JP7273570B2 - Determination device, determination method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a determination device, determination method and program.

A layout analysis device is known that analyzes a suitable layout location of a charging infrastructure that supplies a power source to an electric vehicle (see Patent Document 1, for example).
[Prior art documents]
[Patent Literature]
[Patent Document 1] WO2012/157343

In the above-described devices, when deciding where to place the charging infrastructure, it was based solely on the needs of the user, and did not necessarily yield results that could be realized by the installer.

In one aspect of the invention, a decision device is provided. The determining device may determine the number of slots to accommodate and charge the batteries in the charge exchange device for charging or exchanging the batteries that are detachable from the electrically driven vehicle. A charging exchange device may be located in a specific area, including a road on which a vehicle can travel. The determining device predicts the number of vehicles moving in each of a plurality of clusters obtained by dividing a specific area according to predetermined conditions for each predetermined time interval within a specific period, and calculates the number of vehicles from the number of vehicles. A prediction unit may be provided for predicting the number of batteries required in each cluster for each time interval. A determining device is required to identify a maximum number of the number of batteries for a time interval within a specified time period and to deploy slots corresponding to the maximum number of slots in at least one cluster of the plurality of clusters. A calculation unit may be provided for calculating an initial cost in the case of installing the charging exchange device, summing up the initial cost for a plurality of clusters, and calculating a total initial cost in a specific area. The decision device compares the budget amount that can be invested to install the charging exchange device in a specific area with the total initial cost, and if the total initial cost exceeds the budget amount, the total initial cost is less than or equal to the budget amount. The number of deployment is determined by reducing the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of at least one cluster, and if the total initial cost is less than or equal to the budget amount, at least one corresponds to the maximum number of clusters A determining unit that determines the number of slots as the number of deployments may be provided.

The determination device may further comprise an adjustment unit that adjusts the budget amount based on the amount of profit that is expected to be collected within a certain period of time by operating the charging exchange device located in the specific area. .

The coordinator collects usage fees collected from the vehicle by charging or exchanging the battery in the charging exchange device arranged in the specific area, and surplus electric power generated in the charging exchange device arranged in the specific area, to the system. The amount of profit may be predicted based on at least one of the profits received by extending to.

The prediction unit may predict the number of vehicles moving in each cluster for each time interval by simulation, and predict the number of batteries required in each cluster for each time interval from the number of vehicles. .

The prediction unit may predict the number of vehicles moving within each cluster for each time interval using statistical data of the number of vehicles that have moved within each cluster for each time interval within a specific past period.

The prediction unit uses statistical data indicating the correlation between the number of vehicles moving within a certain area and the number of batteries that need to be charged or replaced by a charging exchange device installed in the certain area, and predicts the number of vehicles. The number of batteries required in each cluster for each time interval may be predicted from the number of .

The determining device determines boundaries based on at least one of highways and rivers existing within the particular area, a current population density distribution in the particular area, a statistical traffic volume distribution in the particular area, and A cluster setting unit may be further provided for setting a plurality of clusters within a specific area on the condition of at least one of the information in the above.

The determining device further includes an image output unit that outputs an image in which the determined number of deployed slots corresponding to the maximum number of at least one cluster is superimposed on a map showing the specific region and the plurality of clusters. You may prepare.

In one aspect of the invention, a method of determination is provided. The determination method may determine the number of slots to be provided for housing and charging the battery in a charge exchange device for charging or exchanging a detachable battery for an electrically driven vehicle. A charging exchange device may be located in a specific area, including a road on which a vehicle can travel. The determination method predicts the number of vehicles moving within each cluster of a plurality of clusters obtained by dividing a specific area according to predetermined conditions for each predetermined time interval within a specific period, and calculates the number of vehicles from the number of vehicles. There may be a prediction step of predicting the number of batteries required in each cluster for each time interval. A determination method is required to identify a maximum number of the number of batteries for a time interval within a specified time period and to deploy slots corresponding to the maximum number of slots in at least one cluster of the plurality of clusters. A calculation step may be provided for calculating the initial cost of installing the charging exchange apparatus, summing the initial cost for a plurality of clusters, and calculating the total initial cost for a particular area. The decision method is to compare the budget that can be invested in installing charging exchange equipment in a specific area with the total initial cost, and if the total initial cost exceeds the budgeted amount, the total initial cost is less than the budgeted amount. The number of deployment is determined by reducing the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of at least one cluster, and if the total initial cost is less than or equal to the budget amount, at least one corresponds to the maximum number of clusters There may be a determining step of determining the number of slots as the number of deployments.

An aspect of the present invention provides a program for causing a computer to execute the above determination method.

