and the vehicle 30.

[0029] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 411 acquires additional service information 423, which is information on services incidental to each of the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20, from each of the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20 or an external server or the like, and stores the information in the storage unit 42. An example of a service incidental to each of the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20 is a service such as providing a free cup of coffee to the user of the vehicle 30 when power is transmitted or received between the charging / discharging facilities 20 and the vehicle 30. The content of the incidental service is not particularly limited.

[0030] The storage unit 42 stores vehicle state history information 421 , charging / discharging equipment information 422 , and additional service information 423 .

[0031] Based on the vehicle state history information 421 and the charging / discharging facility information 422, the determination unit 412 extracts, from among the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20, a first charging / discharging facility that is located on or in the vicinity of the traveling route of the vehicle 30 and that is capable of transmitting and receiving power to and from the vehicle 30, as a prospective route spot. The "first charging / discharging facility that is capable of transmitting and receiving power to and from the vehicle 30" is, for example, the charging / discharging facility 20 that is located in a position that the vehicle 30 can reach with the current state of charge of the battery 32 and that is capable of transmitting and receiving power to and from the vehicle 30 at the time the vehicle 30 arrives at the charging / discharging facility 20, and that is located closest to the vehicle 30. The prospective route spots are extracted based on the state of charge of the battery 32 of the vehicle 30, the position of the vehicle 30, and the traveling route of the vehicle 30, which are included in the vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30, and information indicating the position and state of each of the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20, which is included in the charging / discharging facility information 422.

[0032] Furthermore, the determination unit 412 determines whether the frequency (first frequency) at which the vehicle 30 has used the expected route spots in the past is higher than a first threshold value, based on the vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30. More specifically, the determination unit 412 determines whether the utilization rate of the expected route spots in the current time period is higher than a first threshold value, based on the SP utilization rate table by time period included in the vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30. The first threshold value is set to, for example, 90%. Note that the value of the threshold value in this case is not particularly limited.

[0033] When the determination unit 412 determines that the first frequency is higher than the first threshold, the notification control unit 413 suppresses notifications of the prospective route spots to the user more than when the utilization rate of the prospective route spots is equal to or lower than the threshold. More specifically, when the determination unit 412 determines that the utilization rate of the prospective route spots in the current time zone is higher than the first threshold based on the SP utilization rate table by time zone included in the vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30, the notification control unit 413 turns off notifications of the prospective route spots to the user of the vehicle 30.

[0034] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2 , it is assumed that the current time zone is late at night and a notification about the expected route spot xxxx is to be determined. In this case, the determination unit 412 determines, based on the SP usage rate table by time zone, that the usage rate of the expected route spot xxxx at late night, 100%, is higher than the first threshold value of 90%. If the usage rate of the expected route spot xxxx is higher than the first threshold value, it can be assumed that the user of the vehicle 30 already has a habit of using the expected route spot xxxx, and therefore the notification control unit 413 turns off notifications about the expected route spot xxxx to the user of the vehicle 30. This makes it possible to suppress notifications to the user about expected route spots that the user already has a habit of using, thereby reducing the inconvenience of notifications to the user of the vehicle 30.

[0035] Furthermore, when the first frequency is equal to or less than the first threshold value, the determination unit 412 extracts, as another spot, a second charging / discharging facility that is located in the vicinity of the expected passing spot and is different from the expected passing spot, from the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20. Note that the number of other spots to be extracted is not particularly limited.

[0036] The determination unit 412 determines that there is an affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the other spot when the frequency (second frequency) at which the vehicle 30 has used the other spot in the past is equal to or greater than a first threshold. More specifically, the determination unit 412 determines that there is an affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the other spot when the utilization rate of the other spot that is within a predetermined distance from the expected route spot in the current time zone is equal to or greater than a first threshold, based on the SP utilization rate table by time zone included in the vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30.

