Battery Identification Device, Battery Identification Method, Program, and Storage Medium

Abstract

To provide a battery identification device, a battery identification method, a program, and a storage medium that are capable of non-destructively and non-invasively identifying the individualities and types of batteries without attaching any identification parts to the batteries.SOLUTION: An identification device for a battery including a plurality of battery cells includes a magnetic field measurement unit that measures a magnetic field generated by a current flowing inside the battery, and a reading unit that reads information regarding the consistency between a measurement result of the magnetic field measured by the magnetic field measurement unit and a specified value of magnetic field information linked to the type of the battery, the consistence being determined by comparing the measurement result of the magnetic field with the specified value of magnetic field information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery identification device, a battery identification method, a program, and a storage medium.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a method of identifying the type of a battery based on the DC internal resistance during charging of the battery and the DC internal resistance during discharging has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a method, a resistor having a predetermined resistance value is attached to the battery, and the type of the battery is determined by measuring the resistance value at the time of identification. There is also a method in which an IC chip is attached to the battery, and the type of the battery is determined based on an identification signal output by the IC chip.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the prior art, since it is necessary to attach components such as a resistor and an IC chip to the battery, the cost is high. Further, if these components are counterfeited, they may be attached to an unintended battery, and the type of the battery cannot be correctly identified. Here, the type of the battery includes the type of whether it is a legitimate battery or not and the type of whether it is the intended battery or not, and in the prior art, there is a possibility that the legitimacy or individuality of the battery cannot be correctly identified.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a battery identification device, a battery identification method, a program, and a storage medium that can identify the type of battery without attaching a component for identification.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The battery identification device, battery identification method, program, and storage medium according to this invention adopt the following configurations. (1): A battery identification device according to one aspect of this invention is an identification device for a battery including a plurality of battery cells, and includes a magnetic field measurement unit that measures a magnetic field generated by an electric current flowing inside the battery, and a reading unit that reads information regarding the consistency between the measurement result of the magnetic field measured by the magnetic field measurement unit and a specified value of magnetic field information associated with the type of battery.

[0007] (2): In the aspect of (1) above, the outer shape of the battery cell has substantially rotational symmetry with respect to one axis.

[0008] (3): In the aspect of (2) above, the internal structure of the battery cell has rotational symmetry with respect to the axis that is lower than the rotational symmetry outside the internal structure, or does not have rotational symmetry with respect to the axis.

[0009] (4): In the aspect of (1) above, inside the battery, the plurality of battery cells are arranged with their relative positional relationships fixed to each other.

[0010] (5): In the aspect of (1) above, the battery is one in which a battery module including a plurality of battery cells is housed in a battery pack that stores individual identification information, and the reading unit stores the specified value of the magnetic field information associated with the individual identification information as the type of the battery.

[0011] (6) In the aspect of (5) above, it further includes an acquisition unit that acquires the individual identification information from the battery pack, and the reading unit acquires the specified value associated with the individual identification information and compares it with the magnetic field information to identify the individual battery.

[0012] (7) In the aspect of (1) above, it further includes a control unit that outputs power to the battery or the battery cell, or inputs power from the battery or the battery cell.

[0013] (8) In the aspect of (1) above, the battery is one in which a plurality of battery modules each including a plurality of battery cells are housed in a plurality of battery packs, and the magnetic field measurement unit measures the magnetic field characteristics in a range where the magnetic field characteristics of the plurality of battery modules are observed.

[0014] (9) In the aspect of (1) above, the magnetic field measurement unit measures the magnetic field using a magnetic element array substrate on which a plurality of magnetic elements are arranged.

[0015] (10) A battery identification method according to an aspect of the present invention is a method for identifying a battery including a plurality of battery cells, in which a battery identification device measures a magnetic field generated by a current flowing inside the battery, and reads information regarding the consistency between the measurement result of the measured magnetic field and a specified value of magnetic field information associated with the type of the battery.

[0016] (11) A program according to an aspect of the present invention is a program for causing an identification device for a battery including a plurality of battery cells to measure a magnetic field generated by a current flowing inside the battery, and to read information regarding the consistency between the measurement result of the measured magnetic field and a specified value of magnetic field information associated with the type of the battery.

[0017] (12): The storage medium according to one aspect of the present invention is a storage medium storing the program described in (11).

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to (1) to (12), it is possible to determine the individual and type of the battery without attaching identification parts in a non-destructive and non-invasive manner.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of a battery identification device, a battery identification method, a program, and a storage medium of the present invention will be described.

