Battery reuse management system

Abstract

To prevent battery management information transmitted from a stationary power storage device to an information management device from becoming unclear as to which on-vehicle battery pack it corresponds.SOLUTION: A battery reuse management system comprises a stationary power storage device and an information management device. The stationary power storage device includes a plurality of on-vehicle battery packs at least a part of which have been primarily used. The information management device receives battery management information about each of the plurality of on-vehicle battery packs from the stationary power storage device and manages the battery management information. The battery management information includes travel distance information indicating the total travel distance of a vehicle when each of the on-vehicle battery packs is installed in the vehicle. The information management device executes pack specifying processing to specify the on-vehicle battery pack corresponding to the battery management information based on the travel distance information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for managing the reuse of vehicle battery packs. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a power supply device comprising multiple functional modules and a main controller. Each functional module comprises a battery block consisting of multiple battery cells, a communication interface, a memory unit, and a battery state detection unit. When connected to the main controller, the functional module is assigned unique address information by the main controller, the assigned unique address information is recorded in the memory unit, and data communication is performed based on the address information.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a battery pack that is equipped with a unique address and a means of communication with a network so that the battery pack itself can be connected to a network. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a battery management device that detects the presence of a battery pack when starting up a power storage system and assigns a management number to identify the battery pack. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2012 / 043592 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2002 / 067347 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-175858 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] A battery reuse management system that includes a stationary energy storage device that includes a plurality of vehicle-mounted battery packs, at least some of which have undergone primary use, and an information management device that receives battery management information related to each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted battery packs from the stationary energy storage device and manages the battery management information has the following problem: It is required that it is not unclear which vehicle-mounted battery pack the battery management information transmitted from the stationary energy storage device to the information management device corresponds to. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A battery reuse management system according to the present disclosure includes a stationary energy storage device and an information management device. The stationary energy storage device includes a plurality of vehicle battery packs, at least some of which have undergone primary use. The information management device receives battery management information for each of the plurality of vehicle battery packs from the stationary energy storage device and manages the battery management information. The battery management information includes mileage information indicating the total mileage of the vehicle while the vehicle was equipped with the vehicle battery pack. The information management device executes a pack identification process to identify the vehicle battery pack corresponding to the battery management information based on the mileage information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] When an automotive battery pack has been used once in a vehicle, the mileage information from the time of the first use is unique to each automotive battery pack. Even if the automotive battery pack is subsequently reused in a stationary energy storage device, the mileage information remains unchanged from the time of the first use. Therefore, by using the mileage information, it is possible to easily identify the automotive battery pack corresponding to the battery management information from the stationary energy storage device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of a battery reuse management system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining information related to the reuse of an in-vehicle battery pack. [Figure 3]1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information management device and a battery utilization system; [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram for specifically explaining the problem of identifying an in-vehicle battery pack corresponding to battery management information. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing related to linking (re-linking) an in-vehicle battery pack to a communication device having an unknown MAC address. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] 1. Battery reuse management system FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of a battery reuse management system 1 according to this embodiment. The battery reuse management system 1 manages the reuse of battery packs 10. Reuse is a concept that includes secondary reuse, tertiary reuse, etc. In particular, the battery reuse management system 1 manages the reuse of battery packs (vehicle battery packs) 10 mounted on a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle (BEV) or hybrid vehicle (HEV, PHEV) that uses an electric motor as a power unit for driving. The battery pack 10 is mounted on the vehicle 100, and the electric motor is driven by power supplied from the battery pack 10.

[0011] The battery reuse management system 1 includes one or more vehicles 100 and an information management device 300. The information management device 300 serves as an information platform that manages various types of information. The information management device 300 includes one or more servers. The information management device 300 may be configured with multiple servers that perform distributed processing. The vehicles 100 and the information management devices 300 can communicate with each other via a wireless communication network.

[0012] The vehicle 100 may periodically transmit vehicle information related to the vehicle 100 to the information management device 300. The vehicle information may include driving history information TRV indicating the driving history of the vehicle 100. For example, the driving history information TRV may include the total driving distance of the vehicle 100. As another example, the driving history information TRV may include location history information of the vehicle 100.

