Battery management system and battery management method

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of taking an appropriate measure depending on the remaining capacity of a battery of a portable device that communicates with an in-vehicle device.SOLUTION: A portable device 5 detects the remaining battery level of the portable device 5, and transmits battery information including the detected remaining battery level and ID information identifying the portable device 5 that detected the remaining battery level to an in-vehicle device 3. The in-vehicle device 3 determines whether the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold based on the information transmitted from the portable device 5, and stores, when the remaining battery level of the portable device 5 is determined to be equal to or lower than the threshold, the ID information of the portable device 5 determined to be equal to or lower than the threshold in the non-volatile memory 13 as information indicating the portable device 5 with an abnormal remaining battery level. Furthermore, based on the battery information received from the portable device 5, the in-vehicle device determines whether a portable-side battery 27 of the portable device 5 has been replaced, and holds the ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 stored in the non-volatile memory 13 until it is determined that the portable-side battery 27 has been replaced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for performing processing related to a battery of a portable device by wirelessly communicating between an in-vehicle device and a portable device of a vehicle occupant. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technology for performing wireless ID matching between a device mounted in a vehicle (i.e., an in-vehicle device) and a portable device (e.g., an electronic key) used by a vehicle occupant, and for locking / unlocking the vehicle doors and starting the engine based on the results of the ID matching.

[0003] However, portable devices are equipped with batteries, and if the remaining battery capacity drops excessively (for example, if the battery runs out), the portable device cannot be used. Therefore, in recent years, technologies have been proposed to prevent the battery of portable devices from running out.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a technology in which an in-vehicle device outputs a signal to a portable device to check the remaining battery capacity of the portable device, and, if it detects that the remaining battery capacity has fallen below a predetermined threshold, a signal indicating this (i.e., a low battery signal) and an ID number are sent to the in-vehicle device.

[0005] In this technology, when multiple portable devices can be used in the same vehicle, a battery dead signal and ID number are requested from each portable device. This makes it possible to know which portable device has the lowest remaining battery capacity, and to issue a battery dead warning by displaying the portable device with the lowest remaining battery capacity on the display of the in-vehicle device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-56230 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, as a result of detailed investigation by the inventors, the following problems were found in the conventional techniques. The value indicating the remaining battery capacity of a portable device (for example, a measured value such as the battery voltage) fluctuates depending on temperature, usage conditions, deterioration over time, etc., so depending on the timing of checking the remaining battery capacity, the measured value of the remaining battery capacity may or may not cross the threshold value and may not be stable.

[0008] Therefore, even if the same portable device issues a battery warning at one time, it may not issue a battery warning at another time. Therefore, if there are multiple portable devices used in the same vehicle, it may not be possible to replace the battery at the appropriate time.

[0009] For example, even if you try to replace the battery of a portable device after a certain amount of time has passed since the battery warning, if the measured value returns to a normal value due to fluctuations in the remaining battery capacity, it may become difficult to know which portable device issued the battery warning. In other words, if there are multiple portable devices, it may be difficult to know which portable device's battery should be replaced.

[0010] An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a technique capable of taking appropriate action according to the remaining capacity of a battery of a portable device that communicates with an in-vehicle device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] a) One aspect of the present disclosure is a battery management system capable of communication between an on-board device (3) mounted in a vehicle and a plurality of portable devices (5) capable of remotely controlling the vehicle. The portable device includes a remaining amount detection unit (43, S100) and a portable transmission unit (41, S110).

[0012] The remaining capacity detection unit is configured to detect a remaining battery capacity value indicating a value of the remaining capacity of the battery of the portable device itself or a value corresponding to the remaining capacity. The portable transmission unit is configured to transmit, to the in-vehicle device, battery information relating to the state of the battery remaining capacity value, including information on the battery remaining capacity value detected by the remaining capacity detection unit, and ID information identifying the portable unit that detected the battery remaining capacity value.

[0013] The vehicle-mounted device includes a remaining amount determination unit (33, S230), an ID processing unit (33, S240), and an information management unit (35, S250, S260). The remaining battery level determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the remaining battery level value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold based on the battery information received from the portable transmitting unit.

[0014] The ID processing unit is configured to store, when the remaining battery level determination unit determines that the battery remaining value of the portable device is equal to or lower than a threshold value, the ID information of the portable device determined to be equal to or lower than the threshold value in the memory (13) as information indicating a portable device with an abnormal remaining battery level value.

[0015] The information management unit is configured to determine whether or not the battery of the portable device has been replaced based on the battery information received from the portable transmission unit, and to hold the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory until it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced.

[0016] With this configuration, it is possible to take appropriate measures according to the remaining capacity of the battery of the portable device that communicates with the in-vehicle device. In other words, the present disclosure is configured to hold the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory until it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced. Therefore, even if there is a deviation when measuring the remaining capacity of the battery of the portable device, it is possible to hold the ID information of the portable device whose remaining capacity has been determined to be low.

[0017] Therefore, when multiple portable devices are used, even if the measurement value returns to a normal value due to fluctuations in the remaining battery capacity after a certain amount of time has passed since the battery warning was issued in the same portable device, it is possible to know which portable device issued the battery warning. Therefore, even if there are multiple portable devices, it is possible to know which portable device's battery needs to be replaced, and therefore it is possible to appropriately replace the battery of a portable device that may be out of battery.

