Information processor and information processing method

Abstract

To enable safe storage of batteries.SOLUTION: A control unit of an information processor determines the retrieval priority of multiple stored batteries by referring to damage-related information on the multiple batteries. Then, the control unit outputs instruction information for instructing the retrieval of the multiple batteries according to the determined retrieval priority of the multiple batteries.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for planning waste transportation. In the waste transportation planning method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plan is made for collecting waste discharged at each collection point within a certain area and transporting it to a relay processing center for a waste treatment facility. In the waste transportation planning method, a route where waste can be transported within a certain area is maintained. In addition, in the waste transportation planning method, the amount and packaging of waste to be collected at a plurality of collection points on the transportable route are acquired. Then, in the waste transportation planning method, a collection route is determined that travels around each collection point, collects waste at each collection point, and returns to the relay processing center based on the amount and packaging of waste collected at each collection point. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-192268 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to enable safe storage of batteries. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: determining a priority for collection of a plurality of stored batteries with reference to information related to damage to the plurality of batteries; outputting instruction information for instructing the disposal of the plurality of batteries in accordance with the determined disposal priority of the plurality of batteries; The control unit is configured to:

[0006] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes: 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: determining a priority for collection of a plurality of stored batteries with reference to information related to damage to the plurality of batteries; outputting instruction information for instructing the disposal of the plurality of batteries in accordance with the determined disposal priority of the plurality of batteries; Includes. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure allows for safe storage of batteries. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the recovery system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server that constitutes the collection system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of battery information. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Assume that a plurality of stored batteries are to be collected. At this time, at least one of the plurality of batteries may be damaged. In this case, it is assumed that the damaged battery increases the risk during storage. Therefore, the information processing device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure solves such a problem.

[0010] A control unit of an information processing device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure determines a priority for the collection of stored batteries by referring to information related to damage to the batteries. Then, the control unit of the information processing device outputs instruction information for instructing the collection of the batteries according to the determined priority for the collection of the batteries.

[0011] As described above, the information processing device determines the priority of collection according to information related to battery damage. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the risk of battery damage during storage from increasing. As a result, it is possible to store batteries safely.

[0012] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configuration, module configuration, functional configuration, and the like described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to only those.

[0013] <Embodiment> (System Overview) A collection system 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the collection system 1. The collection system 1 includes a dealer terminal 100, a server 200, and a collection company terminal 300. In the collection system 1, the dealer terminal 100, the server 200, and the collection company terminal 300 are connected to each other by a network N1. The network N1 may be, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is a global public communication network such as the Internet, or a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone.

[0014] (Dealer terminal) The dealer terminal 100 is a terminal used by a vehicle dealer (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as a "dealer"). The dealer terminal 100 is, for example, a computer or a mobile information terminal used by the dealer.

[0015] A dealer removes a battery (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a "battery") installed in a vehicle. At this time, the dealer removes the battery from the vehicle to perform either a recycling process or a rebuilding process. The dealer then stores the removed battery. Here, the battery is a battery for driving a motor of a battery-powered electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, or the like. The battery may also be a battery used as an auxiliary battery in the vehicle.

[0016] Recycling is a process for reusing batteries as resources. For example, recycling is a process in which batteries are crushed and metals contained in the batteries (iron, copper, gold, lithium, nickel, cobalt, etc.) are extracted as resources. In this way, resources such as the extracted metals can be used for the manufacture of new products, etc.

[0017] The rebuilding process is a process used for rebuilding in which some or all of the parts are reused. The rebuilding process is a process in which the battery is disassembled into parts, and the reusable parts are reused as batteries for other vehicles. Here, the battery parts are, for example, the cells that make up the battery. The battery parts may also be, for example, the modules or boards that make up the battery. This In such cases, the parts removed from the battery are reused as parts for newly manufactured batteries. Note that in the rebuild process, the battery may be used as is by reassembling it into a battery for another vehicle without disassembly.

[0018] In this embodiment, the battery is a battery that undergoes either a recycling process or a rebuilding process after collection. However, the battery does not necessarily have to be a battery that undergoes either a recycling process or a rebuilding process after collection. The battery may be, for example, a battery that is discarded after collection.

[0019] The dealer terminal 100 transmits battery information to the server 200 via the network N1. Here, the battery information is information about the battery stored by the dealer. The battery information includes information related to the damage state of the battery stored by the dealer. In this embodiment, the information related to the damage state of the battery is information about whether or not the vehicle in which the battery is installed has had an accident history. The presence or absence of the vehicle's accident history is, for example, whether or not the vehicle has had a collision accident. In addition, the presence or absence of the vehicle's accident history is, for example, whether or not the vehicle has been submerged in water. The battery information is generated by the dealer inputting information about the battery and information about whether or not the vehicle in which the battery is installed has had an accident history into the dealer terminal 100.