[0013] The vehicle information may include battery information BAT that reflects the usage history of the battery pack 10. For example, the battery information BAT includes battery usage history information. The battery usage history information includes, for example, at least one of temperature history, SOC (State Of Charge) history, current history, voltage history, and charging history. Each history may be expressed as a frequency distribution. The battery information BAT may include SOH (State Of Health). The SOH may be calculated based on the battery usage history information. The battery information BAT may include the total charged amount of electricity and the total discharged amount of electricity. The battery information BAT may include the battery capacity and the battery output.

[0014] The battery reuse management system 1 may further include a terminal 200 used in a vehicle dealership or a vehicle repair shop. The vehicle information can also be read from the vehicle 100 by using a predetermined tool at the vehicle dealership or vehicle repair shop. The vehicle information read from the vehicle 100 is input to the terminal 200. That is, the terminal 200 can also acquire the vehicle information. The terminal 200 can communicate with the information management device 300 via a wireless or wired communication network. The terminal 200 may transmit the vehicle information read from the vehicle 100 to the information management device 300.

[0015] The information management device 300 collects, stores, and manages vehicle information of a large number of vehicles 100. The information management device 300 includes a vehicle information database 320 that stores the vehicle information of a large number of vehicles 100. The vehicle information database 320 is realized by one or more storage devices.

[0016] Next, a description will be given of the reuse of the battery pack 10 that was installed in the vehicle 100. The battery pack 10 is removed from the vehicle 100 and reused.

[0017] The battery utilization system 500 is a system that uses a storage battery. For example, the battery utilization system 500 is a stationary storage battery system that stores renewable energy in a stationary storage battery. As another example, the battery utilization system 500 may be a residential power supply system that uses a stationary storage battery. According to this embodiment, a battery pack (vehicle battery pack) 10 that was mounted on a vehicle 100 is reused as a stationary power storage device 520, which will be described later, in such a battery utilization system 500. Providing a large number of battery packs 10 from a large number of vehicles 100 promotes cost reduction of the battery utilization system 500 and promotes widespread use of the battery utilization system 500.

[0018] 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining information related to the reuse of the battery pack 10. The battery pack 10 includes one or more battery modules 11 and a controller 12 for controlling the battery pack 10. The controller 12 is also called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0019] When reusing the battery pack 10, the battery reuse management system 1 acquires primary use information PU. The primary use information PU corresponds to vehicle information when the battery pack 10 was used primarily in the vehicle 100.

[0020] For example, the primary use information PU includes battery information BAT that reflects the usage history of the battery pack 10 during primary use in the vehicle 100. The battery information BAT is stored in the controller 12 (ECU) in the battery pack 10 and is read out from the controller 12. For example, just before the battery pack 10 is removed from the vehicle 100, an information processing device of the vehicle 100 acquires the battery information BAT from the controller 12 in the battery pack 10 and transmits the battery information BAT to the information management device 300. As another example, the battery information BAT may be read out from the controller 12 (ECU) in the battery pack 10 by using a predetermined tool at a vehicle dealer or a vehicle repair shop. In this case, the terminal 200 acquires the battery information BAT and transmits the battery information BAT to the information management device 300. As yet another example, the information management device 300 may acquire the battery information BAT of the vehicle 100 from the vehicle information database 320.

[0021] The primary use information PU may include driving history information TRV of the vehicle 100 in which the battery pack 10 is mounted. The driving history information TRV includes mileage information indicating the total mileage of the vehicle 100. The driving history information TRV may also include a location history device. The total mileage information is stored in the controller 12 in the battery pack 10 or in a storage device of the in-vehicle system. The location history information is obtained from the storage device of the in-vehicle system or the vehicle information database 320 of the information management device 300. The information management device 300 acquires the driving history information TRV using a method similar to the above-described method for acquiring the battery information BAT.

[0022] The battery management information 30 is information used when reusing the battery pack 10. The battery management information 30 is generated based on the primary use information PU. More specifically, the battery management information 30 includes battery information BAT and driving history information TRV. The environments (temperature, humidity, etc.) in the areas where the vehicle 100 has been traveling vary, and the deterioration state of battery performance changes depending on the environment. Therefore, the driving history information TRV can also be useful information when reusing the battery pack 10. The battery management information 30 may also include the model of the vehicle 100 in which the battery pack 10 is mounted. The battery management information 30 may be generated in any of the vehicle 100, the terminal 200, and the information management device 300.

