Method for authenticating a storage battery, storage battery, charging device, electric moving body, and control device for an electric moving body

Abstract

When the power storage unit (10) is equipped, the charging device (20) sends identification information to the power storage unit (10) in a wired manner. The power storage unit (10) sends a signal including the identification information received from the charging device (20) through short-range wireless communication. The charging device (20) checks whether the identification information included in the signal received in the short-range wireless communication is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for authenticating a battery pack that can be freely attached and detached to an electric moving body, a battery pack, a charging device, an electric moving body, and a control device for an electric moving body. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, electric motorcycles (electric scooters) and electric bicycles have been becoming popular. Generally, in electric motorcycles and electric bicycles, a removable battery pack that can be freely attached and detached is used. When using a battery as a power source for a motorcycle (scooter), compared with the case of using a liquid fuel such as gasoline, the time taken for energy replenishment becomes longer (the charging time is longer than the fuel supply time).

[0003] Therefore, when the remaining capacity of the battery pack decreases, a mechanism for shortening the time taken for energy replenishment is considered by exchanging a pre-charged battery pack with the battery pack having a reduced remaining capacity at the nearest charging station.

[0004] However, a method has been proposed in which when a vehicle equipped with a power storage device is connected to an external power supply device using a charging cable, connection confirmation between the vehicle and the power supply device is performed using wireless communication (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0005] Prior Art Documents

[0006] Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-125186 Summary of the Invention

[0008] -Problems to be Solved by the Invention-

[0009] In the above method, it is premised that the power storage device is fixed inside the vehicle and is not assumed to be removed outside the vehicle. In contrast, in the above mechanism accompanied by the exchange of the battery pack, a situation may occur in which there are multiple vehicles or multiple chargers within the range where wireless communication with the battery pack is possible.

[0010] In such a situation, there is a possibility that the control unit of a certain vehicle may erroneously control the battery pack equipped on an adjacent other vehicle. In addition, the control unit of the charger does not control the battery pack that should be controlled in a certain charging slot, and there is a possibility of erroneously controlling the battery pack that should not be controlled in another charging slot. In such a case, the safety and security of the entire charging system cannot be ensured.

[0011] The present disclosure has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for correctly identifying the battery pack equipped on an electric moving body or a charging device that controls the battery pack using wireless communication.

[0012] -Means for Solving the Problem-

[0013] To solve the above problems, a method for authenticating a storage battery pack according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure includes: when a storage battery pack that can be detached from an electric moving body is equipped in a charging slot of a charging device, a control unit of the charging device sends identification information to a control unit of the storage battery pack equipped in the charging slot in a wired manner; a control unit of the storage battery pack sends a signal including the identification information received from the charging device by short-range wireless communication; and when the control unit of the charging device receives the signal sent by the short-range wireless communication, the control unit of the charging device compares whether the identification information included in the received signal is the same as the identification information sent in the wired manner, and when they are the same, authenticates that the storage battery pack equipped in the charging slot and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0014] -Advantageous Effects of the Invention-

[0015] According to the present disclosure, an electric moving body or a charging device that controls a storage battery pack using wireless communication can correctly identify the equipped storage battery pack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a conceptual diagram of a vehicle system using a replaceable battery pack according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing a structural example of a charging device according to an embodiment.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing a structural example of a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing a system structural example 1 of a battery pack mounted on a vehicle and a vehicle control unit according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing a system structural example 2 of a battery pack mounted on a vehicle and a vehicle control unit according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the basic concept of a process in which a vehicle control unit authenticates a battery pack equipped in an equipment slot of a vehicle.

[0022] Figure 7 It is a diagram schematically showing the process of assigning an ID to a battery pack after replacement when replacing a battery pack equipped in an equipment slot of a vehicle.

[0023] Figure 8It is a timing chart (Part 1) showing the detailed processing flow when swapping the battery pack in the equipment slot of a vehicle in System Structure Example 1.

[0024] Figure 9 It is a timing chart (Part 2) showing the detailed processing flow when swapping the battery pack in the equipment slot of a vehicle in System Structure Example 1.

[0025] Figure 10 It is showing Figure 8 the timing chart (Part 1) of the processing flow related to the variation example of the processing shown.

[0026] Figure 11 It is showing Figure 9 the timing chart (Part 2) of the processing flow related to the variation example of the processing shown.

[0027] Figure 12 It is a timing chart (Part 1) showing the detailed processing flow when swapping the battery pack in the equipment slot of a vehicle in System Structure Example 2.

[0028] Figure 13 It is a timing chart (Part 2) showing the detailed processing flow when swapping the battery pack in the equipment slot of a vehicle in System Structure Example 2.

[0029] Figure 14 It is showing Figure 12 the timing chart (Part 1) of the processing flow related to the variation example of the processing shown.

[0030] Figure 15 It is showing Figure 13 the timing chart (Part 2) of the processing flow related to the variation example of the processing shown. Detailed implementation mode

[0031] Figure 1 It is a conceptual diagram of the vehicle system 1 using the swappable battery pack 10 related to the implementation mode. In this vehicle system 1, multiple battery packs 10, at least one charging device 20, and multiple vehicles 30 are used. In this implementation mode, an electric motorcycle (scooter) is assumed as the vehicle 30.

[0032] The battery pack 10 is a removable / swappable battery pack that can be freely attached and detached, and can be equipped in the equipment slot of the vehicle 30 or the charging slot of the charging device 20. The battery pack 10 is charged in the state of being equipped in the charging slot of the charging device 20. The fully charged battery pack 10 is taken out by the user (usually the driver of the vehicle 30) and equipped in the equipment slot of the vehicle 30. The battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot of the vehicle 30 discharges during the driving of the vehicle 30, and the remaining capacity decreases with the discharge. The battery pack 10 with the decreased remaining capacity is taken out by the user and equipped in the charging slot of the charging device 20. The user takes out the fully charged battery pack 10 from another charging slot of the charging device 20 and equips it in the equipment slot of the vehicle 30. Through this operation, the battery pack 10 with the decreased remaining capacity is exchanged for the fully charged battery pack 10. Thus, the user does not need to wait during the charging of the battery pack 10 and can restart the vehicle 30 in a short time.

[0033] In this method, since the attachment and detachment of the battery pack 10 occur frequently, the deterioration of the connector part of the equipment slot of the vehicle 30 or the connector part of the battery pack 10 that contacts the connector part of the charging slot of the charging device 20 is likely to progress. As a countermeasure, in the present embodiment, the control signal is transmitted and received between the vehicle 30 or the charging device 20 and the battery pack 10 through wireless communication. Thus, the terminal for the communication line can be removed from the connector. It is only necessary to provide a terminal for the power line on the connector. In the present embodiment, since the control signal is not transmitted and received through the wired communication via the connector, the disconnection of the control signal due to the connector failure can be prevented.

[0034] The wireless communication between the vehicle 30 and the battery pack 10, the wireless communication between the charging device 20 and the battery pack 10, and the wireless communication between the vehicle 30 and the charging device 20 use short-range wireless communication. As the short-range wireless communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), infrared communication, etc. can be used. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy: Bluetooth low power consumption) is used as the short-range wireless communication.

[0035] BLE is one of the extended standards of Bluetooth (registered trademark) and is a low-power short-range wireless communication standard using the 2.4 GHz band. Since BLE has low power consumption and can be driven by a single button battery for several years, it is suitable for battery driving and is considered to have a negligible impact on the remaining capacity of the battery pack 10. In addition, since the modules for BLE communication are widely available, they can be obtained at low cost. In addition, BLE has high affinity with smartphones and can provide various services linked with smartphones.

[0036] In the case of using a general type 2 device, the radio wave reach range of BLE becomes approximately 10 m. Therefore, a state may occur in which there are multiple vehicles 30, multiple battery packs 10, and a charging device 20 within the BLE communication range. Since the charging device 20 is provided with multiple charging slots, the charging device 20 needs to perform wireless communication with each of the multiple battery packs 10 equipped in the multiple charging slots respectively. That is, a 1:N network is formed between the charging device 20 and the multiple battery packs 10. The same applies when the vehicle 30 is provided with multiple equipment slots. The vehicle 30 needs to perform wireless communication with each of the multiple battery packs 10 equipped in the multiple equipment slots respectively. That is, a 1:N network is formed between the vehicle 30 and the multiple battery packs 10.

[0037] Therefore, a structure is required to ensure that the battery pack 10 equipped in a specific charging slot of the charging device 20 is the same as the battery pack 10 of a specific communication partner of the charging device 20. Similarly, a structure is required to ensure that the battery pack 10 equipped in a specific equipment slot of the vehicle 30 is the same as the battery pack 10 of a specific communication partner of the vehicle 30. In the present embodiment, identification information (ID) is used to confirm the identity of the physically connected battery pack 10 and the wirelessly connected battery pack 10. This identification information (ID) may be temporary identification information. Additionally, the inherent identification information of each device may be included in this identification information (ID).

[0038] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram showing a structural example of the charging device 20 according to the embodiment. The charging device 20 includes a charging stand 21, a control unit 22, a display unit 27, an operation unit 28, and a charging unit 29. The control unit 22 includes at least a processing unit 23, an antenna 25, and a wireless communication unit 26.

[0039] The charging stand 21 has multiple charging slots SLc1 - SLc8 for accommodating multiple battery packs 10. In Figure 2 the example shown, the number of charging slots is 8, but the number of charging slots may be 2 or more, for example, it may also be 4.

[0040] Each of the charging slots SLc1 - SLc8 has a connector including a positive terminal and a negative terminal, and when a battery pack 10 is accommodated, it conducts with the positive terminal and the negative terminal included in the connector of the battery pack 10 respectively. The negative terminal portions included in the connectors of each of the charging slots SLc1 to SLc8 and the negative terminal portions included in the connectors of the battery packs 10 may also be respectively formed by a solid plane GND. In this case, one of the pins included in the connector of the battery pack 10 can be set as the positive terminal pin, and the protruding portions of the connectors that are prone to malfunctions can be reduced.

[0041] The processing unit 13 of each battery pack 10 accommodated in the charging stand 21 (refer toFigure 4 ) It uses short-range wireless communication and power lines to send and receive control signals to and from the processing unit 23 within the control unit 22. The specific method of sending and receiving the control unit signals between the two will be described later.

