Battery exchange management method and battery energy station thereof, and computer program product

Abstract

The invention provides a battery exchange management method which is suitable for a battery energy station. First, a battery is received using a battery energy station. Then, whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server through a network or not is judged; when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server, an off-line battery swap flag of the corresponding battery is obtained, and whether to execute a battery swap operation is determined according to the off-line battery swap flag of the corresponding battery. Wherein in the battery exchange operation, a target battery is selected from a plurality of candidate batteries in the battery energy station, and the target battery is exchanged with the batteries in the battery exchange operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery exchange management method and a battery energy station thereof, and in particular to a method and a battery energy station thereof that can provide a battery exchange service even when the battery energy station is offline. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the rise of environmental awareness and the advancement of electric vehicle technology, the development of electric vehicles powered by electricity to replace traditional vehicles powered by fossil fuels has gradually become an important goal in the automotive field, making electric vehicles more and more popular. In order to increase the range and willingness to use electric vehicles, many countries or cities have begun to plan to set up charging stations and battery energy stations in public places to provide electric vehicles and / or electric motorcycles for charging or battery replacement, making the use of electric vehicles more convenient.

[0003] Generally speaking, battery energy stations are managed through the cloud. Battery energy stations located at the same or different locations can be connected to a remote server through the Internet. The remote server monitors and manages the operation of these battery energy stations. For example, during the battery exchange operation of the battery energy station, the battery energy station will send the battery identification data and user identification data of the corresponding battery to the remote server through the Internet, and the remote server will determine whether to agree to perform this battery exchange operation based on the received data.

[0004] In the known technology, when the battery energy station cannot connect to the remote server due to network disconnection or other reasons, the battery swap operation on this battery energy station will be suspended. In other words, the user cannot use the battery swap service when the battery energy station is offline, which causes great inconvenience to the user. Summary of the invention

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery swap management method that can overcome the above problems.

[0006] Therefore, the battery exchange management method of the present invention is applicable to a battery energy station. First, a battery is received by the battery energy station. Then, it is determined whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network. When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server, an offline battery exchange flag corresponding to the battery is obtained, and a battery exchange operation is determined based on the offline battery exchange flag corresponding to the battery. Among them, the battery exchange operation is to select a target battery from multiple candidate batteries in the battery energy station, and exchange the target battery with the battery in the battery exchange operation.

[0007] In some embodiments, when the battery energy station cannot connect to the remote server, it is determined whether the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has been marked. When the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has been marked, the battery replacement operation is refused. When the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has not been marked, the battery replacement operation is performed and the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the marked battery is marked.

[0008] In some embodiments, a user identification data corresponding to the battery and a battery identification data corresponding to the target battery are recorded. When the battery energy station is connected to the remote server, the user identification data corresponding to the battery and the battery identification data corresponding to the target battery are transmitted to the remote server via the network.

[0009] In some embodiments, the battery energy station is used to receive the target battery. When the battery energy station is connected to the remote server, an instruction from the remote server is received, and the marking of the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery is deleted according to the instruction.

[0010] In some embodiments, a specific battery energy station is used to receive the target battery, wherein the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery has been marked. It is determined whether the specific battery energy station can be connected to the remote server via the network. When the specific battery energy station can be connected to the remote server, a specific battery exchange operation is performed, and the marking of the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery is deleted.

[0011] In some embodiments, the offline battery replacement flag is set in the battery in the form of hardware, firmware, or software.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery energy station.

[0013] Therefore, the battery energy station of the present invention includes a network connection unit, a battery storage unit and a processing unit. The battery storage unit stores a plurality of batteries and receives a battery. The processing unit is electrically coupled to the battery storage unit to determine whether the network connection unit can be used to connect to a remote server via a network. When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server, an offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery is obtained, and a battery exchange operation is determined based on the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery. The battery exchange operation is to select a target battery from the candidate batteries, and exchange the target battery with the battery in the battery exchange operation.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the battery energy station cannot connect to the remote server, the processing unit determines whether the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has been marked. When the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has been marked, the processing unit refuses to perform the battery replacement operation. When the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has not been marked, the processing unit performs the battery replacement operation and marks the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the marked battery.

[0015] In some embodiments, the processing unit further records a user identification data corresponding to the battery and a battery identification data corresponding to the labeled battery, and when the battery energy station is connected to the remote server, the processing unit transmits the user identification data corresponding to the battery and the battery identification data corresponding to the labeled battery to the remote server via the network.

[0016] In some embodiments, the battery energy station receives the target battery, and when the battery energy station is connected to the remote server, the processing unit receives an instruction from the remote server and deletes the marking of the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery according to the instruction.