[0021] In the following embodiments, a method for identifying the type of a battery unit configured to include a plurality of battery cells will be described. In this embodiment, as individual battery cells constituting the battery unit, a cylindrical battery cell having a wound body in which electrodes are wound is assumed, and the battery cell has circular upper and lower surfaces as positive or negative terminals. The battery unit of this embodiment is an example of the "battery" in the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a battery cell. In FIG. 1, the left diagram illustrates the appearance of the battery cell 10 of this embodiment, the central diagram is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the battery cell 10, and the right diagram is a diagram illustrating the structure of the wound body inside the battery cell 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery cell 10 has a cylindrical shape, one end face is configured as a positive terminal S1, and the other end face is configured as a negative terminal S2. The battery cell 10 has a configuration in which a wound body 15 obtained by winding a laminate in which a positive electrode 12P and a negative electrode 12N are separated by a separator 13 is housed inside an outer can 11, a positive electrode tab 14P provided on the positive electrode 12P, a negative electrode tab 14N provided on the negative electrode 12N, and an insulator 16 that insulates the wound body 15 from the positive and negative terminals. The positive electrode 12P and the negative electrode 12N are immersed in an electrolytic solution (not shown) while being isolated from each other by the separator 13 and wound. The positive electrode tab 14P electrically connects the positive electrode 12P and the positive terminal S1, and the negative electrode tab 14N electrically connects the negative electrode 12N and the negative terminal S2. The positive electrode tab 14P is installed at the start of winding of the positive electrode 12P, and the negative electrode tab 14N is arranged at the end of winding of the negative electrode 12N. The wound body 15 is wound so that the negative electrode 12N is on the outside.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the battery unit. In FIG. 2, the left diagram illustrates the appearance of the battery unit 20 of the present embodiment, and the central diagram illustrates the internal configuration of the battery unit 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the battery unit 20 has a configuration in which a top case 22, a battery section 23, a side case 24, and a bottom case 25 are housed inside a housing 21 having a grip portion 21A. A plurality of battery cells 10 are electrically connected by being welded or screwed to a bus bar described later, and are fixed so as not to rotate, and are housed in cell holders 31A and 31B. Inside the battery unit 20, two adjacent rows of battery cells 10 are arranged such that the polarities alternate for each row.

[0024] In addition, a bus bar 32 for connecting the battery cells 10 in series is installed inside the battery unit 20. The bus bar 32 in the example of FIG. 2 is divided into (a) to (p) so as to connect three battery cells 10 in a horizontal row in series to the battery cells 10 in the adjacent row. For example, one end (a) of the bus bar 32 is electrically connected to the positive terminal, and the other end (p) is electrically connected to the negative terminal. With such a configuration, the battery cells 10 in each horizontal row are connected in series in the order of (a) to (p) by the bus bar 32. Note that (h) and (i) in the bus bar 32 are directly connected, whereby the group of battery cells 10 in the cell holder 31B is connected in series to the group of battery cells 10 in the cell holder 31A. In addition, inside the housing 21, a heat transfer sheet 33 for heat dissipation is installed on the side surface, and a BMU (Battery Management Unit) 34 having a management function of the battery section 23 is installed. In the battery unit 20, a plurality of battery cells 10 are arranged horizontally on the bottom surface of the battery unit 20. In other words, a plurality of battery cells 10 are arranged such that their cylindrical central axes are parallel to the bottom surface of the battery unit 20. The BMU 34 has functions such as controlling charging and discharging of the battery unit 23, controlling the direction of current flow and voltage value, monitoring the state of the battery cell 10, and an on-off control function for switching between the conductive state and the cutoff state of the battery circuit. The BMU 34 includes a storage unit for storing information necessary for these various management functions, a communication unit for communicating with external devices, and the like.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example of the battery identification device 400 according to the embodiment. The battery identification device 400 is a device that identifies the type of the battery unit 20. The battery identification device 400 includes an internal battery 410, a current output unit 420, a magnetic field characteristic measurement unit 430, an information acquisition unit 434, a storage unit 440, a control unit 450, a determination result output unit 460, and an input unit 470. These components are realized, for example, when a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executes a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed by mounting the storage medium on a drive device.

[0026] The internal battery 410 is a battery that supplies power necessary for the operation of the battery identification device 400. Each functional unit of the battery identification device 400 can operate with the power supplied by the internal battery 410. The internal battery 410 may be a battery or an interface that obtains power from another power source.

[0027] The current output unit 420 is a current application circuit that is controlled to apply a specific current to the battery unit 20. The specific current is a current (hereinafter referred to as "identification current") applied to the battery unit 20 for the purpose of identifying the battery type of the battery unit 20. The current output unit 420 applies a current of the intensity instructed by the control unit 450 to the battery unit 20. The current output by the current output unit 420 is applied to the battery unit 20 via the probe P1.

