Battery tracking system

Abstract

A battery tracking system 1 comprising: abattery 2 comprising a control unit 10 configured to monitor a condition of thedetached battery when the battery 2 has been detached from a device and transmita signal including identification information of the detached battery 2, an externaldevice 4 configured to receive the signal transmitted from the detached battery2 and transmit location information of the external device together with thereceived signal, and a controller 6 configured to receive the locationinformation and the signal transmitted from the external device 4 and determinea location of the detached battery 2 based on the received location informationand signal.

Description

BATTERY TRACKING SYSTEMTechnical Filed

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosurerelate to a battery tracking system, a battery tracking method and computerprogram to perform the battery tracking method.

[0002] In July 2023, the council of the EU adaptednew regulation that strengths sustainability rules for batteries and wastebatteries. The regulation will regulate the entire life cycle of batteries -from production to reuse and recycling - and ensure that they are safe,sustainable, and competitive. This regulation will apply to all batteriesincluding all waste portable batteries, electric vehicle batteries, industrialbatteries, starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries and batteries forlight means of transport.

[0003] Therefore, the present disclosure isconcerned with a battery, e.g., a lithium ion battery, battery pack, batterycells, to which the battery regulation will be applied. According to thebattery regulation, targets for producers to collect waste portable batteries willbe set. Further, in the battery regulation, it will be set a battery passportfor recording from purchasing material to recycle related battery life cyclebased on QR-code, which is simple and cost effective. However, it is passivetracking, guess that QR-code cannot cover every tracking condition, e.g., inparticular a case used by consumers.

[0004] In the current situation, there is noofficial statistics of recollection ratio of the waste batteries, however, itis assumed that the recollection ratio of portable batteries used by consumersis relatively low. Therefore, it is expected to improve the recollection ratioof the waste battery. For improvement the recollection ratio, it is necessaryto correctly comprehend the battery condition and the battery location.

[0005] For monitoring the battery condition, abattery management system is known for monitoring the battery condition, forexample, as disclosed in JP 2021 86816 A and US 11 698 415 B1. In addition, EP4 060 598 A1 discloses an information system having a function to handleinformation about locations of batteries or battery mounted devices by usingthe GPS.

[0006] However, when the battery is mounted on thedevice, it is not necessary to know the battery location for recollecting thebattery, since the battery is not the waste battery. In addition, the wastebattery is usually not mounted on the device, and, therefore, it is notpossible to determine the location of battery detached from the device by theabove indicated known technology. Thus, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a battery tracking system which is possible to determinethe battery location detached from the device, and, to accurately determine thebattery condition whether the battery is waste battery or not to improve therecollection ratio of the waste battery.Summary of the invention