[0042] The positive terminals and negative terminals of each charging slot SLc1 - SLc8 are respectively connected to the positive terminal and negative terminal of the charging unit 29. The charging unit 29 is connected to the commercial power system 2 and can charge the battery pack 10 equipped on the charging stand 21. The charging unit 29 performs full-wave rectification on the alternating current supplied from the commercial power system 2 and smooths it using a filter, thereby generating direct current.

[0043] Relays (not shown) are respectively provided between the positive terminal and negative terminal of the charging unit 29 and the positive terminals and negative terminals of each charging slot SLc1 - SLc8. The processing unit 23 controls the conduction / cut-off of each charging slot SLc1 - SLc8 by controlling the on (closed) / off (open) of this relay.

[0044] Additionally, DC / DC converters (not shown) can also be respectively provided between the positive terminal and negative terminal of the charging unit 29 and the positive terminals and negative terminals of each charging slot SLc1 - SLc8. In this case, the processing unit 23 can control the charging voltage or charging current of each battery pack 10 by controlling this DC / DC converter. For example, constant current (CC) charging or constant voltage (CV) charging can be performed. Additionally, this DC / DC converter can also be provided within the battery pack 10. Additionally, when an AC / DC converter is installed in the battery pack 10, it is also possible to charge the battery pack 10 with alternating current from the charging unit 29.

[0045] The processing unit 23 is constituted by a microcomputer, for example. The wireless communication unit 26 performs short-range wireless communication processing. In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 26 is constituted by a BLE module, and the antenna 25 is constituted by a chip antenna or a pattern antenna built in the BLE module. The wireless communication unit 26 outputs the data received through short-range wireless communication to the processing unit 23, and sends the data input from the processing unit 23 through short-range wireless communication.

[0046] The processing unit 23 can obtain the state information of the battery from the battery pack 10 equipped on the charging stand 21. As the state information of the battery, at least one of the voltage, current, temperature, SOC (State Of Charge), and SOH (State Of Health) of the multiple cells E1 - En (refer to Figure 4 ) within the battery pack 10 can be obtained.

[0047] The display unit 27 includes a display, and guides for the user (usually the driver of the vehicle 30) using the charging device 20 are displayed on the display. The operation unit 28 is a user interface such as a touch panel, and accepts operations by the user. Additionally, the charging device 20 may also include a speaker (not shown), and voice guidance for the user is output from the speaker.

[0048] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing a structural example of the vehicle 30 according to the embodiment. The vehicle 30 includes a battery mounting unit 31, a vehicle control unit 32, an instrument panel 39, an inverter 310, a motor 311, and tires 312. The vehicle control unit 32 includes at least a processing unit 33, an antenna 35, and a wireless communication unit 36.

[0049] The battery mounting unit 31 has at least one mounting slot SLa1 - SLa2 for mounting at least one battery pack 10. In Figure 3 the example shown, the number of mounting slots is 2, but the number of mounting slots can be 1, or 3 or more.

[0050] Each of the mounting slots SLa1 - SLa2 has a connector including a positive terminal and a negative terminal, and when the battery pack 10 is mounted, it is electrically connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal included in the connector of the battery pack 10, respectively. The negative terminal portion included in the connector of each of the mounting slots SLa1 - SLa2 may also be constituted by a whole - surface GND.

[0051] The processing unit 13 (refer to Figure 4 ) of each battery pack 10 mounted in the battery mounting unit 31 transmits and receives control signals to and from the processing unit 33 in the vehicle control unit 32 using short - range wireless communication and power lines. The specific method of transmitting and receiving the control unit signals between the two will be described later.

[0052] The positive terminals of the plurality of mounting slots SLa1 - SLa2 are respectively connected to the positive - side power bus, and the negative terminals are respectively connected to the negative - side power bus. Therefore, the plurality of battery packs 10 mounted in the plurality of mounting slots SLa1 - SLa2 are in an electrically parallel - connected relationship. Thus, the more the number of battery packs 10 mounted in the battery mounting unit 31 increases, the greater the capacity. Additionally, the plurality of battery packs 10 mounted in the plurality of mounting slots SLa1 - SLa2 may also be electrically series - connected. In this case, the output voltage can be increased.

[0053] The positive terminal and the negative terminal of the battery mounting unit 31 are connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the inverter 310 via a main relay RYm. The main relay RYm functions as a contactor between the vehicle 30 and the battery pack 10. The processing unit 33 controls the conduction / cut - off between the vehicle 30 and the battery pack 10 by controlling the on / off of the main relay RYm.

[0054] When the inverter 310 is in power operation, it converts the direct current supplied from the battery pack 10 equipped in the battery equipment unit 31 into alternating current and supplies it to the motor 311. During regeneration, it converts the alternating current supplied from the motor 311 into direct current and supplies it to the battery pack 10 equipped in the battery equipment unit 31. The motor 311 is a three-phase alternating current motor and rotates according to the alternating current supplied from the inverter 310 during power operation. During regeneration, it converts the rotational energy based on deceleration into alternating current and supplies it to the inverter 310. The rotating shaft of the motor 311 is connected to the rotating shaft of the tire 312 of the rear wheel. Additionally, a transmission may be provided between the rotating shaft of the motor 311 and the rotating shaft of the tire 312.

[0055] The vehicle control unit 32 is a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the entire vehicle 30. The processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 is composed of a microcomputer. The wireless communication unit 36 performs short-range wireless communication processing. In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 36 is composed of a BLE module, and the antenna 35 is composed of a chip antenna or a pattern antenna built into the BLE module. The wireless communication unit 36 outputs the data received through short-range wireless communication to the processing unit 33 and transmits the data input from the processing unit 33 through short-range wireless communication.

[0056] The processing unit 33 can obtain the state information of the battery from the battery pack 10 equipped in the battery equipment unit 31. As the state information of the battery, at least one of the voltage, current, temperature, SOC, and SOH of the multiple cells E1 - En (refer to Figure 4 ) in the battery pack 10 can be obtained. In addition, the processing unit 33 can obtain the speed of the vehicle 30.

[0057] The instrument panel 39 displays the state information of the vehicle 30. For example, it displays the speed of the vehicle 30 and the remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery pack 10. The driver can observe the remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery pack 10 displayed on the instrument panel 39 and determine the necessity of replacing the battery pack 10.

[0058] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing a system structure example 1 of the battery pack 10 and the vehicle control unit 32 mounted on the vehicle 30 according to the embodiment. Figure 4 The example shown is the state where two battery packs 10a and 10b are equipped in the battery equipment unit 31 of the vehicle 30 (refer to Figure 3 ).

[0059] The battery pack 10 includes a battery module 11 and a battery control unit 12. The battery module 11 is connected to the power line that internally connects the positive terminal Tp and the negative terminal Tm of the battery pack 10. The positive terminal Tp of the battery pack 10 is connected to the positive-side power bus via a socket relay RYs, and the negative terminal Tm of the battery pack 10 is connected to the negative-side power bus. The positive-side power bus and the negative-side power bus are connected to the inverter 310 via a main relay RYm (refer to Figure 3 ).

[0060] The battery module 11 includes a plurality of cells E1-En connected in series. Additionally, the battery module 11 can be formed by connecting a plurality of battery modules in series or in series-parallel. The cells can use lithium-ion battery cells, nickel-metal hydride battery cells, lead battery cells, etc. Hereinafter, in this specification, an example of using lithium-ion battery cells (nominal voltage: 3.6 - 3.7V) is assumed. The number of series-connected cells E1-En is determined corresponding to the drive voltage of the motor 311.

[0061] The communication path branches from the node N1 between the positive terminal Tp of the battery pack 10 and the battery module 11. A power relay RVp is inserted between the node N1 and the battery module 11. A current sensor 17 is provided on the power line that internally connects the positive terminal Tp and the negative terminal Tm of the battery pack 10. The current sensor 17 is provided at a position closer to the negative terminal Tm side than the power relay RVp. The current sensor 17 measures the current flowing through the battery module 11 and outputs the measured current value to the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12. The current sensor 17 can be constituted by, for example, a combination of a shunt resistor, a differential amplifier, and an A / D converter. Additionally, a Hall element can be used instead of the shunt resistor.

[0062] The battery control unit 12 includes a processing unit 13, a voltage measurement unit 14, an antenna 15, and a wireless communication unit 16. The voltage measurement unit 14 is connected to each node of the plurality of cells E1-En connected in series through a plurality of voltage measurement lines. The voltage measurement unit 14 measures the voltage of each cell E1-En by measuring the voltage between two adjacent voltage measurement lines respectively. The voltage measurement unit 14 sends the measured voltage values of each cell E1-En to the processing unit 13.

[0063] The voltage measurement unit 14 is at a high voltage relative to the processing unit 13, so the voltage measurement unit 14 and the processing unit 13 are connected by a communication line in an insulated state. The voltage measurement unit 14 can be composed of an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a general analog front-end IC. The voltage measurement unit 14 includes a multiplexer and an A / D converter. The multiplexer sequentially outputs the voltages between two adjacent voltage measurement lines to the A / D converter from the top. The A / D converter converts the analog voltage input from the multiplexer into a digital value.

[0064] Although not shown in Figure 4 at least one temperature sensor is provided near the plurality of cells E1-En. The temperature sensor measures the temperatures of the plurality of cells E1-En and outputs the measured temperature values to the processing unit 13. The temperature sensor can be composed of, for example, a combination of a thermistor, a voltage-dividing resistor, and an A / D converter.

[0065] In addition, an A / D converter is mounted in the processing unit 13. When an analog input port is provided in the processing unit 13, the output values of the current sensor 17 and the temperature sensor can be input to the processing unit 13 while keeping the analog values unchanged.

[0066] The mating detection unit 18 detects the mating state of the connector of the battery pack 10 and the connector of the battery mounting portion 31 of the vehicle 30. For example, the connector on the battery pack 10 side can be a female connector, and the connector on the battery mounting portion 31 side of the vehicle 30 is a male connector. The mating detection unit 18 outputs a start signal corresponding to the connection state of the two to the processing unit 13. This start signal is defined by a binary signal, outputs an on signal in the state where the two are connected, and outputs an off signal in the state where the two are separated. The mating detection unit 18 can be composed of, for example, a reed switch. In this case, the mating detection unit 18 magnetically determines the presence or absence of the connection between the two. In addition, a sensor that mechanically detects the presence or absence of the connection between the two can also be used.