[0018] In this disclosure, the battery remaining amount indicates the remaining capacity of the battery of the portable device, the voltage corresponding to the remaining capacity, etc. (hereinafter the same). Also, the battery information related to the state of the battery remaining amount indicates information on the battery remaining amount, and information indicating the past or present state such as the magnitude of the battery remaining amount (for example, a flag indicating that the battery remaining amount was abnormal in the past) (hereinafter the same).

[0019] b) Another aspect of the present disclosure is a battery management method capable of communication between an on-board device (3) mounted in a vehicle and a plurality of portable devices (5) capable of remotely controlling the vehicle. The portable unit detects a remaining battery capacity value indicating the remaining capacity of the portable unit's own battery or a value corresponding to the remaining capacity, and transmits battery information regarding the state of the remaining battery capacity value, including information on the detected remaining battery capacity value, and ID information identifying the portable unit that detected the remaining battery capacity value, to the in-vehicle device.

[0020] The in-vehicle device detects whether the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold based on the battery information transmitted from the portable device. If it is determined that the remaining battery value of the portable device is equal to or less than the threshold, the ID information of the portable device determined to be equal to or less than the threshold is stored in memory as information indicating a portable device with an abnormal remaining battery value. Furthermore, based on the battery information received from the portable device, it is determined whether the battery of the portable device has been replaced, and the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in memory is held until it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced.

[0021] With this configuration, it is possible to take appropriate measures according to the remaining capacity of the battery of the portable device that communicates with the in-vehicle device. In other words, the present disclosure is configured to hold the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory until it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced. Therefore, even if there is a deviation when measuring the remaining capacity of the battery of the portable device, it is possible to hold the ID information of the portable device whose remaining capacity has been determined to be low.

[0022] Therefore, when multiple portable devices are used, even if the measurement value returns to a normal value due to fluctuations in the remaining battery capacity after a certain amount of time has passed since the battery warning was issued in the same portable device, it is possible to know which portable device issued the battery warning. Therefore, even if there are multiple portable devices, it is possible to know which portable device's battery needs to be replaced, and therefore it is possible to appropriately replace the battery of a portable device that may be out of battery.

[0023] Furthermore, the symbols in parentheses in this column and in the claims indicate a correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a battery management system according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of matching between an in-car device and a portable device in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing a process of the portable device of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of the in-vehicle device of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram functionally illustrating a battery management system according to the first embodiment; [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of a portable device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a process of an in-vehicle device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing a process of the portable device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a process of an in-vehicle device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram functionally illustrating a battery management system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. First embodiment] In the first embodiment, a battery management system technique for communicating information about the battery of a portable device between an in-vehicle device and the portable device will be described.

[0026] [1-1. Overall composition] As shown in FIG. 1, a battery management system 1 of the first embodiment includes a device (that is, an in-vehicle device) 3 mounted on a vehicle, and a portable device 5 carried by an occupant or the like of the vehicle.

[0027] In the battery management system 1, a plurality of portable devices 5 (for example, a first portable device 5a and a second portable device 5b) can be used for one vehicle. When there is no need to distinguish between the first portable device 5a and the second portable device 5b, they will be simply referred to as the portable device 5.

[0028] The battery management system 1 is a system capable of performing various processes such as checking the state of the battery (i.e., the mobile battery) 27 of the portable device 5 by performing wireless communication between the in-car device 3 and the portable device 5. Each component will be described below.

[0029] <In-vehicle equipment> 1, the in-vehicle device 3 includes a vehicle-side processing unit 11, a non-volatile memory 13, a vehicle-side communication device 15, and a display 17. The in-vehicle device 3 operates by receiving power from a battery (i.e., a vehicle-side battery) 19 mounted on the vehicle.

[0030] The vehicle-side processing unit 11 is a device that performs various calculation processes related to the operation of the in-vehicle device 3, and is mainly composed of a microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer) having a CPU 11a, a RAM 11b, a ROM 11c, etc. As is well known, the RAM 11b is a volatile memory that cannot hold data when there is no power supply, and the ROM 11c is a non-volatile memory that can hold data even when there is no power supply (hereinafter, the same applies).

[0031] Various functions of the vehicle-side processing unit 11 are realized by the CPU 11a executing a program stored in a non-transient real recording medium. In this example, for example, the ROM 11c corresponds to the non-transient real recording medium storing the program. In addition, by executing this program, a method corresponding to the program is executed.

[0032] The number of microcomputers constituting the vehicle-side processing unit 11 may be one or more. Furthermore, the method of realizing the various functions of the vehicle-side processing unit 11 is not limited to software, and some or all of the elements may be realized using one or more pieces of hardware. For example, when the above functions are realized by electronic circuits that are hardware, the electronic circuits may be realized by digital circuits including a large number of logic circuits, or analog circuits, or a combination of these.

[0033] The non-volatile memory 13 may be a flash memory or an EEPROM in which various data can be rewritten. The vehicle-side communication device 15 is a communication device capable of communicating with each portable device 5 wirelessly.

