阅读说明：本技术 通信系统及通信控制方法 (Communication system and communication control method ) 是由 渡边仁 于 2021-06-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种安装在商店等中的可通信的充电设施、管理服务器和支付终端。管理服务器管理指示会员的车辆ID和用户ID之间的对应关系的信息,并且当用户在充电设施处执行车辆充电操作时,充电设施获取由车辆发送的车辆ID并将其发送到管理服务器。管理服务器基于从充电设施接收到的车辆ID和管理信息,允许充电设施在用户认证成功时开始充电。充电设施在充电开始后向目标车辆或对应的用户的移动终端发送充电认证ID。当在支付终端上执行用户产品的费用支付时,支付终端或管理服务器获取从用户的移动终端发送的充电认证ID,并且管理服务器识别充电历史等。(Provided are a communicable charging facility, a management server, and a payment terminal installed in a shop or the like. The management server manages information indicating a correspondence relationship between the vehicle ID and the user ID of the member, and when the user performs a vehicle charging operation at the charging facility, the charging facility acquires the vehicle ID transmitted by the vehicle and transmits it to the management server. The management server allows the charging facility to start charging when the user authentication is successful, based on the vehicle ID and the management information received from the charging facility. The charging facility transmits a charging authentication ID to the target vehicle or the mobile terminal of the corresponding user after the start of charging. When payment of a fee for a user product is performed on the payment terminal, the payment terminal or the management server acquires a charging authentication ID transmitted from the mobile terminal of the user, and the management server identifies a charging history or the like.)

1. A communication system including a charging facility connectable to a vehicle, a management server communicable with the charging facility, and a payment terminal installed in a shop or the like associated with the charging facility and communicable with the management server, the system comprising:

a first function of managing, by the management server, first management information indicating a correspondence between a vehicle ID assigned to each vehicle and a user ID assigned to each user using each vehicle;

a second function of acquiring the vehicle ID transmitted by the vehicle with the charging facility and transmitting the vehicle ID to the management server when a user of the vehicle performs a charging operation on the vehicle at the charging facility;

a third function of allowing charging of the charging facility to start when the management server successfully performs user authentication based on the vehicle ID and the first management information received from the charging facility;

a fourth function of transmitting a charging authentication ID to a vehicle to be charged or a mobile terminal owned by a corresponding user after charging of the charging facility is started; and

a fifth function of recognizing, with the management server, at least the existence of a charging history by acquiring, with the payment terminal or the management server, the charging authentication ID transmitted from the mobile terminal of the corresponding user when payment of a fee associated with consumption behavior of each user is made on the payment terminal.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein

The management server includes a sixth function for issuing coupon information granting a benefit to a fee associated with the consumption behavior of the user when a result of the recognition by the fifth function satisfies a predetermined condition.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein

The charging facility includes a seventh function for transmitting advertisement information via a charging cable during a charging operation for each vehicle, and an eighth function for managing a browsing history related to information selected by a user of a vehicle to be charged among the transmitted advertisement information, and

the sixth function of the management server issues the coupon information according to the browsing history acquired based on the eighth function.

4. A communication system as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein

The management server includes a ninth function for managing a consumption behavior history of each user when payment of a fee associated with the consumption behavior of the corresponding user is performed on the payment terminal, and

the sixth function of the management server issues the coupon information according to the consumption behavior history acquired by the ninth function.

5. A communication control method using a communication system including a charging facility connectable to a vehicle, a management server communicable with the charging facility, and a payment terminal installed in a shop or the like related to the charging facility and communicable with the management server, the method comprising:

managing, by the management server, first management information indicating a correspondence between a vehicle ID assigned to each vehicle and a user ID assigned to each user using each vehicle;

when a user of a vehicle performs a charging operation on the vehicle at the charging facility, acquiring the vehicle ID transmitted by the vehicle with the charging facility and transmitting the vehicle ID to the management server;

allowing the charging of the charging facility to be started when the management server successfully performs user authentication based on the vehicle ID and the first management information received from the charging facility;

transmitting a charging authentication ID to a vehicle to be charged or a mobile terminal owned by the corresponding user after the charging facility starts charging; and

identifying, with the management server, at least the existence of a charging history by acquiring the charging authentication ID transmitted from the mobile terminal of the corresponding user with the payment terminal or the management server when payment of a fee associated with consumption behavior of each user is made on the payment terminal.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a communication system and a communication control method that can be used to manage consumption behaviors associated with a charging operation of a user using an Electric Vehicle (EV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), or the like.