[0037] When the determination unit 412 determines that the second frequency is equal to or greater than the first threshold and that there is an affinity between the user and the other spots, the notification control unit 413 suppresses notifications to the user about the expected stopover spots more than when the second frequency is lower than the first threshold. More specifically, when the determination unit 412 determines that there is at least one other spot whose utilization rate in the current time zone is equal to or greater than the first threshold and that there is an affinity between the user of the vehicle 30, the notification control unit 413 turns off notifications to the user of the vehicle 30 about the expected stopover spots.

[0038] 2, it is assumed that the current time zone is morning and a notification about the expected route spot xxxx is to be determined. In this case, the determination unit 412 determines, based on the SP usage rate table by time zone, that the usage rate of the expected route spot xxxx in the morning is 0% and is equal to or less than the first threshold value of 90%. If the usage rate of the expected route spot xxxx is equal to or less than the first threshold value, it can be assumed that the user of the vehicle 30 does not have a habit of using the expected route spot xxxx.

[0039] In this case, the determination unit 412 extracts, for example, other spots vvvv, yyyy, and zzzz that are located on the travel route of the vehicle 30 or in the vicinity of the travel route of the vehicle 30 and are different from the expected route spot xxxx. The determination unit 412 determines that the utilization rate of the other spot yyyy in the morning, which is 90%, is equal to or greater than the first threshold value of 90%, and determines that there is an affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the other spot yyyy. Since there is an affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the other spot yyyy, it can be assumed that the user is unlikely to use the expected route spot xxxx, and the notification control unit 413 turns off notifications about the expected route spot xxxx to the user of the vehicle 30. This makes it possible to suppress notifications to the user about expected route spots that the user is not accustomed to using but is unlikely to use, thereby reducing the hassle of notifications to the user of the vehicle 30.

[0040] Furthermore, the determination unit 412 may compare a first benefit of transmitting and receiving power between the expected route spot and the vehicle 30 with a second benefit of transmitting and receiving power between another spot and the vehicle 30, and if the first benefit is smaller than the second benefit, determine that the user of the vehicle 30 is not receptive to the expected route spot, and suppress notification of the expected route spot to the user of the vehicle 30 more than if the first benefit is equal to or greater than the second benefit. More detailed functions of the determination unit 412 and the notification control unit 413 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3A to 7.

[0041] 3A and 3B are flowcharts showing an example of processing by the server 40. First, in step S11 of Fig. 3A, the information acquisition unit 411 acquires vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30 from the vehicle 30. The information acquisition unit 411 stores the acquired vehicle state history information 421 in the storage unit 42.

[0042] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 411 generates a time-band-by-time-band SP utilization rate table based on the spot ID that identifies the charging / discharging equipment 20 used by the user of the vehicle 30 and the history of the time when the user used the charging / discharging equipment 20, which are included in the acquired vehicle state history information 421. The information acquisition unit 411 further stores the generated time-band-by-time-band SP utilization rate table in the storage unit 42.

[0043] The processing proceeds to step S12, where the information acquisition unit 411 acquires charging / discharging equipment information 422. The information acquisition unit 411 acquires, as the charging / discharging equipment information 422, from each of the plurality of charging / discharging equipment 20, a spot ID that identifies each of the plurality of charging / discharging equipment 20 and information indicating the location and status of the charging / discharging equipment 20. The information acquisition unit 411 also acquires, as the charging / discharging equipment information 422, information related to the benefits of transmitting and receiving power between each of the plurality of charging / discharging equipment and the vehicle 30, for example, from an external server (not shown). The information related to the benefits includes unit power charge / discharge price information, which is the electricity rate per unit amount of power, when transmitting and receiving power between each of the plurality of charging / discharging equipment 20 and the vehicle 30. The information related to the benefits also includes, for example, information such as discounts for users of the vehicle 30 when transmitting and receiving power between each of the plurality of charging / discharging equipment 20 and the vehicle 30. The information acquisition unit 411 stores the acquired charging / discharging equipment information 422 in the storage unit 42.