It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not list all the necessary features of the invention. Subcombinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

2 is a block diagram of a decision making device 100 communicating with an external display device 200, according to the present embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a method of arranging a plurality of clusters in a specific area according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a determination method according to this embodiment; It is a flow chart of a subroutine in the determination method according to the present embodiment. It is an example of the image which superimposes and displays the deployment number of the slot of each cluster on the map of a specific area|region by this embodiment. 12 illustrates an example computer 1200 in which aspects of the present invention may be implemented in whole or in part; FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution of the invention. In addition, in the drawings, the same or similar parts may be denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant description.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a decision making device 100 communicating with an external display device 200 according to the present embodiment. The determining device 100 determines the number of slots for accommodating and charging batteries in a charge exchange device for charging or exchanging batteries detachable from an electrically driven vehicle. The determining device 100 may further determine the number of charging exchange devices having a predetermined number of slots to be installed according to the determined number of slots to be deployed. In the following description, the number of deployed slots may be simply referred to as the number of deployed slots.

In this embodiment, the charging exchange device is placed in a specific area including roads on which vehicles can travel. The specific area is any land that includes roads on which vehicles can move, buildings such as houses, commercial buildings, and schools, and natural terrain such as rivers, mountains, and lakes. It may be an area virtually surrounded by a square or a circle with a radius of 1 km, or an administrative district unit such as Nishi-Shinjuku 1-chome, Shinjuku-ku. In this embodiment, it is assumed that no charging/exchange device is set in the specific area yet.

The decision device 100 includes a control section 101 , a storage section 103 and an image output section 105 . Control unit 101 includes cluster setting unit 119 , prediction unit 111 , calculation unit 113 , and determination unit 115 . The control section 101 further includes an adjustment section 117 .

The cluster setting unit 119 determines boundary lines based on at least one of arterial roads and rivers existing in a specific area, the current population density distribution in the specific area, and the statistical traffic volume distribution in the specific area. and, as a condition for dividing the specific region, a plurality of clusters are set within the specific region. Cluster setting section 119 outputs information on a plurality of set clusters to prediction section 111 . Note that, instead of including the cluster setting unit 119, the determining apparatus 100 may acquire information indicating a plurality of clusters preset for a specific area from the outside, and store the information in advance in the storage unit 103, for example. You can leave it.

The above clusters may be, for example, areas demarcated by boundaries based on highways, rivers, etc. that exist within a particular region. Clusters are also divided into, for example, less than 1000 people/km ² , 1000 to less than 2000 people/km ² , and more than 2000 people/km ² according to the current population density distribution in a particular region. area. The cluster is also, for example, an area divided into less than 1000 vehicles/hour, 1000 or more and less than 2000 vehicles/hour, and 2000 or more vehicles/hour according to the statistical traffic volume distribution in a specific area. may be

The prediction unit 111 predicts the total number of vehicles moving within each of the plurality of clusters set by the cluster setting unit 119 for each predetermined time interval within a specific period. The prediction unit 111 also predicts the number of batteries required in each cluster for each time interval from the predicted number of vehicles. The prediction unit 111 outputs the predicted number of batteries to the calculation unit 113 . In addition, the above-mentioned necessary battery means a used battery that needs to be charged when the battery is charged in the charge exchange device, and the battery is replaced in the charge exchange device. In some cases, it may be intended for a charged battery that needs to be replaced with a used battery.

An example of the above specified period of time may be one day, one week, one month, one year, and the like. An example of the predetermined time interval may be 1 hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and the like.

As a specific example, the prediction unit 111 according to the present embodiment predicts the number of vehicles moving in each cluster for each time interval by simulation, and based on the number of vehicles, the number of vehicles required in each cluster for each time interval. You may predict the number of batteries for the battery to be used. For example, the prediction unit 111 uses statistical data of the number of vehicles that have moved within each cluster for each time interval within a specific period in the past to perform a simulation to determine the number of vehicles that have moved within each cluster for each time interval. can be predicted to Then, the prediction unit 111 uses statistical data indicating the correlation between the number of vehicles moving within a certain area and the number of batteries that need to be charged or replaced by a charging exchange device installed within the certain area. Then, by simulation, the number of batteries required in each cluster for each time interval may be predicted from the number of vehicles predicted as described above. For example, the prediction unit 111 predicts, through simulation, that the number of vehicles moving within a specific cluster from 6:00 to 12:00 on a day is 40, and furthermore, the number of vehicles required within the cluster during the six hours is predicted to be 40. The number of batteries used may be expected to be 20, which is half the number of vehicles in question.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that no charging/exchanging device is set in the specific area yet. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the certain area in which the charging exchange device is installed and which has statistical data on the charging or exchange of the battery in the past is an area different from the specific area. The prediction unit 111 according to the present embodiment performs the above-described calculation based on the correlation between the number of vehicles and the number of batteries that need to be charged or replaced in a certain area different from the specific area. The number of batteries required in each cluster may be predicted from the number of vehicles in each cluster in a particular region predicted in the previous step. Note that the prediction unit 111 multiplies the predicted number of vehicles by a predetermined coefficient, such as 0.5, instead of using the above statistical data indicating the correlation, so that the number of vehicles in each cluster is calculated for each time interval. may predict the number of batteries required for the battery.