Background

A typical electric vehicle has a short mileage when fully charged, and unless a dedicated quick charging facility (facility) is used, charging tends to take a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the charging work frequently. The same trend applies to plug-in hybrid vehicles. Therefore, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are configured such that not only charging stations equipped with dedicated quick charging facilities but also power outlets installed in each home and charging facilities installed in various places can be used.

It is assumed that the charging facility of the above-described vehicle is installed in a parking lot of a shop, such as a service area parking lot on a highway and convenience stores in various places. When such a charging facility can be used anywhere, it will be more convenient for the vehicle user, and it is expected that the supply rate of electric cars and plug-in hybrid cars will increase.

However, in order to install a charging facility for a vehicle, a large dedicated space must be secured, and costs for equipment and maintenance must also be incurred. Therefore, it is very important for an operator who installs the charging facility how to efficiently operate the charging facility and find an additional value.

The vehicle network advertising system of JP- ｃA-2007-68164 shows ｃA technique for providing an improved architecture for context-aware advertising and distribution between mobile communication devices. Specifically, the system includes a navigation module 580 that provides map data for vehicles on a network and a context awareness module 540 that interprets data provided by sensors in the vehicle. The advertisement data is received by the data receiving module 570. The configuration module 530 determines the availability of the presentation time slot. The value and content of the authenticated advertisement is confirmed by the advertisement management module 520 and the selected advertisement is presented to the vehicle user.

The power supply system of JP- ｃA-2018-45304 shows ｃA technique for distinguishing ｃA person who intends to receive power using ｃA household power outlet, ｃA parking lot power outlet, or the like and allowing power supply, and calculating the amount of power used. Specifically, the system is provided with a switch unit 14 that has unique identification information and turns on or off power supply to a power outlet 13 in response to a request from a server 20, a power measurement unit 15 for measuring the amount of power supplied to a power supply target device, a mobile outlet 10 that includes an outlet-side communication unit 16 that communicates with the server 20, a storage unit 22 that is capable of associating and recording user master information and power consumption, an authentication unit 23 that authenticates the identification information and user input information transmitted from a terminal 30 used by a user, an authentication processing unit 24 that transmits an on or off command to the switch unit based on the authentication result, and a server-side communication unit 27 that communicates with each of the mobile outlet 10 and the terminal 30.

The vehicle charging system of JP- ｃA-2019-186814 shows ｃA technique for reducing the workload of ｃA user for authentication and improving the convenience of the user. Specifically, the charging facility 1 includes an information display unit that displays authentication information and an authentication unit 31 that performs authentication using the authentication information. The vehicle 2 includes an image pickup device (a rear camera 203 and a front camera 204) and a communication device 201b, and the communication device 201b transmits authentication information acquired by the image pickup device to an authentication unit. The authentication unit 31 of the charging facility is configured to perform authentication using the authentication information received from the communication device 201b, and when the authentication is successful, allow the vehicle 2 to use the wireless LAN 301.

When the technique of JP- ｃA-2007-. However, for example, it is not possible to distinguish between a user of a vehicle that has been charged using a specific charging facility and users other than that. An operator of a store having a particular charging facility cannot determine the relationship between a user of a charging vehicle and the products purchased by the user at the store. Even if both the charging facility and the shop operated by the general operator are used, the vehicle user cannot obtain a special added value. Even if the technologies of JP- ｃA-2018-45304 and JP- ｃA-2019-186814 are used, the use of the charging facility cannot be associated with the use of other services.

According to the present embodiment, the communication system and the communication control method can be used to manage consumption behaviors associated with the charging operation of a user who uses an electric vehicle or the like.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the communication system of the present embodiment, it is possible to connect to a charging facility of a vehicle, a management server that can communicate with the charging facility, and a payment terminal that is installed in a shop or the like related to the charging facility and that can communicate with the management server.

The communication system includes a first function of managing, by the management server, first management information indicating a correspondence between a vehicle ID assigned to each vehicle and a user ID assigned to each user using each vehicle,

a second function of acquiring the vehicle ID transmitted by the vehicle with the charging facility and transmitting it to the management server when a user of the vehicle performs a charging operation on the vehicle at the charging facility,

a third function of allowing charging of the charging facility to start when the management server successfully performs user authentication based on the vehicle ID received from the charging facility and the first management information,

a fourth function of transmitting a charging authentication ID to a vehicle to be charged or a mobile terminal owned by a corresponding user after charging of the charging facility is started, and

a fifth function of recognizing, with the management server, at least the existence of the charging history by acquiring, with the payment terminal or the management server, the charging authentication ID transmitted from the mobile terminal of the corresponding user when payment associated with the consumption behavior of each user is made on the payment terminal.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline (outline) of signals and electric power transmitted between the charging facility and the vehicle-mounted device;

fig. 3 is a time chart showing an example of waveforms of signals and electric power transmitted between the charging facility and the vehicle-mounted device;

fig. 4 is a timing chart showing an operation outline of each part in the communication system of the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of and associated with a management server at the time of charging; and

fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the POS terminal when settling the price of a product.

