Reservation management device, reservation management system, and reservation management method

• US 10,600,116 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2016
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Takatsuka, Hiromasa, Wada, Junichi, Kasai, Kazuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin D
• Application Number:
  US15/759,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20180253787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A reservation management device (50) is a reservation management device configured to manage reservations for the exchange of battery packs (10) at a charging device (30) where battery packs (10) are exchanged, said reservation management device (50) comprising a reservation number acquisition component (53), a return number acquisition component (54), and a reservation possibility determination component (55). The reservation number acquisition component (53) is configured to acquire number of battery packs (10) to be reserved at the charging device (30). The return number acquisition component (54) is configured to acquire number of battery packs (10) to be returned to the charging device (30). The reservation possibility determination component (55) is configured to determine whether or not the exchange of the battery packs (10) can be reserved at the charging device (30) on the basis of reservation number acquired by the reservation number acquisition component (53) and return number acquired by the return number acquisition component (54).

Claims

1. A reservation management device configured to manage reservations for exchange of batteries in a charging device configured to charge a plurality of batteries, the reservation management device comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising operation as:

a reservation number acquisition component that acquires a number of batteries to be reserved at the charging device;

a return number acquisition component that acquires a number of batteries to be returned to the charging device; and

a reservation possibility determination component that determines whether or not it is possible to reserve the exchange of the batteries at the charging device based on a number of reservations acquired by the reservation number acquisition component and a number of returns acquired by the returned number acquisition component, wherein

the charging device comprises a plurality of battery disposition components in which the batteries are capable of being disposed, and

the processor configured to perform operations such that operation as the reservation possibility determination component comprises operation as the reservation possibility determination component that determines that it is possible to reserve the exchange of the batteries by;

determining whether or not a number of empty battery disposition components is greater than or equal to the number of returns;

in response determining that the number of empty battery disposition components is greater than or equal to the number of returns, determining whether or not the number of charged battery packs is greater than or equal to the number of reservations; and

in response to determining that the number of charged battery packs is greater than or equal to the number of reservations, determining that the number of reservations can be reserved.

2. The reservation management device according to claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to perform operations

further comprising operation as a charged battery number acquisition component that acquires the number of charged batteries in the charging device, and

the processor is configured to perform operations such that such that operation as the reservation possibility determination component comprises operation as the reservation possibility determination component that determines whether or not reservation is possible based on a number of charged batteries, the number of reservations, the number of returns, and the number of empty battery disposition components.

3. The reservation management device according to claim 2,

wherein the processor is configured to perform operations such that such that operation as the charged battery number acquisition component comprises operation as the charged battery number acquisition component that acquires the number of charged batteries by sensing batteries whose charge is greater than or equal to a specific amount, and counting the number of said batteries.

4. The reservation management device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations such that such that operation as the charged battery number acquisition component comprises operation as the charged battery number acquisition component that acquires the number of charged batteries by sensing batteries that are fully charged, and counting the number of said batteries.

5. The reservation management device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations

further comprising operation as a charge-at-exchange calculator that calculates a charge of the batteries in the charging device at a scheduled exchange time,

such that such that operation as the charged battery number acquisition component comprises operation as the charged battery number acquisition component that acquires the number of charged batteries by sensing the batteries whose charge at the scheduled exchange time is greater than or equal to a specific amount, and counting the number of said batteries.

6. The reservation management device according to claim 1,

wherein the batteries are configured to be removably installed in a power consumption element, and

the power consumption element comprises an electric motorcycle, an electric bicycle, an electrically assisted bicycle, or an electric power tool.

7. The reservation management device according to claim 1,

wherein the battery is configured to be removably installed in a moving body, and

a plurality of the batteries are connected in parallel in a state of being installed in the moving body.