[0023] The information management device 300 collects, stores, and manages battery management information 30 of a large number of vehicles 100. The information management device 300 includes a battery management information database 330 that stores the battery management information 30 of a large number of vehicles 100 (see FIG. 1). The battery management information database 330 is realized by one or more storage devices.

[0024] The reuse identification information (hereinafter referred to as "reuse ID") is identification information of the battery pack 10 at the time of reuse. Details of the reuse ID will be described later. The reuse ID is associated with the battery pack 10. For example, a sticker or the like on which a two-dimensional code indicating the reuse ID is printed is affixed to the battery pack 10. An example of the two-dimensional code is a QR code (registered trademark). More specifically, an operator at a vehicle dealer or vehicle repair shop removes the battery pack 10 from the vehicle 100. The reuse ID is generated by the terminal 200 or the operator. The operator affixes a sticker or the like on which a two-dimensional code indicating the reuse ID is printed to the battery pack 10. The terminal 200 also associates the reuse ID with primary use information PU or battery management information 30 and transmits them to the information management device 300.

[0025] In this way, the information management device 300 acquires the reuse ID and the battery management information 30 of the battery pack 10. The information management device 300 associates the reuse ID with the battery management information 30 in the battery management information database 330. That is, the information management device 300 manages the reuse ID and the battery management information 30 in association with each other.

[0026] The battery pack 10 removed from the vehicle 100 is provided to a user who reuses the battery pack 10 (hereinafter referred to as a "reuse user" or "reuser"). The reuse user is the operator of the battery utilization system 500. Furthermore, the information management device 300 provides the reuse user with a reuse ID and battery management information 30 associated with each other. That is, the reuse user is provided with a set of three items: the battery pack 10, the reuse ID of the battery pack 10, and the battery management information 30 related to the battery pack 10. In other words, the battery pack 10 and the battery management information 30 are associated with the reuse ID and provided to the reuse user.

[0027] More specifically, the battery utilization system 500 includes an information collection device 510. The information collection device 510 is capable of communicating with the information management device 300 via a wired or wireless communication network. The information management device 300 transmits the reuse ID of the battery pack 10 and the battery management information 30 to the information collection device 510 of the battery utilization system 500 in which the battery pack 10 is reused. The information collection device 510 manages the reuse ID and the battery management information 30 in association with each other. Meanwhile, a two-dimensional code indicating the reuse ID of the battery pack 10 is affixed to the battery pack 10. Therefore, in the battery utilization system 500, the battery pack 10, the reuse ID, and the battery management information 30 are associated with each other.

[0028] When the battery pack 10 is reused in the battery utilization system 500, the information collection device 510 monitors the usage status of the battery pack 10 and adds battery usage history information of the battery pack 10 to the battery management information 30 (battery information BAT). As a result, the battery management information 30 includes the battery information BAT at the time of reuse in the battery utilization system 500, in addition to the battery information BAT at the time of primary use in the vehicle 100. In this way, the battery usage history information reflects the usage history of the battery pack 10 not only at the time of primary use in the vehicle 100, but also at the time of reuse.

[0029] The information collection device 510 periodically uploads (transmits) the latest battery management information 30 together with the reuse ID to the information management device 300. The information management device 300 periodically acquires the latest battery management information 30 and the reuse ID. The information management device 300 updates the battery management information 30 associated with the reuse ID in the battery management information database 330 to the latest information.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information management device 300 and the battery utilization system 500. As shown in FIG.

[0031] The information management device 300 includes an information processing device 310, as well as a vehicle information database 320 and a battery management information database 330 (see FIG. 1). The information processing device 310 is capable of accessing the vehicle information database 320 and the battery management information database 330. The information processing device 310 also stores various types of information, executes various types of information processing, and communicates with the outside via a communication interface. The information processing device 310 includes one or more processors (processing circuits) and one or more storage devices. The functions of the information processing device 310 may be realized by cooperation between the processor that executes a control program and the storage device. The control program is stored in the storage device. Alternatively, the control program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

[0032] The battery utilization system 500 includes an information collection device 510 and a stationary power storage device 520. The stationary power storage device 520 is configured by combining a plurality of battery packs 10. At least some of the plurality of battery packs 10 included in the stationary power storage device 520 have been used for the first time, that is, they are second-hand products that have been installed in vehicles 100 and used. For example, all of the battery packs 10 included in the stationary power storage device 520 may have been used for the first time.

