JP2011096233A - Common battery management system for driving vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To smoothly and surely attain a battery exchange mechanism which can dispense with a charge time of a battery in order to let an electric vehicle come in widespread use. <P>SOLUTION: Each peculiar IC card 10 is added to each battery 3 commonly used by a plurality of electric vehicles 2, and information is written into the IC card 10 during traveling of a vehicle 2 and during work at a battery exchange station 1. Each station 1 includes charging equipment 5, and a station management device 6. The charging equipment 5 includes a charging device 8, and a controller section 9 having a charging status monitoring function and a reading/writing function of the IC card 10. The station management device 6 performs transmitting and receiving of the information about the battery to/from the controller section 9 and a system management device 11 connected at a communicating state at predetermined timing. The system management device 11 is connected with a battery management database 12 at an accessible state, and collectively controls the information related to the battery 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to shared battery management for the smooth and reliable use of batteries for the popularization of automobiles that use batteries as the motor drive source.

With increasing interest in environmental and energy resource issues in recent years, electric vehicles are attracting attention from the perspective of reducing emissions and realizing energy savings. An electric vehicle generally travels by electric energy supplied from a battery provided inside, and therefore, gasoline or light oil, that is, petroleum is not used as a driving source, exhaust gas is not emitted, and a global important issue of CO2 reduction is not achieved. Is a response to
However, electric vehicles, on the other hand, have a problem that it takes time and effort to charge the battery. Charging in the middle of traveling is difficult because it takes time, and hinders long-distance / long-time operation. It is true that this inconvenience is a barrier to the popularization of electric vehicles.

A plurality of inventions intended to overcome such problems and promote the spread of electric vehicles have been proposed, and the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 are also examples.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-80834 (Patent Document 1) discloses that a user of an electric vehicle enters into a lease contract for a battery and replaces the battery with a fully charged battery at various battery stations or the like, thereby operating the electric vehicle for a long time. A system that enables this is proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-182310 (Patent Document 2) describes a “storage battery distribution management” that manages the distribution of charged storage batteries among a plurality of stations that exchange storage batteries and allows the user to be freed from the trouble of charging work. System "is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-215468 (Patent Document 3) describes charging at a facility (“electric station”) that provides a drive battery for an electric vehicle and the like, sales of generated power by natural energy, and an electric station. “Secondary battery power supply method and communication system and program thereof” for providing information on the related information is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-119839 (Patent Document 4) discloses an “electric vehicle navigation system that displays information such as a travelable distance and a rechargeable location within a travelable range according to the remaining battery capacity of an electric vehicle. Is disclosed.

JP 2009-80834 A JP 2007-182310 A JP 2004-215468 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-119839

In Patent Document 1, although a plurality of ideas for enabling long-time operation of an electric vehicle or the like have been proposed, a means for embodying the same is not described,
It can be said that it ended in the idea stage.

  According to the storage battery distribution management system disclosed in Patent Document 2, storage battery inventory management can be performed between a plurality of facilities (stations) for replacing storage batteries, and the charged storage batteries can be appropriately delivered. In this way, customer service is performed by keeping charged batteries in each station out of stock. However, no special consideration has been given to this point, even though the remaining amount of battery and remaining mileage are of greatest concern for electric vehicle drivers. [0042] In Patent Document 2 [0042], there is some mention of managing the state of the battery by attaching an RFID to the battery, but a specific management mechanism is not disclosed at all.

  According to the secondary battery power supply method disclosed in Patent Document 3, the battery is charged by centrally managing various information on each battery and the current location of each battery through the bidirectional communication network. It is intended to make it easy to grasp the specifications and number of secondary batteries, and to improve the convenience of use such as replacement, supply and recovery of secondary batteries. By the way, in a system for exchanging batteries, it is assumed that the batteries are shared, and history management is extremely important in order to smoothly perform this sharing mechanism. However, Patent Document 3 lacks a clear description regarding the management of battery history information. In addition, the timing of information acquisition and writing is important for smooth battery replacement, but this timing is ambiguous. In addition, the linkage between the centrally managed information and the information on the side of the vehicle on which the battery is mounted is not specified, and information such as the travel distance cannot be accumulated.

According to the navigation system for electric vehicles disclosed in Patent Document 4, the driver can travel while grasping information about the battery displayed on the screen of the car navigation.
However, there is no point of view of extending the travel distance quickly even when the remaining battery capacity is low. It is premised on the continued use of the on-board battery, and if the remaining capacity becomes low, it must be charged over time, and it is not an invention of the nature that expands the range of action of electric vehicles and promotes diffusion .

  In order to easily replace the battery, which is the power source of the car, as well as fuel such as gasoline and alcohol, the applicant needs a mechanism that enables the joint use of the battery among the owners of electric vehicles. The present invention was devised based on the awareness of the problem. This is because battery replacement, which is equivalent to refueling for an electric vehicle, cannot overcome the flexibility of a gasoline or alcohol vehicle if it is not easily replaced at any time, even in physically different locations. Because it is difficult.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1
For vehicles that use batteries (secondary batteries such as lead batteries, nickel / hydrogen batteries, and lithium-ion batteries) as motor drive sources (electric vehicles are typical, but hybrid vehicles are also included). A system for exchanging a shared battery between battery stations and managing battery history,
Each shared battery has its own IC card (RFID in the following embodiment is a type of IC card),
The battery station includes a charging facility and a station management device,
The charging facility includes a charging device and a controller unit having a reading / writing function and a charging state monitoring function of the IC card,
The station management device performs transmission / reception of information on the battery with the controller unit and the system management device that are connected to be communicable at a predetermined timing,
The system management apparatus is connected to a battery management database that collectively manages battery information.
Thereby, since the information regarding each battery is collectively managed, information without defects can be shared between the battery stations, and the battery can be exchanged smoothly.