[0044] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 411 acquires additional service information, which is information about services associated with each of the multiple charging / discharging facilities 20, from each of the multiple charging / discharging facilities 20 or an external server, etc., and stores the information in the memory unit 42.

[0045] The processing proceeds to step S13, and the judgment unit 412 extracts, from among the multiple charging / discharging facilities 20, a first charging / discharging facility that is located on the vehicle 30's travel route or in the vicinity of the vehicle 30's travel route and that is capable of transmitting and receiving power to and from the vehicle 30, as a prospective passing spot, based on the vehicle condition history information 421 and the charging / discharging facility information 422.

[0046] The process proceeds to step S14, where the determination unit 412 determines whether the utilization rate of the prospective route spots in the current time zone is higher than a first threshold value, based on the time zone-specific SP utilization rate table included in the vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30. If the utilization rate of the prospective route spots in the current time zone is higher than the first threshold value (YES in step S14), the process proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, if the utilization rate of the prospective route spots in the current time zone is equal to or lower than the first threshold value (NO in step S14), the process proceeds to step S16.

[0047] In step S15, the notification control unit 413 turns off notifications about the expected route spots to the user of the vehicle 30, and ends the processing of FIG. 3A.

[0048] In step S16, the determination unit 412 calculates a predicted stay time, which is the time that the vehicle 30 can stay at the expected route spot, based on the vehicle state history information 421 of the vehicle 30. The determination unit 412 calculates the predicted stay time at the expected route spot for the vehicle 30 based on information included in the vehicle state history information 421, such as the position of the vehicle 30, the driving route of the vehicle 30 to the destination, and the desired time of arrival at the destination.

[0049] The determination unit 412 determines whether the calculated predicted stay time is longer than the second threshold. If the calculated predicted stay time is longer than the second threshold (YES in step S16), the process proceeds to step S17. On the other hand, if the calculated predicted stay time is equal to or shorter than the second threshold (NO in step S16), the process proceeds to step S15, where the notification control unit 413 turns off notifications about the expected stopover spots to the user of the vehicle 30, and the process of FIG. 3A ends.

[0050] In step S17, the determination unit 412 extracts, from among the multiple charging / discharging facilities 20, a second charging / discharging facility that is located on or in the vicinity of the driving route of the vehicle 30 and is different from the expected route spot, as the other spot. Note that the number of other spots to be extracted is not particularly limited. The determination unit 412 determines whether there is an affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the extracted other spots.

[0051] (Process for Determining Whether or Not the Vehicle 30 Has Affinity with Other Spots in the Surrounding Area) Here, an example of the process for determining whether or not the vehicle 30 has affinity with other spots in the surrounding area will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4. In step S1701 in Fig. 4, the determination unit 412 determines whether or not there are other spots whose utilization rate in the current time zone is higher than the first threshold value, based on the SP utilization rate table by time zone for the vehicle 30.

[0052] If there is another spot whose utilization rate in the current time zone is higher than the first threshold value (YES in step S1701), the process proceeds to step S1702, where it is determined that there is an affinity between the user of vehicle 30 and the other spot. Then, the process proceeds to step S18 in FIG. 3A.

[0053] On the other hand, if there is no other spot whose utilization rate in the current time zone is higher than the first threshold value (NO in step S1701), the process proceeds to step S1703, where the determination unit 412 determines that there is no affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the other spots. Then, the process proceeds to step S18 in FIG. 3A.

[0054] 3A, if there is no affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the other spot (NO in step S18), the process proceeds to step S19. On the other hand, if there is affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the other spot (YES in step S18), the process proceeds to step S20.

[0055] In step S19, the notification control unit 413 turns on notifications of the expected stopover spots to the user of the vehicle 30. In this case, the notification control unit 413 transmits, for example, a notification message of notification type 1 to the vehicle 30 to notify the user. An example of a notification message of notification type 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The notification control unit 413 transmits, for example, a message to the vehicle 30 stating, "Your battery is running low. Would you like to charge it here?" The output unit 34 of the vehicle 30 outputs the received notification message by image or sound to notify the user of the vehicle 30. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S26 of FIG. 3B.