[0034] The display 17 is a device capable of displaying the state of the portable device 5, and is a device that displays information indicating the portable device 5 having an abnormality (for example, a number indicating the portable device 5 having an abnormality) when, for example, there is an abnormality in the remaining capacity (i.e., the remaining battery power value) of the portable battery 27. Note that the display 17 may further include a speaker that displays the abnormality of the portable device 5 by voice or the like.

[0035] <Portable device> 1, the portable device 5 is a known electronic key that can be operated by the occupant (i.e., remotely) to operate the vehicle (e.g., unlock / lock the doors, start the engine, etc.), and includes a portable-side processing unit 21, an LED 23, a portable-side communication device 25, and a portable-side battery 27. The portable device 5 operates by receiving power from the portable-side battery 27.

[0036] The mobile-side processing unit 21 is a device that performs various calculation processes related to the operation of the mobile device 5, and similar to the vehicle-side processing unit 11, is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 21a, a RAM 21b which is a volatile memory, a ROM 21c which is a non-volatile memory, etc. Note that the various functions of the mobile-side processing unit 21 are similar to those of the vehicle-side processing unit 11, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0037] The LED 23 is a light emitting device that can be turned on when the passenger operates the portable device 5, or can be turned on or blinked when an abnormality occurs in the portable device 5. It is an abbreviation for Diode.

[0038] The portable communication device 25 is a communication device capable of communicating with the in-vehicle device 3 wirelessly. The mobile battery 27 is a battery that is detachable from the mobile device 5, such as a button battery. [1-2. Control processing] Next, the processing performed in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0039] In this first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, at a predetermined timing (e.g., periodically), the in-car device 3 transmits a signal (e.g., an ID request signal) to each portable device 5 to perform matching of each portable device 5, and in response to the signal, each portable device 5 transmits a matching response (e.g., transmission of ID information identifying the portable device 5, etc.) to the in-car device 3.

[0040] The processes performed by the in-car device 3 and the portable device 5 will be described below. <Mobile device processing> 3, when the portable device 5 receives an ID request signal from the in-car device 3, it detects a remaining battery level value corresponding to the remaining capacity of the portable battery 27 (for example, the voltage of the portable battery 27 corresponding to the remaining capacity) in step (hereinafter, S) 100. Note that the remaining capacity itself may be obtained by a known method and used as the remaining battery level value.

[0041] Here, the ID request signal is a signal that requests information indicating an ID that identifies the portable device 5 (that is, ID information), and the ID is set for each portable device. Note that ID is an abbreviation for identifier.

[0042] The remaining capacity of the portable battery 27 is considered to correspond to the voltage of the portable battery 27, so the voltage of the portable battery 27 can be used as the remaining battery capacity value. Although not shown, the voltage of the portable battery 27 can be detected by a well-known voltage detection circuit.

[0043] In the next step S110, the remaining battery amount value and the ID information are transmitted to the in-car device 3, and the process ends once. Here, the remaining battery amount value is the battery information. The remaining battery level is stored in, for example, the RAM 21b, and the ID information is stored in, for example, the ROM 21c.

[0044] <Processing of on-board devices> As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, in S200, the in-car device 3 transmits the ID request signal to the portable device 5 at a predetermined timing.

[0045] In the next S210, the remaining battery level and ID information transmitted from the portable device 5 in response to the ID request signal are received (that is, acquired). In the next S220, the currently received remaining battery level value and ID information are associated with each other and stored, for example, in the non-volatile memory 13. That is, data indicating when the information was received (for example, time information when the information was received), ID information indicating which portable device 5 the data belongs to, and the currently received remaining battery level value (for example, voltage) information are stored in association with each other.

[0046] In the next S230, the remaining battery level is judged. That is, it is judged whether the remaining battery level has fallen below a predetermined threshold (i.e., the remaining battery level is an abnormally low value) or whether the remaining battery level is a normal value above the threshold (i.e., the remaining battery level is a high and sufficient value).

[0047] If it is determined that the remaining battery power value is abnormal (i.e., an excessively low value that may cause the battery to run out), the process proceeds to S240; on the other hand, if it is determined that the remaining battery power value is normal, the process proceeds to S250.

[0048] In S240, since the remaining battery amount value is abnormal, the ID information of the portable device 5 indicating the abnormal value is stored, for example, in the non-volatile memory 13, and the process proceeds to S270. That is, the ID information is stored as the ID information of the portable device 5 having the abnormal remaining battery amount value.

[0049] The ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 is stored in chronological order together with information indicating when the abnormality was determined. For example, the ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 is stored in chronological order together with time information. Alternatively, when the order of abnormality determination is stored, the ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 is stored according to the order of abnormality determination.

[0050] On the other hand, in S250, since the remaining battery amount value is normal, the currently acquired remaining battery amount value is compared with the remaining battery amount value at the time of the previous comparison (i.e., the previously acquired remaining battery amount value stored in non-volatile memory 13).

[0051] If the difference between the currently acquired battery remaining value and the battery remaining value at the time of the previous comparison (specifically, the difference in absolute value) is less than a certain value (i.e., the difference is not significant), it is determined that the portable battery 27 has not been replaced, and the process proceeds to S270. Note that if the battery remaining value is normal, even if the currently acquired battery remaining value has dropped so much as to exceed the difference from the battery remaining value at the time of the previous comparison, it is determined that the portable battery 27 has not been replaced, and the process proceeds to S270.