To achieve the above object, in the invention according to claim 1, the battery management database records an owner for each battery and records a basic usage fee payment form for each vehicle. Good. This basic usage fee payment form includes lump sum payment at the time of car purchase and installment payment after purchase. In the case of installment payment, the average usable period of the battery used in the car is divided by the daily amount. This should be the basis for calculating the basic usage fee.
The user of this system bears the above-mentioned “basic usage fee” and “a metered fee for charging / exchange”. The “basic usage fee” is a price for sharing the battery using the system of the present invention (hereinafter “the present system”). The “pay-as-you-go charge at the time of charge / exchange” may be understood by the conventional concept.
As a result, this system can be easily managed even when the owners of the electric vehicle and the battery are different, and there are a plurality of basic usage fee payment forms, so the convenience to the user is enhanced. By including installments in the form of payment, the price of the battery is leveled when charging.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 4 provides:
A system for exchanging a shared battery between multiple battery stations and managing the history of the battery for an automobile that uses a battery as the drive source of the motor,
Each shared battery has its own IC card attached,
The battery station includes a charging facility and a station management device,
The charging facility includes a charging device and a controller unit having a reading / writing function and a charging state monitoring function of the IC card,
The station management device transmits / receives information about the battery to / from the controller unit that is communicably connected at a predetermined timing.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the system management apparatus in the position of supervising the battery station collectively manages the battery-related information using the database. On the other hand, in claim 4, the information is managed only at each station, and does not take the form of collective centralized management.
That is, as long as necessary information is recorded on the IC card attached to the battery, the battery can be replaced smoothly in each battery station, and the database as in claim 1 is not essential. In other words, the invention according to claim 4 lacks some convenience compared with the invention according to claim 1, but provides an inexpensive system or provides a service in a specific situation. I am aiming.

In any one of Claims 1-4,
In the IC card, traveling information is written as needed by a microcomputer mounted on the automobile when the automobile equipped with the attached shared battery is running, and the battery is a work target in the charging device. Sometimes, it is desirable that the history information is written at a predetermined timing by the controller unit.
Since the travel information is recorded on the IC card in this way, the remaining amount of the battery, the remaining travelable distance, and the like can be accurately calculated. In addition, since information is recorded in conjunction with work in the charging device, accurate information can be recorded easily and efficiently.

  Since the history management of the shared battery is performed accurately, it is possible to travel long distances without worrying about running out of battery even if it is an electric vehicle by stopping at the battery station and replacing it with a charged battery.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example of application of the system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a controller unit, a station management device, and a system management device in the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the battery management database of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the item example of the data recorded on RFID of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the battery management table of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the station management table of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the process sequence of the battery replacement | exchange of 1st Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example of application of the system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the battery management database of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the battery management table of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the electric vehicle management table of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the battery owner management table of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the item example of the data recorded on RFID of 2nd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example of application of the system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

<< Introduction >>
In order to realize the system of the present invention, the following conditions must be satisfied.
(1) Promotion of standardization of battery standards. This is because, as gasoline has the standard, if the battery (standard, shape, connector position, IC card position, etc.) is not specified, problems will arise in the spread of electric vehicles.
(2) The structure of the battery mounting method by the electric vehicle manufacturer will be redesigned so that anyone can easily replace the battery.
(3) Use an IC card (RFID is one type) for battery history management.
(4) An inexpensive automated charging facility will be manufactured. As a charging facility, a device capable of charging a plurality of batteries at the same time is desired, and if a robot function for automatically inserting and removing batteries can be built in, the convenience is further enhanced.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below assuming that these conditions are established.

<< First Embodiment >>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a shared battery management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The system of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “the present system”) is an application example of the invention according to claim 1.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an application example of this system.
In FIG. 1, a battery station (hereinafter “station”) 1 is a facility for replacing a battery 3 mounted on an electric vehicle 2. Think of it as an electric car version of a conventional gasoline station. Instead of refueling, the battery 3 is replaced.
Although only one station 1 is displayed in FIG. 1, it can be installed at any number of points.

Each station 1 includes a management facility 4 and a charging facility 5.
In the management facility 4, a station management device 6 is installed, and there is a counter or the like on which a customer waiting staff waits or a customer pays a charge corresponding to the amount of charge. The management facility 4 and the charging facility 5 may be an integrated facility.

The charging facility 5 includes a transport device 7, a charging device 8, and a controller unit 9.
The transport device 7 is a device having a function of removing the battery 3 from the electric vehicle 2 and inserting it into the charging device 8, or taking out the battery 3 from the charging device 8 and mounting it on the electric vehicle 2. An automatic big-up device (robot) for picking up the battery 3 and an automatic loading function for attaching the charged battery 3 to the car are also provided as appropriate, but detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The charging device 8 is a device that charges the battery 3 removed from the electric vehicle 2, and can charge not only one but also a plurality of batteries 3 at the same time. The shape of the charging device 8 is preferably, for example, a honeycomb shape or a locker shape. This is because the size of the battery 3 is shared as much as possible, but cannot be shared by all models, so that it can be freely handled by a size adjustment cover or a large storage shape.

