Battery exchange station, control method thereof, and battery exchange system

Abstract

A battery exchange station, a control method thereof, and a battery exchange system are provided. The battery exchange station according to the present invention includes first to m-th charging slots (m is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) each capable of housing and withdrawing a battery pack, an information input / output device for receiving a battery exchange request from a user, and a controller configured to check battery housing information of the first to m-th charging slots. The controller is configured to determine whether a battery withdrawal condition is satisfied in response to the battery exchange request, and to switch a specific charging slot housing a fully charged battery pack among the first to m-th charging slots from a locked mode to an unlocked mode in response to the battery withdrawal condition being satisfied.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for improving the efficiency of the operation of a battery exchange station.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0112783 filed on September 6, 2022, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0112784 filed on September 6, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0118310 filed on September 6, 2023, and the contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of such applications are incorporated into this application in their entirety. [Background technology]

[0003] In recent years, as the demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and mobile phones has grown rapidly and the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, satellites, and other products has accelerated, active research is being conducted into high-performance batteries that can be repeatedly charged and discharged.

[0004] Batteries currently in commercial use include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium batteries. Of these, lithium batteries are attracting attention due to the advantages that they have compared to nickel-based batteries, such as almost no memory effect, which allows them to be charged and discharged freely, as well as an extremely low self-discharge rate and high energy density.

[0005] A battery pack for a target device (e.g., an electric vehicle) that requires high capacity and high voltage includes tens to hundreds of battery cells connected in series. Since it takes a long time to fully charge such a battery pack, a Battery Swapping Station (BSS) has been recently introduced as an alternative.

[0006] A battery exchange station is a device that supports the exchange between a discharged battery and a fully charged battery. That is, the battery exchange system supports a user to pull out a fully charged battery pack in response to a user's request, and when a discharged battery pack is accommodated in a slot that becomes vacant (idle) as the battery pack is pulled out, the battery exchange system charges the discharged battery pack to a fully charged state. The battery exchange at the battery exchange station can be performed manually by a user or operator, or automatically by the battery exchange station.

[0007] For the user, there is no need to wait until the discharged battery pack attached to the target device is fully charged, and the user can pull out the already fully charged battery pack from the battery exchange station to drive the target device, improving the usability for the user.

[0008] The battery exchange station includes a plurality of charging slots, each arranged to be capable of charging a battery contained therein independently of the other charging slots.

[0009] When a fully charged battery pack accommodated in a particular slot of a battery exchange station is removed by a user, that particular slot becomes idle. In the idle state, the charging function is also inevitably stopped, so it is quite important for the efficient operation of the battery exchange station to minimize the time that each slot of the battery exchange station is kept in the idle state.

[0010] Conventional battery exchange stations adopt a method of providing a user with fully charged battery packs accommodated in a predetermined number of occupied charging slots on the condition that the user accommodates discharged battery packs in a predetermined number of idle charging slots out of m (three or more) charging slots provided in the battery exchange station. In other words, conventionally, at least a predetermined number of charging slots out of m charging slots provided in the battery exchange station must be kept idle, making it impossible to operate all m slots in an occupied state, which significantly restricts the efficiency of battery exchange station operation.

[0011] Therefore, a technology is desired that can improve operational efficiency by minimizing the idle time of each charging slot at a battery exchange station. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The present invention has been created to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a battery exchange station, a battery exchange system including the battery exchange station, and a control method for the battery exchange station that can minimize the idle time of each of the multiple slots provided in the battery exchange station and improve the overall operational efficiency of the battery exchange station.

[0013] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the embodiments of the present invention, and can be realized by the means and combinations thereof as claimed in the appended claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] A battery exchange station according to one aspect of the present invention includes first to m-th charging slots (m is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) each capable of housing and withdrawing a battery pack, an information input / output device that receives a battery exchange request from a user, and a controller configured to check battery housing information of the first to m-th charging slots. The controller is configured to determine whether a battery withdrawal condition is satisfied in response to the battery exchange request, and to switch a k-th charging slot (k is a natural number equal to or less than m) that houses a fully charged battery pack from a locked mode to an unlocked mode in response to the battery withdrawal condition being satisfied.

[0015] The battery withdrawal conditions may include at least one of (i) a first withdrawal condition in which the user's authorization to use is authenticated by user identification information of the user and (ii) a second withdrawal condition in which a discharged battery pack is located in the vicinity of the battery exchange station.

[0016] The controller may be configured to determine whether the second withdrawal condition is satisfied, conditional on the first withdrawal condition being satisfied.

[0017] The controller may be configured to determine that the second withdrawal condition is satisfied in response to pack identification information of the discharged battery pack being contactlessly detected by the information input / output device.

[0018] The controller may be configured to switch the kth charging slot from the unlocked mode to the locked mode in response to the user's discharged battery pack being placed in the kth charging slot after the fully charged battery pack has been removed from the kth charging slot.

[0019] The controller may be configured to control the information input / output device to output a use disallowance signal for the fully charged battery pack before the fully charged battery pack is drawn out of the kth charging slot.

[0020] The controller may be configured to control the information input / output device to output a usage permission signal for the fully charged battery pack in order to switch the fully charged battery pack from an unusable state to a usable state in response to a discharged battery pack being accommodated in the kth charging slot after the fully charged battery pack has been pulled out from the kth charging slot.

[0021] The controller may be configured to control the information input / output device to output a battery accommodation request message in response to a detection that a discharged battery pack is not accommodated in the kth charging slot until a critical time has elapsed since the fully charged battery pack was removed from the kth charging slot.

[0022] The controller may be configured to determine a reward or penalty for the user based on an amount of time elapsed since the fully charged battery pack was removed from the kth charging slot.

[0023] The reward may include an extension of the critical time. The penalty may include a reduction of the critical time.

