Battery information provision device, charger, computer program, and battery information provision method

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery information providing device, charger, computer program, and battery information providing method for providing information about batteries installed in electric vehicles. [Solution] The battery information providing device includes a control unit, which acquires charging history information that is updated each time an electric vehicle is connected to a charger equipped with a memory that stores charging history information including identification information of the battery installed in the electric vehicle and the battery is charged, stores the acquired charging history information in a storage unit, and generates battery information related to the battery based on the charging history information stored in the storage unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery information providing device, a charger, a computer program, and a battery information providing method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the electrification of the automotive industry has been progressing, and the electrification of forklifts, which are an example of industrial vehicles, has also been advancing. The batteries installed in electric forklifts include types such as lead batteries and lithium-ion batteries, but many electric forklifts use lead batteries based on past usage records.

[0003] Battery manufacturers (hereinafter also referred to as "battery makers") supply batteries to electric forklift manufacturers, and electric forklift dealers (hereinafter also referred to as "dealers") receive the supply of electric forklifts from the manufacturers and sell electric forklifts to users and provide maintenance services.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a charging system including a charging device capable of charging a battery of an electric forklift and a monitoring device for monitoring the state of the battery of the electric forklift and the state of the charging device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Electric forklifts are often used in restricted areas such as business premises or private property, making it difficult even for dealer representatives to access them easily. As a result, it is difficult for dealers to ascertain the usage status of the electric forklifts they sell, and battery manufacturers are also generally unable to ascertain the usage status of the batteries (hereinafter also referred to as "storage batteries") installed in electric forklifts (hereinafter also referred to as "electric vehicles").

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a battery information providing device, charger, computer program, and battery information providing method for providing information about batteries installed in electric vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A battery information providing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a control unit, the control unit acquires the charging history information which is updated each time the electric vehicle is connected to a charger equipped with a memory for storing charging history information including identification information of a battery mounted on an electric vehicle and the battery is charged, stores the acquired charging history information in a storage unit, and generates battery information relating to the battery based on the charging history information stored in the storage unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the battery information providing device of the above embodiment, it is possible to provide information about batteries installed in electric vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of the configuration of a battery information provision system. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an electric forklift. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a charger configuration. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of the configuration of a battery information provision device. [Figure 5]This figure shows an example of the structure of charging history information stored in a charger. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the configuration of charge history information stored in a battery information provision device. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of battery information. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a method for determining battery maintenance and replacement timing based on the number of charging cycles. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a method for determining the maintenance and replacement timing of a battery based on its usage time. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a method for determining battery maintenance and replacement timing based on degradation indicators. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of maintenance support information. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of battery information, including information on the degradation status of the battery. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of battery information, including battery inventory management information. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of the processing procedure by the battery information provision device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] (1) The battery information providing device includes a control unit, the control unit acquires the charging history information which is updated each time the electric vehicle is connected to a charger that has a memory for storing charging history information including identification information of the battery installed in the electric vehicle and the battery is charged, stores the acquired charging history information in a storage unit, and generates battery information relating to the battery based on the charging history information stored in the storage unit.

[0012] The electric vehicle may be, for example, an electric forklift, or an EV (electric vehicle). The electric vehicle is any vehicle equipped with a battery that is charged by a charger.

[0013] The charger has a memory and can charge the battery mounted on the electric vehicle. The charger can perform short-range wireless communication with the electric vehicle. It can also perform wired communication during cable connection at the time of charging. However, it is not desirable to electrically connect the vehicle electrical equipment, battery, and charger by wire because it interferes with the conventional electric circuit and system. Although wired communication in a separate circuit along the conventional charging cable is possible, additional connection lines are required, and there is a risk of communication failures due to contamination of the wired connection connector part or cable disconnection depending on the environment where the electric vehicle is placed, so wireless communication is desirable. In addition, it is also possible to manage charging information by attaching a two-dimensional barcode or QR code (registered trademark) to the electric vehicle or battery and reading it with a barcode reader or the like at the time of charging. However, it is inferior to wireless connection because additional barcode readers and manual reading operations increase. However, in an environment where it is difficult to establish wireless communication, wired connection with a cable and reading with a barcode reader may be desirable, and it is possible to perform the same function as a replacement for wireless connection. It is characterized by being able to identify the electric vehicle and the battery.

[0014] When the electric vehicle is connected to the charger for charging the battery, as the charger and the electric vehicle approach each other, short-range wireless communication is established between the charger and the electric vehicle, and the charger reads the identification information of the battery from the electric vehicle and stores it in the memory. Also, when short-range wireless communication is established and the charger operates, it can be seen that the charger has performed charging once, so the charger updates the charging history information of the battery stored in the memory by increasing the charging count by one. When updating the charging count, the date and time of charging may be stored. Even when not charging, by recording the parking time, it is possible to grasp the operating status of the electric vehicle.

[0015] The control unit acquires the charging history information including the identification information stored in the memory of the charger at the required timing and stores the acquired charging history information in the storage unit. The charging history information may be any information that can show the charging history of the battery, and may include information such as the charging frequency in addition to the charging count.

[0016] The battery information may be any information related to the battery. For example, it may include information that can directly or indirectly determine the usage status of the battery. Specifically, the battery information may include at least one of the battery replacement time and the maintenance time, and may also include evaluation information on the deterioration state of the battery. The evaluation information on the deterioration state may include, for example, the degree of progress of deterioration.

[0017] With the above configuration, information regarding the battery mounted on the electric vehicle can be provided. In particular, information that can determine the usage status of the battery can be provided.

[0018] (2) In the battery information providing device according to (1) above, the control unit acquires the charging history information including the identification information stored in the memory after being acquired by the charger from a device provided in the battery and storing the identification information of the battery.

