Secondary battery information output device

Abstract

Provided is a secondary battery information output device capable of easily estimating characteristics of a secondary battery. The secondary battery information output device comprises: a data acquisition element that acquires charge / discharge data; a storage element that stores first correspondence relationship data and second correspondence relationship data; an information processing element that estimates the type of a processing-target secondary battery; and an output element that outputs an estimation result of the information processing element. The information processing element executes first estimation processing for estimating the type of the processing-target secondary battery, and when the type of the processing-target secondary battery cannot be uniquely estimated in the first estimation processing, further executes second estimation processing for estimating the type of the processing-target secondary battery.

Description

Secondary battery information output device

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for outputting information about a secondary battery.

[0002] The deterioration state of a secondary battery is determined when performing maintenance on the secondary battery or when attempting to reuse a used secondary battery, etc. The deterioration state of a secondary battery can be estimated, for example, from the voltage value of the secondary battery (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent No. 7266907

[0004] However, the correspondence between the voltage value of a secondary battery and its degradation state varies depending on the characteristics of the secondary battery. While it is desirable to know, for example, the model of the secondary battery as information for identifying the characteristics of the secondary battery, there are cases where information on the model of the secondary battery cannot be obtained.

[0005] Even in such cases, there is a need to determine the deterioration of a secondary battery after identifying to some extent the characteristics of the secondary battery to be determined as being deteriorated, but the technology of Patent Document 1 does not meet this need. Therefore, there is a need for a technology that can easily estimate the characteristics of a secondary battery.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a secondary battery information output device that can easily estimate the characteristics of a secondary battery.

[0007] The secondary battery information output device of the present invention comprises: a data acquisition element that acquires charge / discharge data of a secondary battery to be processed, the charge / discharge data being made up of data on a first voltage value before charging or discharging and data on a second voltage value after the start of charging or discharging; a storage element that stores first correspondence data indicating a correspondence relationship between the first voltage value of a secondary battery and the type of the secondary battery, and second correspondence data indicating a correspondence relationship between a change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value of the secondary battery and the type of the secondary battery; an information processing element that estimates the type of the secondary battery to be processed based on the charge / discharge data, the first correspondence data, and the second correspondence data; and an output element that outputs a result of estimation by the information processing element, wherein the information processing element executes a first estimation process that estimates the type of the secondary battery to be processed based on the data on the first voltage value of the secondary battery to be processed and the first correspondence data, In the first estimation process, if the type of the secondary battery being processed cannot be uniquely estimated, a second estimation process is further executed to estimate the type of the secondary battery being processed based on the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value and the second correspondence data.

[0008] The inventors have found that the characteristics of a secondary battery can be determined to some extent by identifying the type of secondary battery (for example, the type of secondary battery based on the difference between the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material). More specifically, this is as follows.

[0009] (1) The type of secondary battery can sometimes be identified by the voltage value (so-called open circuit voltage) of the secondary battery before charging or discharging.

[0010] (2) Even if the type of secondary battery cannot be identified by its voltage value before charging or discharging, i.e., for example, if the ranges of possible voltage values ​​before charging or discharging for multiple different types of secondary batteries overlap, it is possible to identify the type of secondary battery to some extent by the way in which the voltage value before charging or discharging changes from the voltage value after charging or discharging begins.

[0011] The present invention is based on this new finding, and the data acquisition element acquires charge / discharge data consisting of first voltage value data, which is the voltage value before charging or discharging of the secondary battery being processed, and second voltage value data, which is the voltage value after charging or discharging has started.

[0012] The information processing element then estimates the type of the secondary battery being processed based on first correspondence data indicating the correspondence between the first voltage value of the secondary battery and the type of the secondary battery, and the first voltage value of the secondary battery being processed.If the type of the secondary battery being processed cannot be uniquely estimated from the first voltage value, the information processing element further estimates the type of the secondary battery being processed based on second correspondence data indicating the correspondence between the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value and the type of the secondary battery, and the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value of the secondary battery being processed.

[0013] As a result, if the type of secondary battery can be uniquely estimated from the first voltage value, the type of secondary battery can be estimated with fewer processing steps.

[0014] Furthermore, if the type of secondary battery cannot be uniquely estimated using the first voltage value alone, the type of secondary battery is automatically estimated using the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value, thereby increasing the reliability of estimating the type of secondary battery.

