Operation management method, program, and operation management system

Abstract

This operation management method involves: acquiring, as state information, information indicating the use state, in a certain time period, of a plurality of storage batteries respectively mounted on a plurality of storage battery-mounted devices; inferring, on the basis of the acquired state information, the deterioration state of each of the plurality of storage batteries; and outputting, on the basis of the inferred deterioration state, an index indicating the operation load amount of each of the plurality of storage battery-mounted devices.

Description

Business management method, program, and business management system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a business management method, a program, and a business management system.

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2022-182794 describes an operation management system that estimates the actual operating status of an electric vehicle from storage battery data related to a storage battery mounted on the electric vehicle.

[0003] The deterioration state of batteries may vary depending on the business operations of battery-equipped devices such as electric vehicles. In such cases, even if leasing of multiple battery-equipped devices starts at the same time, battery-equipped devices with a large business load may deteriorate and malfunction before the end of the lease.

[0004] An operation management method in one aspect of the present disclosure acquires, as status information, information indicating the usage status over a certain period of time of multiple storage batteries installed in multiple storage battery-equipped devices, estimates the deterioration state of each of the multiple storage batteries based on the acquired status information, and outputs an index indicating the workload of each of the multiple storage battery-equipped devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

[0005] A program in one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to perform the following steps: acquiring status information indicating the usage status over a certain period of multiple storage batteries installed in multiple storage battery-equipped devices; estimating the deterioration state of each of the multiple storage batteries based on the acquired status information; and outputting an index indicating the workload of each of the multiple storage battery-equipped devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

[0006] An operation management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires, as status information, information indicating the usage status over a certain period of time of multiple storage batteries installed in multiple storage battery-equipped devices, an estimation unit that estimates the deterioration state of each of the multiple storage batteries based on the acquired status information, and an output unit that outputs an index indicating the workload of each of the multiple storage battery-equipped devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the workload of a storage battery-equipped device can be visualized.

[0008] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a business management system; 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that constitutes a business management system; 3 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the depth of discharge and the lifespan of a storage battery; 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the electrolyte temperature and the lifespan ratio of a storage battery; 5 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the charging rate of a storage battery and a correction coefficient; 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing by a business management system; 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of output content indicating the operation details, remaining lifespan reduction rate, and operation start time of each of vehicles A to D; 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of output content proposing the replacement of vehicle operations; 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of output content proposing the replacement of storage batteries installed in vehicles; 10 is a diagram illustrating an estimation of the remaining lifespan if the same operation is continued without replacing the vehicle's operation in the second year after the start of operation; 11 is a diagram illustrating an estimation of the remaining lifespan if the operation is replaced according to the vehicle's remaining lifespan rate in the second year after the start of operation; and 12 is a diagram illustrating an estimation of the remaining lifespan if the vehicle's operation is replaced in the 3.5th year after the start of operation according to the vehicle's remaining lifespan rate in the second year after the start of operation.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] [System Configuration] The business management system 1 is a computer system that estimates the degradation state of the storage batteries installed in the storage battery-equipped devices 2 and outputs an index indicating the workload of each storage battery-equipped device 2. The degradation state indicates the degree to which the performance of the storage battery has deteriorated from its new state at the time of manufacture. The degradation state is also indicated by the remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, remaining life reduction rate, etc. of the storage battery. The remaining life indicates the period from the current state until the end of the life if the same charging and discharging state continues from then on. The remaining life reduction amount indicates the amount of reduction in the remaining life over a certain period of time. The remaining life reduction rate indicates the rate at which the remaining life has reduced over a certain period of time. Examples of types of storage batteries include, but are not limited to, lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion batteries, zinc batteries, etc. The storage battery may also be a battery pack composed of multiple cells of the same type.

