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

• US 9,573,482 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• 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:
  US14/702,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20150231983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 320/103, 320/304, 320/109, 439/34, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 180/65.29, 307/10.1, 191/2, 191/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 apparatus, comprising:

a display; and

circuitry configured to;

calculate a discharge amount of at least one first battery in a discharge source, that is discharged to at least one second battery in a discharge destination, based on a distance from a current location to a first destination place and on a distance that the discharge source can move per unit of electric power, so that electric power remaining in the at least one first battery will allow the discharge source to reach at least the first destination place after discharge of the calculated discharge amount, and

provide to the display information about at least one place to which the discharge source can move after the discharge amount is discharged from the at least one first battery, using the calculated discharge amount.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information provided to the display includes at least one of a plurality of a travelable distance, a travelable time when the travelable distance is traveled at a predetermined speed, travelable areas, and reachable destination places.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reachable destination places are places where feeding facilities are installed or a destination.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the at least one place to which the discharge source can move after the discharge amount is discharged from the at least first one battery is the first destination place reachable by the discharge source after the discharge, a second destination place reachable by the discharge destination, or a set of the first destination place and the second destination place.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate the discharge amount so that the electric power remaining in the at least one first battery allows the discharge source to reach at least the first destination place and also allows the discharge source to reach at least a nearest destination place.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge source can move, based on the calculated discharge amount, and

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge destination can move, based on the calculated discharge amount.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

provide to the display destination places, in a distinguishable form on a map, contained in the areas to which the discharge source can move, based on the calculated discharge amount, and

provide to the display destination places, in a distinguishable form on a map, contained in the areas to which the discharge destination can move, based on the calculated discharge amount.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive input information about the discharge amount, and

restrict the input information so that a third destination place not reachable by the discharge source before the discharge, or a fourth destination place not reachable by the discharge destination before the discharge, is not selected.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

calculate the discharge amount when the second destination place is input as the information about the discharge amount, based on the distance from the current location to the second destination place and on the distance that the discharge destination can move per unit electric power, so that the discharge destination can reach at least the second destination place.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of the discharge amount so that at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge source can move after the discharge, and

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of the discharge amount so that the at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge destination can move after the discharge.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

provide to the display the range of the discharge amount so that the discharge source can reach a nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge destination can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge, or the range of the discharge amount so that the discharge source can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge destination can reach the nearest destination place after the discharge.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

verify an identity of a user who has permission of an operation related to discharging,

wherein the identity verification is by one of, or a combination of, a plurality of password authentication, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, and iris authentication.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

specify which battery of two connected batteries is the charge source or the charge destination.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

compare electric energy left in each of the two connected batteries and specify the battery of the two connected batteries with more electric energy as the charge source and the battery with less electric energy as the charge destination.

15. A movable discharge source, comprising:

a display;

at least one first battery to store electric power for moving the discharge source; and

circuitry configured to;

calculate a discharge amount, of the at least one first battery that is discharged to at least one second battery of a discharge destination, based on a distance from a current location to a first destination place and on a distance that the discharge source can move per unit of electric power, so that electric power remaining in the at least one first battery will allow the discharge source to reach at least the first destination place after discharge of the calculated discharge amount toward the discharge destination, and

provide to the display information about at least one place to which the discharge source can move after discharge of the discharge amount from the at least one first battery, using the calculated discharge amount.

16. The movable discharge source according to claim 15,

wherein the information provided to the display includes at least one of a plurality of a travelable distance, a travelable time when the travelable distance is traveled at a predetermined speed, travelable areas, and reachable destination places,

wherein the reachable destination places include places where feeding facilities are installed or a destination,

wherein the information about the at least one place to which the discharge source can move after the discharge amount is discharged from the at least first one battery is the first destination place reachable by the discharge source after the discharge, a second destination place reachable by the discharge destination, or a set of the first destination place and the second destination place, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate the discharge amount when the second destination place is input as the information about the discharge amount, based on the distance from the current location to the second destination place and on the distance that the discharge destination can move per unit electric power, so that the discharge destination can reach at least the second destination place.

17. The movable discharge source according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

calculate the discharge amount so that the electric power remaining in the at least one first battery allows the discharge source to reach at least the first destination place and also allows the discharge source to reach at least a nearest destination place,

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge source can move, based on the calculated discharge amount, and

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge destination can move, based on the calculated discharge amount.