[0024] A battery exchange system according to another aspect of the present invention includes the battery exchange station described above.

[0025] A control method for a battery exchange station according to yet another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: the controller receiving a battery exchange request from a user via the information input / output device; the controller determining whether a battery withdrawal condition is satisfied in response to the battery exchange request; and, in response to the battery withdrawal condition being satisfied, switching a kth charging slot (k is a natural number less than or equal to m) among the 1st to mth charging slots, which contains a fully charged battery pack, from a locked mode to an unlocked mode.

[0026] The battery withdrawal conditions may include at least one of (i) a first withdrawal condition in which the user's authorization to use is authenticated by user identification information of the user and (ii) a second withdrawal condition in which a discharged battery pack is located in the vicinity of the battery exchange station.

[0027] The battery exchange station control method may further include a step of the controller controlling the information input / output device to output a usage permission signal for the fully charged battery pack in response to a discharged battery pack being accommodated in the kth charging slot after the fully charged battery pack has been pulled out of the kth charging slot, in order to switch the fully charged battery pack from an unusable state to a usable state.

[0028] The method of controlling the battery exchange station may further include a step of the controller controlling the information input / output device to output a battery accommodation request message in response to the controller not detecting that the user's discharged battery pack is accommodated in the kth charging slot until a critical time has elapsed since the fully charged battery pack was removed from the kth charging slot. Effect of the Invention

[0029] According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the idle time of each of the multiple slots in a battery exchange station can be minimized, thereby improving the overall operational efficiency of the battery exchange station.

[0030] In addition, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to encourage active participation of users in improving the efficiency of the operation of the battery exchange station by providing rewards or imposing penalties on users based on the elapsed time between the time when a user wishing to exchange a battery pulls out a fully charged battery from a particular slot of the battery exchange station and the time when the user places a discharged battery in the same slot.

[0031] Furthermore, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, when a particular slot of a battery exchange station switches from an idle state (a state in which a fully charged battery has been removed by a user and is free) to an occupied state (a state in which a discharged battery has been placed in by a user), the fully charged battery removed from the particular slot can be remotely controlled to a usable state, thereby encouraging the user to place their discharged battery in the particular slot as soon as possible.

[0032] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

[0033] The drawings attached to this specification are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and serve to facilitate a further understanding of the technical ideas of the present invention as well as the content of the invention, and therefore the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to only the matters depicted in the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram referred to in explaining the configuration of a battery exchange system according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the battery exchange station illustrated in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram referred to for explaining the general configuration of a genuine battery pack that can be stored in and removed from a battery exchange station. [Figure 4] 1 is a procedure diagram referred to for generally explaining a control method of a battery exchange station 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5a] 5 is a diagram to be referred to in explaining the battery replacement process according to the method of FIG. 4. [Figure 5b] 5 is a diagram to be referred to in explaining the battery replacement process according to the method of FIG. 4. [Figure 5c] 5 is a diagram to be referred to in explaining the battery replacement process according to the method of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a flow chart referred to for generally explaining a control method for a battery exchange station according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7a] 7 is a diagram to be referred to in explaining the battery replacement process according to the method of FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 7b] 7 is a diagram to be referred to in explaining the battery replacement process according to the method of FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 7c] 7 is a diagram to be referred to in explaining the battery replacement process according to the method of FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a procedure diagram referred to for generally explaining a control method for a battery exchange station according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms and words used in the present specification and claims are not to be construed as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but are to be construed as having meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical ideas of the present invention, in accordance with the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of terms himself in order to best describe the invention.

[0036] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiment described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of ​​the present invention, and therefore there may be various equivalents and modifications that can be substituted therefor at the time of this application.

[0037] Phrases including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one of various components from the other components, and do not limit the components.

[0038] Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, this does not mean excluding other components, but may further include other components, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, phrases such as <unit> described in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0039] In addition, throughout this specification, when it is said that a part is "connected (coupled)" to another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected (coupled)" to another part, but also the case where it is "indirectly connected (coupled)" via another element in between.

[0040] Figure 1 is a diagram referred to in explaining the configuration of the battery exchange system according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram generally showing the configuration of the battery exchange station shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a diagram referred to in explaining generally the configuration of an original battery pack that can be stored in and removed from the battery exchange station.

[0041] 1 to 3, a battery exchange system 10 includes a battery exchange station 100 and a remote control server 200.

[0042] The battery exchange station 100 includes first to mth charging slots S1 to S m (m is a natural number of 2 or more), an information input / output device 120, a charging device 110, and a controller 130.

[0043] Charging slots S1 to S m Each of the charging slots is arranged so that a battery pack can be inserted and removed. FIG. 1 shows an example in which m=8, that is, the battery exchange station 100 has a total of eight charging slots S1 to S8. In the following, the first to m-th charging slots S1 to S m In explaining the contents common to both, the symbol S or S i (i is a natural number equal to or less than m). It should be easily understood by those skilled in the art that, unlike the matter illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of charging slots S may be less than eight or more than eight.

[0044] A state in which the battery pack B is not accommodated in the charging slot S may be referred to as an "idle state (or out-of-stock state)", and a state in which the battery pack B is accommodated in the charging slot S may be referred to as an "occupied state (or in-stock state)". In FIG. 2, the charging slots S1 and S2 are in an occupied state, and the charging slot S m is illustrated as being idle.

[0045] The information input / output device 120 includes an interface unit 121 and a communication circuit 122 .

[0046] The interface unit 121 may receive input of various required information, including a battery exchange request, from a user U who wishes to exchange his / her own discharged battery pack B2 for a fully charged battery pack B1. For example, the interface unit 121 may include at least one of known information input means such as a touch screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a QR scanner, a microphone, etc. Furthermore, the information input / output device 120 may output various information notifying the progress of the battery pack exchange. For example, the interface unit 121 may include at least one of known information output means such as a touch screen, a speaker, etc.