The calculation unit 113 identifies, for each cluster, the maximum number of batteries required in each time interval within a specific period. For example, the prediction unit 111 predicts that two batteries will be required in one cluster from 0:00 to 6:00 in a day. If 10 batteries are expected to be required at ~24:00, the calculation unit 113 may specify 20 as the maximum number.

The calculation unit 113 further calculates the initial cost of installing the charge exchange device required to deploy the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number in at least one cluster among the plurality of clusters. . Here, the expression "in at least one cluster, when the required charging and switching equipment is installed to deploy the slots corresponding to the maximum number of required batteries" means that within the cluster, A case may be included in which the charge exchange device is installed so that the number of slots exactly equal to the maximum number of slots is prepared. The expression may also include installing a minimum number of charging exchange units to reduce installation costs while providing more slots than the maximum number of slots in the cluster. . The expression also ensures that fewer slots than the maximum number of slots are prepared in the cluster so as not to create wasted slots that are not used by the charging exchange device, but still allows users who cannot replace or charge the battery. It may include the case where the maximum number of charging exchange devices is installed in order to suppress the number of In either case, the determination device 100 may previously grasp the number of slots that the charging/exchange device has, and may store information indicating the number of slots in advance in the storage unit 103, for example.

In addition, when the maximum number specified by the calculation unit 113 is less than the number of slots possessed by the charge exchange device in one cluster, that is, when one charge exchange device is installed in the cluster, unused slots are If there is a possibility that the cluster always exists, the calculation unit 113 may decide not to install a charging exchange device in the cluster, or may decide to install at least one charging exchange device.

As a specific example, one charging exchange device has 10 slots, three clusters are set in a specific area, and the installation cost of one charging exchange device is 1 million yen. It is assumed that The calculation unit 113 identifies the maximum number as 20 in the first cluster, identifies the maximum number as 10 in the second cluster, and identifies the maximum number as 3 in the third cluster. Assuming you have identified In this case, the calculation unit 113 calculates the initial cost of the first cluster as 2 million yen, the initial cost of the second cluster as 1 million yen, and the initial cost of the third cluster as 0 yen. You may

Further, y=nx+d (where d is an integer and satisfies 0<d<n.), the calculation unit 113 may determine to install x charging exchange devices, or may determine to install x+1 charging exchange devices.

Further, it is possible to prepare a charging exchange device having any number of slots, such as a charging exchange device having two slots, a charging exchange device having three slots, or a charging exchange device having ten slots. If the determining device 100 knows the number of slots of each charging/exchanging device, the calculating unit 113 determines the number of charging/exchanging devices so that the number of slots exactly equal to the maximum number is prepared. may Specifically, when the maximum number specified by calculation unit 113 is 15 in one cluster, calculation unit 113 determines to install five charging/exchange devices each having three slots. good.

In addition, charge exchange devices with any number of slots, such as a charge exchange device with 2 slots, a charge exchange device with 3 slots, a charge exchange device with 10 slots, etc., can be freely combined. When the determining device 100 knows the number of slots of each charging exchange device, the calculating unit 113, for example, prepares exactly the maximum number of slots and minimizes the initial cost. The number of charging exchange devices may be determined so as to be the limit. In other words, the calculation unit 113 may suppress the total number of charging/exchanging devices by preferentially selecting charging/exchanging devices in descending order of the number of slots. Specifically, when the maximum number specified by calculation unit 113 is 15 in one cluster, calculation unit 113 calculates one charging/exchange device having 10 slots and 3 slots. It may be decided to install one charging exchange with two slots and one charging exchange with two slots.

The calculation unit 113 further sums up the initial costs for a plurality of clusters to calculate the total initial cost in the specific area. Calculation unit 113 outputs information on the total initial cost to determination unit 115 . As a specific example, as in the above example, the calculation unit 113 determines that the initial cost of each of the first cluster, the second cluster, and the third cluster among the three clusters set in the specific area is 200 10,000 yen, 1,000,000 yen, and 0 yen, the calculation unit 113 may calculate the total initial cost for the specific area as 3,000,000 yen.

The determination unit 115 determines the number of slots to be deployed in at least one cluster according to the result of comparing the budget amount that can be invested in installing the charging exchange device in a specific area and the total initial cost. As a specific example, the determination unit 115 according to the present embodiment corresponds to the maximum number of at least one cluster so that the total initial cost is equal to or less than the budget amount when the total initial cost exceeds the budget amount. If the total initial cost is less than or equal to the budget amount, the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of at least one of the above clusters is determined as the number of slots deployed in the cluster Determined as the number of deployments. If the total initial cost exceeds the budget amount, the determining unit 115 may uniformly reduce the number of slots for a plurality of clusters at the same rate, and reduce the number of slots in a cluster with a relatively large number of slots at a relatively high rate. It may be reduced, and vice versa, the number of slots in a cluster with a relatively small number of slots may be reduced at a relatively high rate. The determination unit 115 outputs information on the determined number of allocated slots of at least one cluster to the image output unit 105 .