[0033] In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the stationary power storage device 520 includes 60 battery packs 10. Specifically, the 60 battery packs 10 are configured as a total of 20 sets of battery packs 10, with each set including three battery packs 10. The stationary power storage device 520 includes a plurality of communication devices 521. The communication devices 521 are also called dongles. In the stationary power storage device 520, one communication device 521 is provided for each set of three battery packs 10. That is, each of the 20 communication devices 521 is associated with a plurality (e.g., three) of battery packs 10 in one set. Each communication device 521 is communicably connected to the controller 12 included in each battery pack 10.

[0034] In order to monitor the usage status of all battery packs 10 included in the stationary power storage device 520, the information collection device 510 communicates with each communication device 521, acquires battery usage history information of each battery pack 10 in each set, and updates the battery management information 30. As already described, the information collection device 510 transmits the latest battery management information 30 together with the reuse ID to the information management device 300. In other words, each of the multiple communication devices 521 transmits the battery management information 30 and the reuse ID of the three battery packs 10 associated with it to the information management device 300 via the information collection device 510. This transmission is performed for each individual battery pack 10.

[0035] In this embodiment, the reuse ID (reuse identification information) is determined as follows. That is, a unique address is assigned to each communication device 521. The address is a MAC address (Media Access Control address). Specifically, MAC addresses 01 to 20 are assigned to the 20 communication devices 521 included in the stationary energy storage device 520, respectively. For ease of explanation, the MAC addresses are expressed as two-digit numbers that are shorter than actual MAC addresses. Battery pack IDs (pack identification information) are assigned to all battery packs 10 included in the stationary energy storage device 520. Specifically, battery pack IDs A, B, and C are assigned to the three battery packs 10 in each set, respectively. That is, the battery pack IDs are unique among the three battery packs 10 linked to the same communication device 521 and are assigned according to a rule that is common to each communication device 521. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the reuse ID is a combination of the MAC address of the communication device 521 (e.g., 01) and the battery pack ID of the battery pack 10 (e.g., A) linked to the communication device 521 (e.g., 01-A).

[0036] 2. Identifying the battery pack corresponding to the battery management information The battery reuse management system 1 is required to ensure that it is not unclear which battery pack (vehicle battery pack) 10 corresponds to the battery management information 30 transmitted from the stationary power storage device 520 to the information management device 300. In other words, the information management device 300 is required to be able to easily identify the battery pack 10 corresponding to the battery management information 30 transmitted from the stationary power storage device 520.

[0037] Fig. 4 is a diagram specifically illustrating the problem of identifying the battery pack 10 corresponding to the battery management information 30. Fig. 4 illustrates a stationary electricity storage device 520 having 20 sets of one communication device 521 and three battery packs 10, similar to the example shown in Fig. 3.

[0038] "Normal time" in Figure 4 corresponds to the case where a combination of reuse ID and battery management information 30 known to the information management device 300 is transmitted from the stationary energy storage device 520 to the information management device 300 via the information collection device 510 for all battery packs 10.

[0039] On the other hand, if multiple communication devices 521 have been replaced due to a malfunction or other reason after the previous transmission of the battery management information 30, the battery management information 30 received by the information management device 300 will include a battery pack 10 to which a reuse ID (e.g., 21-A) including the MAC address of the replaced communication device 521 has been assigned. The MAC address of the replaced communication device 521 is an unknown MAC address to the information management device 300.

[0040] If there is only one communicator 521 with an unknown MAC address, it can be determined that the communicator 521 with the MAC address that was included when the battery management information 30 was last transmitted but was not received this time has been replaced with the communicator 521 with the unknown MAC address. In this case, the information management device 300 updates the reuse IDs so that the three battery packs 10 that were linked to the communicator 521 with the MAC address that was not received this time are now linked to the communicator 521 with the unknown MAC address. This allows the information management device 300 to continue identifying the three battery packs 10 using the updated reuse IDs. The information management device 300 can then continue acquiring the battery management information 30 by associating the updated reuse IDs with the battery management information 30 of the three battery packs 10.