[0007] An embodiment according to the presentapplication provides abattery tracking system comprising: a battery, e.g., lithium-ion battery,Pb-Acid battery, Ni-Cd battery, Ni-MH battery, Li-secondary battery, NaSbattery and all-solid-state secondary battery, etc., comprising a controlunit, e.g., a unit including a BMS (battery management system including aplurality of sensors for monitoring condition of the battery), a CMS(cellmonitoring system) and signal / beacon generator, configured to monitor acondition of the battery, e.g., a voltage which is equal or less than a voltageto activate a device, when the battery has been detached from a device, e.g.,mobile devices: portable cleaner, portable video game machine, laptop computer,OPE (outdoor power equipment) tool, etc., and transmit a signal includingidentification information of the detached battery, e.g., beacon with ID andbattery status information, at least one external device, i.e., predeterminedreceiver, e.g., OPE (outdoor power equipment) tool, a battery charger, a mobilephone, a laptop computer, a base station, etc., configured to receive thesignal transmitted from the detached battery, and transmit location informationof the external device, e.g., ID of the external device associated with userinformation (address where the external device is located) of the externaldevice, together with the received signal, a controller configured to receivethe location information and the signal transmitted from the external device,and determine a location of the detached battery based on the received locationinformation and signal, e.g., the location of the detached battery in relationwith the external device based on the signal strength and chronicle record ofthe received signals. By receiving the signal transmitted from the battery viathe external device at the controller, it is possible to determine a locationof the detached battery without using the GPS, i.e., the location of thedetached battery is determined based on the location information and thereceived signal character, and, therefore, it is possible to determine the locationof the detached battery even if the battery is located somewhere indoors. As aresult, it is possible to improve recollection ratio of the waste batteries,and by monitoring a condition of the detached battery, it is possible to appropriatelywarn occurrence of accidents caused by the waste battery, e.g., heat from thebattery.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the presentapplication, the control unit is configured to periodically, e.g., every minute,every hour, every day, every week, etc., transmit the signal during apredetermined period, e.g., 6 months, a year, several years, and wherein the controller is configuredto store the received signal in chronicle order, and detect characteristicschanges of the received signals, e.g., changes of signal strength. Theperiodical transmitted signals from the battery may be stored at the externaldevice and transmitted to the controller in a predetermined interval. Based onthe chronically stored signal, it is possible to determine whether the locationof the detached battery has been changed, i.e., in case the detached batteryhas located in the same place longer than the predetermined period, thedetached battery is assumed as a waste battery. Hence, it is possible totrack the detached battery and to improve the recollection ratio of the wastebattery.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the presentapplication, the control unit is configured to determine whether a remainingvoltage of the detached battery is equal or less than a predetermined voltage,and the predetermined voltage includes a first predetermined voltage, e.g., cut-offvoltage (the voltage which a device cannot use, but chargeable, or the voltageat which a battery is considered fully discharged, beyond which furtherdischarge could cause harm), and a second predetermined voltage, e.g., non-rechargeablevoltage (the voltage which prohibits recharge of the battery, one of theeternal failed mode), which is less than the first predetermined voltage, whenthe remaining voltage of the detached battery is equal or less than the firstpredetermined voltage, the control unit is configured to transmit the signal. Further,the control unit is configured to disable the detached battery, when theremaining voltage of the detached battery is equal or less than the secondpredetermined voltage. That is, when the battery accidentally detached from thedevice, e.g., due to impact of clash or falling of the device, and the batteryhas the voltage to be used by the device, the signal is not transmitted fromthe battery. Further, for transmitting the signal, it can be used energy underthe cut-off voltage, and, therefore, it is not necessary to provide extra powersource for transmitting the signal from the detached battery. In addition, incase the voltage of the battery is non-rechargeable voltage, the battery is disabled,and, therefore, it is possible to avoid an accident cause of over-discharge ofthe battery.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the presentapplication, the signal further includes information indicating a condition ofthe detached battery, and the controller is configured to determine whether thelocation of the detached battery has been changed based on the stored signals, whenthe location of the detached battery has not been changed more thanpredetermined period, and the condition of the detached battery indicates thatthe remaining voltage of the detached battery is equal or less than the secondpredetermined voltage, the controller is configured to transmit a noticeincluding the location of the detached battery to a predetermined account,i.e., pre-registered account, e.g., a user, a seller and manufacture of thedevice and / or the battery.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the presentapplication, wherein the battery tracking system comprises at least two orthree external devices, which are located different position in relation withthe detached battery. The number of the external device is dependent onutilized communication technology, e.g., RFID (radio-frequency identification),NFC (near-field communication), LoRa, BLE, and any other wireless communicationtechnology, and the type of the external device. For example, in case of theexternal device is a portable device, e.g., a smart phone, the position of the portabledevice in relation with the detached battery is changed, and, the signalstrength is changed in connection with the distance from the battery to the portabledevice. Thus, it is possible to determine the location of the detached batterybased on the changes of the signal strength, and, hence, a single externaldevice is required.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the presentapplication, the control unit is configured to detect abnormality of thedetached battery, e.g., temperature, humidity of the battery environment,abnormal gas, and to disable the detached battery when the abnormality of thedetached battery is detected. The battery in the abnormal condition isdisabled, and, therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of theaccident cause of the battery condition.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the presentapplication, the signal further includes information indicating a condition ofthe detached battery, and wherein the controller is configured to transmit anotice including the location of the detached battery to a predeterminedaccount, when the condition indicates the disability of the detached battery. Incase the battery is disabled, then, the location and the condition of thebattery is informed to the predetermined account, e.g., the manufacture of thedevice, and / or the seller of the device, and, therefore it is possible toimprove recollection ratio of the waste battery.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the presentapplication, a battery tracking method comprising: receiving a locationinformation of at least one external device and a signal includingidentification information of a battery detached from a device, wherein thesignal is provided from the detached battery to the external device via theexternal device, and determining a location of the detached battery based onthe received location information and signal. That is, the location of thedetached battery is determined by the signal transmitted from the battery, and,therefore, it is possible to track the battery without using the GPS.