[0020] (server) The server 200 is a server device that manages the collection of batteries stored by the dealer. The server 200 receives battery information from the dealer terminal 100 via the network N1. The server 200 also transmits instruction information to the collector terminal 300 via the network N1. Here, the instruction information is information that instructs the dealer to collect the batteries stored at the dealer. At this time, the amount of the batteries stored at the dealer may exceed the amount of batteries that the collector can collect. In this case, the server 200 needs to prioritize the batteries stored at the dealer and determine which of the batteries to collect according to the priority.

[0021] Here, it is assumed that the vehicle in which the battery was installed has been involved in an accident. In this case, the battery may have been damaged by being subjected to impact during the accident. Also, the battery may have been damaged by being submerged in water when the battery was submerged. In such a case, the battery installed in the vehicle with a history of accidents may ignite or leak. Therefore, it is assumed that the battery installed in the vehicle with a history of accidents poses a high risk during storage.

[0022] Therefore, the server 200 determines the priority of collection of the plurality of batteries according to whether or not the vehicle in which each of the plurality of batteries was installed had an accident history. The method by which the server 200 determines the priority of collection of the plurality of batteries will be described in detail later.

[0023] The server 200 includes a computer having a processor 210, a main memory unit 220, an auxiliary memory unit 230, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 240. The processor 210 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The main memory unit 220 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The auxiliary memory unit 230 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory). The auxiliary memory unit 230 is, for example, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a disk recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a Blu-ray disk. The auxiliary memory unit 230 may also be a removable medium (portable storage medium). Examples of removable media include a USB memory or an SD card. The communication I / F 240 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication.

[0024] In the server 200, the auxiliary storage unit 230 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various information tables, and the like. In the server 200, the processor 210 loads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 230 into the main storage unit 220 and executes them to realize various functions as described below. However, some or all of the functions of the server 200 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The server 200 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration, and may be configured by a plurality of computers that cooperate with each other. The dealer terminal 100 is configured to include a computer, similar to the server 200.

[0025] (Collector terminal) The recovery agent terminal 300 is a terminal used by a company (recovery agent) that recovers batteries. The recovery agent terminal 300 is configured to include a computer, similar to the server 200. The recovery agent terminal 300 receives instruction information from the server 200 via the network N1. This allows the recovery agent to know which batteries to recover from among the multiple batteries stored by the dealer. As a result, the multiple batteries stored at the dealer are recovered by the recovery agent. Note that the batteries do not necessarily have to be stored in a state where they are removed from the vehicle. For example, the batteries may remain installed in the vehicle and be removed from the vehicle when the recovery agent recovers the batteries. The recovery agent may also recover the batteries together with the vehicle.

[0026] In this embodiment, server 200 transmits instruction information to collection company terminal 300. However, server 200 does not necessarily have to transmit instruction information to collection company terminal 300. Server 200 may transmit instruction information directly to a vehicle (collection vehicle) that collects batteries, for example. In this case, the instruction information includes information indicating the location where the batteries are to be collected and information indicating the batteries to be collected. Then, the collection vehicle that receives the instruction information autonomously travels to a location where the dealer stores the batteries according to the instruction information, and displays information indicating the batteries to be collected to the dealer. The dealer loads the batteries onto the collection vehicle according to the displayed information indicating the batteries to be collected. In this manner, battery collection is performed.

[0027] (Functional configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the server 200 constituting the collection system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 200 constituting the collection system 1.

[0028] The server 200 includes a control unit 201, a communication unit 202, and a battery information database 203 (battery information DB 203). The control unit 201 can be realized by a processor 210 in the server 200. The communication unit 202 has a function of connecting the server 200 to the network N1. The communication unit 202 can be realized by a communication I / F 240 in the server 200.

[0029] The battery information DB 203 has a function of retaining battery information. The battery information DB 203 can be realized by the auxiliary storage unit 230 in the server 200. The control unit 201 receives battery information from the dealer terminal 100 via the communication unit 202. The control unit 201 stores the received battery information in the battery information DB 203. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a table configuration of battery information. The battery information has a dealer ID field, a battery ID field, a storage start date and time field, and a status information field.

[0030] The dealer ID field stores an identifier (dealer ID) for identifying the dealer that transmitted the battery information. When server 200 manages the collection of batteries stored by multiple dealers, multiple dealer IDs are stored in the battery information. The battery ID field stores an identifier (battery ID) for identifying the battery stored by the dealer with the corresponding dealer ID. The storage start date and time field stores information indicating the date and time when storage of the battery with the corresponding battery ID started (storage start date and time). Here, the storage start date and time is the date and time when the battery was removed from the vehicle. The storage start date and time may also be the date and time when the vehicle was taken over by the dealer, or the date and time when the battery was last discharged or charged. The status information field stores information indicating whether or not the vehicle in which the battery in the corresponding battery ID field was installed has had an accident history.

