JP7683374B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing device.

JP 2020-159749 A (Patent Document 1) discloses an information management device capable of communicating with a vehicle. The vehicle is configured to perform external charging, which charges a power storage device for driving using a power supply facility provided outside the vehicle. The information management device includes an acquisition unit, a selection unit, and a generation unit. The acquisition unit acquires destination information indicating the location of the destination of the vehicle and information related to what the user would like to do while charging the vehicle. The selection unit selects a store that matches what the user would like to do while charging based on this information. The user specifies a store that the user would like to stop at from among the selected stores. The generation unit generates a driving route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination, using the location of the store specified by the user as a stopover point. The generated driving route information is transmitted to a user operation terminal.

JP 2020-159749 A

Technology that allows users to stop at their favorite stores along the route from the vehicle's current location to the destination is important for satisfying users' desires, and further improvements are desirable. In addition, when a destination for the vehicle is set, the user may wish to increase the amount of stored electricity in the power storage device when the vehicle arrives at the destination.

The present disclosure has been made to achieve the above-mentioned objective, and its purpose is to provide an information processing device that allows a user to stop by favorite stores along the route from the vehicle's current location to the destination, and that can increase the amount of stored electricity in the electricity storage device when the vehicle arrives at the destination.

The information processing device disclosed herein is configured to suggest to a user a preferred store along the vehicle's travel route. The vehicle is configured to perform external charging, which charges a travel storage device with a power supply facility provided outside the vehicle. The information processing device includes an acquisition device and a processing device. When a destination of the vehicle is set, the acquisition device acquires a user request to ensure that the amount of stored power in the power storage device is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount when the vehicle arrives at the destination. The processing device sets a travel route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination. At least one store having a power supply facility is present along the travel route. When the acquisition device acquires the user request, the processing device executes a process of selecting a store associated with a predetermined condition that satisfies the value of a predetermined parameter from among the at least one store, and suggesting the store to the user of the vehicle. The predetermined parameter is a parameter that changes depending on the status of the user, the vehicle, or the power supply facility.

The store that the user wants to stop at changes depending on the status of the user, the vehicle, or the power supply equipment. According to the above configuration, the stores suggested to the user change flexibly depending on such a situation. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the suggested stores are stores that the user wants to stop at in the future. Therefore, the user can stop at a store that suits the situation before the vehicle arrives at the destination from the current location. In addition, the vehicle can perform external charging using the power supply equipment installed in the suggested store. Therefore, the amount of stored power in the power storage device when the vehicle arrives at the destination can be made to be equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. This satisfies the desire of the user to increase the amount of stored power.

According to the present disclosure, a user can stop by favorite stores along the route from the vehicle's current location to the destination, and the amount of stored electricity in the power storage device can be increased when the vehicle arrives at the destination.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information processing system including a server as an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a diagram showing configurations of a vehicle, a power supply station, and a user terminal shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a diagram showing in detail the configuration of a vehicle ECU, its associated devices, and a server. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a store information DB stored in the storage device. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the processing device in the present embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by a processing device in Modification 1.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or equivalent parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an information processing system including a server as an information processing device according to the present embodiment. The information processing system 10 includes a vehicle 100, a server 200, a power supply station 300, and a user terminal 400. The vehicle 100, the server 200, the power supply station 300, and the user terminal 400 are connected to a communication network 500 such as the Internet.

Vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle equipped with a power storage device for driving, such as an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle). Vehicle 100 is configured to be capable of performing external charging, which charges the on-board power storage device, using a power supply station 300 provided outside vehicle 100.

The server 200 is configured to communicate with the vehicle 100 through the communication network 500. The server 200 is configured to set a driving route for the vehicle 100. The set driving route is transmitted to the vehicle 100 through the communication network 500.

The user terminal 400 is a mobile terminal operated by the user of the vehicle 100, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal. The user can input the destination of the vehicle 100 by operating the user terminal 400.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 100, the power supply station 300, and the user terminal 400 shown in Figure 1. With reference to Figure 1, the vehicle 100 includes a power storage device 110, a system main relay (SMR) 115, a power control unit (PCU) 120, a motor generator (MG) 130, and drive wheels 140. The vehicle 100 also includes charging relays RY1 and RY2, an inlet 150, a power receiving device 155, and a human machine interface (HMI) device 145. The vehicle 100 also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) 160, a data communication module (DCM) 170, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver 172, and a controller area network (CAN) communication unit 174.

The power storage device 110 is a power storage element that stores electric power for driving. The power storage device 110 is configured to include, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery, and a storage element such as an electric double layer capacitor. The lithium ion secondary battery is a secondary battery that uses lithium as a charge carrier, and may include not only a typical lithium ion secondary battery with a liquid electrolyte, but also a so-called all-solid-state battery that uses a solid electrolyte. The amount of electricity stored in the power storage device 110 is expressed, for example, by SOC (State of Charge). The power storage device 110 is provided with a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a temperature sensor (none of which are shown) that detect the voltage, current, and temperature, respectively. The detection values of these sensors are output to the ECU 160.

The SMR 115 is provided between the power lines PL1 and NL1 connected to the power storage device 110 and the PCU 120. The SMR 115 is controlled to be in the on state while the vehicle 100 is traveling.