[0028] The magnetic field characteristic measurement unit 430 is a circuit that measures the magnetic field characteristics of a measurement target based on the signal detected by the magnetic field detection unit P2. The magnetic field detection unit P2 is, for example, a magnetic probe having a magnetic element inside, or a magnetic element array substrate on which a plurality of magnetic elements are arranged. The arrangement of the elements on the magnetic element array substrate may be at equal intervals or not. Each magnetic element may be for one-axis measurement or for three-axis simultaneous measurement. In the case of one-axis measurement, it is desirable to arrange the magnetic sensitive surface so as to face the circumferential direction of the battery cell (the y-axis direction in FIG. 5). This is to easily obtain a magnetic field distribution that reflects the orientation of the battery cell 10 and the position of the current collecting tab by making the macro current of the battery cell 10 and the current flowing through the current collecting tab orthogonal to the magnetic sensitive surface. Each magnetic element may be an analog element or a digital element. Each magnetic element is, for example, a Hall element, a magnetoresistive element such as AMR (Anisotropic magnetoresistance effect), GMR (Giant magnetoresistance effect), TMR (Tunnel magnetoresistance effect), a magneto-impedance element such as MI (Magneto-Impedance), a fluxgate, or a thin film magnetic element based on the anomalous Hall effect using a topological magnetic material. When an alternating current is flowing through the measurement target, a pickup coil may be used as the magnetic element. Also, the range detected by the magnetic field detection unit P2 may be the entire measurement surface of the battery unit 20 or any part thereof, as long as sufficient information can be obtained to identify the battery type. The magnetic element array substrate may be sized to cover the entire measurement range of the measurement surface of the battery unit 20, or it may scan a substrate sized to cover a part of the measurement range. Note that the position and timing of measuring the magnetic field characteristics are appropriately controlled by the control unit 450. The magnetic field characteristic measurement unit 430 outputs the measured value of the magnetic field characteristics obtained for the battery unit 20 to the control unit 450.

[0029] The information acquisition unit 434 is connected to the information communication terminal of the battery unit 20. Through communication with the battery unit 20, the information acquisition unit 434 can, for example, acquire information stored in the storage unit of the battery unit 20 or transfer information to the storage unit of the battery unit 20. For example, the storage unit of the battery unit 20 stores the individual identification information of the battery unit 20 and the like. The individual identification information is, for example, the manufacturing ID. The individual identification information may be an example of the "battery type".

[0030] The storage unit 440 is configured, for example, using a magnetic storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a semiconductor storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), or as a DB (Data Base) such as on the cloud. The storage unit 440 provides a storage area for storing various information related to the operation of the battery identification device 400. The storage unit 440 stores in advance the correspondence information 442 regarding the battery unit 20. The correspondence information 442 is information in which at least the magnetic characteristics observed when an identification current is applied to the battery unit 20 are associated with the type of the battery unit 20 (battery type) (see FIG. 4). For example, the correspondence information 442 can be generated based on the results of measurement tests of the magnetic field characteristics by the identification current for each battery type to be identified. In addition to the correspondence information 442, the storage unit 440 may store, for example, the measurement results of the magnetic field characteristics of the battery unit 20, the determination results of the battery type, the setting information of the current applied to the battery unit 20, various programs for realizing the control unit 450, and the like.

[0031] The control unit 450 controls each part of the battery identification device 400 in order to identify the battery type of the target battery unit 20. Hereinafter, the target battery unit 20 whose battery type is to be identified is referred to as the target battery unit 20. The control unit 450 includes, for example, an output control unit 451 and a determination unit 454. The output control unit 451 has a function of applying an identification current to the target battery unit 20 by controlling the output intensity of the current output unit 420. For example, the output control unit 451 may apply an alternating current that varies sinusoidally to the target battery unit 20 by continuously changing the output intensity of the current output unit 420. Further, the output control unit 451 may apply a direct current that varies in a rectangular wave shape to the target battery unit 20 by changing the output intensity of the current output unit 420 at a predetermined timing.

[0032] Note that the output control unit 451 may be configured to detect that the target battery unit 20 is connected to the battery identification device 400 and start applying the identification current to the target battery unit 20. Further, when the battery identification device 400 includes an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, the output control unit 451 may be configured to start applying the identification current to the target battery unit 20 in response to a user's input operation.

[0033] The determination unit 454 determines the battery type of the target battery unit 20 based on the value of the magnetic field characteristics measured for the target battery unit 20. More specifically, the determination unit 454 determines the battery type corresponding to the value of the magnetic field characteristics measured for the target battery unit 20 based on the correspondence information 442. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, if the measured value of the magnetic field characteristics is within the range of 'aaa~bbb', the determination unit 454 can determine that the battery type of the target battery unit 20 is 'BT001'. The determination unit 454 outputs the determination result of the battery type to the determination result output unit 460. The determination unit 454 may be configured on the cloud. The storage unit 440 and the determination unit 454 are examples of a'reading unit'. When at least one of the storage unit 440 or the determination unit 454 is on the cloud, the battery identification device 400 can communicate with the cloud and may have a function of acquiring (reading) at least one of a specified value or information regarding consistency from the cloud (equipped with a reading unit).

[0034] Note that the correspondence information 442 may be configured to associate and hold a feature amount obtained based on the magnetic field characteristics, instead of / in addition to the magnetic field characteristics, with the battery type. In this case, the determination unit 454 may be configured to determine the battery type of the target battery unit 20 based on the feature amount obtained based on the measured value of the magnetic field characteristics, instead of / in addition to the measured value of the magnetic field characteristics acquired for the target battery unit 20. The feature amount may be a value obtained for each individual measured value, or may be a statistical value obtained for a plurality of measured values.