Detailed Description

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Configuration of a communication system

Fig. 1 shows a configuration example of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the example shown in fig. 1, it is assumed that an operator who operates a store 10 that sells products and the like operates a charging facility 20 installed in a parking lot at a position near the store 10 at the same time. Of course, the invention may be applied in various other situations.

A point of sale system (POS) (point of sale information management) terminal 11 supporting electronic money payment is installed in a store 10 selling products and the like. Therefore, a customer who purchases a product or the like can settle a product price using electronic money charged in an IC card dedicated to electronic money, an IC card integrated with a credit card, an IC card mounted on a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, or the like.

The charging facility 20 is configured as a normal charger or a quick charger having a function of charging a vehicle 30 such as a plug-in hybrid car and an electric car. When the charging facility 20 is an ordinary charger, charging is performed in a state where the tip of the charging cable 60 mounted on the vehicle 30 is inserted into the power outlet 24 of the charging facility 20.

The charging facility 20 includes a charger control unit 23 constituted by a Personal Computer (PC) having a function for controlling charging. The charging modem 22 is provided in the charging facility 20 for communication using the power line of the charging cable 60. The charging modem 22 has a communication function corresponding to Power Line Communication (PLC). The charging modem 22 has a specific ID (e.g., "xyz 09876") that identifies itself. This ID is used as a charging authentication ID (22a) for authenticating whether charging has been performed using the charging facility 20. The charger control unit 23 may transmit the charging authentication ID of the charging modem 22 to the vehicle 30 at the time of charging.

The vehicle 30 shown in fig. 1 includes an on-vehicle battery 31, an on-vehicle control unit 33, a PLC unit 34, and a charging connector 35 as an on-vehicle device 36. The on-vehicle battery 31 has a sufficient storage capacity required for the vehicle 30 to travel. The charging power supply 32 can be supplied to the in-vehicle battery 31 by connecting the power outlet 24 of the charging facility 20 and the charging connector 35 of the vehicle 30 using the charging cable 60.

The PLC unit 34 having a PLC communication function of a communication standard common to the charging modem 22 is connected to the charging system power line in the vehicle 30. Accordingly, when charging is performed using the charging cable 60, data communication may be performed between the charging modem 22 and the PLC unit 34 via the power line of the charging cable 60. The PLC unit 34 has a vehicle ID (e.g., "ABC 12345") that can be used to identify each vehicle 30. The in-vehicle control unit 33 may transmit the vehicle ID of the PLC unit 34 to the charging facility 20 at the time of charging.

The in-vehicle control unit 33 is an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) equipped with a multimedia communication function, and has a wireless communication function compatible with Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and a function of performing communication using the PLC unit 34.

The management server 40 is arranged on the internet, and is connected to be able to communicate with the POS terminal 11 in the store 10 and the charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20. Since the management server 40 is disposed on the internet, the management server 40 can be accessed from a mobile terminal such as a smartphone 50 through wireless communication.

The management server 40 has a function of making payment such as a product purchase price of a customer based on information input from the POS terminal 11, a function of managing a charging operation in the charging facility 20, a function of managing information of each registered member, and the like.

The smartphone 50 owned by a user (driver, etc.) of the vehicle 30 can communicate with the in-vehicle control unit 33 by using a wireless communication function corresponding to Wi-Fi. When the member application 51 is installed on the smartphone 50 (the member application 51 is application software prepared in advance for the user using the store 10 or the charging facility 20), the user can access the management server 40 on the internet by using the member application 51 of the smartphone 50.

The user can register as a member by using the member application 51. The registered member information is managed by the management server 40. In the case of the member user registered in the management server 40, it becomes possible to use specific electronic money when the store 10 purchases a product. The charging facility 20 can be used free of charge. A coupon used when a fee for purchasing a commodity is paid at the store 10 or the like can be obtained.

Transmission between charging facility and vehicle-mounted device

Fig. 2 shows an outline of signals and electric power transmitted between the charging facility 20 and the vehicle-mounted device 36.