[0015] Furthermore, the information used to estimate the type of secondary battery is only the voltage values ​​before and after the secondary battery is charged or discharged, so the type of secondary battery can be estimated simply.

[0016] As described above, according to the present invention, the type of secondary battery can be easily estimated as a characteristic of the secondary battery.

[0017] In the present invention, it is preferable that the memory element stores manufacturer data indicating the correspondence between the type of the secondary battery and the manufacturer of the secondary battery, the information processing element estimates the manufacturer of the secondary battery to be processed based on the estimated type of the secondary battery to be processed and the manufacturer data, and the output element outputs information on the manufacturer of the secondary battery to be processed estimated by the information processing element.

[0018] Even if the secondary battery type is the same, the characteristics of the secondary battery may differ depending on the manufacturer. In order to further narrow down the characteristics of the secondary battery, it is preferable to also obtain information on the manufacturer of the secondary battery.

[0019] According to the present invention, the information processing element estimates the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed based on the manufacturer data indicating the correspondence between the type of secondary battery and the manufacturer of the secondary battery and the estimated type of secondary battery, and the output element outputs the estimation result. According to the present invention, the manufacturer of the secondary battery can be further estimated as a characteristic of the secondary battery.

[0020] In the present invention, it is preferable that the secondary battery information output device is provided with a reception element that receives operations by an operator, and when the information processing element cannot uniquely estimate the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed, the output element outputs information on the multiple manufacturers that the information processing element has estimated, and the information processing element receives an operation by the operator via the reception element to select one manufacturer from the multiple manufacturers, and estimates that the received manufacturer is the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed.

[0021] According to the present invention, when the information processing element cannot uniquely estimate the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed, the output element outputs information on multiple manufacturers estimated by the information processing element.The information processing element then accepts an operation by an operator to select one manufacturer from the multiple manufacturers, and estimates that the accepted manufacturer is the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed.

[0022] This increases the reliability of being able to estimate the manufacturer of the secondary battery through dialogue with the operator, even in cases where the manufacturer cannot be uniquely estimated based on the type of secondary battery alone.

[0023] In the present invention, it is preferable that the memory element stores on-board equipment data indicating the correspondence between the manufacturer of the secondary battery and the equipment installed on the secondary battery, the information processing element estimates the equipment installed on the secondary battery to be processed based on the estimated manufacturer of the secondary battery to be processed and the on-board equipment data, and the output element outputs information on the equipment installed on the secondary battery to be processed estimated by the information processing element.

[0024] Even if the type and manufacturer of the secondary battery are the same, the characteristics of the secondary battery may differ depending on the device in which it is installed, i.e., the device for which the secondary battery was manufactured. In order to further narrow down the characteristics of the secondary battery, it is preferable to also obtain information on the device in which the secondary battery is installed.

[0025] According to the present invention, the information processing element estimates the equipment mounted on the secondary battery to be processed based on the equipment data indicating the correspondence between the manufacturer of the secondary battery and the equipment mounted on the secondary battery and the estimated manufacturer of the secondary battery, and the output element outputs the estimation result. According to the present invention, the equipment mounted on the secondary battery can be further estimated as a characteristic of the secondary battery.

[0026] In the present invention, it is preferable that the secondary battery information output device is provided with a reception element that receives operations by an operator, and when the information processing element cannot uniquely estimate the equipment installed in the secondary battery being processed, the output element outputs information on the multiple equipment estimated by the information processing element, and the information processing element receives an operation by the operator to select one equipment from the multiple equipment via the reception element, and estimates that the received equipment is the equipment installed in the secondary battery being processed.

[0027] According to the present invention, when the information processing element cannot uniquely estimate the device equipped with the secondary battery to be processed, the output element outputs information on the multiple devices estimated by the information processing element. Then, the information processing element receives an operation by an operator to select one device from the multiple devices, and estimates that the received device is the device equipped with the secondary battery to be processed.

[0028] This increases the reliability of being able to estimate the equipment mounted on the secondary battery through dialogue with the operator, even in cases where the secondary battery manufacturer alone is unable to uniquely estimate the equipment mounted on the secondary battery.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall image of a secondary battery information output device according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of data used in processing by the present invention; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of data used in processing by the present invention; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of data used in processing by the present invention; FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of data used in processing by the present invention;

[0030] <Configuration of Secondary Battery Information Output Device> First, the configuration of the secondary battery information output device of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Note that the same components will be assigned the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0031] The secondary battery information output device of this embodiment is a device that outputs information about a secondary battery.