[0056] On the other hand, if there is an affinity between the user of the vehicle 30 and the other spot (YES in step S18), the process proceeds to step S20, and the judgment unit 412 executes a process to judge whether or not there is acceptability to the expected passing spot.

[0057] (Process for Determining Acceptability of Prospective Route Spots) Here, an example of a process for determining acceptability of a prospective route spot will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 . In step S2001 of FIG. 5 , the determination unit 412 determines whether a first unit power charge when transmitting and receiving power between the prospective route spot and the vehicle 30 is higher by a predetermined value or more than a second unit power charge when transmitting and receiving power between another spot and the vehicle 30, based on information regarding the unit power charge when transmitting and receiving power between each of a plurality of charging and discharging facilities and the vehicle 30, which is included in the charging and discharging facility information 422, for example. If the first unit power charge is not higher by the predetermined value or more than the second unit power charge (NO in step S2001), the process proceeds to step S2002. On the other hand, if the first unit power charge is higher by the predetermined value or more than the second unit power charge (YES in step S2001), the process proceeds to step S2006, where the determination unit 412 determines that the user of the vehicle 30 is not acceptable to the prospective route spot. The process then proceeds to step S21 in FIG. 3A.

[0058] In step S2002, the determination unit 412 calculates a first estimated waiting time expectation value for the expected route spot and a second estimated waiting time expectation value for the other spots, based on the vehicle state history information 421 and the charging / discharging facility information 422. The determination unit 412 calculates the first estimated waiting time expectation value and the second estimated waiting time expectation value, for example, based on the battery capacity and charge state of the battery 32 included in the vehicle state history information 421, the number of vehicles currently using the charging / discharging facility 20 and vehicles waiting in line for the charging / discharging facility 20, the charging / discharging output for each port installed in the charging / discharging facility 20, and the total amount of power that the charging / discharging facility 20 can currently transmit and receive to and from the vehicle 30, all of which are included in the charging / discharging facility information 422.

[0059] The estimated waiting time expectation value E [Twait] is calculated, for example, by the following formula 1. In formula 1, Capv indicates the battery capacity of the battery 32 of the vehicle 30, SoCv indicates the current state of charge (SoC: State of Charge) of the battery 32 of the vehicle 30, and Wsp indicates the total amount of power that can be transmitted and received between the currently expected route spot or another spot and the vehicle 30.

[0060] Wsp is calculated by the following two formulas: In the two formulas, Wport indicates the charge / discharge output of each port installed in the expected route spot or another spot.

[0061] The process proceeds to step S2003, where the determination unit 412 determines whether the calculated first estimated waiting time expectation value is smaller than the second estimated waiting time expectation value. On the other hand, if the first estimated waiting time expectation value is smaller than the second estimated waiting time expectation value (YES in step S2003), the process proceeds to step S2007. If the first estimated waiting time expectation value is equal to or greater than the second estimated waiting time expectation value (NO in step S2003), the process proceeds to step S2005.

[0062] In step S2004, the determination unit 412 calculates a first fee required for transmitting and receiving power between the expected passing spot and the vehicle 30, and a second fee required for transmitting and receiving power between another spot and the vehicle 30, based on the vehicle state history information 421 and the charging / discharging facility information 422. The determination unit 412 calculates the first fee and the second fee, for example, based on the battery capacity and charge state of the battery 32 included in the vehicle state history information 421 and the unit power fee for transmitting and receiving power between each of the multiple charging / discharging facilities 20 and the vehicle 30, included in the charging / discharging facility information 422.

