JPWO2018016148A1 - INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Abstract

The information processing apparatus (2000) includes a commodity power amount acquisition unit (2020) and a settlement unit (2040). The product power amount acquisition unit (2020) acquires a product power amount for the product to be settled. The product power amount of a certain product represents the amount of power for the product. The settlement unit (2040) transmits, to the customer-side controller (104), an instruction to perform an operation of “discharge power corresponding to the product power amount of the product to be settled to the power system (300)”. The settlement unit (2040) transmits settlement information indicating information on settlement to the seller-side controller (204).

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a control method, and a program.

  A technology has been developed in which power is stored in a storage battery and the stored power is used in homes and offices. The storage battery stores electric power generated using, for example, renewable energy. The power stored in this way can be used as power used in various loads such as lighting and electronic devices. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for storing power generated by a solar power generation device in a storage battery and providing the stored power to a load facility.

JP, 2016-082676, A

  In the above patent documents, the power stored in the storage battery can be used only for the power used in the load equipment in the home or office where the storage battery is installed. Therefore, there is a problem that the power stored in the storage battery can not be efficiently used.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for efficiently using the power stored in a storage battery.

The information processing apparatus according to the present invention uses (1) commodity electric energy acquisition means for acquiring the commodity electric energy which is the amount of electric power to be paid for the commodity, and (2) using the electric power stored in the customer's first storage battery. Settlement means for settling the goods.
The settlement means (1) transmits to the first controller controlling the first storage battery a discharge instruction for discharging power corresponding to the commodity power amount of the commodity, and (2) sells the commodity to the customer Payment information indicating the product power amount of the product is transmitted to a second controller that manages the load equipment of the seller.

  An information processing system according to the present invention includes the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, and the first controller and the second controller described above.

The control method of the present invention is executed by a computer. The control method includes the following steps: (1) obtaining a product power amount obtaining step for obtaining a product power amount which is an amount of power to be paid for the product; and (2) using the power stored in the first storage battery of the customer. And a settlement step to make a settlement.
In the settlement step, (1) a discharge instruction for discharging the electric power corresponding to the commodity electric energy of the commodity is transmitted to the first controller controlling the first storage battery, and (2) the commodity is sold to the customer Payment information indicating the product power amount of the product is transmitted to a second controller that manages the load equipment of the seller.

  The program of the present invention causes a computer to execute each step of the control method of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which utilizes the electric power stored in the storage battery efficiently is provided.

  The objects described above, and other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments described below and the following drawings associated therewith.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment together with a use environment. It is a figure which illustrates notionally buying and selling of goods performed using an information processor. It is a figure which illustrates the computer for realizing an information processor. It is a figure which illustrates the scene where an information processor is used. It is a figure which illustrates the case where an information processor is realized as a server installed in the exterior of a store. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing executed by the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment; It is a figure which illustrates the information memorized by the goods information storage device. It is a figure which illustrates the goods electric energy which shows goods electric energy about each of a several time slot | zone. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus according to a second embodiment together with a use environment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus of a third embodiment. It is a flowchart which illustrates the flow of the process performed by the goods electric energy calculation part of Embodiment 3. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing of determination method 1; 15 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing of determination method 2; It is a flowchart which illustrates the flow of determination method 3-1. It is a flowchart which illustrates the flow of determination method 3-2. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus of a fifth embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates a mode that reference information is displayed on a display apparatus. FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus of a sixth embodiment together with a use environment. It is a figure which illustrates notionally the buying and selling of goods using the information processor of Embodiment 6. It is a figure which illustrates the screen which makes a customer select a privilege. It is a figure which illustrates the screen which chooses whether power sale is performed or not.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will not be repeated.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus 2000 according to the first embodiment together with a use environment. In FIG. 1, each block represents not a hardware unit configuration but a function unit configuration.

  The information processing apparatus 2000 is an apparatus used to realize settlement of a product using power in the purchase and sale of a product between a buyer (customer) of the product and a seller (seller) of the product. FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the buying and selling of goods performed using the information processing apparatus 2000. The customer provides power to the seller as compensation for the product to be purchased. On the other hand, the seller provides the product as a compensation for the power provided by the customer.

  The customer side power system 100 is a system having a customer side storage battery 102 and a customer side controller 104. The customer-side storage battery 102 is a storage battery that stores power available to the customer. For example, the customer-side storage battery 102 is a home storage battery installed in a customer's house. The customer-side storage battery 102 may be a storage battery owned by a customer, or may be a storage battery owned by a person other than the customer. In the latter case, for example, the owner of the customer-side storage battery 102 is a rental contractor who lends the customer-side storage battery 102 to the customer. The customer-side controller 104 is a control device that controls the discharge of the power storage system 300 by the customer-side storage battery 102.

  The seller-side power system 200 is a system having a load facility 202 and a seller-side controller 204. Load facility 202 is any electrical facility that is used by the seller. For example, the load facility 202 is a personal computer, a server, a light, a refrigerator, a storage battery, etc. on the seller's premises. The load facility 202 is connected to a power receiving facility (such as a distribution board or the like) at a power receiving point (a point where the seller receives power from the power system) in the power supply and demand contract that the seller has connected with the power company. The role of the seller-side controller 204 will be described later.

  In order to realize the settlement illustrated in FIG. 2, the information processing device 2000 includes a commodity power amount acquisition unit 2020 and a settlement unit 2040. The product power amount acquisition unit 2020 acquires a product power amount for the product to be settled. The product power amount of a certain product represents the amount of power for the product.

  The settlement unit 2040 controls the customer-side power system 100 and the seller-side power system 200, and uses the power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 to make a settlement for a product to be settled. More specifically, the settlement unit 2040 instructs the customer-side controller 104 to perform an operation of "discharging power of an amount corresponding to the product power amount of the product to be settled to the power system 300" (hereinafter, Send a discharge instruction). Further, the settlement unit 2040 transmits, to the seller-side controller 204, settlement information indicating information on settlement. The seller-side controller 204 stores the received payment information in the payment history storage unit 208. The payment history storage unit 208 is an arbitrary storage device such as a hard disk drive or a solid state drive (SSD).

<Operation and effect>
According to the information processing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment, the power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 can be used for settlement of goods. In this way, the electric power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 can be effectively used in new applications other than the method of consuming the load of an electronic device or a lighting apparatus used by the customer. Therefore, the power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 can be efficiently used.

  Here, in the customer-side storage battery 102, the electric power generated by the power generation device using renewable energy and the electric power supplied from the electric power system 300 are stored. In the latter case, the customer-side storage battery 102 stores the purchased power in a time zone (such as midnight) where power can be purchased inexpensively. By making the power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 available for settlement of goods in this manner, it is possible to bring economic benefits to the customer.

  Furthermore, the settlement of the product using the information processing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment can bring economic benefits to the seller. Specifically, the seller can procure the power consumed by the load facility 202 cheaply from the customer. The reason is as follows. First, the unit price of the power sold by the power company may be higher than the unit price of the power purchased by the power company. In such a case, the unit price of the power used for settlement by the information processing apparatus 2000 can be set between the unit price of the power sold by the power company and the unit price of the power purchased by the power company. Such setting can bring economic benefits to both the customer and the seller. For this reason, when determining the amount of product power for each product, the unit price of power shall be the value between the unit price of the power sold by the power company and the unit price of the power purchased by the power company. Is preferred.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in more detail.

<Hardware Configuration Example of Information Processing Device 2000>
Each functional component of the information processing apparatus 2000 may be realized by hardware (for example, a hard-wired electronic circuit or the like) that realizes each functional component, or a combination of hardware and software (for example: It may be realized by a combination of an electronic circuit and a program for controlling it. Hereinafter, the case where each functional configuration unit of the information processing apparatus 2000 is realized by a combination of hardware and software will be further described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a computer 1000 for realizing the information processing apparatus 2000. The computer 1000 is an arbitrary computer. For example, the computer 1000 is a server machine, a personal computer (PC), a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like. The computer 1000 may be a dedicated computer designed to realize the information processing apparatus 2000, or may be a general-purpose computer.