[0052] On the other hand, if the difference between the currently acquired remaining battery level value and the remaining battery level value at the time of the previous comparison is equal to or greater than a certain level, more specifically, if the currently acquired remaining battery level value has increased by a certain level or more from the remaining battery level value at the time of the previous comparison, it is determined that the portable battery 27 has been replaced with a new portable battery 27, and the process proceeds to S260. In other words, if the current remaining battery level value has increased significantly by a certain level or more (i.e., by a predetermined value or more), it is determined that the portable battery 27 has been replaced with a new portable battery 27.

[0053] In S260, it is determined that the mobile battery 27 has been replaced with a new mobile battery 27, and the ID information of the abnormal mobile device 5 is erased from the non-volatile memory 13, and the process proceeds to S270. In S270, it is determined whether or not to perform a process of notifying the portable device 5 that has an abnormal battery remaining amount (i.e., an alarm notification). More specifically, it is determined whether or not ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 is stored in the non-volatile memory 13. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to S280, whereas if the determination is negative, the process is temporarily terminated.

[0054] That is, when the remaining battery level value is abnormal, the ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 is stored in the non-volatile memory 13, and the ID information is not erased unless it is determined in S250 that the difference between the currently acquired remaining battery level value and the remaining battery level value at the time of the previous comparison is equal to or greater than a certain level. That is, once the ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 is stored, the ID information is held unless it is determined that the portable battery 27 has been replaced with a new portable battery 27.

[0055] Therefore, even if the battery remaining amount value acquired this time is normal, if the battery remaining amount value of a portable device 5 has been abnormal at least once in the past, the battery remaining amount value is deemed to be low, and an alarm (i.e., an alarm of a dead battery) is issued in S290. Note that if the battery of a portable device 5 is deemed to have been replaced, the ID information indicating an abnormality has been erased, and so an alarm is not issued (same below).

[0056] The alarm notification can be given by flashing the LED 23 of the portable device. If the portable device has a speaker, the alarm notification may be given by a signal sound or voice.

[0057] [1-3.Functional configuration] Next, the configuration of the battery management system 1 will be described functionally. As shown in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle device 3 includes a CPU 11a, a non-volatile memory 13, and the like.

[0058] The CPU 11 a functionally comprises a vehicle side verification management section 31 , a battery remaining amount value determination section 33 , a battery remaining amount value history management section 35 , and a battery remaining amount value warning notification section 37 . The vehicle-side verification management unit 31 receives the remaining battery level value from the mobile-side verification management unit 41, and transmits an LED illumination request to the mobile-side verification management unit 41. The LED illumination request is a signal commanding illumination of the LED 23 of the mobile device 5 (for example, blinking of the LED 23 to indicate an abnormality) in order to indicate that the mobile device 5 has an abnormality in the remaining battery level value.

[0059] The battery remaining amount value determination unit 33 determines whether the battery remaining amount value acquired from the portable device 5 via the vehicle side verification management unit 31 is an abnormal value below a predetermined threshold (i.e., the battery remaining amount value is abnormally low). If the battery remaining amount value of the portable device 5 is abnormal, the ID information of the portable device 5 is written as abnormal ID information in the non-volatile memory 13. The battery remaining amount value determination unit 33 also transmits the determination result to the battery remaining amount value history management unit 35. The battery remaining amount value determination unit 33 is capable of reading the ID information of the portable device 5 having an abnormal battery remaining amount value from the non-volatile memory 13.

[0060] The battery remaining value history management unit 35 obtains the determination result of the battery remaining value of the portable device 5 from the battery remaining value determination unit 33 (i.e., information on whether the battery remaining value is abnormal or not). Furthermore, if the battery remaining value is normal, it compares the current battery remaining value with the previous battery remaining value. Then, if there is a large difference between the current battery remaining value and the previous battery remaining value (but the current battery remaining value is larger), it determines that the portable battery 27 has been replaced, and erases the ID information of the portable device 5 from the non-volatile memory 13. Furthermore, if the non-volatile memory 13 contains ID information of a portable device 5 whose battery remaining value is abnormal, the battery remaining value history management unit 35 transmits an alarm notification request to the battery remaining value alarm notification unit 37.

[0061] The battery remaining amount value alarm notification unit 37 transmits an LED illumination request to the vehicle side verification management unit 31 based on the alarm notification request obtained from the battery remaining amount value history management unit 35. The alarm notification request is a request to notify a portable unit 5 whose battery remaining amount value is abnormal. The LED illumination request includes ID information indicating which portable unit 5 to notify of the alarm to. The battery remaining amount value alarm notification unit 37 can read out the ID information of the portable unit 5 whose battery remaining amount value is abnormal from the non-volatile memory 13.

[0062] The portable device 5 includes a CPU 21a, an LED 23, and the like. The CPU 21 a functionally comprises a mobile side verification management section 41 and a battery remaining amount measurement section 43 . The remaining battery level measuring section 43 detects the remaining battery level of the mobile battery 27 .