As an example, if the budget amount is 4 million yen and the total initial cost is calculated as 3 million yen as in the above example, the determination unit 115 determines that the total initial cost is the budget as a result of comparing these. and, as in the example above, one of the three clusters may decide to deploy 20 slots, which is the same as the above maximum number, while the other cluster has the above maximum number. It may be decided to deploy 10 slots, which is the same number. As another example, if the budget amount is 1.5 million yen and the total initial cost is calculated as 3 million yen as in the above example, the determination unit 115 compares these and calculates the total Decide that the initial cost exceeds the budgeted amount, so that the total initial cost is equal to or less than the budgeted amount, for example, to reduce the number of slots at the same rate across multiple clusters, three One of the clusters may decide to deploy 10 slots as the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number above is reduced, and the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number above is the number in the other cluster. It may be decided to deploy 5 slots as a reduced number.

The adjustment unit 117 adjusts the budget amount based on the amount of profit that is expected to be collected within a certain period of time by operating the charging exchange apparatus arranged in the specific area. For example, the adjusting unit 117 may add the profit amount to the original budget amount to obtain a new budget amount. Adjusting unit 117 outputs information on the adjusted budget amount to determining unit 115 . It should be noted that the budget amount used in the determination by the determination unit 115 does not have to be adjusted by the adjustment unit 117 . An example of a certain period of time may be 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, and the like.

As a specific example, the adjustment unit 117 according to the present embodiment collects a usage fee from a vehicle by charging or exchanging a battery in a charging exchange device arranged in a specific area, and The amount of profit may be predicted based on at least one of the profits received by accommodating the surplus power generated in the charging exchange device to the grid.

The storage unit 103 stores sequences, programs, and the like for controlling each component of the determination device 100 . The storage unit 103 stores the above-described budget amounts, usage fees collected from vehicles, profits received from power interchange, boundaries used by the cluster setting unit 119, population density distributions, traffic volume distributions, various statistical data, and the like. may be stored. The storage unit 103 is referred to by the control unit 101 .

The image output unit 105 outputs an image in which the determined number of deployed slots of at least one cluster is superimposed on a map showing a specific region and a plurality of clusters. The image output unit 105 displays an image in which the number of slots deployed in each cluster, for example, is superimposed on the inside of the frame of each cluster, together with the name of each cluster and the number of charging/switching devices according to the number of deployments. may be output. The image output unit 105 transmits the image to the display device 200 external to the determining device 100 by wired communication or wireless communication. By checking the image displayed on the display of the display device 200, the user can easily grasp the appropriate number of deployed slots for each cluster.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a method of arranging a plurality of clusters in a specific area according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the specific area in the present embodiment is, for example, a square area 10 surrounded by squares, with a side of about 1 to 5 km, for example. In addition, in the square area 10 shown in FIG. 2, a horizontal road 20 extending to the left and right of the paper surface, a vertical road 25 extending vertically to the paper surface and intersecting the horizontal road 20, There is a river 30 that extends vertically toward the plane of the paper and intersects the lateral road 20 .

In the present embodiment, the cluster setting unit 119 of the determination device 100 uses the boundary line information based on the highway and the river existing in the square area 10 as the conditions for dividing the square area 10 into a plurality of clusters. do. Specifically, the cluster setting unit 119 uses information on three boundary lines based on the horizontal road 20, the vertical road 25, and the river 30 as the conditions.

The cluster setting unit 119 of this embodiment also sets a plurality of clusters within the square area 10 based on the conditions. Specifically, the six areas within the square area 10 divided by the three boundary lines are set as clusters A to F, respectively, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the determination method according to this embodiment. The flow starts when the determining device 100 receives an instruction from the user, for example.

The determining device 100 predicts the number of vehicles moving within each cluster of a plurality of clusters for each predetermined time interval within a specific period, and determines the number of vehicles required within each cluster for each time interval from the number of vehicles. The number of batteries to be determined is predicted (step S101).

The determining device 100 identifies, for each cluster, the maximum number of the number of batteries in a time interval within a specific period, and the number of slots required to deploy the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number in a plurality of clusters. The initial cost for installing the charge exchange device to be used is calculated, and the initial cost is summed up for a plurality of clusters to calculate the total initial cost in a specific area (step S103).

