Low battery detection system

Abstract

To provide a system for detecting insufficient remaining battery power and a wireless apparatus that allow a user to determine when to replace a battery due to insufficient remaining battery power with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A system 1 for detecting insufficient remaining battery power includes a wireless device 11, an insufficient remaining power detection unit 25, and a notification unit 38. The wireless device 11 is disposed in a refrigerator 100 and is driven by power supplied from a battery B. The insufficient remaining power detection unit 25 detects insufficient remaining power of the battery B. The notification unit 38 notifies the user of the insufficient remaining power detected by the insufficient remaining power detection unit 25. When the power supply is resumed after interruption, the wireless device 11 transmits a resumption signal to the insufficient remaining power detection unit 25. When receiving the resumption signal from the wireless device 11 a predetermined number of times or more in a predetermined period of time, the insufficient remaining power detection unit 25 detects that the remaining power of the battery B is insufficient.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a low battery detection system and a wireless device. [Background technology]

[0002] The article tray described in Patent Document 1 includes an article holder, an article sensor, and a communication unit. The article holder holds an article. The article sensor detects article information indicating the state of the article held in the article holder. The communication unit transmits the article information based on the opening and closing of a door of a storage cabinet in which the article tray is stored.

[0003] Paragraph

[0042] of Patent Document 1 states that the item tray may be equipped with a battery remaining capacity detection unit. The battery remaining capacity detection unit detects the remaining capacity of the battery in the item tray. Information about the remaining capacity of the battery detected by the battery remaining capacity detection unit is transmitted from the item tray. Therefore, an item tray equipped with a battery remaining capacity detection unit also serves as a system for detecting low battery capacity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-180739 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The article tray described in Patent Document 1 requires a battery remaining amount detection unit that detects the remaining amount of the battery itself in order to know when to replace the battery due to a lack of remaining amount of the battery, and therefore the configuration is not simple.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a battery low charge detection system and a wireless device that have a simple configuration and can notify the user when the battery needs to be replaced due to low battery charge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery low charge detection system includes a wireless device, a low charge detection unit, and an alarm unit. The wireless device is placed in a storage cabinet that cools items and is powered by a battery. The low charge detection unit detects a low charge in the battery. The alarm unit notifies a user of the low charge detected by the low charge detection unit. The wireless device transmits a signal to the low charge detection unit when the power supply is resumed after an interruption. The low charge detection unit detects that the battery is low when it receives the signal from the wireless device a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a wireless device includes a wireless device that is powered by a battery located in a storage cabinet that cools items. The wireless device transmits a signal to a remaining charge shortage detection unit when the power supply is resumed after an interruption. The wireless device causes the remaining charge shortage detection unit to detect that the battery is low when the remaining charge shortage detection unit receives the signal from the wireless device a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The battery low charge detection system and wireless device of the present invention can notify the time for battery replacement due to low battery charge with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a graph showing the change in discharge capacity with respect to the discharge current when a general battery is used at temperatures of 0° C., 5° C., and 10° C. [Figure 2] 1 is a graph showing the change in voltage with respect to discharge time when a general battery is used at temperatures of 0° C., 5° C., and 10° C. [Figure 3] 3 is a graph showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the limit voltage in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic overview of a system for detecting a low battery level; [Figure 5]FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a wireless device having a wireless device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a server. [Figure 7] This is a modified example of the server shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the mobile communication terminal in detail. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a case where notification is stopped in response to a notification stop instruction from a user. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a case where the notification unit stops notification upon receiving a battery replacement signal from the battery replacement detection unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0012] First, the basic principle of the present invention will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a graph showing the change in discharge capacity versus discharge current when a typical battery is used at 0°C, 5°C, and 10°C. Figure 2 is a graph showing the change in voltage versus discharge time when a typical battery is used at 0°C, 5°C, and 10°C. Figure 3 is a graph enlarging the vicinity of the limit voltage in Figure 2.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, generally, when a battery has a constant end voltage, the lower the temperature at which it is used, the smaller the discharge capacity, and the higher the temperature at which it is used, the larger the discharge capacity. In the specific example shown in Figure 1, a battery used at a temperature of 5°C has a smaller discharge capacity at the same discharge current than a battery used at a temperature of 10°C. Similarly, a battery used at a temperature of 0°C has a smaller discharge capacity at the same discharge current than a battery used at a temperature of 5°C. Therefore, the discharge capacity of a battery, i.e., the amount of electricity stored in the battery, depends on the temperature at which the battery is used.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, generally, when a battery has a constant discharge resistance, the lower the temperature at which it is used, the lower the voltage, and the higher the temperature at which it is used, the higher the voltage. In the specific example shown in Figure 2, a battery used at a temperature of 5°C has a lower voltage for the same discharge time than a battery used at a temperature of 10°C. Similarly, a battery used at a temperature of 0°C has a lower voltage for the same discharge time than a battery used at a temperature of 5°C. Therefore, the voltage of a battery also depends on the temperature at which the battery is used.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, which is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the limit voltage (the minimum voltage at which wireless device 11, described later, can operate; 2.7 V in this embodiment) in FIG. 2, for example, even if the voltage of a battery used at 5°C falls below the limit voltage (see T1 in FIG. 3), if the temperature at which the battery is used rises from 5°C to 10°C, the voltage may rise to or exceed the limit voltage (see T2 in FIG. 3). In other words, if the temperature at which the battery is used rises, the battery may recover from a dead state. However, even if the battery is used at 10°C, after a while the battery voltage will fall below the limit voltage, i.e., the battery will once again be dead (see T3 in FIG. 3). Therefore, even if the battery recovers from a dead state due to an increase in the temperature at which it is used, it will still have insufficient charge remaining.