[0019] The device may be an IoT device, or may be an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, an IC tag, etc. The device may be any device that can perform short-range wireless communication with the charger. The device has a memory, and the identification information (identification ID) of the battery is stored in advance in the memory.

[0020] The charger can perform short-range wireless communication with a device provided in the battery. When the device is an RFID tag, an IC tag, etc., the charger may include an RFID reader / writer.

[0021] When the electric vehicle is connected to the charger for charging the battery, the charger and the device approach each other, so that short-range wireless communication is established between the charger and the device. The charger may acquire the charging history information including the identification information of the battery from the device and store it in the memory. Also, the same applies not only to the connection of the electric vehicle to the charger but also to the operation of replacing the backup battery.

[0022] (3) In the battery information providing device described in (1) or (2) above, the control unit may output the generated battery information. The battery information may be output to the terminal equipment of a battery manufacturer / distributor or the terminal equipment of an electric vehicle distributor. This makes it possible to provide battery information to battery manufacturers / distributors or electric vehicle distributors.

[0023] Because it takes time to manufacture batteries, measures such as holding inventory can be considered to prepare for sudden demand. However, batteries for electric vehicles come in multiple tonnages and types (counterbalanced forklifts, reach forklifts), and various capacities are set depending on the plate height and number configuration (size). Therefore, if sudden demand were to be anticipated and met for the entire lineup, a large amount of inventory would be required. On the other hand, with the above configuration, battery manufacturers and distributors, or electric vehicle distributors, can understand the degradation status of batteries from the provided battery information and predict battery demand based on the degree of degradation. By predicting battery demand, battery manufacturers can produce batteries with minimal inventory and can also plan battery production in advance. Furthermore, by predicting demand and planning and manufacturing batteries in advance, batteries can be provided in a shorter period than when manufacturing after receiving an order from a customer, which can be a competitive advantage for battery distributors or electric vehicle distributors in their sales or business. By understanding market information on batteries, it is possible to reduce material losses, energy losses during production, and various losses from battery production to the user, which is expected to contribute to the SDGs, which are being promoted in recent years.

[0024] (4) In the battery information providing device described in any one of (1) to (3) above, the charging history information may include at least one of the number of charges and the charging frequency. The number of charges may be the number of charges in any specific period. The specific period may be determined as appropriate, for example, one month, two months, three months, six months, etc. The charging frequency may be the number of charges in any specific period. The specific period may be determined as appropriate, for example, one day, one week, two weeks, three weeks, one month, etc. Generally, the usage status and severity of the electric vehicle can be determined by the number of charges and the charging frequency.

[0025] (5) In the battery information providing device described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the control unit may acquire the usage time or mileage acquired by the charger from the device that stores the usage time or mileage of the electric vehicle and store it in the memory, and store the acquired usage time or mileage as charging history information in the storage unit.

[0026] An electric vehicle may be equipped with at least one of an hour meter and an odometer. The device may obtain the usage time of the electric vehicle from the hour meter and store it in the device's memory. The device may obtain the mileage of the electric vehicle from the odometer and store it in the device's memory. When charging the battery of the electric vehicle, the charger may obtain the usage time or mileage stored in the device's memory and store the obtained usage time or mileage in the charger's memory. The control unit may, at the required timing, obtain the usage time or mileage stored in the charger's memory and store it in the memory unit as charging history information. This makes it possible to determine the usage status of the electric vehicle and the severity of its usage.

[0027] (6) In the battery information providing device described in any one of (1) to (5) above, the battery information may include at least one of the battery replacement time and maintenance time. This allows electric vehicle sales companies (person in charge) to visit electric vehicle users at the necessary time, reducing the number of visits. In addition, battery inspections and replacements can be carried out proactively before battery malfunctions occur, thereby reducing the occurrence of electric vehicle malfunctions caused by battery issues.

[0028] (7) In the battery information providing device described in any one of (1) to (6) above, the control unit may output maintenance support information based on the charging history information stored in the storage unit to the terminal device of the battery maintenance personnel.

[0029] Battery maintenance is performed, for example, by a representative (maintenance staff) of the battery manufacturer / distributor. Maintenance support information may include, for example, the number of charge cycles and usage time. Furthermore, if multiple batteries are used by the user, maintenance priorities based on the number of charge cycles and usage time may also be included. Battery maintenance involves tasks such as visual inspection, voltage check, electrolyte specific gravity check, and battery fluid replenishment. However, while maintenance staff can determine the state of the battery at a specific point in time, they do not know how the battery has been used in the past, and therefore cannot make judgments that take the battery's usage history into account. By outputting maintenance support information to the maintenance staff's terminal device, maintenance staff can perform maintenance inspections while considering past usage history, enabling more accurate diagnoses.

[0030] (8) In the battery information providing device described in any one of (1) to (7) above, the control unit may specify at least one of the battery replacement time and maintenance time based on the number of times the battery has been charged.

[0031] Let the number of charge cycles (cumulative number of charge cycles) be N. For example, the first, second, and third maintenance times may be set at the timings when the number of charge cycles reaches N1, N2, N3 (N1 < N2 < N3). The replacement time may be set at the timing when the number of charge cycles reaches NR (> N3). Also, the future number of charge cycles of the storage battery may be predicted assuming it increases at a rate similar to the rate of change of the number of charge cycles over time up to the present. Further, the maintenance time or replacement time may be notified at a point predetermined time (e.g., three months) before the maintenance time or replacement time.

[0032] (9) In the storage battery information providing device according to any one of (1) to (8) above, the control unit may assign weighting coefficients to the number of charge cycles of the storage battery and the driving distance of the electric vehicle, and identify at least one of the replacement time and the maintenance time of the storage battery based on the weighted number of charge cycles and driving distance.