As shown in fig. 1, in a state where the charging cable 60 is used to connect the charging connector 35 of the in-vehicle device 36 and the power outlet 24 of the charging facility 20, the charging cable 60 may be used to perform communication as shown in fig. 2 by power line communication. That is, the communication signal is transmitted bidirectionally as a digitally modulated signal superimposed on the charging power supplied from the charging facility 20 to the vehicle-mounted device 36.

The vehicle-mounted device 36 can modulate the information of its own vehicle ID 37 held in advance by using the PLC unit 34, superimpose the information on the electric power, and transmit the information and the electric power to the charging facility 20. The charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 can acquire the information of the vehicle ID 37 transmitted from the in-vehicle device 36 by extracting the information with the charging modem 22 and demodulating the information.

The charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 may modulate the charging authentication ID 22a assigned to the charging modem 22 by using the charging modem 22, and superimpose the ID on the electric power to transmit the ID to the in-vehicle device 36. The in-vehicle control unit 33 of the in-vehicle device 36 can acquire the information of the charging authentication ID 22a transmitted from the charging facility 20 by extracting the ID and demodulating the ID with the PLC unit 34.

It is assumed that the time during which the on-vehicle device 36 of the vehicle 30 is charged by the electric power supplied from the charging facility 20 is generally relatively long. In order to effectively utilize the charging time as a promotion or the like, the charging facility 20 may transmit CM (advertisement) information. In a state superimposed on the power through the power line communication, CM information is also transmitted from the charging modem 22.

In the in-vehicle device 36, the PLC unit 34 extracts, demodulates, and acquires the CM information transmitted from the charging facility 20, and using the display of the in-vehicle control unit 33, for example, character information and moving images representing various products can be displayed so that the user can view such CM information. When the charging facility 20 collectively transmits a large amount of CM information by the user's input operation to the in-vehicle control unit 33, only specific CM information of interest to the user among the large amount of CM information may be selectively displayed on the display of the in-vehicle control unit 33. Here, data indicating the specific CM information selected by the user is generated by the in-vehicle control unit 33 and transmitted as CM browsing information from the PLC unit 34 of the in-vehicle apparatus 36.

The charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 may acquire the CM browsing information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 36 by extracting the information with the charging modem 22 and demodulating the information. After acquiring the CM browsing information, the charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 uses the charging modem 22 to transmit a reception confirmation notification indicating the acquisition and a transmission stop command (transmission stop command) to the in-vehicle device 36.

Waveforms of transmitted signals and power

Fig. 3 shows an example of waveforms of signals and electric power transmitted between the charging facility 20 and the vehicle-mounted device 36. In fig. 3, the horizontal axis represents time [ sec ], and the vertical axis represents voltage [ V ].

In the example shown in fig. 3, the packet-like DC powers having time widths of X1, X2, and X3[ sec ] intermittently appear on the power line of the charging cable 60, and the information codes of "xyz 09876", and "xyz 09876" appear in order in a state superimposed on the respective packet-like DC powers.

By repeatedly transmitting the same information code multiple times (three times) using a plurality of power packets as shown in fig. 3, for example, it is possible to reliably transmit correct information even when a transmission error occurs.

Overview of System operation

Fig. 4 shows an outline of an operation sequence of each part in the communication system of the present embodiment. The sequence of operations of fig. 4 will be described below.

The user of the vehicle 30 parks the vehicle 30 in the parking lot in which the charging facility 20 is installed, and performs an operation of charging preparation (S011). That is, the user plugs a charging plug at the tip of the charging cable 60 provided in the vehicle 30 into the power outlet 24.

The charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 performs the first process after confirming that the charging cable 60 is connected to the power outlet 24 (S021). That is, in order to enable power line communication, power from power supply-side power supply 21 is supplied to the in-vehicle apparatus 36 side via charging cable 60 for a short time (e.g., 30 seconds), and power line communication is started using charging modem 22.

When the on-vehicle control unit 33 of the on-vehicle device 36 monitors the state of the PLC unit 34 and detects that power line communication with the charging facility 20 has become possible, the vehicle ID 37 assigned to itself is transmitted by power line communication (S012).

The charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 acquires the vehicle ID 37 transmitted from the in-vehicle device 36 from the charging modem 22, and transmits the ID to the management server 40 (S022).

The management server 40 records the information of the vehicle ID 37 input from the charger control unit 23 and performs authentication (S031). When the management server 40 is successfully authenticated, that is, when the vehicle ID 37 associated with the registered member user is input from the charging facility 20, the management server 40 allows the charging facility 20 of the transmission source to be charged, and further starts transmitting the CM information (S032).