[0035] The determination result output unit 460 outputs the determination result of the battery type output from the determination unit 454 in a predetermined manner. For example, the determination result output unit 460 may cause a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display to display the determination result. Also, for example, the determination result output unit 460 may transmit the determination result to another communication device via a wired or wireless communication interface. Further, the determination result output unit 460 may cause a voice output device such as a speaker to output a voice indicating the content of the determination result.

[0036] The input unit 470 has a function of inputting information to the battery identification device 400. For example, the input unit 470 may be configured to receive an information input operation via an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard. Further, the input unit 470 may be configured to input (receive) information by communication via a wired or wireless communication interface. The input unit 470 outputs the input information to the control unit 450.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of measurements performed by the battery identification device 400 to identify the battery type of the target battery unit 20. More specifically, the battery identification device 400 measures the magnetic field characteristics near the surface of the first side surface R1 of the target battery unit 20 in a state where an identification current is applied. Further, the battery identification device 400 recognizes the distribution of the orientation (angle) of the battery cells 10 inside the battery unit 20 based on this measurement result. The control of the magnetic field characteristic measurement unit 430 related to the measurement of the magnetic field characteristics is performed by the control unit 450. Hereinafter, in order to explain the orientation of the battery cells 10, an image (FIG. 7) of the internal structure of the target battery unit 20 viewed from the second side surface R2 side is exemplified. Note that measuring near the surface of the first side surface R1 is an example, and measurement may be performed near the surface of the second side surface R2.

[0038] The first side surface R1 is the side surface of the battery unit 20 that faces the side surface of the internal battery cell 10. In other words, the first side surface R1 is the side surface of the battery unit 20 that is parallel to the cylindrical central axis of the internal battery cell 10. On the other hand, the second side surface R2 is the side surface of the battery unit 20 that faces the circular end surface of the internal battery cell 10. In other words, the second side surface R2 is the side surface of the battery unit 20 that is perpendicular to the cylindrical central axis of the internal battery cell 10. Among the side surfaces of the battery unit 20, there are four candidates for the side surface that becomes the first side surface R1, but which one is taken as the first side surface R1 may be arbitrarily selected according to the configuration of the measuring instrument, the conditions of the measurement environment, etc. Similarly, among the side surfaces of the battery unit 20, there are also two candidates for the side surface that becomes the second side surface R2, but which one is taken as the second side surface R2 may be arbitrarily selected according to the configuration of the measuring instrument, the conditions of the measurement environment, etc.

[0039] Here, the direction perpendicular to the first side surface R1 is defined as the z-axis direction, the direction perpendicular to the second side surface R2 is defined as the x-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the battery unit 20 is defined as the y-axis direction. Also, for the measured magnetic field B, the x-axis direction component is denoted as Bx, the y-axis direction component is denoted as By, and the z-axis direction component is denoted as Bz. As illustrated in FIG. 5, as the internal configuration of the battery unit 20, the orientations of the terminals of a plurality of battery cells 10 may not be uniform. For example, FIG. 5 shows an example in which a plurality of groups of battery cells 10 having the same terminal orientation are formed, and the plurality of groups are arranged such that the terminal orientations are staggered.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a magnetic field distribution (By component) measured by scanning the first side surface R1. As described with reference to FIG. 5, inside the battery unit 20, a plurality of battery cells 10 are arranged in a state where the directions of their terminals are different. FIG. 6 schematically shows a magnetic field distribution measured in the vicinity of a plurality of battery cells 10 whose terminal directions are arranged alternately. For example, FIG. 6 shows a magnetic field measured from the front side of the paper with respect to the first side surface R1 of the battery portion 23 of the battery unit 20. As can also be seen from FIG. 6, when an identification current is applied to the battery cell 10, the distribution of the current density inside the battery cell 10 becomes higher at the portion of the current collector tab (negative electrode tab). Therefore, even between battery cells 10 having the same current direction, a stronger magnetic field is observed for the battery cell 10 in which the current collector tab exists on the first side surface R1 side. For example, in the example of FIG. 6, a stronger magnetic field is observed for the battery cell 10A than for the battery cell 10C, and a stronger magnetic field is observed for the battery cell 10B than for the battery cell 10D. Therefore, in this case, it is presumed that the current collector tabs exist on the first side surface R1 side (front side of the paper) in the battery cells 10A and 10B. Such a difference in the intensity of the magnetic field may also be used as a feature quantity for identifying the battery type.