The PCU 120 includes power conversion devices such as a converter and an inverter. The PCU 120 converts the DC power received from the power storage device 110 into AC power. The PCU 120 also converts the AC power generated by the MG 130 (described below) into DC power.

MG 130 is typically an AC rotating electric machine, for example a three-phase AC synchronous motor with a permanent magnet embedded in the rotor. MG 130 is driven by PCU 120 to generate rotational driving force. The driving force generated by MG 130 is transmitted to drive wheels 140. This allows vehicle 100 to run. In addition, MG 130 can generate power using the rotational force of drive wheels 140 during regenerative braking of vehicle 100 (regenerative power generation). The power generated by regenerative power generation is charged to power storage device 110 via PCU 120.

The charging relay RY1 is connected to the power lines PL1 and NL1. The charging relay RY1 switches from the off state to the on state when external charging is performed.

During external charging, the inlet 150 receives charging power supplied from the system power supply 310 through the power supply stand 300 (described later). This charging power is supplied to the power storage device 110. Hereinafter, external charging performed using power supplied from the power supply stand 300 to the inlet 150 is also referred to as "contact charging."

DCM170 is configured to be capable of performing bidirectional data communication between vehicle100 and server200, and between vehicle100 and user terminal400, via a communication network such as the Internet. DCM170 is also configured to be capable of performing short-range communication with power transmission device305 (described below).

The power receiving device 155 includes a power receiving coil and a power conversion device (neither shown). The power receiving coil receives AC power contactlessly from the system power supply 310 through the power transmission device 305. The power conversion device converts the AC power received contactlessly by the power receiving coil into DC power at the voltage level of the power storage device 110. The converted power is charged to the power storage device 110. Hereinafter, external charging performed using power supplied from the power transmission device 305 to the power receiving device 155 is also referred to as "contactless charging".

The charging relay RY2 is provided between the power storage device 110 and the power receiving device 155. The charging relay RY2 is controlled to a closed state while non-contact charging is being performed. On the other hand, the charging relay RY2 is controlled to an open state while non-contact charging is not being performed.

The HMI device 145 is a terminal device that provides various information to the user 195 of the vehicle 100 and accepts input operations by the user 195. The HMI device 145 includes a display device 147, an input device 148, a memory 149, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 146. The display device 147 displays various information to the user 195 of the vehicle 100.

The input device 148 receives input of operations by the user 195. For example, the input device 148 receives a user operation for setting a destination for the vehicle 100. The input device 148 also receives a user request for setting the SOC when the vehicle 100 arrives at the destination (hereinafter also referred to as the "arrival SOC") to a predetermined amount (predetermined SOC) or higher. Hereinafter, this user request is also referred to as a "high SOC request at arrival." Note that information indicating the set destination and the high SOC request at arrival are transmitted from the input device 148 to the ECU 170.

The memory 149 stores programs and data for enabling the HMI device 145 to realize various functions. The CPU 146 executes the programs and data stored in the memory 149. This allows the HMI device 145 to function as, for example, a car navigation device. In this case, when the user 195 sets a destination for the vehicle 100 using the input device 148, information indicating the destination is transmitted to the ECU 170 and then sent to the server 200 via the DCM 170. The server 200 then sets a driving route from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination. The display device 147 displays the set driving route (guidance route), etc.

The GPS receiver 172 determines the current location of the vehicle 100 (more specifically, the longitude, latitude, and altitude of the location) based on radio waves from artificial satellites. The location information determined by the GPS receiver 172 is used by the HMI device 145, which serves as a car navigation device, the ECU 170, and the like. In this embodiment, the location information determined by the GPS receiver 172 is transmitted to the ECU 170 and then to the server 200 via the DCM 170.

The CAN communication unit 174 is configured to perform CAN communication between the vehicle 100 and the power supply station 300 during external charging. Note that communication between the vehicle 100 and the power supply station 300 is not limited to CAN communication, and may be power line communication (PLC) or wireless communication.

The ECU 160 controls each device of the vehicle 100 according to each sensor signal, as well as programs, data, and maps stored in the memory. As an example, the ECU 160 controls the SMR 115, the PCU 120, the charging relays RY1 and RY2, the HMI device 145, the power receiving device 155, the DCM 170, and the CAN communication unit 174.

The ECU 160 calculates the SOC of the power storage device 110 according to the voltage, current, and temperature of the power storage device 110. The SOC is calculated using a known method, such as a method using an OCV-SOC curve (such as a map) that shows the relationship between the OCV (Open Circuit Voltage) and the SOC.

The ECU 160 is configured to perform external charging to charge the power storage device 110 using a power supply facility such as a power supply station 300. This external charging may be either contact charging or non-contact charging.

For example, during wireless charging of the vehicle 100, the ECU 170 outputs a power supply request to the power transmission device 305 through the DCM 170 so that power is supplied from the power transmission device 305 of the power supply equipment to the power receiving device 155. In response to the power supply request, the power transmission device 305 supplies power to the power receiving device 155. When the power receiving device 155 begins to receive power, the ECU 170 switches the charging relay RY2 from the off state to the on state. This starts wireless charging.