When the charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 detects the permission of charging from the management server 40, power is continuously supplied from the power supply-side power supply 21 to the charging cable 60, that is, main charging is started, and the charging authentication ID 22a of the charging modem 22 is transmitted by power line communication (S023).

The in-vehicle control unit 33 of the in-vehicle device 36 acquires and records the charging authentication ID 22a transmitted from the charging modem 22 of the charging facility 20 via the PLC unit 34 (S013).

After the transmission of the charging authentication ID 22a is completed, the charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 starts to transmit the CM information input from the management server 40 to the charging cable 60 by power line communication using the charging modem 22 (S024).

The in-vehicle control unit 33 of the in-vehicle apparatus 36 acquires the CM information transmitted from the charging modem 22 of the charging facility 20 via the PLC unit 34 (S014).

For example, after a title list of the received CM information is displayed on the screen, the in-vehicle control unit 33 of the in-vehicle apparatus 36 accepts an input operation by the user, and reproduces specific CM information that the user intentionally selected from the list. The in-vehicle control unit 33 starts transmitting "CM browsing information" indicating the specific CM information selected by the user by using the PLC unit 34 (S015). Each time the user performs an operation such as selection, the in-vehicle control unit 33 transmits "CM browsing information" indicating the operation content.

The charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 acquires the "CM browsing information" transmitted from the in-vehicle device 36 via the charging modem 22, and transmits the "CM browsing information" to the management server 40 (S025).

The management server 40 acquires the "CM browsing information" input from the charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20, and grasps (configure out) the browsing status of the current user, and then, for example, when it is detected that a specific condition is satisfied, such as when playback (playback) continues for a certain period of time, during the charging process, the "CM browsing information" is recorded as a history associated with the charging facility 20, the vehicle ID 37, and the specific user (S033). The management server 40 allows the charging of the corresponding charging facility 20 to be stopped.

When the charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20 receives the charging stop permission from the management server 40, the charger control unit 23 recognizes that the history update of the CM browsing information is completed, and transmits (send) a stop command from the charging modem 22 to the in-vehicle device 36 (S026).

When the PLC unit 34 receives the transmission stop command from the charging facility 20, the in-vehicle control unit 33 of the in-vehicle device 36 stops the transmission operation of the "CM browsing information".

On the other hand, the user 70 may access the management server 40 on the internet by using the own smartphone 50, or may communicate with the in-vehicle control unit 33 of the in-vehicle device 36 through a communication function of Wi-Fi.

In particular, when a previously prepared member application 51 is installed in the smartphone 50, the user 70 can register the user 70 itself as a member in the management server 40 by operating the member application 51. The member application 51 can acquire the charging authentication ID 22a from the in-vehicle control unit 33.

The management server 40 manages information such as CM browsing history and product purchase history for each registered member user. Then, when the CM browsing history, the purchase history of the product, or the like satisfies a predetermined condition, the benefit such as a coupon is allowed to be issued to the user (S034).

When the user 70 purchases a product as a member at the store 10 operated by the operator installed with the charging facility 20, the smartphone 50 may receive distribution of benefits such as a coupon from the management server 40 via the member application 51 (S041).

Operation at charging

Fig. 5 illustrates management server operations during charging and operations associated therewith.

In the communication system of the present embodiment, the management server 40 that manages members has the management tables TB1 and TB2 as databases, as shown in fig. 5.

The management table TB1 holds information for associating the vehicle ID with the user ID regarding the registered member. When a new user who wants to become a member accesses the management server 40 using the member application 51 previously built in the smartphone 50, the user ID may be registered through a member registration process (S21) performed by the management server 40. Since each user can wirelessly connect the smartphone 50 to the in-vehicle control unit 33 using Wi-Fi, the member application 51 on the smartphone 50 can acquire the vehicle ID 37 from the in-vehicle control unit 33. The management server 40 acquires the vehicle ID 37 from the member application 51, and registers the ID in the management table TB 1.

The management table TB2 on the management server 40 can store and manage various information of each registered member. Specifically, the management table TB2 manages information about the CM browsing history of the corresponding user, information about the product purchase history, and the like. Information that allows benefits such as coupons to be issued may be managed for each user.

When each user attempts to charge the vehicle 30 using the charging facility 20, the management server 40 operates as follows.

First, in step S11, the management server 40 inputs information of the vehicle ID 37 from the charger control unit 23 of the charging facility 20. The vehicle ID 37 is included in the information transmitted to the charging facility 20 by the in-vehicle device 36 through power line communication using the charging cable 60.