[0063] The mobile-side verification management unit 41 acquires the remaining battery level value from the remaining battery level measurement unit 43 and transmits it to the vehicle-side verification management unit 31. Also, upon receiving an LED lighting request from the vehicle-side verification management unit 31, the mobile-side verification management unit 41 lights up (e.g., blinks) the LED 23 to notify of an abnormality in the remaining battery level value.

[0064] [1-4. Effects] According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. In this first embodiment, the portable device 5 detects the remaining battery level of the portable device 5, and transmits to the in-vehicle device 3 battery information including information on the detected remaining battery level, and ID information identifying the portable device 5 that detected the remaining battery level.

[0065] The in-vehicle device 3 determines whether the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold based on the information transmitted from the portable device 5, and when it is determined that the remaining battery level of the portable device 5 is equal to or lower than the threshold, sets the ID information of the portable device 5 determined to be equal to or lower than the threshold as information indicating a portable device with an abnormal remaining battery level. and stores it in the non-volatile memory 13. Furthermore, based on the battery information received from the portable device 5, it is determined whether the portable battery 27 has been replaced, and the ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 stored in the non-volatile memory 13 is held until it is determined that the portable battery 27 has been replaced.

[0066] Then, when it is determined that the portable battery 27 has been replaced, the ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 stored in the non-volatile memory 13 is erased. In detail, the current battery remaining value is compared with the previous battery remaining value in the same portable device 5, and when it is determined that the current battery remaining value is greater than the previous battery remaining value by a predetermined value or more, the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the non-volatile memory 13 is erased.

[0067] With this configuration, in the first embodiment, it is possible to take appropriate action according to the remaining battery level of the portable device 5 that performs wireless communication with the in-car device 3. That is, in the first embodiment, the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the non-volatile memory 13 is held until it is determined that the portable battery 27 has been replaced. Therefore, even if there is a deviation when measuring the remaining battery level value such as the remaining capacity of the portable battery 27, the ID information of the portable device 5 whose remaining battery level value has been determined to have decreased can be held.

[0068] Therefore, when multiple portable devices 5 are used, even if the measured value returns to a normal value due to fluctuations in the remaining capacity of the portable battery 27 after a certain amount of time has passed since the battery warning in the same portable device 5, it is possible to know which portable device 5 issued the battery warning. Therefore, even when there are multiple portable devices 5, it is possible to know which portable device 5's portable battery 27 needs to be replaced, and therefore it is possible to replace the portable battery 27 of a portable device 5 that may be out of battery at an appropriate time.

[0069] [1-5. Correspondence] Next, the relationship between the present disclosure and the first embodiment will be described. The battery management system corresponds to the battery management system 1, the in-vehicle device corresponds to the in-vehicle device 3, the portable unit corresponds to the portable unit 5, the memory corresponds to the non-volatile memory 13, the battery corresponds to the portable battery 27, the remaining capacity detection unit corresponds to the battery remaining capacity measurement unit 43, S100, the portable transmission unit corresponds to the portable matching management unit 41, S110, the remaining capacity determination unit corresponds to the battery remaining capacity determination unit 33, S230, the ID processing unit corresponds to the battery remaining capacity determination unit 33, S240, and the information management unit corresponds to the battery remaining capacity history management unit 35, S250, S260.

[0070] [2. Second embodiment] Since the second embodiment has a basic configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, the following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment indicate the same configuration, and the preceding description is to be referred to.

[0071] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration for determining whether to replace the mobile battery 27. The second embodiment has the same hardware configuration as the first embodiment. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0072] [Control process] The processing performed in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. <Mobile device processing> As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, when the portable device 5 receives an ID request signal from the in-car device 3, the portable device 5 detects the remaining capacity of the portable battery 27 (that is, the remaining battery power value) in S300.

[0073] In the next step S310, the remaining battery level and ID information are transmitted to the in-vehicle device 3, and the process is terminated. Here, the remaining battery charge value is the battery information. <Processing of on-board devices> As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, in S400, the in-car device 3 transmits the ID request signal to the portable device 5 at a predetermined timing.

[0074] In the next step S410, the remaining battery level and ID information transmitted from the portable device 5 in response to the ID request signal are acquired. In the next S420, the currently received remaining battery level value and ID information are stored in, for example, the non-volatile memory 13 in association with each other.

[0075] In the next S430, the remaining battery level is judged. That is, it is judged whether the remaining battery level has fallen below a predetermined threshold (i.e., the remaining battery level is an abnormally low value) or whether the remaining battery level is a normal value above the threshold (i.e., the remaining battery level is a high and sufficient value).

[0076] If it is determined that the remaining battery capacity value is abnormal, the process proceeds to S440. On the other hand, if it is determined that the remaining battery capacity value is normal, the process proceeds to S450. In S440, since the remaining battery amount value is abnormal, the ID information of the portable device 5 indicating the abnormal value is stored, for example, in the non-volatile memory 13. Also, the value of the consecutive counter is initialized, and the process proceeds to S480. As will be described later, the consecutive counter is a counter that is counted up when it is determined that the remaining battery amount value is normal again following the previous time (i.e., when the remaining battery amount value is determined to be normal consecutively).