[0032] The secondary battery information output device of this embodiment is, for example, a computer configured to include a data acquisition element 10, a storage element 30, and an information processing element 50. Alternatively, the secondary battery information output device may further include a reception element 70. The secondary battery information output device may be implemented in a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone, or may be implemented in a terminal dedicated to implementing the present invention.

[0033] The data acquisition element 10 is a mechanism for acquiring charge / discharge data consisting of data on a first voltage value, which is the voltage value before charging or discharging, and data on a second voltage value, which is the voltage value after charging or discharging has started, of the secondary battery 110 being processed.

[0034] The data acquisition element 10 is, for example, a voltmeter that acquires the voltage value of the secondary battery 110 being processed, but various known means for acquiring the voltage value of a secondary battery may be used as the data acquisition element 10. When the data acquisition element 10 is a voltmeter, for example, the voltage value is acquired from the secondary battery 110 being processed via a cable 130 that has a terminal for acquiring the voltage value of the secondary battery 110. Note that, for simplicity of explanation, only one cable is shown in the figure, but any number of cables necessary to acquire voltage values ​​may be used.

[0035] Alternatively, for example, the data acquisition element 10 may acquire charge / discharge data of the secondary battery 110 to be processed by reading charge / discharge data that has been previously acquired from the secondary battery 110 to be processed using a voltmeter or the like (not shown) and stored in a memory means (not shown) from the memory means.

[0036] The storage element 30 is configured by a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0037] The storage element 30 stores the first and second correspondence data, as well as the processing results and information used in the processing by the secondary battery information output device of this embodiment. The information used in the processing by the secondary battery information output device of this embodiment includes, for example, charge / discharge data, manufacturer data, and on-board equipment data.

[0038] The charge / discharge data is data consisting of first voltage value data, which is the voltage value of the secondary battery 110 to be processed before charging or discharging, and second voltage value data, which is the voltage value after the start of charging or discharging.

[0039] Note that "before charging" does not only mean a state in which the discharge capacity of the secondary battery 110 to be processed is 0 (i.e., a state in which the SOC (State Of Charge) is 0%), but may also mean any state between a state in which the discharge capacity is 0 and a state in which the secondary battery 110 to be processed is fully charged. In other words, the voltage value before charging or before discharging is a voltage value in a state in which the secondary battery 110 to be processed is neither charging nor discharging, regardless of the SOC state of the secondary battery 110 to be processed.

[0040] That is, the first voltage value is the so-called open-circuit voltage value of the secondary battery 110 to be processed, and the second voltage value is the voltage value acquired while the secondary battery 110 to be processed is discharging (or charging).

[0041] The first correspondence data indicates a correspondence between a first voltage value of a secondary battery and a type of the secondary battery. Fig. 2 shows an example of the contents of the first correspondence data. As shown in Fig. 2, the first correspondence data stores information on the upper limit (OCV upper limit) and lower limit (OCV lower limit) of the first voltage value, i.e., the possible range of the first voltage value, in association with each type of secondary battery.

[0042] The type of secondary battery is, for example, a type of secondary battery characterized by the type of positive electrode active material and the type of negative electrode active material used in the battery.

[0043] The second correspondence data indicates the correspondence between the type of secondary battery and the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value of the secondary battery. The specific content of the second correspondence data will be described later.

[0044] The manufacturer data indicates the correspondence between the type of secondary battery and the manufacturer of the secondary battery. That is, as shown in Fig. 3, the manufacturer data stores each type of secondary battery included in the first correspondence data in association with the name of the manufacturer, which is the business that manufactures and sells the secondary battery of that type.

[0045] The on-board equipment data indicates the correspondence between the manufacturer of the secondary battery and the equipment that the secondary battery is installed in. For example, as shown in the upper diagram of Figure 4, the on-board equipment data stores the name of the manufacturer that produces and sells the secondary battery, which is included in the manufacturer data, in association with the type of equipment in which the manufacturer's secondary battery can be installed.