The decision device 100 compares the budget amount that can be invested in installing the charging exchange device in a specific area with the total initial cost (step S105). If the total initial cost exceeds the budget amount as a result of the comparison in step S105 (step S105: YES), the determining device 100 corresponds to the maximum number of each of the plurality of clusters so that the total initial cost is equal to or less than the budget amount. The number obtained by reducing the number of slots to be used is determined as the number of allocated slots for each cluster (step S107), and the flow ends. If the total initial cost is equal to or less than the budget amount as a result of the comparison in step S105 (step S105: NO), the determining device 100 assigns the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of each of the plurality of clusters to the slots of each cluster. The deployment number is determined (step S109), and the flow ends. Following this flow, the determining device 100 displays an image in which the number of deployed slots determined for each of the plurality of clusters in the specific region is superimposed on the map showing the specific region and the plurality of clusters. The image may be output, and information indicating the image may be transmitted to the display device 200 via a communication network.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a subroutine in the determination method according to this embodiment. More specifically, the flow shown in FIG. 4 is an example of the subroutine flow of step S101 in the flow of FIG. Note that the charging exchange device according to the present embodiment exchanges the battery used in the vehicle with the battery precharged in the slot.

Based on the address information of houses, commercial facilities, office buildings, etc. in the area where the service is developed, and the time information such as departure time and return time of each user, the determination device 100 determines the distribution of residential areas and the distribution of work places. , and generate random numbers according to the distribution of departure times and return times to generate simulation input values (step S201), and prepare for a simulation with a predetermined budget scale (step S203). The determining device 100 tentatively sets the number of batteries in each cluster in the specific area, for example, sets it to one, which is the minimum unit (step S205), and performs a simulation to determine the number of batteries in each cluster at each time. is calculated (step S207).

The simulation executed here may be a traffic simulation that simulates the movement of vehicles. The determining device 100 sets the peak value of the replacement demand at the highest hour among the replacement demands at a plurality of times for each cluster, and determines whether the peak value replacement demand is lower than the charged supply capacity of each cluster. It is determined whether or not the replacement demand for the peak value can be met when the charging/exchanging device is operated with the set number of batteries in each cluster (step S209).

In step S209, if the peak replacement demand is greater than or equal to the charged supply capacity of each cluster, that is, if it cannot be met (step S209: NO), the decision device 100 increases the number of batteries in each cluster until it becomes available. After resetting the value, steps S205 to S209 are repeated. In step S209, if the peak value replacement demand is less than the charged supply capacity of each cluster, that is, if it can be handled (step S209: YES), the determination device 100 sets the tentatively set number of batteries in each cluster to The number of batteries required in each cluster is determined (step S211), and the flow ends.

FIG. 5 is an example of an image displaying the number of deployed slots of each cluster superimposed on a map of a specific area according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, the number of allocated slots for each cluster is superimposed on the square area 10 divided into the six clusters A to F described with reference to FIG. More specifically, on the map of the square area 10 shown in FIG. 5, the number of slots deployed in each cluster is superimposed inside the frame of each cluster, along with each cluster name and the number of charging/switching devices according to the deployed number. are displayed as In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those used in FIG. 2, and redundant explanations are omitted.

In this embodiment, the number of slots that the charge exchange device has is uniformly ten. Further, in the present embodiment, when the maximum number of one cluster specified by the calculation unit 113 of the determination device 100 is less than the number of slots that the charging/exchange device has, the calculation unit 113 may, for example, decide not to install charging exchange equipment in Further, as described above, where y is the maximum number of one cluster calculated by the calculation unit 113, x is the number of charging exchange devices, and n is the number of slots possessed by the charging exchange devices, y=nx+d (where , 0<d<n.), the calculation unit 113 determines to install x charging exchange devices.

In the illustrated example, as shown on the map of the square area 10, cluster A has 30 slots and 3 charging exchange devices, respectively. C has 57 and 5 units, cluster D has 53 and 5 units, cluster E has 60 and 6 units, and cluster F has 40 and 4 units. In this embodiment, the determination unit 115 determines that the total initial cost in the square area 10 is less than or equal to the budget amount, and the number of slots deployed in the six clusters A to F is set to the same maximum number. shall be determined.

The image output unit 105 of the determination device 100 in this embodiment may output the image shown in FIG. 5 as an example. That is, the image output unit 105 displays the number of slots deployed in the six clusters determined by the determination unit 115 on the map showing the square area 10 and the six clusters A to F, each cluster name, and the number of slots deployed. The image of FIG. 5 superimposed and displayed inside the frame of each cluster may be output together with the number of charging exchange devices according to .

As described above, according to the determination device 100 of the present embodiment, when a charging exchange device is newly installed in a specific area, the number of batteries required in each of a plurality of clusters obtained by dividing the specific area By predicting , it is possible to predict the distribution of demand for battery replacement or charging within a particular region. Then, according to the determining device 100, the total initial cost assumed when installing the charging/switching apparatus having the number of slots corresponding to the demand in the specific area is The number of slots to be deployed in a particular area is determined by reducing the number of slots corresponding to the demand so as to stay within the budget that can be invested in installation. Therefore, according to the determination device 100, it is possible to propose to install a charging exchange device in a specific area within the budget amount along the distribution of demand for battery replacement or charging in the specific area. .

