Service management method and system for battery energy station

Abstract

The invention provides a service management method and a service management system for a battery energy station, which are suitable for an electronic device for managing at least one battery energy station. Firstly, whether the battery energy station can be connected with the electronic device through a network is judged. When the battery energy station can be connected with the electronic device through the network, whether at least one-dimensional operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed or not is judged. When the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed, the electronic device causes the battery energy station to be in a serviceable state to allow the battery energy station to perform a battery exchange operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a service management method and system for a battery energy station, and particularly to a method and system capable of determining the service status of a corresponding battery energy station according to the network connection condition of the battery energy station and the execution result of an operation and maintenance operation. Background Art

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

[0003] Encouraged by government subsidy policies, many people have also started to try to buy and use electric vehicles as a means of transportation. Generally speaking, traditional fuel vehicles are refueled when the gasoline is almost used up. Since the refueling time is short, the time spent on refueling does not affect the overall driving plan of the user. However, for electric vehicles, there are technological limitations in both the battery supplying power to the vehicle and the charging process. When a user rides an electric vehicle, they must constantly pay attention to the battery status of the vehicle to recharge the battery in time before the battery runs out.

[0004] Since the current setting of electric vehicle charging stations / battery energy stations is not very popular, when a user needs to charge the battery of their vehicle, such as an electric vehicle or an electric motorcycle, or swap the battery, the user must stop the vehicle and open a mobile application to find a nearby electric vehicle charging station / battery energy station. Therefore, how to ensure the information of electric vehicle charging stations / battery energy stations, such as the operation status being correct, will become a matter of great concern to users. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a service management method and system that can overcome the above problems.

[0006] Thus, the service management method for a battery energy station of the present invention is applicable to an electronic device for managing at least one battery energy station. First, it is determined whether the battery energy station can be connected to the electronic device through a network. When the battery energy station can be connected to the electronic device through the network, it is determined whether at least one operation and maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed. When the operation and maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed, the electronic device causes the battery energy station to be in a serviceable state to allow the battery energy station to perform a battery swapping operation.

[0007] In some embodiments, when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the electronic device via the network, or when the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is not completed, the processing unit causes the battery energy station to be in a service-unavailable state to stop the battery energy station from performing the battery swapping operation.

[0008] In some embodiments, the maintenance operation includes a database query operation, and the processing unit determines whether the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed by the processing unit sending a database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to a network service server via the network, determining whether the electronic device receives a response to the database query request from the network service server, and when the electronic device receives the response to the database query request from the network service server, the processing unit determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the electronic device does not receive the response to the database query request from the network service server, the processing unit determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is not completed, resends the database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to the network service server via the network within a predetermined period, and determines whether the response to the database query request is received from the network service server.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the electronic device does not receive the response to the database query request from the network service server after the predetermined period, the processing unit generates an exception notification or transmits an exception notification to a mobile device of the corresponding administrator via the network.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device suitable for managing at least one battery energy station.

[0012] Thus, the service management system of the battery energy station of the present invention is suitable for an electronic device for managing at least one battery energy station. The battery energy station stores and charges a plurality of batteries. The service management system of the battery energy station at least includes a network connection unit for connecting to a network and a processing unit. The processing unit determines whether it is possible to connect to the battery energy station via the network using the network connection unit. When it is possible to connect to the battery energy station via the network using the network connection unit, it determines whether at least one maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed. When the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed, it causes the battery energy station to be in a service-available state to allow the battery energy station to perform a battery swapping operation.

[0013] In some embodiments, when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the electronic device via the network, or when the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is not completed, the processing unit causes the battery energy station to be in a service-unavailable state to stop the battery energy station from performing the battery swapping operation.

[0014] In some embodiments, the maintenance operation includes a database query operation, and the processing unit determines whether the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed by the processing unit sending a database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to a network service server via the network, determining whether the electronic device receives a response to the database query request from the network service server, and when the electronic device receives the response to the database query request from the network service server, the processing unit determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed.

[0015] In some embodiments, when the electronic device does not receive the response to the database query request from the network service server, the processing unit determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is not completed, re-sends the database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to the network service server via the network within a predetermined period, and determines whether the response to the database query request is received from the network service server.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the electronic device does not receive the response to the database query request from the network service server after the predetermined period, the processing unit generates an exception notification or transmits an exception notification to a mobile device of the corresponding administrator via the network.