[0031] The control unit 201 can grasp the batteries stored at the dealer and whether or not the vehicle in which the battery was installed has had an accident history. Here, the number of batteries stored at the dealer may exceed the number that can be collected by the collection company (hereinafter, may be referred to as the "collection amount by the collection company"). In this case, the control unit 201 refers to the battery information and determines the collection priority of the batteries.

[0032] Specifically, the control unit 201 obtains from the battery information whether or not the vehicles in which each of the multiple batteries stored at the dealer was installed have had an accident history. Then, the control unit 201 determines the priority of collection of batteries installed in vehicles with an accident history (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "specific batteries") to be higher than the priority of collection of batteries installed in vehicles without an accident history. At this time, multiple specific batteries may be stored at the dealer. Furthermore, the dealer may store multiple specific batteries in excess of the amount allowed for collection by the dealer.

[0033] Here, since the specific battery may be damaged, it is expected that the longer the storage period, the greater the risk during storage. In other words, it is expected that the longer the storage period, the greater the risk of fire or leakage. Therefore, the control unit 201 determines the priority of collection of batteries that have been stored for a long time to be higher than the priority of collection of batteries that have been stored for a short time. Specifically, the control unit 201 refers to the storage start date and time stored in the storage start date and time field in the battery information and calculates the storage period. Then, the control unit 201 determines the priority of collection of specific batteries that have been stored for a long time among multiple specific batteries to be higher. This makes it possible to collect specific batteries that have become a higher risk due to their long storage period in a preferential manner when a quantity of specific batteries that exceeds the amount of batteries collected by the dealer is stored.

[0034] In this embodiment, the collection company collects batteries stored at one dealer. However, the collection company may collect multiple batteries stored at multiple dealers in a given area. In this case, if the amount of multiple batteries stored at the multiple dealers exceeds the amount of batteries collected by the company, the control unit 201 determines the priority of collection of the multiple batteries stored at the multiple dealers.

[0035] The control unit 201 generates instruction information to instruct the dealer to collect multiple batteries stored in accordance with the determined priority. Here, the control unit 201 generates instruction information to instruct the dealer to collect batteries in descending order of priority. In other words, the control unit 201 generates instruction information to preferentially collect specific batteries in descending order of storage period. Furthermore, when the amount of specific batteries is less than the dealer collection amount, the control unit 201 issues an instruction to also collect batteries other than the specific batteries. In this manner, the control unit 201 generates instruction information to instruct the dealer to collect the dealer collection amount of batteries. The control unit 201 then transmits the instruction information to the collection company terminal 300 via the communication unit 202.

[0036] (flowchart) Next, the process executed by the control unit 201 in the server 200 in the collection system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the process executed by the control unit 201. This process is a process for outputting instruction information. This process is executed at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing is, for example, the timing when a collection company collects batteries.

[0037] In the process shown in FIG. 4, first, in S101, battery information is obtained from battery information DB 203. Next, in S102, it is determined whether the amount of batteries stored at the dealer exceeds the amount of batteries to be collected by the dealer. If a negative determination is made in S102, the amount of batteries stored at the dealer does not exceed the amount of batteries to be collected by the dealer. Therefore, the collection company can collect all of the batteries stored at the dealer. Therefore, in S105, instruction information is generated to instruct the collection of all of the batteries stored at the dealer, and is output to collection company terminal 300. Then, the process shown in FIG. 4 is terminated.

[0038] If the determination in S102 is affirmative, the amount of batteries stored at the dealer exceeds the dealer-collected amount. Therefore, the collector cannot collect all of the batteries stored at the dealer. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the collection priority for the batteries stored at the dealer. Then, in S103, the battery information is referenced and status information for each of the batteries stored at the dealer is acquired. Next, in S104, the collection priority is determined according to the status information for each of the batteries stored at the dealer. Next, in S105, instruction information according to the collection priority is generated and output to the collector terminal 300. That is, in S105, instruction information for collecting the dealer-collected amount of batteries is generated and output in order of the highest priority. Then, the process shown in FIG. 4 is terminated.

[0039] As described above, in the collection system 1, designated batteries are determined to have a higher collection priority than batteries other than designated batteries. Therefore, when a dealer stores multiple batteries, including designated batteries and batteries other than designated batteries, the designated batteries can be collected preferentially. This makes it possible to hasten the collection of designated batteries, thereby preventing increased risks during storage.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when multiple specific batteries are stored at a dealer, the priority of the battery that has been stored for the longest period is determined to be high. As a result, the priority of collection of the specific battery that has been stored for the longest period and is assumed to be at high risk during storage due to damage is determined to be high. Therefore, it is possible to collect the specific battery that has been stored for a long time and is at high risk with priority. In this way, the safe storage of batteries is possible.