[0063] The process proceeds to step S2005, where the determination unit 412 determines whether the calculated first fee is lower than the second fee. If the first fee is lower than the second fee (YES in step S2005), the process proceeds to step S2007, where the determination unit 412 determines that the user of the vehicle 30 is receptive to the prospective route spot. Then, the process proceeds to step S21 in FIG. 3A. On the other hand, if the first fee is equal to or greater than the second fee (NO in step S2005), the process proceeds to step S2006, where the determination unit 412 determines that the user of the vehicle 30 is not receptive to the prospective route spot. Then, the process proceeds to step S21 in FIG. 3A.

[0064] In step S21 of Fig. 3A, if the user of the vehicle 30 has receptivity to the prospective route spots (YES in step S21), the process proceeds to step S22 of Fig. 3B. On the other hand, if the user of the vehicle 30 does not have receptivity to the prospective route spots (NO in step S21), the process proceeds to step S15, in which the notification control unit 413 turns off notifications about the prospective route spots to the user of the vehicle 30, and ends the process of Fig. 3A.

[0065] 3B , the determination unit 412 calculates a notification acceptance rate, which is the rate at which the user has accepted notifications about the expected stopover spots in the past. The determination unit 412 calculates the notification acceptance rate based on, for example, a history of whether the user of the vehicle 30 accepted notifications about the charging / discharging equipment 20 received from the server 40, which is included in the vehicle state history information 421.

[0066] The process proceeds to step S23, where the determination unit 412 determines whether the calculated notification acceptance rate is higher than a third threshold. If the notification acceptance rate is equal to or lower than the third threshold (NO in step S23), the process proceeds to step S24, where the notification control unit 413 turns off notifications about potential stopover spots to the user of the vehicle 30. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S28. On the other hand, if the notification acceptance rate is higher than the third threshold (YES in step S23), the process proceeds to step S25.

[0067] In step S25, the notification control unit 413 turns on notifications of the expected stopover spots to the user of the vehicle 30. In this case, the notification control unit 413 notifies the user by, for example, transmitting a notification message of notification type 2 to the vehicle 30. An example of the notification message of notification type 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . For example, if the notification control unit 413 determines in step S2003 of FIG. 5 that the first estimated waiting time expectation value is smaller than the second estimated waiting time expectation value (YES in step S2003), the notification control unit 413 may transmit a message to the vehicle 30, such as notification type 2-1, saying, "Your usual spot seems to be currently congested. Would you like to charge here?" Furthermore, if the notification control unit 413 determines in step S2005 of FIG. 5 that the first rate is lower than the second rate, the notification control unit 413 transmits a message to the vehicle 30, such as notification type 2-2, saying, "The current rate for this spot is low. Would you like to charge here?" Furthermore, the notification control unit 413 may send a message to the vehicle 30, such as notification type 2-3, based on the information about the additional services of the expected route spots, saying, "We have started a service where we provide delicious coffee while you wait for charging. Why not charge here?" Then, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0068] In step S26, the information acquisition unit 411 acquires a notification acceptance result from the vehicle 30. The process proceeds to step S27, where the information acquisition unit 411 stores the acquired notification acceptance result in the vehicle state history information 421 stored in the storage unit 42. The information acquisition unit 411 corrects the notification acceptance rate included in the vehicle state history information 421 stored in the storage unit 42, and updates the notification acceptance rate included in the vehicle state history information 421 stored in the storage unit 42.

[0069] A method for correcting the notification acceptance rate will now be described with reference to FIG. 7 . FIG. 7 shows an SoC dependency coefficient map in which the horizontal axis represents the SoC of the battery 32 and the vertical axis represents a coefficient. The SoC dependency coefficient map is stored in advance in the storage unit 42. The information acquisition unit 411 acquires the SoC of the battery 32 from the current state of charge of the battery 32 of the vehicle 30, which is included in the vehicle state history information 421. The information acquisition unit 411 uses the SoC dependency coefficient map to acquire a coefficient corresponding to the acquired SoC. The information acquisition unit 411 corrects the notification acceptance rate by multiplying the notification acceptance rate included in the vehicle state history information 421 by the acquired coefficient, and updates the notification acceptance rate included in the vehicle state history information 421 stored in the storage unit 42. Then, the process proceeds to step S28.