[0046] Alternatively, for example, as shown in the lower diagram of Figure 4, the on-board equipment data stores a correspondence between each combination of the type of secondary battery included in the charge / discharge data and the name of the manufacturer that manufactures, sells, etc. the secondary battery included in the manufacturer data, and the type of equipment that can be equipped with the secondary battery, which is identified by the combination.

[0047] The information processing element 50 is a so-called processor that is configured with an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an I / O (Input / Output) device, and the like.

[0048] The information processing element 50 reads and executes a predetermined program to execute various processes performed by the secondary battery information output device.

[0049] The receiving element 70 is, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, or other pointing device that receives input from a user.

[0050] The output element 90 is, for example, a display that outputs information to the user.

[0051] The secondary battery 110 is a battery of various types compatible with on-board devices such as an on-board battery for an electric vehicle, a battery for a home storage battery, electric transport equipment (carts, forklifts, etc.), personal computers, and mobile phones, and is, for example, a lithium-ion battery, but may also be any other type of secondary battery.

[0052] <Processing Overview> Data Acquisition Processing Next, the processing content of the secondary battery information output device of this embodiment will be described. First, a series of processing steps performed by the secondary battery information output device will be described with reference to FIG.

[0053] When processing starts, the data acquisition element 10 executes a data acquisition process to acquire charge / discharge data consisting of data on a first voltage value before charging or discharging and data on a second voltage value after charging or discharging has started for the secondary battery 110 being processed (Figure 5 / S10).

[0054] The data acquisition element 10 in this embodiment is a voltmeter, and acquires a voltage value from the secondary battery 110 to be processed via a cable 130 equipped with a terminal for acquiring the voltage value of the secondary battery 110 .

[0055] In the data acquisition process, the data acquisition element 10 acquires, for example, voltage values ​​in chronological order when the secondary battery 110 being processed is not discharging (or charging), and after the secondary battery 110 being processed starts discharging (or charging), acquires, in chronological order, voltage values ​​while the secondary battery 110 being processed is discharging (or charging). The data acquisition element 10 stores these data in the storage element 30 as charge / discharge data, for example.

[0056] 6 is a graph showing an example of the charge / discharge data acquired in this process. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents voltage values. In FIG. 6, the left side, including time t1, represents data for the first voltage value, and the right side of time t1 represents data for the second voltage value. In this way, the data for the first voltage value and the data for the second voltage value are continuous in time.

[0057] 6 shows the change in voltage value when the secondary battery 110 being processed starts discharging from a state where it is not being charged or discharged, so the voltage value drops to the right of time t1. Therefore, if the secondary battery 110 being processed starts charging from a state where it is not being charged or discharged, the voltage value will rise to the right of time t1.

[0058] First estimation process Next, a first estimation process (S30 in FIG. 5) is executed to estimate the type of the secondary battery 110 to be processed based on the first voltage value data of the secondary battery 110 to be processed and the first correspondence data.

[0059] When the process starts, the information processing element 50 acquires the first voltage value data and the first correspondence data included in the charge / discharge data of the secondary battery 110 to be processed, which are stored in the storage element 30, for example.

[0060] The information processing element 50 then refers to the first correspondence data to identify the type of secondary battery that matches the data of the first voltage value. That is, the information processing element 50 estimates the type of secondary battery that matches the data of the first voltage value based on whether the voltage value indicated by the first correspondence data is between the OCV upper limit and the OCV lower limit.

[0061] For example, the first voltage value of the secondary battery 110 to be processed shown in Figure 6 is 3.5 [V], so if the content of the first correspondence data is the content shown in Figure 2, the type of the secondary battery will be estimated to be "LFP" or "LCO".

[0062] At this time, if the first voltage value of the secondary battery 110 to be processed is 3.8 [V], for example, the type of the secondary battery is uniquely estimated to be "LCO."

[0063] Thereafter, it is determined whether the type of the secondary battery 110 being processed can be uniquely estimated in the first estimation process, and if the type of the secondary battery 110 being processed cannot be uniquely estimated in the first estimation process (FIG. 5 / S50: No), the second estimation process (FIG. 5 / S70) is executed. On the other hand, if the type of the secondary battery 110 being processed can be uniquely estimated in the first estimation process (FIG. 5 / S50: Yes), the second estimation process (FIG. 5 / S70) is not executed, and the output process (FIG. 5 / S130) is executed.