[0047] The battery exchange request may be input by a user U operating the interface unit 121, or may be output from a mobile terminal carried by the user U when a dedicated application is launched on the mobile terminal.

[0048] The communication circuit 122 is configured to access a remote control server 200 located at a remote location from the battery exchange station 100 via a wired or wireless communication network, and to transmit and receive information related to the battery exchange service to and from the remote control server 200. The communication circuit 122 also communicates with the first to m-th charging slots S1 to S via the wired or wireless communication network. m The communication circuit 122 can transmit a use-prohibited signal or a use-permitted signal to the battery pack accommodated in each of the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2 that is in an occupied state. m A usage prohibition signal or usage permission signal can be transmitted to a battery pack pulled out by a user U from each charging slot S of the charging slots S.

[0049] The wired communication may be, for example, controller area network (CAN) communication, and the wireless communication may be, for example, ZigBee (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication. It goes without saying that the type of communication protocol is not particularly limited as long as it supports wired and wireless communication between the battery exchange station 100 and the remote control server 200.

[0050] The controller 130 controls the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m , may be operably coupled to each of the information input / output device 120 and the charging device 110. The fact that two components are operably coupled means that the two components are directly or indirectly connected to each other so as to be able to transmit and receive signals in one direction or both directions.

[0051] The controller 130 may be implemented in hardware using at least one of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microprocessors, and other electrical units for performing functions.

[0052] The controller 130 may include a memory 131. The memory 131 may store data and programs required for each component of the battery exchange station 100 to operate and function, or data generated in the process of performing the operations and functions. The memory 131 may store at least one program, application, data, or instructions to be executed by the controller 130. There is no particular limit to the type of memory 131 as long as it is a known information storage means that is known to be capable of recording, erasing, updating, and reading data. The memory may be realized by at least one of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a solid state disk (SSD) type, a solid disk drive (SDD) type, a multimedia card micro type, a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and a programmable read-only memory (PROM), but the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a specific form of memory. Note that the memory 131 may store program code that defines processes that can be executed by the controller 130.

[0053] The remote control server 200 may be configured to be able to communicate unidirectionally or bidirectionally with the battery exchange station 100. The remote control server 200 may also be configured to be able to communicate unidirectionally or bidirectionally with the battery pack B.

[0054] The remote control server 200 may include a communication circuit 122 configured to be able to communicate with the battery exchange station 100 via a wired communication system and / or a wireless communication system. The remote control server 200 may communicate with the battery pack B via a wired communication system and / or a wireless communication system.

[0055] Any one or a combination of two or more of a wide variety of known communication methods can be adopted for communication between the remote control server 200, the battery exchange station 100, and the battery pack B. For example, at least two of the remote control server 200, the battery exchange station 100, and the battery pack B may communicate with each other by cellular, WIFI, Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (near field communication), RF (radio frequency) method, etc. As another example, the remote control server 200, the battery exchange station 100, and the battery pack may communicate with each other by being connected by a cable, etc.

[0056] The remote control server 200 may be configured to cooperate with the battery exchange station 100 to perform a user authentication operation for a user U who wishes to exchange a battery.

[0057] Specifically, the user U may register his / her user identification information and payment information in the remote control server 200 by activating a dedicated application installed in the mobile terminal as a pre-procedure for using the battery exchange station 100. After completing user registration (e.g., membership subscription) for using the battery exchange station 100, the user U may operate the information input / output device 120 to input a user UID and a password to the battery exchange station 100, tag a member identification card, or have a QR code displayed on the screen when the dedicated application of the mobile terminal is activated be captured by a code scanner of the information input / output device 120, thereby transmitting an authentication request including his / her user identification information to the battery exchange station 100. The payment information is used to settle the usage fee for the battery exchange station 100 in advance or after payment.

[0058] In response to receiving a battery exchange request from user U, controller 130 may extract user identification information from the received battery exchange request. Controller 130 may then control communication circuit 122 to transmit the extracted user identification information to remote control server 200.

[0059] The remote control server 200 may search for the user identification information received from the battery exchange station 100 in a pre-stored user database provided therein, and determine whether the user U has the authority to use the battery exchange station 100. That is, if membership information matching the user identification information obtained through the mediation of the battery exchange station 100 is already registered in the user database, the remote control server 200 may determine that the user U is a legitimate user who has the authority to use the battery exchange station 100.

[0060] On the other hand, if there is no membership information matching the user identification information in the user database, the remote control server 200 may determine that the user U is not authorized to use the battery exchange station 100 .

[0061] If the remote control server 200 determines that the user U is a valid user, it may transmit a first response signal indicating successful authentication to the battery exchange station 100. In contrast, if it determines that the user U is not authorized to use the battery exchange station 100, the remote control server 200 may transmit a second response signal indicating failed authentication to the battery exchange station 100.

[0062] In response to the first response signal received from the remote control server 200 via the communication circuit 122, the controller 130 may control the interface unit 121 to output an authentication success message to the user U indicating that user authentication has been successful.

[0063] In response to the second response signal received from the remote control server 200 via the communication circuit 122, the controller 130 may control the interface unit 121 to output an authentication failure message (e.g., an error message) to the user U indicating that user authentication has failed. If user identification information is re-input after the output of the authentication failure message, the battery exchange station 100 may perform the authentication procedure again for the re-input user identification information.

[0064] The remote control server 200 can be configured to remotely control the fully charged battery pack B1 withdrawn from the battery exchange station 100 by the user U to an unusable state or an usable state.

