# US 2021/0276439 A1 · Information notification device, information notification system, information notification method, and vehicle

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2021/0276439 A1
- Document ID: US20210276439A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/189,869
- Filed: 2021-03-02
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-06
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Yoshiyuki Tsuchiya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276439A1

## CPC

- B60L 53/305: {Communication interfaces}
- B60L 53/62: in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
- B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity
- B60L 53/64: Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
- B60L 53/66: Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
- B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
- H04W 4/12: Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
- B60L 55/00: Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
- B60L 2250/16: by display
- H04W 88/02: Terminal devices
- Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations
- Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles
- Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
- Y04S 10/126: the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS

## Abstract

When a charging connector of an EVSE is connected to an inlet, a vehicle transmits charging information to a server. The server determines whether or not there is a predetermined function which is set to OFF among functions for external charging included in the vehicle. When there is a predetermined function which is set to OFF, the server transmits a recommendation notification to a smartphone. The smartphone transmits selection information in response to an operation of a user on the recommendation notification to the server. Based on the selection information, the server generates setting information about the predetermined function and transmits the setting information to the vehicle. The vehicle performs a setting for the predetermined function according to the setting information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information notification device comprising:
a communication device that can communicate with a terminal device owned by a user of a vehicle that enables external charging; and
a control device that controls the communication device, when there is a predetermined function among functions for the external charging, to notify the terminal device of information about the predetermined function, the predetermined function having a frequency of use of less than or equal to a predetermined frequency, the functions for the external charging being included in the vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information notification device according to claim 1, wherein, when there is a function for which a number of times of the external charging in which the function has not been used reaches a predetermined number of times, or when there is a function which is not used for a period exceeding a predetermined period, the control device determines that the frequency of use of the function is less than or equal to the predetermined frequency.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The information notification device according to claim 1, wherein
the information includes information to promote utilization of the predetermined function, and
when the control device receives a notification indicating that a selection to use the predetermined function is made, the control device makes a setting to activate the predetermined function.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The information notification device according to claim 1, wherein the functions for the external charging include a timer charging function, the timer charging function being a function of starting the external charging when a preset start time is reached, or a function of completing the external charging at a preset end time.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The information notification device according to claim 1, wherein the functions for the external charging include a charging upper limit function of setting an upper limit of a charging amount in the external charging.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The information notification device according to claim 1, wherein
the vehicle enables external power feeding that feeds power to a power source external to the vehicle, and
the control device controls the communication device to notify the terminal device of information about the predetermined function when the predetermined function is included in functions for the external power feeding, the functions being included in the vehicle.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The information notification device according to claim 6, wherein
the vehicle can cooperate with a server that manages a power system including the power source, and when the vehicle cooperates with the server, the vehicle performs the external charging upon receiving a charging request from the server and performs the external power feeding upon receiving a power feeding request from the server, and
when a function which is included in the vehicle and cooperates with the server is the predetermined function, the control device controls the communication device to notify the terminal device of information about the function which cooperates with the server.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A vehicle comprising the information notification device according to claim 1.

### Claim 9

An information notification system comprising:
a terminal device owned by a user of a vehicle that enables external charging; and
an information notification device that can communicate with the terminal device, wherein
when there is a predetermined function among functions for the external charging, the information notification device notifies the terminal device of information about the predetermined function, the predetermined function having a frequency of use of less than or equal to a predetermined frequency, the functions for the external charging being included in the vehicle.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The information notification system according to claim 9, wherein
the information includes information to promote utilization of the predetermined function,
the terminal device receives a user operation to select whether or not to use the predetermined function, and
when the information notification device receives, from the terminal device, a notification indicating that a selection to use the predetermined function is made, the information notification device makes a setting to activate the predetermined function.

### Claim 11

An information notification method comprising:
determining whether or not there is a predetermined function among functions for external charging, the predetermined function having a frequency of use of less than or equal to a predetermined frequency, the functions for the external charging being included in a vehicle that enables the external charging; and
notifying a terminal device owned by a user of the vehicle of information about the predetermined function when the predetermined function is included in the functions for the external charging.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The information notification method according to claim 11, wherein
the information includes information to promote utilization of the predetermined function, and
the information notification method further comprises:
receiving, by the terminal device, a user operation to select whether or not to use the predetermined function; and
making a setting to activate the predetermined function upon receiving, from the terminal device, a notification indicating that a selection to use the predetermined function is made.