  The controller unit 9 reads the RFID 10 attached to the battery 3, monitors and controls the state of charging by the charging device 8, and writes necessary information in the RFID 10.

  The system management device 11 is connected to the station management device 6 of each station 1 via the communication network N, and registers information transmitted from the station management device 6 in the battery management database 12 or the battery management database 12. The information registered in is transmitted to the station management device 6. In the battery management database 12, information necessary for battery replacement is comprehensively recorded. Further, almost all information stored in the RFID 10 attached to each battery 3 is also registered in the battery management database 12. This point will be described in detail later.

  The system management device 11 has a property of a management computer that is a main body that supervises a plurality of stations 1 participating in the system. Operations such as credit settlement for charging charges and inquiries regarding charged battery inventory among a plurality of stations are not suitable for the station management device 6 of each station, but are suitable for the system management device 11.

  The electric vehicle 2 is equipped with a battery 3 to which the RFID 10 is attached and a microcomputer 13 that detects a traveling state and writes the detected traveling information in the RFID 10. Since travel information is written to the RFID 10 as needed, the remaining travelable distance and the like can be accurately calculated. The microcomputer 13 may have a function of calculating a travelable distance based on travel information, and the calculated data may be input to a car navigation system (not shown) to display a travelable range on the car navigation screen. .

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the station management device 6, the controller unit 9, and the system management device 11.

The controller unit 9 includes a detection unit 9a, an RFID reading / writing unit 9b, a processing unit 9c, a display unit 9d, a communication unit 9e, and a storage unit 9f.
The detection unit 9a is electrically connected to one or more chargers (not shown) provided in the charging device 8, and detects the current operation state.
The RFID reading / writing unit 9b reads or writes necessary information regarding the battery 3 and the electric vehicle 2 from the RFID 10 attached to the battery 3 stored in the charging device 8.
The processing unit 9c monitors and controls the operation of the charging device 8 based on information acquired from the detection unit 9a and the RFID reading / writing unit 9b. For example, it is determined whether or not the stored battery 3 can be recharged.
The display unit 9d is a monitor screen that displays the progress of charging, or displays a warning message when recharging is not possible. In addition, you may present with an audio | voice instead of a screen display.
The communication unit 9e is a communication interface that transmits and receives data to and from the station management device 6. In addition, the information transmitted from the system management apparatus 11 may be received via the station management apparatus 6.
The storage unit 9f temporarily stores the operating state of the charger, information read from the RFID 10, and the like, and stores the information until it is transmitted to the station management device 6 or written to the RFID 10 at a predetermined timing.

The station management device 6 includes a communication unit 6a, a processing unit 6b, a storage unit 6c, a display unit 6d, and the like.
The communication unit 6a is a communication interface for transmitting / receiving information to / from the controller unit 9 and the system management apparatus 11. The station management device 6 is connected to the controller unit 9 by a wireless or wired cable, and can communicate with the system management device 11 via a communication network N such as the Internet.
The processing unit 6 b transmits the information transmitted from the controller unit 9 to the system management apparatus 11. As a result, the information in the battery management database 12 under the management of the system management apparatus 11 and the information acquired / updated on the station 1 side can be matched. Further, the processing unit 6b may transmit information transmitted from the system management apparatus 11 to the controller unit 9. Furthermore, the processing unit 6b also appropriately executes processing such as payment of a charged battery and customer management.
The storage unit 6c stores data unique to the station 1, and temporarily stores work-like data in the process of processing by the processing unit 6b.
The display unit 6d displays various data on the screen under the control of the processing unit 6b.
Note that the control unit 9 and the station management device 6 may have other functions such as input means (mouse, keyboard, etc.) and printing means (not shown), and the function of controlling the charging facility 5 from the station management device 6 side.

The system management apparatus 11 includes a communication unit 11a, a processing unit 11b, a storage unit 11c, and the like.
The communication unit 11a is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information to and from the station management device 6.
The processing unit 11b stores information for battery history management in the storage unit 11c based on the information transmitted from the station management device 6. Also, the information inquired from the station management device 6 is acquired from the storage unit 11c and returned.

The storage unit 11c stores a battery management database 12 that stores data necessary for the operation of the system of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the battery management database 12 is roughly divided into a battery management table 14 for storing information for each battery and a station management table 15 for storing information for each station. The system management apparatus 11 centrally manages information on all stations participating in this system and all batteries used for joint use in the battery management database 12. In this way, since the necessary information regarding the battery 3 is centrally managed, the driver of the electric vehicle 2 can replace the desired battery 3 at any station 1.
If the member registration is necessary to use this system, the storage unit 11c may appropriately include a member / car table for storing information related to the electric car 2 of the member.
In addition, the storage unit 11c stores various processing programs and temporarily stores work-like data in the process of processing by the processing unit 11b.
The system management apparatus 11 also includes input means (mouse, keyboard, etc.), display means, printing means, etc., not shown.

Next, the structure of data stored in the RFID 10 used in this system and the structure of the battery management database 12 will be described.
First, data items stored in the RFID 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In this system, the electric vehicle does not continue to use a dedicated battery, but uses a battery suitable for the vehicle type from among the batteries prepared by the system. In other words, the battery is shared among users of the system. This shared use is possible because the RFID 10 attached to each battery 3 records history information.

