Information processing apparatus, motor-driven movable body, and discharge control method

• US 10,500,969 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Yoshihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam D
• Application Number:
  US15/835,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20180093580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22, 320103, 320304, 320109, 307 101, 191 2, 191 11, 439 34, 180 651, 180 6521, 180 6529
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/14 by input of vehicle departure time
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/122 Provisions for temporary connection of DC sources of essentially the same voltage, e.g. jumpstart cables
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including a travelable information display unit that displays before a discharge, regarding motor-driven movable bodies of a discharge source and a discharge destination driven by using electric power of batteries, information about places to which the motor-driven movable body of the discharge source can move using electric power of the battery left after the discharge by assuming, when information about a discharge amount discharged from the battery of the motor-driven movable body of the discharge source toward the motor-driven movable body of the discharge destination that receives power supply is input, a case in which the discharge amount is discharged from the battery.

Claims

1. An information processing device coupled to a display, comprising:

circuitry including a processor coupled to a memory and configured to

receive information indicative of a user input,

calculate a remaining amount of electric power in a first battery being included in a electric vehicle after discharging the first battery based on a first user input relating to a designated location,

calculate a distance travel range from a current location that the electric vehicle can move based on the remaining amount, so that electric power remaining in the first battery allows the electric vehicle to travel to the designated location,

provide, to the display, information about the distance travel range that the electric vehicle can travel after the discharging from the first battery is executed, and

cause discharge of the first battery by the discharge amount to the discharge destination based on a second user input relating to an execution of the discharging.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the distance travel range that is provided to the display includes at least one of a plurality of travel distances, travel times when the travel distances are traveled at a predetermined speed, travel areas, and destinations within the travel range.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine a distance between the current location and at least one of the destinations, and cause the display to display information about the at least one of the destinations when the electric vehicle can travel to the at least one of the destinations after the at least one first battery is discharged by the discharge amount.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the destinations include destinations where feeding facilities are installed.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause the display to display a map including areas to which the electric vehicle can move after the first battery is discharged by the discharge amount.

6. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the areas to which the electric vehicle can move after the first battery is discharged by the discharge amount are highlighted on the map.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge destination is an electric vehicle.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the circuitry is further configured to display a map including areas to which the electric vehicle can travel after the first battery is discharged by the discharge amount, and areas to which the discharge destination can travel after receiving electric power based on the discharging of the first battery.

9. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry is further configured to restrict selection of areas on the map that are not reachable by the electric vehicle after the first battery is discharged by the discharge amount.

10. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate the distance travel range based on the remaining amount of electric power in the first battery and a distance per unit of electric power that the electric vehicle can move.

11. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to verify an identity of a user permitted to perform an operation related to discharging of the first battery.

12. The information processing device according to claim 11, wherein the circuitry verifies the identity of the user based on at least one of password authentication, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, or iris authentication.

13. The information processing device according to claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further configured to terminate charging or discharging operations and cause the display to display an error in a case that the identity of the user cannot be verified.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to communicate with circuitry of the discharge destination to coordinate the discharge of the first battery.

15. The information processing device according to claim 14, wherein the circuitry is configured to communication wirelessly with the circuitry of the discharge destination.

16. The information processing device according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to communicate wirelessly with the circuitry of the discharge destination via external mobile communication terminals.

17. The information processing device according to claim 14, wherein the circuitry is configured to communicate with the circuitry of the discharge destination via a network connection.

18. The information processing device according to claim 15, wherein the network connection is a power-line network connection via charging/discharging circuits of the electric vehicle and the discharge destination.

19. An information processing method, comprising:

receiving, with circuitry, information indicative of a user input;

calculating, with the circuitry, a remaining amount of electric power in a first battery being included in a electric vehicle after discharging the first battery based on a first user input relating to a designated location;

calculating, with the circuitry, a distance travel range from a current location that the electric vehicle can move based on the remaining amount, so that electric power remaining in the first battery allows the electric vehicle to travel to the designated location;

providing, with the circuitry and to a display, information about the distance travel range that the electric vehicle can travel after the discharging from the first battery is executed; and

causing, with the circuitry, discharge of the first battery by the discharge amount to the discharge destination based on a second user input relating to an execution of the discharging.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer-readable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform a method comprising:

receiving information indicative of a user input;

calculating a remaining amount of electric power in a first battery being included in a electric vehicle after discharging the first battery based on a first user input relating to a designated location;

calculating a distance travel range from a current location that the electric vehicle can move based on the remaining amount, so that electric power remaining in the first battery allows the electric vehicle to travel to the designated location;

providing, to a display, information about the distance travel range that the electric vehicle can travel after the discharging from the first battery is executed; and

causing discharge of the first battery by the discharge amount to the discharge destination based on a second user input relating to an execution of the discharging.