In the above embodiments, the vehicle may be a motorcycle, or alternatively or additionally, a four-wheeled motor vehicle, an electric bicycle, or the like. Also, the battery is a so-called mobile battery that can be carried by the user after being detached from the vehicle. The battery supplies power to the vehicle when installed in the vehicle.

In the above embodiment, the determining device 100 is configured to store the various statistical data in its own storage unit 103 . Alternatively, the determining device 100 can communicate with an external server via a communication network by wire or wireless communication, receive the various statistical data from the external server, and It may be used when predicting the number of batteries to be used.

In the above embodiment, the determination unit 115 of the determination device 100 compares the budget amount and the total initial cost, and if the total initial cost exceeds the budget amount, the total initial cost is the budget amount. The number obtained by subtracting the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of at least one cluster as follows is determined as the number of slots deployed for the cluster, and if the total initial cost is less than or equal to the budget amount, at least one cluster A configuration has been described in which the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number is determined as the number of deployments. Additionally, the decision unit 115 may consider statistical data indicating the user's acceptable waiting time when visiting the charging exchange device and having to wait for battery exchange or charging. . Specifically, when determining that the total initial cost exceeds the budget amount as described above, the determination unit 115 adjusts the number of slots so that the total initial cost is equal to or less than the budget amount, and The number of slots deployed in the cluster may be determined so that the required number of slots is such that the user is not charged with a waiting time that exceeds the allowable waiting time calculated from the waiting time. In this case, it is preferable that the total initial cost is equal to or less than the initial budget amount, but even if the total initial cost does not become equal to or less than the initial budget amount, I wish I had.

In the above embodiment, statistical data of the number of vehicles that have moved within each cluster of a specific region for each time interval within a specific period in the past, and vehicles that have moved within a certain region, which are used by the prediction unit 111 Of the statistical data showing the correlation between the number of batteries and the number of batteries that need to be charged or replaced by a charging exchange device installed in a certain area, the statistical data of the number of vehicles moving within a certain area is For example, it may be based on data accumulated by obtaining GPS data representing the latitude and longitude of the location of the vehicle from a GPS (Global Positioning System) mounted on the vehicle.

In the above embodiment, as described in the flow of FIG. 3, the determination unit 115 of the determination device 100 determines that the total initial cost is A configuration has been described in which a number obtained by reducing the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of each of a plurality of clusters so as to be equal to or less than the budget amount is determined as the number of allocated slots for each cluster. Alternatively, if the total initial cost exceeds the budgeted amount as a result of the comparison in step S105, the determining unit 115 of the determining device 100 selects at least some clusters so that the total initial cost is equal to or less than the budgeted amount. slots corresponding to the maximum number of the new clusters that are less than the total number of slots corresponding to the respective maximum numbers of the at least some clusters by resetting the new clusters by merging some of them together The number may be determined as the deployed number.

As a specific example, first, assume that four clusters are set in a specific region under the condition that one cluster is set for every 1000 population. Also, of the four clusters, the maximum number in the first cluster is 30 from 6:00 to 9:00, the number of batteries required from 12:00 to 15:00 is 0, while the second Assume that the above maximum number in the cluster is 30 from 12:00 to 15:00, and the required number of batteries is 10 from 6:00 to 9:00.

If the total initial cost in the specific area exceeds the budget amount, the decision unit 115 first integrates the clusters by two, and creates two new clusters with a population of every 2000 people in the specific area. reset. One of the two new clusters is an amalgamation of the first and second clusters above. In this case, the maximum value of the new cluster is 30+10=40 from 6:00 to 9:00, so the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number is 40.

Since the total number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of each of the first cluster and the second cluster is 30 + 30 = 60, compared to the total, the maximum number of the new cluster is The number of corresponding slots is smaller. Therefore, the determination unit 115 may determine the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of the new cluster as the number of allocated slots of the new cluster. In this way, when the peak hours of battery demand are different in each of the plurality of clusters initially set within a specific area, the number of slots deployed within the specific area can be increased by resetting the clusters. can be reduced, lowering the total initial cost.

In the above case, for example, five clusters each having a population of 2,000 may be reconfigured into two clusters each having a population of 5,000 by integrating a part of each cluster. You may reset to four clusters. In the above case, after resetting the new cluster, the number of batteries required in the new cluster is predicted again, the total initial cost is calculated, and the total initial cost is compared with the budget amount, Cluster resetting may be repeated until the total initial cost is less than or equal to the budgeted amount.

In the above embodiment, the determining device 100 and the display device 200 are described as separate configurations, but the determining device 100 and the display device 200 may be integrated.

In the above embodiment, the past statistical data and the simulation do not assume that the vehicle user replaces or recharges the used battery with the charging exchange device. For the purpose of power interchange, it may be assumed that the charged battery is returned to the charge exchange device or discharged.

In the above embodiments, the subject requiring battery replacement or charging by the charging/exchanging device is the vehicle. However, regardless of whether the user owns the vehicle or not, a form in which the user carries the battery to the charge exchange device with his/her own foot and needs to replace or charge the battery is also conceivable. The embodiments described above may include such a form, and in this case, in the portions described above using the term vehicle, the term vehicle can be replaced with the term user.