[0011] The battery-equipped device 2 refers to a device that operates using all or part of the electrical energy stored in a battery as its power source. The battery-equipped device 2 may be, for example, an electric vehicle configured to be movable using an onboard battery as a power source, or may be a robot. The electric vehicle may be a vehicle for carrying people or a vehicle for moving cargo. The electric vehicle may be an aerial work vehicle with the function of moving people vertically, or a cargo handling vehicle with the function of moving cargo vertically. The cargo handling vehicle may be, for example, a forklift or an automated guided vehicle (AGV). In one example, the business management system 1 may estimate the degradation state of a storage battery mounted on a forklift.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an example of a business management system 1. The business management system 1 estimates the degradation state of a storage battery installed in a storage battery-equipped device 2. In one example, the business management system 1 includes a server 10. The server 10 can access a database 20 that stores storage battery data via a communication network. The database 20 stores storage battery data indicating the state of a storage battery installed in at least one storage battery-equipped device 2. The database 20 may be a component of the business management system 1, or may be provided in a computer system separate from the business management system 1. The communication network used for the business management system 1 is, for example, configured by at least one of the Internet and an intranet.

[0013] Each battery-equipped device 2 provides battery data to the database 20. In one example, the battery-equipped device 2 includes a battery management unit (BMU) 3 that monitors or controls the battery. The BMU 3 repeatedly measures the state of the battery at predetermined intervals and generates battery data indicating the state. The BMU 3 then transmits the battery data to the database 20 via a communication network at predetermined times. The BMU 3 may be provided external to the battery-equipped device 2. The battery data is time-series data that includes information indicating the usage state of the battery over a certain period of time. For example, each record of the battery data includes the date and time of measurement and at least one physical quantity that indicates the usage state of the battery over a certain period of time. Examples of the physical quantity include, but are not limited to, a measured voltage, a measured current, a measured temperature, and a state of charge (SOC) that indicates the state of charge. For example, if each record of a storage battery includes a measured current, the measured current when the storage battery is charging is recorded as a positive value, and the measured current when the storage battery is discharging is recorded as a negative value. The storage battery data indicates a physical quantity measured, for example, every 10 seconds. Alternatively, the average value of the physical quantity measured over a 10-second period may be used as the storage battery data. In the database 20, the storage battery data is associated with at least one of a storage battery ID and a storage battery device ID. The storage battery ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies the storage battery. The storage battery device ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies the storage battery device 2.

[0014] The server 10 is a computer that estimates the degradation state of the storage batteries installed in the individual storage battery-equipped devices 2 based on the storage battery data. The server 10 includes, as functional modules, an acquisition unit 11, a calculation unit 12, an estimation unit 13, and an output unit 14.

[0015] The acquisition unit 11 is a functional module that acquires storage battery data from the database 20. In one example, the acquisition unit 11 acquires, from the database 20, information indicating the usage state of a storage battery for a certain period of time for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID, as status information.

[0016] The calculation unit 12 is a functional module that uses the acquired storage battery data to calculate the remaining life, the remaining life reduction amount, or the remaining life reduction rate of the storage battery for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID. In one example, the calculation unit 12 calculates the remaining life, the remaining life reduction amount, or the remaining life reduction rate of the storage battery mounted in each storage battery-equipped device 2 based on the storage battery status information for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID.

[0017] The estimation unit 13 is a functional module that estimates the deterioration state of the storage battery for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID using the calculated remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, or remaining life reduction rate as an index.

[0018] The output unit 14 is a functional module that outputs the processing results. In one example, the output unit 14 outputs the deterioration state of the storage battery for each storage battery ID or storage battery device ID as an index indicating the workload of each storage battery device 2. The output unit 14 also outputs the remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, or remaining life reduction rate calculated by the calculation unit 12 as an index indicating the deterioration state of the storage battery.

[0019] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a general hardware configuration of a computer 100 constituting the server 10. For example, the computer 100 includes a processor (e.g., a CPU) 101 that executes an operating system, application programs, etc., a main memory unit 102 consisting of ROM and RAM, an auxiliary memory unit 103 consisting of a storage device such as a hard disk or flash memory, a communication control unit 104 consisting of a network card or a wireless communication module, an input device 105 such as a keyboard or a mouse, and an output device 106 such as a monitor.

[0020] Each functional module of the server 10 is realized by loading a predetermined program onto the processor 101 or the main memory unit 102 and having the processor 101 execute the program. In accordance with the program, the processor 101 operates the communication control unit 104, the input device 105, or the output device 106 to read and write data from and to the main memory unit 102 or the auxiliary memory unit 103. Data or databases required for processing are stored in the main memory unit 102 or the auxiliary memory unit 103.