[0077] On the other hand, in S450, since the battery remaining capacity value is normal, it is determined whether the battery remaining capacity value has been determined to be normal n times (i.e., multiple times: for example, 5 times) in a row, and if the determination here is positive, the process proceeds to S470, whereas if the determination here is negative, the process proceeds to S460.

[0078] In S460, since the remaining battery charge value has not been determined to be a normal value for n consecutive times, the continuity counter is counted up to add the current normal determination result, and the process proceeds to S480.

[0079] On the other hand, in S470, since it has been determined that the remaining battery amount value has been normal n consecutive times, it is determined that the mobile-side battery 27 has been replaced with a new mobile-side battery 27, and the ID information of the abnormal mobile device 5 is erased. Also, the value of the continuity counter is initialized, and the process proceeds to S480.

[0080] In S480, it is determined whether or not to perform a process of notifying the portable device 5 that has an abnormal battery remaining amount (i.e., an alarm notification). More specifically, it is determined whether or not ID information of the abnormal portable device 5 is stored in the non-volatile memory 13. If the determination here is affirmative, the process proceeds to S490, whereas if the determination is negative, the process is temporarily terminated.

[0081] That is, in S490, a warning is issued to any portable device 5 whose remaining battery level has been determined to be abnormal at least once in the past (excluding portable devices 5 whose batteries are deemed to have been replaced) because the remaining battery level is low.

[0082] The second embodiment provides the same effects as the first embodiment. [3. Third embodiment] Since the third embodiment has a basic configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, the following description will mainly focus on the differences from the first embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment indicate the same configurations, and the preceding description will be referred to.

[0083] The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration for determining whether or not to replace the mobile battery 27. The hardware configuration of the third embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, but the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0084] [3-1. Control processing] First, the processing performed in the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. <Mobile device processing> As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, when the portable device 5 receives an ID request signal from the in-car device 3, the portable device 5 detects the remaining capacity of the portable battery 27 (that is, the remaining battery power value) in S500.

[0085] In the next step S510, the remaining battery level is judged. That is, it is judged whether the remaining battery level is an abnormal value below a predetermined threshold, or a normal value above the threshold. If it is judged that the remaining battery level is an abnormal value, the process proceeds to S520, whereas if it is judged that the remaining battery level is a normal value, the process proceeds to S530.

[0086] In S520, a battery replacement determination flag is set to indicate that the remaining battery level has been determined to be an abnormal value, and the process proceeds to S530. The battery replacement determination flag is stored in RAM 21b, which is a volatile memory that cannot retain data when there is no power supply. In other words, if the battery replacement determination flag is stored in RAM 21b, it indicates that the remaining battery level has been determined to be an abnormal value.

[0087] In S530, the remaining battery amount, the ID information, and the battery replacement determination flag are transmitted to the in-car device 3, and the process ends once. Here, the remaining battery amount and the battery replacement determination flag are the battery information. <Processing of on-board devices> As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, in S600, the in-car device 3 transmits the ID request signal to the portable device 5 at a predetermined timing.

[0088] In the next step S610, the remaining battery level, ID information, and battery replacement determination flag transmitted from the portable device 5 in response to the ID request signal are acquired. In the next step S620, the currently received remaining battery level value, ID information, and battery replacement determination flag are stored in, for example, the non-volatile memory 13 in association with each other.

[0089] In the next step S630, the remaining battery level is judged. That is, it is judged whether the remaining battery level is an abnormal value below a predetermined threshold, or a normal value above the threshold. If it is judged that the remaining battery level is an abnormal value, the process proceeds to S640, whereas if it is judged that the remaining battery level is a normal value, the process proceeds to S650.

[0090] In S640, since the remaining battery charge value is abnormal, the ID information of the portable device 5 indicating the abnormal value is stored in, for example, the non-volatile memory 13, and the process proceeds to S670. On the other hand, in S650, since the remaining battery amount value is normal, it is determined whether or not a battery replacement determination flag is stored in the non-volatile memory 13. If the battery replacement determination flag is stored, the process proceeds to S670, whereas if the battery replacement determination flag is not stored, the process proceeds to S660.

[0091] In S660, since the battery replacement determination flag is not stored, it is determined that the mobile battery 27 has been replaced with a new mobile battery 27, and the ID information of the abnormal mobile device 5 is erased, and the process proceeds to S670.

[0092] In S670, it is determined whether or not to perform a process of notifying the portable device 5 that has an abnormal battery remaining amount (i.e., an alarm notification). If the answer is YES, the process proceeds to S680, whereas if the answer is NO, the process ends.

[0093] That is, in S680, for any portable device 5 whose remaining battery level has been determined to be abnormal at least once in the past (excluding portable devices 5 whose batteries are deemed to have been replaced), a warning is issued as the remaining battery level is low.

[0094] [3-2.Functional configuration] Next, the configuration of the battery management system 1 according to the third embodiment will be described functionally. As shown in FIG. 10, the in-vehicle device 3 includes a CPU 11a, a non-volatile memory 13, and the like.