18. The movable discharge source according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive input information about the discharge amount, and

restrict the input information so that a third destination place not reachable by the discharge source before the discharge, or a fourth destination place not reachable by the discharge destination before the discharge, is not selected.

19. The movable discharge source according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of the discharge amount so that at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge source can move after the discharge,

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of the discharge amount so that the at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge destination can move after the discharge, and

provide to the display the range of the discharge amount so that the discharge source can reach a nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge destination can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge, or the range of the discharge amount so that the discharge source can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge destination can reach the nearest destination place after the discharge.

20. The movable discharge source according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

verify an identity of a user who has permission of an operation related to discharging, wherein the identity verification is by one of, or a combination of, a plurality of password authentication, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, and iris authentication;

specify which battery of two connected batteries is the charge source or the charge destination; and

compare electric energy left in the two connected batteries and specify the battery with more electric energy as the charge source and the battery with less electric energy as the charge destination.

21. A movable discharge destination, comprising:

a display;

at least one first battery to store electric power for moving the discharge destination; and

circuitry configured to;

calculate a discharge amount, of the at least one first battery after electric energy is supplied from at least one second battery of a discharge source to the at least one first battery, based on a distance from a current location to a first destination place and on a distance that the discharge destination can move per unit of electric power, so that electric power remaining in the at least one first battery will allow the discharge destination to reach at least the first destination place after discharge of the calculated discharge amount, and

provide to the display information about at least one place to which the discharge destination can move after discharge of the discharge amount from the at least one first battery, using the calculated discharge amount.

22. The movable discharge destination according to claim 21,

wherein the information provided to the display includes at least one of a plurality of a travelable distance, a travelable time when the travelable distance is traveled at a predetermined speed, travelable areas, and reachable destination places,

wherein the reachable destination places include places where feeding facilities are installed or a destination,

wherein the information about the at least one place to which the discharge source can move after the discharge amount is discharged from the at least first one battery is the first destination place reachable by the discharge source after the discharge, a second destination place reachable by the discharge destination, or a set of the first destination place and the second destination place, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate the discharge amount when the second destination place is input as the information about the discharge amount, based on the distance from the current location to the second destination place and on the distance that the discharge destination can move per unit electric power, so that the discharge destination can reach at least the second destination place.

23. The movable discharge destination according to claim 21, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

calculate the discharge amount so that the electric power remaining in the at least one first battery allows the discharge source to reach at least the first destination place and also allows the discharge source to reach at least a nearest destination place,

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge source can move, based on the calculated discharge amount, and

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge destination can move, based on the calculated discharge amount.

24. The movable discharge destination according to claim 21, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive input information about the discharge amount, and

restrict the input information so that a third destination place not reachable by the discharge source before the discharge, or a fourth destination place not reachable by the discharge destination before the discharge, is not selected.

25. The movable discharge destination according to claim 21, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of the discharge amount so that at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge source can move after the discharge,

provide to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of the discharge amount so that the at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge destination can move after the discharge, and

provide to the display the range of the discharge amount so that the discharge source can reach a nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge destination can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge, or the range of the discharge amount so that the discharge source can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge destination can reach the nearest destination place after the discharge.

26. The movable discharge destination according to claim 21, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

verify an identity of a user who has permission of an operation related to discharging, wherein the identity verification is by one of, or a combination of, a plurality of password authentication, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, and iris authentication;

specify which battery of two connected batteries is the charge source or the charge destination; and

compare electric energy left in the two connected batteries and specify the battery with more electric energy as the charge source and the battery with less electric energy as the charge destination.

27. A discharge control method, comprising:

inputting information, using circuitry, about electric energy discharged from a battery toward a discharge destination connected to a discharge source; and

displaying information, using circuitry, about places to which the discharge destination can move by using electric power of the battery left after a discharge, on a display of an information processing apparatus based on the input information.

28. The discharge control method according to claim 27,

wherein the displayed information includes at least one of a plurality of a travelable distance, a travelable time when the travelable distance is traveled at a predetermined speed, travelable areas, and reachable destination places,

wherein the reachable destination places include places where feeding facilities are installed or a destination,

wherein the information about the places to which the discharge destination can move after using the electric power of the battery left after the discharge includes a first destination place reachable by the discharge destination after the discharge, and

calculating, using the circuitry, a discharge amount of the battery when the first destination place is input as the information about the electric energy discharged, based on the distance from a current location to the first destination place and on the distance that the discharge destination can move per unit electric power, so that the discharge destination can reach at least the first destination place.