The management server 40 refers to the management table TB1 using the vehicle ID 37 input in S11, and authenticates whether the corresponding member exists (S12). When there is a member corresponding to the vehicle ID 37 input in S11, the process proceeds from S13 to S14, and the management server 40 allows the charging facility 20 to start charging. Next, the management server 40 starts transmitting the CM information prepared in advance in S15.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the charging facility 20 charges the vehicle 30 to the registered member free of charge. However, users other than members may also be configured to be able to use the charged charging facility 20, for example, by paying cash or paying electronic money.

When the management server 40 confirms the input of the CM browsing information transmitted from the transmission destination user in S16 after the transmission of the CM information is started, the management server 40 next allows the charging facility 20 to stop charging in S17. The management server 40 updates the contents of the CM browsing history on the management table TB2 by using the latest CM browsing information transmitted from the transmission destination user. The user ID of the updated target history may be specified based on the vehicle ID 37 input in S11 and the content of the management table TB 1. The contents of the CM browsing history include the charging authentication ID 22a and the CM browsing information transmitted from the charging facility 20 that actually performed charging.

The management server 40 recognizes whether the user' S history in the management table TB2 satisfies a predetermined condition each time each member user charges at the charging facility 20 and each time the member user purchases a product at the store 10, and then allows a coupon to be issued when the condition is satisfied (S19).

For example, when the number of times of using the charging facility 20 and the number of times of purchasing a product at the store 10 exceed a certain number within one month, the coupon is allowed to be issued to the same member user. As a result, the behavior of the same user using both the charging facility 20 and the store 10 can be promoted. Therefore, when the charging facility 20 and the store 10 are operated by the same operator, the operator can attract the same user, and the charging facility 20 and the store 10 can be efficiently operated. The users who often use the charging facility 20 and the shop 10 can enjoy profits together with the operator because they can obtain benefits such as coupons.

For example, coupons that may be used when purchasing a product may be issued based only on recent CM browsing information, regardless of past history. That is, a coupon may be issued to a member user who has charged using the charging facility 20 and can acquire browsing information based on the transmitted CM information.

A member user intending to purchase a product at the store 10 can obtain a coupon by accessing the management server 40 from the member application 51 using his smartphone 50. Here, in the process of step S22, the management server 40 authenticates that the user is a member from the management table TB 1. The management server 40 identifies the management table TB2 to be referred to from the user ID, and issues a coupon when the issuance of the coupon is permitted after confirming that the charging authentication ID 22a in the CM browsing history in the management table TB2 matches the charging authentication ID transmitted from the smartphone 50. As a result, the user's smartphone 50 may acquire coupon information.

Operation in product price settlement

When a user who is a member purchases a product at the store 10, the POS terminal 11 operates as shown in fig. 6 to settle the product price.

In the example shown in fig. 6, it is assumed that the user who makes payment has a smartphone 50 incorporating a member application 51 and an IC card 52 charged with electronic money exceeding a required price. The IC card 52 is a card device using a noncontact communication technology such as FeliCa (registered trademark), and can use electronic money for payment by charging the electronic money in advance.

The IC card 52 may be an IC card integrated in the smartphone 50, such as "Osaifu-Keitai", or an IC card separate from the smartphone 50. The POS terminal 11 is provided with a noncontact IC card reader having a function of communicating with the IC card 52 so that payment can be made by electronic money.

When the clerk operates the POS terminal 11 at the cash register of the store 10, the POS terminal 11 identifies whether the user who purchased the product is a member in S31. When the user is a member, the smartphone 50 and the POS terminal 11 directly perform wireless communication, or the smartphone 50 and the POS terminal 11 communicate with each other via the management server 40, and then the POS terminal 11 acquires the user ID (S32).

At the cash register of the store 10, a clerk operates the POS terminal 11 in such a manner that, for example, the POS terminal 11 identifies a product to be purchased by reading a barcode attached to the target product with a barcode reader connected to the POS terminal 11, and also identifies a price.

It is confirmed whether the smartphone 50 of the user who purchased the product holds the coupon information 53 acquired from the management server 40 before the price is paid. When the smartphone 50 holds the coupon information 53, the clerk operates the POS terminal 11 from S34 to S35, and the POS terminal 11 reads the coupon information 53 from the smartphone 50.

In S36, the POS terminal 11 calculates the price of the product specified in S33. When the coupon information 53 is acquired in S35, the product price reflecting the discount is calculated.