[0017] The above method of the present invention can 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.

[0018] The effect of the present invention is that: by means of the service management method and system of the battery energy station in this case, the service state of the corresponding battery energy station can be determined according to the network connection situation of the battery energy station and the execution result of the maintenance operation, so as to provide correct available information of the battery energy station according to the automatic detection mechanism, thereby reducing the inconvenience of users during the charging / swapping operation of electric vehicles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein:

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the service management system of the battery energy station of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of the service management system;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery energy station of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a flowchart illustrating a service management method for the battery energy station of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 It is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining the completion of maintenance operations for a corresponding battery energy station of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 It is a flowchart illustrating another method for determining the completion of maintenance operations for a corresponding battery energy station of the present invention; and

[0026] Figure 7 It is a flowchart illustrating yet another method for determining the completion of maintenance operations for a corresponding battery energy station of the present invention.

[0027] List of Reference Numerals

[0028] 100: Service management system of the battery energy station

[0029] 110: Network connection unit

[0030] 120: Processing unit

[0031] 200: Battery energy station

[0032] 210: Battery storage system

[0033] 212: Battery

[0034] 220: Energy module

[0035] 230: Network connection unit

[0036] 240: Processing unit

[0037] 300: Network

[0038] 400: Remote server

[0039] S410, S420, S430, S440, S450, S460: Steps

[0040] S510, S520, S530, S540: Steps

[0041] S610, S620, S630, S640, S650, S660: Steps

[0042] S710, S720, S730, S740, S750, S760, S770, S780: Steps. Detailed implementation manners

[0043] Figure 1 Displays a service management system of a battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention. The service management system 100 of the battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an electronic device, such as a server. As Figure 1 shown, the service management system 100 of the battery energy station at least includes a network connection unit 110 and a processing unit 120. The network connection unit 110 can be connected to a network, so that the electronic device 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, etc. The processing unit 120 can control the operation of all hardware and software in the electronic device and execute the service management method of the battery energy station in this case, the details of which will be described later. In some embodiments, the service management system 100 of the battery energy station can further include a storage unit (not shown in the figure) for storing relevant information of the battery energy station under its management, such as the location of the energy station, and relevant states of the batteries in the corresponding battery energy station, such as the number of batteries, the battery power, etc.

[0044] Figure 2 Displays a service management system of a battery energy station according to another embodiment of the present invention. The service management system 100 of the battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a remote server 400 and at least one battery energy station 200. It should be reminded that the remote server 400 can be an electronic device and has components similar to those Figure 1 shown, which will not be elaborated here. The remote server 400 can be connected to and manage at least one battery energy station 200 through a network 300, such as a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network, etc. It should be reminded that in some embodiments, the remote server 400 can simultaneously manage other battery energy stations located at the same location or at different locations. The battery energy station 200 has a plurality of batteries that can be provided for at least one electrical device, such as an electric motorcycle or an electric vehicle, for use.

[0045] Figure 3 Displays a battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention. The battery energy station 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be an electronic device. As Figure 3As shown, the battery energy station 200 at least includes a battery storage system 210, an energy module 220, a network connection unit 230, and a processing unit 240. The battery storage system 210 has a specific mechanism (not shown in the figure) that can store multiple batteries 212 and selectively lock or release these batteries 212. The battery energy station 200 can provide batteries to at least one electrical device, such as an electric motorcycle or an electric vehicle, for use. The energy module 220 can be electrically coupled to a power grid (not shown in the figure) to obtain a total current to supply the power consumption of the battery energy station and charge these batteries 212 according to the signal of the processing unit 240. It should be noted that the battery storage system 210 can include a charging module corresponding to each battery 212, and the aforementioned charging module has a current upper limit and / or a current lower limit to charge the corresponding battery 212. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the energy module 220 can actively detect the total current supplied by the power grid to the battery energy station 200 and notify the processing unit 240 of the information of the corresponding total current. The network connection unit 230 can be connected to a network, enabling the battery energy station 200 to have 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, etc. The processing unit 240 can control the operation of all hardware and software in the battery energy station 200 and cooperate with the remote server to execute the service management method of the battery energy station in this case, and its details will be described later.

[0046] Figure 4 Displays a service management method for a battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention. The service management method for a battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to an electronic device, such as a server for managing at least one battery energy station.