  The computer 1000 includes a bus 1020, a processor 1040, a memory 1060, a storage 1080, an input / output interface 1100, and a network interface 1120. The bus 1020 is a data transmission path for the processor 1040, the memory 1060, the storage 1080, the input / output interface 1100, and the network interface 1120 to mutually transmit and receive data. However, the method of connecting the processors 1040 and the like to each other is not limited to the bus connection. The processor 1040 is an arithmetic processing unit such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU). The memory 1060 is a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The storage 1080 is a storage device such as a hard disk, an SSD, or a memory card. Also, the storage 1080 may be a memory such as a RAM or a ROM.

  The input / output interface 1100 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 and an input / output device. For example, a keyboard and a mouse are connected to the input / output interface 1100.

  The network interface 1120 is an interface for communicably connecting the computer 1000 to an external device. The network interface 1120 may be a network interface for connecting to a wired line or may be a network interface for connecting to a wireless line.

  The computer 1000 is communicably connected to the customer controller 104 and the seller controller 204 in an arbitrary manner. For example, the customer-side power system 100 is connected to the customer-side controller 104 and the seller-side controller 204 via the network interface 1120.

  The storage 1080 stores program modules for realizing the respective functional components of the information processing apparatus 2000. The processor 1040 implements each function corresponding to the program module by reading out each program module to the memory 1060 and executing it.

  The hardware configuration of the computer 1000 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, each program module may be stored in memory 1060. In this case, the computer 1000 may not have the storage 1080.

<Implementation Example of Information Processing Device 2000>
The information processing apparatus 2000 can be used for settlement of goods in various situations. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a scene in which the information processing apparatus 2000 is used. FIG. 4A illustrates a case where the information processing apparatus 2000 is used to settle a product in a store such as a convenience store or a supermarket. Specifically, the information processing apparatus 2000 is a cashier terminal 700 used for settlement of goods. The cash register terminal 700 is a product registration device used to register a product as a payment target. The clerk uses the cash register terminal 700 to acquire information on the product to be settled. For example, the clerk uses a barcode reader or the like connected to the cashier terminal 700 to read information on the item to be settled from the item to be settled. Then, the cashier terminal 700 executes the settlement of the goods by transmitting the discharge instruction to the customer side controller 104 and transmitting the settlement information to the seller side controller 204 based on the acquired goods information. .

  The method of using the information processing apparatus 2000 in the store is not limited to the method of realizing the information processing apparatus 2000 as the cashier terminal 700. For example, the information processing apparatus 2000 may be a store server used for store management. In this case, the store server is communicably connected to one or more cash register terminals. Then, the store server acquires information on the product to be settled from the cashier terminal, and based on the information, transmits the discharge instruction to the customer controller 104 and transmits the settlement information to the seller controller 204. .

  FIG. 4B exemplifies a case where the information processing apparatus 2000 is used for settlement of goods in the internet shopping. The server 800 is a server that receives a purchase request for a product from a terminal (a customer terminal 810) used by a customer. The server 800 transmits the discharge instruction to the customer-side controller 104 and transmits the settlement information to the seller-side controller 204 based on the request received from the customer, thereby settling the product.

  Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 2000 may be realized as an external server that executes settlement in a plurality of stores and settlement in a plurality of shopping sites. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a case where the information processing apparatus 2000 is realized as a server installed outside the store. In FIG. 5, the information processing apparatus 2000 is realized as a server 900. The server 900 acquires the commodity power amount of the commodity to be settled from the cashier terminal 700 of each store and the store server. The server 900 transmits a discharge instruction to the customer-side controller 104 based on the acquired product power amount. In addition, the server 900 transmits payment information to the seller-side controller 204 based on the acquired product power amount. In this case, the server 900 may have a function to communicate with the customer side controller 104 and the seller side controller 204, and the cashier terminal 700 and the shop server installed in each store individually have the customer side controller 104 and the like. There is an advantage that there is no need to communicate with the merchant controller 204.

<Flow of processing>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing executed by the information processing apparatus 2000 of the first embodiment. The product power amount acquisition unit 2020 acquires a product power amount for the product to be settled (S102). The settlement unit 2040 uses the power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 to make a settlement for the product to be settled (S104).

<Obtaining of product energy consumption: S102>
The product power amount acquisition unit 2020 acquires the product power amount of the product to be settled (S102). There are various methods by which the product power amount acquisition unit 2020 acquires the product power amount. Hereinafter, an example of the method is shown. Methods other than the methods exemplified here will be described in the embodiments described later.

  The commodity power amount acquisition unit 2020 acquires a commodity power amount stored in association with an identifier of a commodity to be settled (hereinafter referred to as a commodity ID (identifier)). In this case, the product power amount is stored in a storage device (hereinafter, a product information storage device) that stores various information related to the product.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating information stored in the product information storage device. The table shown in FIG. 7 is called a product information table 500. The product information table 500 has a product ID 502 and product information 504. The item ID 502 indicates an item ID. The item information 504 indicates various items of information regarding the item.

  The product information shown in the product information 504 is various. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the product information 504 includes a product name 506, a price 508, and a product power 510. These respectively indicate the name of the product, the price of the product, and the amount of power of the product described above.

  When the product information table 500 is stored in the product information storage device, the product power acquisition unit 2020 selects the product power 510 of the record in which the product ID 502 indicates the product ID to be settled, Acquired as the amount of power.

  Here, the product power amount 510 may indicate the product power amount for each time zone. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a commodity power amount 510 indicating a commodity power amount for each of a plurality of time zones. For example, when the product power amount 510 is determined for each seller, the seller reduces the value of the product power amount 510 as the time zone in which the consumption amount of power in the store or the like of the seller increases. In this way, the customer actively performs payment using power in a time zone where the amount of power consumption is large. As a result, the seller can compensate for the power that tends to run short with the power obtained by the settlement using the information processing device 2000. However, the seller may set the commodity power amount 510 to a larger value in a time zone in which the consumption amount of power in the store or the like is larger. As a result, the amount of power obtained as the price of the product to be sold increases.

  The opportunity for the commodity energy acquisition unit 2020 to acquire the commodity energy is arbitrary. Here, generally, when a product is purchased at a store, various information (such as the product information 504 described above) related to the product to be purchased is acquired by the store clerk reading the product ID from the product. The product ID is read, for example, by scanning the barcode of the product with a barcode reader of the cashier terminal.

  Therefore, when the information processing apparatus 2000 is used for settlement in a store (see FIG. 4A), the commodity power amount acquisition unit 2020 is triggered, for example, by the cashier terminal 700 reading the commodity ID to be settled. The product power amount corresponding to the product ID is acquired. Further, when the product ID of the product to be settled is manually input by the store clerk, the product power amount acquisition unit 2020 is triggered by the input of the product ID of the product to be settled, and the product corresponding to the product ID The amount of power may be acquired.

  Also, in general, in Internet shopping, a Web server providing an Internet shopping site relates to a product when a request for providing a Web page containing product information is received from a terminal operated by a customer. Get information. Then, the web server sends a web page including the acquired information to the terminal operated by the customer.

  Therefore, when using the information processing apparatus 2000 for settlement in Internet shopping (see FIG. 4B), the product power amount acquisition unit 2020 provides a Web page on which product information is listed from the customer terminal 810, for example. When the request for request is received, the product power amount corresponding to the product ID of the product is acquired.

<Settlement: S104>
The settlement unit 2040 uses the power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 to make a settlement for the product to be settled (S104). Specifically, the settlement is performed by (1) discharge to the power system by the customer-side storage battery 102 and (2) transmission of the settlement information to the seller-side controller 204. Each of these will be specifically described below.

<< Discharge to power system by customer side storage battery 102 >>
The settlement unit 2040 sends an instruction to the customer-side controller 104, which controls the customer-side storage battery 102, to discharge power of an amount corresponding to the product power amount to the power system (sends a discharge instruction). The discharge instruction transmitted by the settlement unit 2040 indicates the amount of power to be discharged. The customer-side controller 104 controls the customer-side storage battery 102 to discharge the amount of power indicated in the discharge instruction received from the settlement unit 2040 to the system power. Note that, for control of the customer-side storage battery 102 by the customer-side controller 104, the existing control technology that “the controller that controls the storage battery controls the storage battery to discharge a specific amount of power to the power system” is used. be able to.