[0021] The server 10 is composed of at least one computer. When multiple computers are used, a single server 10 is logically constructed by connecting these computers via a communication network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0022] The program for causing a computer or computer system to function as the business management system 1 or server 10 includes program code for causing the computer or computer system to function as an acquisition unit 11, a calculation unit 12, an estimation unit 13, and an output unit 14. This program may be provided in a state where it is non-temporarily recorded on a tangible recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the program may be provided via a communications network as a data signal superimposed on a carrier wave. The provided program is stored in, for example, the auxiliary storage unit 103. The processor 101 reads and executes the program from the auxiliary storage unit 103, thereby realizing each of the above-described functional modules.

[0023] Next, a description will be given of a method for calculating the remaining life used by the estimation unit 13 to estimate the degradation state of the storage battery installed in each storage battery-equipped device 2. Here, the calculation unit 12 calculates the remaining life of the storage battery using the cumulative discharged amount of electricity.

[0024] In the following, the physical quantities such as current, voltage, and temperature used as storage battery data may be, for example, measured current, voltage, and temperature measured every 10 seconds, or average current, voltage, and temperature, which are the average values ​​of current, voltage, and temperature measured over 10 seconds. This can reduce momentary errors over a predetermined period of time.

[0025] For example, the life of a storage battery for a forklift (hereinafter referred to as FL) mounted on a forklift becomes shorter as the depth of discharge (DOD) increases, with the relationship shown in Figure 3. The standard life cycle of a FL storage battery is 1200 cycles when repeatedly used at a DOD of 75% of the rated capacity. In this case, if the rated capacity is Cnor (Ah), the amount of electricity discharged until the end of the battery's life, Clife (Ah), is expressed by the following equation (1):

[0026] Clife(Ah)=Cnor・75%・1200=900・Cnor…(1)

[0027] If the cumulative discharge capacity Cdis(Ah) from the new state (also called the initial state) at the time of manufacture is set to ΣI(t), the remaining life rate Rlife at the current time of actual measurement is given by the following formula (2): Here, the remaining life rate Rlife is the ratio of the remaining life at the current time to the initial remaining life, with the initial state being 100% and the end-of-life state being 0%.

[0028] Rlife=1-Cdis / Clife=1-Cdis / (Cnor・900)...(2)

[0029] The life of a storage battery depends on temperature, and the life ratio changes depending on the electrolyte temperature of the storage battery, as shown in Figure 4. Specifically, assuming that the life ratio at an electrolyte temperature of 30°C is 100%, the life ratio decreases when the electrolyte temperature is higher or lower than 30°C.

[0030] Therefore, the cumulative discharge capacity Cdis(Ah) from the initial state is calculated by converting it into the discharged electrical quantity at a standard temperature of 30° C. by dividing the current value I(t) when the discharge current is applied by a correction coefficient K(T), which is a life ratio that changes depending on the electrolyte temperature, as shown in the following equation (3). In other words, the cumulative discharge capacity Cdis(Ah) is calculated by correcting and integrating the current value I(t) using the correction coefficient K(T) corresponding to the measured temperature acquired every 10 seconds or the average value of the measured temperatures acquired over 10 seconds.

[0031] Cdis(Ah)=Σ{I(t) / K(T)}...(3)

[0032] Here, a correction coefficient K(T), which is a life ratio according to the electrolyte temperature, is stored in the database 20. The correction coefficient K(T) is stored in a data table in 1°C increments within the electrolyte temperature range of -40 to 100°C, for example, and a linear approximation value is used outside this range.

[0033] The life of a storage battery depends on the DOD, and as shown in Figure 3, the life cycle decreases almost linearly at a depth of discharge of 75% DOD or more (i.e., 25% SOC or less). Therefore, when discharging at an SOC of 25% or less, the current value I(t) when the discharge current is flowing is multiplied by a correction coefficient K(SOC) according to the SOC and integrated, and the battery is estimated to have reached the end of its life when the discharged quantity of electricity reaches the rated value Clife.