[0016] In the present invention, the basic principle is that the recovery from a dead battery state due to an increase in the temperature at which the battery is used is used as a trigger for detecting a low battery level.The location where the temperature at which the battery is used increases is a storage cabinet for cooling items.The storage cabinet for cooling items is connected to the outside when a user checks, replaces, replenishes, or removes items, so the temperature can rise.

[0017] Next, an overview of a system 1 for detecting a low battery level according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic overview of the system 1 for detecting a low battery level.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the battery low charge detection system 1 includes a wireless device 11, a server 20, and a mobile communication terminal 30. The wireless device 11, the server 20, and the mobile communication terminal 30 are connected via a network 40. The network 40 is, for example, a network capable of wireless communication. Networks capable of wireless communication include, for example, the Internet, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a public telephone network, and short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication is, for example, communication conforming to communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The network 40 may also be a wired communication network such as a wired LAN.

[0019] The wireless device 11 is powered by a battery B. The battery B is placed together with the wireless device 11 in a refrigerator 100 (an example of a storage cabinet for cooling items). The refrigerator 100 has an openable door 101. When the power supply from the battery B is interrupted and then resumed, the wireless device 11 transmits a signal (hereinafter, referred to as a resume signal) to the server 20. The wireless device 11 is, for example, a communication device that broadcasts a beacon using BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy). Although not shown, a relay device (for example, a gateway device) that relays communication between the wireless device 11 and the server 20 may be present. The relay device receives a beacon or the like emitted by the wireless device 11 and transmits information included in the received beacon or the like to the server 20 via the network 40.

[0020] The server 20 detects a shortage of remaining power in the battery B that supplies power to the wireless device 11. The server 20 includes a server-side communication unit 21, a server-side control unit 22, and a server-side storage unit .

[0021] The server-side communication unit 21 is an interface or the like, and communicates with the wireless device 11 and the mobile communication terminal 30 via the network 40. The server-side communication unit 21 includes, for example, a network interface controller (NIC) that communicates according to a predetermined communication protocol. The predetermined communication protocol is, for example, the TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) protocol suite (i.e., the Internet Protocol Suite).

[0022] The server-side control unit 22 has a remaining charge shortage detection unit 25. The remaining charge shortage detection unit 25 detects that the remaining charge of the battery B is low when a resume signal from the wireless device 11 is received a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period. The server-side control unit 22 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The server-side control unit 22 executes information processing in accordance with a computer program stored in the server-side storage unit 23.

[0023] The server-side storage unit 23 includes a storage device and stores computer programs and data. The computer programs stored in the server-side storage unit 23 are used by the server-side control unit 22 to execute information processing. The data stored in the server-side storage unit 23 is the conditions for the low remaining charge detection unit 25 to detect that battery B is low, i.e., a predetermined period and a predetermined number of times. The server-side storage unit 23 includes, for example, a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid-state drive, and a hard disk drive. The server-side storage unit 23 may also include removable media.