[0015] Embodiments according to the invention willsubsequently be described taking reference to the enclosed figures in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a battery tracking system according to anembodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a control unit of the battery accordingto the embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of voltage per a cell, Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a battery tracking system according toa variation of the embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a battery tracking system according toa further variation of the embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 6 shows a schematic flowchart of a battery tracking method accordingto an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7 shows a schematic flowchart of a battery tracking method accordingto a variation of the embodiment of the present invention.Description of the Embodiments

[0016] Equal or equivalent elements or elementswith equal or equivalent functionality are denoted in the following descriptionby equal or equivalent reference numerals.

[0017] Fig. 1 shows a schematicdiagram of a battery tracking system according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. The battery tracking system 1 comprises a battery 2 detached from adevice, an external device 4 and a controller 6.

[0018] The battery 2 is a secondary battery andused in manyproducts (devices), for example, such as electronics,portable video game machines, toys, portable cleaner, wireless headphones,handheld power tools, personal computers, small and large appliances, electric vehicles,and electrical energy storage systems. The battery 2 comprises a single celland / or plurality of cells in series and / or parallel and a control unit 10. Asshown in Fig. 2, the control unit 10 includes a battery management system 12 (BMS12) including a plurality of sensors for monitoring conditions (e.g., voltage,temperature, current, health of individual cells, state of valance of cells,etc., not shown in Fig. 2) of the battery 2 and a signal (beacon) generator 14.The BMS 12 is any electronic system used formanaging a rechargeable battery (cell or battery pack), such as by protectingthe battery from operating outside its safe operating area, monitoring itsstate, calculating secondary data, reporting that data, controlling itsenvironment, authenticating it and / or balancing it. The signal generator 14generates a signal (beacon) and transmits the generated signal to the externaldevice 4 via the BMS 12, when the battery is detached from a device at whichthe battery has been used as a power source. The signal generator 14 may beincluded in the BMS 12, and / or controlled by the BMS 12. The generated signalis transmitted together with the identification information of the battery 2,e.g., production number of the battery, or serial number of the battery 2, etc.,and information indicating condition and status of the battery 2 to theexternal device 4.

[0019] Fig. 3 shows aschematic diagram of voltage per a cell. It is well-known that the voltage ofthe battery could not fully used as a power source for the device. As shown inFig. 3, there is a cut-off voltage which is set up around 2.0 to 2.5 V (thevalue of the cut-off voltage could be changed depending on the discharge ratio,cathode / anode material and the device), and a non-rechargeable voltage (eternal harm voltage) limit is set uparound 1.0 V (the value of the non-rechargeable voltagecould be changed depending on the discharge ratio, cathode / anode material andthe device) per cell. That is,a full voltage to the cut-off voltage, e.g., 4.2 to 2.0 (2.5) V, is a voltagewhich a device can use, and the device cannot use the cut-off voltage. The BMS12 monitors the voltage of the battery, and, when the voltage of the battery isequal or less than the cut-off voltage (the first predetermined voltage), theBMS 12 controls the signal generator to generate and transmit the signal to theexternal device 4 by using the cut-off voltage. That is, for generating andtransmitting the signal, the cut-off voltage is used and, therefore, it ispossible to transmit the signals from the battery to the external device evenif the battery is indicating empty as a power source for the device.