[0065] Alternatively, the battery exchange station 100 may perform at least a part of the procedure for user authentication described above, or may perform the user authentication procedure instead of the remote control server 200. Also, instead of the remote control server 200, the battery exchange station 100 may be configured to remotely control the fully charged battery pack B1 to an unusable state or an usable state by itself.

[0066] The unusable state means a state in which the electrical connection between the positive and negative terminals of battery pack B is open. Therefore, battery pack B in the unusable state cannot be charged or discharged.

[0067] The permitted state means a state in which an electrical connection is formed between the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the battery pack B. Therefore, the battery pack B in the permitted state can be normally used, including charging and discharging.

[0068] Specifically, when a use restriction request including the pack identification information of battery pack B is received from the battery exchange station 100, the remote control server 200 may transmit (e.g., broadcast) a use restriction signal including the pack identification information of battery pack B to battery pack B. Even if battery pack B is pulled out from the battery exchange station 100 by user U, it may become unusable in response to the use restriction signal including its own pack identification information.

[0069] When a usage permission request including the pack identification information is received from the battery exchange station 100, the remote control server 200 may transmit a usage permission signal including the pack identification information to the battery pack B. After the battery pack B is pulled out of the battery exchange station 100 by the user U in an unusable state, the battery pack B may be switched to a usage permission state by the usage permission signal including its own battery pack ID.

[0070] 2, the charging device 110 includes a charging power supply unit 111, a switching circuit 112, a voltage detection circuit 113, and a current sensor 114. For better understanding, FIG. 2 illustrates the charging device 110 as well as first to mth charging slots S1 to S2. m and controller 130.

[0071] The charging power supply unit 111 may be activated or deactivated according to a command from the controller 130. When the charging power supply unit 111 is activated, it may operate in either a constant current charging mode or a constant voltage charging mode according to a command from the controller 130.

[0072] The switching circuit 112 is connected to the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m The switching circuit 112 is configured to be able to electrically connect any one or more of the first to m-th charging slots S1 to S6 to the charging power supply unit 111 in accordance with a command from the controller 130. m Each of these may be electrically connected to the charging power supply unit 111 or electrically isolated from the charging power supply unit 111.

[0073] The charging slot S is a pack room including a first terminal + and a second terminal -. The pack room refers to a space in which a battery pack B is accommodated. When the battery pack B is accommodated in the inner chamber of the charging slot S, the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the battery pack B can be electrically connected to the first terminal + and the second terminal - of the charging slot S, respectively.

[0074] The voltage detection circuit 113 detects the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m The voltage detection circuit 113 is disposed so as to be electrically connectable to the first terminal + and the second terminal − of each of the first to m-th charging slots S1 to S m The first to m-th charging slots S1 to S mThe voltage detection circuit 113 detects the voltage across both ends of the battery pack B housed in each of the battery packs B (hereinafter, simply referred to as the “pack voltage”). The voltage detection circuit 113 can transmit a voltage signal indicating the detected battery voltage to the controller 130 by performing analog-to-digital conversion.

[0075] The current sensor 114 may be implemented to include one or more of known current sensing elements, such as a shunt resistor, a Hall effect element, or the like.

[0076] 2, the current sensor 114 is electrically connected to a power path (a pair of power lines 11, 12) between the switching circuit 112 and the charging power supply unit 111. For ease of understanding, the power lines 11, 12 are shown by thick solid lines.

[0077] The current sensor 114 may detect a charging current flowing through the power lines 11, 12 between the switching circuit 112 and the charging power supply unit 111 while the charging power supply unit 111 operates in a constant current charging mode or a constant voltage charging mode, and output a current signal indicating the detected charging current to the controller 130. Alternatively, the current sensor 114 may detect a charging current flowing through the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2. m These m current sensors 114 are provided in the first to m-th charging slots S1 to S2. m The charging current flowing through each of the first and second terminals can be detected separately.

[0078] The controller 130 detects the voltage of the first to m-th charging slots S1 to S2 based on the voltage signal received from the voltage detection circuit 113 at set time intervals (for example, 0.01 seconds). m controller 130 may determine a voltage value indicative of the pack voltage of each occupied charging slot among the current signals received from current sensor 114 at each set time and record the determined voltage value in memory 131. Controller 130 may also determine a current value indicative of the charging current based on the current signal received from current sensor 114 at each set time and record the current value in memory 131.

[0079] The controller 130 controls the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m The battery accommodation information can be monitored for the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m The battery accommodation information may include slot status information indicating whether each of the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2 is in an idle state or an occupied state. m The battery storage information may include a cumulative idle time and / or a cumulative occupied time of each of the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2. The cumulative idle time may be the total time from the most recent time when the charging slot S was switched from an occupied state to an idle state to the time when it was kept in the idle state. The cumulative occupied time may be the total time from the most recent time when the charging slot S was switched from an idle state to an occupied state to the time when it was kept in the occupied state. Note that the battery storage information may include a cumulative idle time and / or a cumulative occupied time of each of the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2. m Among these, the battery pack identification information and / or status parameters (e.g., pack voltage, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH)) of the battery pack B accommodated in each occupied charging slot S may be included.

[0080] The controller 130 is i is in an occupied state, the i-th charging slot S i Based on the time series of the voltage value and / or current value of the pack voltage of the battery pack B accommodated in the charging slot S i The SOC and / or SOH of the battery pack housed in the battery pack can be monitored (estimated). Any one or a combination of two or more of a wide variety of known methods can be used to estimate the SOC and / or SOH. For example, a state of charge (SOC)-open circuit voltage (OCV) map, an ampere count, an extended Kalman filter, etc. can be used to estimate the SOC of the battery pack.

[0081] In this specification, the genuine battery pack B that can be used in the battery exchange station 100 can be accommodated in the charging slot S of the battery exchange station 100 and can be standardized to have specifications that allow it to be normally charged using the charging power supplied by the battery exchange station 100 while accommodated in the charging slot S.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 3, a battery pack B includes a cell group 51, a wireless communication circuit 53, and a pack switch 52.