[0041] (Variation 1) In this embodiment, the status information in the battery information stored in the battery information DB 203 is information on whether or not the vehicle in which the battery was installed has had an accident history. However, the status information in the battery information does not have to be information on whether or not the vehicle in which the battery was installed has had an accident history.

[0042] Here, it is assumed that the greater the damage to the battery, the greater the risk during storage. Therefore, the status information in the battery information may be information indicating the degree of damage to the battery. Here, the degree of damage to the battery is expressed, for example, by the number of damaged cells in the battery. In this case, the greater the number of damaged cells in the battery, the greater the risk of the battery The battery is severely damaged. The dealer, for example, connects the battery to a diagnostic device to measure the extent of the damage to the battery. Then, information on the extent of the damage to the battery output by the diagnostic device is output to the dealer terminal 100, and status information in the battery information is generated.

[0043] The server 200 determines the priority of battery collection to be higher the greater the damage to the battery. In this case, there may be multiple batteries with the same degree of damage. In this case, the server 200 determines the priority of battery collection to be higher for batteries stored for a long period of time than for batteries stored for a short period of time. In this way, safe storage of batteries is possible even if the priority is determined according to the degree of damage to the battery.

[0044] Also, if the battery is severely damaged, it is expected that the state of the battery can be ascertained from its appearance. Therefore, the status information may be generated, for example, by a dealer checking the appearance of the battery and inputting the extent of the damage to the battery into the dealer terminal 100. Also, it is expected that the higher the water level when the vehicle (battery) is submerged, the greater the amount of water that has infiltrated into the battery. In other words, it is expected that the higher the water level when the vehicle (battery) is submerged, the greater the damage to the battery. Therefore, the status information may be, for example, information about the water level when the vehicle (battery) is submerged. In this case, for example, the dealer inputs information about the water level when the battery is submerged into the dealer terminal 100. This also enables safe storage of the battery.

[0045] In addition, it is assumed that the degree of damage to a battery installed in a vehicle with a history of accidents varies depending on the severity of the accident. Therefore, the server 200 may determine the priority of battery collection using both information on whether the vehicle has a history of accidents and information indicating the degree of damage to the battery. For example, the server 200 may determine the highest priority of collection for a battery installed in a vehicle with a history of accidents and whose damage is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value. In addition, the server 200 may determine the second highest priority of collection for a battery installed in a vehicle with a history of accidents and whose damage is less than a first predetermined value and equal to or greater than a second predetermined value.

[0046] In this way, the server 200 determines the priority of collection by referring to both the information on whether the vehicle has had an accident history and the information on the extent of damage to the battery. This allows batteries that were installed in vehicles with an accident history and are severely damaged to be collected preferentially. This also allows for safe storage of batteries.

[0047] (Variation 2) The battery in this embodiment is a battery installed in a vehicle. However, the collected battery does not necessarily have to be a battery installed in a vehicle. For example, the collected battery may be any battery, such as a battery installed in an electrical appliance or a stationary storage battery, that is to be recycled or rebuilt.

[0048] <Other embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0049] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0050] The present disclosure relates to a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments. The program can also be realized by supplying the program to a computer, and having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as a magnetic disk (such as a floppy disk or a hard disk drive (HDD)), an optical disk (such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a Blu-ray disk), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, or an optical card. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Collection system 100··Dealer Terminal 200·Server 201 Control section 202 Communications Department 203...Battery information DB 300 ··Collection company terminal

Claims

1. determining a priority for collection of a plurality of stored batteries with reference to information related to damage to the plurality of batteries; outputting instruction information for instructing the disposal of the plurality of batteries in accordance with the determined disposal priority of the plurality of batteries; A control unit configured to execute Information processing device.

2. The battery is a vehicle battery that was installed in a vehicle, The information related to damage to the plurality of batteries includes information regarding whether or not a vehicle in which each of the plurality of batteries is installed has had an accident history; Determining the priority includes determining, as a high priority, a battery that was installed in a vehicle that has a history of accidents among the plurality of batteries. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the information related to damage to the plurality of batteries includes information related to a magnitude of damage to the plurality of batteries; determining the priority level includes determining a higher priority level for a battery that is more severely damaged among the plurality of batteries; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. determining the priority includes determining the priority further depending on a length of a storage period of each of the plurality of batteries. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: determining a priority for collection of a plurality of stored batteries with reference to information related to damage to the plurality of batteries; outputting instruction information for instructing the disposal of the plurality of batteries in accordance with the determined disposal priority of the plurality of batteries; Including, Information processing methods.

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