[0033] Let the degradation index be E, and it can be set as E = number of charge cycles × K1 + usage time × K2. K1 and K2 are weighting factors. The first, second, and third maintenance times may be set at the timings when the degradation index reaches E1, E2, E3 (E1 < E2 < E3). The replacement time may be set at the timing when the degradation index reaches ER (> E3). Also, the future degradation index of the storage battery may be predicted assuming it increases at a rate similar to the rate of change of the degradation index over time up to the present.

[0034] (10) In the storage battery information providing device according to any one of (1) to (9) above, the electric vehicle may include an electric forklift. Thereby, information regarding the storage battery mounted on the electric forklift can be provided. In particular, information that can determine the usage status of the storage battery can be provided.

[0035] (11) In the battery information providing device described in any one of (1) to (10) above, the control unit may acquire industry information of the business operator using the electric vehicle and information on the usage environment of the electric vehicle, and based on the acquired industry information, usage environment information and charging history information, generate evaluation information of the deterioration state of the battery for each industry as the battery information.

[0036] The usage environment information may include, for example, the operating temperature (average operating temperature) at the location where the electric vehicle is used. The operating temperature may be input into the battery information device based on data on the operating temperature at the location where the electric vehicle is used, or a temperature recorder may be installed at the location where the electric vehicle is used, and maintenance personnel may acquire the recorded temperature data and input the acquired operating temperature into the battery information device.

[0037] Industry information can include, for example, information indicating the type of business, such as food industry, automotive industry, machinery industry, medical equipment industry, construction industry, steel industry, warehousing industry, and transportation industry. The industry information only needs to be for businesses that use electric vehicles.

[0038] The evaluation information for the degradation state of a storage battery can be any information that evaluates the degradation state of the storage battery, and may include, for example, information that evaluates the rate of degradation (degree of progression). For example, if the evaluation information is divided into three stages, the rate of degradation may be divided as "degradation is progressing relatively quickly," "degradation is progressing close to the prediction," and "degradation is progressing relatively slowly." This allows the degradation state of the storage battery to be determined based on the storage battery information.

[0039] (12) The charger includes a memory for storing charging history information, including identification information of a battery installed in an electric vehicle, and each time the electric vehicle is connected and the battery is charged, the charging history information stored in the memory is updated, and the charger also includes a transmission unit for transmitting the charging history information stored in the memory to an external device.

[0040] (13) The computer program causes the computer to perform the following processes: acquire the charging history information, which is updated each time the electric vehicle is connected to a charger equipped with a memory that stores charging history information including identification information of the battery installed in the electric vehicle, store the acquired charging history information in a storage unit, and generate battery information relating to the battery based on the charging history information stored in the storage unit.

[0041] (14) The battery information provision method acquires the charging history information which is updated each time the electric vehicle is connected to a charger equipped with a memory that stores charging history information including identification information of the battery installed in the electric vehicle and the battery is charged, stores the acquired charging history information in a storage unit, and generates battery information relating to the battery based on the charging history information stored in the storage unit.

[0042] The present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings illustrating its embodiments.

[0043] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a battery information provision system. The battery information provision system comprises multiple chargers 20 and battery information provision devices 50 installed at each business establishment of a business operator. In the example in Figure 1, business operators A and B are shown, but the number of business operators is not limited to two. Business operator A may be, for example, a steel company, and business operator B may be a warehousing company, but is not limited to these.

[0044] Business operator A uses multiple electric forklifts 10 as electric vehicles at its business premises. Business operator A has installed multiple chargers 20 at its business premises. The chargers 20 are used to charge the batteries installed in the electric forklifts 10 as storage batteries. The batteries installed in the electric forklifts 10 can be, for example, lead-acid batteries. Each of the multiple chargers 20 can communicate with a communication device 30 using wired or wireless communication. The communication device 30 is connected to a storage battery information providing device 50 via a communication network 1.

[0045] Similarly, business operator B uses multiple electric forklifts 10 at its business premises. Business operator A has installed multiple chargers 20 at its business premises. The chargers 20 are for charging the batteries installed in the electric forklifts 10. The batteries installed in the electric forklifts 10 can be, for example, lead-acid batteries. Each of the multiple chargers 20 can communicate with a communication device 30 using wired or wireless communication. The communication device 30 is connected to a battery information providing device 50 via a communication network 1. In this specification, the electric forklift 10 is used as an example of an electric vehicle, but the electric vehicle may be, for example, an EV (electric vehicle), or any vehicle equipped with a battery that is charged by the chargers 20.

[0046] Alternatively, each charger 20 may be connected directly to the battery information provider 50 via the communication network 1 without going through the communication device 30.

[0047] Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of an electric forklift 10. The electric forklift 10 comprises a drive unit 11, an hour meter 12, an odometer 13, a battery 14, and a device 15. The device 15 comprises a controller 151 that controls the entire device 15, a short-range wireless communication unit 152, and a memory 153. The memory 153 can be composed of semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or flash memory. The memory 153 stores identification information such as an identification ID 154 to identify the battery 14, the usage time of the electric forklift 10 (e.g., cumulative usage time) 155, and the mileage (e.g., cumulative mileage) 156.

[0048] The controller 151 may be configured by incorporating the required number of CPUs (Central Processing Units), MPUs (Micro-Processing Units), etc.

[0049] The drive unit 11 receives power from the battery 14 to drive the drive wheels and the forks of the electric forklift 10.

[0050] The hour meter 12 measures the usage time (operating time) of the electric forklift 10. The controller 151 of the device 15 updates the usage time 155 by storing the usage time measured by the hour meter 12 in the memory 153.