[0041] FIG. 6 shows a case where battery cells 10 with different terminal orientations are connected in series, representing a state where a plurality of battery cells 10 are connected by bus bars. In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the measured magnetic field distributions also alternate in direction (in other words, the signs are reversed) according to the arrangement of the battery cells 10. That is, when the orientation of the battery cell 10 changes, the direction of the current flowing inside the battery unit 20 changes, so it can be said that the direction of the current generating the magnetic field changes according to the orientation of the battery cell 10. Also, the widths of the alternating magnetic field distributions reflect the size (thickness and length) of the battery cell 10. Thus, since the arrangement of the battery cells 10 and the arrangement and length of the bus bars associated with the arrangement affect the distribution of the measured magnetic field, the magnetic field distribution on the first side surface R1 can be used as a feature quantity for identifying the battery type for the battery unit 20. The plurality of battery cells 10 may be arranged such that their terminal orientations are different from the examples in FIGS. 5 and 6 as long as the magnetic field characteristics (characteristics based on the orientation of the current collection tabs of the cylindrical battery cells 10 inside the battery unit 20) that enable the identification of the same type (identical design and structure) of battery unit 20 are obtained.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the battery unit 20 as viewed from the second side surface R2 side. That is, FIG. 7 represents a cross-section of the battery unit 20 by a plane parallel to the yz plane. FIG. 7 is an image of a battery unit 20 in which battery cells 10 with different terminal orientations are arranged in layers. In FIG. 7, a first layer L1 with a negative terminal surface facing the front direction of the paper and a second layer L2 with a positive terminal surface facing the front direction of the paper are alternately arranged. In FIG. 7, each circular image represents the circular end faces of a plurality of battery cells 10. Also, the rectangular objects existing within some of the circular end faces are negative tabs 14N connected to the negative electrode 12N.

[0043] Since the battery cell 10 of this embodiment has a cylindrical (rotationally symmetric) outer shape, its orientation cannot be distinguished from the outer shape. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the internal structure of the battery cell 10 has a non-rotationally symmetric structure due to the presence of the negative electrode tab. That is, when focusing on the internal structure, the battery cell 10 has an orientation. In the manufacturing process of the battery unit 20, the orientation when arranging a plurality of battery cells 10 is not controlled. Therefore, the orientations of the plurality of battery cells 10 in the battery unit 20 are random, and thus the orientation of the negative electrode tab 14N is also random, and it is impossible to visually distinguish the orientation due to the rotational symmetry of the outer shape. Thus, the battery unit 20 is manufactured allowing the angle of the negative electrode tab 14N to be random among the plurality of battery cells 10. On the other hand, in the battery cell 10 of the second layer L2, although the positive electrode terminal S1 comes to the front and cannot be seen from FIG. 7, the fact that the angle of the negative electrode tab 14N is random also applies to the battery cell 10 of the second layer L2. On the other hand, since the end face of the battery cell 10 is fixed to the bus bar, it can be considered that the angle of the negative electrode tab 14N of the battery cell 10 does not change in the manufactured battery unit 20.

[0044] Thus, the randomness of the angle of the negative electrode tab 14N can be used as a feature quantity that enables individual identification of the battery unit 20. In FIG. 7, for the sake of easy explanation, the internal structure of the entire second side surface R2 is illustrated. However, as long as the randomness necessary for individual identification can be ensured, the feature quantity does not necessarily have to be obtained for the entire second side surface R2. Also, as described above, when an identification current is applied to the battery cell 10, the distribution of the current density inside the battery cell 10 becomes higher at the portion of the current collector tab (negative electrode tab). Therefore, the battery identification device 400 may be configured to perform individual identification of the battery unit 20 based on the measurement result of the magnetic field characteristics with respect to the first side surface R1. According to the magnetic field measurement for the first side surface R1, the measurement result may include the influence of the battery cells 10 other than the first row (the range of the broken line A10), which is convenient for obtaining unique features for each individual. Also, in this case, in individual identification, it is not necessary to specify the angle of the current collector tab itself. That is, by measuring the magnetic field characteristics with respect to the first side surface R1, it is possible to observe a magnetic field distribution (characteristics) unique to the individual (different for each individual) generated by the orientation of the current collector tab peculiar to the individual. Here, the angle of the negative electrode tab has been described, but depending on the structure of the battery cell 10, the angle of the positive electrode tab may be used.

[0045] For example, the battery identification device 400 shall store in advance in the storage unit 440 by associating the current collecting tab feature amount acquired at the time of product shipment of the battery unit 20 with the individual identification information. In this case, the battery identification device 400 can identify the individual of the battery unit 20 to be inspected by specifying, from among the current collecting tab feature amounts stored in the storage unit 440, those that match (or have a high degree of match) the current collecting tab feature amount acquired at the time of inspection, and using the individual identification information associated therewith. Note that even when it is not at the time of product shipment, the magnetic field acquired at each measurement timing and confirmed to have individual matching may be stored and referred to. By updating the width of the individual identification determination value, the probability of identification at the next timing can be improved. Among the data stored as described above, weighting according to the time axis may be performed and used for determination. There is a possibility that it can also absorb slight changes in the internal state due to dust adhering to the exterior or vibration during operation.

