Operation management system, operation management method, and operation management program

Abstract

To provide an operation management system which transmits information on actual operation of an electric vehicle to a user, an operation management method, and an operation management program.SOLUTION: In an operation management system 1, a server 10 comprises: an acquiring unit 12 for acquiring storage battery data indicating a state of a storage battery installed in an electric vehicle; an estimating unit 13 for estimating an actual operating status of the electric vehicle on the basis of the storage battery data; a generating unit 14 for generating a report indicating operation information based on the actual operating status; and an output unit for outputting the report. The estimating unit 13 estimates an actual operating rate, which is a ratio of actual operation time of the electric vehicle with respect to a business hour set as operation time of the electric vehicle, as the actual operating status.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an operation management system, an operation management method, and an operation management program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a condition monitoring system for lead-acid batteries. This system includes a device for measuring the internal resistance of a lead-acid battery, a device for calculating the average value of the internal resistance for each fixed period and comparing this average value of the internal resistance for each fixed period with the average value for the fixed period immediately before that to calculate the rate of change between the average values, and a device for issuing an alarm or displaying a message indicating that it is time to replace the lead-acid battery when the rate of change exceeds a predetermined value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4353653 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is desirable to communicate information regarding the actual operation of electric vehicles to users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An operation management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires storage battery data indicating the state of a storage battery mounted on an electric vehicle, an estimation unit that estimates an actual operating status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data, a generation unit that generates a report indicating operation information based on the actual operating status, and an output unit that outputs the report.

[0006] An operation management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is executed by an operation management system including at least one processor. The operation management method includes the steps of acquiring storage battery data indicating a state of a storage battery mounted on an electric vehicle, estimating an actual operation status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data, generating a report indicating operation information based on the actual operation status, and outputting the report.

[0007] An operation management program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring storage battery data indicating the state of a storage battery installed in an electric vehicle, estimating the actual operating status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data, generating a report indicating operation information based on the actual operating status, and outputting the report.

[0008] In this aspect, the actual operation status of an electric vehicle is estimated from storage battery data related to the storage battery installed in the electric vehicle. Then, a report showing operation information based on the actual operation status is generated. This report can communicate information about the actual operation of the electric vehicle to a user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, information regarding the actual operation of an electric vehicle can be communicated to a user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an operation management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that constitutes an operation management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by an operation management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a graph showing an example of a change over time in the moving average of the measured current. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a report. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of a report. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0012] [System Configuration] The operation management system 1 according to the embodiment is a computer system that estimates the actual operation status of an electric vehicle and provides a user with a report based on the estimation results. An electric vehicle is a vehicle that runs using all or part of the electric energy stored in a storage battery (secondary battery). An electric vehicle may be a vehicle for carrying passengers or a vehicle for transporting cargo. An electric vehicle may also be a cargo handling vehicle for transporting cargo, such as a forklift. Examples of types of storage batteries include, but are not limited to, lead-acid batteries and lithium-ion batteries. A storage battery may also be a battery pack composed of multiple cells of the same type. The "actual operation status of an electric vehicle" is information indicating how long the electric vehicle actually operated within the time span in which the electric vehicle was supposed to operate. In one example, the operation management system 1 may provide a user with a report based on the actual operation status of a cargo handling vehicle equipped with a lead-acid battery.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the operation management system 1. In one example, the operation management system 1 includes a server 10. The server 10 can access a database 20, which stores storage battery data indicating the status of storage batteries installed in electric vehicles 2, via a communications network. The database 20 stores storage battery data for at least one electric vehicle 2. The database 20 may be a component of the operation management system 1, or may be provided in a computer system separate from the operation management system 1. The server 10 is further connected to at least one user terminal 30 via the communications network. The communications network used for the operation management system 1 is, for example, configured by at least one of the Internet and an intranet.

[0014] Each electric vehicle 2 provides battery data to the database 20. The electric vehicle 2 includes a battery management unit (BMU) 3 that monitors and controls the battery. The BMU 3 repeatedly measures the battery status at predetermined intervals and generates battery data indicating the battery status. The BMU 3 then transmits the battery data to the database 20 via a communication network at predetermined times. The battery data is time-series data indicating the battery status. For example, each record of the battery data includes the measurement date and time and at least one physical quantity indicating the battery status. Examples of the physical quantity include, but are not limited to, a measured voltage, a measured current, and a measured temperature. The battery data indicates a physical quantity measured, for example, every 100 milliseconds. In the database 20, the battery data is associated with at least one of a battery ID and an electric vehicle ID. The battery ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies the battery. The electric vehicle ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies the electric vehicle 2.