[0051] The odometer 13 measures the distance traveled by the electric forklift 10. The controller 151 of the device 15 updates the distance traveled 156 by storing the distance measured by the odometer 13 in the memory 153.

[0052] Battery 14 can be, for example, a lead-acid battery.

[0053] Device 15 can be installed on the battery 14. Device 15 may be an IoT device, or it may be an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, an IC tag, etc.

[0054] The short-range wireless communication unit 152 can communicate with the short-range wireless communication unit 23 of the charger 20, which will be described later. When the electric forklift 10's battery 14 is being charged by the charger 20, when the electric forklift 10 approaches the charger 20, short-range wireless communication is established between the electric forklift 10 and the charger 20, and data can be sent and received between the electric forklift 10 and the charger 20. For example, the controller 151 of the device 15 can transmit information such as the identification ID 154, usage time 155, and mileage 156 stored in the memory 153 to the charger 20.

[0055] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of the charger 20. The charger 20 includes a controller 21 that controls the entire charger 20, a charging unit 22, a short-range wireless communication unit 23, a communication unit 24, and a memory 25.

[0056] The controller 121 may be configured by incorporating the required number of CPUs (Central Processing Units), MPUs (Micro-Processing Units), etc.

[0057] The charging unit 22 is equipped with an AC-DC conversion circuit and converts AC power from the commercial power source into DC power, and charges the battery 14 by supplying the converted DC power to the battery 14. The charging unit 22 may also detect the charging current and charging voltage when charging the battery 14. The charging unit 22 may complete charging when the battery 14 is fully charged or after a predetermined time has passed.

[0058] The short-range wireless communication unit 23 can communicate with the short-range wireless communication unit 152 of the electric forklift 10. When the electric forklift 10's battery 14 is being charged by the charger 20, short-range wireless communication is established between the electric forklift 10 and the charger 20 when the electric forklift 10 approaches the charger 20, allowing data to be transmitted and received between the electric forklift 10 and the charger 20. If the device 15 is an RFID tag or an IC tag, the short-range wireless communication unit 23 may be equipped with an RFID reader / writer.

[0059] The communication unit 24 is equipped with a communication module and can communicate with the communication device 30 via wired or wireless communication. If communication does not go through the communication device 30, the communication unit 24 can communicate with the battery information providing device 50 via the communication network 1.

[0060] The memory 25 can be composed of semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or flash memory, and stores charging history information 26. Details of the charging history information 26 will be described later.

[0061] The communication device 30 includes a communication module, memory (neither of which are shown), etc., and performs communication with the charger 20 and with the battery information providing device 50. For example, the communication device 30 temporarily stores the information received from each of the chargers 20 in its memory and transmits the stored information to the battery information providing device 50 at the required timing. Alternatively, the communication device 30 may temporarily store the information received from the battery information providing device 50 in its memory and transmit the stored information to the charger 20 at the required timing. Note that the communication device 30 is not an essential component.

[0062] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the battery information providing device 50. The battery information providing device 50 includes a control unit 51 that controls the entire device, a communication unit 52, a memory 53, a display unit 54, an operation unit 55, and a storage unit 56.

[0063] The control unit 51 may be configured by incorporating a required number of CPUs (Central Processing Units), MPUs (Micro-Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), etc. Alternatively, the control unit 51 may be configured by combining DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), etc.

[0064] The communication unit 52 is equipped with a communication module and has the function of communicating with the communication device 30 via the communication network 1. In cases where the communication device 30 is not used, the communication unit 52 has the function of communicating with the communication unit 24 of the charger 20 via the communication network 1.

[0065] The display unit 54 is composed of a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and provides a user interface (UI) to the user by displaying the required information. An external display device may be used instead of the display unit 54.

[0066] The operation unit 55 is, for example, configured as a touch panel and can perform operations such as operating icons displayed on the display unit 54, moving and manipulating the cursor, and inputting text. The operation unit 55 may be configured as buttons or switches, or as a keyboard or mouse. The operation unit 55 provides a user interface (UI) to the user by accepting user input. Alternatively, an external terminal device for operation may be provided instead of the operation unit 55.

[0067] The storage unit 56 can be made up of semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and stores computer programs (program products) 57, charging history information 58, battery information 59, and other necessary information.

[0068] The computer program 57 can be read by a recording medium (e.g., an optically readable disc storage medium such as a CD-ROM) M using a recording medium reading unit (not shown) and stored in a storage unit 56. The computer program 57 may also be read by a recording medium such as a storage device (semiconductor memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive)) connected by a standard for connecting to a computer (e.g., USB (Universal Serial Bus) or other standards) and stored in a storage unit 56. Alternatively, the computer program 57 may be downloaded from an external device via a communication unit 52 and stored in a storage unit 56.

[0069] The memory 53 can be composed of semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or flash memory. The computer program 57 is loaded into the memory 53, and the control unit 51 can execute the computer program 57. The control unit 51 can execute the processing defined in the computer program 57. In other words, the processing performed by the control unit 51 is also the processing performed by the computer program 57.

[0070] The battery information provision device 50 may consist of a single server, or it may consist of multiple servers, with the functions performed by the battery information provision device 50 distributed amongst them.

[0071] Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of the charging history information 26 stored in the charger 20. When the electric forklift 10 is connected to the charger 20 for charging the battery 14, the charger 20 and the device 15 come closer together, establishing short-range wireless communication between the short-range wireless communication unit 23 of the charger 20 and the short-range wireless communication unit 152 of the device 15. The charger 20 reads the identification ID of the battery 14 from the device 15 and stores it in the memory 25. Since the establishment of short-range wireless communication indicates that charging by the charger 20 has been performed once, the charger 20 (controller 21) updates the charging history information 26 of the battery 14 stored in the memory 25 by increasing the number of charging cycles by one. When updating the number of charging cycles, the date and time of charging may also be stored. Alternatively, the charging frequency may be calculated from the number of charging cycles and the date and time of charging and stored as the charging history information 26.