[0046] In addition, the current collecting tab feature amount can also be used for the purpose of checking whether the battery unit 20 has been modified. For example, assume that the current collecting tab feature amount acquired at the time of product shipment of the battery unit 20 is stored in the storage unit of the battery unit 20. In this case, the battery identification device 400 determines whether there has been a modification based on whether the current collecting tab feature amount stored in the storage unit of the battery unit 20 matches the current collecting tab feature amount acquired at the time of inspection. As described above, since the angle of the current collecting tab does not change after manufacturing, the battery identification device 400 can determine "no modification" when the two match, and "modification exists" when the two do not match.

[0047] In addition to the determination based on the current collection tab feature amount, the battery identification device 400 may perform a determination based on the consistency of the individual identification information. For example, the individual identification information of the battery unit 20 is stored in the storage unit of the battery unit 20, and the current collection tab feature amount of the battery unit 20 is associated with the individual identification information and stored in the storage unit 440 of the battery identification device 400. In this case, the battery identification device 400 reads the individual identification information from the battery unit 20, and acquires the current collection tab feature amount associated with the individual identification information from the storage unit 440. When the acquired current collection tab feature amount matches the current collection tab feature amount acquired during inspection, the battery identification device 400 may determine that the internal components (such as the battery cell 10) of the battery unit 20 are genuine products (no component substitution has been performed).

[0048] FIG. 8 is an image diagram of a battery identification method for identifying the battery type of the battery unit 20 based on the magnetic field characteristics measured by scanning the first side surface R1. In FIG. 8, the case of identifying that the battery unit 20T corresponds to the battery unit 20D among the battery units 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D as the identification target will be described. In this case, it is assumed that the battery identification device 400 stores the corresponding information 442 of the magnetic field characteristics measured in advance (for example, at the time of product shipment) for the first side surface R1 for each of the battery units 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D.

[0049] In this case, first, the battery identification device 400 measures the magnetic field characteristics of the first side surface R1 of the battery unit 20T (S101). Subsequently, the battery identification device 400 determines the consistency by comparing the magnetic field characteristics of the battery unit 20T measured in step S101 with the magnetic field characteristics of the battery unit 20A (S102). For example, when the magnetic field characteristics are obtained as the planar distribution of the magnetic field as illustrated in FIG. 6, the battery identification device 400 takes the difference at the same position between the magnetic field characteristics of the battery unit 20T and the magnetic field characteristics of the battery unit 20A. If both are the same (here, if the battery unit 20T is the battery unit 20A), the difference becomes 0 throughout the entire area of the first side surface R1, and if they are different, there is a difference in any region.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 8, when the planar distribution is represented as an image, if there is no difference, the entire image will be a uniform image without shading, and if there is a difference, the part with the difference will appear as shading. FIG. 8 shows that the result of comparing the battery unit 20T and the battery unit 20A has a difference. In this case, the battery identification device 400 determines that the battery unit 20T is not the battery unit 20A. Similarly, the battery identification device 400 determines that the battery unit 20T is not the battery unit 20B as a result of comparing the battery unit 20T and the battery unit 20B (S103). Similarly, the battery identification device 400 determines that the battery unit 20T is not the battery unit 20C as a result of comparing the battery unit 20T and the battery unit 20C (S104).

[0051] Subsequently, the battery identification device 400 compares the battery unit 20T with the battery unit 20D. In this case, since there is no difference, the battery identification device 400 determines that the battery unit 20T is the battery unit 20D (S105).

[0052] According to the battery identification device 400 of the embodiment described above, by comparing the result of measuring the magnetic field characteristics of the target battery unit 20 with respect to the first side surface R1 with known information, the battery type of the target battery unit 20 can be identified. With such a configuration, the battery identification device 400 of the embodiment can identify the battery type without attaching components for identification.

[0053] <First Modification Example> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modification example of the first side surface R1. The magnetic field characteristic measurement unit 430 may be configured to perform measurement on a range (for example, the range R3 in the figure) in which both the magnetic field generated by the battery cell 10 held by the first cell holder 31A and the magnetic field generated by the battery cell 10 held by the second cell holder 31B are observed within the range of the first side surface R1. By measuring the magnetic field characteristics in such a range, the magnetic field characteristics of more battery cells 10 can be measured collectively, which is efficient. Also, in this way, the magnetic field characteristics to be held as corresponding information can also be a combined one, so that the configuration can be simplified and an increase in the management load can be suppressed.

[0054] <Second Modification Example> Although the battery unit 20 described in the embodiment is assumed to be mainly used for vehicles, it is not limited thereto. Also, the battery identification device 400 may be configured to determine the battery type of a so-called MPP (Mobile Power Pack), which is a detachable portable battery that can be used as a power source for small electric mobility or as a home power source. The MPP is an example of the battery unit 20. Also, part or all of the battery identification device 400 may be provided in a battery charging device or a battery return device (so-called battery exchanger: BEX) that collects and charges used MPPs and makes the charged MPPs lendable again. The battery identification device 400 may be configured integrally with the BEX or separately.