[0067] The wireless communication unit 16 performs short-range wireless communication processing. In the present embodiment, the wireless communication unit 16 is composed of a BLE module, and the antenna 15 is composed of a chip antenna or a pattern antenna built in the BLE module. The wireless communication unit 16 outputs the data received through short-range wireless communication to the processing unit 13, and transmits the data input from the processing unit 13 through short-range wireless communication.

[0068] A node N1 between the positive terminal Tp of the battery pack 10 and the battery module 11 and the processing unit 13 are connected through a communication path. A fuse F1, a resistor R1, and a group-side communication relay RYc are connected in series on this communication path. The fuse F1 is a protection element for preventing overcurrent from flowing into the processing unit 13 from the power line.

[0069] The processing unit 13 is composed of a microcomputer. When the start signal input from the fitting detection unit 18 is turned on, the processing unit 13 starts, and if it is turned off, it shuts down. Alternatively, instead of shutting down, it can shift to a standby state or a sleep state.

[0070] The processing unit 13 controls the conduction / cutoff of the communication path between the node N1 and the processing unit 13 by controlling the on / off of the group-side communication relay RYc. The processing unit 13 manages the states of the plurality of cells E1-En based on the voltage values, current values, and temperature values of the plurality of cells E1-En measured by the voltage measurement unit 14, the current sensor 17, and the temperature sensor. For example, in the case of overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent, high-temperature anomaly, or low-temperature anomaly, the processing unit 13 disconnects the power relay RYp to protect the plurality of cells E1-En.

[0071] The processing unit 13 can estimate the SOC and SOH of each of the plurality of cells E1-En. The processing unit 13 can estimate the SOC by the OCV (Open Circuit Voltage) method or the current integration method. SOH is defined by the ratio of the current full charge capacity to the initial full charge capacity, and the lower the value (the closer to 0%), the more advanced the deterioration. SOH can be obtained by measuring the capacity based on full charge and discharge, or by adding storage deterioration and cycle deterioration. Storage deterioration can be estimated based on SOC, temperature, and storage deterioration rate. Cycle deterioration can be estimated based on the SOC range used, temperature, current rate, and cycle deterioration rate. The storage deterioration rate and the cycle deterioration rate can be derived in advance through experiments and simulations. SOC, temperature, SOC range, and current rate can be obtained by measurement.

[0072] In addition, SOH can also be estimated based on the correlation with the internal resistance of the cell. The internal resistance can be estimated by dividing the voltage drop generated when a given current flows through the cell for a given time by the current value. The internal resistance has a relationship of decreasing as the temperature rises, and increasing as the SOH decreases.

[0073] In Figure 4In System Structure Example 1 shown, the vehicle control unit 32 includes a processing unit 33, a relay control unit 34, an antenna 35, a wireless communication unit 36, and a group detection unit 37. The relay control unit 34 controls the on / off states of the main relay RYm, the first slot relay RYsa, and the second slot relay RYsb according to instructions from the processing unit 33.

[0074] A node Na between the positive terminal Tp of the first battery pack 10a and the first slot relay RYsa is connected to the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 through a communication path. On this communication path, a fuse F2a and a first vehicle-side communication relay RYca are connected in series. The processing unit 33 controls the conduction / cutting of the communication path between the node Na and the processing unit 33 by controlling the on / off state of the first vehicle-side communication relay RYca.

[0075] Similarly, a node Nb between the positive terminal Tp of the second battery pack 10b and the second slot relay RYsb is connected to the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 through a communication path. A fuse F2b and a second vehicle-side communication relay RYcb are connected in series on this communication path. The processing unit 33 controls the conduction / cutting of the communication path between the node Nb and the processing unit 33 by controlling the on / off state of the second vehicle-side communication relay RYcb.

[0076] In addition, when there are three or more equipment slots provided in the battery equipment unit 31 of the vehicle 30, three or more slot relays RYs and this communication path (fuse F2 and vehicle-side communication relay RYc) are provided in parallel respectively.

[0077] The first fitting detection unit 38a detects the fitting state of the connector of the first equipment slot SLa1 of the battery equipment unit 31 and the connector of the first battery pack 10a, and outputs a detection signal indicating the presence or absence of fitting to the group detection unit 37. Similarly, the second fitting detection unit 38b detects the fitting state of the connector of the second equipment slot SLa2 of the battery equipment unit 31 and the connector of the second battery pack 10b, and outputs a detection signal indicating the presence or absence of fitting to the group detection unit 37. The first fitting detection unit 38a and the second fitting detection unit 38b can detect whether there is a connection with the connector on the battery pack 10 side by a magnetic method or by a mechanical method.

[0078] The group detection unit 37 outputs a start signal corresponding to the multiple detection signals input from the multiple fitting detection units 38a and 38b to the processing unit 33. The group detection unit 37 outputs a start signal including the slot number of the connection state when at least one of the multiple detection signals indicates a connection state. The group detection unit 37 controls the start signal to the off state when all of the multiple detection signals indicate a non-connection state.

[0079] If the start signal input from the group detection unit 37 is turned on, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 is activated, and if it is turned off, it is deactivated. Alternatively, it can be transferred to the standby state or the sleep state instead of being deactivated.

[0080] In the system configuration example 1 described above, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 can use short-range wireless communication to transmit and receive control signals with the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12.

[0081] In addition, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 can transmit and receive control signals with the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12 via a wired path. When communicating with the processing unit 13 of the first battery pack 10a in a wired manner, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 disconnects the first slot relay RYsa and connects the first vehicle-side communication relay RYca. The processing unit 13 of the first battery pack 10a disconnects the power relay RYp in the first battery pack 10a and connects the group-side communication relay RYc. In this state, the wired path between the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 and the processing unit 13 of the first battery pack 10a is conducted in a state insulated from the high-voltage parts of the vehicle 30 and the battery pack 10. Therefore, between the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 and the processing unit 13 of the first battery pack 10a, serial communication can be performed at a voltage corresponding to the operating voltage of the processing unit (for example, a voltage of 5V or less).

[0082] Similarly, when communicating with the processing unit 13 of the second battery pack 10b in a wired manner, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 disconnects the second slot relay RYsb and connects the second vehicle-side communication relay RYcb. The processing unit 13 of the second battery pack 10b disconnects the power relay RYp in the second battery pack 10b and connects the group-side communication relay RYc. In this state, the wired path between the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 and the processing unit 13 of the second battery pack 10b is conducted in a state insulated from the high-voltage parts of the vehicle 30 and the battery pack 10.

[0083] In addition, although not shown in Figure 2 a structure similar to that of the vehicle control unit 32 shown in Figure 4 is also provided in the control unit 22 of the charging device 20. The processing unit 23 of the charging device 20 can transmit and receive control signals with the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12 via short-range wireless communication between the wireless communication unit 26 of the charging device 20 and the wireless communication unit 16 of the battery control unit 12. In addition, the processing unit 23 of the charging device 20 can transmit and receive control signals with the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12 via a wired path.

[0084] Figure 5FIG. 0 is a diagram showing a second example of the system configuration of the battery pack 10 and the vehicle control unit 32 mounted on the vehicle 30 according to the embodiment. Hereinafter, the differences from Figure 4 the system configuration example 1 shown will be described. In the system configuration example 2, the communication path (including the fuse F1, the resistor R1, and the pack-side communication relay RYc) between the node N1 between the positive terminal Tp of the battery pack 10 and the battery module 11 and the processing unit 13 is not provided. Further, the communication path (including the fuse F2a and the first vehicle-side communication relay RYca) between the node Na between the positive terminal Tp of the first battery pack 10a and the first slot relay RYsa and the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 is not provided. Further, the communication path (including the fuse F2b and the second vehicle-side communication relay RYcb) between the node Nb between the positive terminal Tp of the second battery pack 10b and the second slot relay RYsb and the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 is not provided.

[0085] In the system configuration example 2, a discharge path is provided between the positive power bus and the negative power bus. A fuse F2, a resistor R2, and a discharge relay RYd are connected in series on this discharge path. The processing unit 33 can conduct between the positive power bus and the negative power bus by turning on the discharge relay RYd.

[0086] In the system configuration example 2, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 can transmit and receive control signals to and from the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12 using short-range wireless communication.

[0087] Further, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 can transmit control information to the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12 via a wired path. When transmitting control information to the processing unit 13 of the first battery pack 10a in a wired manner, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 turns on the first slot relay RYsa and turns off the second slot relay RYsb. In this state, the processing unit 33 performs on / off control of the discharge relay RYd according to the pulse pattern indicating the control information. As a result, a discharge current including this pulse pattern flows from the positive electrode of the first battery pack 10a through the above discharge path to the negative electrode of the first battery pack 10a. The current sensor 17 of the first battery pack 10a detects the current including this pulse pattern and outputs it to the processing unit 13. The processing unit 13 receives the control information corresponding to this pulse pattern based on the current value including this pulse pattern input from the current sensor 17.

[0088] Similarly, when control information is transmitted in a wired manner to the processing unit 13 of the second battery pack 10b, the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 turns on the second slot relay RYsb and turns off the first slot relay RYsa. In this state, the processing unit 33 controls the on / off of the discharge relay RYd according to the pulse pattern indicating the control information. As a result, a discharge current including this pulse pattern flows from the positive electrode of the second battery pack 10b through the above discharge path to the negative electrode of the second battery pack 10b. The current sensor 17 of the second battery pack 10b detects the current including this pulse pattern and outputs it to the processing unit 13. The processing unit 13 receives the control information corresponding to this pulse pattern based on the current value including this pulse pattern input from the current sensor 17.

[0089] In addition, although not shown in Figure 2 , a structure similar to that of the vehicle control unit 32 shown in Figure 5 is also provided in the control unit 22 of the charging device 20. The processing unit 23 of the charging device 20 can use short-range wireless communication to transmit and receive control signals with the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12. In addition, the processing unit 23 of the charging device 20 can transmit and receive control signals with the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12 via a wired path.