Information recorded on the RFID 10 is roughly divided into four categories.
The data items belonging to the first category “common part” are information unique to the RFID 10 and the attached battery 3 such as RFID identification information, battery shape, charging capacity, etc., which are shipped by the new battery 3. Will be recorded when.
The “common part” includes a date when the battery 3 is discarded, which is blank at the time of shipment, and is recorded by the controller unit 9 when discarded. If this item is not blank, it can be determined that the battery 3 is no longer usable.

  The data items belonging to the second category “total information section” include the number of times of charging / discharging, the charging time, the discharging time, the discharge energy amount, and the travel distance, and the controller section at a predetermined timing inserted in the charging device 8. 9 is recorded. Taking the charging time as an example, if it took 2 hours when it was first charged by the charging device 8 at the time of shipment, 2 hours were recorded when it was taken out from the charging device 8, and the second time When the battery is charged over 3 hours, a cumulative value of 5 hours is recorded when the battery is taken out from the charging device 8.

  The data items belonging to the third classification “attachment information section” include the date and time of attachment, the type of vehicle to be attached, and the amount of charged electricity when attached. The date and time of installation and the vehicle type may be recorded by the microcomputer 13 on the vehicle side when the battery charger 8 is attached to the electric vehicle 2. The amount of charged electricity is a ratio such as fully charged or 50% charged, and is recorded by the controller unit 9 when it is removed from the charging device 8.

Data items belonging to the fourth category “travel information section” include discharge time, discharge energy amount, travel distance, battery state, and the like. These pieces of information are stored by the microcomputer 13 as needed during traveling. Although the microcomputer 13 may be incorporated in the battery 3 itself, in this embodiment, the microcomputer 13 is incorporated in the main body of the electric vehicle 2 or a connection portion between the electric vehicle 2 and the battery 3. Thus, if the microcomputer 13 is incorporated in the electric vehicle, there is an advantage that management of the remaining mileage and the like is facilitated by interlocking with the car navigation system.
Note that it is desirable that the battery state be recorded not only when traveling but also when charging. This battery state is useful as monitoring data when the battery 3 is consumed earlier than planned.

Although not shown in FIG. 4, the reason for discarding the battery 3, the weight of the electric vehicle 2, information for specifying the electric vehicle 2, and the like may be included.
As described above, necessary information about the battery 3 is comprehensively recorded in the RFID 10, and the same contents of a part of the information are also registered in the battery management database 12 described below.

Next, data recorded in the battery management database 12 will be described.
FIG. 5 shows the data structure of the battery management table 14, and FIG. 6 shows the data structure of the station management table 15.

  The battery management table 14 includes a battery table 14a, an RFID table 14b, and a position information table 14c for one battery 3, each having one record, and a history information table 14d having one record for each history data.

Much of the information in the battery table 14a is the same as the information recorded in the “common part” of the RFID 10.
The RFID table 14b is a table showing the correspondence between the battery 3 and the attached RFID 10, and is recorded at the time of shipment.
In the history information table 14d, one record is recorded when working on the station 1 side, that is, when it is removed from the electric vehicle 2 and inserted into the charging device 8, or when charging is completed and the electric vehicle 2 is mounted. The Data items other than the “common part” of the RFID 10 are also recorded in this table. In this way, the data recorded in the RFID 10 is recorded in either the battery table 14a or the history information table 14d.
The current location of the battery 3 is recorded in the position information table 14c. If it is mounted on the electric vehicle 2 and running, the car number is recorded and the station ID is blank, and if charging or completion of charging and waiting for mounting on the car, the car number is blank and the station An ID is recorded.

  The station management table 15 includes a station table 15a having one record for each station and a storage battery table 15b having one record for each battery stored in one station.

In the station table 15a, in addition to an address, a manager name, a telephone number, or the like may be recorded as appropriate. The type of battery that can be charged is also recorded because only a specific type of battery may be processed depending on the charging device 8 provided in the station.
The storage battery table 15b records the battery ID and the state of the battery. The battery status includes full charge, charging, and scheduled to be discarded. The charging time and the amount of electricity charged are the time and amount of electricity that change every moment during charging after being inserted into the charging device, and are recorded by the controller unit 9.
The battery management table 14 and the station management table 15 are generated by the system management apparatus 11 based on information transmitted from the station management apparatus 6.

As described above, the system management apparatus 11 that manages the plurality of stations 1 comprehensively stores and manages necessary information about the battery 3 in the battery management database 12. Therefore, this system can capture in what state and where each of the batteries 3 used for joint use is currently located. As a result, the driver can make an inquiry to the system management device 11 to find out which station 1 can be replaced with the desired battery 3, and the convenience for the electric vehicle user is enhanced.
On the other hand, even if the RFID 10 is damaged for some reason or internal information cannot be read, the information can be restored by making an inquiry to the system management apparatus 11.

Next, an operation example of this system will be described with reference to FIG.
It is preferable for the owner of the electric vehicle 2 to register as a member in advance in order to use this system. If you register as a member (or vehicle registration), you can also register the type of electric vehicle, and just say the member number without having to declare the vehicle type every time you use the battery replacement service. However, detailed description of this point is omitted.