[0070] In step S28, the information acquisition unit 411 acquires the results of stay at the expected route spots from the vehicle 30. The process proceeds to step S29, where the information acquisition unit 411 stores the results of stay at the expected route spots in the vehicle state history information 421 stored in the storage unit 42. Based on the results of stay at the expected route spots, the information acquisition unit 411 updates the utilization rates of the expected route spots in the SP utilization rate table by time period stored in the storage unit 42, and ends the process of FIG. 3B.

[0071] (Operation and Effect) As described above, the notification control method by the notification control device 40 according to one embodiment acquires vehicle state history information including the position and driving route history of the electric vehicle (vehicle) 30, and charging / discharging facility information indicating the position and state of each of the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20. The notification control method extracts, from the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20, a first charging / discharging facility (a potential route spot) that is located on or in the vicinity of the driving route of the electric vehicle 30 and that is capable of transmitting and receiving power to and from the electric vehicle 30, based on the vehicle state history information and the charging / discharging facility information. When a first frequency at which the electric vehicle 30 has previously used the first charging / discharging facility is higher than a first threshold, the notification control method suppresses notification of the first charging / discharging facility to the user compared to when the first frequency is equal to or less than the first threshold. When the first frequency is equal to or less than the first threshold, the notification control method extracts, from the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20, a second charging / discharging facility (another spot) that is different from the first charging / discharging facility and that is located on or in the vicinity of the driving route of the electric vehicle 30. The notification control method determines that there is an affinity between the user and the second charging / discharging equipment when the second frequency at which the electric vehicle 30 has used the second charging / discharging equipment in the past is equal to or greater than a first threshold, and suppresses notifications to the user about the first charging / discharging equipment more than when the second frequency is lower than the first threshold.

[0072] Even if the first frequency with which the electric vehicle 30 has used the first charging / discharging facility in the past is equal to or less than the first threshold and the user is not accustomed to using the first charging / discharging facility, if the second frequency with which the electric vehicle 30 has used a second charging / discharging facility different from the first charging / discharging facility in the past is equal to or greater than the first threshold and there is an affinity between the user and the second charging / discharging facility, the user is unlikely to use the first charging / discharging facility. By suppressing notification to the user when there is an affinity with the second charging / discharging facility, it is possible to suppress notification to the user about the first charging / discharging facility, which the user is unlikely to use. This reduces the hassle of notifications to the user of the electric vehicle 30 in a system for transmitting and receiving power between the electric vehicle 30 and the charging / discharging facility 20.

[0073] Furthermore, in a notification control method by the notification control device 40 according to one embodiment, the charging / discharging facility information includes information relating to the benefit of transmitting and receiving power between each of the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20 and the electric vehicle 30. The notification control method compares a first benefit of transmitting and receiving power between a first charging / discharging facility, the electric vehicle 30, and the charging / discharging facility, with a second benefit of transmitting and receiving power between a second charging / discharging facility and the electric vehicle 30, and determines that the user is not receptive to the first charging / discharging facility when the first benefit is less than the second benefit, and suppresses notification of the first charging / discharging facility to the user more than when the first benefit is equal to or greater than the second benefit.

[0074] According to one embodiment of a notification control method, when the first benefit is smaller than the second benefit and the user is unlikely to use the first charging / discharging equipment, notification to the user about the first charging / discharging equipment can be suppressed.

[0075] Furthermore, in a notification control method by the notification control device 40 according to one embodiment, the charging / discharging facility information includes, as information related to benefits, information related to the unit power fee, which is the electricity fee per unit when transmitting / receiving power between each of the plurality of charging / discharging facilities 20 and the electric vehicle 30. When a first unit power fee when transmitting / receiving power between the first charging / discharging facility and the electric vehicle 30 is higher by a predetermined value or more than a second unit power fee when transmitting / receiving power between the second charging / discharging facility and the electric vehicle 30, the notification control method determines that the user is not receptive to the first charging / discharging facility, and suppresses notifications about the first charging / discharging facility to the user more than when the first unit power fee is not higher by the predetermined value or more than the second unit power fee.