[0090] In Figure 4 shown in the system structure example 1 and Figure 5 shown in the system structure example 2, wireless communication and wired communication can also be performed between the processing unit 33 of the vehicle control unit 32 and the processing unit 13 of the battery control unit 12. The method of wireless communication is the same as that of system structure example 1 and system structure example 2. The method of wired communication is voltage communication in system structure example 1 and current communication in system structure example 2.

[0091] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the basic concept of the process in which the vehicle control unit 32 authenticates the battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot SLa of the vehicle 30. The vehicle control unit 32 basically identifies the battery pack 10 by searching for the radio wave of short-range wireless communication transmitted from the battery pack 10. Specifically, when the battery pack 10 is equipped in the equipment slot SLa, the vehicle control unit 32 transmits ID1 in a wired manner. When the battery control unit 12 of the battery pack 10 receives ID1 in a wired manner from the vehicle control unit 32, it transmits a signal including ID1 through short-range wireless communication.

[0092] When the vehicle control unit 32 receives a signal of short-range wireless communication, it compares the ID included in the received signal with the ID1 previously sent by wire. When the two are identical, the vehicle control unit 32 authenticates that the battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot SLa is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication. When the two are inconsistent, the vehicle control unit 32 determines that the battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot SLa is not the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication, and does not authenticate the battery pack 10 of the communication partner. For example, when a signal including ID2 is received, since it is inconsistent with the ID1 sent by wire, the battery pack 10 of the signal transmission destination including ID2 is not authenticated.

[0093] Alternatively, the vehicle control unit 32 may send an ID through short-range wireless communication, and determine the identity of the battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot SLa and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication by comparing the sent ID with the ID received by wire from the battery control unit 12 of the battery pack 10 by wire.

[0094] In the above description, the basic concept of the process in which the vehicle control unit 32 authenticates the battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot SLa of the vehicle 30 is shown, but the same applies to the case where the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 authenticates the battery pack 10 equipped in the charging slot SLc of the charging device 20.

[0095] Figure 7 It is a diagram schematically showing the process of assigning an ID to the exchanged battery pack 10 when the battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot SLa of the vehicle 30 is exchanged. In state 1, the first charging slot SLc1 of the charging device 20 is an empty slot, and the second charged battery pack 10b is equipped in the second charging slot SLc2. In addition, the first battery pack 10a with a reduced remaining capacity is equipped in the first equipment slot SLa1 of the vehicle 30. The first battery pack 10a includes a vehicle ID authenticated by the vehicle control unit 32. Through this vehicle ID, the identity of the first battery pack 10a as the physical connection partner and the first battery pack 10a as the wireless communication connection partner observed from the vehicle 30 is ensured.

[0096] In state 2, the user (usually, the driver of the vehicle 30) disassembles and installs the first battery pack 10a from the first equipment slot SLa1 of the vehicle 30, and the disassembled and installed first battery pack 10a is equipped in the first charging slot SLc1 of the charging device 20. When the first battery pack 10a is leased, it becomes an operation of returning the first battery pack 10a to the charging device 20. When the first battery pack 10a is disassembled and installed from the first equipment slot SLa1 of the vehicle 30, the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a deletes the stored vehicle ID.

[0097] In state 3, the user removes and installs the second battery pack 10b from and into the second charging slot SLc2 of the charging device 20 and mounts it on the first mounting slot SLa1 of the vehicle 30. Through this operation, the battery pack 10 mounted on the first mounting slot SLa1 of the vehicle 30 is physically exchanged.

[0098] In state 4, the vehicle control unit 32 assigns a new vehicle ID to the second battery pack 10b mounted on the first mounting slot SLa1. Through this new vehicle ID, the identity of the second battery pack 10b as the physical connection partner and the second battery pack 10b as the wireless communication connection partner, when observed from the vehicle 30 side, is ensured.

[0099] Figure 8 It is a timing chart (part 1) showing the detailed processing flow when exchanging the battery pack 10 mounted on the mounting slot SLa of the vehicle 30 in system configuration example 1. Figure 9 It is a timing chart (part 2) showing the detailed processing flow when exchanging the battery pack 10 mounted on the mounting slot SLa of the vehicle 30 in system configuration example 1. In the horizontal lines in the following timing chart, the thin dashed line represents wireless communication, the thin solid line represents wired communication, the thick dashed line represents the physical movement of the battery pack, and the thick solid line represents the charging and discharging of the battery pack.

[0100] The first charging slot SLc1 of the charging device 20 is an empty slot, and the second battery pack 10b is mounted in the second charging slot SLc2. The second battery pack 10b includes a charging ID1 certified by the control unit 22 of the charging device 20. Through this charging ID1, the identity of the second battery pack 10b as the physical connection partner and the second battery pack 10b as the wireless communication connection partner, when observed from the charging device 20 side, is ensured.

[0101] The charging device 20 charges the second battery pack 10b mounted in the second charging slot SLc2. That is, the charging current flows from the charging unit 29 to the second battery pack 10b mounted in the second charging slot SLc2. When the SOC of the second battery pack 10b reaches the upper limit value, the charging is completed. This upper limit value can be the SOC corresponding to the full charge capacity or an SOC lower than the full charge capacity (e.g., 90%).

[0102] The first battery pack 10a is equipped in the first equipment slot SLa1 of the vehicle 30. The first battery pack 10a includes a vehicle ID certified by the vehicle control unit 32. Through this vehicle ID, the identity of the first battery pack 10a as the physical connection partner and the first battery pack 10a as the wireless communication connection partner is ensured from the vehicle 30 side. During the running of the vehicle 30, the discharge current flows from the first battery pack 10a through the inverter 310 to the motor 311. The SOC of the first battery pack 10a decreases as the vehicle 30 runs.

[0103] When the user (usually, the driver of the vehicle 30) performs an ignition-off operation, the vehicle control unit 32 receives this ignition-off operation (P1a). If the vehicle control unit 32 receives the ignition-off operation, it sends a shutdown instruction to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a through short-range wireless communication. The battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a shuts down when it receives the shutdown instruction from the vehicle control unit 32 (P1b).

[0104] When the user disassembles and installs the first battery pack 10a from the first equipment slot SLa1 of the vehicle 30 and equips the first battery pack 10a into the first charging slot SLc1 of the charging device 20, the fitting detection unit 18 of the first battery pack 10a detects the fitting with the first charging slot SLc1 (P1c), and the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a starts (P1e). The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 detects that a battery pack 10 is equipped in the first charging slot SLc1 (P1d). In addition, if the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a recognizes that it has been disassembled and installed from the first equipment slot SLa1, it deletes the vehicle ID.

[0105] The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 sends the charging ID2 to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a equipped in the first charging slot SLc1 in a wired manner, and writes the charging ID2 to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a (P1f). When the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a receives the charging ID2, the battery control unit 12 becomes a beacon terminal (peripheral terminal) and performs the advertisement of short-range wireless communication (P1g). Specifically, the battery control unit 12 sends the advertisement packet including the charging ID2 received in a wired manner as a beacon packet at a certain time interval. The advertisement packet functions as a signal for notifying its own existence to the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 as the central terminal or the vehicle control unit 32 of the vehicle 30.

[0106] When the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 receives the advertisement packet, it compares the charging ID included in the received advertisement packet with the charging ID previously sent in a wired manner (P1h). Figure 8In the example shown, if the charging ID included in the received announcement packet is Charging ID 2, the verification is successful; if it is not Charging ID 2, the verification fails. In the case of verification failure, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 continues to scan the announcement packet. In the case of successful verification, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 starts the connection process (P1i) with the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a.

[0107] First, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 sends a connection request to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a. Next, encryption parameters (e.g., the number of bits of the encryption key, the encryption level) are exchanged between the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 and the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a. The battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a generates an encryption key for encrypting communication data (P1j) based on the exchanged encryption parameters. The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 generates an encryption key for encrypting communication data (P1k) based on the exchanged encryption parameters. Finally, the generated encryption keys are exchanged between the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 and the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a. Thus, the pairing between the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 and the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a is completed (P1m). Along with the completion of the pairing of the two, the return process of the first battery pack 10a to the charging device 20 ends.

[0108] The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 selects (P1n) another battery pack 10 to be exchanged with the first battery pack 10a. Specifically, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 selects one from the charged battery packs 10 equipped in the plurality of charging slots SLc of the charging stand 21. In Figure 8 the example shown, the charged second battery pack 10b equipped in the second charging slot SLc2 is selected.

[0109] The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 sends a shutdown instruction to the battery control unit 12 of the selected second battery pack 10b via short-range wireless communication and performs the connection release process (P1o) with the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. When receiving the shutdown instruction from the control unit 22 of the charging device 20, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b shuts down (P1p). Before shutting down, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b sends a shutdown completion notification to the control unit 22 of the charging device 20.

[0110] When receiving the shutdown completion notification from the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 instructs the user of the vehicle 30 to remove the second battery pack 10b mounted on the second charging slot SLc2 (P1q). For example, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 causes the display unit 27 to display a message instructing the removal of the second battery pack 10b mounted on the second charging slot SLc2. At this time, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 may also output a voice guidance to the user from a speaker (not shown). In addition, only the lamp (not shown) of the second charging slot SLc2 may be lit or flashed. In addition, only the lamp (not shown) of the second charging slot SLc2 may be lit in a color different from that of the lamps of other charging slots.

[0111] When the user removes the second battery pack 10b from the second charging slot SLc2 and mounts the second battery pack 10b on the first mounting slot SLa1 of the vehicle 30, the fitting detection unit 18 of the second battery pack 10b detects the fitting with the first mounting slot SLa1 (P1r), and the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b is activated (P1t). When the fitting detection unit 38 of the vehicle 30 detects that the battery pack 10 is mounted in the first mounting slot SLa1 (P1s), the vehicle control unit 32 is activated (P1u). In addition, if the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b recognizes the disassembly and assembly from the second charging slot SLc2, the charging ID2 is deleted.

[0112] The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 starts the charging control of the first battery pack 10a mounted on the first charging slot SLc1 (P1v). Specifically, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 sends a charging instruction to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a through short-range wireless communication, and turns on the second slot relay RYsb. If the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a receives this charging instruction, the power relay RYp is turned on. As a result, the charging current flows from the charging unit 29 of the charging device 20 to the first battery pack 10a mounted on the first charging slot SLc1.