  The customer-side storage battery 102 is any storage battery capable of discharging a specific amount of electric power according to control by the customer-side controller 104. The electric power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 may be received from the electric power system, or may be received from various power generation devices (such as a solar power generation device or a wind power generation device). Good. For example, when the customer-side power system 100 includes a power generation device, the power generated by the power generation device is stored in the customer-side storage battery 102, and payment is performed using the power (purchasing a product) If so, the customer has the advantage of being able to effectively utilize the power generated by the generator.

<< sending payment information >>
The settlement unit 2040 transmits settlement information to the seller-side controller 204. The seller-side controller 204 stores the received payment information in the payment history storage unit 208.

  The settlement information indicates information on settlement. The settlement information indicates, for example, the time when the settlement was performed, and the amount of commodity power of the commodity to be settled. Further, the settlement information may indicate, in addition to or instead of the commodity power amount of the commodity to be settled, an electricity charge corresponding to the commodity power amount. When the electricity price is indicated in the settlement information, the settlement unit 2040 acquires the unit price of electricity at the time of settlement, for example, from the power company that the seller has signed a power supply and demand contract, and multiplies the unit price of electricity by the commodity power amount. Calculate the fee.

  The settlement information stored in the settlement history storage unit 208 is used to realize the settlement "the seller receives the provision of power from the customer as the consideration for the product". Examples of the method of use include the following.

  Usually, the seller needs to pay the electricity charge for the power consumed by the load facility 202 to the power company that has a power supply and demand contract with the seller. However, the power consumed by the load facility 202 includes the power to be provided from the customer along with the settlement using the information processing device 2000. Therefore, the seller calculates the electricity bill to be paid to the power company so that the electricity bill corresponding to the power to be provided from the customer does not have to be paid to the power company. As a result, since the payment of the electricity charge is not necessary for the power that should be provided from the customer, the power is substantially transferred from the customer to the seller. The compensation for the power to be provided by the customer with the settlement using the information processing apparatus 2000 is provided as a product to the customer, not the electric power company.

  When the product power is indicated in the settlement information, for example, the product power indicated in the settlement information is subtracted from the power consumption used to calculate the electricity charge to be paid to the power company by the seller Do. More specifically, the electricity charge of the latest one month is calculated by subtracting the total value of the commodity power amount shown in the settlement information of the latest one month from the electricity consumption of the load equipment 202 of the latest one month.

  When the electricity rate corresponding to the product power amount is indicated in the settlement information, for example, the electricity rate calculated based on the power consumption amount of the load facility 202 corresponds to the commodity power amount indicated in the settlement information Try to deduct the electricity bill. More specifically, the electricity bill corresponding to “the amount of electricity consumed by the load equipment 202 of the latest one month minus the total value of the product electricity shown in the settlement information of the latest one month” is the latest one month Calculated as the electricity charge of

  The method of realizing the calculation of the electricity bill described above is, for example, as follows. Here, it is assumed that a calculator for calculating the electricity bill (hereinafter referred to as electricity bill calculation apparatus) acquires the power consumption of the load facility 202 from the seller-side controller 204 and calculates the electricity bill. The electricity bill calculation apparatus is, for example, a computer owned by a power company with which the seller has a power supply and demand contract.

  The seller-side controller 204 transmits, for example, a value obtained by subtracting the total value of the power amount shown in the settlement information of the latest one month from the power consumption of the load facility 202 in the latest one month to the electricity bill calculation device. The electricity bill calculation apparatus calculates the electricity bill to be charged to the seller based on the received power consumption of the load facility 202.

<< Timing of payment >>
The timing at which the settlement is performed by the settlement unit 2040 (the timing at which the discharge instruction and the settlement information are transmitted) is arbitrary. For example, the settlement unit 2040 receives an operation instructing the execution of settlement, and executes settlement at the timing when the operation is received.

  For example, in general settlement in a store, settlement is executed by adding a predetermined operation to a cashier terminal, and discharge of a bill, output of a receipt, and the like are performed. The predetermined operation is, for example, an operation of pressing a predetermined button provided on the cashier terminal or an operation of pressing a predetermined button displayed on the touch panel of the cashier terminal.

  Therefore, when the information processing apparatus 2000 is used for settlement in a store (see FIG. 4A), the settlement unit 2040 performs settlement, for example, triggered by a predetermined operation being added to the cashier terminal 700 by a customer or a store clerk. Run.

  In addition, the general settlement in the Internet shopping is executed when the Web server providing the Internet shopping site receives a predetermined request from the terminal operated by the customer. For example, the predetermined request is a request that is transmitted when a predetermined button such as “purchase confirmation” is pressed.

  Therefore, when the information processing apparatus 2000 is used for settlement in Internet shopping (see FIG. 4B), the settlement unit 2040 executes settlement, for example, upon receiving a predetermined request from the customer terminal 810.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the information processing apparatus 2000 according to the second embodiment as well as the use environment. The information processing apparatus 2000 of the second embodiment has the same function as the information processing apparatus 2000 of the first embodiment except for the points described below.

  The seller-side power system 200 of the second embodiment has a seller-side storage battery 206 as the load facility 202. The seller-side storage battery 206 is any storage battery capable of charging a specific amount of power according to control by the seller-side controller 204. The electric power stored by the seller-side storage battery 206 may include only the electric power received from the electric power system 300, and the electric power received from various power generation devices (such as solar power generation devices and wind power generation devices). May be included.

  The seller-side controller 204 according to the second embodiment receives power from the power system 300 and stores it in the seller-side storage battery 206 in an amount corresponding to the amount of commodity power indicated in the settlement information received from the settlement unit 2040. , And control the seller side storage battery 206. For control of the seller-side storage battery 206 by the seller-side controller 204, the existing control technology that “the controller that controls the storage battery controls the storage battery to charge a specific amount of power” can be used .

<Example of hardware configuration>
The information processing apparatus 2000 of the second embodiment is realized using the computer 1000 as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, each program module stored in the storage 1080 described above includes a program for realizing each function of the information processing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment.

<Operation and effect>
In the present embodiment, charging of the seller-side storage battery 206 is performed based on the settlement information transmitted by the information processing device 2000. Therefore, the seller can store the power provided by the customer as the consideration for the product, and can use the power at free timing. Therefore, for example, even when the seller-side power system 200 does not run out of power at the time of settlement, the settlement using the information processing apparatus 2000 can be performed. From this, according to the present embodiment, the opportunity to execute payment using the information processing device 2000 is increased as compared with the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus 2000 of the third embodiment. The information processing device 2000 of the third embodiment has the same function as the information processing device 2000 of the first embodiment except for the points described below.

  The information processing apparatus 2000 of the third embodiment has a commodity power amount calculation unit 2060. The product power amount calculation unit 2060 calculates a product power amount based on the price of the product and the unit price of power. The product power amount acquisition unit 2020 of the third embodiment acquires the product power amount calculated by the product power amount calculation unit 2060.

<Flow of processing>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing executed by the product power amount calculation unit 2060 according to the third embodiment. The product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the price of the product to be settled (S202). The product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires a power unit price (S204). The product power amount calculation unit 2060 calculates the product power amount based on the price of the product and the unit price of power (S206). Note that the timings at which S202 and S204 are performed may be opposite to or different from the timings shown in FIG.

<Acquisition of product price: S202>
The commodity power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the price of the commodity to be settled for calculation of the commodity power amount. There are various methods for the commodity power amount calculation unit 2060 to acquire the price of the commodity. For example, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the price (the price 508 in the product information table 500) corresponding to the ID of the product to be settled from the product information storage device described in the first embodiment. Further, for example, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 may acquire a price manually input by the store clerk. In the case of the present embodiment, since the product power amount is calculated by the product power amount calculation unit 2060, the product information table 500 may not have the product power amount 510.