[0017] The above method of the present invention may exist in the form of program code. When the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, the machine becomes a device for implementing the present invention. Therefore, another object of the present invention is to provide a computer program product as described above.

[0018] Therefore, the computer program product of the present invention is loaded by a machine to execute a battery exchange management method, which is applicable to a battery energy station. The above-mentioned computer program product includes a first program code, a second program code, a third program code, and a fourth program code. The first program code is used to use the battery energy station to receive a battery. The second program code is used to determine whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network. The third program code is used to obtain an offline battery exchange flag corresponding to the battery when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server. The fourth program code is used to determine whether to perform a battery exchange operation based on the offline battery exchange flag corresponding to the battery. Among them, the battery exchange operation is to select a target battery from multiple candidate batteries in the battery energy station, and exchange the target battery with the battery in the battery exchange operation.

[0019] The effect of the present invention is that the battery exchange management method and the battery energy station of the present invention can provide battery exchange service when the battery energy station is offline by setting the offline battery exchange flag of the corresponding battery, thereby reducing the inconvenience of being unable to exchange batteries due to an unstable network environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery energy station of the embodiment connected to a remote server via a network;

[0023] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating the battery exchange management method of the embodiment;

[0024] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the battery exchange management method of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the battery exchange management method of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the battery swap management method of the present invention; and

[0027] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the battery exchange management method of the present invention.

[0028] Reference numerals list

[0029] 100…Battery Energy Station

[0030] 110…Battery Storage System

[0031] 112, 114…Candidate batteries

[0032] 120…Energy Module

[0033] 130…Network connection unit

[0034] 140…Processing unit

[0035] 200…Network

[0036] 300…Remote Server

[0037] S310, S320, S330, S340, S350...steps

[0038] S410, S420, S430, S440, S450, S460, S470, S480, S490...steps

[0039] S510, S520, S530...steps

[0040] S610, S620, S630, S640, S650…steps

[0041] S710, S720, S730, S740, S750, S760, S770…steps. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Before the present invention is described in detail, it should be noted that similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals in the following description.

[0043] Figure 1 A battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. A battery energy station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an electronic device. As shown in the figure, the battery energy station 100 includes at least a battery storage system 110, an energy module 120, a network connection unit 130, and a processing unit 140. The battery storage system 110 has a specific mechanism (not shown in the figure) that can store multiple batteries, such as candidate batteries 112 and 114, and selectively lock or release the batteries. The battery energy station 100 can provide batteries to at least one power-consuming device, such as an electric motorcycle or an electric car for use. The energy module 120 can be electrically coupled to a power grid (not shown in the figure) to obtain a total current to supply electricity to the battery energy station, and charge the battery according to the signal of the processing unit 140. It must be noted that in some embodiments, the battery storage system 110 may include a charging module corresponding to each battery, and the charging module has an upper current limit and / or a lower current limit to charge the corresponding battery. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the energy module 120 can actively detect the total current supplied by the power grid to the battery energy station 100, and notify the processing unit 140 of the corresponding total current information. The network connection unit 130 can be connected to a network, so that the battery energy station 100 has a network connection capability. In some embodiments, the network can be a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network. The processing unit 140 can control the operation of all hardware and software in the battery energy station 100, and its details will be described later.

[0044] Figure 2 The battery energy station 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown as being connected to the remote server via the network. As mentioned above, the battery energy station 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be connected to the remote server via the network connection unit 130 (see Figure 1), so as to have network connection capability. The battery energy station 100 can be connected to a remote server 300 via a network 200, such as a wired network, a telecommunication network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network. It should be noted that the remote server 300 can be an electronic device. The remote server 300 can simultaneously manage other battery energy stations located at the same location or at different locations via the network 200. As mentioned above, the battery energy station 100 has a plurality of batteries that can be provided to at least one power-consuming device, such as an electric motorcycle or an electric car.

[0045] Figure 3 The battery exchange management method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The battery exchange management method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a battery energy station.

[0046] First, as in step S310, a battery is received by the battery energy station. It should be noted that the battery storage system of the battery energy station may have at least one empty slot. The user can place the battery of his electric vehicle in this empty slot. Then, as in step S320, determine whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network. When the battery energy station can be connected to the remote server (no in step S330), the process ends. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the battery energy station can read relevant information of the corresponding battery, such as battery identification information and user identification information, and perform the battery exchange operation according to the relevant information of the corresponding battery. When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server (yes in step S330), as in step S340, obtain an offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery, and as in step S350, determine whether to perform a battery replacement operation according to the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery can be recorded in the battery energy station. In some embodiments, the offline battery swap flag corresponding to the battery can be set in the battery in hardware, firmware, and / or software form. Note that the battery swap operation is to select at least one target battery from a plurality of candidate batteries in the battery energy station, and swap the target battery with the battery in the battery swap operation.