[0113] The vehicle control unit 32 sends the vehicle ID to the second battery pack 10b mounted on the first mounting slot SLa1 in a wired manner, and writes the vehicle ID to the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b (P1y). When the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b receives the vehicle ID, the battery control unit 12 becomes a beacon terminal and performs the advertisement of short-range wireless communication (P1z). Specifically, the battery control unit 12 sends the advertisement packet including the vehicle ID received in a wired manner as a beacon packet at a certain time interval.

[0114] When the vehicle control unit 32 receives a notification packet, it compares the vehicle ID included in the received notification packet with the vehicle ID previously sent by wire (P1A). If the comparison of the vehicle IDs fails, the vehicle control unit 32 continues to scan for notification packets. If the comparison of the vehicle IDs succeeds, the vehicle control unit 32 starts the connection process with the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b (P1B).

[0115] First, the vehicle control unit 32 sends a connection request to the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. Next, encryption parameters are exchanged between the vehicle control unit 32 and the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. The battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b generates an encryption key for encrypting communication data based on the exchanged encryption parameters (P1C). The vehicle control unit 32 generates an encryption key for encrypting communication data based on the exchanged encryption parameters (P1D). Finally, the generated encryption keys are exchanged between the vehicle control unit 32 and the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. Thus, the pairing between the vehicle control unit 32 and the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b is completed (P1F). After the pairing is completed, the vehicle control unit 32 sends a shutdown instruction to the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b via short-range wireless communication. When the shutdown instruction is received from the vehicle control unit 32, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b shuts down (P1G).

[0116] Figure 10 represents Figure 8 a timing chart (part 1) showing the process flow of the process related to the modification example shown. Figure 11 represents Figure 10 a timing chart (part 2) showing the process flow of the process related to the modification example shown. In Figure 8 、 Figure 9 the process shown, the battery pack 10 equipped on a certain vehicle 30 can also be disassembled and installed on other vehicles 30 for use. That is, one battery pack 10 can be shared by multiple vehicles 30. In addition, a battery pack 10 obtained illegally (for example, a stolen battery pack 10) can also be installed on a vehicle 30 for use.

[0117] In contrast, in Figure 10 、 Figure 11 the modification example shown, a mechanism is introduced: by setting an equipment permission flag in the battery pack 10, when a battery pack 10 that has not been disassembled and installed through a proper process is installed on a vehicle 30, the use of that battery pack 10 is prohibited. Hereinafter, the differences from the process shown in Figure 8 、 Figure 9 will be described.

[0118] In process P1j, after the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a generates an encryption key, the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a rewrites the equipment permission flag to valid (P11). The equipment permission flag is in a state where use in the vehicle 30 is permitted when it is valid (e.g., 1), and in a state where use in the vehicle 30 is prohibited when it is invalid (e.g., 0).

[0119] In process P1t, when the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b starts and in process P1u when the vehicle control unit 32 starts, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b sends the equipment availability flag to the vehicle control unit 32 in a wired manner. The vehicle control unit 32 performs determination of whether the second battery pack 10b can be equipped (P1x) based on the state of the received equipment permission flag. When the equipment permission flag is invalid, the vehicle control unit 32 interrupts the process and causes the instrument panel 39 to display a warning that an improper battery pack 10 is equipped. In addition, the vehicle control unit 32 may also output a warning sound indicating that an improper battery pack 10 is equipped from a speaker (not shown). The battery control unit 12 performs determination of whether the second battery pack 10b can be equipped (P1w) based on the state of the equipment permission flag. When the equipment permission flag is invalid, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b interrupts the process.

[0120] In process P1C, after the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b generates an encryption key, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b rewrites the equipment permission flag to invalid (P1E).

[0121] Figure 12 It is a timing chart (part 1) showing the detailed processing flow when exchanging the battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot SLa of the vehicle 30 in system configuration example 2. Figure 13 It is a timing chart (part 2) showing the detailed processing flow when exchanging the battery pack 10 equipped in the equipment slot SLa of the vehicle 30 in system configuration example 2.

[0122] Figure 12 The processing from process P2a to process P2e is the same as Figure 8 the processing from process P1a to process P1e. After the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a starts in process P2e, the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a becomes a beacon terminal and performs advertisement of short-range wireless communication (P2f). In Figure 12 the example shown, the charging ID or vehicle ID is not included in the advertisement packet.

[0123] When the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 receives the notification packet, it starts the connection process (P2g) with the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a. First, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 sends a connection request to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a. Next, encryption parameters are exchanged between the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 and the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a. Based on the exchanged encryption parameters, the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a generates an encryption key (P2h) for encrypting communication data. Based on the exchanged encryption parameters, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 generates an encryption key (P2i) for encrypting communication data. Finally, the generated encryption keys are exchanged between the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 and the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a. Thus, a temporary connection is established between the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 and the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a.

[0124] The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 starts the discharge control (P2j) of the first battery pack 10a. Specifically, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 sends a discharge instruction to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a through short-range wireless communication, and turns on the discharge relay and the first slot relay RYsa of the charging device 20. If the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a receives this discharge instruction, it turns on the power relay RYp. Thus, a discharge path is formed between both ends of the first battery pack 10a, and a discharge current flows through the first battery pack 10a.

[0125] The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 controls the on / off of the discharge relay of the charging device 20 according to the discharge mode corresponding to the charging ID2. The battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a obtains the charging ID2 by reading the discharge mode based on the current value detected by the current sensor 17. Through such control of the discharge current, the charging ID2 is written from the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a (P2k). The battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a sends the discharge mode corresponding to the read charging ID2 to the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 through short-range wireless communication.

[0126] When the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 receives a signal including the discharge mode from the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a, it compares the charging ID indicated by the received discharge mode with the charging ID previously transmitted in a wired manner (P21). In Figure 12 In the example shown, if the charging ID indicated by the discharge mode included in the received signal is the charging ID2, the comparison is successful, and if it is not the charging ID2, the comparison fails.

[0127] The control unit 22 of the charging device 20 sends the comparison result to the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a via short-range wireless communication. In the case of a comparison failure, the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 cuts off the temporary connection with the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a, and after a given time, starts scanning for advertisement packets again. The battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a cuts off the temporary connection with the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 and starts advertising for short-range wireless communication again. In the case of a successful comparison, the pairing between the control unit 22 of the charging device 20 and the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a is completed (P2n).

[0128] Figure 12 、 Figure 13 The processes from process P2o to process P2w of Figure 8 、 Figure 9 are the same as the processes from process P1n to process P1v of Figure 13 After the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b is started in process P2u, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b becomes a beacon terminal and performs advertisement for short-range wireless communication (P2z). In the example shown in Figure 13 the advertisement packet does not include the charging ID or the vehicle ID.

[0129] When the vehicle control unit 32 receives the advertisement packet, it starts the connection process (P2A) with the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. First, the vehicle control unit 32 sends a connection request to the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. Next, encryption parameters are exchanged between the vehicle control unit 32 and the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. Based on the exchanged encryption parameters, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b generates an encryption key for encrypting communication data (P2B). The vehicle control unit 32 generates an encryption key for encrypting communication data based on the exchanged encryption parameters (P2C). Finally, the generated encryption keys are exchanged between the vehicle control unit 32 and the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. Thus, a temporary connection is established between the vehicle control unit 32 and the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b.

[0130] The vehicle control unit 32 starts the discharge control (P2D) of the second battery pack 10b. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 32 sends a discharge instruction to the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b via short-range wireless communication and turns on the discharge relay RYd and the second slot relay RYsb. If the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b receives this discharge instruction, it turns on the power relay RYp. Thus, a discharge path is formed between both ends of the second battery pack 10b, and a discharge current flows in the second battery pack 10b.

[0131] The vehicle control unit 32 controls the on / off of the discharge relay RYd according to the discharge mode corresponding to the vehicle ID. The battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b obtains the vehicle ID by reading the discharge mode based on the current value detected by the current sensor 17. Through such control of the discharge current, the vehicle ID (P2E) is written from the vehicle control unit 32 to the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b. The battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b transmits the discharge mode corresponding to the read vehicle ID to the vehicle control unit 32 via short-range wireless communication.

[0132] When the vehicle control unit 32 receives a signal including the discharge mode from the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b, it compares the vehicle ID indicated by the received discharge mode with the vehicle ID previously transmitted in a wired manner (P2F). The vehicle control unit 32 transmits the comparison result to the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b via short-range wireless communication. In the case of a comparison failure, the vehicle control unit 32 cuts off the temporary connection with the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b and starts scanning for advertisement packets again after a given time. The battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b cuts off the temporary connection with the vehicle control unit 32 and starts advertising for short-range wireless communication again. In the case of a successful comparison, the pairing between the vehicle control unit 32 and the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b is completed (P2H).

[0133] After the pairing is completed, the vehicle control unit 32 sends a shutdown instruction to the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b via short-range wireless communication. The battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b shuts down when it receives the shutdown instruction from the vehicle control unit 32 (P2I).

[0134] Figure 14 It represents Figure 12 The timing chart (Part 1) of the process related to the variation of the process shown. Figure 15 It represents Figure 13 The timing chart (Part 2) of the process related to the variation of the process shown. In Figure 14 、 Figure 15 In the variations shown, similar to the process shown in Figure 10 、 Figure 11 A mechanism is introduced as follows: by setting an equipment permission flag in the battery pack 10, when a battery pack 10 that has not been disassembled and assembled through a proper process is installed in the vehicle 30, the use of that battery pack 10 is prohibited. Hereinafter, the differences from the process shown in Figure 12 、 Figure 13 will be described.

[0135] In process P21, after the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a receives a notification of successful verification from the control unit 22 of the charging device 20, the battery control unit 12 of the first battery pack 10a rewrites the equipment permission flag to valid (P2m).