[0041] On the other hand, for example, if multiple communication devices 521 are replaced at the same time, the reuse IDs transmitted from the stationary energy storage device 520 will include two or more reuse IDs with unknown MAC addresses. When there are two or more unknown MAC addresses, it becomes impossible to identify which of the two or more MAC addresses that were not received this time corresponds to these unknown MAC addresses. In other words, it becomes impossible to identify the battery pack 10 to which the reuse IDs that include these unknown MAC addresses were assigned. More specifically, FIG. 4 shows an example in which three unknown MAC addresses 21, 22, and 23 are included. In this example, measures are required to identify the correspondence between the three MAC addresses 02, 03, and 19 that were not received this time and the three unknown MAC addresses 21, 22, and 23.

[0042] Therefore, in this embodiment, the information management device 300 executes a "pack identification process." The pack identification process is a process for identifying a battery pack 10 corresponding to the battery management information 30 based on mileage information. The mileage information used in the pack identification process is included in the battery management information 30 received for each individual battery pack 10 from the stationary power storage device 520.

[0043] Specifically, in the pack identification process, if there are multiple unreceived MAC addresses and the same number of multiple unknown MAC addresses among the MAC addresses of the multiple communicators 521 received from the stationary power storage device 520, the information management device 300 identifies multiple unknown MAC addresses corresponding to the multiple unreceived MAC addresses based on the mileage information. Then, the information management device 300 links the multiple communicators 521 having the identified multiple unknown addresses MAC to the battery packs 10 that were linked to the multiple communicators 521 having the multiple unreceived MAC addresses, respectively.

[0044] Furthermore, in the pack identification process, if it is not possible to identify a plurality of unknown MAC addresses corresponding to a plurality of unreceived MAC addresses based on the mileage information, the information management device 300 performs the identification based on the battery usage history information.

[0045] 2-1. Processing example 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing related to linking (re-linking) the battery pack 10 to the communication device 521 having an unknown MAC address. Processes P1 to P8 in FIG. 5 are all processing related to re-linking the battery pack 10, and are included in the "pack identification processing."

[0046] In step S100, the information processing device (or simply device) 310 of the information management device 300 determines whether or not it has received information (reuse ID and battery management information 30) for each individual battery pack 10 from the stationary power storage device 520. More specifically, the information is received in the order of battery pack IDs A, B, and C for each communication device 521. If an unknown MAC address is included in the received information (step S102; Yes), the process proceeds to step S104.

[0047] In step S104, the device 310 determines whether there is one unknown MAC address. If there is one unknown MAC address, the device 310 executes process P1 (step S106). In process P1, the device 310 cancels the reuse ID including the MAC address that can no longer be received this time, and updates the reuse IDs of the three battery packs 10 that were assigned the canceled reuse ID to reuse IDs that include the newly received MAC address this time (re-linking). For example, if MAC address 02 can no longer be received and MAC address 21 is newly received, the reuse IDs of the three battery packs 10 that were assigned reuse IDs 02-A, 02-B, and 02-C are updated to reuse IDs 21-A, 21-B, and 21-C.

[0048] On the other hand, if there are two or more unknown MAC addresses (step S104; No), the device 310 determines whether or not the determination condition C1 is met (step S108). In the following description, for convenience, the battery packs 10 having battery pack IDs A, B, and C will be referred to as "battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C," respectively.

[0049] The judgment condition C1 is that, among the battery packs 10 linked to two or more MAC addresses that could not be received this time, the number of battery packs 10A whose total mileage at the time of previous reception is 0 is one or 0. Note that the mileage information includes the total mileage value of 0 for battery packs 10 that have not been used for the primary use in the vehicle 100 (i.e., new battery packs 10).

[0050] If the determination condition C1 is met, the device 310 determines whether the determination condition C2 is met (step S110). The determination condition C2 is that the total mileage values ​​of the battery packs 10A linked to two or more MAC addresses that could not be received this time are all different. If the determination condition C2 is met, the device 310 executes the process P2 (step S112).