[0095] The CPU 11 a functionally comprises a vehicle side verification management section 31 , a battery remaining amount value determination section 33 , a battery remaining amount value history management section 35 , and a battery remaining amount value warning notification section 37 . The vehicle-side verification management unit 31 receives the remaining battery level value and the battery replacement determination flag from the mobile-side verification management unit 41, and transmits a request to the mobile-side verification management unit 41 to turn on the LED.

[0096] The battery remaining amount value determination unit 33 determines whether the battery remaining amount value acquired from the portable device 5 via the vehicle side verification management unit 31 is an abnormal value equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. If the battery remaining amount value of the portable device 5 is abnormal, the ID information of the portable device 5 is written as abnormal ID information to the non-volatile memory 13. If the battery remaining amount value of the portable device 5 is normal, the battery remaining amount value determination unit 33 determines whether there is a battery replacement determination flag. Each of the determination results is transmitted to the battery remaining amount value history management unit 35.

[0097] The battery remaining amount value history management unit 35 obtains the determination result of the battery remaining amount value of the portable device 5 (i.e., information on whether the battery remaining amount value is abnormal or not) and information on the presence or absence of a battery replacement determination flag from the battery remaining amount value determination unit 33. If the battery replacement determination flag is not present, the portable battery 27 is deemed to have been replaced, and the ID information of the portable device 5 with an abnormal battery remaining amount value (i.e., a portable device with a battery replacement determination flag) is erased from the non-volatile memory 13. Furthermore, if the non-volatile memory 13 contains ID information of a portable device 5 with an abnormal battery remaining amount value, the battery remaining amount value history management unit 35 transmits an alarm notification request to the battery remaining amount value alarm notification unit 37.

[0098] Based on the alarm notification request received from the battery remaining amount value history management unit 35, the battery remaining amount value alarm notification unit 37 transmits an LED illumination request to the vehicle side verification management unit 31. The portable device 5 includes a CPU 21a, an LED 23, and the like.

[0099] The CPU 21 a functionally comprises a mobile-side verification management section 41 , a battery remaining amount measurement section 43 , and a flag management section 51 . The remaining battery level measuring section 43 detects the remaining battery level of the mobile battery 27 .

[0100] The mobile-side verification management unit 41 acquires the remaining battery level value from the remaining battery level measurement unit 43 and transmits it to the vehicle-side verification management unit 31. Also, upon receiving an LED lighting request from the vehicle-side verification management unit 31, the mobile-side verification management unit 41 lights up the LED 23 to notify of an abnormality in the remaining battery level value.

[0101] If the remaining battery level measurement unit 43 detects an abnormal remaining battery level, the flag management unit 51 sets a battery replacement flag and stores the battery replacement flag in the RAM 21b. The flag management unit 51 also transmits the battery replacement flag to the mobile side verification management unit 41.

[0102] The third embodiment provides the same effects as the first embodiment. [4. Other embodiments] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. Needless to say, the above-mentioned configuration may take a variety of forms.

[0103] (4a) In the present disclosure, the method of determining whether the battery of the portable device has been replaced is not limited to the method of the above embodiment, and various methods that can be used based on battery information can be adopted. For example, when the battery remaining value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, for example, when the battery remaining value is a value that can be considered to have been replaced with a new battery (for example, a predetermined battery remaining value that allows the portable device to perform the intended function without hindrance), it may be determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced. (4b) The battery information is not limited to the remaining battery level and flags in the above-described embodiment, but may include various types of information that can be used to determine whether the battery in the portable device needs replacing.

[0104] (4c) The battery to be replaced includes a battery having a predetermined (i.e., sufficient) remaining battery capacity that enables the portable device to perform its intended functions without any problems. (4d) The operation of the battery management system (i.e., in-vehicle device or portable device) described in this disclosure may be realized by a special purpose computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program.

[0105] Alternatively, the operations of the battery management system described in this disclosure may be implemented by a special purpose computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits.

[0106] Alternatively, the operation of the battery management system described in the present disclosure may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers configured with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions in combination with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits.

[0107] The computer program may be stored as instructions to be executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. The method for implementing the functions of the battery management system does not necessarily have to include software, and all of the functions may be implemented using one or more pieces of hardware.

[0108] (4e) In addition to the battery management system described above, the present disclosure can be realized in various forms, such as a configuration that includes the battery management system as a component, a program for functioning a computer of the battery management system, a non-transient tangible recording medium such as a semiconductor memory on which the program is recorded, and a battery management method.

[0109] (4f) Multiple functions possessed by one component in each of the above embodiments may be realized by multiple components, or one function possessed by one component may be realized by multiple components. Also, multiple functions possessed by multiple components may be realized by one component, or one function realized by multiple components may be realized by one component. Also, part of the configuration of each of the above embodiments may be omitted. Also, at least part of the configuration of each of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 1... battery management system, 3... in-vehicle device, 5, 5a, 5b... portable device, 11... vehicle-side processing unit, 13... non-volatile memory, 15... vehicle-side communication unit, 21... mobile-side processing unit, 23... LED, 25... mobile-side communication unit, 27... mobile-side battery