[0076] According to one embodiment of a notification control method, when the first unit electricity fee is higher than the second unit electricity fee by a predetermined value or more and the user is unlikely to use the first charging / discharging equipment, notifications to the user about the first charging / discharging equipment can be suppressed.

[0077] Furthermore, a notification control method by the notification control device 40 according to one embodiment calculates a first estimated charging wait time for the first charging / discharging facility and a second estimated charging wait time for the second charging / discharging facility based on the vehicle state history information and the charging / discharging facility information. When the first estimated charging wait time is equal to or longer than the second estimated charging wait time, the notification control method determines that the user is not receptive to the first charging / discharging facility and suppresses notification of the first charging / discharging facility to the user more than when the first estimated charging wait time is shorter than the second estimated charging wait time.

[0078] According to one embodiment of a notification control method, when the first unit electricity fee is higher than the second unit electricity fee by a predetermined value or more and the user is unlikely to use the first charging / discharging equipment, notifications to the user about the first charging / discharging equipment can be suppressed.

[0079] Furthermore, a notification control method by the notification control device 40 according to one embodiment calculates, based on vehicle state history information and charging / discharging facility information, a first charging fee required for transmitting / receiving power between the first charging / discharging facility and the electric vehicle 30, and a second charging fee required for transmitting / receiving power between the second charging / discharging facility and the electric vehicle 30. When the first charging fee is equal to or greater than the second charging fee, the notification control method determines that the user is not receptive to the first charging / discharging facility, and suppresses notifications about the first charging / discharging facility to the user more than when the first charging fee is lower than the second charging fee.

[0080] According to one embodiment of the notification control method, when the first charging fee is equal to or greater than the second charging fee and the user is unlikely to use the first charging / discharging equipment, notifications to the user about the first charging / discharging equipment can be suppressed.

[0081] In addition, a notification control method using the notification control device 40 of one embodiment calculates an acceptance rate, which is the percentage of users who have accepted notifications about the first charging / discharging equipment in the past, and when the acceptance rate is equal to or lower than a second threshold, notifications about the first charging / discharging equipment to the user are suppressed more than when the acceptance rate is higher than the second threshold.

[0082] According to one embodiment of a notification control method, if the first acceptance rate is below a threshold and the user is unlikely to use the first charging / discharging equipment even if the user is notified, notification to the user about the first charging / discharging equipment can be suppressed.

[0083] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0084] 20 Charging and discharging equipment 30 Electric vehicle (vehicle)

Claims

1. A notification control method by a notification control device for notifying a user of an electric vehicle about a charging and discharging facility capable of power transmission and reception between electric vehicles, the method comprising: obtaining vehicle state history information including information indicating the position and travel route history of the electric vehicle, and charging and discharging facility information including information indicating the position and state of each of a plurality of the charging and discharging facilities; based on the vehicle state history information and the charging and discharging facility information, extracting a first charging and discharging facility located on or around the travel route of the electric vehicle and capable of power transmission and reception with the electric vehicle from among the plurality of the charging and discharging facilities; when a first frequency at which the electric vehicle has used the first charging and discharging facility in the past is higher than a first threshold, suppressing the notification to the user about the first charging and discharging facility compared to when the first frequency is less than or equal to the first threshold; when the first frequency is less than or equal to the first threshold, extracting a second charging and discharging facility located on or around the travel route of the electric vehicle and different from the first charging and discharging facility from among the plurality of the charging and discharging facilities; when a second frequency at which the electric vehicle has used the second charging and discharging facility in the past is greater than or equal to the first threshold, determining that there is an affinity between the user and the second charging and discharging facility, and suppressing the notification to the user about the first charging and discharging facility compared to when the second frequency is lower than the first threshold.