[0034] The database 20 stores a correction coefficient K(SOC) corresponding to the SOC, as shown in Fig. 5. The correction coefficient K(SOC) is stored in a data table in 1% increments, and when the SOC exceeds 25% (DOD is less than 75%), the correction coefficient K(SOC) is set to 1, and when the SOC is 25% or less (DOD is 75% or more), the correction coefficient K(SOC) increases two-dimensionally.

[0035] That is, the amount of electricity discharged over a certain period is corrected using a two-dimensional data table based on a correction coefficient K(T) corresponding to the temperature of the storage battery and a correction coefficient K(SOC) corresponding to the SOC of the storage battery.

[0036] Next, a description will be given of a method for calculating the remaining life reduction amount used by the estimation unit 13 to estimate the degradation state of the storage battery installed in each storage battery-equipped device 2. Here, the calculation unit 12 calculates the remaining life reduction amount by integrating the discharged amount of electricity corrected based on the temperature and SOC at the time of discharge.

[0037] The calculation unit 12 calculates the average voltage, average current, and average temperature from the voltage, current, and temperature measured over 10 seconds for the storage battery for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID obtained from the database 20. The calculation unit 12 then corrects the quantity of electricity Cdis10 (Ah) discharged over 10 seconds using a correction coefficient Kdc(T) corresponding to the calculated average temperature and a correction coefficient Kdc(SOC) corresponding to the SOC. The correction coefficient Kdc(T) and the correction coefficient Kdc(SOC) are extracted from a data table in the database 20 based on the average temperature and SOC during discharge obtained from the storage battery for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID.

[0038] The remaining life reduction amount Dlife10 in 10 seconds is expressed as the following equation (4) using the correction coefficient Kdc(T), the correction coefficient Kdc(SOC) (hereinafter referred to as the correction coefficient Kdc(T, SOC)), the discharged amount of electricity Cdis10(Ah) in 10 seconds, and the discharged amount of electricity Clife(Ah) until the end of the life in the above equation (1).

[0039] Dlife10=Kdc(T,SOC)・Cdis10 / Clife…(4)

[0040] In this manner, the calculation unit 12 calculates the remaining life reduction amount from the initial state to the present time by integrating the remaining life reduction amount Dlife10 for 10 seconds.

[0041] Next, a description will be given of a modified method for calculating the remaining life reduction amount used by the estimation unit 13 to estimate the degradation state of the storage battery installed in each storage battery-equipped device 2. Here, the calculation unit 12 calculates the remaining life reduction amount by integrating the discharged amount of electricity corrected based on the temperature and SOC at the time of discharge and the charged amount of electricity corrected based on the temperature and SOC at the time of charge.

[0042] The calculation unit 12 calculates the average voltage, average current, and average temperature from the voltage, current, and temperature measured over 10 seconds for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID acquired from the database 20. The calculation unit 12 then corrects the discharged quantity of electricity Cdis10 (Ah) over 10 seconds and the charged quantity of electricity Cchg10 over 10 seconds using a correction coefficient Kdc(T) corresponding to the calculated average temperature and a correction coefficient Kdc(SOC) corresponding to the SOC. The correction coefficient Kdc(T) and the correction coefficient Kdc(SOC) are extracted from a data table in the database 20 based on the average temperature and SOC acquired from the storage battery during charging and discharging for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID. The deterioration ratio Kr during charging and discharging is set to, for example, 50%. As described above, the measured current during charging is acquired as a positive value, and the measured current during discharging is acquired as a negative value.

[0043] The remaining life reduction amount Dlife10 for 10 seconds during discharge is expressed as the following equation (5) using the deterioration ratio Kr, the correction coefficient Kdc(T, SOC), the discharged amount of electricity Cdis10(Ah) for 10 seconds, and the discharged amount of electricity Clife(Ah) until the end of the life in the above equation (1).

[0044] Dlife10=Kr・Kdc(T,SOC)・Cdis10 / Clife…(5)

[0045] In addition, the remaining life reduction amount Dlife10 for 10 seconds during charging is expressed as the following equation (6) using the deterioration ratio Kr, the correction coefficient Kdc(T, SOC), the amount of electricity charged for 10 seconds Cchg10 (Ah), and the amount of electricity discharged until the end of the life Clife (Ah) in the above equation (1).