When the battery 3 needs to be replaced, the driver of the electric vehicle 2 stops at the station 1. The staff of the station 1 removes the battery 3 attached from the electric vehicle 2 (step S1).
The staff reads the battery model number, manufacturer, number of charge / discharge, charge / discharge time, travel distance, etc. from the RFID 10 attached on the removed battery 3 via the RFID read / write unit 9b, and the information is managed by the station. It is automatically transmitted to the device 6 (step S2). When the information on the RFID 10 is read or updated in this way, the information is transmitted to the station management device 6. The same applies to the processing after step S4.

  The processing unit 6b of the station management device 6 or the controller unit 9 of the charging device 8 determines whether or not the battery 3 can be recharged based on the read information, and if not possible (No in step S3). The staff is notified to discard the battery 3 by displaying it on the monitor screen 9d. At the same time, the controller unit 9 records the discard date in the RFID 10 and transmits the discard information to the station management device 6 (step S4). Batteries that are determined not to be rechargeable are subject to disposal as appropriate. Whether or not recharging is possible is determined by the date of manufacture, the battery model number that defines the battery capacity, the number of times of charging and discharging, and the like.

If the removed battery 3 is still usable (Yes in step S3), it is inserted into the charging device 8 and charged (step S5).
At that time, by sending information such as the battery model number and manufacturer read from the RFID 10 to the station management device 6, the station management device 6 is inquired about where the charging device 8 should be inserted, and the battery is inserted at the specified location. Start charging. When the charging is completed, the controller unit 9 writes the charging time and the number of times in the RFID 10 at an appropriate timing and transmits the information to the station management device 6. The charged battery waits for the next electric vehicle to be mounted at the charging facility.

On the other hand, the owner of the electric vehicle 2 has a charged battery 3 mounted in the charging facility 5 instead of the taken-out battery 3 (step S6). The process of step S6 is performed in parallel with the process after step S3. The contents of step S6 will be described in detail below.
The owner of the electric vehicle 2 tells the station staff the car model name and car number. The staff operates the station management device 6 and makes an inquiry to the system management device 11 based on the data read from the RFID 10 in step S2 and the information obtained from the owner of the electric vehicle 2. Since the system management device 1 transmits information specifying the charging place (charger) of the charging device 8 in which the battery 3 suitable for the vehicle type is stored, the information is displayed on the display unit 6d of the station management device 6. Displayed above.
Here, the station management device 6 may inquire of the system management device 11 about the location of the corresponding battery as described above. However, the information on the stored battery 3 is stored in the storage unit 6c, and the processing unit 6b may take out the storage location of the battery from the storage unit 6c.
The staff of the station 1 takes out the charged battery 3 from the specified location. At this time, the current amount of charged electricity and the date and time of attachment are automatically written in the RFID 10 and transmitted to the station management device 6.
The owner of the electric vehicle 2 pays for the battery charge and leaves the station 1.
If payment is made by credit card, the payment amount may be transmitted to the system management apparatus 11 in association with the car NO.

  While the electric vehicle 2 is traveling, information such as the discharge time, discharge energy amount, and travel distance is sequentially written from the microcomputer 13 to the RFID 10 (step S7). The travel distance may be obtained from an in-vehicle microcomputer linked with the distance meter of the electric vehicle 2. These pieces of information are read out when being inserted into the charging facility 5 for recharging at the station 1 and transmitted to the station management device 6.

  The station management device 6 transmits information regarding these batteries to the system management device 11 at an appropriate timing, and the battery management database 12 is updated (step S8). Here, the transmission of the information related to the battery 3 to the system management apparatus 11 does not have to be in real time, and may be performed periodically at regular intervals.

As described above, all the batteries shared in the system of the present embodiment are collectively managed in the battery management database 12 accessed by the system management apparatus 11.
For example, if the battery expiration date is 3 years, the battery management is a joint use management between electric vehicles, so the tracking information, that is, which electric vehicle is currently used in which region, It is possible to manage information such as how many years it can be used, and it is possible to perform disposal processing based on the information and manage the information on a shared database. In addition, with the cooperation of software and hardware, the registration in this database can be updated by reading RFIDs with almost no human intervention. Therefore, procedures and work are easy for both station staff and electric vehicle users, and the spread of this system can be expected.

<< Second Embodiment >>
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an item is added to the battery management database, and other than that, the second embodiment is not different from the first embodiment. Therefore, it demonstrates centering on the point which is different from 1st Embodiment, and attaches | subjects the same code | symbol to the same function.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of the system of this embodiment.
The difference from FIG. 1 is that the battery management entity 100 is clearly shown. The battery management entity 100 places the system management apparatus 11 and the battery ownership entity 101 under its management.
The battery owner 101 is the owner of a battery that is jointly used in this system. The battery owner 101 lends the battery 3 owned to the electric vehicle 2. The battery owner 101 is a company that handles battery ownership and lending.
The battery management entity 100 manages both the battery ownership entity 101 (hereinafter referred to as “battery owner company 101”) that handles a tangible object called a battery and the system management device 11 that handles an intangible object called information related to the battery. To be operated.