[0055] For example, FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of a battery sharing system 1 including a battery identification device 400 and a BEX 500. The battery sharing system 1 provides a battery sharing service that lends and recovers MPPs to registered users. The battery sharing system 1 has a charging function for MPPs and can charge the recovered MPPs and lend them out again. For example, a user receives an MPP from the BEX 500 and uses the lent MPP to drive an electric vehicle such as a passenger car or a motorcycle. When the remaining amount of the MPP in use decreases, the user can return it to the BEX 500 and receive a loan of another charged MPP. Information on the magnetic field characteristics measured in advance for the MPPs used in the battery sharing service is stored in the battery identification device 400 as corresponding information 442.

[0056] In such a battery sharing system 1, the battery identification device 400 and the BEX 500 are communicably connected to each other and cooperate as in the example of FIG. 11 to confirm the legitimacy of the MPP returned to the BEX 500. FIG. 11 is a sequence chart showing an example of the flow of a process for verifying the legitimacy of an MPP returned by the battery identification device 400 and the BEX 500. First, an MPP is returned to the BEX 500 (S201). Subsequently, the BEX 500 acquires individual identification information from the returned MPP (S202). The BEX 500 determines whether the acquired individual identification information is legitimate (S203). For example, the BEX 500 refers to the management information of the MPP and determines that the individual identification information is legitimate if the acquired individual identification information is registered in the management information, and determines that the individual identification information is not legitimate if it is not registered. If the BEX 500 determines that the individual identification information is legitimate, it measures the magnetic field characteristics of the returned MPP (S204) and transmits the measurement result together with the individual identification information to the battery identification device 400 (S205). On the other hand, if the BEX 500 determines that the individual identification information is not legitimate, it executes appropriate error processing.

[0057] Subsequently, based on the individual identification information and the measurement results of the magnetic field characteristics received from the BEX500, the battery identification device 400 determines the battery type for the returned MPP. More specifically, the battery identification device 400 acquires the information on the magnetic field characteristics corresponding to the received individual identification information from the corresponding information 442 (S206), compares the acquired information on the magnetic field characteristics with the measurement results of the magnetic field characteristics received from the BEX500 (S207), and determines whether the two match (S208). If the two match, the battery identification device 400 determines that the returned MPP is legitimate (S209). If they do not match, the battery identification device 400 determines that the returned MPP is illegitimate and performs appropriate error processing as appropriate. As described above, in the battery sharing system 1, since the individual identification information of the MPP is acquired by the BEX500, in this case, the battery identification device 400 may not be provided with the information acquisition unit 434.

[0058] <Other Modifications> In the above embodiment, the cylindrical battery cell 10 is exemplified as the battery cell included in the battery unit 20. However, the battery identification method of the embodiment is based on the rotational symmetry of the battery cell 10 and the randomness of the position of the internal structure (for example, the negative electrode tab) of the battery cell 10. Therefore, the battery identification method of the embodiment is also applicable to the identification of a battery unit including a battery cell having the same properties (rotational symmetry, randomness). For example, the battery identification method of the embodiment can be applied to a battery unit having a square prism-shaped battery cell (4-fold rotational symmetry) or a triangular prism-shaped battery cell (3-fold rotational symmetry). Also, the randomness of the position of the internal structure may be realized by the internal structure not having rotational symmetry, such as the negative electrode tab. Further, the randomness of the position of the internal structure may be realized by the rotational symmetry of the internal structure being lower than the rotational symmetry of the structure outside the internal structure (the cylinder in the embodiment).

[0059] The mode in which the battery identification device 400 applies an identification current to the battery unit 20 may be based on charging or discharging. The output control unit 451 may control charging of the battery unit 20 and / or discharging of the battery unit 20.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the identification of the battery type may be to identify whether the internal components of the battery unit 20 are genuine products. Also, since the magnetic field characteristics observed when applying the identification current can change even when an abnormality occurs in the battery unit 20, by storing the correspondence between such changes in magnetic field characteristics and the types of abnormalities as the correspondence information 442, the battery identification device 400 may be configured as an abnormality detection device for the battery unit 20.

[0061] Also, according to the battery identification device 400 described in the above embodiment, it is possible to identify the battery type even for a battery (or battery cell) that does not have an IC chip or the like capable of outputting an identification signal. Therefore, it is not always necessary to mount an IC chip on the battery, and problems of the battery caused by the interface and durability of the IC chip can be solved.

[0062] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the battery identification device 400 identifies the battery type based on the magnetic field characteristics observed when an identification current is applied to the battery cell 10 has been described. According to the measurement of the magnetic field characteristics by applying such an identification current, there is an advantage that the accuracy of identification can be ensured by flowing a current that generates a magnetic field that is not buried in the noise of the geomagnetism or the magnetic field of the surrounding ambient field. On the other hand, when monitoring the current value applied to the battery cell 10, the intensity of the observed magnetic field can be converted into a feature quantity independent of the current value by dividing it by the current value. The battery identification device 400 may be configured to store, as correspondence information, a correspondence between such a feature quantity and the battery type. In this case, the battery identification device 400 can identify the battery type by comparing the feature quantity observed by applying an arbitrary current to the target battery cell 10 with the correspondence information. Thus, whether the battery identification device 400 applies an identification current or an arbitrary current to the battery cell 10 may be appropriately selected according to the nature and characteristics of the identification target, the purpose and use of the identification, and the like.