[0047] First, as in step S410, it is determined whether it is possible to connect to the battery energy station via a network, such as a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network. In other words, it is determined whether the battery energy station can be connected to the electronic device via the network. When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the electronic device via the network (No in step S420), as in step S430, the electronic device causes the battery energy station to be in a service-unavailable state to stop the battery energy station from performing a battery exchange operation. It should be noted that during a normal battery exchange operation, the user can obtain / exchange batteries via the battery energy station. When the battery energy station can be connected to the electronic device via the network (Yes in step S420), as in step S440, it is determined whether at least one maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the maintenance operation may be a database query operation. In some embodiments, the maintenance operation may be a reboot operation of the battery energy station. It must be noted that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station can be designed according to different requirements and applications, and the present invention is not limited thereto. When the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is not completed (No in step S450), as in step S430, the electronic device causes the battery energy station to be in a service-unavailable state to stop the battery energy station from performing a battery exchange operation. It must be reminded that in some embodiments, when the electronic device causes the battery energy station to be in a service-unavailable state, the user cannot retrieve the battery energy station via the application program, or the status of the corresponding battery energy station is displayed as service unavailable. When the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed (Yes in step S450), as in step S460, the electronic device causes the battery energy station to be in a service-available state to allow the battery energy station to perform a battery exchange operation.

[0048] Figure 5 Displays a method for determining the completion of a maintenance operation for a corresponding battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method for determining the completion of a maintenance operation for a corresponding battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to an electronic device, such as a server for managing at least one battery energy station. In this embodiment, the maintenance operation for the corresponding battery energy station is a database query operation.

[0049] First, as in step S510, the electronic device sends a database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to a network service server via a network, such as a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network. Next, as in step S520, it is determined whether the electronic device receives a response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server. When the electronic device does not receive the response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server (No in step S530), the process ends. In some embodiments, when the response is not received, the electronic device determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is not completed. When the electronic device receives the response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server (Yes in step S530), as in step S540, the electronic device determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed.

[0050] Figure 6 Displays a method for determining the completion of the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station according to another embodiment of the present invention. The method for determining the completion of the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station according to the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to an electronic device, such as a server for managing at least one battery energy station. In this embodiment, the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is a database query operation.

[0051] First, as in step S610, the electronic device sends a database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to a network service server via a network, such as a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network. Next, as in step S620, it is determined whether the electronic device receives a response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server. When the electronic device receives the response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server (Yes in step S630), as in step S640, the electronic device determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is completed. When the electronic device does not receive the response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server (No in step S630), as in step S650, the electronic device determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is not completed, and as in step S660, it resends the database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to the network service server via the network during a predetermined period and returns to step S620 to determine whether it receives the response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server.

[0052] Figure 7Disclosed is a method for determining the completion of maintenance operations for a corresponding battery energy station according to another embodiment of the present invention. The method for determining the completion of maintenance operations for a corresponding battery energy station according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable to an electronic device, such as a server for managing at least one battery energy station. In this embodiment, the operation and maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is a database query operation.

[0053] First, as in step S710, the electronic device sends a database query request for the corresponding battery energy station to a network service server via a network, such as a wired network, a telecommunications network, and a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network. Then, as in step S720, it is determined whether the electronic device receives a response to the database query request from the network service server. When the electronic device receives the response to the database query request from the network service server (yes in step S730), as in step S740, the electronic device determines that the operation and maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is completed. When the electronic device does not receive the response to the database query request from the network service server (no in step S730), as in step S750, the electronic device determines that the operation and maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is not completed. Then, as in step S760, it is determined whether a predetermined period, such as 10 minutes, has elapsed after determining that the operation and maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is not completed. When the predetermined period has not elapsed (no in step S760), as in step S770, within the predetermined period, the database query request for the corresponding battery energy station is sent again to the network service server via the network, and the process returns to step S720 to determine whether the response to the database query request is received from the network service server. When the predetermined period has elapsed (yes in step S760), as in step S780, an exception notification is generated, or an exception notification is sent to a mobile device of the corresponding administrator via the network. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the operation and maintenance operations of the corresponding battery energy station can be attempted 3 times within 10 minutes. When the operation and maintenance operations cannot be completed within the predetermined period, an exception notification can be generated and the administrator can be notified for timely handling.