  There are various timings at which the product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the price of the product. When the information processing apparatus 2000 is used for settlement in a store (see FIG. 4A), the commodity power amount calculation unit 2060 is triggered, for example, by the cashier terminal 700 of the store having read the commodity ID to be settled. , The price of the product corresponding to the product ID is acquired. Further, when the ID of the product to be settled is manually input by the store clerk, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 is triggered by the input of the product ID of the product to be settled, and of the product corresponding to the product ID. You may get a price.

  Further, when the information processing apparatus 2000 is used for internet shopping (see FIG. 4B), the product power amount calculation unit 2060 requests, for example, the customer terminal 810 to provide a Web page on which product information is listed. The price of the product corresponding to the product ID of the product is acquired when the request is received.

<Acquisition of electricity unit price: S204>
The product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires a power unit price for calculation of the product power amount. There are various methods for the commodity power amount calculation unit 2060 to acquire the power unit price. For example, the commodity power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the power unit price from the device managing the power unit price. The apparatus that manages the unit price of power is, for example, a server that manages a store, a server that manages a site of net shopping, or the like. In this case, the unit price of electricity is determined for each seller. Also, for example, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 may acquire a power unit price manually input by the store clerk.

  The unit price of electricity may not necessarily be determined for each seller. For example, the unit price of electricity may be determined for each area. In this case, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the power unit price from the device that manages the power unit price in the area where the store where the payment is to be performed exists.

  It should be noted that the method of accessing the device managing the unit price of power may be set in advance in the product power amount calculation unit 2060, or in a storage device accessible from the product power amount calculation unit 2060, etc. Alternatively, it may be manually input by a user (such as a store clerk) who operates the information processing apparatus 2000.

  Here, the power unit price may be a value different for each time zone. For example, the seller gives the customer an incentive to actively use the information processing apparatus 2000 by setting the power unit price in a time zone where power tends to run short relatively low. However, the amount of power obtained as the price of a product can also be increased by setting the unit price of electricity in a time zone in which power tends to run out relatively high.

  There are various timings at which the product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the power unit price. The product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the power unit price, for example, in response to the acquisition of the price of the settlement target product. Further, for example, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 may obtain the power unit price in advance prior to the settlement. In the latter case, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 acquires the power unit price, for example, at the timing when the power unit price is updated.

Ei は商品ｉの商品電力量を表す。Pi は商品ｉの価格である。V は電力単価（単位エネルギー当たりの価格）を表す。α及びβは所定の係数である。<Calculation of commodity electric energy: S206>
The product power amount calculation unit 2060 calculates the product power amount based on the price of the product and the unit price of power (S206). For example, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 calculates the product power amount of the product i based on the following formula (1).

Ei represents the product power of the product i. Pi is the price of the product i. V represents the unit price of electricity (price per unit energy). α and β are predetermined coefficients.

  Any positive real number can be set to α, and any real number can be set to β. For example, when “α = 1 and β = 0” is set, the product price is the product price multiplied by the power unit price. Hereinafter, the product power amount in this case is referred to as a reference power amount.

  By setting a value less than 1 to α or setting a negative value to β, it is possible to make the commodity power amount smaller than the reference power amount. As described above, when the product power amount is smaller than the reference power amount, cash or credit is used if the customer's electricity rate unit price of the time zone charged to the customer-side storage battery 102 and the seller's electricity rate unit price of the settlement time zone are equal. Products are cheaper if you buy products with electricity than you buy products with cards. Therefore, an incentive to use the information processing apparatus 2000 can be given to the customer.

  On the other hand, the commodity power amount can be made larger than the reference power amount by setting a value larger than 1 to α or setting a positive value to β. Thus, by making the product power amount larger than the reference power amount, for example, the seller can collect various expenses and the like generated by the use of the information processing apparatus 2000 on the product power amount and collect it from the customer. For example, the cost includes the cost required to introduce equipment for using the information processing apparatus 2000.

  Furthermore, the values of α and β respectively take into consideration both incentives given to customers (factors that increase α and β) and costs that the seller wants to collect from customers (factors that decrease α and β). It may be set by

  Information indicating the values of α and β may be preset in the product power amount calculation unit 2060, or may be stored in a storage device accessible from the product power amount calculation unit 2060, etc. The data may be manually input by a user (such as a store clerk) who operates the device 2000.

  Further, the product power amount calculation unit 2060 may calculate the product power amount based on the price of the product and the unit price of power, and the method is not limited to the method represented by Formula (1).

  In the case where the information processing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment is realized as a server 900 used for settlement of a plurality of stores (see FIG. 5), the cashier terminal 700 and the shop server do The price of the product is sent to the server 900. However, among the functions possessed by the information processing apparatus 2000, the product power amount acquisition unit 2020 and the settlement unit 2040 may be mounted on the server 900, and the product power amount calculation unit 2060 may be mounted on each register terminal 700 or store server. In this case, the commodity power amount is calculated by the cashier terminal 700 or the shop server, and the calculated commodity power amount is transmitted to the server 900 as shown in FIG.

<Hardware configuration>
The information processing apparatus 2000 of the third embodiment is realized using the computer 1000 as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, each program module stored in the storage 1080 described above further includes a program for realizing each function described in the present embodiment.

<Operation and effect>
According to the information processing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment, the product power amount, which is the amount of power to be paid for the product, is calculated by the price of the product and the unit price of the power. By doing this, the product power amount of each product can be easily set according to the price of the product.

  Furthermore, the seller can provide the customer with an incentive for purchasing a product from the seller by appropriately setting the power unit price. For example, by setting the unit price of electricity cheaper than other sellers, the seller can make a difference from other sellers and attract customers.

<Modification>
In the settlement using the information processing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment, the payment for all the consideration for the product is performed by the power. However, the settlement using the information processing apparatus 2000 of the third embodiment may not be a settlement in which all the consideration for the product is paid by the power, but may be a settlement in which only a part of the consideration for the product is paid by the power. In this case, for the part of the consideration of the product excluding the consideration paid by the power, payment is made by any other method such as cash or credit card.

ｘは、商品の対価の内、電力以外の手段で支払われる対価の金額を表す。x の値は、例えば顧客や店員によって手動でレジ端末７００などに入力される。Here, in the case where only a part of the consideration of the product is settled by the power, (a) the amount of power to be used for settlement after deciding the amount to be paid by means other than the power first (the power corresponding to the remaining amount Or (b) the amount of power to be used for payment may be determined first, and then the amount corresponding to the remaining consideration may be determined. In the case of the former, the amount of power used for settlement (the power to be discharged to the customer-side storage battery 102 and the power to be received by the load facility 202) is calculated, for example, by the following equation (2).

x represents the amount of the consideration paid by means other than the electric power among the consideration of the product. The value of x is manually input to the cashier terminal 700 or the like by, for example, a customer or a clerk.

P は電力以外の手段で支払われる対価の金額を表す。E は、決済に利用される電力の量を表す。On the other hand, in the case of (b), the amount of the consideration paid by means other than the power is calculated, for example, by the following equation (3).

P represents the amount of consideration paid by means other than power. E represents the amount of power used for payment.

  The value of E may be manually input by a customer or a store clerk, or may be automatically determined by the information processing apparatus 2000. For example, when the remaining amount of power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 is less than the commodity power amount, the settlement unit 2040 determines the amount of power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 as the amount of power used for settlement. Take the value of E. In this case, the settlement unit 2040 acquires, from the customer-side controller 104, information on the remaining amount of power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102. The customer-side controller 104 has a function of grasping the remaining amount of power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102.

Fourth Embodiment
The information processing apparatus 2000 of the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as the information processing apparatus 2000 of the first embodiment or the information processing apparatus 2000 of the second embodiment. The information processing apparatus 2000 of the fourth embodiment has the same function as the information processing apparatus 2000 of the first embodiment or the second embodiment except for the points described below.