[0046] Dlife10=(1-Kr)・Kdc(T,SOC)・Cchg10 / Clife‥(6)

[0047] As described above, during discharge, the discharged quantity of electricity Cdis10 (Ah) for 10 seconds is corrected every 10 seconds according to the temperature and SOC during discharge to calculate the remaining life reduction Dlife10 for 10 seconds during discharge. During charging, the charged quantity of electricity Cchg10 (Ah) for 10 seconds is corrected every 10 seconds according to the temperature and SOC during charging to calculate the remaining life reduction Dlife10 for 10 seconds during charging. The remaining life reduction during charging and discharging from the initial state to the present is then integrated and calculated.

[0048] In the above, the calculation is explained using the cumulative remaining life reduction amount from the initial state to the present time, but this is not limited to this, and it is also possible to calculate a remaining life reduction rate that indicates the rate at which the remaining life has decreased from the initial state to the present time.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above, the discharge quantity of electricity Clife (Ah) until the end of the battery life was calculated using a standard life cycle. However, the cycle life also varies depending on the characteristics of the cells used in the storage battery (such as the utilization rate of the positive electrode active material and the ratio of the active materials in the negative and positive electrodes). That is, the cycle life can be set depending on the type of cell. Therefore, the relationship between the utilization rate of the positive electrode active material and the cycle life may be compiled into a data table. For example, the cycle life may be linearly approximated by the utilization rate of the positive electrode active material, thereby estimating the cycle life according to an arbitrary utilization rate. Furthermore, the relationship between the ratio of the active materials in the negative and positive electrodes and the cycle life may be compiled into a data table. For example, the cycle life may be linearly approximated by the utilization rate of the positive electrode active material, thereby estimating the cycle life according to an arbitrary utilization rate.

[0050] Furthermore, in the above, we have described the case of calculating the remaining life, the amount of reduction in remaining life, and the rate of reduction in remaining life from the initial state when the storage battery is new to the present time, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the remaining life, the amount of reduction in remaining life, and the rate of reduction in remaining life under similar charge and discharge conditions can be calculated using the start time of operation of the storage battery.

[0051] [System Operation] An example of processing by the business management system 1 (server 10) and a business management method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6, 7, 8A, and 8B. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the business management system 1. Figures 7, 8A, and 8B are diagrams showing an example of output content by the business management system 1.

[0052] In step S1, the acquisition unit 11 acquires status information of the storage batteries installed in the storage battery-equipped devices 2 for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID. The status information is information indicating the usage status over a certain period of the storage batteries installed in the storage battery-equipped devices 2. The acquisition unit 11 reads out from the database 20 a group of records of storage batteries corresponding to the storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID and the reference period.

[0053] In step S2, the calculation unit 12 calculates the remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, or remaining life reduction rate of the corresponding storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped equipment ID based on the storage battery status information for each acquired storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped equipment ID.

[0054] In step S3, the estimation unit 13 estimates the deterioration state of the storage battery for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped equipment ID based on the remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, or remaining life reduction rate for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped equipment ID calculated in step S2.

[0055] In step S4, the output unit 14 outputs the processing result. In one example, the output unit 14 outputs an index indicating the workload based on the degradation state of the storage battery for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID. Specifically, the output unit 14 outputs the remaining life, the remaining life reduction amount, or the remaining life reduction rate for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID calculated by the calculation unit 12 as an index indicating the degradation state of each storage battery. In other words, the output unit 14 outputs the remaining life, the remaining life reduction amount, or the remaining life reduction rate for each storage battery ID or storage battery-equipped device ID calculated by the calculation unit 12 as an index indicating the workload.

[0056] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the output content output to the output unit 14. As shown in FIG.

[0057] The output unit 14 outputs information including the business details, the remaining life degradation rate of the storage battery up to the present time calculated by the calculation unit 12, and the operation start time for each of the electric vehicles A to D, which are examples of the storage battery-equipped equipment 2. In FIG. 7 , "operation start -1 year" indicates that the vehicle was delivered and used one year before the start of the actual measurement.