[0051] In process P2, the device 310 references the mileage information included in the battery management information 30 of the target battery pack 10. Specifically, the device 310 searches for a pair of battery packs 10A associated with the MAC address that is no longer receivable and the unknown MAC address that is newly received, with the total mileage matching. The number of pairs is the same as the number of MAC addresses that are no longer receivable and the number of unknown MAC addresses. Then, for each pair found, the device 310 updates the reuse ID so that the MAC address that is no longer receivable is replaced with the newly received MAC address (re-linking). For example, if the total mileages of the battery packs 10A associated with the three MAC addresses 02, 03, and 19 that are no longer receivable are X, Y, and Z, respectively, and the total mileages of the battery packs 10A associated with the unknown MAC addresses 21, 22, and 23 are Y, X, and Z, respectively, re-linking is performed as follows. That is, MAC address 02 is replaced by 22, 03 is replaced by 21, and 19 is replaced by 23.

[0052] On the other hand, if the judgment condition C2 is not met, that is, if there is a duplication of the total mileage values ​​among the battery packs 10A associated with the MAC addresses that could not be received this time, the device 310 judges whether the judgment condition C3 is met (step S114). The judgment condition C3 is that the combinations of the total mileage values ​​of the battery packs 10B and 10C associated with the individual MAC addresses that could not be received this time are all different among the two or more MAC addresses that could not be received this time. If the judgment condition C3 is met, the device 310 executes the process P3 (step S116). For example, the judgment condition C3 is met when the combinations of the total mileage values ​​of the battery packs 10B and 10C associated with the three MAC addresses 02, 03, and 19 that could not be received this time are "Y and Z," "V and W," and "Z and V," respectively.

[0053] In process P3, the device 310 searches for a pair of battery packs 10B and 10C associated with the MAC address that is no longer receivable and battery packs 10B and 10C associated with the newly received unknown MAC address, with a matching combination of total mileage. For each pair found, the device 310 updates the reuse ID so that the MAC address that is no longer receivable is replaced with the newly received unknown MAC address (re-linking). For example, if the combinations of total mileage values ​​of battery packs 10B and 10C associated with unknown MAC addresses 21, 22, and 23, respectively, are "V and W," "Y and Z," and "Z and V," re-linking is performed as follows: MAC address 02 is replaced with 22, 03 is replaced with 21, and 19 is replaced with 23.

[0054] Furthermore, if the determination condition C3 is not satisfied, i.e., if there is a duplication of the combination of values ​​of the total mileage of the battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C among the MAC addresses that are currently unable to be received, the device 310 executes process P4 (step S118). First, for the battery packs 10B and 10C among the MAC addresses that are currently unable to be received, which do not have a duplication of the combination of values ​​of the total mileage of the battery packs 10B and 10C, process P4 is the same as process P3. Then, for the battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C among which there is a duplication of the combination of values ​​of the total mileage of the battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C, the device 310 uses the battery usage history information (in other words, the battery load history) for re-linking. That is, the device 310 uses at least one of the above-mentioned battery usage history information included in the battery management information 30 (for example, at least one of the temperature history, the SOC history, the current history, the voltage history, and the charging history).

[0055] Specifically, the device 310 searches for a pair of battery management information 30 for the battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C associated with the MAC address that is no longer available and the battery management information 30 for the battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C associated with the newly received unknown MAC address, where continuity is found in at least one of the battery usage history information pairs. Whether continuity is found in the history can be determined, for example, based on whether the change in the history value from the previous reception to the current reception is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. Then, for each searched pair (more specifically, for each searched pair if multiple pairs are found), the device 310 updates the reuse ID so that the MAC address that is no longer available is replaced with the newly received unknown MAC address. Additionally, when each history included in the battery usage history information is expressed as a frequency distribution, the frequency of each segment of the frequency distribution (e.g., temperature history: 30-31°C, 31-32°C, 32-33°C, etc.) simply increases over a predetermined period of time. Therefore, when comparing the frequency data of the MAC address that could not be received this time with the frequency data of the MAC address that was newly received this time, it is impossible that the numerical values ​​of all segments in the history (for example, at least one of the temperature history, SOC history, current history, and charging history) have decreased. By focusing on this point and considering the frequency of additions to the history during the elapsed time between the previous reception of the battery management information 30 and the current reception, it is possible to identify the battery pack 10.