The gist of the present embodiment is to efficiently and smoothly perform joint use of the battery 3 by separating the owner of the battery 3 itself from the owner of the electric vehicle 2.
The battery 3 itself is managed by the battery owning company 101 that manages the battery as a business, and the user of the battery 3 (= the owner of the electric vehicle 2) uses the battery 3 of the battery owning company 101 by contract. The battery 3 can be used only for the purpose of use of the electric vehicle 2.
The battery 3 attached as an accessory when the electric vehicle 2 is purchased is purchased by the battery owner company 101 and is lent to the purchaser of the electric vehicle 2.
The battery-owning company 101 has a plurality of functions such as ownership of the battery 3, management of the battery management database in cooperation with the system management apparatus 11, and substitution of payment, and these functions are shared by a plurality of companies. Is also possible. A battery manufacturer or an electric vehicle manufacturer may also serve as the battery owner company 101. A transportation company that owns a large number of taxis and delivery vehicles may itself be the battery owner company 101. In short, in this embodiment, it is important that there is a company that owns the battery 3 and manages the battery 3 using the battery management database of this system. It does not matter to the present invention how the battery owner company 101 has a relationship with a battery manufacturer or an electric vehicle manufacturer.

The battery management database 102 used in this embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, the battery management database 102 includes a battery management table 103 that stores information for each battery 3, a station management table 15 that stores information for each station, and an electric vehicle that uses the battery 3 of this system. The electric vehicle management table 104 that stores information for every two and the battery owner management table 105 that stores information for each battery owner who owns the battery 3 used in the present system. The system management apparatus 11 centrally manages information on all stations 1 participating in this system, all electric vehicles 2, all batteries 3 used for joint use, and their owners 101 in a battery management database 102.

Next, the data structure of the battery management table 103 is shown with reference to FIG. The difference from the battery management table 14 is that “owner ID (d1)”, “number of times of charging / discharging (d2)”, “amount of charged electricity (d3)” and “battery state (d4)” are added to the battery table 103a. There are no other differences.
In “owner ID (d1)”, the ID of the owner of the battery 3 is recorded. The owner is usually the battery owner company 101.
The “number of times of charging / discharging (d2)” and “amount of charged electricity (d3)” are information written at the time of charging at the station 1 or the like or when mounted on the electric vehicle. Referenced for calculation of basic usage fees. Further, since charging is frequently performed in the case of a special vehicle, the battery disposal timing may be determined based on the “number of times of charging / discharging (d2)”.
The “battery state (d4)” is referred to mainly by the battery owner company 101 in order to measure the disposal timing of the battery 3. More specifically, information is written such that only 80% of the product in the fully charged state can be charged.

Next, the data structure of the electric vehicle management table 104 is shown with reference to FIG.
Since the battery 3 is used jointly in this system, the electric vehicle 2 on which the battery 3 is mounted is usually different each time. As the battery management entity 100, it is necessary to grasp which battery 3 is currently mounted in which electric vehicle 2. Therefore, the information of each electric vehicle 2 is made into a database.
Along with “vehicle ID (d5)”, owner name, date of purchase, etc., “special operation mode (d6)” and “basic usage fee payment method (d7)” are displayed in the electric vehicle management table 104 when the electric vehicle 2 is purchased. Written. The registration process in the database at the time of purchase is performed by the battery management entity 100 or the battery owner company 101 accessing the system management apparatus 11 by offline or online means.
The “special operation mode (d6)” is information set when used mainly in the transportation industry such as a taxi or a delivery vehicle. This operation is recorded and recorded in the database because it may be charged / exchanged only at the dedicated station 1 operated by the company or handled differently from a general user's vehicle using this system.
“Basic usage fee payment method (d7)” is a payment method for using the battery 3, and whether to pay in a lump sum at the time of purchase of the electric vehicle 2 or to pay in installments over the usable period of the battery 3 It is another.

Here, a charge associated with the use of the battery 3 will be described.
In this embodiment, two charges are paid: a basic usage fee and a metered charge.
When the electric vehicle 2 is purchased, there is a cost for the battery 3, which is a price for sharing the battery using this system. This is the basic usage fee. The electric vehicle 2 may be paid in a lump sum at the time of purchase. However, since the price of the battery 3 occupying the electric vehicle 2 is quite large, in this embodiment, in order to reduce the burden at the time of purchase of the electric vehicle 2, installment payment is also possible. Yes. In installment payments, since the payment is made monthly or at the time of replacement at the station 1, the burden is leveled over the period of use of the electric vehicle 2. Thus, the present invention is also intended to play a role in the popularization of electric vehicles by reducing the sense of burden in terms of cost.
However, for special vehicles such as taxis, delivery vehicles, and long-distance trucks, unlike ordinary electric vehicles, the entire basic usage fee for the battery, which is an accessory, is paid when the vehicle is purchased. This is because, for a company that operates a transportation business using special vehicles, it is easier to manage assets if the battery is purchased at the same time as the purchase of the vehicle.

There are two additional points regarding the basic usage fee setting.
First, the basic usage fee is set in consideration of the damage of the battery 3 due to the accident of the electric vehicle 2. That is, there is a case where the battery 3 is deteriorated when the electric vehicle 2 is purchased but hardly travels, and the battery 3 may become unusable due to a traffic accident or disaster. It is desirable to adopt a basic fee system that assumes such damage. Alternatively, in the case of a disaster / traffic accident, a mechanism for guaranteeing it may be created between the battery owner company 101 and the insurance company. This is because, in general, the object of automobile vehicle insurance is for automobiles that are belongings, so that handling of batteries that are not owned easily becomes ambiguous. Incorporating the handling of batteries in insurance into the fee structure of the present invention in advance is meaningful for all parties involved.
Second, in general, the battery 3 needs to be set in consideration of the fact that the performance deteriorates as the use is repeated. The point at which the deterioration is abrupt can be easily recognized. For example, a point at which only 80% of full charge at the time of manufacture can be charged is determined as a threshold value, and an average period (for example, 3 years) is divided by day to provide a basis for calculating the basic charge. However, in order to lower the basic usage fee paid when charging the battery, a mechanism may be adopted in which, for example, 30% of the battery price is collected when the battery is contracted (when the electric vehicle 2 is purchased).