[0054] Therefore, the service management method and system for the battery energy station in this case can determine the service status of the corresponding battery energy station according to the network connection situation of the battery energy station and the execution result of the operation and maintenance operation, so as to provide correct available information of the battery energy station based on the automatic detection mechanism, thereby reducing the inconvenience of users during charging / replacement operations when using electric vehicles.

[0055] The method of the present invention, or a specific form or a part thereof, may exist in the form of program code. The program code may be included in a tangible medium, such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, a hard disk, or any other machine-readable (such as computer-readable) storage medium, or a computer program product not limited to an external form. When the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, this machine becomes a device for participating in the present invention. The program code can also be transmitted through some transmission media, such as wires or cables, optical fibers, or any transmission form. When the program code is received, loaded, and executed by a machine, such as a computer, this machine becomes a device for participating in the present invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processing unit, the program code combined with the processing unit provides a unique device that operates similarly to application-specific logic circuits.

[0056] As described above, only the embodiments of the present invention are provided, and the scope of implementation of the present invention cannot be limited thereby. All simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims and the content of the specification of the present invention still fall within the scope covered by the patent of the present invention.

Claims

1. A service management method for a battery energy station, characterized in that: An electronic device for managing at least one battery power station, wherein the battery power station receives and charges a plurality of batteries, the service management method comprising the following steps: Determining whether the battery energy station can be connected to the electronic device via a network; When the battery energy station can be connected to the electronic device via the network, determining whether at least one maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is completed; and When the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is completed, the electronic device causes the battery energy station to be in a service-providing state to allow the battery energy station to perform a battery exchange operation.

2. The service management method of the battery energy station according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes that when the battery energy station cannot be connected to the electronic device via the network, or the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station has not been completed, the electronic device causes the battery energy station to be in a state where it cannot provide services, so as to stop the battery energy station from performing the battery exchange operation.

3. The service management method of the battery energy station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The maintenance operation includes a database query operation, and the method for determining whether the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is completed includes the following steps: The electronic device issues a database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to a network service server via the network; Determining whether the electronic device receives a response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server; and When the electronic device receives the response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server, the electronic device determines that the maintenance operation of the battery energy station is completed.

4. The service management method of the battery energy station according to claim 3, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: When the electronic device does not receive the response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server, the electronic device determines that the maintenance operation corresponding to the battery energy station is not completed; and The electronic device re-issues the database query request corresponding to the battery energy station to the network service server via the network during a predetermined period, and determines whether the response corresponding to the database query request is received from the network service server.

5. The service management method of the battery energy station according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes that when the electronic device does not receive the response to the database query request from the network service server after the predetermined period, the electronic device generates an abnormal notification, or transmits an abnormal notification to a mobile device of the corresponding administrator via the network.

6. A service management system for a battery energy station, characterized in that: An electronic device adapted to manage at least one battery energy station, wherein the battery energy station receives and charges a plurality of batteries, the service management system comprising: A network connection unit for connecting to a network; and A processing unit is used to determine whether the network connection unit can be used to connect to the battery energy station via the network. When the network connection unit can be used to connect to the battery energy station via the network, it determines whether at least one maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is completed. When the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is completed, the battery energy station is placed in a service-providing state to allow the battery energy station to perform a battery exchange operation.

7. The service management system of the battery energy station according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the battery energy station cannot be connected to the electronic device via the network, or the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is not completed, the processing unit causes the battery energy station to be in a state where it cannot provide services, so as to stop the battery energy station from performing the battery exchange operation.

8. The service management system of the battery energy station according to claim 6, characterized in that: The maintenance operation includes a database query operation, and the processing unit determines whether the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is completed by the processing unit submitting a database query request of the corresponding battery energy station to a network service server through the network, and determining whether the electronic device receives a response to the database query request from the network service server. When the electronic device receives the response to the database query request from the network service server, the processing unit determines that the maintenance operation of the corresponding battery energy station is completed.

9. The service management system of the battery energy station according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the electronic device does not receive the response to the database query request from the network service server, the processing unit determines that the maintenance operation of the battery energy station has not been completed, and re-issues the database query request of the battery energy station to the network service server via the network within a predetermined period, and determines whether the response to the database query request has been received from the network service server.

10. The service management system of the battery energy station according to claim 9, characterized in that: When the electronic device does not receive the response corresponding to the database query request from the network service server after the predetermined period, the processing unit generates an abnormal notification, or transmits an abnormal notification to a mobile device of the corresponding administrator via the network.

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