The POS terminal 11 communicates with the IC card 52 of the user using a contactless IC card reader connected to the POS terminal 11, and settles the price of the product using the electronic money charged in the IC card 52 (S37). Information necessary for settlement of the product price is exchanged through communication between the POS terminal 11 and the management server 40.

The POS terminal 11 transmits information necessary for adding the history of product purchase of the present member user to the management server 40 (S38). For example, information such as a user ID, purchase date and time, a product number, a payment price, and whether to use a coupon is transmitted.

In the example shown in fig. 4, it is assumed that the in-vehicle device 36 receives the charging authentication ID 22a transmitted by the charging facility 20 in S023 and transmits it to the smartphone 50 at the time of charging. However, the charging authentication ID 22a may be directly transmitted from the charging facility 20 or the management server 40 to the smartphone 50.

In the example shown in fig. 6, it is assumed that the product price is settled using electronic money charged in advance in the IC card 52. However, it is also assumed that a debit card or a credit card is used instead of the IC card 52. For communication between the POS terminal 11 and the IC card 52 or the smartphone 50, for example, it is conceivable to use a QR code (registered trademark) instead of Near Field Communication (NFC).

For example, in the example shown in fig. 2, it is assumed that the charging facility 20 transmits CM information to the vehicle-mounted device 36 at the time of charging. However, instead of the CM information, it is assumed that information such as a questionnaire usable for soliciting members and promotions is transmitted, and the result of the questionnaire is collected as CM browsing information.

Advantages of communication system

In the above-described communication system, when the vehicle 30 is charged using the charging facility 20, by performing power line communication via the charging cable 60, it is possible to transmit information useful for efficiently operating both the charging facility 20 and the store 10. In particular, promotion of products and the like in the store 10 is useful by transmitting advertisements and the like and letting the user watch them during the time-consuming charging operation. By collecting CM browsing information, preference trends of each user can be easily understood.

As shown in fig. 5, since the vehicle ID and the user ID are linked and managed by the management table TB1, it is possible to manage the history information by associating the user who uses the charging facility 20 for charging with the user who purchases the product at the store 10. In particular, as shown in fig. 2, since the vehicle ID 37 is transmitted from the in-vehicle device 36 to the charging facility 20 at the time of charging, the management server 40 can grasp the charged vehicle and the member user. Since the charging facility 20 transmits the charging authentication ID 22a to the in-vehicle device 36 at the time of charging, the charging authentication ID 22a can be retained as a charging record by the smartphone 50 or the like of the user. Therefore, when the management server 40 authenticates the user, by confirming the user ID and the charging authentication ID 22a on the smartphone 50, it is possible to reliably distinguish the user who performs charging using the charging facility 20 from other users.

As shown in fig. 5, the management server 40 issues a coupon in S22 based on the history of each member user registered in the management table TB 2. Therefore, it is possible to give benefits to member users who are limited to actually reusing the charging facility 20 and member users who often purchase products at the store 10. As a result, it is possible to promote each member user to use the charging facility 20 and purchase products at the store 10, and therefore, a general operator who operates the charging facility 20 and the store 10 can attract the member users and expand profits. Each member user can obtain a benefit by using the charging facility 20 and the store 10.

According to the communication system of the present embodiment, a charging facility (20) that can be connected to a vehicle (30), a management server (40) that can communicate with the charging facility, and a payment terminal (POS terminal 11) that is installed in a shop (10) or the like associated with the charging facility and that can communicate with the management server.

The communication system includes a first function (management table TB1) for managing first management information indicating a correspondence between a vehicle ID (37) assigned to each vehicle by the management server and a user ID assigned to each user using each vehicle,

a second function (charger control unit 23, S022) of, when a user of the vehicle performs a charging operation on the vehicle at the charging facility, acquiring the vehicle ID transmitted by the vehicle with the charging facility and transmitting it to the management server,

a third function (S032, S11-S14) of allowing charging of the charging facility to be started when the management server successfully performs user authentication (S031) based on the vehicle ID received from the charging facility and the first management information,

a fourth function (charging modem 22, S023) for transmitting a charging authentication ID (22a) to the vehicle to be charged (in-vehicle device 36) or a mobile terminal (smartphone 50) owned by the corresponding user after the charging facility starts charging, and

a fifth function (management table TB2, S22, S034) of recognizing, with the management server, at least the existence of the charging history by acquiring, with the payment terminal or the management server, the charging authentication ID transmitted from the mobile terminal of the corresponding user when the fee associated with the consumption behavior of each user is paid on the payment terminal.

