Information processing apparatus and information processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12583339-B2
Application number	US-202217950322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2022
Priority date	Nov 24, 2021
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

The first charging equipment is configured to charge the electric power storage device via contact charging using a charging cable. The second charging equipment is configured to charge the electric power storage device via non-contact charging. The server includes: a determination section that determines a non-contact charging recommendation degree representing a degree of recommendation of the non-contact charging method to the user, based on a characteristic of the user; and a setting section that sets suggested equipment that is charging equipment to be suggested to the user, of the first charging equipment and the second charging equipment. When the non-contact charging recommendation degree is high, the setting section is more likely to set the second charging equipment as the suggested equipment than when the non-contact charging recommendation degree is low.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An information processing apparatus for suggesting first charging equipment or second charging equipment to a user of a vehicle in which an electric power storage device is mounted, the first charging equipment being configured to charge the electric power storage device via a contact charging method using a charging cable, the second charging equipment being configured to charge the electric power storage device via a non-contact charging method that is different from the contact charging method, the information processing apparatus comprising:
a determination section that determines a non-contact charging recommendation degree representing a degree of recommendation of the non-contact charging method to the user, based on a characteristic of the user; a setting section that sets suggested equipment that is charging equipment to be suggested to the user, of the first charging equipment and the second charging equipment,
wherein when the non-contact charging recommendation degree is high, the setting section is more likely to set the second charging equipment as the suggested equipment than when the non-contact charging recommendation degree is low; and
an input section that receives an input of profile information of the user, wherein:
the non-contact charging recommendation degree is determined according to the profile information,
the profile information includes a user age that is an age of the user,
the characteristic of the user includes the user age input through the input section, and
the determination section determines the non-contact charging recommendation degree such that when the user age is high, the non-contact charging recommendation degree becomes higher than that when the user age is low.

2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the profile information includes a preference degree representing a degree of the user preferring the non-contact charging method to the contact charging method; the characteristic of the user includes the preference degree input through the input section; and the determination section determines the non-contact charging recommendation degree such that when the preference degree is high, the non-contact charging recommendation degree becomes higher than that when the preference degree is low.

3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an acquisition section that acquires a user image generated by an imaging device that takes an image of the user; and an estimation section that estimates a user age that is an age of the user, according to the user image, wherein the characteristic of the user includes the user age estimated by the estimation section, and the determination section determines the non-contact charging recommendation degree such that when the user age is high, the non-contact charging recommendation degree becomes higher than that when the user age is low.

4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a calculation section that for each of the first charging equipment and the second charging equipment, calculates a total recommendation degree representing a degree of recommendation of the charging equipment to the user; and a temporal recommendation degree determination section that determines a temporal recommendation degree representing a degree of shortness of estimated travel time that is an estimated value of time required until the vehicle arrives at the second charging equipment, wherein the temporal recommendation degree determination section determines the temporal recommendation degree such that the temporal recommendation degree becomes higher as the estimated travel time is shorter, the total recommendation degree of the second charging equipment includes the non-contact charging recommendation degree and the temporal recommendation degree, and the setting section sets charging equipment, the total recommendation degree of the charging equipment being higher, of the first charging equipment and the second charging equipment, as the suggested equipment.

5 . An information processing system for suggesting first charging equipment or second charging equipment to a user of a vehicle in which an electric power storage device is mounted, the first charging equipment being configured to charge the electric power storage device via a contact charging method using a charging cable, the second charging equipment being configured to charge the electric power storage device via a non-contact charging method that is different from the contact charging method, the information processing system comprising:
a determination section that determines a non-contact charging recommendation degree representing a degree of recommendation of the non-contact charging method to the user, based on a characteristic of the user; a setting section that sets suggested equipment that is charging equipment to be suggested to the user, of the first charging equipment and the second charging equipment; a notification section that notifies the user of the suggested equipment,
wherein when the non-contact charging recommendation degree is high, the setting section is more likely to set the second charging equipment as the suggested equipment than when the non-contact charging recommendation degree is low; and
an input section that receives an input of profile information of the user, wherein:
the non-contact charging recommendation degree is determined according to the profile information,
the profile information includes a user age that is an age of the user,
the characteristic of the user includes the user age input through the input section, and
the determination section determines the non-contact charging recommendation degree such that when the user age is high, the non-contact charging recommendation degree becomes higher than that when the user age is low.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ito Masaki
• Kusumoto Akihiro
• Hirano Takahiro
• Yamashita Ryunosuke
• Tajima Daiki
• Kobayashi Katsuya
• Nakamura Toshihiro

Classifications

• G06V40/178

  estimating age from face image; using age information for improving recognition · CPC title

• B60L53/68 Primary

  Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control · CPC title

• B60L2240/72

  Charging station selection relying on external data · CPC title

• B60L2240/80

  Time limits · CPC title

• B60L2240/622

  by satellite navigation · CPC title