[0136] In process P2u, when the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b is activated and the vehicle control unit 32 is activated in process P2v, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b sends the equipment permission flag to the vehicle control unit 32 in a wired manner. Based on the state of the received equipment permission flag, the vehicle control unit 32 performs a determination on whether the second battery pack 10b can be equipped (P2y). When the equipment permission flag is invalid, the vehicle control unit 32 interrupts the process and causes the instrument panel 39 to display a warning that an improperly equipped battery pack 10 is installed. In addition, the vehicle control unit 32 may also output a warning sound indicating that an improperly equipped battery pack 10 is installed from a speaker (not shown). The battery control unit 12 performs a determination on whether the second battery pack 10b can be equipped based on the state of the equipment permission flag (P2x). When the equipment permission flag is invalid, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b interrupts the process.

[0137] In process P2C, after the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b receives a notification of successful verification from the vehicle control unit 32, the battery control unit 12 of the second battery pack 10b rewrites the equipment permission flag to invalid (P2G).

[0138] As described above, in the present embodiment, an ID is written in a wired manner from the vehicle 30 or the charging device 20 to the battery pack 10, and the ID is sent back from the battery pack 10 to the vehicle 30 or the charging device 20 via short-range wireless communication. Thus, the vehicle 30 or the charging device 20 that controls the battery pack 10 using short-range wireless communication can correctly identify the installed battery pack 10. The vehicle control unit 32 of a certain vehicle 30 does not malfunction by erroneously controlling the battery pack 10 installed in an adjacent other vehicle 30, and the safety and security of the entire vehicle system 1 using the charging device 20 and the replaceable battery pack 10 can be ensured. The user can safely drive the vehicle 30 simply by removing the battery pack 10 installed in the charging device 20 and installing it in the vehicle 30.

[0139] By using short-range wireless communication to transmit and receive control signals between the vehicle 30 or the charging device 20 and the battery pack 10, the number of pins included in the connector of the battery pack 10 can be reduced. As a result, mechanical connection failures between the vehicle 30 or the charging device 20 and the battery pack 10 can be reduced. In addition, the firmware used in the battery control unit 12 of the battery pack 10 can be updated via wireless communication, and the update of the firmware becomes easier.

[0140] In addition, if an equipment permission flag is set in the battery pack 10 as in the processing shown in Figure 10 , Figure 11 , Figure 14 , Figure 15 , it is possible to prohibit the use of the battery pack 10 obtained by improper means.

[0141] As described above, the present disclosure has been described based on the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can understand that the embodiments are examples, and various variations are possible for the combination of these respective structural elements and respective processing procedures, and such variations are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0142] In the above-described embodiment, an example of the battery pack 10 using the battery module 11 including lithium-ion battery cells, nickel-metal hydride battery cells, lead battery cells, etc. has been described. In this regard, a capacitor pack using a capacitor module including electric double layer capacitor cells, lithium-ion capacitor cells, etc. can also be used. In this specification, the battery pack and the capacitor pack are collectively referred to as a power storage pack. In addition, each relay in the above-described embodiment can be appropriately replaced with a semiconductor switch.

[0143] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, as the vehicle 30 using the exchangeable battery pack 10 as a power source, an electric motorcycle (scooter) has been assumed. In this regard, the vehicle 30 can also be an electric bicycle. In addition, the vehicle 30 can also be a four-wheeled electric vehicle (EV). The electric vehicle includes not only full-specification electric vehicles but also low-speed electric vehicles such as golf carts, land cars used in shopping malls, entertainment facilities, etc.

[0144] The electric moving body using the exchangeable battery pack 10 as a power source is not limited to the vehicle 30. For example, the electric moving body also includes an electric ship. For example, the power source of a water bus or a water taxi can be set to the exchangeable battery pack 10. In addition, the electric moving body also includes a tram. For example, a tram equipped with the exchangeable battery pack 10 can be used instead of a pneumatic vehicle used on a non-electrified route. The electric moving body also includes an electric flying body. The electric flying body includes a multi-rotor aircraft (drone). The multi-rotor aircraft also includes a so-called flying car. For any of these electric moving bodies, the energy replenishment time can be shortened.

[0145] In addition, the embodiments can also be determined by the following items.

[0146] [Item 1]

[0147] A method for authenticating a power storage pack (10), comprising:

[0148] When a storage battery pack (10) detachable from an electric moving body (30) is equipped in a charging slot (SLc1) of a charging device (20), a step in which a control unit (22) of the charging device (20) transmits identification information to a control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc) in a wired manner;

[0149] A step in which a control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) transmits a signal including the identification information received from the charging device (20) by short-range wireless communication; and

[0150] When the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) receives the signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication, a step of comparing whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner, and when they are consistent, authenticating that the storage battery pack (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0151] Accordingly, the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) can correctly authenticate whether the storage battery pack (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0152] [Item 2]

[0153] The authentication method of the storage battery pack (10) according to Item 1 of the storage battery pack (10) further has the following steps:

[0154] When a storage battery pack (10) detachable from another charging slot (SLc2) of the charging device (20) is equipped in the electric moving body (30), a step in which a control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) transmits identification information to a control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) equipped in the electric moving body (30) in a wired manner;

[0155] A step in which a control unit (12) of the storage battery pack CI0) transmits a signal including the identification information received from the electric moving body (30) by the short-range wireless communication; and

[0156] When the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) receives the signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication, a step of comparing whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner, and when they are consistent, authenticating that the storage battery pack (10) equipped in the electric moving body (30) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0157] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the battery pack (10) equipped therein and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0158] [Item 3]

[0159] The authentication method of the battery pack (10) according to Item 2 further includes the following steps:

[0160] After the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) authenticates that the battery pack (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same, a step of setting the equipment permission flag held by the battery pack (10) to valid; and

[0161] After the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) authenticates that the battery pack (10) equipped in the electric moving body (30) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same, a step of setting the equipment permission flag held by the battery pack (10) to invalid.

[0162] Accordingly, the use of the battery pack (10) obtained by improper means can be prevented.

[0163] [Item 4]

[0164] An authentication method of a battery pack (10) includes:

[0165] When the battery pack (10) is equipped in the electric moving body (30), a step in which the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) sends identification information to the control unit (12) of the battery pack (10) in a wired manner;

[0166] A step in which the control unit (12) of the battery pack (10) sends a signal including the identification information received from the electric moving body (30) through short-range wireless communication;

[0167] When the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) receives the signal sent through the short-range wireless communication, a step of comparing whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner, and when they are consistent, authenticating that the battery pack (10) equipped in the electric moving body (30) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0168] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the battery pack (10) equipped therein and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0169] [Item 5]

[0170] A method for authenticating a storage battery pack (10), comprising:

[0171] When a storage battery pack (10) detachably attached to an electric moving body (30) is installed in a charging slot (SLc1) of a charging device (20), a step in which a control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) transmits a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication;

[0172] A step in which a control unit (22) of the charging device (20) temporarily connects to a control unit (12) of a transmission destination of the signal when receiving the signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication;

[0173] A step in which a control unit (22) of the charging device (20) transmits identification information to a control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) installed in the charging slot (SLc1) in a wired manner;

[0174] A step in which, when the control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) in the temporary connection receives the identification information in a wired manner from the control unit (22) of the charging device (20), a signal including the identification information received from the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) is transmitted to the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) through the short-range wireless communication; and

[0175] A step in which, when the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) receives the signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication from the control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) in the temporary connection, the control unit (22) checks whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner, and when they are consistent, authenticates that the storage battery pack (10) installed in the charging slot (SLc1) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0176] Accordingly, the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) can correctly authenticate whether the storage battery pack (10) installed in the charging slot (SLc1) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0177] [Item 6]

[0178] The method for authenticating a storage battery pack (10) according to Item 5 further comprises the following steps:

[0179] When a storage battery pack (10) detachably attached to another charging slot (SLc2) of the charging device (20) is installed in the electric moving body (30), a step in which a control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) transmits a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication;

[0180] A step in which a control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) is temporarily connected to a control unit (12) of a transmission destination of a signal when the control unit (32) receives a signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication;

[0181] A step in which a control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) transmits identification information to a control unit (12) of a power storage unit (10) equipped on the electric mobile body (30) in a wired manner;

[0182] A step in which, when the control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10) in the temporary connection receives the identification information from the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) in a wired manner, a signal including the identification information received from the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) is transmitted to the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) through the short-range wireless communication; and

[0183] A step in which a control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30), when receiving a signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication from the control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10) in the temporary connection, checks whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner, and when they are consistent, authenticates that the power storage unit (10) equipped on the electric mobile body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0184] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the equipped power storage unit (10) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0185] [Item 7]

[0186] According to the authentication method of the power storage unit (10) described in Item 6, the following steps are further included:

[0187] A step in which a control unit (22) of the charging device (20) sets an equipment permission flag held by the power storage unit (10) to valid after authenticating that the power storage unit (10) equipped on the charging slot (SLc1) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication; and

[0188] A step in which a control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) sets an equipment permission flag held by the power storage unit (10) to invalid after authenticating that the power storage unit (10) equipped on the electric mobile body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0189] Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the use of a power storage unit (10) obtained by improper means.

[0190] [Item 8]

[0191] A method for authenticating a battery pack (10), comprising:

[0192] When a battery pack (10) that can be detached from a charging slot (SLc1) of a charging device (20) is installed in an electric moving body (30), a step in which a control unit (12) of the battery pack (10) sends a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication;

[0193] When the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) receives the signal sent through the short-range wireless communication, a step of temporarily connecting to the control unit (12) of the signal transmission destination;

[0194] A step in which the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) sends identification information to the control unit (12) of the battery pack (10) installed in the electric moving body (30) in a wired manner;

[0195] When the control unit (12) of the temporarily connected battery pack (10) receives the identification information in a wired manner from the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30), a step of sending a signal including the identification information received from the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) to the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) through the short-range wireless communication; and

[0196] When the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) receives the signal sent through the short-range wireless communication from the control unit (12) of the temporarily connected battery pack (10), a step of comparing whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner, and if they are consistent, authenticating that the battery pack (10) installed in the electric moving body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0197] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the installed battery pack (10) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0198] [Item 9]

[0199] According to the method for authenticating a battery pack (10) according to any one of Items 1 to 8,

[0200] The short-range wireless communication is BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy).

[0201] Accordingly, short-range wireless communication can be performed with low power consumption.