8. A reservation management system configured to manage reservations for exchange of batteries in a charging device configured to charge a plurality of batteries, the reservation management system comprising:

a reservation management device comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising operation as

a reservation number acquisition component that acquires a number of batteries to be reserved at the charging device;

a return number acquisition component that acquires a number of batteries to be returned to the charging device; and

a reservation possibility determination component that determines whether or not it is possible to reserve the exchange of the batteries at the charging device based on a number of reservations acquired by the reservation number acquisition component and a number of returns acquired by the returned number acquisition component; and

an information terminal comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising operation as

a reservation number input component for inputting the number of reservations;

a return number input component for inputting the number of returns;

an information transmitter that transmits the inputted number of reservations to the reservation number acquisition component and transmits the inputted number of returns to the return number acquisition component; and

a display component that displays information related to reservation possibility determined by the reservation possibility determination component, wherein

the charging device comprises a plurality of battery disposition components in which the batteries are disposed, and

the processor of the reservation management device is configured to perform operations such that operation as the reservation possibility determination component comprises operation as the reservation possibility determination component that determines that it is possible to reserve the exchange of the batteries by;

determining whether or not a number of empty battery disposition components is greater than or equal to the number of returns;

in response determining that the number of empty battery disposition components is greater than or equal to the number of returns, determining whether or not the number of charged battery packs is greater than or equal to the number of reservations; and

in response to determining that the number of charged battery packs is greater than or equal to the number of reservations, determining that the number of reservations can be reserved.

9. The reservation management system according to claim 8,

wherein, the processor of the reservation management device is configured to perform operations such that when it is determined by the reservation possibility determination component that the exchange of batteries at a specific charging device cannot be reserved, the display component displays a message indicating that the exchange of batteries cannot be reserved at the specific charging device.

10. The reservation management system according to claim 8,

further comprising a plurality of the charging devices,

the reservation management system manages reservations for the exchange of batteries at the plurality of charging devices, and

wherein, the processor of the reservation management device is configured to perform operations such that when it is determined by the reservation possibility determination component that the exchange of batteries at a specific charging device cannot be reserved, information related to other charging devices that can be reserved is displayed on the display component.

11. The reservation management system according to claim 8, wherein

the processor of the reservation management device is configured to perform operations further comprising operation as a charged battery number acquisition component that acquires a number of charged batteries in the charging device,

the charging device is provided with a plurality of battery disposition components for disposing the batteries,

the processor of the reservation management device is configured to perform operations such that operation as the reservation possibility determination component comprises operation as the reservation possibility determination component that determines whether or not it is possible to reserve the exchange of the batteries on the basis of the number of charged batteries, the number of reservations, the number of returns, and the number of empty battery disposition components, and

the display component displays a number of batteries that can be returned or a number of batteries that can be reserved at a specific charging device when it is determined that battery exchange cannot be reserved at the specific charging device.

12. The reservation management system according to claim 8, wherein

the processor of the reservation management device is configured to perform operations further comprising a waiting time calculator that calculates a waiting time at a specific charging device when it is determined by the reservation possibility determination component that it is impossible to reserve the exchange of the batteries at the specific charging device,

the display component displays the waiting time at the specific charging device.

13. A reservation management method for managing reservations for exchange of batteries at a charging device configured to charge a plurality of batteries, the reservation management method comprising:

a reservation number acquisition step of acquiring a number of batteries to be reserved in the charging device;

a return number acquisition step of acquiring a number of the batteries to be returned to the charging device; and

a reservation possibility determination step of determining whether or not it is possible to reserve the exchange of the batteries at the charging device based on a number of reservations acquired in the reservation number acquisition step and a number of returns acquired in the return number acquisition step, wherein

the charging device comprises a plurality of battery disposition components in which the batteries are disposed, and

the reservation possibility determination step determines that it is possible to reserve the exchange of the batteries by;

determining whether or not a number of empty battery disposition components is greater than or equal to the number of returns;

in response determining that the number of empty battery disposition components is greater than or equal to the number of returns, determining whether or not the number of charged battery packs is greater than or equal to the number of reservations; and

in response to determining that the number of charged battery packs is greater than or equal to the number of reservations, determining that the number of reservations can be reserved.