Battery replacement control device and battery replacement control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12248959-B2
Application number	US-202318378682-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2023
Priority date	Oct 28, 2022
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

A server (battery replacement management server) includes: a communication unit (acquisition unit) that acquires number-of-users information (situation information) in a battery replacement apparatus; and a processor (control unit) that adjusts, based on the situation information, an incentive given to a user of the battery replacement apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery replacement control system comprising:
an electric vehicle; and
a battery replacement control device that manages at least one battery replacement apparatus including at least one battery interchangeable with a battery mounted on the electric vehicle, the battery mounted on the electric vehicle being a first battery and the at least one battery being a second battery, the battery replacement control device comprising:
a communication unit that acquires situation information about a situation in the battery replacement apparatus; and
a processor that adjusts, based on the situation information, an incentive given to a user of the battery replacement apparatus, wherein:
the electric vehicle is configured to acquire information including an SOC of the electric vehicle, and transmit the information about the SOC of the electric vehicle to the processor,
the situation information includes information that the battery replacement apparatus is required to charge the second battery using power from a power system, and information about an SOC of the second battery,
the processor determines a number of the second batteries having a full SOC is larger than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value,
the processor makes, in response to determining the number of the second batteries having a full SOC is larger than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value, the incentive when the SOC of the electric vehicle is smaller than or equal to a predetermined second threshold value larger than the incentive when the SOC of the electric vehicle is larger than the predetermined second threshold value, and
the processor gradually adjusts the incentive in a stepwise manner as the SOC of the electric vehicle decreases.

2. The battery replacement control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the situation information includes number-of-users information about a number of the users.

3. The battery replacement control system according to claim 2 , wherein
the number-of-users information includes information about a reservation status of use of the battery replacement apparatus.

4. The battery replacement control system according to claim 2 , wherein
the number-of-users information includes information about a number of the electric vehicles around the battery replacement apparatus.

5. The battery replacement control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the at least one battery replacement apparatus includes a first battery replacement apparatus and a second battery replacement apparatus,
the communication unit acquires the number-of-users information for each of the first battery replacement apparatus and the second battery replacement apparatus, and
the processor makes the incentive corresponding to one of the first battery replacement apparatus and the second battery replacement apparatus having a smaller number of the users larger than the incentive corresponding to the other of the first battery replacement apparatus and the second battery replacement apparatus having a larger number of the users.

6. The battery replacement control system according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor makes the incentive when the number of the users is smaller than or equal to a predetermined third threshold value larger than the incentive when the number of the users is larger than the predetermined third threshold value.

7. The battery replacement control system according to claim 6 , wherein
the situation information includes information about the SOC of the second battery,
the processor determines a number of the second batteries having the full SOC is larger than or equal to a predetermined fourth threshold value, and
the processor makes, in response to determining the number of the second batteries having the full SOC is larger than or equal to a predetermined fourth threshold value, the incentive when the number of the second batteries having the full SOC is larger than or equal to the predetermined fourth threshold value larger than the incentive when the number of the second batteries having the full SOC is smaller than the predetermined fourth threshold value.

8. The battery replacement control system according to claim 7 , wherein
the situation information includes information about an amount of power being used to charge the second battery,
the processor determines the amount of power is smaller than or equal to a predetermined fifth threshold value, and
the processor makes, in response to determining the amount of power is smaller than or equal to the predetermined fifth threshold value, the incentive when the amount of power is smaller than or equal to the predetermined fifth threshold value larger than the incentive when the amount of power is larger than the predetermined fifth threshold value.

9. The battery replacement control system according to claim 2 , wherein
the number-of-users information includes a history of the number of the users in a first time period, and a history of the number of the users in a second time period, and
the processor makes the incentive corresponding to one of the first time period and the second time period having a smaller number of the users larger than the incentive corresponding to the other of the first time period and the second time period having a larger number of the users.

10. A battery replacement control system comprising:
an electric vehicle on which a first battery is mounted;
at least one battery replacement apparatus including at least one second battery interchangeable with the first battery; and
a battery replacement control device that manages the battery replacement apparatus, wherein
the battery replacement control device includes:
a communication unit that acquires situation information about a situation in the battery replacement apparatus; and
a processor that adjusts, based on the situation information, an incentive given to a user of the battery replacement apparatus, wherein:
the situation information includes information that the battery replacement apparatus is required to charge the second battery using power from a power system, and information about an SOC of the second battery,
the processor determines a number of the second batteries having a full SOC is larger than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value,
the processor makes, in response to determining the number of the second batteries having a full SOC is larger than or equal to a predetermined first threshold value, the incentive when an SOC of the electric vehicle is smaller than or equal to a predetermined second threshold value larger than the incentive when the SOC of the electric vehicle is larger than the predetermined second threshold value, and
the processor gradually adjusts the incentive in a stepwise manner as the SOC of the electric vehicle decreases.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Jun
• Okano Takahiro
• Ohno Mitsuyoshi
• Nakano Nobuhiro

Classifications

• G06Q50/06

  Energy or water supply · CPC title

• B60S5/06

  Supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles (exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80) · CPC title

• B60L53/80 Primary

  Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries · CPC title

• B60L53/62

  in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge · CPC title

• Y02T90/16

  Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles · CPC title