[0058] 7 shows that vehicles A and C have a higher remaining lifespan reduction rate than vehicles B and D. This allows the user to estimate that the work load of task 1 of vehicle A and task 3 of vehicle C is greater than that of task 2 of vehicle B and task 4 of vehicle D, even when taking into account the start time of operation.

[0059] Here, because operating conditions such as operating hours, operating periods, and operating areas vary depending on the business content, the remaining lifespan rate of the storage batteries installed in each vehicle may differ. If the remaining lifespan reduction rate differs between vehicles, for example, even if electric vehicle leases are started all at once, some vehicles may deteriorate and reach the end of their lifespan before the end of the lease.

[0060] As shown in Figure 7, the output unit 14 outputs the work content and remaining lifespan reduction rate for each vehicle, allowing the remaining lifespan reduction rate to be used as an indicator of the workload. In other words, the user can recognize the workload for each vehicle and can change the work content for each vehicle so that the vehicle's lifespan does not expire until the end of the lease. This reduces the difference in remaining lifespan between each vehicle, allowing the vehicle's lifespan to not expire until the end of the lease.

[0061] Alternatively, the output unit 14 may output the current remaining life of the storage battery or the remaining life reduction amount up to the present time calculated by the calculation unit 12 instead of the remaining life reduction rate. That is, the remaining life or the remaining life reduction amount can be used as an indicator of the workload. The output unit 14 may also output the operation details of each vehicle and the remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, or remaining life reduction rate of the storage battery to another functional module within the operation management system 1 for subsequent processing in the operation management system 1. Alternatively, the output unit 14 may store the operation details of each vehicle and the remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, or remaining life reduction rate of the storage battery in a predetermined storage device such as a memory or a database. Alternatively, the output unit 14 may display the operation details of each vehicle and the remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, or remaining life reduction rate of the storage battery on the display device 30. Alternatively, the output unit 14 may transmit the operation details of each vehicle and the remaining life, remaining life reduction amount, or remaining life reduction rate of the storage battery to another computer system.

[0062] FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a modified example of the output content output to the output unit 14. In FIG.

[0063] The output unit 14 outputs a swap of vehicle operations for an electric vehicle, which is an example of the battery-equipped equipment 2. Specifically, the output unit 14 outputs a proposal for swapping operations between a vehicle estimated to have a high workload and a vehicle estimated to have a low workload, based on the remaining life decline rate up to the present time calculated by the calculation unit 12 and the operation start time. For example, the output unit 14 displays on the display screen of the display device 30 a proposal for swapping operations between vehicle A, which is equipped with a storage battery whose remaining life decline rate up to the present time is greater than a threshold, and vehicle B, which is equipped with a storage battery whose remaining life decline rate up to the present time is less than the threshold. The output unit 14 also displays on the display screen of the display device 30 a proposal for swapping operations between vehicle C, which is equipped with a storage battery whose remaining life decline rate up to the present time is greater than a threshold, and vehicle D, which is equipped with a storage battery whose remaining life decline rate up to the present time is less than the threshold.

[0064] In addition, the output unit 14 may display on the display screen a suggestion to swap at least one of the operating time, operating period, and operating area between a battery-equipped device 2 equipped with a battery whose remaining life reduction rate to date is greater than a threshold value and a battery-equipped device 2 equipped with a battery whose remaining life reduction rate to date is less than the threshold value.

[0065] FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a modified example of the output content output to the output unit 14.

[0066] The output unit 14 outputs a replacement of a storage battery mounted on an electric vehicle, which is an example of the storage battery-equipped device 2. Specifically, the output unit 14 outputs a proposal to replace a storage battery mounted on a vehicle estimated to have a high workload with a storage battery mounted on a vehicle estimated to have a low workload, based on the remaining life decline rate up to the present time calculated by the calculation unit 12 and the operation start time. That is, the output unit 14 displays on the display screen of the display device 30 a proposal to replace a storage battery mounted on vehicle A, whose remaining life decline rate up to the present time is greater than a threshold, with a storage battery mounted on vehicle B, whose remaining life decline rate up to the present time is smaller than the threshold. The output unit 14 also displays on the display screen of the display device 30 a proposal to replace a storage battery mounted on vehicle C, whose remaining life decline rate up to the present time is greater than the threshold, with a storage battery mounted on vehicle D, whose remaining life decline rate up to the present time is smaller than the threshold.