[0056] 5, if the judgment condition C1 is not met, i.e., if there are two or more battery packs 10A whose total mileage at the time of previous reception is 0 among the battery packs 10 associated with two or more MAC addresses that could not be received this time, the device 310 judges whether the judgment condition C4 is met (step S120). The judgment condition C4 is the same as the judgment condition C3 described above. If the judgment condition C4 is met, the device 310 executes the process P5 (step S122). The process P5 is the same as the process P3 described above.

[0057] On the other hand, if the judgment condition C4 is not met, that is, if there is a duplication of the numerical combination of the total mileage of battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C among the MAC addresses that can no longer be received this time, device 310 executes process P6 (step S124) and also executes process P7 (step S128) or process P8 (step S130) depending on whether judgment condition C5 (step S126) is met.

[0058] Specifically, if the combination of numerical values ​​for the total mileage of the battery packs 10B and 10C does not overlap between the MAC addresses for which reception was not possible this time, the process P6, which is the same as the process P3 described above, is executed. In addition, even if two or more of the battery packs 10A linked to two or more MAC addresses for which reception was not possible this time are new, if the combination of numerical values ​​for the total mileage of the battery packs 10B and 10C managed by the same MAC addresses as the battery packs 10B and 10C differ between the MAC addresses, re-linking them is easy.

[0059] On the other hand, for battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C with overlapping combinations of total mileage values, process P7 or process P8 is executed depending on whether or not determination condition C5 is met. Determination condition C5 requires that all of battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C with overlapping combinations of total mileage values ​​for individual MAC addresses that were not received this time are brand new. Process P7, which is executed when determination condition C5 is met, is the same as the process of using battery usage history information for re-linking in process P4 described above. More specifically, even if the battery packs 10A, 10B, and 10C to be identified are all brand new, various histories (e.g., at least one of temperature history, current history, and SOC history) will differ for each battery pack 10 depending on the installation location of each battery pack 10 in the stationary energy storage device 520. Therefore, by focusing on this point, re-linking is possible even when determination condition C5 is met.

[0060] Furthermore, when the judgment condition C5 is not met (i.e., when a battery pack 10 that has been used once is included among the battery packs 10 with overlapping combinations of total mileage values ​​for individual MAC addresses), process P8 is executed, which targets the battery packs 10 that have been used once and uses the battery usage history information for re-linking in the same manner as process P4 described above. More specifically, when the judgment condition C5 is not met, re-linking can be easily performed using the battery usage history information by focusing on the battery packs 10 that have been used once (i.e., battery packs 10 that have a total mileage (value other than 0) that have been used in the vehicle 100).

[0061] In addition, the information management device 300 (information processing device 310) associates the battery management information 30 that was associated with the reuse ID before the update with the reuse ID updated by the processes P1 to P8 shown in FIG.

[0062] 2-2.Effects When the battery pack 10 has been used once in the vehicle 100, the mileage information at the time of the first use is unique to each battery pack 10. Even if the battery pack 10 is subsequently reused in the stationary power storage device 520, the mileage information remains unchanged from that at the time of the first use. Therefore, by using the mileage information, it is possible to easily identify the battery pack 10 corresponding to the battery management information 30 from the stationary power storage device 520.

[0063] 5, even if it becomes impossible to receive multiple MAC addresses due to replacement of multiple communicators 521, it is possible to identify the communicators 521 having multiple unknown MAC addresses (i.e., the replaced communicators 521) by using the mileage information. Then, it is possible to continue identifying the battery pack 10 that was linked to the communicator 521 having the MAC address that has become impossible to receive this time.

[0064] Furthermore, when a battery pack 10 that has been used once is reused in the vehicle 100, it is extremely rare for the total mileage values ​​of the multiple battery packs 10 included in the stationary electricity storage device 520 to match. Furthermore, it is considered extremely unlikely that the combination of the total mileage values ​​of the multiple battery packs 10 linked to the same communication device 521 will overlap between the multiple communication devices 521 (between multiple MAC addresses). Furthermore, according to processes P4, P7, and P8 of the flowchart shown in Fig. 5, even if it is not possible to identify multiple unknown MAC addresses corresponding to multiple unreceived MAC addresses based on the mileage information due to the overlap, it is possible to identify them by using the battery usage history information described above.