[0015] The server 10 is a computer that estimates the actual operating status of the electric vehicle based on storage battery data and provides a user with a report based on the actual operating status. The server 10 includes functional modules: a receiving unit 11, an acquiring unit 12, an estimating unit 13, a generating unit 14, and a transmitting unit 15. The receiving unit 11 is a functional module that receives a request for generating and providing a report from a user terminal 30. The acquiring unit 12 is a functional module that acquires storage battery data from a database 20 based on the request. The estimating unit 13 is a functional module that estimates the actual operating status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data. The generating unit 14 is a functional module that generates a report that shows operating information based on the actual operating status. The transmitting unit 15 is a functional module that transmits the report to the user terminal 30. This transmission is an example of outputting the report, and therefore the transmitting unit 15 functions as an output unit.

[0016] The user terminal 30 is a computer operated by a user of the operation management system 1. Examples of the user include, but are not limited to, the owner or manager of the electric vehicle 2.

[0017] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a general hardware configuration of a computer 100 constituting the server 10. For example, the computer 100 includes a processor (e.g., a CPU) 101 that executes an operating system, application programs, etc., a main memory unit 102 consisting of ROM and RAM, an auxiliary memory unit 103 consisting of a storage device such as a hard disk or flash memory, a communication control unit 104 consisting of a network card or a wireless communication module, an input device 105 such as a keyboard or a mouse, and an output device 106 such as a monitor.

[0018] Each functional module of server 10 is realized by loading a predetermined program onto processor 101 or main memory unit 102 and having processor 101 execute the program. Processor 101 operates communication control unit 104, input device 105, or output device 106 in accordance with the program, and reads and writes data from and to main memory unit 102 or auxiliary memory unit 103. Data or databases required for processing are stored in main memory unit 102 or auxiliary memory unit 103.

[0019] The server 10 is composed of at least one computer. When multiple computers are used, a single server 10 is logically constructed by connecting these computers via a communication network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0020] [System Operation] An example of processing by the operation management system 1 (server 10) and an example of an operation management method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of this processing as a processing flow S1.

[0021] In step S11, the receiving unit 11 receives a report request from the user terminal 30. The report request is a data signal for requesting the server 10 to generate and provide a report. The user terminal 30 generates a report request based on a user operation and transmits the report request to the server 10. In one example, the report request includes at least one electric vehicle ID. For example, the report request includes the electric vehicle ID of at least one electric vehicle 2 located in a specific location such as a sales office, a work site, etc. The report request may also include the electric vehicle ID of at least one electric vehicle 2 in each of multiple locations. The report request may also include a target period for estimating the actual operation status. In one example, the target period is set in days, weeks, months, or years.

[0022] In step S12, the acquisition unit 12 selects one electric vehicle 2 (one electric vehicle ID) based on the report request.

[0023] In step S13, the acquisition unit 12 acquires the storage battery data of the selected electric vehicle 2. The acquisition unit 12 reads out from the database 20 the storage battery data corresponding to the selected electric vehicle ID.

[0024] In step S14, the estimation unit 13 estimates the actual operation status of the selected electric vehicle 2 based on the storage battery data. In one example, the estimation unit 13 calculates a moving average of the measured current for each of a plurality of sections set along a time axis. Next, the estimation unit 13 selects a group of sections in which the moving average of the measured current is equal to or greater than a given threshold. This threshold may be a value for distinguishing whether the electric vehicle 2 is idling or not, and may be set to, for example, 1 (A) or 0.05 (CA). The unit "A" represents the measured current value, and the unit "CA" represents the C rate. The estimation unit 13 then calculates the actual operation time for each day within the target period based on the number of selected sections, and calculates an actual operation rate based on the actual operation time and the business hours of that day. This actual operation rate is an example of the actual operation status of the electric vehicle 2. The estimation unit 13 calculates the ratio of the actual operation time to the business hours as the actual operation rate. The business hours are a time span set as the time during which the electric vehicle 2 is operated. The business hours are set, for example, based on the working hours of the work site where the electric vehicle 2 is located. It should be noted that intervals during which the moving average of the measured current is equal to or greater than the given threshold may occur during non-business hours.