[0083] The cell group 51 includes at least one battery cell. The type of the battery cell is not particularly limited as long as it is a battery cell that can be repeatedly charged and discharged, such as a lithium ion cell. When the cell group 51 includes multiple battery cells, the multiple battery cells can be connected in series with each other, in parallel with each other, or in a series-parallel combination with each other.

[0084] The wireless communication circuit 53 controls the pack switch 52 to a turn-off state when it receives a usage restriction signal from the remote control server 200. The wireless communication circuit 53 controls the pack switch 52 to a turn-on state when it receives a usage permission signal from the remote control server 200. The wireless communication circuit 53 may also include an NFC tag on which pack identification information of the battery pack is recorded. When the NFC tag is located within a predetermined proximity distance from an NFC reader provided in the communication circuit 122 of the battery exchange station 100, the NFC reader can contactlessly collect the pack identification information from the NFC tag.

[0085] The pack switch 52 is disposed in a current path between the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the battery pack B. Specifically, the pack switch 52 may be disposed between the positive terminal of the battery pack and the positive terminal of the cell group 51, or between the negative terminal of the battery pack B and the negative terminal of the cell group 51. The positive terminal of the cell group 51 may be the positive terminal of a battery cell that is electrically located most upstream among the multiple battery cells of the cell group 51. The negative terminal of the cell group 51 may be the negative terminal of a battery cell that is electrically located most downstream among the multiple battery cells of the cell group 51.

[0086] While pack switch 52 is in the turned-off state, the current path between the positive and negative terminals of battery pack B is opened. While pack switch 52 is in the turned-on state, the current path between the positive and negative terminals of battery pack B is closed.

[0087] Alternatively, at least one of the use restriction signal and the use permission signal may be transmitted from the remote control server 200 to the battery pack B via the battery exchange station 100. As an example, when the remote control server 200 transmits a use restriction signal to the battery exchange station 100, the battery exchange station 100 may transmit the use restriction signal received from the remote control server 200 to the battery pack B.

[0088] Alternatively, at least one of the use restriction signal and the use permission signal may be transmitted to the battery pack by the battery exchange station 100 itself instead of the remote control server 200 .

[0089] The battery exchange station 100 may charge the battery packs B received in each occupied charging slot S.

[0090] If the authentication of the user identification information of the user U is successful, the user U is assigned to the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2 of the battery exchange station 100.m Among these, the battery pack B accommodated in the charging slot S can be pulled out from the charging slot S that is in an occupied state.

[0091] Specifically, when a user U who wishes to exchange a battery is authenticated as a legitimate user, the battery exchange station 100 selects one of the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m The kth charging slot S k After the fully charged battery pack B1 stored in the kth charging slot S is pulled out by the user U, k The battery pack B1 may be remotely controlled to either an unusable state or an usable state by monitoring whether a discharged battery pack B2 of a user U is received in the battery pack B1.

[0092] FIG. 4 is a procedural diagram referred to for generally explaining the control method of the battery exchange station 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5a to 5c are diagrams referred to for explaining the battery exchange process according to the method of FIG. 4.

[0093] 1 to 5c, in step S410, the controller 130 receives a battery exchange request from the user U via the information input / output device 120. The battery exchange request may include the user U's user identification information.

[0094] As an example, user U may transmit a battery exchange request to battery exchange station 100 by inputting user U's ID and PW into information input / output device 120 installed in battery exchange station 100, or by tagging a member identification card that user U possesses.

[0095] 5a, a battery exchange request may be transmitted to the battery exchange station 100 by having the information input / output device 120 capture a QR code displayed on the screen of the user U's mobile terminal. The QR code and / or member identification card may have user identification information recorded therein, and the information input / output device 120 may collect the user identification information from the QR code and / or member identification card in a non-contact manner.

[0096] In step S420, the controller 130 selects the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m In other words, the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m In step S420, it is determined whether a fully charged battery pack B1 is accommodated in at least one of the charging slots S1 and S2. In FIG. 5a, a fully charged battery pack B1 is accommodated in the charging slot S1 in the closed state (locked mode).

[0097] If the value of step S420 is "Yes", the process may proceed to step S430. If the value of step S420 is "No", the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m As an example, the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m In the case where all of the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2 are in the idle state, the value output in step S420 may be “No”. m If all of the battery packs B are in an occupied state, but all of the battery packs B are not in a fully charged state, the value output in step S420 may be “No.” If the value in step S420 is “No,” the process may proceed to step S422.

[0098] In relation to step S420, the first to mth charging slots S1 to S mIf the fully charged battery pack B1 is accommodated in only one of the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2, the controller 130 may select the specific charging slot in which the fully charged battery pack B1 is accommodated as the target charging slot. m When a fully charged battery pack B1 is accommodated in each of the two or more charging slots, the controller 130 may select one of the two or more charging slots as the target charging slot. As an example, the charging slot that accommodates the battery pack B having the largest SOH among the two or more charging slots may be selected as the target charging slot. As another example, the charging slot that has been kept in an occupied state for the longest time among the two or more charging slots may be selected as the target charging slot. As yet another example, the charging slot that accommodates the battery pack B that has been kept in a fully charged state for the longest time among the two or more charging slots may be selected as the target charging slot.

[0099] In the following, the target charging slot is the kth charging slot S k That is, when k is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to m, the kth charging slot S k are the first to mth charging slots S1 to S2 in which a fully charged battery pack B1 that is permitted to be withdrawn by a user U is accommodated. m In the following, for ease of explanation, it is assumed that the first charging slot S1 is selected as the target charging slot.

