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

• US 9,873,348 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2015
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US14/926,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20160059729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 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 apparatus included in a discharge source, comprising:

a display; and

circuitry including a processor coupled to a memory and configured to

set a candidate discharge amount of at least one first battery that is discharged to at least one second battery of a discharge destination, the at least one first battery being included in the discharge source configured to be driven by using electric power of the at least one first battery,

calculate a remaining amount of electric power in the at least one first battery after discharging the at least one first battery by the candidate discharge amount, and calculate a distance travel range from a current location that the discharge source can move per unit of electric power, so that electric power remaining in the at least one first battery allows the discharge source to travel the distance travel range after discharge of the candidate discharge amount,

provide, to the display, information about the distance travel range that the discharge source can travel after the candidate discharge amount is discharged from the at least one first battery,

receive user input regarding the candidate discharge amount,

determine a discharge amount based on the candidate discharge amount and the user input after providing the information to the display, and

cause discharge of the discharge source by the discharge amount to the discharge destination based on the user input.

2. The information processing apparatus 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 apparatus 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 discharge source can travel to the at least one of the destinations after the at least one first battery is discharged by the candidate discharge amount.

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

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information about the at least one of the destinations includes a first destination reachable by the discharge source after discharge of the at least one first battery by the candidate discharge amount, a second destination that is reachable by the discharge destination, or both.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine the discharge amount so that the electric power remaining in the at least one first battery allows the discharge source to reach the at least one of the destinations, and allows the discharge source to reach a destination nearest to the current location.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the circuitry is further configured to provide the display, in a distinguishable form on a map, areas to which the discharge source can move based on the 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 discharge amount.

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

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

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

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive input information regarding the discharge amount, and restrict the input information so that a third destination not reachable by the discharge source or a fourth destination not reachable by the discharge destination before the discharge, is not selected.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate the discharge amount when the second destination is input as the information regarding the discharge amount, based on a distance from the current location to the second destination and on a distance that the discharge destination can move per unit of electric power, so that the discharge destination can reach at least the second destination.

11. 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, the distance travel range corresponding to the candidate discharge amount so that at least one destination is included in areas to which the discharge source can move after the discharge of the at least one first battery, and

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

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the circuitry is further configured to provide to the display the distance travel range based on the candidate discharge amount so that the discharge source can reach a destination nearest to the current location and the discharge destination can reach at least the destination nearest to the current location after discharge of the at least one first battery.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to verify an identity of a user who has permission to perform an operation related to discharging, the verification being by at least one of a plurality of password authentications, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, or iris authentication.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to specify which battery of two connected batteries is the charge source or the charge destination.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the circuitry is further configured to compare remaining electric power in each of the two connected batteries and specify the battery of the two connected batteries with a greatest electric power as the charge source and the battery with a least electric power as the charge destination.

16. An information processing method, comprising:

setting, with circuitry of an information processing apparatus, a candidate discharge amount of at least one first battery that is discharged to at least one second battery of a discharge destination, the at least one first battery being included in a discharge source configured to be driven by using electric power of the at least one first battery, the information processing apparatus being included in the discharge source;

calculating, with the circuitry, a remaining amount of electric power in the at least one first battery after discharging the at least one first battery by the candidate discharge amount, and calculate a distance travel range from a current location that the discharge source can move per unit of electric power, so that electric power remaining in the at least one first battery allows the discharge source to travel the travel range after discharge of the candidate discharge amount;

providing, by the circuitry to a display of the information processing apparatus, information about the travel range that the discharge source can travel after the candidate discharge amount is discharged from the at least one first battery;

receiving, with the circuitry, user input regarding the candidate discharge amount;

determining, with the circuitry, a discharge amount based on the candidate discharge amount and the user input after providing the information to the display; and

cause discharge of the discharge source by the discharge amount to the discharge destination based on the user input.

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

setting a candidate discharge amount of at least one first battery that is discharged to at least one second battery of a discharge destination, the at least one first battery being included in a discharge source configured to be driven by using electric power of the at least one first battery;

calculating a remaining amount of electric power in the at least one first battery after discharging the at least one first battery by the candidate discharge amount, and calculate a distance travel range from a current location that the discharge source can move per unit of electric power, so that electric power remaining in the at least one first battery allows the discharge source to travel the travel range after discharge of the candidate discharge amount;

providing, to a display of an information processing apparatus included in the discharge source, information about the travel range that the discharge source can travel after the candidate discharge amount is discharged from the at least one first battery;

receiving user input regarding the candidate discharge amount;

determining a discharge amount based on the candidate discharge amount after providing the information to the display; and

cause discharge of the discharge source by the discharge amount to the discharge destination.