[0024] The mobile communication terminal 30 is, for example, an information communication terminal (such as a smartphone or tablet) that can be carried by a user. The mobile communication terminal 30 is registered with the server 20. The mobile communication terminal 30 has a terminal-side communication unit 31, a terminal-side control unit 32, a terminal-side memory unit 33, and a notification unit 38. The hardware used as the terminal-side communication unit 31, the terminal-side control unit 32, and the terminal-side memory unit 33, like the hardware used as the server-side communication unit 21, the server-side control unit 22, and the server-side memory unit 23, controls the mobile communication terminal 30 and communicates with the outside. The notification unit 38 notifies the user of a low remaining charge of the battery B detected by the low remaining charge detection unit 25.

[0025] The wireless device 11, server 20, and mobile communication terminal 30 that make up the battery low power detection system 1 will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 5 to 8. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing in detail the wireless device 10 having the wireless device 11. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing in detail the server 20. Figure 7 is a modified example of the server 20 shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 is a block diagram showing in detail the mobile communication terminal 30.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5 , the wireless device 11 is part of the wireless device 10 arranged inside the refrigerator 100. In addition to the wireless device 11 and a battery B, the wireless device 10 has an inside control unit 12, an inside storage unit 13, a sensor 17, and a light-emitting unit 18. The hardware used as the inside control unit 12 and the inside storage unit 13 controls the wireless device 10, as does the hardware used as the server-side control unit 22 and the server-side storage unit 23. The inside control unit 12, the inside storage unit 13, the sensor 17, and the battery B constitute an item management unit 19. The item management unit 19 transmits information about a specific item (such as a containerized beverage) stored or placed in the wireless device 10 inside the refrigerator 100 to the server 20 via the wireless device 11. Therefore, the item management unit 19 has, for example, an item tray (not shown) for holding the specific item. The battery B is not particularly limited as long as its voltage can rise from below the limit voltage to above the limit voltage as the temperature at which it is used rises. Battery B is, for example, a dry cell battery. In the configuration shown in FIG.

[0027] The wireless device 10 may have a light-emitting unit 18. The light-emitting unit 18 includes a light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light-emitting unit 18 may also function as a notification unit 38. The light-emitting unit 18 functioning as the notification unit 38 lights up or blinks when the server 20 detects that the remaining charge of the battery B is low. The blinking interval, that is, the time from when the light turns off until it turns on again, is an arbitrary time, for example, between 1 and 10 seconds (preferably between 4 and 6 seconds).

[0028] In addition to light-emitting unit 18, the speaker of refrigerator 100, the interior light, or the display screen of refrigerator 100 (none of which are shown) may function as notification unit 38. When the speaker of refrigerator 100 functions as notification unit 38, if server 20 detects that battery B is low, the speaker of refrigerator 100 will issue a notification by emitting a voice or an alarm sound. When the interior light functions as notification unit 38, if server 20 detects that battery B is low, the interior light will light up or flash. When the display screen of refrigerator 100 functions as notification unit 38, if server 20 detects that battery B is low, the display screen of refrigerator 100 will display notification information (such as a text message).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, the server-side control unit 22 of the server 20 may have a restart signal acquisition unit 24 and a condition acquisition unit 26 in addition to a remaining charge shortage detection unit 25. The restart signal acquisition unit 24 acquires a restart signal from the wireless device 11 via the server-side communication unit 21. The condition acquisition unit 26 acquires conditions for detecting a remaining charge shortage of battery B, i.e., a predetermined period and a predetermined number of times, from the server-side storage unit 23. The predetermined period and the predetermined number of times are set to values ​​that prevent the remaining charge shortage detection unit 25 from erroneously detecting that battery B replacement is insufficient. Therefore, the predetermined period is much shorter than the value obtained by multiplying the lifespan of battery B used in the refrigerator 100 (the discharge time until the voltage drops below the limit voltage) by the predetermined number of times. A specific predetermined period and the predetermined number of times are, for example, 1 to 2 days and 2 to 3 times (preferably 1 day and 2 times). When this preferable value is set, the remaining charge deficiency detection unit 25 detects that the remaining charge of battery B is low if the restart signal acquisition unit 24 acquires the restart signal twice or more in one day. If the restart signal acquisition unit 24 acquires the restart signal once in one day, it is assumed that battery B has been replaced, and so the remaining charge deficiency detection unit 25 does not detect that the remaining charge of battery B is low. When the remaining charge deficiency detection unit 25 detects that battery B is low, it transmits a signal (hereinafter referred to as the remaining charge deficiency signal) to the notification unit 38 to notify that battery B is low.