[0100] In step S430, the controller 130 determines, based on the user identification information included in the battery exchange request, whether or not the user U has the authority to use the battery exchange station 100. That is, in step S430, it is determined whether or not the authentication of the user U's authority to use has been successful. Step S430 is a procedure for determining whether or not a first withdrawal condition as a battery withdrawal condition is satisfied.

[0101] The controller 130 may obtain an authentication result for the usage authority of the user U by searching whether membership registration information matching the user identification information is recorded in the user database.

[0102] Alternatively, the controller 130 may extract the user identification information from the battery exchange request, and then transmit a remote authentication request including the extracted user identification information to the remote control server 200. In response to the remote authentication request, the remote control server 200 may transmit an authentication result for the usage authority of the user U to the battery exchange station 100.

[0103] A value of "yes" at step S430 indicates that user U has been successfully authenticated as a valid user. If the value of step S430 is "yes", proceed to step S440. If the value of step S430 is "no", proceed to step S422.

[0104] In step S422, the controller 130 controls the information input / output device 120 to output a message indicating that the exchange is not possible.

[0105] If step S422 is executed due to the value of step S420 being "no", the non-replaceable message may be to inform the user U that the fully charged battery pack B1 is not present. m If at least one of the charging slots is occupied, the controller 130 may calculate the remaining charging time of battery pack B for each occupied charging slot, and add the waiting time, which is the minimum value among the calculated remaining charging times, to the non-replacement message.

[0106] If step S422 is performed due to the value of step S430 being "no", the non-exchangeable message may include a request to re-enter the user identification information.

[0107] In step S440, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k Specifically, the kth charging slot S k The input port of the charging slot S1 may be kept in the locked mode when the value of step S430 is “no” and may be switched from the locked mode to the unlocked mode when the value of step S430 is “yes.” For example, in the locked state, the input port of the charging slot S1 is closed as shown in FIG 5a, whereas in the unlocked mode, the input port of the charging slot S1 is open as shown in FIG 5b.

[0108] The controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k Before the k-th charging slot S is switched to the unlocking mode, k In this way, the user U can control the charging device 110 to stop supplying charging power to the fully charged battery pack B1 accommodated in the k-th charging slot S. k 5c, the user U can safely remove the fully charged battery pack B1 from the charging slot S1 and then install the fully charged battery pack B1 removed from the charging slot S1 into the small electric vehicle 20.

[0109] In step S450, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k For example, when the fully charged battery pack B1 is pulled out, the voltage detection circuit 113 detects whether the fully charged battery pack B1 is pulled out from the k-th charging slot S. k The voltage between the terminals of the fully-charged battery pack B1 is substantially 0 V, and the controller 130 thereby detects that the fully-charged battery pack B1 is in the kth charging slot S kIf the value of step S450 is "YES", the process moves to step S452.

[0110] In step S452, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k The time when the fully charged battery pack B1 is removed from the battery compartment is recorded.

[0111] In step S460, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k It is determined whether the discharged battery pack B2 is accommodated in the discharged battery pack B2 storage unit 10. If the value of step S460 is "NO", the process proceeds to step S462. If the value of step S460 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S470.

[0112] In step S462, the controller 130 determines whether the time elapsed since the withdrawal time is equal to or greater than the critical time. If the value of step S460 is "YES", the controller 130 may proceed to step S480. The critical time may be a predetermined length of time that is commonly applied to all users U who have the right to use the battery exchange station 100.

[0113] Alternatively, the controller 130 may set different critical times for each user U depending on the membership level, past battery replacement history, and the like.

[0114] In step S470, the controller 130 switches the fully charged battery pack B1 from an unusable state to a usable state. As one example, the controller 130 may control the communication circuit 122 to output a use permission signal including the pack identification information of the fully charged battery pack B1. As another example, the controller 130 may transmit a remote use permission request including the pack identification information of the fully charged battery pack B1 to the remote control server 200, and the remote control server 200 may wirelessly transmit (e.g., broadcast) the use permission signal including the pack identification information of the fully charged battery pack B1 in response to the remote use permission request received from the battery exchange station 100. Note that in step S470, the controller 130 may k from the unlocked mode back to the locked mode.

[0115] In step S480, the controller 130 controls the information input / output device 120 to output a battery accommodation request message. The battery accommodation request message is to request the discharged battery pack B2 to be accommodated in the k-th charging slot S k The notification signal may be in the form of a visual and / or audio prompting the user U to accommodate.

[0116] The controller 130 determines whether the k-th charging slot S480 has been executed a predetermined number of times. k If does not switch from the idle state to the occupied state, the method according to FIG. 4 may be terminated.

[0117] FIG. 6 is a procedural diagram referred to for generally explaining a control method of a battery exchange station according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 7a to 7c are diagrams referred to for explaining the battery exchange process according to the method of FIG. 6.

[0118] 1 to 3 and 6 to 7c, in step S610, the controller 130 receives a battery exchange request from the user U via the information input / output device 120. In response to receiving the battery exchange request, the controller 130 may switch the NFC reader of the information input / output device 120 from a sleep state to a wake-up state.

[0119] In step S620, the controller 130 selects the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m Among them, charging slot S contains fully charged battery pack B1. k 7a illustrates k=1, that is, the charging slot S1 exists in the battery exchange station 100 as the target charging slot. If the value of step S620 is "no", the process may proceed to step S622. If the value of step S620 is "yes", the process proceeds to step S630.

[0120] In step S630, the controller 130 determines whether or not the discharged battery pack B2 is located near the battery exchange station 100. That is, step S630 is a procedure for determining whether or not a second withdrawal condition as a battery withdrawal condition is satisfied.