When contact charging of the vehicle 100 is performed, the ECU 160 turns on the charging relay RY1. The ECU 160 then transmits a charging start request and a charging current command value, etc. to the power supply station 300 via the CAN communication unit 174. This allows contact charging to be performed. The detailed configuration of the ECU 160 will be described later.

The power supply station 300 is a power supply facility provided outside the vehicle 100. The power supply station 300 is provided in a store or the like. The number of power supply stations 300 provided in a store is arbitrary. The power supply station 300 includes a power supply device 302 and a communication device 303.

During external charging, the power supply device 302 converts AC power from the system power supply 310 into DC power and supplies the converted power to the inlet 150 through a connector (not shown) of the power supply station 300. The power supply device 302 may be configured to convert the AC power from the system power supply 310 into AC power of a different voltage level and output the converted AC power to the inlet 150. In this case, a power conversion device (charging device) is provided between the charging relay RY1 and the inlet 150. This power conversion device converts the AC power from the power supply device 302 into DC power of the voltage level of the power storage device 110.

The communication device 303 is configured to be able to communicate bidirectionally with the CAN communication unit 174 and the server 200. Information transmitted between the communication device 303 and the server 200 includes, for example, information indicating the availability of the power supply station 300 (whether the power supply station 300 is currently in use or not).

The vehicle 100 is configured to be able to supply power to an external load (external power supply). For example, if a power conversion device is provided between the charging relay RY1 and the inlet 150, the ECU 160 controls the power conversion device so that power from the power storage device 110 is supplied from the power conversion device to the external load through the inlet 150. This makes it possible to drive the external load using the power from the power storage device 110.

The user terminal 400 includes a control device 410, an HMI device 420, and a communication device 430. The HMI device 420 can function as a car navigation device, similar to the HMI device 145. The HMI device 420 includes a display device and an input device, similar to the HMI device 145 (neither of which are shown).

The communication device 430 is an interface for wirelessly communicating with the DCM 170 of the vehicle 100 and the server 200.

The control device 410 has a built-in CPU and memory (neither shown). The control device 410 controls each device of the user terminal 400 (the HMI device 420 and the communication device 430) according to information stored in the memory and information input to the HMI device 420. For example, when the user 195 sets a destination for the vehicle 100 using the HMI device 420, the control device 410 transmits information indicating the destination to the ECU 170 of the vehicle 100 via the communication device 430 and the DCM 170.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing in detail the configuration of the ECU 160 of the vehicle 100, its associated devices, and the server 200. With reference to Figure 3, the ECU 160 of the vehicle 100 is configured to include a CPU 161, a memory 162, and an input/output interface 163. The memory 162 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) (neither shown). The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU 161, etc. The RAM temporarily stores data referenced by the CPU 161, etc.

The ECU 160, the DCM 170, the GPS receiver 172, and the CAN communication unit 174 are connected to the in-vehicle network 190. Therefore, the ECU 160 can communicate with each device via the in-vehicle network 190.

When the connector of the power supply station 300 is connected to the inlet 150, the ECU 160 exchanges various information with the power supply station 300 through the CAN communication unit 174 and performs external charging. The ECU 160 also acquires location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 100 from the GPS receiver 172. Furthermore, the ECU 160 exchanges various information with the server 200, the user terminal 400, and the power transmission device 305 through the DCM 170. As an example, the ECU 160 transmits vehicle information including various information about the vehicle 100 and a high SOC request at the time of arrival to the server 200 through the DCM 170. The vehicle information includes the current location of the vehicle 100, the destination of the vehicle 100, and the current SOC of the power storage device 110.

The server 200 may be a stationary information processing device or a portable so-called mobile server. The server 200 includes a communication device 210, a storage device 220, and a processing device 230.

The communication device 210 is configured to be able to communicate with the DCM 170 of the vehicle 100 and the communication device 430 of the user terminal 400. As an example, the communication device 210 acquires (receives) the high SOC request at the time of arrival and the above-mentioned vehicle information from the ECU 170 through communication. The communication device 210 also transmits the driving route of the vehicle 100 set by the processing device 230 to the DCM 170. The communication device 210 forms an example of an "acquisition device" according to the present disclosure.

The storage device 220 includes a store information database (DB) 221, a map information database (DB) 222, a traffic information database (DB) 224, and a vehicle information database (DB) 226.

The store information DB221 stores information on a large number of stores in the map information DB222. These stores include various stores that are equipped with power supply equipment for external charging. The power supply equipment may be a contact type power supply equipment such as the power supply station 300, or a non-contact type power supply equipment such as a power supply equipment including a power transmission device 305. The store information DB221 stores each of the many stores that are equipped with power supply equipment in association with information on the power supply equipment. This information includes, for example, the charging method (whether contact charging or non-contact charging) of the power supply equipment installed in the store and the charging power during external charging. Details of the store information DB221 will be described later. The map information DB222 stores map information including road map data.

The traffic information DB224 stores real-time data and history of information showing the traffic volume on the roads in the map information DB222 according to information (such as the position and speed of each vehicle) transmitted from a large number of vehicles including the vehicle 100.

The vehicle information DB 226 includes information indicating the vehicle ID, the charging method of external charging that can be performed for the vehicle, whether external power supply can be performed, the SOC of the power storage device 110, and the electricity consumption. These databases are successively updated to the latest state by the processing device 230.