[0064] - Second estimation process The second estimation process is a process that is further executed when the type of the secondary battery 110 being processed cannot be uniquely estimated in the first estimation process, and is a process that estimates the type of the secondary battery 110 being processed based on the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value and the second correspondence data.

[0065] When the second estimation process is started, the information processing element 50 acquires data on the second voltage value for a predetermined period of time and second correspondence data contained in the charge / discharge data of the secondary battery 110 to be processed, which data is stored, for example, in the memory element 30.

[0066] The information processing element 50 then uses the second correspondence data to identify the type of secondary battery that matches the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value, where the first voltage value used is the first voltage value obtained in the first estimation process.

[0067] The second correspondence data is various data that indicates the correspondence between the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value of the secondary battery and the type of the secondary battery, and various types of data such as a correspondence table, a calculation formula, a function, or a judgment model may be used.

[0068] In the following, an example will be described in which the second correspondence data is a learned model that has machine-learned the correspondence between the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value of a secondary battery and the type of the secondary battery, using reference data indicating the first voltage value and the second voltage value for a predetermined period of time obtained from a plurality of sample secondary batteries corresponding to each type of secondary battery recorded in the first correspondence data, and data on the type of the sample secondary batteries as learning data, and is a judgment model that takes the first voltage value and the second voltage value for a predetermined period of time obtained from the secondary battery 110 to be processed as input, and outputs a judgment result of the type of the secondary battery 110 to be processed.

[0069] In this case, the information processing element 50 inputs the first voltage value and the second voltage value for a predetermined time acquired from the target secondary battery 110 into the learned determination model, which is the second correspondence data. The information processing element 50 then estimates that the type of secondary battery output by the determination model is the type of the target secondary battery 110.

[0070] Output Processing The information processing element 50 then executes an output process to output the estimation result (FIG. 5 / S130), thereby completing the series of processes. The information processing element 50 outputs the estimation result of the first estimation process if the second estimation process has not been executed, or the estimation result of the second estimation process if the second estimation process has been executed, to a display, for example, the output element 90. By viewing the output information, the operator can learn the estimation result of the type of secondary battery 110 being processed.

[0071] Although an example of an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. Various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Below, examples of modified embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0072] <Modified embodiment> In the following, a modified embodiment will be described in which a manufacturer estimation process and an on-board equipment estimation process are performed after the first estimation process and the second estimation process are performed. Note that the processes of S10 to S70 in Fig. 7 are the same as the processes described above using Fig. 5, and therefore will not be described again.

[0073] Manufacturer Estimation Processing The manufacturer estimation processing (FIG. 7 / S90) is processing for estimating the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 to be processed based on the type of the secondary battery 110 to be processed and the manufacturer data estimated by the information processing element 50 in the first estimation processing or the second estimation processing.

[0074] When the processing starts, the information processing element 50 estimates the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 to be processed by referring to the manufacturer data stored in the memory element 30 based on the type of the secondary battery 110 to be processed estimated in the first estimation process or the second estimation process (Figure 8 / S91).

[0075] That is, for example, if the manufacturer data is a correspondence table such as that shown in Figure 3 and the type of the secondary battery 110 to be processed is estimated to be an LFP, it is estimated that "Company A," "Company B," or "Company C," which is stored in association with the LFP, may be the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 to be processed.

[0076] At this time, if, for example, Company A is the only manufacturer stored in association with the LFP, "Company A" will be uniquely estimated as the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 to be processed.

[0077] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 being processed has been uniquely estimated, and if the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 being processed has not been uniquely estimated (FIG. 8 / S93: No), the processes of S95 to S99 are executed. On the other hand, if the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 being processed has been uniquely estimated (FIG. 8 / S93: Yes), the processes of S95 to S99 are not executed, and the manufacturer estimation process ends.

[0078] If the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 being processed cannot be uniquely estimated (FIG. 8 / S93: No), the information processing element 50 first outputs to the display, which is the output element 90, information on multiple manufacturers that were estimated in S91 to be possible manufacturers of the secondary battery 110 being processed, along with a message prompting the operator to select one manufacturer from among these multiple manufacturers (FIG. 8 / S95).

[0079] The information processing element 50 then accepts an operation by the operator to select one manufacturer from the multiple manufacturers via the touch panel that is the acceptance element 70 (FIG. 8 / S97), estimates that the accepted manufacturer is the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed (FIG. 8 / S99), and terminates the manufacturer estimation process.