[0020] The signal is transmitted from the battery2 to the external device periodically, for example, every 30 seconds, everyminute, every 5 minutes, or every hour, during a predetermined period, e.g.,six months or until the voltage is reached to the non-rechargeable voltage (thesecond predetermined voltage). In case the voltage of the battery is equal orless than the non-rechargeable voltage, then, the BMS 12 disables the battery 2and, determines the condition and status of the battery 2 as disabled and wastebattery. Further, when the any abnormality of the battery 2 is determined bythe BMS 12, the battery 2 is also disabled by the BMS 12.

[0021] Theexternal device 4 is, for example, a charger of the battery, a mobile phone, abase station, the device from which the battery 2 has been detached, or anyother device, and located at where device from which the battery has beendetached is used and / or the user of the device is accommodated, e.g., user’s house,user’s working place, specific retail shop, and etc. The detached batteryincludes a battery physically detached from the device, and a battery which isphysically attached to the device, however, the device is broken and it is notpossible to use a battery tracking function of the device. In case the externaldevice is a non-portable (immobile) device, e.g., a charger, a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, Bluetoothand / or an NFC (Near-field Communication) receiver is installed into theexternal device, and, the RFID tag or an NFC tag is installed into the battery2. When the external device is a portable device, e.g., the mobile phone, then,the RFID or other wireless communication technology could be utilized, forexample, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The signal transmitted from the battery 2is received by the external device 4, and, the external device 4 transmits thereceived signal together with the information indicating the location (locationinformation) of the external device 4 to the controller 6. The external device4 may store the received signals in chronicle order, and, transmit the storedsignals together with the location information of the external device 4 to thecontroller 6 in a predetermined interval, e.g., every day.

[0022] Thedata transmitted from the external device 4, e.g., the signal from the battery2 and the location information of the external device 4, are received by thecontroller 6, e.g., a cloud, a computing device, a server, etc. The controller6 determines the location of the detached battery 2 based on the receivedsignal including the battery identification information, the condition and thestatus of the detached battery, and the location information of the externaldevice 4. For example, when the RFID is used for transmitting the signal fromthe battery 2 to the external device 4, and the signal from the battery isreceived by the external device 4, the battery is located within dedicateddistance of the RFID, e.g., within 7 m from the external device 4. In case ofthe NFC is used, the location of the detached battery is within dedicateddistance of the NFC, e.g., 30 cm from the external device 4. Then, it isdetermined that the battery is located within the dedicated distance of theexternal device 4, e.g., the same room, the same house, etc. Therefore,it is possible to determine the location of the detached battery 2 in relationwith the location of the external device 4.

[0023] Afterdetermining the location of the detached battery 2, the controller 6continuously tracks the location of the battery 2 and monitors the condition ofthe battery 2 based on the received data, i.e., the battery 2 is monitoredwhether the location of the detached battery has been changed or not, andwhether the battery has been disabled in the predetermined period, e.g., 6months. When the location of the detached battery has not been changed at leastduring the predetermined period, and / or the battery is disabled, the controller6 determines that the battery 2 is waste battery. Then, the controller 6transmits a notice that the location of the detached battery and status to thepredetermined account, e.g., a preregistered account (email address, mobilephone number, etc.) of user, seller, manufacture and / or collector (agent) ofthe battery and / or the device. That is, the notice indicating the location ofthe waste battery and recollection request / demand. In case the battery 2 hasbeen already disabled before passing the predetermined period, e.g., 6 months,the controller 6 determines the battery is the waste battery and transmits thenotice immediately.

[0024] In this embodiment, the battery location isdetermined based on the location of the external device, the communication technology(method) between the external device and the battery, and the signaltransmitted from the battery using the cut-off voltage. Thus, even if thebattery is located indoor, it is possible to determine the location of thedetached battery, and, it is not necessary to provide extra power source to transmitthe signal. Therefore, the battery tracking system according to the presentapplication is easily implemented. Further, the location and status of thebattery is noticed to the preregistered account, and, therefore, it is possibleto improve the recollection ratio of the waste battery.