2. The charging and discharging facility information includes information regarding the benefits when performing power transmission and reception between each of the plurality of the charging and discharging facilities and the electric vehicle, comparing a first benefit when performing power transmission and reception between the first charging and discharging facility and the electric vehicle with a second benefit when performing power transmission and reception between the second charging and discharging facility and the electric vehicle; when the first benefit is smaller than the second benefit, determining that the user has no receptivity to the first charging and discharging facility, and suppressing the notification to the user about the first charging and discharging facility compared to when the first benefit is greater than or equal to the second benefit. The notification control method according to claim 1.

3. The charging / discharging equipment information includes, as the information regarding the benefit, information regarding the unit power charge which is the electricity charge per unit amount of electric power when power is transmitted and received between each of the plurality of the charging / discharging equipment and the electric vehicle. When the first unit power charge when power is transmitted and received between the first charging / discharging equipment and the electric vehicle is higher than a predetermined value or more than the second unit power charge when power is transmitted and received between the second charging / discharging equipment and the electric vehicle, it is determined that the user has no acceptability for the first charging / discharging equipment, and the notification to the user regarding the first charging / discharging equipment is suppressed more than when the first unit power charge is not higher than the second unit power charge by a predetermined value or more. The notification control method according to claim 2.

4. Based on the vehicle state history information and the charging / discharging equipment information, a first estimated waiting time expected value of the first charging / discharging equipment and a second estimated waiting time expected value of the second charging / discharging equipment are calculated. When the first estimated waiting time expected value is equal to or more than the second estimated waiting time expected value, it is determined that the user has no acceptability for the first charging / discharging equipment, and the notification to the user regarding the first charging / discharging equipment is suppressed more than when the first estimated waiting time expected value is lower than the second estimated waiting time expected value. The notification control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Based on the vehicle state history information and the charging / discharging equipment information, a first charge required when power is transmitted and received between the first charging / discharging equipment and the electric vehicle and a second charge required when power is transmitted and received between the second charging / discharging equipment and the electric vehicle are calculated. When the first charge is equal to or more than the second charge, it is determined that the user has no acceptability for the first charging / discharging equipment, and the notification to the user regarding the first charging / discharging equipment is suppressed more than when the first charge is lower than the second charge. The notification control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The user calculates a response rate which is the ratio of having responded to the notification regarding the first charging / discharging equipment in the past. When the response rate is equal to or less than a second threshold value, the notification to the user regarding the first charging / discharging equipment is suppressed more than when the response rate is higher than the second threshold value. The notification control method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

7. A notification control device that notifies a user of an electric vehicle that there is a charging / discharging facility capable of power transmission and reception with the electric vehicle, the notification control device comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle state history information including information indicating the position and travel route history of the electric vehicle, and charging / discharging facility information including information indicating the position and state of each of a plurality of the charging / discharging facilities; based on the vehicle state history information and the charging / discharging facility information, extracting a first charging / discharging facility that is located on or around the travel route of the electric vehicle and capable of power transmission and reception with the electric vehicle from among the plurality of the charging / discharging facilities; a determination unit that determines whether a first frequency at which the electric vehicle has used the first charging / discharging facility in the past is higher than a first threshold; and a notification control unit that suppresses notification to the user about the first charging / discharging facility when the determination unit determines that the first frequency is higher than the first threshold, compared to when the first frequency is less than or equal to the first threshold, wherein the determination unit, when the first frequency is less than or equal to the first threshold, extracts a second charging / discharging facility that is located on or around the travel route of the electric vehicle and different from the first charging / discharging facility from among the plurality of the charging / discharging facilities, and determines that there is an affinity between the user and the second charging / discharging facility when a second frequency at which the electric vehicle has used the second charging / discharging facility in the past is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the notification control unit suppresses notification to the user about the first charging / discharging facility when the determination unit determines that there is an affinity between the user and the second charging / discharging facility, compared to when the second frequency is less than the first threshold.

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