The processing device 230, like the ECU 160, includes a CPU 231 and a memory 232. The CPU 231 executes programs and data stored in the memory 232. The memory 232 includes a ROM and a RAM (neither shown). The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU 231, etc. The RAM temporarily stores data referenced by the CPU 231, etc.

When the destination of the vehicle 100 is set, the processing device 230 sets a driving route from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination based on the current location of the vehicle 100, the destination of the vehicle 100, and the map information DB 222. Along the driving route, there is at least one store that has a power supply facility. In the following description of this embodiment, as an example, a case where this power supply facility is a power supply station 300 will be described.

Technology that allows user 195 to stop at favorite stores along the driving route from the current location (starting point) of vehicle 100 to the destination is important for satisfying the desires of user 195, and further improvement is desirable. "Stores along the driving route" refers to stores that are located in an area that is less than a predetermined distance from the driving route. Here, the stores that user 195 wants to stop at change depending on the status of user 195, vehicle 100, or power supply equipment (e.g., the time zone to which the current time belongs, the destination of vehicle 100, the weather, and the SOC of power storage device 110, etc.).

In addition, when a destination of the vehicle 100 is set, the user 195 may wish to keep the arrival SOC high (above a predetermined amount). For example, after the vehicle 100 arrives at the destination, the user 195 may wish to perform external power feeding to use an external load. If the arrival SOC is not sufficient, the power of the power storage device 110 may be used up during the execution of the external power feeding. As a result, the user 195 may not be able to continue using the external load at the destination. Even if the power of the power storage device 110 is not used up, the amount of stored power in the power storage device 110 may become so low that the user 195 cannot drive the vehicle 100 to get home.

The server 200 as an information processing device according to this embodiment has the following configuration. Specifically, when the destination of the vehicle 100 is set, the communication device 210 of the server 200 obtains the high SOC requirement at the time of arrival from the DCM 170.

When the communication device 210 acquires a high SOC request upon arrival (a high SOC request upon arrival is made by the user 195), the processing device 230 executes a process of selecting a store associated with a predetermined condition that is satisfied by the value of a predetermined parameter from among at least one store that exists along the driving route of the vehicle 100 and has power supply equipment, and proposing the store to the user 195. This predetermined parameter is a parameter that changes depending on the situation of the user 195, the vehicle 100, or the power supply station 300. Hereinafter, this predetermined parameter is also referred to as a "situation parameter." In addition, this predetermined condition is appropriately determined in advance as a condition that is satisfied by the situation parameter in a situation in which it is considered appropriate for the store associated with that condition to be proposed to the user 195.

With this configuration, the stores suggested to the user 195 change flexibly according to the above-mentioned situation. Therefore, the suggested stores are likely to be stores that the user 195 will want to stop by in the future. Thus, the user 195 can stop by a preferred store according to the situation before the vehicle 100 arrives at the destination from the current location. In addition, the vehicle 100 can perform external charging using a power supply facility provided at the suggested store. Therefore, the arrival SOC can be kept high (above a predetermined amount). This satisfies the desire of the user to keep the arrival SOC high. The above situation parameters will be explained in detail below.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a store information DB 221 stored in the storage device 220. In the example of Figure 4, the format of the store information DB 221 is a table, but is not limited to a table. The store information DB 221 includes store-specific information 252 (columns 255 to 264) and preferred parameter information 265 (columns 267 to 285). The store-specific information 252 indicates various information specific to a store. The preferred parameter information 265 indicates, for each store, the conditions that the situation parameters must satisfy in a situation in which it is considered appropriate for the corresponding store to be suggested to the user 195.

Column 255 indicates the store ID. Column 260 indicates the type of store. Column 261 indicates the time that the user 195 may be permitted to stay in the store by the store (allowed stay time). Column 262 indicates the charging method of the power supply equipment provided in the store. Column 263 indicates whether or not a roof is provided over the space used by the user 195 while staying in the store (e.g., a space provided with seats for eating and drinking used by the user 195). Column 264 indicates the location of the store (more specifically, the X coordinate representing the longitude, the Y coordinate representing the latitude, and the Z coordinate representing the altitude at that location).

In the example of FIG. 4, the processing device 230 of the server 200 extracts five stores having store IDs ST001 to ST005, respectively, that are located along the driving route from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination and that have a power supply station 300. The processing device 230 executes this extraction process to suggest to the user 195 which of these stores is considered to be suitable depending on the situation.

For the situation parameters, column 267 indicates, for each store, the time period during which the corresponding store is suitable for being proposed to user 195. For example, if the time period to which the current time belongs is between 11:00 and 15:00, it is considered that the user 195 is relatively likely to want to stop by a dining facility for lunch. Therefore, a stop at a family restaurant is proposed to user 195 during this time period. Also, if the time period is between 15:00 and 17:00, it is considered that the user 195 is relatively likely to want to stop by a cafe for a tea break rather than a dining facility such as a restaurant. Therefore, a stop at a cafe is proposed to user 195 during this time period. In the above example, the time period from 11:00 to 17:00 is divided into the time period from 11:00 to 15:00 and the time period from 15:00 to 17:00, but this is just one example. How the 24 hours that make up one day are divided into time periods is determined appropriately in advance and is not limited.