[0072] As shown in Figure 5, the charging history information 26 is information that associates the battery identification ID, number of charges, charging frequency, usage time of the electric forklift 10, and mileage of the electric forklift 10 with each charger 20 (for example, with charger identification ID CH0010). The example in Figure 5 shows, for example, the battery identification IDs A0001, A0002, A0003, ... of batteries 14 installed in multiple electric forklifts 10 used by business operator A, and records the number of charges, charging frequency, usage time of the electric forklift 10, and mileage for each battery 14. For example, the charging history information for battery 14 with battery identification ID A0001 is information that associates the number of charges with Aa001, the charging frequency with Ab001, the usage time of the electric forklift 10 equipped with battery 14 with Ac001, and the mileage with Ad001. The same applies to the other batteries 14. If, for example, company A has installed 10 chargers 20, there will be 10 sets of charging history information 26, as illustrated in Figure 5.

[0073] As described above, the control unit 51 acquires charge history information, which is updated each time the electric forklift 10 is connected to a charger 20 equipped with a memory 25 that stores charge history information including the identification ID of the battery 14 mounted on the electric forklift 10, and stores the acquired charge history information in the storage unit 56.

[0074] Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of the charging history information 58 stored in the battery information providing device 50. The control unit 51 acquires the charging history information, including the battery identification information, stored in the memory 25 of the charger 20 at the required timing, and stores the acquired charging history information in the storage unit 56. In addition to the battery identification ID, number of charges, charging frequency, usage time and mileage of the electric forklift 10, which are included in the charging history information 26 exemplified in Figure 5, the charging history information 58 also includes the type of business of the operator using the electric forklift 10, the average operating temperature indicating the operating environment of the electric forklift, etc.

[0075] The industry (industry information) can be information indicating the type of business, such as food industry, automotive industry, machinery industry, medical equipment industry, construction industry, iron and steel industry, warehousing industry, transportation industry, etc. The industry only needs to be the industry of the business that uses the electric forklift 10.

[0076] The operating environment (operating environment information) may be, for example, the operating temperature (average operating temperature) at the location where the electric forklift 10 is used. The operating temperature may be input to the battery information providing device 50 based on data on the operating temperature at the location where the electric forklift 10 is used, or a temperature recorder may be installed at the location where the electric forklift 10 is used, and a maintenance worker may acquire the recorded temperature data and input the acquired operating temperature to the battery information providing device 50. As a result, the control unit 51 can acquire the industry and average operating temperature and include them in the charging history information 58.

[0077] The charging history information 58 shown in Figure 6 includes charging history information for batteries 14 installed in each of the multiple electric forklifts 10 used by each of the multiple businesses. In the example in Figure 6, this includes charging history information for batteries with identification IDs A0001, A0002, ... installed in each of the multiple electric forklifts 10 used by business A, and charging history information for batteries with identification IDs B0001, B0002, ... installed in each of the multiple electric forklifts 10 used by business B.

[0078] The charging history information 58 may include at least one of the number of charges and the charging frequency. The number of charges may be the number of charges during any specific period. The specific period may be determined as appropriate, for example, one month, two months, three months, six months, etc. The charging frequency may be the number of charges during any specific period. The specific period may be determined as appropriate, for example, one day, one week, two weeks, three weeks, one month, etc. Generally, the usage status and severity of the electric forklift 10 can be determined by the number of charges and the charging frequency.

[0079] The control unit 51 may retrieve the usage time or mileage acquired by the charger 20 and stored in memory 25 from the memory 153 of the device 15 that stores the usage time or mileage of the electric forklift 10, and store the retrieved usage time or mileage as charging history information in the storage unit 56.

[0080] The electric forklift 10 may be equipped with at least one of an hour meter 12 and an odometer 13. Device 15 may obtain the usage time of the electric forklift 10 from the hour meter 12 and store it in the memory 153 within Device 15. Device 15 may obtain the mileage of the electric forklift 10 from the odometer 13 and store it in the memory 153 within Device 15. When charging the battery 14 of the electric forklift 10, the charger 20 may obtain the usage time or mileage stored in the memory 153 within Device 15 and store the obtained usage time or mileage in the memory 25 of the charger 20. The control unit 51 may, at the required timing, obtain the usage time or mileage stored in the memory 25 of the charger 20 and store it in the storage unit 56 as charging history information. This makes it possible to determine the usage status and the severity of the usage of the electric forklift 10.

[0081] The control unit 51 can generate battery information based on the charging history information stored in the storage unit 56.

[0082] Figure 7 shows an example of battery information 59. The battery information 59 may be any information relating to the battery 14, and may include, for example, information that allows for the direct or indirect determination of the usage status of the battery 14. Specifically, the battery information 59 may include at least one of the replacement time and maintenance time of the battery 14.

[0083] For example, as shown in Figure 7, for battery 14 with identification ID A0100, the first maintenance is due in one month. For battery 14 with identification ID A0102, the first and second maintenance has been completed, and the third maintenance is due in six months. For battery 14 with identification ID B0200, the first maintenance has been completed, and the second maintenance is due in two months. For battery 14 with identification ID B0210, maintenance has been completed, and the replacement axis is due in three months. Note that the battery information is just an example and is not limited to the example in Figure 7.