[0121] For example, as shown in FIG. 7a, a user U may remove a discharged battery pack B2 from his / her small electric vehicle 20 and then place it on a temporary pack placement stand H provided in the battery exchange station 100. An NFC reader included in the switching circuit 112 of the information input / output device 120 may be attached to the temporary pack placement stand H. Then, the NFC reader collects pack identification information from an NFC tag attached to the discharged battery pack B2. The pack identification information is unique information of the discharged battery pack B2 that can be used to confirm whether the discharged battery pack B2 is genuine and to distinguish it from other battery packs. If the value of step S630 is "yes", the process proceeds to step S640. If the value of step S630 is "no", the process may proceed to step S622.

[0122] In step S622, the controller 130 controls the information input / output device 120 to output a message indicating that the exchange is not possible.

[0123] In step S640, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k from the locked mode to the unlocked mode. This causes the insertion port of the charging slot S1 to be in an open state, as illustrated in Fig. 7b. Then, the user U can pull out the fully charged battery pack B1 from the charging slot S1 and attach it to the small electric vehicle 20, and then place the discharged battery pack B2 from the temporary pack placement stand H into the charging slot S1, as illustrated in Fig. 7c.

[0124] In step S650, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k If the result of step S650 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S660.

[0125] In step S652, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k The time when the fully charged battery pack B1 is removed from the battery compartment is recorded.

[0126] In step S660, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k It is determined whether a discharged battery has been received in the storage device 100. If the value of step S660 is "No", the process proceeds to step S662. If the value of step S660 is "Yes", the process proceeds to step S670.

[0127] In step S662, the controller 130 determines whether the time elapsed since the withdrawal time is equal to or greater than the critical time. If the value of step S660 is "YES", the controller 130 proceeds to step S680.

[0128] In step S670, the controller 130 switches the fully charged battery pack B1 from the unusable state to the usable state.

[0129] In step S680, the controller 130 controls the information input / output device 120 to output a battery accommodation request message. The controller 130 determines whether the k-th charging slot S has been accommodated even if step S680 has been executed a predetermined number of times. k If does not switch from the idle state to the occupied state, the method according to FIG. 6 may be terminated.

[0130] FIG. 8 is a procedure diagram referred to for generally explaining a control method for a battery exchange station according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0131] 1 to 3 and 8, in step S810, the controller 130 receives a battery exchange request from the user U via the information input / output device 120. Step S810 is substantially similar to step S410 in FIG.

[0132] In step S820, the controller 130 selects the first to mth charging slots S1 to S m4. It is determined whether there is a charging slot that accommodates a fully charged battery pack B1 among the charging slots B1 and B2. If the value of step S820 is "yes", the process may proceed to step S830. If the value of step S820 is "no", the process may proceed to step S822. Step S820 is substantially similar to step S420 of FIG.

[0133] In step S830, the controller 130 determines, based on the user identification information included in the battery exchange request, whether the user U has authorization to use the battery exchange station 100. Step S830 is substantially similar to step S430 in FIG.

[0134] In step S832, the controller 130 determines whether or not the discharged battery pack B2 is located near the battery exchange station 100. Step S832 is substantially similar to step S630 in Fig. 6. That is, the battery withdrawal condition includes a first withdrawal condition in step S830 and a second withdrawal condition in step S832. Note that the controller 130 can determine whether or not the second withdrawal condition is satisfied on the condition that the first withdrawal condition is satisfied.

[0135] In step S822, the controller 130 controls the information input / output device 120 to output a replacement impossible message. If step S822 is executed because the value of step S820 is "No", the replacement impossible message may be to inform the user U that a fully charged battery pack B1 is not present. If step S822 is executed because the value of step S830 is "No", the replacement impossible message may include a request to re-enter user identification information. If step S822 is executed because the value of step S832 is "No", the replacement impossible message may include a request to position the discharged battery pack B2 on the temporary pack placement stand H.

[0136] In step S840, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k from the locked mode to the unlocked mode. Step S840 is substantially similar to step S420 in FIG.

[0137] In step S850, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k If the value of step S850 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S852.

[0138] In step S852, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k The time when the fully charged battery pack B1 is removed from the battery compartment is recorded.

[0139] In step S860, the controller 130 selects the kth charging slot S k It is determined whether the discharged battery pack B2 is accommodated in the discharged battery pack B2 storage unit 10. If the value of step S860 is "NO", the process proceeds to step S862. If the value of step S862 is "YES", the process proceeds to step S870.

[0140] In step S862, the controller 130 determines whether the elapsed time from the withdrawal time is equal to or greater than the critical time. If the value of step S862 is "yes", the controller 130 may proceed to step S880. Step S862 is substantially similar to step S462 of FIG.

[0141] In step S870, the controller 130 switches the fully charged battery pack B1 from an unusable state to an usable state. Step S870 is substantially similar to step S470 in FIG.

[0142] In step S880, the controller 130 controls the information input / output device 120 to output a battery accommodation request message. The controller 130 determines whether the k-th charging slot S has been accommodated even if step S880 has been executed a predetermined number of times. k If does not switch from the idle state to the occupied state, the method according to FIG. 8 may be terminated.

[0143] In relation to the first to third embodiments, the controller 130 controls the k-th charging slot S k A reward or penalty for the user U may be determined based on the amount of time that has elapsed since the fully charged battery pack B1 was removed from the battery.

[0144] The reward may include an extension of the critical time. As an example, if the elapsed time is less than the critical time, the controller 130 may map and record, to the user identity of the user U, an extension of the critical time by an amount of time that is positively correlated to the time difference between the elapsed time and the critical time.

[0145] The penalty may include shortening the critical time. As an example, if the elapsed time exceeds the critical time, the controller 130 may map and record to the user identity of the user U a shortened critical time by an amount of time that is positively correlated to the time difference between the elapsed time and the critical time.