Various embodiments of the invention may be described with reference to flowchart illustrations and block diagrams, where blocks refer to (1) steps in a process in which operations are performed or (2) devices responsible for performing the operations. may represent a section of Certain steps and sections may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium, and/or processor provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium. you can Dedicated circuitry may include digital and/or analog hardware circuitry, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and/or discrete circuitry. Programmable circuits include logic AND, logic OR, logic XOR, logic NAND, logic NOR, and other logic operations, memory elements such as flip-flops, registers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), etc. and the like.

Computer-readable media may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by a suitable device, such that computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon may be designated in flowcharts or block diagrams. It will comprise an article of manufacture containing instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations described above. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer readable media include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM or flash memory), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), Blu-ray (RTM) Disc, Memory Stick, Integration Circuit cards and the like may be included.

The computer readable instructions may be assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or object oriented programming such as Smalltalk, JAVA, C++, etc. language, and any combination of one or more programming languages, including conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. good.

Computer readable instructions may be transferred to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, either locally or over a wide area network (WAN), such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, or the like. ) and may be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example computer 1200 in which aspects of the invention may be implemented in whole or in part. Programs installed on the computer 1200 cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of operations or one or more "parts" of an apparatus according to embodiments of the invention, or to and/or cause computer 1200 to perform processes or steps of processes according to embodiments of the present invention. Such programs may be executed by CPU 1212 to cause computer 1200 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

Computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes CPU 1212 , RAM 1214 , graphics controller 1216 , and display device 1218 , which are interconnected by host controller 1210 . Computer 1200 also includes input/output units such as communication interface 1222 , hard disk drive 1224 , DVD-ROM drive 1226 , and IC card drive, which are connected to host controller 1210 via input/output controller 1220 . The computer also includes legacy input/output units such as ROM 1230 and keyboard 1242 , which are connected to input/output controller 1220 through input/output chip 1240 .

The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. Graphics controller 1216 takes image data generated by CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in RAM 1214 or into itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on display device 1218 .

Communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices over a network. Hard disk drive 1224 stores programs and data used by CPU 1212 within computer 1200 . DVD-ROM drive 1226 reads programs or data from DVD-ROM 1201 and provides programs or data to hard disk drive 1224 via RAM 1214 . The IC card drive reads programs and data from IC cards and/or writes programs and data to IC cards.

ROM 1230 stores therein programs that depend on the hardware of computer 1200, such as a boot program that is executed by computer 1200 upon activation. Input/output chip 1240 may also connect various input/output units to input/output controller 1220 via parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, and the like.

A program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 1201 or an IC card. The program is read from a computer-readable storage medium, installed in hard disk drive 1224 , RAM 1214 , or ROM 1230 , which are also examples of computer-readable storage medium, and executed by CPU 1212 . The information processing described within these programs is read by computer 1200 to provide coordination between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing information operations or processing according to the use of computer 1200 .

For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 executes a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and sends communication processing to the communication interface 1222 based on the processing described in the communication program. you can command. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214, the hard disk drive 1224, the DVD-ROM 1201, or an IC card. Data is transmitted to the network, or received data received from the network is written in a receive buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

In addition, the CPU 1212 causes the RAM 1214 to read all or necessary portions of files or databases stored in external recording media such as a hard disk drive 1224, a DVD-ROM drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1201), an IC card, etc. Various types of processing may be performed on the data in RAM 1214 . CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to an external recording medium.

Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium to be processed. CPU 1212 performs various types of operations on data read from RAM 1214, information processing, conditional decisions, conditional branching, unconditional branching, and information retrieval, which are described throughout this disclosure and are specified by instruction sequences of programs. Various types of processing may be performed, including /replace, etc., and the results written back to RAM 1214 . In addition, the CPU 1212 may search for information in a file in a recording medium, a database, or the like. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 selects the first attribute from among the plurality of entries. search for an entry that matches a condition in which the attribute value of the attribute is specified, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby determine the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition An attribute value of the associated second attribute may be obtained.

Programs or software modules according to the above description may be stored in a computer readable storage medium on or near computer 1200 . Also, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, whereby the program can be transferred to the computer 1200 via a network. offer.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. In addition, matters described with respect to a specific embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as they are not technically inconsistent. Also, each component may have features similar to other components with the same name but different reference numerals. It is clear from the description of the scope of claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The execution order of each process such as actions, procedures, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is particularly "before", "before etc., and it should be noted that they can be implemented in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flow in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if the description is made using "first," "next," etc. for the sake of convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. not a thing