The charging fee is a cost generated at the time of charging or replacement separately from the basic usage fee. In public charges such as telephone and electricity, a usage fee corresponding to the usage amount is added to a fixed basic fee, and this charging fee corresponds to the usage fee. Needless to say, a person who pays a basic usage fee at the time of purchasing an electric vehicle pays only a charge after purchasing the electric vehicle.
The costs related to these batteries may be paid to the station 1 or may be settled by card payment or monthly closing. However, details regarding the settlement are a matter of contract between the parties, and details thereof are omitted.

The data in the “Basic usage fee update date (d8)” column of the electric vehicle management table 104 is written when the electric vehicle 2 is purchased or necessary.
Normally, the battery 3 has a shorter service life than the electric vehicle 2, and the right to use a plurality of batteries 3 is obtained while one electric vehicle 2 can be used. Therefore, the update timing of the basic usage fee is determined in advance, for example, every time a vehicle inspection is performed. This is the basic usage fee renewal date. If the “basic usage fee payment method (d7)” is a lump sum payment, a lump sum payment is made to renew the right to use the battery when the basic usage fee renewal date arrives. In addition, in the case of installment payment, the installment period of the basic battery charge for the battery starts anew when this basic charge renewal date arrives.
“In-use battery ID (d9)” is an ID of the battery 3 currently mounted on the electric vehicle 2. For the battery in use, the “vehicle ID (d5)” of the electric vehicle 2 is recorded in the “position (car / station)” column of the position information table 14c. Thereby, which battery 3 is mounted in which electric vehicle 2 can be captured on the database.

Next, the data structure of the battery owner management table 105 is shown with reference to FIG.
In the battery owner management table 105, the owner name and contact information are recorded in association with the owner ID. The contact information includes the name of the person in charge, the telephone number of the person in charge and an e-mail address.
This is a table provided mainly for communication from the system management apparatus 11 to the owner 101 side when a failure occurs in the battery or when a charge is charged for replacement at the station 1. The owner ID is recorded in the battery table 103a as shown in FIG. 10, and is also recorded in the “owner ID (d10)” column of the common part of the RFID 106 as shown in FIG.

In this way, the system management apparatus 11 that is linked to or under the control of the battery management entity 100 comprehensively stores and manages necessary information about the battery 3 in the battery management database 102. Therefore, this system can capture in what state and where each of the batteries 3 used for joint use is currently located.
As a result, when the driver makes an inquiry to the system management device 11, the station 1 can be identified as to which station 1 can be replaced with the desired battery 3, and the convenience to the electric vehicle user is enhanced.
The main body 101 that owns the battery 3 can easily manage the history of the battery 3 that is the property, and can appropriately collect charges, purchase a new battery, recycle the battery, and the like. In order to collect basic usage charges and charging charges, a separate charging / settlement information table is provided for each user, and processing is performed in combination with information in the battery management database 102. Since various arrangements can be made between the parties in this regard, details are omitted. Further, where the invoice is issued, where it is deposited, how to allocate the deposited amount, etc., depends on the contract between the parties, and therefore the description is omitted.
Further, if access to the database 102 is also permitted for electric vehicle manufacturers and battery manufacturers, they can be used as reference materials for technical development, production adjustment, recycling, and the like.

The present embodiment is characterized in that when the electric vehicle 2 is purchased, the battery 3 attached as an accessory is not the property of the purchaser, and the battery 3 is managed as a common item. . Various modifications having this feature are conceivable.
Various forms of operation of the battery management entity 100 in FIG. 8 are conceivable. Joints such as battery manufacturers and electric vehicle manufacturers may be used. Or, for example, a transportation company such as a taxi company or a courier company becomes the battery management entity 100, the battery management department becomes the battery ownership entity 101, and it is closed only in one company with a battery station in its own vehicle base. The present embodiment may be operated as a system. The shipping company owns a large number of batteries, and the number of times of charging is much higher than that of general users, so if you can manage the history of all the batteries using this system, it is easy to make a purchase plan for new batteries, etc. Become.
In short, it is important to provide infrastructure for the diffusion of electric vehicles.

(Third embodiment)
This embodiment is an application example of the invention according to claim 4.
An object of the present invention is to create a mechanism that allows the battery to be replaced anytime and anywhere as long as the user goes to the battery station in the same manner as a conventional gasoline station. Therefore, the battery that must be managed is the battery, and the present invention intends to manage the history by utilizing an IC card represented by RFID. Therefore, the existence of a system administrator who supervises a plurality of stations is not an essential requirement.
The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that there is no system administrator, and therefore smooth battery replacement is realized even without a database for collectively managing information.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a system configuration of this embodiment.
Compared to FIG. 1, there is no system management device 11, and therefore, there is no data transmission / reception between the station management device 6 and the system management device 11, but the others are the same.
The RFID 10 stores all information necessary for battery history management. Therefore, the charging of the battery in the station and the mounting operation of the charged battery in the car can be performed by acquiring necessary information from the RFID 10 without referring to the battery management database 12. Data recorded in the RFID 10 is the same as that in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG.