[0025] Depending on the current sensor, offset errors due to temperature and hysteresis errors due to residual magnetism can become large at low currents, resulting in large measurement error. By excluding the section corresponding to the idling state, where the current is small, these errors can be reduced or avoided, allowing for accurate calculation of the measurement value. The idling state refers to a state in which the electric vehicle 2 is operating without load. An example of a device for determining the operating rate of an electric vehicle is the accumulating hour meter of a forklift. However, this accumulating hour meter measures the operating time in a way that includes the idling period. Therefore, in one example, it is necessary to determine the actual operating time excluding the idling period.

[0026] An example of calculation of the actual operation rate is shown with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of the time-dependent change in the moving average of the measured current during business hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) on a certain day. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents current (A). For example, if the time interval between records is 100 milliseconds, the estimation unit 13 sets the interval to 10 seconds and calculates the average value of 100 measured currents within the interval every 10 seconds. That is, the estimation unit 13 calculates the average value of the measured current for each of multiple intervals, each 10 seconds long. If the interval length is 10 seconds, a moving average is obtained for each of the 8,640 intervals, which corresponds to one day (24 hours). Next, the estimation unit 13 selects a group of intervals whose moving average is equal to or greater than a given threshold (e.g., 1 (A)). If the group of intervals on a certain day consists of k intervals, the estimation unit 13 calculates the actual operation time of the electric vehicle 2 as 10 (seconds) × k. In the example of Fig. 4, the k sections are generally located in four time periods 201, 202, 203, and 204. If k=1065 and the business hours of the day are 8 hours (28800 seconds) as described above, the estimation unit 13 calculates the actual operation rate of the electric vehicle 2 on that day as 10650 / 28800*100 ≒ 37(%).

[0027] 3, as shown in step S15, the server 10 repeats the processing of steps S12 to S14 until all electric vehicles 2 indicated in the report request have been processed. When the processing is repeated, the next electric vehicle 2 is selected in step S12, and the actual operating status of that electric vehicle 2 is estimated by a series of processing steps S13 to S14.

[0028] In step S16, the generation unit 14 generates a report showing operation information based on the actual operation status of each electric vehicle 2. This report is visualized electronic data. For example, the generation unit 14 may generate a report showing, as operation information, the transition of the actual operation status of each electric vehicle 2 during a target period. Alternatively, the generation unit 14 may generate a report showing, as operation information, statistical values ​​of the actual operation status of each electric vehicle 2. For example, the generation unit 14 may calculate an average value of the actual operation status of a plurality of electric vehicles 2 at a specific location such as a sales office or a work site, and generate a report showing this average value.

[0029] In step S17, the transmission unit 15 transmits the report to the user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 receives and displays the report. This report allows the user to understand the actual operating status of each electric vehicle 2. Furthermore, this report allows the user to determine the appropriate number of electric vehicles 2 at a specific location, such as a sales office or work site, and to reallocate electric vehicles 2 between locations to achieve that appropriate number.

[0030] FIG. 5 shows two example reports. Examples (a) and (b) both show reports showing the actual operation status of eight electric vehicles 2 identified as FL-01 to FL-08 on a weekly basis. In example (a), report 310 expresses the transition of the actual operation status using a time-series heat map of the actual operation rate. The actual operation rate in the "Overall" row of report 310 is the average value for the eight electric vehicles 2. In example (b), report 320 expresses the actual operation status using a time-series heat map of an evaluation index set based on the actual operation rate. The evaluation index is an example of the actual operation status of the electric vehicles 2. In this example, the generation unit 14 sets the relationship between the evaluation index and the actual operation rate as follows: An actual operation rate of 100% or more and an evaluation index of 1.2 indicate that the electric vehicles 2 operated longer than the business hours. The evaluation index in the "Overall" row of report 320 is the total value for the eight electric vehicles 2.

[0031] Evaluation index = 0.2 (operating rate is between 0% and 20%) Evaluation index = 0.4 (operating rate is between 20% and 40%) Evaluation index = 0.6 (operating rate is between 40% and 60%) Evaluation index = 0.8 (operation rate is between 60% and 80%) Evaluation index = 1.0 (operation rate is between 80% and 100%) Evaluation index = 1.2 (operation rate is 100% or more)

[0032] The generation unit 14 may generate at least one of the reports 310 and 320, or may generate both the reports 310 and 320. In either case, the user can refer to the report 310 or 320 and take measures to more appropriately allocate or allocate electric vehicles.