Claims

1. A battery management system (1) capable of communicating between an on-board device (3) mounted on a vehicle and a plurality of portable devices (5) capable of remotely controlling the vehicle, The portable device includes: a remaining capacity detection unit (43, S100) configured to detect a remaining capacity value of a battery (27) of the portable device itself or a battery remaining capacity value indicating a value corresponding to the remaining capacity; a portable transmission unit (41, S110) configured to transmit to the in-vehicle device battery information relating to a state of the battery remaining amount value, including information on the battery remaining amount value detected by the remaining amount detection unit, and ID information for identifying the portable device that detected the battery remaining amount value; Equipped with The in-vehicle device includes: a remaining battery level determination unit (33, S230) configured to determine whether the remaining battery level value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold based on the battery information received from the portable transmission unit; an ID processing unit (33, S240) configured to, when the remaining battery level determination unit determines that the battery remaining level value of the portable device is equal to or lower than the threshold value, store in a memory (13) the ID information of the portable device determined to be equal to or lower than the threshold value as information indicating the portable device whose battery remaining level value is abnormal; an information management unit (35, S250, S260) configured to determine whether or not the battery of the portable device has been replaced based on the battery information received from the portable transmission unit, and to hold the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory until it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced; Equipped with Battery management system.

2. The battery management system according to claim 1 , the information management unit is configured to erase the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory when it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced. Battery management system.

3. The battery management system according to claim 2, the information management unit is configured to determine whether or not the current battery remaining amount value is a value greater than the previous battery remaining amount value by a predetermined value or more based on the battery information, and when it is determined that the current battery remaining amount value is a value greater than the predetermined value or more, to determine that the battery of the portable device has been replaced, and to erase the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory. Battery management system.

4. The battery management system according to claim 2, the information management unit is configured to determine whether the remaining battery amount exceeds the threshold value each time the battery information is received, and when it is determined that the remaining battery amount exceeds the threshold value a predetermined number of times in succession, to determine that the battery of the portable device has been replaced and to erase the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory. Battery management system.

5. The battery management system according to claim 1 , The portable device includes: a volatile memory capable of retaining information when power is supplied from the battery; A mobile phone remaining capacity determination unit (43, S510) configured to determine whether the battery remaining capacity value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value; When the battery remaining amount determination unit determines that the battery remaining amount is equal to or less than the threshold amount, a flag management unit (51, S520) configured to store a flag indicating an abnormality in the battery remaining amount value in the volatile memory; Equipped with the portable transmitter of the portable device is configured to transmit, as the battery information, information on the flag stored in the volatile memory to the in-vehicle device; the information management unit of the in-vehicle device is configured to determine whether or not the information of the flag is received from the portable transmission unit as the battery information, and to hold the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory until it is determined that the information of the flag is not received from the portable transmission unit. Battery management system.

6. The battery management system according to claim 5, the information management unit is configured to erase the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory when it is determined that the flag information is not received from the portable transmission unit. Battery management system.

7. A battery management method capable of communicating between an on-board device (3) mounted on a vehicle and a plurality of portable devices (5) capable of remotely controlling the vehicle, comprising: The portable device includes: a remaining battery level value indicating a remaining capacity value of a battery (27) of the portable device itself or a value corresponding to the remaining capacity is detected, and battery information relating to a state of the remaining battery level value including information on the detected remaining battery level value and ID information for identifying the portable device that detected the remaining battery level value are transmitted to the in-vehicle device; The in-vehicle device includes: determining whether the battery remaining amount is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold based on the battery information transmitted from the portable device, and if it is determined that the battery remaining amount is equal to or less than the threshold, storing the ID information of the portable device determined to be equal to or less than the threshold in a memory (13) as information indicating the portable device whose battery remaining amount is abnormal; and determining whether or not the battery of the portable device has been replaced based on the battery information received from the portable device, and holding the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory until it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced. Battery management method.

8. The battery management method according to claim 7, when it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced, the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory is erased. Battery management method.

9. 9. A battery management method according to claim 8, comprising: determining whether the current battery remaining amount value is greater than the previous battery remaining amount value by a predetermined value or more based on the battery information, and if it is determined that the current battery remaining amount value is greater than the predetermined value or more, determining that the battery of the portable device has been replaced, and erasing the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory; Battery management method.

10. The battery management method according to claim 8, Each time the battery information is received, a determination is made as to whether or not the remaining battery amount exceeds the threshold value. If it is determined that the remaining battery amount exceeds the threshold value a predetermined number of times in succession, it is determined that the battery of the portable device has been replaced, and the abnormal battery amount stored in the memory is stored in the portable device. erase the ID information of the device; Battery management method.

11. The battery management method according to claim 7, the portable device includes a volatile memory capable of retaining information while receiving power from the battery; the portable device determines whether the battery remaining amount value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and when it is determined that the battery remaining amount value is equal to or less than the threshold, stores a flag in the volatile memory indicating an abnormality in the battery remaining amount value, and transmits information of the flag stored in the volatile memory to the in-vehicle device as the battery information; the in-vehicle device determines whether or not the flag information is received from the portable device as the battery information, and holds the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory until it is determined that the flag information is not received. Battery management method.

12. The battery management method according to claim 11, When it is determined that the in-vehicle device has not received the flag information from the portable device, the in-vehicle device erases the ID information of the abnormal portable device stored in the memory. Battery management method.

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