10 square area, 20 horizontal road, 25 vertical road, 30 river, 100 determination device, 101 control unit, 103 storage unit, 105 image output unit, 111 prediction unit, 113 calculation unit, 115 determination unit, 117 adjustment unit, 119 cluster setting unit, 200 display device, 1200 computer, 1201 DVD-ROM, 1210 host controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 graphic controller, 1218 display device, 1220 input/output controller, 1222 communication interface, 1224 hard disk drive, 1226 DVD - ROM drive, 1230 ROM, 1240 input/output chip, 1242 keyboard

Claims (11)

A determining device for determining the number of slots for accommodating and charging a battery in a charging/exchanging device for charging or replacing a battery detachable from an electrically driven vehicle,
The charging exchange device is arranged in a specific area including a road on which the vehicle can travel,
predicting the number of vehicles moving in each of a plurality of clusters obtained by dividing the specific region according to a predetermined condition for each predetermined time interval within a specific period; a prediction unit that predicts the number of batteries required in each cluster for each time interval;
for identifying a maximum number of said number of batteries for said time interval within said specified time period and deploying said number of slots corresponding to said maximum number in at least one cluster of said plurality of clusters. a calculation unit that calculates an initial cost when installing the charging exchange device, adds up the initial cost for the plurality of clusters, and calculates a total initial cost in the specific area;
a determination unit that determines the number of deployments of the at least one cluster according to a result of comparing a budget amount that can be invested in installing the charging exchange device in the specific area and the total initial cost; decision device. The determining unit compares the budgeted amount and the total initial cost, and if the total initial cost exceeds the budgeted amount, the at least one cluster is determined so that the total initial cost is equal to or less than the budgeted amount. is determined as the deployment number by subtracting the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of the at least one cluster, and if the total initial cost is less than or equal to the budgeted amount, the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of the at least one cluster as the deployed number. The calculation unit calculates the initial cost required to deploy the slots corresponding to the maximum number of slots in at least some of the plurality of clusters, and calculates the initial cost as the Calculate the total initial cost by summing over a plurality of clusters,
The determining unit compares the budgeted amount and the total initial cost, and if the total initial cost exceeds the budgeted amount, the total initial cost is less than or equal to the budgeted amount. of said new clusters, wherein said number of slots of said new clusters is less than the sum of the number of slots corresponding to said maximum number of each of said at least some clusters by merging together at least some of the clusters of said determining the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number as the number of deployments, and determining the number of slots corresponding to the maximum number of the at least one cluster as the number of deployments if the total initial cost is equal to or less than the budgeted amount. The decision device of claim 1, wherein: further comprising an adjustment unit that adjusts the budget amount based on the amount of profit that is expected to be collected within a certain period of time by operating the charge exchange device arranged in the specific area ;
The adjustment unit predicts the amount of profit based on the usage fee collected from the vehicle by charging or exchanging the battery in the charging exchange device arranged in the specific area.
4. A decision device according to any one of claims 1-3. The prediction unit predicts, by simulation, the number of vehicles moving in each cluster for each time interval, and the number of the batteries required in each cluster for each time interval based on the number of vehicles. 5. A determining device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , for predicting the number of batteries. The prediction unit predicts the number of vehicles traveling within each cluster for each time interval within a specific past period using statistical data of the number of vehicles traveling within each cluster for each time interval. 6. The decision device of claim 5 , which predicts to . The prediction unit provides statistical data indicating a correlation between the number of vehicles moving within a certain area and the number of batteries that need to be charged or replaced by the charging exchange device installed within the certain area. predicting the number of the batteries required in each of the clusters for each of the time intervals from the number of vehicles using
7. A decision making device according to claim 6 . at least a boundary line based on at least one of a highway and a river existing in the specific area; a current population density distribution in the specific area; and a statistical traffic volume distribution in the specific area. The determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , further comprising a cluster setting unit that sets the plurality of clusters within the specific area using any information as the condition. 9. An image output unit that outputs an image in which the determined deployment number of the at least one cluster is superimposed on a map showing the specific area and the plurality of clusters, further comprising an image output unit that outputs an image. A decision device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3. A computer-implemented determination method for determining the number of slots for receiving and charging a battery in a charging exchange device for charging or replacing a battery detachable to an electrically powered vehicle. A method of determining to
The charging exchange device is arranged in a specific area including a road on which the vehicle can travel,
predicting the number of vehicles moving in each of a plurality of clusters obtained by dividing the specific region according to a predetermined condition for each predetermined time interval within a specific period; a prediction step of predicting the number of batteries of said batteries needed in each said cluster for each time interval;
for identifying a maximum number of said number of batteries for said time interval within said specified time period and deploying said number of slots corresponding to said maximum number in at least one cluster of said plurality of clusters. a calculating step of calculating an initial cost when installing the charging exchange device, summing the initial cost for the plurality of clusters, and calculating a total initial cost in the specific area;
determining the number of deployments of the at least one cluster according to a result of comparing the budget amount that can be invested to install the charging exchange equipment in the specific area and the total initial cost. , the determination method. A program for causing a computer to execute the determination method according to claim 10 .

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