  The settlement unit 2040 of the fourth embodiment determines whether or not settlement is possible, and executes the settlement when it is determined that the settlement is possible. Hereinafter, a plurality of determination methods of the possibility of settlement will be exemplified. The settlement unit 2040 uses one or more of a plurality of determination methods described below.

<Judgment method 1: Judgment based on the possibility of discharge>
Settlement unit 2040 makes a determination based on whether or not discharge from customer-side storage battery 102 is possible. Specifically, the settlement unit 2040 acquires the amount of power that can be discharged by the customer-side storage battery 102 from the customer-side controller 104. The settlement unit 2040 then determines that settlement is possible when the amount of power that can be discharged by the customer-side storage battery 102 is equal to or greater than the commodity power amount of the commodity to be settled. On the other hand, settlement unit 2040 determines that settlement can not be performed when the amount of power that can be discharged by customer-side storage battery 102 is less than the commodity power amount of the commodity to be settled.

  There are various ways to determine the amount of power that can be discharged by the customer-side storage battery 102. For example, the amount of power that can be discharged by the customer-side storage battery 102 is the remaining amount of power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102. The settlement unit 2040 acquires, from the customer-side controller 104, information on the remaining amount of power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102.

For example, the amount of power that can be discharged by the customer-side storage battery 102 may be an estimated value calculated based on the remaining amount of power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102. For example, this estimated value is calculated using the following equation (4).

  In Equation (4), the estimated dischargeable amount is an estimated value of the amount of power that can be discharged by the customer-side storage battery 102. The storage amount is the remaining amount of power currently stored in the customer-side storage battery 102. The rated output is the rated output power of the customer-side storage battery 102. Power consumption is power consumed by a load that consumes the power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the process flow of the determination method 1. The settlement unit 2040 acquires the amount of power that can be discharged by the customer-side storage battery 102 (S302). If the amount of power that can be discharged by the customer-side storage battery 102 is equal to or greater than the commodity power amount of the item to be settled (S304: YES), the settlement unit 2040 performs settlement (S306).

  The settlement unit 2040 may acquire, from the customer-side controller 104, information indicating whether or not the customer-side storage battery 102 can discharge. If this information indicates that the customer-side storage battery 102 can discharge, the settlement unit 2040 determines that settlement is possible. On the other hand, when this information indicates that discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 can not be performed, the settlement unit 2040 determines that settlement can not be performed. It should be noted that when the customer-side storage battery 102 can not be discharged, the customer-side storage battery 102 is broken or the operation of the customer-side storage battery 102 is stopped (maintenance of the customer-side storage battery 102 is performed Situation etc).

<Judgment method 2: Judgment based on availability of charge>
In this case, it is assumed that the load facility 202 is a seller-side storage battery 206. Therefore, in the present embodiment of this case, the seller-side power system 200 and the information processing apparatus 2000 have the same functions as the seller-side power system 200 and the information processing apparatus 2000 of the second embodiment.

  The settlement unit 2040 makes a determination based on whether or not charging by the seller-side storage battery 206 is possible. Specifically, the settlement unit 2040 acquires the free capacity of the seller-side storage battery 206 from the seller-side controller 204. The settlement unit 2040 then determines that settlement is possible when the free space of the seller-side storage battery 206 is equal to or greater than the commodity power amount to be settled. On the other hand, when the free space of the seller-side storage battery 206 is less than the commodity power amount to be settled, the settlement unit 2040 determines that the settlement can not be performed.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the process flow of the determination method 2. The settlement unit 2040 acquires the free space of the seller-side storage battery 206 (S402). If the free space of the seller-side storage battery 206 is equal to or greater than the product power amount of the product to be settled (S404: YES), the settlement unit 2040 performs settlement (S406).

  The settlement unit 2040 may acquire, from the seller-side controller 204, information indicating whether or not charging by the seller-side storage battery 206 is possible. If this information indicates that charging by the seller-side storage battery 206 can not be performed, the settlement unit 2040 determines that settlement can not be performed. On the other hand, in the other cases, the settlement unit 2040 determines that settlement can be performed.

  It should be noted that in a situation where charging by seller side storage battery 206 can not be performed, a situation where seller side storage battery 206 is broken or a situation where the operation of seller side storage battery 206 is stopped (maintenance of seller side storage battery 206 And the like).

<Judgment method 3: Judgment based on required time>
The settlement unit 2040 makes the determination based on the estimated value of the discharge required time by the customer-side storage battery 102 (hereinafter, discharge required time) and the estimated value of the power reception required by the load facility 202 (hereinafter, power required time) . When the load facility 202 is the seller-side storage battery 206, the power reception required time means an estimated value of the required time for charging by the seller-side storage battery 206. Here, the required discharge time can be calculated based on the product power amount and the rated output of the customer-side storage battery 102. Similarly, the power reception required time can be calculated based on the product power amount and the rated input power of the load facility 202 (hereinafter, rated input). Hereinafter, the method of determining the possibility of settlement using the discharge required time and the power reception required time will be further divided and illustrated.

<< Judgment method 3-1 >>
The settlement unit 2040 determines whether the required discharge time and the required power reception time match. If the required discharge time and the required power reception time match, the settlement unit 2040 determines that settlement is possible. On the other hand, when the required discharge time and the required power reception time do not match, the settlement unit 2040 determines that settlement can not be performed.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the determination method 3-1. The settlement unit 2040 acquires the required discharge time (S502). The settlement unit 2040 acquires the power reception required time (S504). The settlement unit 2040 determines whether the required discharge time and the required power reception time match (S506). If the required discharge time and the required power reception time match (S506: YES), the settlement unit 2040 performs settlement (S508). On the other hand, when the required discharge time and the required power reception time do not match (S506: NO), the settlement unit 2040 does not make settlement.

  By determining whether the payment is possible or not using the determination method 3-1, it is possible to match the timing when the discharge from the customer side power system 100 is completed and the timing when the power reception by the seller side power system 200 is completed. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the power system 300 from being affected by the difference between the timing when the discharge by the customer side power system 100 is completed and the timing when the power reception by the seller side power system 200 is completed.

  When employing the determination method 3-1, the load facility 202 is desirably a facility (for example, the seller-side storage battery 206) capable of controlling the amount of received power by the seller-side controller 204.

<< Judgment method 3-2 >>
In this method, when it is determined that the required discharge time and the required power reception time do not match in the determination method 3-1, the longer one of the required discharge time and the required power reception time (hereinafter referred to as the required settlement time) It is determined whether or not the predetermined time is equal to or less than a predetermined time. If the required settlement time is equal to or less than the predetermined time, the settlement unit 2040 determines that settlement is possible. On the other hand, when the required settlement time is not equal to or less than the predetermined value, the settlement unit 2040 determines that the settlement can not be performed. The predetermined time is, for example, 30 minutes. The predetermined time may be set in advance in the settlement unit 2040, or may be stored in a storage device accessible from the settlement unit 2040.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the determination method 3-2. The processes from S502 to S506 are the same as those in FIG. If the required discharge time and the required power reception time do not match (S506: NO), the settlement unit 2040 determines whether the required settlement time is equal to or less than a predetermined value (S602). If the required settlement time is equal to or less than the predetermined value (S602: YES), the settlement unit 2040 performs the settlement (S508). If the required settlement time is not equal to or less than the predetermined value (S602: NO), the settlement unit 2040 does not perform the settlement.

  Even when there is a difference between the timing at which discharge by the customer-side power system 100 is completed and the timing at which power reception by the seller-side power system 200 is completed, the time until both discharge and power reception are completed It is considered that the influence of the deviation on the power system 300 is small if the Therefore, if the settlement required time is equal to or less than the predetermined time, the difference between the timing when the discharge by the customer side power system 100 is completed and the timing when the power reception by the seller side power system 200 is completed is performed by executing the settlement. When the influence on the power system 300 is small, the settlement can be performed.

<When the judgment is executed>
For various determinations described above, the product power amount of the product to be settled is used. Thus, the settlement unit 2040 performs the various determinations described above after the product power amount of the product to be settled is acquired. The timing at which the product power amount is acquired is as described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

<Hardware configuration example>
The information processing device 2000 of the fourth embodiment is realized using the computer 1000 as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, each program module stored in the storage 1080 described above further includes a program for realizing each function described in the present embodiment.