[0202] [Item 10]

[0203] An electricity storage unit (10) includes:

[0204] An electricity storage section (11) for supplying power to an electric moving body (30); and

[0205] A control section (12) capable of communicating with a control section (32) of the electric moving body (30) and a control section (22) of a charging device (20),

[0206] The control section (12),

[0207] when the electricity storage unit (10) is detached from and attached to the electric moving body (30) and is equipped in a charging slot (SLc1) of the charging device (20), receives identification information from the control section (22) of the charging device (20),

[0208] sends a signal including the identification information received from the charging device (20) through short-range wireless communication,

[0209] The signal sent through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate whether the electricity storage unit (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication in the control section (22) of the charging device (20).

[0210] Accordingly, the control section (22) of the charging device (20) can correctly authenticate whether the electricity storage unit (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0211] [Item 11]

[0212] The electricity storage unit (10) according to Item 10,

[0213] The control section (12),

[0214] when the electricity storage unit (10) is detached from the charging slot (SLc1) and attached to the electric moving body (30), receives other identification information from the control section (32) of the electric moving body (30) in a wired manner,

[0215] sends a signal including the other identification information received from the electric moving body (30) through the short-range wireless communication,

[0216] The signal sent through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate whether the electricity storage unit (10) equipped in the electric moving body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication in the control section (32) of the electric moving body (30).

[0217] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the equipped power storage unit (10) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0218] [Item 12]

[0219] A power storage unit (10) includes:

[0220] A power storage unit (11) for supplying power to the electric moving body (30); and

[0221] A control unit (12) capable of communicating with the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) and the control unit (22) of the charging device (20),

[0222] The control unit (12),

[0223] When this power storage unit (10) is disassembled from and equipped on the charging slot (SLc1) of the charging device (20) and installed on the electric moving body (30), identification information is received in a wired manner from the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30).

[0224] A signal including the identification information received from the electric moving body (30) is transmitted through short-range wireless communication.

[0225] The signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate in the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) whether the power storage unit (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0226] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the equipped power storage unit (10) and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

[0227] [Item 13]

[0228] A power storage unit (10) includes:

[0229] A power storage unit (11) for supplying power to the electric moving body (30); and

[0230] A control unit (12) capable of communicating with the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) and the control unit (22) of the charging device (20),

[0231] The control unit (12),

[0232] When the storage battery pack (10) is disassembled from and installed in the charging slot (SLc1) of the charging device (20) of the electric mobile body (30), a signal for notifying its own presence is transmitted by short-range wireless communication.

[0233] After being temporarily connected to the control unit (22) of the charging device (20), identification information is received in a wired manner from the control unit (22) of the charging device (20).

[0234] When the identification information is received in a wired manner from the control unit (22) of the charging device (20), a signal including the identification information received from the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) is transmitted to the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) through the short-range wireless communication.

[0235] The signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate in the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) whether the storage battery pack (10) installed in the charging device (20) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0236] Accordingly, the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) can correctly authenticate whether the storage battery pack (10) installed in the charging slot (SLc1) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0237] [Item 14]

[0238] The storage battery pack (10) according to Item 13.

[0239] The control unit (12).

[0240] When the storage battery pack (10) is disassembled from the charging slot (SLc1) and installed in the electric mobile body (30), a signal for notifying its own presence is transmitted by short-range wireless communication.

[0241] After being temporarily connected to the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30), identification information is received in a wired manner from the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30).

[0242] When the identification information is received in a wired manner from the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30), a signal including the identification information received from the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) is transmitted to the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) through the short-range wireless communication.

[0243] The signal transmitted via the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate in the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) whether the present power storage unit (10) equipped on the electric mobile body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0244] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the equipped power storage unit (10) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0245] [Item 15]

[0246] A power storage unit (10) includes:

[0247] A power storage part (11) for supplying power to the electric mobile body (30); and

[0248] A control unit (12) capable of communicating with the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) and the control unit (22) of the charging device (20),

[0249] The control unit (12),

[0250] When the present power storage unit (10) is disassembled from and assembled on the charging slot (SLc1) of the charging device (20) and equipped on the electric mobile body (30), a signal for notifying its own presence is transmitted via the short-range wireless communication,

[0251] After being temporarily connected to the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30), identification information is received in a wired manner from the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30),

[0252] When the identification information is received in a wired manner from the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30), a signal including the identification information received from the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) is transmitted to the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) via the short-range wireless communication,

[0253] The signal transmitted via the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate in the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) whether the present power storage unit (10) equipped on the electric mobile body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0254] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric mobile body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the equipped power storage unit (10) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0255] [Item 16]

[0256] A charging device (20) includes:

[0257] Charging slot (SLc1); and

[0258] A control unit (22) capable of communicating with the control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10),

[0259] The control unit (22),

[0260] When the power storage unit (10) disassembled from the electric mobile body (30) is equipped in the charging slot (SLc1), the control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) is sent identification information in a wired manner,

[0261] In the case of receiving a signal transmitted by short-range wireless communication, the identification information included in the received signal is compared with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner, and in the case of consistency, it is authenticated that the power storage unit (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0262] Accordingly, the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) can correctly authenticate whether the power storage unit (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0263] [Item 17]

[0264] A charging device (20) includes:

[0265] Charging slot (SLc1); and

[0266] A control unit (22) capable of communicating with the control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10),

[0267] The control unit (22),

[0268] After the power storage unit (10) is equipped in the charging slot (SLc1), in the case of receiving a signal transmitted by short-range wireless communication, it is temporarily connected to the control unit (12) of the signal transmission destination,

[0269] The control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) is sent identification information in a wired manner,

[0270] When receiving a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication from the control unit (12) of the temporarily connected power storage unit (10), it is checked whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is authenticated that the power storage unit (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0271] Accordingly, the control unit (22) of the charging device (20) can correctly authenticate whether the power storage unit (10) equipped in the charging slot (SLc1) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0272] [Item 18]

[0273] An electric moving body (30) includes:

[0274] A motor (311); and

[0275] A control unit (32) capable of communicating with the control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10),

[0276] The control unit (32),

[0277] When the power storage unit (10) disassembled and assembled from the charging slot (SLc1) of the charging device (20) is equipped in this electric moving body (30), identification information is transmitted in the wired manner to the control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10) equipped in this electric moving body (30).

[0278] When receiving a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication, it is checked whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is authenticated that the power storage unit (10) equipped in this electric moving body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0279] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the equipped power storage unit (10) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0280] [Item 19]

[0281] An electric moving body (30) includes:

[0282] A motor (311); and

[0283] A control unit (32) capable of communicating with the control unit (12) of the power storage unit (10),

[0284] The control unit (32),

[0285] After the electric moving body (30) is equipped with the storage battery pack (10) and receives a signal sent by short-range wireless communication, it is temporarily connected to the control unit (12) of the signal sending destination.

[0286] Send the identification information to the control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) in a wired manner.

[0287] When receiving a signal sent by the short-range wireless communication from the control unit (12) of the temporarily connected storage battery pack (10), compare whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is certified that the storage battery pack (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0288] Accordingly, the control unit (32) of the electric moving body (30) can correctly authenticate whether the equipped storage battery pack (10) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0289] [Item 20]

[0290] A control device (32) of an electric moving body (30).

[0291] When the storage battery pack (10) disassembled from the charging slot (SLc1) of the charging device (20) is equipped on the electric moving body (30), send the identification information to the control unit (12) of the storage battery pack (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) in a wired manner.

[0292] When receiving a signal sent by short-range wireless communication, compare whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is certified that the storage battery pack (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0293] Accordingly, it is possible to correctly authenticate whether the storage battery pack (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0294] [Item 21]

[0295] A control device (32) of an electric moving body (30).

[0296] After the electric moving body (30) is equipped with the storage battery pack (10) and receives a signal sent by short-range wireless communication, it is temporarily connected to the control unit (12) of the signal sending destination.

[0297] Transmit the identification information to the control unit (12) of the battery pack (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) in a wired manner.

[0298] When a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication is received from the control unit (12) of the temporarily connected battery pack (10), compare whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner. If they are consistent, authenticate that the battery pack (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0299] Accordingly, it is possible to correctly authenticate whether the battery pack (10) equipped on the electric moving body (30) is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

[0300] -Symbol Explanation-

[0301] 1 Vehicle system, 2 Commercial power system, 10 Battery pack, 11 Battery module, E1 - En Cells 12 Battery control unit, 13 Processing unit, 14 Voltage measurement unit, 15 Antenna, 16 Wireless communication unit, 17 Current sensor, 18 Fitting detection unit, 20 Charging device, 21 Charging station, SLc Charging slot, 22 Control unit, 23 Processing unit, 25 Antenna, 26 Wireless communication unit, 27 Display unit, 28 Operation unit, 29 Charging unit, 30 Vehicle, 31 Battery equipment unit, SLa Equipment slot, 32 Vehicle control unit, 33 Processing unit, 34 Relay control unit, 35 Antenna, 36 Wireless communication unit, 37 Battery pack detection unit, 38 Fitting detection unit, 39 Instrument panel, 310 Inverter, 311 Motor, 312 Tire, RYm Main relay, RYsa First slot relay, RYsb Second slot relay, RYp Power relay, RYc Battery pack side communication relay, RYca First vehicle side communication relay, RYcb Second vehicle side communication relay, RYd Discharge relay, F1, F2 Fuses, R1, R2 Resistors, Tp Positive terminal, Tm Negative terminal.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating a battery pack, comprising the following steps: When a battery pack disassembled from an electric moving body is equipped in a charging slot of a charging device, a control unit of the charging device sends identification information to a control unit of the battery pack equipped in the charging slot in a wired manner; The control unit of the battery pack sends a signal including the identification information received from the charging device through short-range wireless communication; and When the control unit of the charging device receives the signal sent through the short-range wireless communication, it checks whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it authenticates that the battery pack equipped in the charging slot and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

2. The method for authenticating a battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The method for authenticating a battery pack further comprises the following steps: When a battery pack disassembled from another charging slot of the charging device is equipped in the electric moving body, a control unit of the electric moving body sends identification information to a control unit of the battery pack equipped in the electric moving body in a wired manner; The control unit of the battery pack sends a signal including the identification information received from the electric moving body through the short-range wireless communication; and When the control unit of the electric moving body receives the signal sent through the short-range wireless communication, it checks whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it authenticates that the battery pack equipped in the electric moving body and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

3. The method for authenticating a battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: The method for authenticating a battery pack further comprises the following steps: After authenticating that the battery pack equipped in the charging slot and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same, the control unit of the charging device sets the equipment permission flag held by the battery pack to valid; and After authenticating that the battery pack equipped in the electric moving body and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same, the control unit of the electric moving body sets the equipment permission flag held by the battery pack to invalid.