Compared with the first embodiment, this embodiment is
(1) When the RFID 10 cannot read the internal data for some reason, it cannot handle it.
(2) Inquiries about inventory between stations cannot be made smoothly.
(3) Not suitable for payment by credit,
There is inconvenience.

However, even if the battery information is not centrally managed, it is conceivable that the battery can be sufficiently replaced only by using the RFID.
For example, the situation is as follows.
Rent electric cars to tourists in places where gasoline cars are regulated in national parks or in areas where it is difficult to arrive by private cars such as remote islands. For electric vehicle users, battery stations will be installed at various locations in the area for charging. In this case, no replacement reservation is made on the assumption that each station has a sufficient battery. Settlement is limited to cash or prepaid cards.
In such a situation, the third embodiment can be sufficiently realized.

The present invention has been described based on the first to third embodiments. However, these embodiments are merely examples. Various modifications are conceivable for the data items stored in the RFID, the table structure of the database, the flow of processing, and the like, and these modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.
Some of these variations are described below.

Although not specifically mentioned in the first embodiment, a battery replacement reservation function can be easily added. Stopping at the battery station does not always store the desired charged battery. Therefore, it is preferable to reserve a battery from a mobile phone that can be connected to the Internet from a running car or a car navigation system that is mounted. In this case, the information obtained from the battery and the car navigation system is used to search for a station that can be exchanged between the remaining travel distance and the destination, and check the inventory of the target battery or make a delivery reservation.
In this case, it is more appropriate to access the system management apparatus 11 than to make a reservation notification to an individual station. By referring to the station management table 12 of the battery management database 12, the system management apparatus 11 can grasp which battery stock is in which station. If the station desired by the electric vehicle driver is in stock, the system management device 11 may contact the station 6 for reservation. If there is no stock, the system management apparatus 11 may instruct delivery of the battery from another station in stock to the station.
As described above, if the reservation system is also linked to the battery exchange system of the first embodiment, even if there is no battery corresponding to the station at the time of reservation, reservation is possible if delivery is possible by arrival. can do. If the charge amount can be specified at the time of reservation, the convenience is further enhanced. This is because full charge is not necessarily required depending on the travel distance.
However, when a reservation function is provided, it is desirable that transmission of information from each station management device 6 to the system management device 11 (see step S8 in FIG. 7) is performed in real time.

In the above embodiment, each station provides a battery replacement service to the electric vehicle, but it goes without saying that a charging service may be provided. For example, if station 1 is installed in a parking lot of a hotel in a sightseeing spot, the battery may be charged at this station 1 at night instead of replacing the battery with a charged one.
In addition, the battery is normally replaced by the staff of the station 1, but the driver of the electric vehicle may perform it himself like a self-type gasoline station. For this purpose, it is assumed that the vehicle is designed so that the battery can be easily removed from the vehicle and mounted.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the electric vehicle stops at the station, but the station can provide a service for receiving an order such as a telephone and delivering the battery to a designated place. The information similar to that written in the RFID when the battery is taken out from the charging facility and attached to the vehicle may be written in the RFID and then delivered to the customer.

This solves the problem that it takes a long time to charge the battery and contributes to the popularization of electric vehicles and the reduction of CO2.

1: battery station, 2: electric vehicle, 3: battery, 5: charging equipment,
6: Station management device, 8: Charging device, 9: Controller unit, 10: RFID,
11: system management device, 12: battery management database, 13: microcomputer,
100: Battery management entity, 101: Battery ownership entity,
102: Battery management database, 106: RFID,
N communication network

Claims (5)

A system for exchanging a shared battery between multiple battery stations and managing the history of the battery for an automobile that uses a battery as the drive source of the motor,
Each shared battery has its own IC card attached,
The battery station includes a charging facility and a station management device,
The charging facility includes a charging device and a controller unit having a reading / writing function and a charging state monitoring function of the IC card,
The station management device performs transmission / reception of information on the battery with the controller unit and the system management device that are connected to be communicable at a predetermined timing,
The shared battery management system, wherein the system management device is connected to a battery management database that collectively manages battery information. 2. The shared battery management system according to claim 1, wherein an owner is recorded for each battery and a basic usage fee payment form for the battery is recorded for each vehicle in the battery management database. The basic usage fee payment form includes lump sum payment at the time of car purchase and installment payment after purchase,
3. The shared battery management system according to claim 2, wherein, in the case of installment payment, a basic usage fee calculation is based on a daily charge for an average usable period of a battery used in the vehicle. A system for exchanging a shared battery between multiple battery stations and managing the history of the battery for an automobile that uses a battery as the drive source of the motor,
Each shared battery has its own IC card attached,
The battery station includes a charging facility and a station management device,
The charging facility includes a charging device and a controller unit having a reading / writing function and a charging state monitoring function of the IC card,
The shared battery management system, wherein the station management device performs transmission / reception of information about the battery with the controller unit connected to be communicable at a predetermined timing. In the IC card, traveling information is written as needed by a microcomputer mounted on the automobile when the automobile equipped with the attached shared battery is running, and the battery is a work target in the charging device. 5. The shared battery management system according to claim 1, wherein the history information is sometimes written at a predetermined timing by the controller unit. 6.

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