  According to the information processing apparatus 2000 of this embodiment, the amount of power that the customer-side storage battery 102 can discharge, the free capacity of the seller-side storage battery 206, the time required for the discharge from the customer-side storage battery 102 and the power reception by the load facility 202 Based on the condition based on the factor of, it is determined whether to make a payment. By doing this, payment can be made under appropriate conditions.

Fifth Embodiment
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the information processing apparatus 2000 of the fifth embodiment. The information processing apparatus 2000 of the fifth embodiment has the same function as the information processing apparatus 2000 of the first or second embodiment except for the points described below.

  The information processing apparatus 2000 of the fifth embodiment includes a reference information output unit 2080 and an input reception unit 2100. The reference information output unit 2080 outputs reference information. The reference information is information that a customer or a salesperson or the like refers to in order to decide whether or not to execute the settlement. The reference information includes, for example, the rated output of the customer-side storage battery 102, the required discharge time, the rated input of the load facility 202, the required power reception time, or the required settlement time. The rated output of the customer-side storage battery 102 can be obtained, for example, from the customer-side controller 104. The rated input of the load facility 202 can be obtained, for example, from the seller-side controller 204. The method for the reference information output unit 2080 to acquire various required times is the same as the method for the settlement unit 2040 to acquire various required times in the fourth embodiment.

  The input receiving unit 2100 receives an input indicating selection of whether to execute payment. When it is selected to execute the settlement, the settlement unit 2040 executes the settlement. On the other hand, when it is selected not to execute the settlement, the settlement unit 2040 does not execute the settlement.

  The input through the input receiving unit 2100 is performed by a customer, a clerk, or the like. The customer or the clerk can determine whether or not to make a payment in consideration of the reference information output by the reference information output unit 2080.

  There are various methods for the reference information output unit 2080 to output reference information. For example, the reference information output unit 2080 causes the display device to display the reference information. Also, for example, the reference information output unit 2080 may cause the speaker to output a sound representing the reference information.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating how reference information is displayed on the display device. The settlement screen 600 is a screen displayed on the display device. The settlement screen 600 includes reference information 602, a button 604, and a button 606. The reference information 602 includes various information on payment. In FIG. 17, the reference information 602 includes the name of the product to be settled (ABC), the product power of the product to be settled (x kWh), the time required for settlement (b1 minutes) the rated output of the customer side storage battery 102 (a1 kW) And the time required for discharging (b1 minute), the rated input (a2 kW) of the load facility 202, and the time required for receiving power (b2 minute). Here, since the required discharge time is longer than the required power reception time in the example of FIG. 17, the required settlement time is the same as the required discharge time b1 min. The button 604 is a button for selecting to execute payment. The button 606 is a button for selecting not to execute payment.

  The customer or the clerk looks at the reference information 602 to determine whether to execute the settlement. In order to execute the settlement, the customer or the clerk presses the button 604. On the other hand, when the settlement is not performed, the customer or the clerk presses the button 606.

<Timing of Output by Reference Information Output Unit 2080>
The reference information output unit 2080 outputs the reference information at an arbitrary timing after obtaining various information included in the reference information. For example, since the product power amount of the product to be settled is used to calculate the required settlement time, when the required reference time includes the required settlement time, the output of the reference information by the reference information output unit 2080 is the product power amount acquisition unit This is performed at the timing when the product power amount of the product to be settled is acquired by 2020. The timing at which the commodity energy acquisition unit 2020 acquires the commodity energy of the commodity to be settled is as described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

<Hardware configuration example>
The information processing device 2000 of the fifth embodiment is realized using the computer 1000 as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, each program module stored in the storage 1080 described above further includes a program for realizing each function described in the present embodiment.

<Operation and effect>
According to the information processing apparatus 2000 of the present embodiment, it is selected whether or not to execute the settlement after various information such as the time required for the settlement is presented. By doing this, it is possible to decide whether or not to execute the settlement after the customer or the store clerk checks whether the time required for the settlement is within an allowable range. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the settlement from being executed in a situation where the customer or the store clerk does not want (such as a situation where the required payment time is long).

Sixth Embodiment
FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating the information processing apparatus 2000 of the sixth embodiment together with the use environment. Except for the points described below, each functional component shown in FIG. 18 has the same function as the functional component of the same reference numeral described in the other embodiments.

  The information processing apparatus 2000 of the sixth embodiment is used to buy and sell goods between a customer and a seller, as in the information processing apparatus 2000 of the first to fifth embodiments. However, in the settlement using the information processing apparatus 2000 of the sixth embodiment, power is provided from the customer to the seller, as a premise. The seller gives various benefits to the customer according to the power. The customer then uses this privilege to settle the product. FIG. 19 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the buying and selling of goods using the information processing device 2000 of the sixth embodiment.

  In order to realize the settlement of the flow described above, the information processing apparatus 2000 includes a power sale control unit 2120, a privilege giving unit 2140, and a second settlement unit 2160. The sale of electricity control unit 2120 controls the sale of electricity from the customer to the seller. Specifically, the power sale control unit 2120 acquires the amount of power that the seller receives from the customer (hereinafter, the amount of power sale). Further, the power sale control unit 2120 transmits, to the customer-side storage battery 102, a discharge instruction instructing discharge of the power of the power sale amount. Further, the power sale control unit 2120 transmits, to the seller-side controller 204, power sale information indicating a power sale amount. The seller-side controller 204 causes the power sale information storage unit 210 to store the power sale information.

  The privilege giving unit 2140 gives a privilege to the customer after the discharge of the power of the power sale amount by the customer side storage battery 102 and the reception of the power of the power sale amount by the load facility 202 are completed. The completion of discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 can be grasped by using the customer-side controller 104. For example, the privilege imparting unit 2140 receives notification from the customer-side controller 104 at the timing when discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 is completed, or periodically inquires of the customer-side controller 104 whether discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 is completed. It is grasped that the discharge by the customer side storage battery 102 is completed. The completion of the power reception by the load facility 202 can be grasped by using the seller-side controller 204 in the same manner as the customer-side controller 104.

  The benefits offered to customers vary. For example, the benefit is a point that can be used to purchase a product. Further, for example, the benefit is the right to obtain a predetermined product.

  There are a variety of ways to give benefits to customers. For example, the privilege giving unit 2140 gives a privilege to a customer by storing the privilege in the customer database storing the information of the customer in association with the ID of the customer. Further, for example, the privilege imparting unit 2140 may issue various tickets (such as a cash voucher) representing a privilege.

  The second settlement unit 2160 executes the settlement of the product using the above-mentioned benefit. For example, if the benefit is a point, the second settlement unit 2160 controls the settlement so that all or part of the consideration of the product is paid at the point. Here, existing technology can be used to control settlement that pays part or all of the price of a product at points.

  Also, for example, when the benefit is the right to obtain the product of the product, the second settlement unit 2160 performs processing for delivering the product to the customer in exchange for the benefit. For example, the second settlement unit 2160 controls a system for managing inventory of commodities, etc., to change information on commodities purchased using a benefit (for example, reduce the number of inventory by one).

<Flow of sale of electricity>
The flow of power sale using the information processing apparatus 2000 will be described. As described above, the power sale control unit 2120 acquires the power sale amount. There are various methods for the power sale control unit 2120 to obtain the power sale amount. For example, the power sale control unit 2120 acquires a power sale amount manually input by a customer or a store clerk. The method of manually inputting the power sales amount is the same as the method of manually inputting the product power amount.

  Further, for example, the cashier terminal 700 of the store or the server 800 in the internet shopping may present the customer with a benefit associated with the power sale amount, and the customer may select the benefit. In this case, the power sale control unit 2120 acquires the power sale amount corresponding to the benefit selected by the customer.