[0067] The output unit 14 may also output information suggesting that the business operations of the electric vehicles A to D, which are examples of the storage battery-equipped equipment 2, or the storage batteries installed therein be periodically rotated.

[0068] FIG. 9A is a diagram estimating the remaining life span if the same operations are continued without changing the operations in the second year after the start of operation by acquiring two years of battery data for vehicles A to D shown in FIG. 7 . FIG. 9B is a diagram estimating the remaining life span if the operations are changed in the second year after the start of operation according to the calculated remaining life span decline rate by acquiring two years of battery data for vehicles A to D shown in FIG. 7 . FIG. 9C is a diagram estimating the remaining life span if the operations are changed in the 3.5th year after the start of operation according to the calculated remaining life span decline rate by acquiring two years of battery data for vehicles A to D shown in FIG. 7 . The horizontal axis of FIGS. 9A to 9C represents the number of years, and the vertical axis represents the remaining life span (%).

[0069] As shown in FIG. 9A , if vehicles A to D continue to perform the same tasks without swapping their tasks, the estimated lifespans of vehicles A and C are approximately five years, and the estimated lifespans of vehicles B and D are 10 years or more. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 9B , if the tasks of vehicles A and B are swapped and the tasks of vehicles C and D are swapped in accordance with the vehicle's remaining lifespan decline rate in the second year after vehicles A to D begin operation, the estimated lifespans of vehicles A to D are 6 years or more. Therefore, by swapping the tasks of vehicles A to D in accordance with the remaining lifespan decline rate, the lifespans of vehicles A to D can be extended to 6 years or more. In other words, by swapping the tasks of vehicles A to D in accordance with the remaining lifespan decline rate, the lifespans of vehicles A to D can be extended to a predetermined lifespan compared to when they are not swapped.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 9B, the lifespan of vehicles A to D can be set to six years or more. However, as shown in FIG. 9C, for example, if the operations of vehicles A and B are swapped and the operations of vehicles C and D are swapped 3.5 years after the start of operation based on the remaining lifespan reduction rate calculated by acquiring the batteries of vehicles A to D for two years after the start of operation, the lifespan of vehicles A to D is estimated to be seven years or more. In other words, if the lease term end period is seven years or more, the lifespan of vehicles A to D can be extended to the lease term end period of seven years or more by adjusting the timing of the swapping of the operations. In other words, by adjusting the timing of swapping the operations of vehicles A to D, the lifespan of vehicles A to D can be extended to the remaining lifespan corresponding to the lease term end period.

[0071] [Modifications] Various examples of the present disclosure have been described above in detail. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples. Various modifications are possible with respect to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the server 10 calculates the average voltage, average current, and average temperature from the measured voltage, measured current, and measured temperature acquired from the database 20. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the BMU 3 may calculate the average voltage, average current, and average temperature of the measured voltage, measured current, and measured temperature, and transmit storage battery data indicating these average voltages, average currents, and average temperatures to the database 20. In this case, the amount of communication between the BMU 3 and the database 20 can be reduced, and the processing load on the server 10 can be reduced.

[0073] In the present disclosure, when comparing the magnitude of two numerical values, either of the two criteria "greater than or equal to" and "greater than" may be used, or either of the two criteria "less than or equal to" and "less than" may be used.

[0074] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0075] Furthermore, the operations of the processors in the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0076] [Additional Notes] Preferred aspects of the present disclosure are described below.

[0077] (((1))) A business management method comprising: acquiring, as status information, information indicating the usage status over a certain period of a plurality of storage batteries mounted in a plurality of storage battery-mounted devices; estimating a deterioration state of each of the plurality of storage batteries based on the acquired status information; and outputting an index indicating the workload of each of the plurality of storage battery-mounted devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

[0078] (((2))) The business management method described in (((1))), wherein the indicator indicating the workload of each of the plurality of storage battery-equipped devices is at least one of the remaining lifespan of the plurality of storage batteries, a remaining lifespan reduction amount obtained by calculating the amount by which the remaining lifespan has reduced in the certain period of time, and a remaining lifespan reduction rate obtained by calculating the rate at which the remaining lifespan has reduced in the certain period of time.