[0025] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of abattery tracking system according to a variation of the embodiment of thepresent invention. The communication technology used for the embodimentrepresented by Fig. 4 is different from the embodiment represented by Fig.1,and there are some differences caused by the difference of the receivedsignals. In the following, the different points from the embodiment representedby the Fig. 1 are explained.

[0026] As depicted in Fig. 4, the battery trackingsystem 20 comprises a plurality of external devices 24 a, 24b, 24c, and, LPWA (Low-PowerWide-Area Network), e.g., LoRa, is utilized for thecommunication between the battery 2 and the respective external devices 24a,24b, 24c. For the communication between the battery 2 and the respectiveexternal devices 24a, 24b, 24c, other communication technology, e.g., cellularmodule, can be also used. Each external device 24a, 24b, 24c is locateddifferent location in relation with the location of the detached battery 2,e.g., the external device 24a is a charger and located at the place where thedevice (battery) is used, the external device 24b is located at one of thepublic facilities (station of the public transport, library, government office,city hall, etc.), and the external device 24c is located at the agent shop ofthe device and / or the battery. The signal transmitted from the battery 2 isreceived by the respective external devices 24a, 24b, 24c. The location of therespective external devices 24a, 24b, 24c is different in relation with thebattery 2, i.e., the distance from the battery is different from each other,and, therefore, the signal strength of the received signals is also differentfrom each other. The signals from the battery may be stored in the externaldevice and transmitted to the controller, or transmitted via the externaldevice to the controller without storing the external device. Then, thecontroller 6 determines the location of the detached battery based on thelocation of the external devices 24a, 24b, 24c, and the signal strength of thereceived signal at the respective external devices 24a, 24b, 24c. For example, basedon the signal strength, it is possible to estimate the location range of thebattery, e.g., the signal strength: strong, then, the battery 2 is locatedwithin 2 km from the external device 24a, the signal strength medium, then, thebattery 2 is located within 5 km from the external device 24b, the signalstrength: weak, then, the battery 2 is located within 8 km from the externaldevice 24c. Then, the location of the detached battery is estimated bycalculating a cross area of 2 km from the external device 24a, 5 km from theexternal device 24b, and 8 km from the external device 24c. After determiningthe location of the detached battery 2, the controller 6 implements furtherprocesses in the same way as the embodiment represented by Fig. 1.

[0027] According to the present embodiment, thebattery tracking system comprises three external devices 24a, 24b, 24c,however, more than three external devices are also implemented, i.e., the moremuch number of the external devices improve the accuracy of the determined locationof the detached battery. In addition, the location of the external devices isnot limited to the above indicated examples.

[0028] It is noted that the required accuracy ofthe determined location of the detached battery is depending on the environmentof the area where the battery could be located. For example, in the urban area,there are many buildings and / or houses in the small area, and, in the suburbarea, there are less buildings and / or houses. Therefore, higher accuracy of thedetermined location of the detached battery is required in the urban area thanthe suburb area.

[0029] Further, the changes of the location of thedetached battery are judged in tolerance of several meters to several tenmeters, depending of the communication technology to be used and theenvironment of the area where the battery could be located. For example, whenthe location of the detached battery has been 3 m changed, it is not determinedthat the location of the battery has been changed. That is, when the locationof the battery has been slightly changed, however, the location of the batteryis still the same building or house (which could be determined by using a mapof the area where the external devices are located), it is possible torecollect the waste battery. In other words, when the address of the locationof the battery has not been changed, it is assumed that the battery has notbeen moved. Therefore, the small or slight changes of the location of thedetached battery are not detected for determining the battery status, i.e.,waste or not. The tolerance ratio of the movement may be preliminarydetermined.

[0030] In the present embodiment, LoRa and / orcellular module is utilized for communing between the battery and therespective external devices. The communication range of LoRa and / or cellularmodule is up to 10 to 15 km (depending on environment), and, therefore, it ispossible to cover large area for tracking the battery. Hence, it is possible toefficiently recollect the waste battery, and the recollection ratio isimproved.