[0033] FIG. 6 shows another example of a report. Report 330 shown in this figure shows the average actual operation status of electric vehicles 2 at each of four sales offices on a monthly basis for a certain year. Report 330 is an example of a report showing the actual operation status at each of multiple locations as operation information. Report 330 expresses the actual operation status using a line graph of the average actual operation rate. Report 330 also shows a pressure level set based on the average value for each month. The pressure level is an indicator of whether the operation of electric vehicles 2 is under pressure and is also an example of a representation of the actual operation status. As the operation of electric vehicles 2 becomes less and less flexible, the pressure level increases. Report 330 shows that the pressure level is low at sales offices V and Y throughout the year, the pressure level increases at sales office X depending on the time of year, and the pressure level is high at sales office Z throughout the year. By referring to report 330, a user can take measures to more appropriately optimize the number or deployment of electric vehicles. For example, the user can make adjustments such as transferring some electric vehicles 2 from business office V or Y to business office Z, or temporarily adding electric vehicles 2 to business office X through a lease or rental agreement at a specific time.

[0034] [program] The operation management program for causing a computer or computer system to function as the operation management system 1 or server 10 includes program code for causing the computer or computer system to function as a receiver 11, an acquirer 12, an estimator 13, a generator 14, and a transmitter 15. This operation management program may be provided in a state where it is non-temporarily recorded on a tangible recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the operation management program may be provided via a communications network as a data signal superimposed on a carrier wave. The provided operation management program is stored in, for example, an auxiliary storage unit 103. The processor 101 reads and executes the operation management program from the auxiliary storage unit 103, thereby realizing each of the above-mentioned functional modules.

[0035] [effect] As described above, an operation management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires storage battery data indicating the state of a storage battery mounted on an electric vehicle, an estimation unit that estimates the actual operation status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data, a generation unit that generates a report indicating operation information based on the actual operation status, and an output unit that outputs the report.

[0036] An operation management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is executed by an operation management system including at least one processor. The operation management method includes the steps of acquiring storage battery data indicating a state of a storage battery mounted on an electric vehicle, estimating an actual operation status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data, generating a report indicating operation information based on the actual operation status, and outputting the report.

[0037] An operation management program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the steps of acquiring storage battery data indicating the state of a storage battery installed in an electric vehicle, estimating the actual operating status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data, generating a report indicating operation information based on the actual operating status, and outputting the report.

[0038] In this aspect, the actual operation status of electric vehicles is estimated from storage battery data related to the storage batteries installed in the electric vehicles. Then, a report showing operation information based on the actual operation status is generated. This report can communicate information about the actual operation of electric vehicles to a user. In one example, the user can refer to the report and take measures to more appropriately adjust the number of electric vehicles.

[0039] In the operation management system according to another aspect, the estimation unit may estimate, as the actual operation status, an actual operation rate, which is the ratio of the actual operation time of the electric vehicle to the business hours set as the time when the electric vehicle is operated. By using the ratio of the actual operation time to the business hours, it is possible to provide the user with operation information that takes into account the actual use situations of the electric vehicle.

[0040] In another aspect of the operation management system, the battery status may include at least the measured current of the battery. The estimation unit may calculate a moving average of the measured current for each of a plurality of sections set along a time axis based on the battery data, select a group of sections from the plurality of sections in which the moving average of the measured current is equal to or greater than a threshold value for distinguishing whether the electric vehicle is idling, calculate the actual operating time of the electric vehicle based on the number of sections constituting the group of sections and the length of each section, and estimate the actual operating status based on the actual operating time. Depending on the current sensor, offset error due to temperature and hysteresis error due to residual magnetism may be large at low currents, resulting in large errors in the measured value. By excluding data with a small moving average of the measured current, these errors can be reduced or avoided, allowing the actual operating time to be calculated with high accuracy.

[0041] In another aspect of the operation management system, the generation unit may generate a report that represents a transition in the actual operation status during a given target period using a time-series heat map. The time-series heat map allows the transition in the actual operation status of the electric vehicle to be presented to a user in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0042] In another aspect, the operation management system may include an acquisition unit that acquires storage battery data for at least one electric vehicle at each of a plurality of locations, an estimation unit that estimates an actual operation status of each electric vehicle, and a generation unit that generates a report that indicates the actual operation status at each of the plurality of locations as operation information. In this case, information about the actual operation of the electric vehicles can be communicated to a user so that the user can grasp the status at each of the plurality of locations at a glance.

[0043] In the operation management system according to another aspect, the electric vehicle may be a cargo handling vehicle. In this case, information regarding the actual operation of the cargo handling vehicle can be transmitted to the user.