[0079] (((3))) The business management method described in (((2))) proposes the replacement of batteries between a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a large workload and a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a small workload.

[0080] (((4))) The business management method described in (((2))) proposes switching of business between a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a large business load and a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a small business load.

[0081] (((5))) A business management method according to (((4))), which proposes swapping at least one of the operating hours, operating period, and operating area between a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a large workload and a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a small workload.

[0082] (((6))) A business management method described in any one of (((1))) to (((5))), in which the plurality of battery-equipped devices are electric vehicles configured to be movable using the installed batteries as a power source.

[0083] ((7)) A program for causing a computer to execute the steps of: acquiring, as status information, information indicating the usage status over a certain period of a plurality of storage batteries installed in a plurality of storage battery-equipped devices; estimating the deterioration state of each of the plurality of storage batteries based on the acquired status information; and outputting an index indicating the workload of each of the plurality of storage battery-equipped devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

[0084] ((8)) An operation management system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires, as status information, information indicating the usage status over a certain period of a plurality of storage batteries that are respectively installed in a plurality of storage battery-equipped devices; an estimation unit that estimates a deterioration state of each of the plurality of storage batteries based on the acquired status information; and an output unit that outputs an index indicating the workload of each of the plurality of storage battery-equipped devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

[0085] According to ((1)), ((7)), and ((8)), the workload of battery-equipped equipment can be visualized.

[0086] According to (((2))), the workload can be estimated using the remaining life, the amount of reduction in remaining life, or the rate of reduction in remaining life of the storage battery.

[0087] According to ((3)), in a device equipped with a plurality of storage batteries, the life of the storage batteries installed in the device equipped with storage batteries can be extended compared to a case in which the storage batteries are not replaced.

[0088] According to ((4)), the life of a plurality of devices equipped with storage batteries can be extended compared to a case where the tasks are not switched.

[0089] According to ((5)), the lifespan of a plurality of battery-equipped devices can be extended compared to when at least one of the operating time, operating period, and operating area is not swapped.

[0090] According to ((6)), the workload of electric vehicles can be visualized.

[0091] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-021464, filed on February 15, 2024, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A business management method comprising: acquiring, as status information, information indicating the usage status over a certain period of a plurality of storage batteries installed in a plurality of storage battery-equipped devices; estimating the deterioration state of each of the plurality of storage batteries based on the acquired status information; and outputting an index indicating the workload of each of the plurality of storage battery-equipped devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

2. The business management method according to claim 1, wherein the indicator showing the workload of each of the plurality of storage battery-equipped devices is at least one of the remaining lifespan of the plurality of storage batteries, the remaining lifespan reduction amount obtained by calculating the amount by which the remaining lifespan has decreased over the certain period of time, and the remaining lifespan reduction rate obtained by calculating the rate at which the remaining lifespan has decreased over the certain period of time.

3. The business management method according to claim 2, which proposes the replacement of batteries between a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a large workload and a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a small workload.

4. The business management method according to claim 2, which proposes switching of business between a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a large business load and a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a small business load.

5. The business management method according to claim 4, which proposes swapping at least one of the operating hours, operating period, and operating area between a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a large workload and a battery-equipped device equipped with a battery having a small workload.

6. A business management method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of storage battery-equipped devices are electric vehicles configured to be movable using the installed storage batteries as a power source.

7. A program for causing a computer to execute the steps of: acquiring, as status information, information indicating the usage status over a certain period of a plurality of storage batteries installed in a plurality of storage battery-equipped devices; estimating the deterioration state of each of the plurality of storage batteries based on the acquired status information; and outputting an index indicating the workload of each of the plurality of storage battery-equipped devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

8. An operation management system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires, as status information, information indicating the usage status over a certain period of a plurality of storage batteries installed in a plurality of storage battery-equipped devices; an estimation unit that estimates the deterioration state of each of the plurality of storage batteries based on the acquired status information; and an output unit that outputs an index indicating the workload of each of the plurality of storage battery-equipped devices based on the estimated deterioration state.

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