[0030] 7, the server-side control unit 22 of the server 20 may have a battery replacement detection unit 27 in addition to the remaining charge shortage detection unit 25, the restart signal acquisition unit 24, and the condition acquisition unit 26. The battery replacement detection unit 27 detects that the battery B of the wireless device 10 has been replaced. For example, the battery replacement detection unit 27 determines that the battery B has been replaced when the restart signal received from the wireless device 11 is less than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period. When the battery replacement detection unit 27 determines that the battery B has been replaced, that is, when it detects that the battery B has been replaced, it transmits a signal notifying the notification unit 38 that the battery B has been replaced (hereinafter, a battery replacement signal).

[0031] 8, the notification unit 38 of the mobile communication terminal 30 has a speaker 38a, a display screen 38b, and a vibration unit 38c. The notification method by the notification unit 38 of the mobile communication terminal 30 is, for example, at least one of emitting a voice or an alarm sound from the speaker 38a, displaying notification information (such as a text message) on the display screen 38b, and vibrating by the vibration unit 38c. The notification by the notification unit 38 is stopped, for example, when a preset time has elapsed, a user issues an instruction to stop the notification, or a battery replacement signal is received from the battery replacement detection unit 27. The notification and the stop of the notification by the notification unit 38 of the mobile communication terminal 30 are performed based on software (application) installed in the terminal storage unit 33.

[0032] The processing executed by the battery low power detection system 1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing executed when the notification is stopped in response to a user instruction to stop the notification. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing executed when the notification unit 38 stops the notification in response to receiving a battery replacement signal from the battery replacement detection unit 27.

[0033] The processing shown in FIG. 9 includes step S10, which is processing by wireless device 10, steps S20 to S22, which are processing by server 20, and steps S30 to S33, which are processing by mobile communication terminal 30.

[0034] First, when the voltage of battery B placed inside refrigerator 100 falls below the threshold voltage, power supply from battery B is interrupted. If door 101 of refrigerator 100 is opened and the temperature at which battery B is used rises, the voltage of battery B may exceed the threshold voltage. In this case, power supply from battery B is resumed after being interrupted. Then, as shown in FIG. 9 , in step S10, wireless device 10 transmits a resume signal to server 20 every time power supply from battery B is resumed after being interrupted. The resume signal is a signal transmitted when wireless device 10 is powered on, and is different from the signal based on information about the item detected by sensor 17. Note that the resume signal may include a signal based on information about the item.

[0035] In step S20, server 20 receives a resume signal from wireless device 10 at server-side communication unit 21. Although not shown and described, server 20 also receives information about a specific item in refrigerator 100 transmitted by wireless device 10 in addition to the resume signal. In step S21, server 20 determines whether the received resume signal has been received a specific number of times or more within a specific period. If the determination in step S21 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S22. On the other hand, if the determination in step S21 is negative (No), the process returns to step S20. In step S22, server 20 transmits a low-remaining-amount signal to mobile communication terminal 30.

[0036] If the voltage of battery B placed inside refrigerator 100 is near the limit voltage, as the temperature at which battery B is used rises, the voltage of battery B will exceed the limit voltage and wireless device 10 will resume operation. Therefore, whenever the temperature of battery B inside wireless device 10 rises and the voltage exceeds the limit voltage, such as when door 101 of refrigerator 100 is opened or wireless device 10 is taken out of refrigerator 100, wireless device 10 resumes operation. When the temperature of battery B inside wireless device 10 drops, such as when door 101 of refrigerator 100 is closed or wireless device 10 is placed back inside refrigerator 100, wireless device 10 will suspend operation. In other words, wireless device 10 will suspend and resume operation multiple times in a relatively short period of time due to opening and closing door 101 of refrigerator 100, etc. In this embodiment, the frequency of this resumption operation is focused on to detect whether battery B is low in charge.