[0084] The above configuration makes it possible to provide information about the battery 14 installed in the electric forklift 10. In particular, it makes it possible to provide information that allows for the determination of the usage status of the battery 14.

[0085] Furthermore, the sales representative for the electric forklift 10 can visit the user of the electric forklift 10 at the necessary time, reducing the number of visits. In addition, the battery 14 can be inspected or replaced proactively before any malfunction occurs, thus reducing the occurrence of malfunctions in the electric forklift 10 caused by the battery 14.

[0086] The control unit 51 may output the generated battery information. The battery information may be output to the terminal device of the battery manufacturer / distributor 14, or the terminal device of the electric forklift distributor 10, etc. This allows the battery information to be provided to the battery manufacturer / distributor 14 or the electric forklift distributor 10.

[0087] Next, we will explain how to determine the maintenance and replacement timing for battery 14.

[0088] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a method for specifying the maintenance timing and replacement timing of the battery 14 based on the number of charging cycles. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the number of charging cycles (cumulative number of charging cycles). The points at which the number of charging cycles reaches N1, N2, N3, and NR can be set as the maintenance timing T1, the maintenance timing T2, the maintenance timing T3, and the replacement timing TR, respectively. As shown in FIG. 8, the number of charging cycles has been updated for two batteries 14 with battery identification IDs of ID = 100 and ID = 200. The solid line indicates the actual value of the number of charging cycles, and the dashed line indicates the predicted value of the number of charging cycles. The predicted value of the number of charging cycles may be predicted based on the expected changes in the temporal change of the actual value.

[0089] For the battery 14 (ID = 100), since the number of charging cycles is between N1 and N2, the maintenance timing T2 can be notified. Specifically, it can be notified that the timing when the number of charging cycles reaches N2 is the next maintenance timing. For the battery 14 (ID = 200), since the number of charging cycles is between N3 and NR, the replacement timing TR can be notified. Specifically, it can be notified that the timing when the number of charging cycles reaches NR is the replacement timing.

[0090] As described above, the control unit 51 may specify at least one of the replacement timing and the maintenance timing of the battery 14 based on the number of charging cycles of the battery 14.

[0091] As illustrated in FIG. 8, let the number of charging cycles (cumulative number of charging cycles) be N. For example, the first, second, and third maintenance timings may be set at the timings when the number of charging cycles becomes N1, N2, and N3 (N < N2 < N3). The replacement timing may be set at the timing when the number of charging cycles becomes NR (> N3). Also, the future number of charging cycles of the battery 14 may be predicted assuming that it will increase at a rate similar to the rate of change of the number of charging cycles over time up to the present. Further, the maintenance timing or the replacement timing may be notified at a point in time a predetermined time (e.g., three months, etc.) before the maintenance timing or the replacement timing.

[0092] Figure 9 shows an example of a method for determining the maintenance and replacement timing of a battery 14 based on usage time. In Figure 9, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the usage time (cumulative usage time) of the electric forklift 10. The points at which the usage time reaches U1, U2, U3, and UR can be designated as maintenance time T1, maintenance time T2, maintenance time T3, and replacement time TR, respectively. As shown in Figure 9, the usage time has been updated for two batteries 14 with identification IDs ID=100 and ID=200. The solid line shows the actual usage time, and the dashed line shows the predicted usage time. The predicted usage time may be predicted by taking into account the temporal change in the actual value and the change in identification.

[0093] For battery 14 (ID=100), since its usage time is between U1 and U2, it can be notified of maintenance time T2. Specifically, it can be notified that the next maintenance time is when its usage time reaches U2. For battery 14 (ID=200), since its usage time is between U3 and UR, it can be notified of replacement time TR. Specifically, it can be notified that the replacement time is when its usage time reaches UR.

[0094] As described above, the control unit 51 may determine at least one of the battery replacement time and maintenance time for the battery 14 (electric forklift 10) based on the usage time of the battery 14. Alternatively, the control unit 51 may determine at least one of the battery replacement time and maintenance time for the battery 14 based on the mileage traveled by the electric forklift 10.

[0095] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for specifying the maintenance time and replacement time of the battery 14 based on the degradation index. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the degradation index. If the degradation index is E, the degradation index E can be expressed by the formula E = number of charge cycles × K1 + usage time × K2. K1 and K2 are weighting factors, which can be appropriately set according to the usage environment of the electric forklift 10, etc. The first, second, and third maintenance times T1, T2, and T3 may be set at the timing when the degradation index E becomes E1, E2, and E3 (E1 < E2 < E3), respectively. Also, the replacement time TR may be set at the timing when the degradation index E becomes ER (> E3). Also, the future degradation index of the battery 14 may be predicted assuming that it will increase at a rate similar to the rate of change of the degradation index over time up to now.

[0096] Regarding the battery 14 (ID = 100), since the degradation index is between E1 and E2, the maintenance time T2 can be notified. Specifically, it can be notified that the time when the degradation index reaches E2 is the next maintenance time. Regarding the battery 14 (ID = 200), since the degradation index is between E3 and ER, the replacement time TR can be notified. Specifically, it can be notified that the time when the degradation index reaches ER is the replacement time.

[0097] The control unit 51 may assign weighting factors to the number of charge cycles of the battery 14 and the usage time of the electric forklift 10, and specify at least one of the replacement time and maintenance time of the battery 14 based on the weighted number of charge cycles and usage time (degradation index). Also, the control unit 51 may assign weighting factors to the number of charge cycles of the battery 14 and the travel distance of the electric forklift 10, and specify at least one of the replacement time and maintenance time of the battery 14 based on the weighted number of charge cycles and travel distance (degradation index).

[0098] Next, the maintenance support information will be described.

[0099] The control unit 51 may output maintenance support information based on the charging history information stored in the memory unit 56 to the terminal device of the battery maintenance personnel.