[0080] The on-board equipment estimation process (FIG. 7 / S110) is a process for estimating the on-board equipment of the secondary battery 110 to be processed, based on the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 to be processed estimated by the information processing element 50 in the manufacturer estimation process and the on-board equipment data. Note that this process may be omitted.

[0081] When the processing starts, the information processing element 50 estimates the equipment installed in the secondary battery 110 being processed by referring to the installed equipment data stored in the memory element 30 based on the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 being processed estimated in the manufacturer estimation process (Figure 9 / S111).

[0082] That is, for example, if the on-board equipment data is a correspondence table such as that shown in the upper diagram of Figure 4, and the manufacturer of the estimated secondary battery 110 to be processed is Company B, it is estimated that the "wind power generation storage battery" and "electric vehicle" stored in association with Company B may be the on-board equipment of the secondary battery 110 to be processed.

[0083] At this time, if the only on-board equipment stored in association with company B is an electric vehicle, then "electric vehicle" will be uniquely estimated as the on-board equipment of the secondary battery 110 to be processed.

[0084] Alternatively, for example, if the on-board equipment data is a correspondence table such as that shown in the lower diagram of Figure 4, and the type of the secondary battery 110 to be processed estimated in the first estimation process or the second estimation process is LFP, and the manufacturer of the secondary battery 110 to be processed estimated in the manufacturer estimation process is Company B, then "electric vehicle" will be uniquely estimated as the on-board equipment of the secondary battery 110 to be processed.

[0085] Thereafter, it is determined whether the on-board equipment of the secondary battery 110 to be processed has been uniquely estimated, and if the on-board equipment of the secondary battery 110 to be processed has not been uniquely estimated (FIG. 9 / S113: No), the processes of S115 to S119 are executed. On the other hand, if the on-board equipment of the secondary battery 110 to be processed has been uniquely estimated (FIG. 9 / S113: Yes), the processes of S115 to S119 are not executed, and the on-board equipment estimation process ends.

[0086] If the equipment installed in the secondary battery 110 being processed cannot be uniquely estimated (FIG. 9 / S113: No), the information processing element 50 first outputs to the display, which is the output element 90, information on multiple equipment that was estimated in S111 to be possible equipment installed in the secondary battery 110 being processed, along with a display prompting the operator to select one equipment from among these multiple equipment (FIG. 9 / S115).

[0087] The information processing element 50 then accepts an operation by the operator to select one device from the plurality of devices via the touch panel that is the acceptance element 70 (FIG. 9 / S117), estimates that the accepted device is the device equipped with the secondary battery to be processed (FIG. 9 / S119), and terminates the manufacturer estimation process.

[0088] 10, the output element 90 outputs a display 901 of information on the type of the secondary battery 110 being processed, a display 903 of information on the manufacturer, and a display 905 of information on the on-board equipment, which are estimated by the information processing element 50 in the above process (FIG. 7 / S130), and ends the series of processes. Note that if the on-board equipment estimation process is omitted, the display 905 of information on the on-board equipment is not output.

[0089] <Other Modified Embodiments> Although the modified embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these. Various further modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0090] For example, although the above describes an example in which a trained determination model obtained by machine learning learning data is used as the second correspondence data, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second correspondence data may be a determination model that compares reference data indicating time-series changes in first voltage values ​​and second voltage values ​​over a predetermined period of time, corresponding to each type of secondary battery recorded in the first correspondence data, with the first voltage value and the second voltage value over a predetermined period of time acquired from the secondary battery 110 to be processed, and determines the type of the secondary battery 110 to be processed based on the degree of similarity. In this case, the reference data is also stored in the storage element 30 in advance.

[0091] In this case, the second estimation process may be performed as follows: For example, if the first voltage value of the secondary battery 110 to be processed is 3.5 V, the information processing element 50 acquires reference data for the battery type having a first voltage value of 3.5 V or close to that value from the reference data. In this embodiment, it is assumed that reference data having a first voltage value of 3.5 V has been acquired for the LFP and the LCO.

[0092] 11 is a graph showing the thus obtained reference data for LFP and LCO, and the first and second voltage values ​​of the secondary battery 110 being processed. The dashed line indicates the change in voltage value between the first and second voltage values ​​for the LFP, the dotted line indicates the change in voltage value for the LCO, and the solid line indicates the change in voltage value between the first and second voltage values ​​for the secondary battery 110 being processed.