[0146] That is, each time the user U uses the battery exchange station 100, the earlier the user U returns his / her discharged battery pack B2 to the battery exchange station 100, the longer the critical time for the next time the user U uses the battery exchange station 100. Conversely, the later the user U returns the discharged battery pack B2 to the battery exchange station 100, the shorter the critical time for the next time the user U uses the battery exchange station 100.

[0147] The embodiment of the present invention described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 has the following technical advantages. First, by adopting the first-withdraw-later-receive mode, it is possible to operate all charging slots in an occupied state without the need to leave a predetermined number of charging slots of a battery exchange station in an idle state. Second, it is possible to prevent abuse of the battery exchange station 100 operated by the first-withdraw-later-receive mode by switching the fully-charged battery pack B1 provided to the user U to a usable permitted state after the fact on the condition that a discharged battery pack is received in a specific idle charging slot. Third, it is possible to shorten the idle time during which a specific slot is kept in an idle state by providing a reward or imposing a penalty on the user U based on the elapsed time from when a fully-charged battery pack is drawn out from a specific slot to when a discharged battery pack is received in the specific slot.

[0148] The above-described embodiments of the present invention can be realized not only by an apparatus and a method, but also by a program for implementing functions corresponding to the configurations of the embodiments of the present invention or a recording medium having the program recorded thereon. Such implementation can be easily achieved by a person skilled in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, based on the description of the above-described embodiments.

[0149] Although the present invention has been described above using limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains within the equivalent scope of the technical concept of the present invention and the scope of the claims.

[0150] Furthermore, the present invention described above may be variously replaced, modified, and altered by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, but may be configured by selectively combining all or part of each embodiment for various modifications.

Claims

1. first to m-th charging slots (where m is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) each capable of housing and withdrawing a battery pack; an information input / output device for receiving a battery exchange request from a user; A controller configured to confirm battery accommodation information of the first to mth charging slots; Including, The controller, In response to the battery exchange request, determine whether a battery withdrawal condition is met; the battery exchange station is configured to switch a kth charging slot (k is a natural number equal to or less than m) containing a fully charged battery pack among the first to mth charging slots from a locked mode to an unlocked mode in response to the battery withdrawal condition being satisfied.

2. The battery draw-out conditions are:

2. The battery exchange station of claim 1, further comprising at least one of: (i) a first withdrawal condition in which the user's user identification information authenticates the user's authority to use; and (ii) a second withdrawal condition in which a discharged battery pack is located in the vicinity of the battery exchange station.

3. The controller, The battery exchange station of claim 2 , configured to determine whether the second withdrawal condition is satisfied on condition that the first withdrawal condition is satisfied.

4. The controller, 3. The battery exchange station of claim 2, configured to determine that the second withdrawal condition is satisfied in response to pack identification information of the discharged battery pack being contactlessly detected by the information input / output device.

5. The controller, 2. The battery exchange station of claim 1, configured to switch the kth charging slot from the unlocked mode to the locked mode in response to the user's discharged battery pack being inserted into the kth charging slot after the fully charged battery pack has been removed from the kth charging slot.

6. The controller, 2. The battery exchange station according to claim 1, further comprising: a controller configured to control the information input / output device to output a disallowance signal for the fully charged battery pack before the fully charged battery pack is pulled out of the kth charging slot.

7. The controller, 2. The battery exchange station according to claim 1, wherein, in response to a discharged battery pack being accommodated in the kth charging slot after the fully charged battery pack has been pulled out from the kth charging slot, the information input / output device is controlled to output a usage permission signal for the fully charged battery pack in order to switch the fully charged battery pack from an unusable state to a usable state.

8. The controller, 2. The battery exchange station of claim 1, further comprising: a controller configured to control the information input / output device to output a battery accommodation request message in response to a failure to detect that a discharged battery pack is accommodated in the kth charging slot before a critical time has elapsed since the fully charged battery pack was withdrawn from the kth charging slot.

9. The controller, 9. The battery exchange station of claim 8, configured to determine a reward or penalty for the user based on an amount of time that has elapsed since the fully charged battery pack was removed from the kth charging slot.

10. the reward includes an extension of the critical time; The battery exchange station of claim 9 , wherein the penalty comprises a reduction in the critical time.

11. A battery exchange system comprising a battery exchange station according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method for controlling a battery exchange station including first to m-th charging slots (m being a natural number of 2 or more) each capable of receiving and extracting a battery pack, an information input / output device, and a controller, comprising: receiving a battery exchange request from a user via the information input / output device by the controller; determining whether a battery withdrawal condition is met by the controller in response to the battery exchange request; in response to the battery withdrawal condition being satisfied, switching a kth charging slot (k is a natural number equal to or less than m) containing a fully charged battery pack among the first to mth charging slots from a locked mode to an unlocked mode; A method for controlling a battery exchange station, comprising:

13. The battery draw-out conditions are:

13. The method of controlling a battery exchange station of claim 12, comprising at least one of: (i) a first withdrawal condition in which the user's authorization to use is authenticated by user identification information of the user; and (ii) a second withdrawal condition in which a discharged battery pack is located in the vicinity of the battery exchange station.

14. 13. The method of controlling a battery exchange station according to claim 12, further comprising the step of: the controller controlling the information input / output device to output a use permission signal for the fully charged battery pack in response to a discharged battery pack being accommodated in the kth charging slot after the fully charged battery pack has been pulled out from the kth charging slot, in order to switch the fully charged battery pack from an unusable state to a usable state.

15. 15. The method of controlling a battery exchange station according to claim 14, further comprising the step of: the controller controlling the information input / output device to output a battery accommodation request message in response to the controller not detecting that the user's discharged battery pack is accommodated in the kth charging slot before a critical time has elapsed since the fully charged battery pack was withdrawn from the kth charging slot.

Images