  FIG. 20 is a view exemplifying a screen (a privilege selection screen 610) for making the customer select a privilege. The benefit selection screen 610 includes a benefit list 612. The benefit list 612 shows a list of benefits that can be selected by the customer. A power sale amount is associated with each benefit. For example, if you want product A, the customer needs to sell c3 kWh of power.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a screen (power sale screen 620) for selecting whether or not to execute power sale. When the customer selects a benefit, transition from the benefit selection screen 610 to the power sale screen 620 is made. The power sale screen 620 shows reference information 622. The reference information 622 indicates various information on power sales. For example, the reference information 622 includes the selected benefit and the power sale amount corresponding to the benefit. Further, the reference information 622 includes various information which is also included in the reference information 602 of FIG. 17 such as the settlement required time.

  To execute the power sale, the customer or the store clerk presses the button 624. On the other hand, when not selling electricity, the customer or the clerk presses the button 626.

  When the button 624 is pressed, the power sale control unit 2120 acquires the power sale amount associated with the benefit selected by the customer. The power sale control unit 2120 that has acquired the power sale amount executes the power sale by transmitting the discharge instruction to the customer side controller 104 and transmitting the power sale information to the seller side controller 204.

  Here, when the amount of power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 is smaller than the power sale amount, the discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 may be performed in multiple times. Specifically, after the power stored in the customer-side storage battery 102 is discharged, the customer-side storage battery 102 is charged. Charging of the customer-side storage battery 102 may be performed using power generated by a power generation device such as a solar power generation device, or may be performed using power received from the power system 300. In the latter case, it is preferable that charging of the customer-side storage battery 102 be performed in a time zone in which the power unit price is low, such as nighttime. After charging, discharge from the customer-side storage battery 102 to the power system 300 is further performed. The above-described discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 and the charging of the customer-side storage battery 102 are repeated until the total discharge amount of the customer-side storage battery 102 reaches the power sale amount. By doing this, since it is possible to sell more than the rated capacity of the customer-side storage battery 102, the customer can obtain a benefit that the required amount of selling power exceeds the rated capacity of the customer-side storage battery 102.

  The discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 does not have to be immediately after the customer-side controller 104 receives a discharge instruction from the power sale control unit 2120. For example, the timing of discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 is set by the customer or seller. For example, the seller sets the discharge timing so that the customer-side storage battery 102 discharges in a time zone in which the amount of power consumed by the load facility 202 is large. The set timing is included in the discharge instruction and transmitted to the customer-side controller 104. The customer-side controller 104 that has received the discharge instruction including the discharge timing causes the customer-side storage battery 102 to discharge according to the timing. By doing this, discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 is performed at the timing desired by the seller.

  When the timing of power reception by the load facility 202 can be controlled by the seller-side controller 204 (for example, when the load facility 202 is the seller-side storage battery 206), the timing of power reception by the load facility 202 is the timing of discharge by the customer-side storage battery 102 And may be controlled in the same manner. In this case, the power reception timing of the load facility 202 is included in the power sale information and transmitted to the seller-side controller 204. The seller-side controller 204 that has received the power sale information including the timing of power reception causes the load equipment 202 to receive power according to the timing.

<Use of sales information>
The power sale information is used in the same manner as the settlement information described in the first embodiment and the like. For example, the electricity bill charged to the seller from the power company is calculated so that the seller may not pay the electricity company the electricity bill corresponding to the power sale amount indicated in the power sale information. The compensation for the power provided by the customer with the sale of electricity using the information processing apparatus 2000 is provided as a privilege to the customer, not the electric power company. Also, as described above, when the load facility 202 is the seller-side storage battery 206, the seller-side controller 204 sells so that the power of the power sale amount indicated in the power sale information is charged to the seller-side storage battery 206. Control the storage battery 206 on the user side.

<Hardware configuration>
The information processing apparatus 2000 of the sixth embodiment is realized using the computer 1000 as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, each program module stored in the storage 1080 includes a program for realizing each function described in the present embodiment.

<Operation and effect>
According to the information processing apparatus 2000 in the present embodiment, a privilege is given to the customer as a price for selling electricity. The customer can then use the benefit to settle the product. By doing this, the customer can use the power sale price at any time after the completion of the power sale. Therefore, for the customer, the degree of freedom of settlement of the product using the power sale becomes high.

  The ability to use the benefit obtained for the sale price after completion of the sale is particularly useful when it takes a long time for sale. From the point of view of the seller, it is preferable to be able to provide the goods after the provision of the power from the customer is completed, as in the case of the general settlement where the goods are delivered after receiving the cash from the customer. However, if it takes time for the discharge from the customer-side storage battery 102 or the power reception from the load facility 202 (for example, when the amount of power received from the customer is large), it is necessary to provide the power from the customer. Sometimes it is difficult to pass

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, provision of power from the customer is achieved by giving the customer a reward for the sale of electricity as a bonus after the sale of electricity sale, and allowing the customer to use the privilege to purchase a product or the like. It is also possible to satisfy the request of the customer who wants to obtain a product etc. by the price of the sale while satisfying the demand of the seller who wants to give the price after completion.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the present invention was described with reference to drawings, these are the illustrations of the present invention and the combination of each above-mentioned embodiment or various composition except the above can also be adopted.

  This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-141112 filed on July 19, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein.

Claims (44)