[0093] That is, for example, in this embodiment, for the LFP, the second voltage value decreases slightly from the first voltage value, and then continues to decrease gradually. On the other hand, for the LCO, the second voltage value decreases from the first voltage value more than the decrease in the LFP, and then continues to decrease in a steeper curve than the LFP. The change in voltage value between the first and second voltage values ​​of the secondary battery 110 being processed is similar to the change in the LFP.

[0094] The determination model, which is the second correspondence data, receives as input the LFP and LCO reference data acquired above and the first and second voltage values ​​of the secondary battery 110 being processed, and determines the degree of similarity between the first and second voltage values ​​of the secondary battery 110 being processed and the LFP and LCO reference data using a predetermined algorithm, and outputs the type of secondary battery corresponding to the determined reference data with a high degree of similarity. The information processing element 50 then estimates that the type of secondary battery output by the determination model in this manner is the type of the secondary battery 110 being processed.

[0095] That is, in this embodiment, the information processing element 50 estimates that the type of the secondary battery 110 to be processed is an LFP.

[0096] 12 shows an example of the output content of the estimation result. The output content includes a display 901 of information on the type of secondary battery 110 being processed, which was estimated by the information processing element 50 in the above-described process. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, a graph 907 may be further displayed showing the content of the reference data corresponding to each type of secondary battery that was the subject of comparison in the estimation process, and the first and second voltage values ​​of the secondary battery 110 being processed. This can increase the operator's satisfaction with the estimation result.

[0097] 10...data acquisition element, 30...storage element, 50...information processing element, 70...reception element, 90...output element, 110...secondary battery.

Claims

1. A data acquisition element for acquiring charge / discharge data consisting of data on a first voltage value before charging or discharging and data on a second voltage value after the start of charging or discharging of a secondary battery to be processed; a storage element storing first correspondence data indicating a correspondence between the first voltage value of a secondary battery and the type of the secondary battery, and second correspondence data indicating a correspondence between a change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value of the secondary battery and the type of the secondary battery; an information processing element for estimating the type of the secondary battery to be processed based on the charge / discharge data, the first correspondence data, and the second correspondence data; and an output element for outputting a result of the estimation by the information processing element, wherein the information processing element executes a first estimation process for estimating the type of the secondary battery to be processed based on the data on the first voltage value of the secondary battery to be processed and the first correspondence data, a second estimation process for estimating the type of the secondary battery being processed based on the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value and the second correspondence data, if the type of the secondary battery being processed cannot be uniquely estimated in the first estimation process, said secondary battery information output device being configured to further execute a second estimation process for estimating the type of the secondary battery being processed based on the change in voltage value between the first voltage value and the second voltage value and the second correspondence data.

2. A secondary battery information output device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: the memory element stores manufacturer data indicating the correspondence between the type of the secondary battery and the manufacturer of the secondary battery; the information processing element estimates the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed based on the estimated type of the secondary battery being processed and the manufacturer data; and the output element outputs information on the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed estimated by the information processing element.

3. A secondary battery information output device as described in claim 2, further comprising a reception element for receiving operations by an operator of the secondary battery information output device, wherein the output element outputs information on a plurality of manufacturers estimated by the information processing element when the information processing element cannot uniquely estimate the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed, and the information processing element receives an operation by the operator to select one manufacturer from the plurality of manufacturers via the reception element, and estimates that the received manufacturer is the manufacturer of the secondary battery being processed.

4. A secondary battery information output device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: the memory element stores on-board equipment data indicating the correspondence between the manufacturer of the secondary battery and the equipment installed on the secondary battery; the information processing element estimates the equipment installed on the secondary battery to be processed based on the estimated manufacturer of the secondary battery to be processed and the on-board equipment data; and the output element outputs information on the equipment installed on the secondary battery to be processed estimated by the information processing element.

5. A secondary battery information output device as described in claim 4, further comprising a reception element for receiving operations by an operator of the secondary battery information output device, wherein when the information processing element cannot uniquely estimate the equipment installed in the secondary battery being processed, the output element outputs information on the multiple equipment estimated by the information processing element, and the information processing element receives an operation by the operator to select one equipment from the multiple equipment via the reception element, and estimates that the accepted equipment is the equipment installed in the secondary battery being processed.

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