Column 269 indicates, for each store, a destination for which a corresponding store is preferably suggested to user 195. For example, if the destination is an amusement park for children, user 195 is considered to be out with children. Therefore, before vehicle 100 arrives at the destination, user 195 may wish to stop by a family restaurant with a wide variety of children's meal menus. Therefore, if the destination is an amusement park, a stop at a family restaurant is suggested to user 195. On the other hand, if the destination is an art museum for adults, user 195 is considered to be out to eat with adults. Therefore, before vehicle 100 arrives at the destination, user 195 may wish to stop by a high-end restaurant for an adult meal. Therefore, if the destination is an art museum, a stop at a high-end restaurant is suggested to user 195.

Column 280 indicates, for each store, the weather conditions that are suitable for the corresponding store to be suggested to the user. For example, when the weather is rainy, it is preferable for the user 195 not to get wet during his/her stay at the store. Therefore, the user 195 is relatively likely to want to stop at a store that has a roof over the space that will be used during his/her stay at the store. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 4, stores with store IDs ST001, ST002, ST004, or ST005 are suitable as suggested stores. Therefore, stopping at these stores is suggested to the user 195 (the store with store ID ST003 is excluded as a suggested store). On the other hand, when the weather is sunny, whether or not the store has a roof as described above is not important from the viewpoint of convenience for the user 195. Therefore, any of the five stores with store IDs ST001 to ST005 are considered suitable as stores. The current weather is obtained from a weather forecast site via the Internet by the communication device 210.

Column 285 indicates, for each store, the SOC at which the corresponding store is suitable for being proposed to the user. For example, when the SOC of the power storage device 110 is relatively low, it is preferable to perform external charging for a long period of time in order to sufficiently increase the SOC. Therefore, it is also considered that a store with a relatively long possible stay time (available time of the power supply station 300) (in the example of FIG. 4, a store with a store ID of ST001 or ST002) is suitable as a proposed store. Alternatively, it is also considered that contact charging with a relatively fast charging speed is preferable so that a low SOC can be quickly increased. Therefore, it is also considered that a store with a store ID of ST003, ST004, or ST005 is suitable as a proposed store. Which of the five stores having store IDs ST001 to ST005 is most suitable as a proposed store is determined according to the possible stay time at the store and the charging power during external charging. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the charging power during external charging using the power supply station 300 at the store is stored in the store information DB 221 in association with the store ID of each store.

In the above, if the situation parameters change, the stores suggested to the user 195 are changed. For example, if the destination of the vehicle 100 is changed from an art museum to an amusement park, the type of store suggested is changed from a high-end restaurant to a family restaurant.

The above situation parameters (time of day, destination of vehicle 100, weather, and SOC of power storage device 110) are examples. Other parameters may be used as situation parameters.

For example, the status parameter may be information indicating the availability of the power supply station 300 at the store at the current time. This information is updated sequentially according to information transmitted from the communication device 303 of the power supply station 300 to the communication device 210 of the server 200. The availability (status parameter) of the power supply station 300 may be, for example, either "available" or "crowded". "Crowded" indicates a situation in which the utilization rate of at least one or more power supply stations 300 at the store is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold rate at the current time. In this situation, it is difficult to use the power supply station 300. On the other hand, "available" indicates a situation in which the utilization rate of the at least one or more power supply stations 300 is less than the threshold rate at the current time. In this situation, it is easy to use the power supply station 300. When the communication device 210 acquires a high SOC request at the time of arrival, it is preferable that external charging is performed before the vehicle 100 arrives at the destination. Therefore, a situation in which the power supply station 300 is "available" is more preferable than a situation in which the power supply station 300 is "crowded". Therefore, the processing device 230 may, for example, suggest to the user 195 only those power supply stations 300 whose availability status is "available."

The preferred parameter information 265 is determined in advance based on the behavioral history of the user 195. Specifically, the behavioral history of the user 195 when he or she stops by various stores is collected as big data. Then, based on that behavioral history, it is analyzed what conditions the various situation parameters satisfied when the user 195 stopped by the store. The preferred parameter information 265 (for example, what type of store is suitable as a suggested store in the time period to which the current time belongs) is determined in advance based on the analysis results.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the processing device 230 in this embodiment. This flowchart is started when the processing device 230 receives information indicating the destination of the vehicle 100 through the communication device 210.

Referring to FIG. 5, the processing device 230 branches the process depending on whether or not a high SOC request at the time of arrival has been received from the ECU 170 (step S102). If the processing device 230 has not received a high SOC request at the time of arrival (NO in step S102), the processing device 230 executes this determination process until such a request is made. On the other hand, if the processing device 230 has received a high SOC request at the time of arrival (YES in step S102), the processing device 230 proceeds to step S105.

Next, the processing device 230 receives vehicle information from the ECU 170 via the DCM 170 and the communication device 210 (step S105). As described above, the vehicle information includes the current location of the vehicle 100, the destination of the vehicle 100, and the current SOC of the power storage device 110. If the destination of the vehicle 100 is changed between the start of the processing of this flowchart and the execution of the processing of step S105 (while the processing is branched to NO in step S102), the destination included in the vehicle information received in step S105 takes priority over the original destination.