[0100] Figure 11 shows an example of maintenance support information. Figure 11 shows the display screen shown on the maintenance personnel's terminal device. The display screen shows the name of the business operator to which the maintenance personnel are responsible, the date and time of the last visit, and maintenance support information. The maintenance support information includes information such as the battery ID (identification ID), forklift ID, number of charge cycles, usage time, and priority of the battery 14 installed in the electric forklift 10 used by the business operator. The priority may be the maintenance priority.

[0101] As shown in Figure 11, battery 14 with battery ID A0100 is installed in electric forklift with forklift ID F001, has a charge count of 800, a usage time of 3200 hours, and a priority of 1. Similarly, battery 14 with battery ID A0051 is installed in electric forklift with forklift ID F005, has a charge count of 500, a usage time of 1800 hours, and a priority of 2. Priority 1 is considered higher than priority 2. The same applies to the other batteries.

[0102] Maintenance of the battery 14 is performed, for example, by a representative (maintenance staff) of the battery 14 manufacturer / distributor. Maintenance support information may include, for example, the number of charge cycles and usage time. Furthermore, if multiple batteries 14 are used by the user, maintenance priorities based on the number of charge cycles and usage time may also be included. Maintenance of the battery 14 involves tasks such as visual inspection, voltage check, electrolyte specific gravity check, and battery fluid replenishment. However, while the maintenance staff can determine the state of the battery 14 at a specific point in time when maintenance is performed, they do not know how the battery 14 has been used in the past, and therefore cannot make judgments that take into account the usage history of the battery 14. By outputting maintenance support information to the battery 14 maintenance staff's terminal device, the maintenance staff can perform maintenance inspections while considering past usage history, and can make more accurate diagnoses.

[0103] As described above, the battery information providing device 50 (control unit 51) can acquire charging history information (number of charges, charging frequency, usage time and mileage of the electric forklift 10, and average operating temperature of the location where the electric forklift 10 is used) of batteries 14 installed in multiple electric forklifts 10 used by multiple different businesses. This charging history information may be collected to generate evaluation information for evaluating the degradation state of the batteries 14 for each industry and provided as battery information.

[0104] Figure 12 shows an example of battery information, including evaluation information on the degradation state of battery 14. As shown in Figure 12, the battery information includes information such as the number of batteries, the number of electric forklifts, the average operating temperature, the number of charging cycles (average and variance), the operating time (average and variance), evaluation information, and suggested information, for each industry.

[0105] The number of electric forklifts is the number of electric forklifts 10 used by businesses in the relevant industry, and the number of batteries is the sum of the number of batteries 14 installed in the electric forklifts 10 and the number of spare batteries 14. The average operating temperature is the average temperature of the location where the electric forklifts 10 are used. The average operating temperature may be a monthly average, a quarterly average, or an annual average.

[0106] The evaluation information EI can be calculated using the following formula, for example: EI = average operating temperature × w1 + number of charging cycles × w2 + usage time × w3. w1, w2, and w3 are weighting coefficients and should be determined appropriately according to the industry, etc. The evaluation information EI can be classified into three categories based on the magnitude of the value, for example: EI1, EI2, and EI3 (EI1 > EI2 > EI3). For example, evaluation information EI1 means "degradation progresses relatively quickly," evaluation information EI2 means "degradation progresses close to the prediction," and evaluation information EI3 means "degradation progresses relatively slowly."

[0107] The evaluation information for the degradation state of battery 14 can be any information that evaluates the degradation state of battery 14, and may include, for example, information that evaluates the rate of degradation (degree of progression). For example, if the evaluation information is divided into three stages, the rate of degradation may be divided as "degradation is progressing relatively quickly," "degradation is progressing close to the prediction," and "degradation is progressing relatively slowly." This makes it possible to determine the degradation state of battery 14 based on the battery information.

[0108] Proposal information S is information proposed to the distributor of electric forklifts 10, and corresponds to evaluation information EI1, EI2, and EI3, respectively, as S1, S2, and S3. Proposal information S1 is, for example, "shorten the maintenance interval and place a spare battery," proposal information S2 is "maintain and manage the timing of maintenance," and proposal information S3 is "reduce the labor required for maintenance personnel."

[0109] As described above, the control unit 51 may acquire industry information of businesses using the electric forklift 10 and information on the operating environment of the electric forklift 10, and based on the acquired industry information, operating environment information and charging history information, it may generate battery information that evaluates the deterioration state of the battery 14 for each industry.

[0110] This allows electric forklift vendors to reduce the number of visits to users, predict malfunctions before they occur, and optimize the number of maintenance personnel.

[0111] Figure 13 shows an example of battery information including inventory management information for battery 14. The difference from the example shown in Figure 12 is that inventory management information and production management information are used instead of evaluation information and proposal information. Inventory management information ST may be calculated using the formula ST = average operating temperature × w'1 + number of charge cycles × w'2 + usage time × w'3. w'1, w'2, and w'3 are weighting coefficients and should be determined appropriately according to the industry, etc. Inventory management information ST can be divided into three categories, for example, ST1, ST2, and ST3 (ST1 > ST2 > ST3), depending on the magnitude of the numerical value. Basically, this is based on the idea that the faster the deterioration of battery 14 progresses, the more desirable it is to increase the inventory of battery 14. Inventory management information ST1 is, for example, "increase the inventory number from the initial plan", inventory management information ST2 is "maintain the inventory number as planned", and inventory management information ST3 is "decrease the inventory number from the initial plan".