[0031] Fig. 5 shows a schematic diagram of abattery tracking system 30 according to a further variation of the embodimentof the present invention. The communication technology used for the embodimentrepresented by Fig. 5 is different from the embodiments represented by Fig. 1,and Fig. 4, and there are some differences caused by the difference of the conditionof the received signals. In the following the difference points from the aboveindicated embodiments are explained.

[0032] As depicted in Fig. 5, the battery trackingsystem 30 comprises two external devices 34a and 34b, and BLE is utilized forthe communication between the battery 2 and the external devices 34a and 34b.The external devices 34a and 34b are located different location in relationwith the location of the detached battery 2, e.g., the external device 34a is acharger and located at the house (building) of the user of the battery(device), and the external device 34b is another device used by the user of thebattery, for example, personal computer or smart phone.

[0033] The signal transmitted from the battery 2is received by the respective external devices 34a and 34b. The location of therespective external devices 34a and 34b is different from each other inrelation with the battery 2, i.e., the distance from the battery is differentfrom each other, and, therefore, the signal strength of the received signals isalso different from each other. The signals from the battery may be stored inthe external device and transmitted to the controller, or transmitted via theexternal device to the controller. Then, the controller 6 determines the locationof the detached battery based on the location of the external devices 34a and 34b,and the signal strength of the received signal at the respective externaldevices 34a and 34b.

[0034] In case one of the external devices 34a and34b is a movable device, e.g., smart phone, then, the accuracy of determined thelocation of the detached battery is improved. That is, by changing the positionof the smart phone, the signal strength of the received signal is also changed,and, therefore, by combining the movable and immovable external devices, it ispossible to improve the accuracy of the determined location of the detachedbattery.

[0035] After determining the location of thedetached battery, the controller 6 implements further processes in the same wayas the embodiment represented by Fig. 1.

[0036] The communication range of the BLE is up toless than 100 m, and using at least two external devices to achieve twodifferent characters of signals, e.g., different signal strength, and,therefore, it is possible to determine the location of the detached batterywithin a cross area of the dedicated distance from each of the externaldevices. In case one of the external devices is a mobile device, the signalstrength of the received signal at the mobile device is changed every time whenthe mobile external device is moved, and, therefore, the accuracy of thedetermined location of the detached battery is improved.

[0037] Fig. 6 shows a schematic flowchart of abattery tracking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] As depicted in Fig. 6, when the battery is detachedfrom the device, the remaining voltage of the battery is detected anddetermined whether the remining voltage of the battery is equal or less thanthe cut-off voltage (S10). When the remaining voltage of the battery is equalor less than the cut-off voltage, a signal (beacon) is generated at the detachedbattery and the generated signal is transmitted to one or more of the externaldevices together with identification information and information indicatingconditions and status of the detached battery (S12). The signal and informationare periodically transmitted from the battery to one or more of the externaldevices during the predetermined period. The detection process to detect theremaining voltage of the battery is continued until the remaining voltage isdetermined equal or less than the cut-off voltage.

[0039] The signal transmitted from the detached batteryis received at one or more of the external devices, and one or more of theexternal devices transmits the received signal and the location information ofthe external device to the controller. The one or more of the external devicesmay chronically store the received signals and periodically transmit the storedsignals together with the location information. The signal and informationtransmitted from the external device are received and chronically stored at thecontroller. Then, at the controller, the location of the detached battery isdetermined based on the stored signal and information, i.e., based on thesignal character received by the external device, identification information ofthe battery, location information of the external device (S14). Then, it isdetermined whether the location of the detached battery has been changed (S16),i.e., based on the chronically stored data, the location of the detachedbattery is also chronically determined. Thus, from the chronically determined locationof the detached battery, it is easily detected whether the location of thedetached battery has been changed.