Commodity power amount acquisition means for acquiring a commodity power amount which is an amount of power to be a price of a product;
The settlement means for settling the goods using the power stored in the first storage battery of the customer;
The settlement means is
Sending a discharge instruction to discharge power corresponding to the product power amount of the product to the first controller that controls the first storage battery,
An information processing apparatus, which transmits settlement information indicating a product power amount of the product to a second controller that manages load equipment of a seller who sells the product to the customer. The product power amount calculating unit is configured to obtain a price of the product, and divide the obtained price by a power unit price determined by the seller to calculate a product power amount of the product.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the commodity power amount acquisition unit acquires the commodity power amount calculated by the commodity power amount calculation unit. The power unit price is determined for each of a plurality of time zones,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the product power amount calculation unit calculates a product power amount of the product using the power unit price in a time zone in which the settlement is performed.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power unit price for each time zone is determined based on an amount of power consumed by the load facility in the time zone.   The product power amount acquisition unit acquires the product power amount associated with the product to be settled from the product power amount storage unit that stores the product and the product power amount of the product in association with each other. The information processing apparatus according to Item 1. In the commodity energy storage means, the commodity is associated with the commodity energy of the commodity for each of a plurality of time zones,
6. The information processing according to claim 5, wherein the commodity power amount acquisition unit acquires the commodity power amount associated with the commodity to be settled and the time zone in which the settlement is performed in the commodity energy storage unit. apparatus.   The commodity electric energy for each time zone, which is associated with the commodity in the commodity electric energy storage means, is determined based on the amount of electric power consumed by the load facility in the time zone. The information processing apparatus according to 6. In the case where the purchase of the product is performed at the store of the seller, the product power amount acquisition unit is configured to receive the identifier of the product in response to the product registration device installed in the store having read the identifier of the product. Obtain product power,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the product registration device is a device that registers the product as a payment target. The first computer of the seller and the second computer of the customer are connected via a communication line;
The first computer transmits information on the product to the first computer in response to a request from the second computer.
8. The commodity power amount acquisition unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the commodity power amount of the commodity is acquired in response to the first computer receiving the request from the second computer. Information processing device. The settlement means is
Obtaining an amount of power dischargeable by the first storage battery from the first controller;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when the amount of power dischargeable by the first storage battery is equal to or more than the commodity power amount of the commodity, the settlement of the commodity is performed. The load facility is a second storage battery,
The second storage battery charges the second storage battery with an amount of power indicated by the payment information.
The settlement means is
Obtaining free capacity of a storage battery owned by the seller from the second controller;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when the free space is equal to or more than a product power amount of the product, the product is settled.   In the settlement means, the discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the product power amount coincides with the power reception required time required for the load facility to receive the power of the product power amount. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, in the case, the settlement of the product is performed.   The settlement means includes a discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the commodity power, and a power reception required time required for the load facility to receive the power of the commodity power. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the product is settled when the longer one is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Rated output power of the first storage battery, discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the commodity power, rated input power of the load facility, and the load facility receive power of the commodity power Reference information output means for outputting reference information including any one or more of a required power reception time required to perform the process and a required time for payment, which represents the longer of the required discharge time and the required power reception time;
And an input receiving unit for receiving an input indicating selection of whether or not to settle the product.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the settlement unit performs the settlement of the product when the received input indicates the selection of performing the settlement of the product. An information processing system comprising an information processing device, a first controller, and a second controller, the information processing system comprising:
The information processing apparatus is
Commodity power amount acquisition means for acquiring a commodity power amount which is an amount of power to be a price of a product;
The settlement means for settling the goods using the power stored in the first storage battery of the customer;
The settlement means is
Sending, to the first controller, a discharge instruction to discharge power corresponding to the product power amount of the product;
Sending settlement information indicating a product power amount of the product to the second controller;
The first controller discharges the first storage battery with the amount of power indicated in the transmitted discharge instruction,
The information processing system, wherein the second controller causes the payment information storage unit to store the transmitted payment information. The information processing apparatus includes commodity power amount calculation means for calculating a commodity power amount of the commodity by acquiring the price of the commodity and dividing the acquired price by the unit price of electricity defined by the seller.
The information processing system according to claim 15, wherein the commodity power amount acquisition unit acquires the commodity power amount calculated by the commodity power amount calculation unit. The power unit price is determined for each of a plurality of time zones,
17. The information processing system according to claim 16, wherein the product power amount calculation unit calculates a product power amount of the product using the power unit price in a time zone in which the settlement is performed.   The information processing system according to claim 17, wherein the power unit price for each time zone is determined based on the amount of power consumed by the load facility in that time zone.   The product power amount acquisition unit acquires the product power amount associated with the product to be settled from the product power amount storage unit that stores the product and the product power amount of the product in association with each other. The information processing system according to Item 15. In the commodity energy storage means, the commodity is associated with the commodity energy of the commodity for each of a plurality of time zones,
20. The information processing according to claim 19, wherein the commodity power amount acquisition unit acquires the commodity power amount associated with the commodity to be settled and the time zone in which the settlement is performed in the commodity energy storage unit. system.   The commodity electric energy for each time zone, which is associated with the commodity in the commodity electric energy storage means, is determined based on the amount of electric power consumed by the load facility in the time zone. The information processing system described in. In the case where the purchase of the product is performed at the store of the seller, the product power amount acquisition unit is configured to receive the identifier of the product in response to the product registration device installed in the store having read the identifier of the product. Obtain product power,
The information processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the product registration device is a device for registering the product as a payment target. The first computer of the seller and the second computer of the customer are connected via a communication line;
The first computer transmits information on the product to the first computer in response to a request from the second computer.
22. The commodity power amount acquisition unit according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the commodity power amount acquisition unit acquires the commodity power amount of the commodity in response to the first computer receiving the request from the second computer. Information processing system. The settlement means is
Obtaining an amount of power dischargeable by the first storage battery from the first controller;
The information processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein when the amount of power dischargeable by the first storage battery is equal to or more than the commodity power amount of the commodity, the commodity is settled. The second storage battery charges the second storage battery with an amount of power indicated by the payment information.
The settlement means is
Obtaining free capacity of a storage battery owned by the seller from the second controller;
The information processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein when the free space is equal to or more than the product power amount of the product, the product is settled.   The settlement unit is configured to match the discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the commodity power and the required power reception required time for the load facility to receive the power of the commodity power. The information processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein the product is settled.   The settlement means has a long time of a discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the commodity power and a power reception required time required for the load facility to receive the power of the commodity power. The information processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein settlement of the product is performed when the value is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The information processing apparatus is
The rated output power of the first storage battery, the discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the commodity power, the rated input power of the load facility, and the load facility receive the power of the commodity power Reference information output means for outputting reference information including any one or more of a required power reception time required and a required time for settlement representing any of the required discharge time and the required power reception time,
And an input receiving unit for receiving an input indicating selection of whether or not to settle the product.
The information processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein the settlement means performs the settlement of the product when the received input indicates the selection of performing the settlement of the product.   The information processing system according to any one of claims 15 to 28, wherein the second controller causes the second storage battery to charge the amount of power indicated by the payment information. A control method implemented by a computer,
A commodity power amount acquisition step of acquiring a commodity power amount which is an amount of power to be a price of a commodity;
And a settlement step of settling the product using the power stored in the first storage battery of the customer.
In the settlement step,
Sending a discharge instruction to discharge power corresponding to the product power amount of the product to the first controller that controls the first storage battery,
A control method, comprising transmitting, to a second controller managing a load facility of a seller who sells the product to the customer, settlement information indicating a product power amount of the product. And acquiring a price of the product, and dividing the obtained price by a power unit price determined by the seller to calculate a product power amount of the product, including a product power amount calculating step.
31. The control method according to claim 30, wherein in the product power amount acquisition step, the product power amount calculated by the product power amount calculation step is acquired. The power unit price is determined for each of a plurality of time zones,
The control method according to claim 31, wherein, in the product power amount calculating step, a product power amount of the product is calculated using the power unit price in a time zone in which the settlement is performed.   The control method according to claim 32, wherein the power unit price for each time zone is determined based on an amount of power consumed by the load facility in the time zone.   In the product power amount acquisition step, the product power amount associated with the product to be settled is obtained from the product power amount storage unit that stores the product and the product power amount of the product in association with each other. Item 30. A control method according to item 30. In the commodity energy storage means, the commodity is associated with the commodity energy of the commodity for each of a plurality of time zones,
The control method according to claim 34, wherein, in the product power amount acquisition step, the product power amount associated with the product to be settled and the time zone in which the settlement is performed is obtained in the product power amount storage means. .   The commodity electric energy for each time zone, which is associated with the commodity in the commodity electric energy storage means, is determined based on the amount of electric power consumed by the load facility in the time zone. The control method as described in 35. In the case where the purchase of the item is performed at the store of the seller, in the item of the product power amount acquisition step, the identifier of the item is read by the item registration device installed in the store. Obtain product power,
The control method according to any one of claims 30 to 36, wherein the product registration device is a device for registering the product as a payment target. The first computer of the seller and the second computer of the customer are connected via a communication line;
The first computer transmits information on the product to the first computer in response to a request from the second computer.
The commodity electric energy acquisition step according to any one of claims 30 to 36, wherein, in the commodity electric energy acquisition step, the first computer acquires the commodity electric energy of the commodity in response to the reception of the request from the second computer. Control method. In the settlement step,
Obtaining an amount of power dischargeable by the first storage battery from the first controller;
39. The control method according to any one of claims 30 to 38, wherein when the amount of power dischargeable by the first storage battery is equal to or more than the product power amount of the product, the product is settled. The load facility is a second storage battery,
The second storage battery charges the second storage battery with an amount of power indicated by the payment information.
In the settlement step,
Obtaining free capacity of a storage battery owned by the seller from the second controller;
The control method according to any one of claims 30 to 38, wherein when the free space is equal to or more than the amount of product power of the product, the product is settled.   In the settlement step, the discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the product power amount coincides with the power reception required time required for the load facility to receive the power of the product power amount. 39. The control method according to any one of claims 30 to 38, wherein the settlement of the product is performed.   In the settlement step, the discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the commodity power, and the power reception required time required for the load facility to receive the power of the commodity power The control method according to any one of claims 30 to 38, wherein the settlement of the product is performed when the longer one is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Rated output power of the first storage battery, discharge required time required for the first storage battery to discharge the power of the commodity power, rated input power of the load facility, and the load facility receive power of the commodity power A reference information output step of outputting reference information including at least one of a required power reception time and a required settlement time representing the longer one of the required discharge time and the required power reception time;
An input receiving step of receiving an input indicating selection of whether or not to settle the product;
39. The control method according to any one of claims 30 to 38, wherein, in the settlement step, when the received input represents a selection of settlement of the product, the settlement of the product is performed.   A program that causes a computer to execute each step of the control method according to any one of claims 30 to 43.

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