[0037] In step S30, the mobile communication terminal 30 receives a low remaining charge signal from the server 20 via the terminal-side communication unit 31. In step S31, the mobile communication terminal 30 notifies the user that the remaining charge of battery B is low via the notification unit 38. In step S32, the mobile communication terminal 30 determines whether or not an instruction to stop the notification has been received from the user. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S32, the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S32, step S32 is repeated. In step S33, the mobile communication terminal 30 stops the notification.

[0038] As explained above with reference to Figures 1 to 6, 8 and 9, according to this embodiment, the remaining charge of battery B is detected based on the resume signal, so there is no need to detect the remaining charge of battery B itself, and the configuration can be simplified.

[0039] On the other hand, the process shown in Fig. 10 further includes steps S23 and S24, and includes step S32a instead of step S32, compared to the process shown in Fig. 9. Below, steps in the process shown in Fig. 10 that differ from the process shown in Fig. 9 will be described, and explanations of steps that overlap with the process shown in Fig. 9 will be omitted.

[0040] If a negative determination (No) is made in step S21, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the server 20 determines whether or not the battery B has been replaced. For example, the server 20 determines that the battery B has been replaced if the restart signal is received less than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S23, the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S23, the process returns to step S20. In step S24, the server 20 transmits a battery replacement signal to the mobile communication terminal 30.

[0041] In step S32a, the mobile communication terminal 30 determines whether or not a battery replacement signal has been received. If the determination in step S32a is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, if the determination in step S32a is negative (No), step S32a is repeated.

[0042] As explained above with reference to Figures 1 to 5, 7, 8 and 10, according to this embodiment, the configuration can be simplified and the notification is stopped when battery B is replaced, so it is possible to prevent battery B with insufficient remaining capacity from being overlooked for replacement.

[0043] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all components shown in the embodiments. The drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner to facilitate understanding, and the number of components shown may differ from the actual number due to the convenience of drawing. Furthermore, the components shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention.

[0044] As described with reference to Fig. 4, in this embodiment, an example of a storage cabinet for cooling items is the refrigerator 100. However, instead of the refrigerator 100, any storage cabinet for cooling items may be used, such as a freezer or a refrigerated warehouse.

[0045] As explained with reference to Fig. 4, in this embodiment, the server-side control unit 22 of the server 20 has the remaining amount shortage detection unit 25. However, the terminal-side control unit 32 of the mobile communication terminal 30 or the refrigerator-side control unit 12 of the wireless device 10 may have the remaining amount shortage detection unit 25. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] The present invention can be used in the field of a system for detecting low battery power. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] B battery 1. Low battery detection system 10 Radio equipment 11 Wireless equipment 12. Inside control unit 13 Storage compartment 17 Sensors 18 Light-emitting part 19 Materials Management Department 21 Server-side communication section 22 Server-side control unit 23 Server-side storage 24 Resume signal acquisition section 25 Low remaining amount detection unit 26 Condition acquisition section 27 Battery replacement detector 30 Mobile communication devices 31 Terminal communication unit 32 Terminal side control unit 33 Terminal side memory unit 38 Information Department 38a Speaker 38b Display screen 38c Vibration part 40 Network 100 refrigerator 101 Door

Claims

1. a wireless device powered by a battery, the wireless device being arranged in a storage facility for cooling items; a remaining charge shortage detection unit that detects a remaining charge shortage of the battery; a notification unit that notifies a user of the remaining amount deficiency detected by the remaining amount deficiency detection unit; Equipped with the wireless device transmits a signal to the remaining charge shortage detection unit when the power supply is resumed after being interrupted; The battery low charge detection system detects that the battery is low when the signal from the wireless device is received two or more times within a predetermined period.

2. The system for detecting a low battery level according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined period is set to one day.

3. 3. The system for detecting a low battery charge according to claim 1, wherein the low battery charge detector transmits information indicating that the battery charge is low to a pre-registered mobile communication terminal.

4. a wireless device having the wireless device; the wireless device is provided in the storage facility, The system for detecting a low battery level according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless device includes the notification unit.

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