Next, the processing device 230 sets a driving route from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination based on the current location of the vehicle 100, the destination of the vehicle 100, and the map information DB 222 (step S115). As described above, at least one store with power supply equipment is present along the set driving route. The set driving route is transmitted to the ECU 160 via the communication device 210 and the DCM 170.

Next, the processing device 230 extracts the at least one store from the store information DB 221, and selects from the at least one store a store associated with a predetermined condition satisfied by the value of the situation parameter (step S117). The processing device 230 then executes a process of proposing the selected store to the user 195 (step S120). Specifically, the processing device 230 outputs a command to the ECU 160 to display the selected store on the display device 147. This allows stores that correspond to the changing situation to be proposed to the user 195. In the example of FIG. 4, if the current time period (value of the situation parameter) satisfies the predetermined condition that the time period is between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., a store (cafe) associated with the predetermined condition is proposed to the user 195.

The number of stores selected in step S117 may be one or two or more. When the number of stores selected is two or more, all of the two or more stores may be proposed to the user 195. This allows the user 195 to select one of the two or more proposed stores as his/her favorite store of his/her own volition and stop by that store. Alternatively, a predetermined number of stores may be randomly proposed to the user 195 from the two or more selected stores. The predetermined number is a natural number (e.g., 1) that is less than the number of stores selected in step S117. This can save the user 195 the trouble of selecting which of the multiple proposed stores to stop by.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the destination of the vehicle 100 is set, the communication device 210 of the server 200 acquires the high SOC request at the time of arrival from the DCM 170. The processing device 230 sets a driving route from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination. At least one store having a power supply station 300 is present along the driving route. When the communication device 210 acquires the high SOC request at the time of arrival, the processing device 230 executes a process of selecting a store associated with a predetermined condition that satisfies the value of a predetermined parameter from among the at least one store, and proposing the store to the user 195.

As a result, the stores suggested to the user 195 change flexibly depending on the situation. Therefore, the suggested stores are likely to be stores that the user 195 will want to stop by in the future. Therefore, the user 195 can stop by a store of his/her preference depending on the situation before the vehicle 100 arrives at the destination from the current location. In addition, the vehicle 100 can perform external charging using a power supply facility provided at the suggested store. Therefore, the SOC at the time of arrival can be kept high (above a predetermined amount). Therefore, the desire of the user to keep the SOC at the time of arrival high can be satisfied.

[Modification 1]
In this modified example 1, an example of a method for narrowing down the stores when the number of stores (stores selected in step S117) associated with the predetermined condition satisfied by the situation parameter is two or more and the stores are the same type will be described. The two or more stores associated with the predetermined condition are also referred to as "candidate stores" for user 195 to stop by. Note that the configuration of the vehicle and the processing procedure in this modified example 1 are similar to the configuration of vehicle 100 and the processing procedure in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5, respectively.

In this variant 1, when the communication device 210 acquires a high SOC request upon arrival, the processing device 230 of the server 200 determines, among two or more candidate stores, a candidate store with a high SOC upon arrival as the suggested store in preference to a candidate store with a low SOC upon arrival. As an example, the processing device 230 determines, among two or more candidate stores, a candidate store with a relatively small decrease in SOC by the time the store is reached as the suggested store in preference to a candidate store with a relatively large decrease.

When the vehicle 100 travels on a flat route, the SOC decreases less than when the vehicle travels on a route that has a steeper uphill gradient than the route's gradient.

Therefore, the processing device 230 may preferentially suggest to the user 195 a candidate store with a smaller gradient of the driving route to the store (flatter driving route) among two or more candidate stores. For example, the processing device 230 may suggest to the user 195 a candidate store with the smallest gradient of the driving route to the store. Specifically, the processing device 230 acquires the gradient of the driving route to each candidate store from the road information in the map information DB 222. Then, the processing device 230 determines the candidate store with the smallest gradient of the driving route to the store as the proposed store. Alternatively, under the assumption that the candidate store with the smallest difference between the altitude of the current location of the vehicle 100 and the altitude of the candidate store (Z coordinate in column 264 of FIG. 3) among two or more candidate stores is the candidate store with the smallest gradient of the driving route from the current location to the store, the processing device 230 may determine that store as the proposed store. In the example of FIG. 3, if a store with a store ID of ST004 and a store with a store ID of ST005 remain as candidate stores, the store with the smaller Z coordinate of Z4 or Z5 may be determined as the proposed store.

When the proposed store is determined as described above, the amount of decrease in SOC until the vehicle 100 reaches the proposed store can be reduced compared to, for example, when the proposed store is determined randomly from among two or more candidate stores. As a result, the desire of the user to keep the SOC of the vehicle 100 as high as possible while it is traveling can be satisfied.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the processing device 230 in variant 1. This flowchart is started when the destination of the vehicle 100 is set.

This flowchart has been added with the processing of steps S218 and S219 compared to the flowchart in FIG. 5. The processing of steps S202 to S217 and step S220 in this flowchart are the same as the processing of steps S102 to S117 and step S120 in FIG. 4, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 6, the processing device 230 determines whether the number of stores (candidate stores) selected as stores associated with the predetermined condition satisfied by the situation parameter is two or more (step S218). If the number of selected stores is two or more (YES in step S218), the processing device 230 suggests to the user 195 the store that has the highest SOC when the vehicle 100 arrives at the store among the two or more selected stores (step S219). The processing device 230 then outputs a command to the ECU 160 to display the store on the display device 147. On the other hand, if the number of selected stores is one (NO in step S218), the processing device 230 proceeds to step S220. After the processing of steps S219 and S220, the processing device 230 transitions to return.