29. The discharge control method according to claim 27, further comprising:

calculating, using the circuitry, a discharge amount of the battery so that the electric power remaining in the battery allows the discharge destination to reach at least a first destination place and also allows the discharge destination to reach at least a nearest destination place,

providing to the display, using the circuitry, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge destination can move, based on the calculated discharge amount, and

providing to the display, using the circuitry, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge source can move, based on the calculated discharge amount.

30. The discharge control method according to claim 27, further comprising:

receiving, using the circuitry, input information about a discharge amount of the battery, and

restricting, using the circuitry, the input information so that a destination place not reachable by the discharge destination before the discharge, or a destination place not reachable by the discharge source before the discharge, is not selected.

31. The discharge control method according to claim 27, further comprising:

providing to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of a discharge amount of the battery so that at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge destination can move after the discharge,

providing to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of the discharge amount of the battery so that the at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge source can move after the discharge, and

providing to the display the range of the discharge amount of the battery so that the discharge destination can reach a nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge source can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge, or the range of the discharge amount so that the discharge destination can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge source can reach the nearest destination place after the discharge.

32. The discharge control method according to claim 27, further comprising:

verifying, using the circuitry, an identity of a user who has permission of an operation related to discharging, wherein the identity verification is by one of, or a combination of, a plurality of password authentication, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, and iris authentication; and

specifying, using the circuitry, which battery of two connected batteries is the charge source or the charge destination.

33. A discharge control method, comprising:

inputting information, using circuitry, about electric energy supplied to a second battery from a discharge source connected to a discharge destination; and

displaying information, using circuitry, about places to which the discharge source can move by using electric power left in a first battery held by the discharge source after the electric power is supplied to the second battery, on a display of an information processing apparatus connected to the discharge source based on the input information.

34. The discharge control method according to claim 33,

wherein the information about places to which the discharge source can move is further displayed on a display of an information processing apparatus connected to the discharge destination.

35. The discharge control method according to claim 33,

wherein the displayed information includes at least one of a plurality of a travelable distance, a travelable time when the travelable distance is traveled at a predetermined speed, travelable areas, and reachable destination places,

wherein the reachable destination places include places where feeding facilities are installed or a destination,

wherein the information about the places to which the discharge source can move after using the electric power left in the first battery after the electric power is supplied to the second battery includes a first destination place reachable by the discharge source after the electric power is supplied, and

calculating, using the circuitry, a discharge amount of the first battery when the first destination place is input as the information about the electric energy supplied, based on the distance from a current location to the first destination place and on the distance that the discharge source can move per unit electric power, so that the discharge source can reach at least the first destination place.

36. The discharge control method according to claim 33, further comprising:

calculating, using the circuitry, a discharge amount of the first battery so that the electric power remaining in the first battery allows the discharge source to reach at least a first destination place and also allows the discharge source to reach at least a nearest destination place,

providing to the display, using the circuitry, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge source can move, based on the calculated discharge amount, and

providing to the display, using the circuitry, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge destination can move, based on the calculated discharge amount.

37. The discharge control method according to claim 33, further comprising:

receiving, using the circuitry, input information about a discharge amount of the first battery, and

restricting, using the circuitry, the input information so that a destination place not reachable by the discharge source before the discharge, or a destination place not reachable by the discharge destination before the discharge, is not selected.

38. The discharge control method according to claim 33, further comprising:

providing to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of a discharge amount of the first battery so that at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge source can move after the discharge,

providing to the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, a range of the discharge amount of the first battery so that the at least one destination place is contained in areas to which the discharge destination can move after the discharge, and

providing to the display the range of the discharge amount of the first battery so that the discharge source can reach a nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge destination can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge, or the range of the discharge amount so that the discharge source can reach at least the nearest destination place after the discharge and the discharge destination can reach the nearest destination place after the discharge.

39. The discharge control method according to claim 33, further comprising:

verifying, using the circuitry, an identity of a user who has permission of an operation related to discharging, wherein the identity verification is by one of, or a combination of, a plurality of password authentication, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, and iris authentication; and

specifying, using the circuitry, which battery of two connected batteries is the charge source or the charge destination.