[0065] Furthermore, the number of battery packs 10 linked to each of the multiple communicators 521 may be one, rather than multiple as in the example illustrated in FIG. 3 . However, if only one battery pack 10 is linked to each communicator 521, the number of communicators 521 will be enormous if the stationary power storage device 520 includes a large number of battery packs 10. This may result in an increase in the cost of the stationary power storage device 520 and an increase in the communication load (first drawback). Furthermore, depending on the durability of the communicators 521, the frequency of replacement of the communicators 521 may increase (first drawback). Conversely, it may be possible to link all battery packs 10 included in the stationary power storage device 520 to one communicator 521. However, in this example, if the number of battery packs 10 increases, management of battery pack IDs becomes cumbersome (second drawback). In contrast, as illustrated in Fig. 3, by adopting a configuration in which a plurality of battery packs 10 are linked to each of a plurality of communication devices 521, it is possible to suppress both the first and second drawbacks described above. In addition, since the battery pack IDs (pack identification information) are not duplicated among the plurality of battery packs 10 linked to the same communication device 521 and are assigned according to a rule common to each communication device 521, it becomes possible to easily assign numbers to a large number of battery packs 10 using simple battery pack IDs, as in the examples A to C shown in Fig. 3.

[0066] 2-3.Other examples of reusable IDs In an example where all the battery packs 10 included in the stationary power storage device 520 have been used once, the reuse ID may be mileage information. That is, for each battery pack 10, the value of the total mileage during the primary use may be used as the reuse ID. According to this example, the use of the mileage information as the reuse ID makes it easier to identify the battery pack 10 corresponding to the battery management information 30 from the stationary power storage device 520. In addition, in this example, when the value of the total mileage used as the reuse ID is the same among multiple battery packs 10, the reuse ID may include additional information such as alphanumeric characters to identify the multiple battery packs 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1 Battery reuse management system, 10 Vehicle battery pack, 30 Battery management information, 100 Vehicle, 300 Information management device, 510 Information collection device, 520 Stationary storage device, 521 Communication device

Claims

1. a stationary electricity storage device including a plurality of vehicle battery packs, at least some of which have been used for primary purposes; an information management device that receives battery management information related to each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted battery packs from the stationary power storage device and manages the battery management information; Equipped with the battery management information includes mileage information indicating a total mileage of the vehicle when the in-vehicle battery pack was installed in the vehicle, The information management device executes a pack identification process for identifying an in-vehicle battery pack corresponding to the battery management information based on the mileage information. Battery reuse management system.

2. The battery reuse management system according to claim 1, the stationary electricity storage device includes a plurality of communication devices each linked to one or more of the vehicle-mounted battery packs included in the plurality of vehicle-mounted battery packs, each of the plurality of communication devices transmits the battery management information and reuse identification information of the one or more vehicle battery packs associated with the communication device to the information management device for each individual vehicle battery pack; the reuse identification information is identification information for each of the plurality of vehicle battery packs at the time of reuse, and is a combination of an address unique to each of the plurality of communication devices and pack identification information assigned to each of the plurality of vehicle battery packs, the pack identification information is unique among the one or more vehicle battery packs associated with the same communication device and is assigned according to a rule common to each communication device; In the pack identification process, when there are a plurality of unreceived addresses and a plurality of unknown addresses equal in number to the plurality of unreceived addresses among the addresses of the plurality of communication devices received from the stationary power storage device, the information management device: Identifying the plurality of unknown addresses corresponding to the plurality of unreceived addresses based on the mileage information; The identified communication devices having the unknown addresses are respectively linked to the one or more vehicle battery packs that were respectively linked to the communication devices having the unreceived addresses. Battery reuse management system.

3. The battery reuse management system according to claim 2, A plurality of in-vehicle battery packs are linked to the plurality of communication devices, respectively. Battery reuse management system.

4. The battery reuse management system according to claim 2 or 3, the battery management information includes battery usage history information that reflects the usage history of the corresponding vehicle-mounted battery pack; In the pack identification process, if the unknown addresses corresponding to the unreceived addresses cannot be identified based on the mileage information, the information management device identifies the unknown addresses based on the battery usage history information. Battery reuse management system.

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