As described above, in this variant example 1, when the number of stores (candidate stores) associated with the predetermined condition satisfied by the situation parameter is two or more, the processing device 230 preferentially suggests, among those stores, a store with a high SOC when the vehicle 100 arrives at the store, over a store with a low SOC when the vehicle 100 arrives at the store. This, in addition to the effect of the embodiment, makes it possible to suppress the decrease in SOC until the vehicle 100 arrives at a proposed store along the driving route to the destination. As a result, it is possible to satisfy the desire of the user 195 who wants to keep the SOC as high as possible when arriving at the store.

[Modification 2]
In the above-described first embodiment and its first modification, external charging is performed using power supply equipment provided in a store along the travel route of the vehicle 100. In this modification, the processing device 230 further sets the travel route of the vehicle 100 so that the route includes a power supply lane as a non-contact power supply device.

The power supply lane is a travel lane that has the function of supplying power to the vehicle 100. The power supply lane is provided with a plurality of power transmission devices 305 (FIG. 1) arranged in a row. While the vehicle 100 is traveling on the power supply lane, power is supplied from the power transmission device 305 to the power receiving device 155. During this time, the ECU 170 controls the charging relay RY2 (FIG. 1) to the on state. In this way, contactless charging is performed using the power supply lane while the vehicle 100 is traveling.

In this modified example, the processing device 230 of the server 200 performs external charging at the store and sets the driving route of the vehicle 100 so that a power supply lane is included on the driving route so that the SOC at the time of arrival is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

For example, when contactless charging is performed using a power supply lane after external charging at a store, the processing device 230 sets the driving route so that a power supply lane is included on the driving route such that the sum of the amount of charging power from the power supply lane to the power storage device 110 and the amount of power stored in the power storage device 110 at the current time minus the amount of power consumed by the power storage device 110 when the vehicle 100 travels from the current location to the destination is equal to or greater than the above-mentioned predetermined amount.

The above-mentioned amount of charging power is estimated by the processing device 230 based on the length of the power supply lane (the distance traveled by the vehicle 100 in the power supply lane) and the charging efficiency from the power supply lane to the power storage device 110. The charging efficiency is determined in advance for each power supply lane through experiments or the like, and is stored in the storage device 220. In addition, the length of the power supply lane is obtained by the processing device 230 from the map information DB 222.

In this way, the processing device 230 may determine a driving route for the vehicle 100 so that the vehicle 100 achieves a predetermined amount or more of SOC upon arrival by performing contactless charging using a power supply lane.

[Modification 3]
In the above-described second modification, the non-contact power supply facility is the power supply lane. However, the non-contact power supply facility may be provided in another vehicle that is capable of external power supply (non-contact power supply).

In this case, while the vehicle 100 is traveling so as to maintain its relative positional relationship with the other vehicle (while traveling in a convoy), the power receiving device 155 can receive power supplied from the non-contact power supply equipment of the other vehicle. This allows the vehicle 100 to perform non-contact charging while traveling in a convoy (convoy charging). In this way, by performing convoy charging in addition to performing external charging at a store, it becomes easier to achieve a predetermined level or higher in SOC upon arrival.

In this modified example, the traffic information DB 224 includes traffic information for vehicles configured to be capable of contactless power supply (such as information on the roads on which such vehicles are traveling and the traffic volume on those roads by time period). The processing device 230 of the server 200 can estimate the expected value of the amount of power that can be charged to the power storage device 110 by platoon charging for each road and time period in the map information DB 222 based on the above traffic information. If the above expected value when the vehicle 100 travels along a route from the current location to the destination is large enough to make the arrival SOC equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, it is also possible that the arrival SOC can be made equal to or greater than the predetermined amount by performing platoon charging. Therefore, the processing device 230 sets a driving route from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination via roads on which platoon charging is expected to be performed.

For example, consider a situation in which the user 195 stops at a store along a general road, and then the vehicle 100 enters an expressway and is traveling on the expressway. Generally, in such a situation, it is difficult for the user 195 to stop at a store. Therefore, it is difficult to perform external charging using power supply equipment provided at the store.

Therefore, for example, when convoy charging is performed on a highway as described above, it is possible to easily make the arrival SOC equal to or greater than a predetermined amount even when the current SOC is low. As a result, it becomes easier to satisfy the desire of the user 195 who wants to keep the arrival SOC high (above a predetermined amount).

[Modification 4]
In the above-described first and second embodiments and their first to third modifications, the in-vehicle HMI device 145 is mainly used as the operation terminal for the user 195, but the HMI device 420 of the user terminal 400 may be used instead of the HMI device 145. For example, the high SOC request at the time of arrival may be made by the user 195 using an input device of the HMI device 420. In this case, the input device of the HMI device 420 of the user terminal 400 can function as an "acquisition device" that acquires the high SOC request at the time of arrival. In addition, the suggested stores for the user 195 may be displayed on the display device of the HMI device 420.