4. A method for authenticating a battery pack, comprising the following steps: When a battery pack is equipped in an electric moving body, a control unit of the electric moving body sends identification information to a control unit of the battery pack in a wired manner; The control unit of the battery pack sends a signal including the identification information received from the electric moving body through short-range wireless communication; and When the control unit of the electric moving body receives the signal sent through the short-range wireless communication, it checks whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it authenticates that the battery pack equipped in the electric moving body and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

5. A method for authenticating a battery pack, comprising the following steps: When a power storage unit that can be detached from an electric moving body is installed in a charging slot of a charging device, a control unit of the power storage unit transmits a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication; When the control unit of the charging device receives the signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication, it temporarily connects to the control unit of the signal transmission destination; The control unit of the charging device transmits identification information to the control unit of the power storage unit installed in the charging slot in a wired manner; When the control unit of the power storage unit in the temporary connection receives the identification information from the control unit of the charging device in a wired manner, it transmits a signal including the identification information received from the control unit of the charging device to the control unit of the charging device through the short-range wireless communication; and When the control unit of the charging device receives the signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication from the control unit of the power storage unit in the temporary connection, it checks whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is certified that the power storage unit installed in the charging slot and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

6. The method for authenticating a power storage unit according to claim 5, wherein, The method for authenticating the power storage unit further includes the following steps: When a power storage unit that can be detached from another charging slot of the charging device is installed in the electric moving body, a control unit of the power storage unit transmits a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication; When the control unit of the electric moving body receives the signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication, it temporarily connects to the control unit of the signal transmission destination; The control unit of the electric moving body transmits identification information to the control unit of the power storage unit installed in the electric moving body in a wired manner; When the control unit of the power storage unit in the temporary connection receives the identification information from the control unit of the electric moving body in a wired manner, it transmits a signal including the identification information received from the control unit of the electric moving body to the control unit of the electric moving body through the short-range wireless communication; and When the control unit of the electric moving body receives the signal transmitted through the short-range wireless communication from the control unit of the power storage unit in the temporary connection, it checks whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is certified that the power storage unit installed in the electric moving body and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same.

7. The method for authenticating a power storage unit according to claim 6, wherein, The method for authenticating the power storage unit further includes the following steps: After it is certified that the power storage unit installed in the charging slot and the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication are the same, the control unit of the charging device sets the equipment permission flag held by the power storage unit to valid; and After the control unit of the electric mobile body authenticates that the storage battery pack equipped on the electric mobile body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication, the equipment permission flag held by the storage battery pack is set to invalid.

8. A method for authenticating a storage battery pack, comprising the following steps: When a storage battery pack that can be detached from and attached to the charging slot of a charging device is equipped on an electric mobile body, the control unit of the storage battery pack sends a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication; When the control unit of the electric mobile body receives the signal sent through the short-range wireless communication, it temporarily connects to the control unit of the signal sender; The control unit of the electric mobile body sends identification information to the control unit of the storage battery pack equipped on the electric mobile body in a wired manner; When the control unit of the temporarily connected storage battery pack receives the identification information from the control unit of the electric mobile body in a wired manner, it sends a signal including the identification information received from the control unit of the electric mobile body to the control unit of the electric mobile body through the short-range wireless communication; and When the control unit of the electric mobile body receives the signal sent through the short-range wireless communication from the control unit of the temporarily connected storage battery pack, it checks whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information sent in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is authenticated that the storage battery pack equipped on the electric mobile body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

9. The method for authenticating a storage battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein The short-range wireless communication is BLE, i.e., Bluetooth Low Energy.

10. A storage battery pack, comprising: A storage unit for supplying power to an electric mobile body; and A control unit capable of communicating with the control unit of the electric mobile body and the control unit of the charging device, The control unit, When this storage battery pack is detached from the electric mobile body and equipped in the charging slot of the charging device, it receives identification information from the control unit of the charging device, Sends a signal including the identification information received from the charging device through short-range wireless communication, The signal sent through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate in the control unit of the charging device whether the storage battery pack equipped in the charging slot is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

11. The storage battery pack according to claim 10, wherein The control unit, When this storage battery pack is detached from the charging slot and equipped on the electric mobile body, it receives other identification information from the control unit of the electric mobile body in a wired manner, Sends a signal including the other identification information received from the electric mobile body through the short-range wireless communication, The signal sent through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate in the control unit of the electric mobile body whether the storage battery pack equipped on the electric mobile body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

12. A storage battery pack, comprising: A storage unit for supplying power to an electric mobile body; and A control unit capable of communicating with the control unit of the electric mobile body and the control unit of the charging device, The control unit, When disassembling and installing this battery pack from the charging slot of the charging device and equipping it on the electric mobile body, receive identification information in a wired manner from the control unit of the electric mobile body, Send a signal including the identification information received from the electric mobile body through short-range wireless communication, The signal sent through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate whether the battery pack equipped on the electric mobile body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication in the control unit of the electric mobile body.

13. A battery pack, comprising: A power storage unit for supplying power to an electric mobile body; and A control unit capable of communicating with the control unit of the electric mobile body and the control unit of the charging device, The control unit, When disassembling and installing this battery pack from the electric mobile body and equipping it on the charging slot of the charging device, send a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication, After temporarily connecting to the control unit of the charging device, receive identification information in a wired manner from the control unit of the charging device, In the case of receiving the identification information in a wired manner from the control unit of the charging device, send a signal including the identification information received from the control unit of the charging device through the short-range wireless communication to the control unit of the charging device, The signal sent through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate whether the battery pack equipped on the charging device is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication in the control unit of the charging device.

14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein The control unit, When disassembling and installing this battery pack from the charging slot and equipping it on the electric mobile body, send a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication, After temporarily connecting to the control unit of the electric mobile body, receive identification information in a wired manner from the control unit of the electric mobile body, In the case of receiving the identification information in a wired manner from the control unit of the electric mobile body, send a signal including the identification information received from the control unit of the electric mobile body through the short-range wireless communication to the control unit of the electric mobile body, The signal sent through the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate whether the battery pack equipped on the electric mobile body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication in the control unit of the electric mobile body.

15. A battery pack, comprising: A power storage unit for supplying power to an electric mobile body; and A control unit capable of communicating with the control unit of the electric mobile body and the control unit of the charging device, The control unit, When disassembling and installing this battery pack from the charging slot of the charging device and equipping it on the electric mobile body, send a signal for notifying its own presence through short-range wireless communication, After temporarily connecting to the control unit of the electric mobile body, receive identification information in a wired manner from the control unit of the electric mobile body, In the case where the identification information is received in a wired manner from the control unit of the electric moving body, a signal including the identification information received from the control unit of the electric moving body is transmitted to the control unit of the electric moving body by the short-range wireless communication. The signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication is used to authenticate whether the main battery pack equipped on the electric moving body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication in the control unit of the electric moving body.

16. A charging device, comprising: A charging slot; and A control unit capable of communicating with the control unit of the battery pack. The control unit, When a battery pack disassembled from an electric moving body is equipped in the charging slot, transmits identification information to the control unit of the battery pack equipped in the charging slot in a wired manner. In the case where a signal transmitted by short-range wireless communication is received, compares whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is authenticated that the battery pack equipped in the charging slot is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

17. A charging device, comprising: A charging slot; and A control unit capable of communicating with the control unit of the battery pack. The control unit, After the battery pack is equipped in the charging slot, in the case where a signal transmitted by short-range wireless communication is received, temporarily connects to the control unit of the signal transmission destination. Transmits identification information to the control unit of the battery pack equipped in the charging slot in a wired manner. In the case where a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication is received from the control unit of the temporarily connected battery pack, compares whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is authenticated that the battery pack equipped in the charging slot is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

18. An electric moving body, comprising: A motor; and A control unit capable of communicating with the control unit of the battery pack. The control unit, When a battery pack disassembled from the charging slot of a charging device is equipped on the electric moving body, transmits identification information to the control unit of the battery pack equipped on the electric moving body in a wired manner. In the case where a signal transmitted by short-range wireless communication is received, compares whether the identification information included in the received signal is consistent with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner. If they are consistent, it is authenticated that the battery pack equipped on the electric moving body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

19. An electric moving body, comprising: A motor; A control unit capable of communicating with the control unit of the battery pack. The control unit, After the electric moving body is equipped with the battery pack, in the case where a signal transmitted by short-range wireless communication is received, temporarily connects to the control unit of the signal transmission destination. Transmits identification information to the control unit of the battery pack equipped on the electric moving body in a wired manner. In the case of receiving a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication from the control unit of the temporarily connected power storage unit, the identification information included in the received signal is compared with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner, and in the case of consistency, it is authenticated that the power storage unit equipped on the electric moving body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

20. A control device for an electric moving body, When a power storage unit that is detachable from a charging slot of a charging device is equipped on the electric moving body, identification information is transmitted in a wired manner to the control unit of the power storage unit equipped on the electric moving body. In the case of receiving a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication, the identification information included in the received signal is compared with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner, and in the case of consistency, it is authenticated that the power storage unit equipped on the electric moving body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

21. A control device for an electric moving body, After the electric moving body is equipped with a power storage unit, in the case of receiving a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication, it is temporarily connected to the control unit of the destination of the signal. Identification information is transmitted in a wired manner to the control unit of the power storage unit equipped on the electric moving body. In the case of receiving a signal transmitted by the short-range wireless communication from the control unit of the temporarily connected power storage unit, the identification information included in the received signal is compared with the identification information transmitted in the wired manner, and in the case of consistency, it is authenticated that the power storage unit equipped on the electric moving body is the same as the communication partner of the short-range wireless communication.

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