[0040] When the location of the detached batteryhas been changed (S16), the steps from S12 is repeated. When the location ofthe detached battery has not been changed (S16), the remaining voltage of the detachedbattery is checked whether the remaining voltage of the detached battery is equalor less than the rechargeable voltage (S18). That is, when the location of thedetached battery has not been changed more than predetermined period, e.g., 6months, the remaining voltage of the detached battery is checked based on the detachedbattery condition and status, i.e., the remaining voltage of the detached batteryis monitored by the BMS of the battery, and, when the remaining voltage of the detachedbattery is equal or less than the rechargeable voltage (S18), the battery is disabled(S20) by the BMS. The information indicating the conditions and status of thebattery is transmitted from the battery to the controller, and, therefore, whenthe controller receives the information indicating the remaining voltage of thebattery is equal or less than the rechargeable voltage, and, the status of thebattery is disable, then, the controller transmits a notice including thelocation of detached battery and existence of a waste battery to one or more ofpredetermined account (S22). The predetermined account is, for example,preregistered account of user of the battery (device), and the user may preliminarilyregister the permission for tracking the detached battery and receiving thenotice regarding the waste battery. Further, the manufacture of the devicewhere the battery is used as a power supply, or the agent of the device, or theseller of the device / battery may be preliminarily registered as the account.

[0041] It is not shown in Fig. 6, however, whenthe status of the battery indicates any abnormality, e.g., higher temperatureof the detached battery, or any other failure detected by the BMS, then, the detachedbattery is disabled immediately to reduce a risk of accident. Then, the informationindicating the condition and the status of the detached battery is transmittedto the controller together with the generated signals, and, therefore, afterdetermining the location of the detached battery, the controller transmits thenotice to the predetermined account without determining the location change ofthe detached battery.

[0042] According to the embodiment represented byFig. 6, the location of the detached battery is determined in case theremaining battery is equal or less than the cut-off voltage, and the batterygenerates and transmits the signal / beacon when the remaining voltage is equal orless than the cut-off voltage. Therefore, it is possible to track the locationof the detached battery without providing any power source for tracking thedetached battery. In addition, in case the abnormality is detected, thedetached battery is disabled and the notice is transmitted to the predeterminedaccount, and, therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of accident cause bythe detached battery.

[0043] Alternatively, the battery may generate andtransmit signal / beacon when the battery is detached from the device depicted asanother embodiment in Fig. 7. In this embodiment, the order of the process isdifferent from the embodiment represented by Fig. 6. That is, the batterytracking is started when the battery is detached from the device, i.e., withoutchecking the remaining voltage of the detached battery. Other than the order ofthe process, the implementation of the embodiment represented by Fig. 7 is thesame as the process of the embodiment represented by Fig. 6.

[0044] According to the above indicatedembodiments, the detached battery located in the same place more than 6 months,and the battery is disabled, then, the location of the detached battery isnoticed as the location of the waste battery. That is, in case the remainingvoltage of the detached battery is more than the rechargeable voltage, it isstill possible to use the battery for the device. Therefore, in case the locationof the detached battery has not been changed more than 6 months, however, theremaining voltage is more than rechargeable voltage and there is noabnormality, the battery is not determined as the waste battery. In this case,if it is preliminarily registered to issue the notice of the unmoved detachedbattery to the account, then, the controller may issue the notice to indicatedthe location of the detached battery to the registered account.

[0045] According to the embodiments of the batterytracking method of the present invention, the location of the detached batteryis tracked, and the condition and the status of the battery is monitored. Thus,it is possible to disable the battery which has any abnormality, and, hence,the risk of accidents is reduced. Further, the location of the detached batteryis noticed to the predetermined account, e.g., user, seller, manufacture, etc.,and, therefore, it is possible to improve recollection ratio of the wastebattery.

[0046] While this disclosure has been describedwith reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended tobe construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of theillustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of this disclosure, willbe apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. Itis therefore intended that the appended claims encompass any such modificationsor embodiments.