[Modification 5]
In the above-mentioned embodiment 2 and its variants 1 to 4, when the number of stores selected in the processing of step S217 in FIG. 6 is two or more and the stores are the same type, the suggested stores are narrowed down to those that will minimize the amount of SOC decrease before reaching the store (waypoint).

In contrast, in this modified example, the destination is changed so that the amount of decrease in SOC until the vehicle 100 reaches the destination is as small as possible. For example, when a store (first store) is set as the destination of the vehicle 100, the amount of decrease in SOC from the current location of the vehicle 100 to this store is considered to be a first amount of decrease. Then, the amount of decrease in SOC from the current location of the vehicle 100 to a second store different from the first store is considered to be a second amount of decrease. The type of the second store is the same as the type of the first store.

In this modified example, if the second decrease amount is smaller than the first decrease amount, the second store is suggested as the destination instead of the first store. This changes the destination from the first store to the second store, but the type of store set as the destination does not change. As a result, it is possible to suppress the decrease in SOC while the vehicle 100 is traveling without changing the purpose of the user 195 (e.g., shopping, eating, etc.). This satisfies the desire of the user 195 to keep the SOC of the vehicle 100 as high as possible while the vehicle 100 is traveling.

[Modification 6]
In the above-described first and second embodiments and their first to fifth variations, the processing device 230 of the server 200 executes a process of determining whether or not a high SOC request has been made by the user 195 upon arrival (corresponding to step S102 or S202), a process of setting a driving route (step S115 or S215), and a process of suggesting stores (corresponding to step S120, S219, or S220).

In contrast, some or all of these determination processes, setting processes, and proposal processes may be executed by the ECU 160 of the vehicle 100 or the control device 410 of the user terminal 400. In other words, the "processing device" of the present disclosure may be the ECU 160 or the control device 410.

For example, a case will be described where all of these processes are executed by the ECU 160. When the processing device 230 of the server 200 receives from the user terminal 400 a request for a high SOC upon arrival made using the HMI device 420 of the user terminal 400, the processing device 230 transmits the request to the ECU 160. The ECU 160 executes the above-mentioned determination process depending on whether or not the request has been received.

Next, the ECU 160 accesses the map information DB 222 through the DCM 170 and the communication device 210. The ECU 160 then uses the map information DB 222 to execute the above setting process.

Next, the ECU 160 accesses the store information DB 221 through the DCM 170 and the communication device 210. The ECU 160 uses the store information DB 221 to execute the above-mentioned proposal process.

The input/output interface 163 of the ECU 160 may also be an "acquisition device" that acquires a high SOC request at the time of arrival made by the user 195 using the input device of the HMI device 420 or the input device 148.

From the above, the "information processing device" of the present disclosure is not limited to the server 200, but may be the ECU 160 or the user terminal 400.

[Other Modifications]
In the above-described first and second embodiments and their first to fifth modifications, the vehicle 100 is a BEV. In contrast, the vehicle is not limited to a BEV, and may be an electric vehicle such as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) further equipped with an internal combustion engine. In this case, the vehicle may be capable of running using only the electric power of the power storage device 110 when the internal combustion engine is stopped (so-called EV mode of the vehicle is possible). In this case, the above-described first and second embodiments and their first to third modifications may be applied as they are during the EV mode of the vehicle.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling with the internal combustion engine driven, the processing device 230 may select a store associated with a predetermined condition that is satisfied by the value of the situation parameter based on the power generated by the MG 120 while the vehicle 100 is traveling and the power supplied by the power supply equipment associated with the store.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than the description of the embodiments above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

10 Information processing system, 100 Vehicle, 110 Power storage device, 145, 420 HMI device, 147 Display device, 148 Input device, 200 Server, 210, 303, 430 Communication device, 230 Processing device, 265 Preferred parameter information, 300 Power supply station, 400 User terminal, 221 Store information DB, 222 Map information DB, 224 Traffic information DB, 226 Vehicle information DB.

Claims (1)

An information processing device for suggesting to a user favorite stores along a travel route of a vehicle, the vehicle being configured to perform external charging for charging a traveling power storage device by a power supply facility provided outside the vehicle,
an acquisition device that acquires, when a destination of the vehicle is set, a user request for making the amount of stored power in the power storage device equal to or greater than a predetermined amount when the vehicle arrives at the destination;
A processing device that sets a travel route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination;
a storage device that stores store information indicating information of a plurality of stores that are located along the travel route and that have the power supply facility;
The store information includes, for each of the plurality of stores, information indicating an available time of the power supply equipment of the store,
When the acquisition device acquires the user request, the processing device executes a selection process of selecting one store from the plurality of stores according to the SOC of the power storage device and the available time, and executes a process of suggesting the one store to a user of the vehicle;
the selection process includes a first process of selecting the one store such that the available time of the one store selected in a first case in which the SOC is low is longer than the available time of the one store selected in a second case in which the SOC is higher than the first case,
the first process includes a second process of selecting, in the first case, a store having the longest available time among the plurality of stores as the one store;
The second process includes, in the first case, when the number of stores with the longest available hours among the plurality of stores is two or more , a process of selecting, from the two or more stores, a store with the highest SOC when the vehicle arrives as the one store .

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