[0112] Production management information P is information proposed to battery manufacturers and distributors 14, and is designated as P1, P2, and P3, corresponding to inventory management information ST1, ST2, and ST3. For example, production management information P1 is "Increase the planned production quantity. Provide feedback for the development of improved batteries," production management information P2 is "Maintain the planned production quantity," and production management information P3 is "Decrease the planned production quantity."

[0113] This allows manufacturers and distributors of batteries 14 to improve the accuracy of their production plans and, by optimizing their production plans, reduce waste in production.

[0114] Figure 14 shows an example of the processing procedure by the battery information provision device 50. The control unit 51 acquires charging history information including the identification ID of the battery 14 (S11), and stores the acquired charging history information in the storage unit 56 (S12). The control unit 51 acquires the type of business of the operator using the electric forklift 10 and information on the usage environment of the electric forklift 10 (S13).

[0115] The control unit 51 determines whether information for other industries is available (S14). If information for other industries is available (YES in S14), it continues processing from step S11 onwards. If information for other industries is not available (NO in S14), the control unit 51 identifies the battery replacement time and maintenance time for each industry (S15) and generates maintenance support information based on the charging history information for each industry (S16).

[0116] The control unit 51 generates evaluation information and proposal information for the battery 14 for each industry (S17), and generates inventory management information and production management information for the battery 14 for each industry (S18). The control unit 51 generates storage battery information for each industry (S19), outputs maintenance support information and storage battery information (S20), and terminates the process.

[0117] According to this embodiment, by providing a relatively inexpensive device 15 to the battery 14 mounted on the electric forklift 10 and equipping the charger 20 with a function to communicate with the device 15 via short-range wireless communication, it is possible to obtain usage information of the battery 14 mounted on the electric forklift 10, which could not be obtained conventionally, at low cost, and to provide information (storage battery information) related to the battery 14.

[0118] As the number of industries and electric forklifts increases, the amount of information to process becomes enormous. On the other hand, this large amount of information can be used to its advantage by employing machine learning models. For example, information such as battery charging history and average operating temperature for each industry can be input into a learning model, and the learning model can then output battery maintenance and replacement timings for each industry.

[0119] The matters described in each embodiment can be combined with each other. Furthermore, the independent and dependent claims described in the claims can be combined with each other in any combination, regardless of the form of reference. In addition, the claims use a form in which claims referencing two or more other claims (multi-claim form), but are not limited to this. A form in which multi-claims referencing at least one multi-claim (multi-multi-claim) may also be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0120] 1. Communication Network 10 Electric Forklifts 11 Drive unit 12 hour meter 13. Odometer 14 batteries 15 devices 151 Controller 152 Near Field Wireless Communication Department 153 memory 154 Identification ID 155 Usage time 156 mileage 20 charger 21 Controllers 22 Live parts 23 Near Field Wireless Communication Department 24 Communications Department 25 memory 26 Charging history information 30 Communication equipment 50 Storage battery information providing device 51 Control Unit 52 Communications Department 53 memory 54 Display section 55 Operation section 56 Memory section 57 Computer Programs 58 Charging history information 59 Battery Information

Claims

1. Equipped with a control unit, The control unit, The electric vehicle is connected to a charger equipped with a memory that stores charging history information including identification information of the battery installed in the electric vehicle, and the charging history information is updated each time the electric vehicle is charged. The acquired charging history information is stored in the memory unit. Based on the charging history information stored in the memory unit, battery information relating to the battery is generated. Storage battery information providing device.

2. The control unit, The charger acquires the charging history information, which includes the identification information, from a device provided in the battery that stores the battery's identification information and stores it in the memory. The battery information providing device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, Outputs the generated battery information. The battery information providing device according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned charging history information includes at least one of the number of charges and the charging frequency. The battery information providing device according to claim 1.

5. The control unit, The charger obtains the usage time or mileage from the device that stores the usage time or mileage of the electric vehicle and stores it in the memory, The acquired usage time or driving distance is stored in the storage unit as charging history information. The battery information providing device according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned battery information includes at least one of the battery replacement time and maintenance time. A battery information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The control unit, The storage unit outputs maintenance support information based on the charging history information to the terminal device of the battery maintenance personnel. A battery information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The control unit, Based on the number of times the battery has been charged, at least one of the battery replacement time and maintenance time is determined. A battery information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. The control unit, A weighting coefficient is assigned to the number of charging cycles of the battery and the mileage of the electric vehicle, and at least one of the battery replacement time and maintenance time is identified based on the weighted number of charging cycles and mileage. A battery information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. The aforementioned electric vehicle includes an electric forklift. A battery information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

11. The control unit, The business type information of the company using the electric vehicle and the usage environment information of the electric vehicle are acquired. Based on the acquired industry information, usage environment information, and charging history information, evaluation information of the degradation state of the storage battery for each industry is generated as storage battery information. A battery information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. It is equipped with a memory that stores charging history information, including identification information of the battery installed in the electric vehicle. Each time the electric vehicle is connected and the battery is charged, the charging history information stored in the memory is updated. Furthermore, it includes a transmission unit that transmits the charging history information stored in the memory to an external device. charger.

13. The electric vehicle is connected to a charger equipped with a memory that stores charging history information including identification information of the battery installed in the electric vehicle, and the charging history information is updated each time the electric vehicle is charged. The acquired charging history information is stored in the memory unit. Based on the charging history information stored in the memory unit, battery information relating to the battery is generated. A computer program that instructs a computer to perform a process.

14. The electric vehicle is connected to a charger equipped with a memory that stores charging history information including identification information of the battery installed in the electric vehicle, and the charging history information is updated each time the electric vehicle is charged. The acquired charging history information is stored in the memory unit. Based on the charging history information stored in the memory unit, battery information relating to the battery is generated. Storage battery information provision method.

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