[0063] Since the configuration of the battery is symmetric in terms of the concepts of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, the configurations of the battery cell 10, the battery unit 20, and the battery identification device 400 may have opposite configurations in terms of the symmetry of the concepts of the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the magnetic field characteristics of the battery cell 10 are measured by scanning the first side surface R1 with the probe P2 has been described. However, the magnetic field characteristics of the battery cell 10 may be measured all at once by the sensor array.

[0065] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. An identification device for a battery including a plurality of battery cells, a storage device, a hardware processor, and is provided with, by the hardware processor executing a program stored in the storage device, Measure the magnetic field generated by the current flowing inside the battery, Read information regarding the consistency between the measurement result of the magnetic field measured by the magnetic field measurement unit and the specified value of the magnetic field information associated with the type of battery, which is determined by comparison. A battery identification device configured as described above.

[0066] As described above, the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described using the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0067] 10... Battery cell, 11... Outer can, 12N... Negative electrode, 12P... Positive electrode, 13... Separator, 14N... Negative electrode tab, 14P... Positive electrode tab, 15... Wound body, 16... Insulator, 20... Battery unit, 21... Housing, 21A... Gripping portion, 22... Top case, 23... Battery section, 24... Side case, 25... Bottom case, 31A... Cell holder, 31B... Cell holder, 32... Bus bar, 33... Heat transfer sheet, 400... Battery identification device, 410... Internal battery, 420... Current output section, 430... Magnetic field characteristic measurement section, 434... Information acquisition section, 440... Storage section, 442... Corresponding information, 450... Control section, 451... Output control section, 454... Determination section, 460... Determination result output section, 470... Input section, 500... BEX (Battery Exchanger), 1... Battery sharing system

Claims

A battery identification device for identifying a type of battery including a plurality of battery cells having an outer shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric about one axis and having a rotational symmetry of an internal structure lower than that of the outer shape or having no rotational symmetry about the axis, inside the battery, the plurality of battery cells are fixedly arranged in parallel with respect to the axis, a magnetic field measurement unit that measures a distribution of the magnetic field on a side surface of the battery perpendicular to the axis, the magnetic field being generated by a current flowing inside the battery, a reading unit that reads information regarding consistency between the measurement result of the magnetic field measured by the magnetic field measurement unit and a specified value of magnetic field information associated with the type of battery, The battery identification device comprising the above.

2. The battery is one in which a battery module including a plurality of the battery cells is housed in a battery pack storing individual identification information, The reading unit stores the individual identification information as the type of the battery and associates the specified value of the magnetic field information with the individual identification information, The battery identification device according to Claim 1.

3. The battery identification device further includes an acquisition unit that acquires the individual identification information from the battery pack, The reading unit identifies the individual of the battery by acquiring the specified value associated with the individual identification information and comparing it with the magnetic field information, The battery identification device according to Claim 2.

4. The battery identification device further includes a control unit that outputs power to the battery or the battery cell, or inputs power from the battery or the battery cell to the battery identification device, The battery identification device according to Claim 1.

5. The battery is one in which a plurality of battery modules each including a plurality of battery cells are housed in a plurality of battery packs, The magnetic field measurement unit measures the magnetic field characteristics in a range where the magnetic field characteristics of the plurality of battery modules are observed, The battery identification device according to Claim 1.

6. The magnetic field measurement unit measures the magnetic field using a magnetic element array substrate on which a plurality of magnetic elements are arranged, The battery identification device according to Claim 1. A battery identification method for identifying a type of battery including a plurality of battery cells having an outer shape with substantially rotational symmetry about one axis and having a rotational symmetry of an internal structure lower than that of the outer shape or having no rotational symmetry about the axis, wherein, inside the battery, the plurality of battery cells are fixedly arranged in parallel with respect to the axis, a battery identification device, measures a distribution of a magnetic field generated by a current flowing inside the battery on a side surface of the battery perpendicular to the axis, and reads information regarding consistency between the measured result of the measured magnetic field and a specified value of magnetic field information associated with the type of battery, which is determined by comparison, the battery identification method. A battery identification device for identifying a type of battery including a plurality of battery cells having an outer shape with substantially rotational symmetry about one axis and having a rotational symmetry of an internal structure lower than that of the outer shape or having no rotational symmetry about the axis, wherein, inside the battery, the plurality of battery cells are fixedly arranged in parallel with respect to the axis, causes measurement of a distribution of a magnetic field generated by a current flowing inside the battery on a side surface of the battery perpendicular to the axis, and causes reading of information regarding consistency between the measured result of the measured magnetic field and a specified value of magnetic field information associated with the type of battery, which is determined by comparison, a program therefor.

9. A storage medium storing the program according to Claim 8.

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