[0047] Figure 4 A battery exchange management method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. The battery exchange management method according to the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a battery energy station.

[0048] First, as in step S410, a battery is received by the battery energy station. Similarly, the battery storage system of the battery energy station may have at least one empty slot. The user can place the battery of his electric vehicle in this empty slot. Then, as in step S420, determine whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network. When the battery energy station can be connected to the remote server (no in step S430), the process ends. Similarly, in some embodiments, the battery energy station can read relevant information of the corresponding battery, such as battery identification information and user identification information, and perform the battery exchange operation based on the relevant information of the corresponding battery. When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server (yes in step S430), as in step S440, obtain an offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery, and as in step S450, determine whether the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery has been marked. Similarly, in some embodiments, the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery can be recorded in the battery energy station. In some embodiments, the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery can be set in the battery in the form of hardware, firmware, and / or software. When the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has been marked (yes in step S460), as in step S470, the battery exchange operation is refused to be performed. When the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has not been marked (no in step S460), as in step S480, the battery exchange operation is performed to select at least one target battery from multiple candidate batteries in the battery energy station, and mark the offline battery replacement flag of the target battery. This target battery will be exchanged with the battery in the battery exchange operation. Then, as in step S490, a user identification data corresponding to the battery and a battery identification data corresponding to the target battery are recorded.

[0049] Figure 5 A battery exchange management method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. The battery exchange management method according to the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a battery energy station. In this embodiment, when the battery energy station is reconnected to a remote server from a disconnected state, the relevant records of the battery exchange operation performed during the disconnection period can be synchronized to the remote server.

[0050] First, as in step S510, determine whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network. When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server (No in step S520), continue the determination of step S510. When the battery energy station can be connected to the remote server (Yes in step S520), as in step S530, the user identification data of the corresponding battery recorded in the battery exchange operation during the disconnected state and the battery identification data of the corresponding target battery are transmitted to the remote server via the network. It is noted that in some embodiments, the battery energy station may clear the aforementioned data after transmitting the aforementioned data to the remote server.

[0051] Figure 6 A battery exchange management method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. The battery exchange management method according to the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a battery energy station.

[0052] First, as in step S610, the target battery is received by the battery energy station. As in step S620, it is determined whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network. When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server (No in step S630), the process ends. In some embodiments, when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server (No in step S630), the judgments of steps S440 to S490 can be performed. When the battery energy station can be connected to the remote server (Yes in step S630), as in step S640, the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery is obtained, and as in step S650, the remote server receives an instruction and deletes the marking of the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery according to the instruction. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the remote server can check whether there are relevant records transmitted by the battery energy station when the connection is restored, and then determine whether there is a record of the target battery participating in the battery exchange operation when it is offline. When there is a record of the battery corresponding to the target in the remote server, since the connection status has been restored, the offline battery replacement flag of the battery corresponding to the target can be deleted, so that the battery can be used for other battery replacement operations.

[0053] Figure 7 A battery exchange management method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. The battery exchange management method according to the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to a specific battery energy station.

[0054] First, as in step S710, the target battery is received by the specific battery energy station. Similarly, the battery storage system of the specific battery energy station may have at least one empty slot. The user can place the target battery of his electric vehicle in this empty slot. It is worth noting that the target battery may be a battery that undergoes a battery replacement operation at an offline battery energy station. In other words, the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery has been marked. Then, as in step S720, determine whether the specific battery energy station can be connected to the remote server via a network. When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server (No in step S730), as in step S740, obtain the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery, and as in step S750, determine whether to perform a battery replacement operation based on the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery. Similarly, in some embodiments, the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery can be set in the battery in hardware, firmware, and / or software form. In some embodiments, when the offline battery replacement flag of the target battery has been marked, the battery replacement operation is refused. When the offline battery replacement flag of the target battery has not been marked, the battery replacement operation is performed. When the specific battery energy station can be connected to the remote server (step S430 is), as in step S760, a specific battery replacement operation is performed, and as in step S770, the marking of the offline battery replacement flag of the target battery is deleted. In other words, when the target battery obtained in the offline battery replacement operation is in another connected battery energy station, the battery replacement operation can be performed. In some embodiments, even if the previous offline battery energy station has not yet completed the connection and the relevant recorded data has not yet been uploaded back to the remote server, the target battery can still complete the battery replacement operation in another connected battery energy station. This embodiment can ensure the user's battery replacement needs.