For example, according to the communication system configured as described above, when a user performs a consumption action (such as purchasing a product in a shop managed by the same operator as the charging facility), it is possible to distinguish whether or not the user who charges the vehicle using a specific charging facility uses the charging facility in authentication. Thus, for example, information may be generated that associates a user using a charging facility with a type of product purchased by the user. Therefore, a general operator who manages both the charging facility and the store creates a special added value based on the relationship between the use of the charging facility and the purchase of products at the store. As a result, the operations of the charging facility and the shop can be efficiently operated. Vehicle users who use both the charging facility and the store will be able to benefit from the added value created by the operator.

The management server may include a sixth function (S22) for issuing coupon information (coupon information 53) granting a benefit to the fee associated with the consumption behavior of the user when the result of the recognition by the fifth function satisfies a predetermined condition, which is described in detail below.

According to the communication system having the above-described configuration, for example, when a specific user who charges a vehicle using a charging facility purchases a product at a shop managed by the same operator as the charging facility, coupon information discounting the price of the product can be used. In other words, it is expected that the user will use both the charging facility and the store managed by the same operator to obtain benefits, so that the operator can attract the same user and enjoy the benefits of installing the charging facility beside the store.

The charging facility may include a seventh function (S15, S024, S032) for transmitting advertisement information via a charging cable (charging cable 60) during a charging operation of each vehicle and an eighth function (S16, S18, management table TB2) for managing browsing history related to information selected by a user of a vehicle to be charged among the transmitted advertisement information, and

the sixth function of the management server may issue (S034, S041) the coupon information according to the browsing history acquired based on the eighth function.

According to the communication system having the above configuration, during the idle time waiting for completion of charging, the user who charges the vehicle using the charging facility can browse the advertisement information provided by the charging facility side and acquire the information such as the product required by the user. The user can acquire the coupon information according to the browsing history of the advertisement information. A general operator who manages the charging facility and the shop can grasp trends and the like of products in which the user is interested based on information in the browsing history of the user. As a result, the system may be useful for effective store management.

The management server may include a ninth function (S38, management table TB2) for managing consumption behavior history of each user when payment of fees associated with the consumption behavior of the corresponding user is performed on the payment terminal, and

the sixth function of the management server may issue (S22, S034, S041) coupon information according to the consumption behavior history acquired through the ninth function.

According to the communication system configured as described above, the coupon information can be used to provide benefits to a specific user who uses the charging facility frequently and purchases products at a shop managed by the same operator as the charging facility. Therefore, the user's attraction can be improved.

According to the communication control method of the present embodiment, a communication system includes a charging facility (20) connectable to a vehicle, a management server (40) communicable with the charging facility, and a payment terminal (POS terminal 11) installed in a shop (10) or the like related to the charging facility and communicable with the management server is used.

The communication control method manages, by a management server, first management information (management table TB1) indicating a correspondence between a vehicle ID assigned to each vehicle and a user ID assigned to each user using each vehicle,

when a user of any vehicle performs a charging operation on the vehicle at the charging facility, the vehicle ID transmitted by the vehicle is acquired with the charging facility and transmitted to the management server (S022, S11),

when the management server successfully performs user authentication based on the vehicle ID and the first management information received from the charging facility (S031), the charging of the charging facility is permitted to start (S032, S14),

after the charging facility starts charging, a charging authentication ID (22a) is transmitted to a mobile terminal owned by the vehicle to be charged or the corresponding user (S023), and

when a fee associated with the consumption behavior of each user is paid on the payment terminal, the presence of at least the charging history is recognized with the management server by acquiring the charging authentication ID transmitted from the mobile terminal of the corresponding user with the payment terminal or the management server (S22, S304).

For example, according to the communication control method configured as described above, when the user performs a consumption action (such as purchasing a product in a shop managed by the same operator as the charging facility), it is possible to distinguish whether the user who charges the vehicle using a specific charging facility uses the charging facility in authentication. Thus, for example, information may be generated that associates a user using a charging facility with a type of product purchased by the user. Therefore, a general operator who manages both the charging facility and the store creates a special added value based on the relationship between the use of the charging facility and the purchase of products at the store. As a result, the operations of the charging facility and the shop can be efficiently operated. Vehicle users who use both the charging facility and the store will be able to benefit from the added value created by the operator.

According to the communication system and the communication control method of the present embodiment, it is possible to construct a new business model that is useful for managing consumption behavior associated with the charging operation of a user who uses an electric vehicle or the like.