[0044] [Variations] The present invention has been described in detail above based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0045] The BMU 3 may calculate a moving average of the measured current and transmit storage battery data indicating this moving average to the database 20. Alternatively, the BMU 3 may transmit to the database 20 only data on a group of sections in which the moving average of the measured current is equal to or greater than a given threshold. As in the above embodiment, the threshold may be a value for distinguishing whether the electric vehicle 2 is idling or not. In these cases, the amount of communication between the BMU 3 and the database 20 can be reduced, and the processing load on the server 10 can also be reduced.

[0046] The processing procedure of the method executed by at least one processor is not limited to the examples in the above embodiment. For example, some of the steps (processing) described above may be omitted, or the steps may be executed in a different order. Furthermore, any two or more of the steps described above may be combined, or some of the steps may be modified or deleted. Alternatively, other steps may be executed in addition to the steps described above.

[0047] In the present disclosure, when comparing the magnitude relationship of two numerical values, either of the two criteria "greater than or equal to" and "greater than" may be used, or either of the two criteria "less than or equal to" and "under." The selection of such criteria does not change the technical significance of the process of comparing the magnitude relationship of two numerical values.

[0048] In this disclosure, the expression "at least one processor executes a first process, executes a second process, ... executes an nth process" or a corresponding expression indicates a concept including a case where the entity executing the n processes from the first process to the nth process (i.e., the processor) changes midway through. In other words, this expression indicates a concept including both a case where all n processes are executed by the same processor and a case where the processor changes among the n processes according to an arbitrary policy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1...operation management system, 2...electric vehicle, 3...BMU, 10...server, 11...receiving unit, 12...acquisition unit, 13...estimation unit, 14...generation unit, 15...transmission unit, 20...database, 30...user terminal, 310, 320, 330...reports

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires storage battery data indicating the state of a storage battery mounted in the electric vehicle; an estimation unit that estimates an actual operation status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data; a generation unit that generates a report showing operation information based on the actual operation status; an output unit that outputs the report; Equipped with the battery status includes at least a measured current of the battery; The estimation unit: calculating a moving average of the measured current for each of a plurality of time periods set along a time axis based on the storage battery data; selecting a group of sections in which the moving average of the measured current is equal to or greater than a given threshold from the plurality of sections; calculating an actual operating time of the electric vehicle based on the number of sections that constitute the section group; estimating the actual operation status based on the actual operation time; Operation management system.

2. the estimation unit estimates, as the actual operation status, an actual operation rate which is a ratio of an actual operation time of the electric vehicle to business hours which are set as a time during which the electric vehicle is operated; The operation management system according to claim 1 .

3. The given threshold value is a threshold value for distinguishing whether the electric vehicle is in an idling state or not, the estimation unit calculates the actual operation time based on the number of sections and the length of each section; The operation management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the generation unit generates the report, which represents the transition of the actual operation status during a given target period using a time-series heat map. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the acquisition unit acquires the storage battery data for at least one of the electric vehicles in each of a plurality of locations; the estimation unit estimates the actual operation status of each electric vehicle; the generation unit generates the report indicating the actual operation status at each of the plurality of locations as the operation information. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The electric vehicle is a cargo handling vehicle. The operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. An operation management method executed by an operation management system having at least one processor, acquiring storage battery data indicating a state of a storage battery mounted on the electric vehicle; estimating an actual operation status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data; generating a report showing operation information based on the actual operation status; outputting the report; Including, the battery status includes at least a measured current of the battery; In the step of estimating the actual operating status, calculating a moving average of the measured current for each of a plurality of time periods set along a time axis based on the storage battery data; selecting a group of sections in which the moving average of the measured current is equal to or greater than a given threshold from the plurality of sections; calculating an actual operating time of the electric vehicle based on the number of sections that constitute the section group; estimating the actual operation status based on the actual operation time; Operation management methods.

8. acquiring storage battery data indicating a state of a storage battery mounted on the electric vehicle; estimating an actual operation status of the electric vehicle based on the storage battery data; generating a report showing operation information based on the actual operation status; outputting the report; on the computer, the battery status includes at least a measured current of the battery; In the step of estimating the actual operating status, calculating a moving average of the measured current for each of a plurality of time periods set along a time axis based on the storage battery data; selecting a group of sections in which the moving average of the measured current is equal to or greater than a given threshold from the plurality of sections; calculating an actual operating time of the electric vehicle based on the number of sections that constitute the section group; estimating the actual operation status based on the actual operation time; Operational management program.

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