[0055] Therefore, the battery exchange management method and battery energy station of the present case can set the offline battery exchange flag of the corresponding battery, and can still provide battery exchange services when the battery energy station is offline, thereby reducing the inconvenience of being unable to exchange batteries due to an unstable network environment.

[0056] The method of the present invention, or a specific form or part thereof, may exist in the form of program code. The program code may be contained in a physical medium, such as a floppy disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, or any other machine-readable (such as computer-readable) storage medium, or a computer program product in a non-external form, wherein when the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for participating in the present invention. The program code may also be transmitted by some transmission medium, such as wires or cables, optical fibers, or any transmission mode, wherein when the program code is received, loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for participating in the present invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processing unit, the program code combines with the processing unit to provide a unique device that operates similarly to application specific logic circuits.

[0057] The computer program product of the present invention is loaded into a machine to execute a battery exchange management method, and is applicable to a battery energy station. The above-mentioned computer program product includes a first program code, a second program code, a third program code, and a fourth program code. The first program code is used to use the battery energy station to receive a battery. The second program code is used to determine whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network. The third program code is used to obtain an offline battery exchange flag corresponding to the battery when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server. The fourth program code is used to determine whether to perform a battery exchange operation based on the offline battery exchange flag corresponding to the battery. Among them, the battery exchange operation is to select a target battery from multiple candidate batteries in the battery energy station, and exchange the target battery with the battery in the battery exchange operation.

[0058] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. All simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims and description of the present invention are still within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery exchange management method, characterized in that: Applicable to a battery energy station, comprising the following steps: Receiving a battery using the battery energy station; Determining whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network; When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server, obtaining an offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery; and Determine whether to perform a battery swap operation according to the offline battery swap flag corresponding to the battery, The battery exchange operation selects a target battery from a plurality of candidate batteries in the battery energy station, and exchanges the target battery with the battery in the battery exchange operation.

2. The battery exchange management method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server, determining whether the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery has been marked; When the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery has been marked, refusing to perform the battery replacement operation; and When the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery is not marked, the battery exchange operation is performed and the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery is marked.

3. The battery exchange management method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: Recording a user identification data corresponding to the battery and a battery identification data corresponding to the target battery; and When the battery energy station is connected to the remote server, the user identification data corresponding to the battery and the battery identification data corresponding to the target battery are transmitted to the remote server via the network.

4. The battery exchange management method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: Utilizing the battery energy station to receive the target battery; and When the battery energy station is connected to the remote server, it receives an instruction from the remote server and deletes the marking of the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery according to the instruction.

5. The battery exchange management method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: Utilize a specific battery energy station to receive the target battery, wherein the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery has been marked; Determining whether the specific battery energy station can be connected to the remote server via the network; and When the specific battery energy station can be connected to the remote server, a specific battery exchange operation is performed and the marking of the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery is deleted.

6. A battery energy station, characterized in that: include: a network connection unit; a battery storage unit for storing a plurality of batteries and receiving a battery; and a processing unit electrically coupled to the battery storage unit, for determining whether the network connection unit can be used to connect to a remote server via a network; when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server, obtaining an offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery, and determining whether to perform a battery replacement operation according to the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery; The battery exchange operation selects a target battery from the candidate batteries, and exchanges the target battery with the battery in the battery exchange operation.

7. The battery energy station according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server, the processing unit determines whether the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery has been marked. When the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery has been marked, the processing unit refuses to perform the battery replacement operation. When the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding battery has not been marked, the processing unit performs the battery replacement operation and marks the offline battery replacement flag of the corresponding target battery.

8. The battery energy station according to claim 7, characterized in that: The processing unit further records a user identification data corresponding to the battery and a battery identification data corresponding to the target battery, and when the battery energy station is connected to the remote server, the processing unit transmits the user identification data corresponding to the battery and the battery identification data corresponding to the target battery to the remote server via the network.

9. The battery energy station according to claim 8, characterized in that: The battery energy station receives the target battery, and when the battery energy station is connected to the remote server, the processing unit receives an instruction from the remote server and deletes the marking of the offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the target battery according to the instruction.

10. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product is loaded into a machine to execute a battery exchange management method, which is applicable to a battery energy station. The computer program product includes: a first program code for receiving a battery using the battery energy station; a second program code for determining whether the battery energy station can be connected to a remote server via a network; A third program code is used to obtain an offline battery replacement flag corresponding to the battery when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the remote server; and a fourth program code for determining whether to perform a battery swap operation according to the offline battery swap flag corresponding to the battery, The battery exchange operation selects a target battery from a plurality of candidate batteries in the battery energy station, and exchanges the target battery with the battery in the battery exchange operation.

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