Claims

1. A battery tracking system (1, 20, 30)comprising: a battery (2) comprising a control unit (10)configured to monitor a condition of the detached batterywhen the battery (2) has been detached from a device, and transmit a signal including identificationinformation of the detached battery (2), at least one external device (4, 24a, 24b,24c, 34a, 34b) configured to receive the signal transmitted from thedetached battery (2), and transmit location information of theexternal device together with the received signal, a controller (6) configured to receive the location information and thesignal transmitted from the external device (4, 24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b), and determine a location of the detached battery(2) based on the received location information and signal.

2. The battery tracking system (1, 20, 30) accordingto claim 1, wherein the control unit (10) is configuredto periodically transmit the signal during a predetermined period, and wherein the controller (6) is configured tostore the received signal in chronicle order, and detect characteristicschanges of the received signals.

3. The battery tracking system (1, 20, 30) accordingto claim 1, wherein the control unit (10) is configuredto periodically transmit the signal during a predetermined period, and wherein the external device (4, 24a, 24b,24c, 34a, 34b) is configured to store the received signal in chronicle order,and transmit the stored signals together with the location information in apredetermined interval.

4. The battery tracking system (1, 20, 30) accordingto any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit (10) is configuredto determine whether a remaining voltage of the detached battery (2) is equalor less than a predetermined voltage, and wherein the predetermined voltage includesa first predetermined voltage and a second predetermined voltage which is lessthan the first predetermined voltage, when the remaining voltage of the detachedbattery (2) is equal or less than the first predetermined voltage, the controlunit (10) is configured to transmit the signal.

5. The battery tracking system (1, 20, 30) accordingto claim 4, wherein the control unit (10) is configuredto disable the detached battery (2), when the remaining voltage of the detachedbattery (2) is equal or less than the second predetermined voltage.

6. The battery tracking system (1, 20, 30) accordingto claim 5, wherein the signal further includesinformation indicating a condition of the detached battery (2), and wherein the controller (6) is configured todetermine whether the location of the detached battery (2) has been changedbased on the stored signals, when the location of the detached battery (2)has not been changed more than predetermined period, and the condition of thedetached battery (2) indicates that the remaining voltage of the detachedbattery is equal or less than the second predetermined voltage, the controller(6) is configured to transmit a notice including the location of the detached batteryto a predetermined account.

7. The battery tracking system (20, 30) accordingto any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the battery tracking systemcomprises at least two external devices (24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b), which arelocated different position in relation with the detached battery (2).

8. The battery tracking system (20) accordingto any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the battery tracking system (20) comprisesmore than three external devices (24a, 24b, 24c), and each external device (24a,24b, 24c) is located different place in relation with the detached battery (2).

9. The battery tracking system (1, 30) accordingto any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the external device (4, 34a, 34b) isa single portable device, wherein the controller (6) is configured todetermine a location of the detached battery (2) based on the stored locationinformation and signals.

10. The battery tracking system (1, 20, 30) accordingto any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control unit (10) is configuredto detect abnormality of the detached battery (2), and to disable the detachedbattery (2) when the abnormality of the detached battery (2) is detected.

11. The battery tracking system (1, 20, 30) accordingto claim 10, wherein the signal further includesinformation indicating a condition of the detached battery (2), and wherein the controller (6) is configured totransmit a notice including the location of the detached battery (2) and thecondition of the detached battery (2) to a predetermined account, when thecondition indicates the disability of the detached battery (2).

12. A battery tracking method comprising: monitoring a condition of the detachedbattery when the battery (2) has been detached from a device, transmitting a signal includingidentification information of the detached battery (2) to at least one externaldevice (4, 24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b), receiving the signal transmitted from thedetached battery (2) at the external device (4, 24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b), transmitting location information of theexternal device (4, 24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b) together with the received signalto a controller (6), receiving a location information of atleast one external device (4, 24a, 24b, 24c, 34a, 34b) and a signal includingidentification information of a battery detached from a device at thecontroller (6), and determining a location of the detachedbattery (2) based on the received location information and signal at thecontroller (6).

13. A battery tracking program for performing amethod according to claim 12, when the computer program runs on a computer.

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