Abnormality detection method, abnormality detection system, and program

Abstract

This abnormality detection method is executed by a computer for detecting an abnormality of a battery, the abnormality detection method comprising: a step for acquiring, from a battery, battery information including an ID for distinguishing the battery from other batteries; and a step (S12-S17) for detecting whether the battery from which the battery information was acquired is abnormal on the basis of a plurality of pieces of battery information having the same ID included in the acquired battery information.

Description

Anomaly detection method, anomaly detection system, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an anomaly detection method, an anomaly detection system, and a program.

[0002] In recent years, the concept of battery sharing has been gaining popularity. In battery sharing, charging spots (swap stations) are installed all over town, and users remove their batteries from the charging spots and use them. After use, they return the batteries to the charging spots. This has the advantage that users can remove fully charged batteries when they need them, eliminating the need to wait for the battery to charge. Furthermore, because batteries are shared between users, each user no longer needs to own their own individual battery, which also reduces the environmental impact of mass-producing batteries.

[0003] Furthermore, efforts are being made to manage the environmental impact of batteries as energy carriers through the concept of a battery passport. The battery passport is a concept that manages when and to what extent a battery is used so that batteries can be used without waste, in consideration of the environmental costs, such as carbon dioxide, generated in battery production.

[0004] In the battery passport system, it is necessary to assign an ID to each battery to distinguish it from other batteries, and to manage batteries with the same ID by linking them to a series of battery usage histories. As a similar technology for assigning an ID to a battery, for example, an authentication technology such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

[0005] International Publication No. 2007 / 041866

[0006] However, even if an ID is assigned to a battery, there is a possibility of unauthorized use in which only the ID is misused and the battery cell portion is replaced. Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery abnormality detection method and the like to prevent unauthorized use of a battery.

[0007] An abnormality detection method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an abnormality detection method executed by a computer for detecting an abnormality in a battery, and includes the steps of acquiring battery information from the battery, the battery information including an ID for distinguishing the battery from other batteries, and detecting whether the battery from which the battery information was acquired is abnormal based on multiple pieces of battery information that contain the same ID among the acquired battery information.

[0008] Furthermore, an abnormality detection system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an abnormality detection system for detecting abnormalities in a battery, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires battery information from the battery, the battery information including an ID for distinguishing the battery from other batteries, and a detection unit that detects whether the battery from which the battery information was acquired is abnormal based on a plurality of pieces of battery information that contain the same ID among the acquired battery information.

[0009] Furthermore, a program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing the computer to execute the anomaly detection method described above.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use of batteries.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an anomaly detection system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a communication sequence diagram showing transmission and reception of information performed in the anomaly detection system according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an anomaly detection method performed in the anomaly detection system according to an embodiment. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an anomaly detection method performed in the anomaly detection system according to an embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining distribution of maximum charging capacity in the anomaly detection system according to an embodiment.

[0012] (Knowledge forming the basis of the present disclosure) As described in the Background Art section, battery sharing has become widespread. In particular, in recent years, services have been developed that maximize the benefit of sharing batteries used in electric vehicles such as electric scooters among users through battery sharing, eliminating the need to wait for a battery charge period, and allowing users to use the electric vehicles in the same way as they would refuel.

[0013] The batteries used in electrically powered vehicles are relatively large-capacity (large-scale), and their manufacturing places a heavy burden on the environment. The introduction of the Battery Passport has called for efficient and waste-free use.

[0014] As explained in the Background Art section, in order to realize the battery passport system, an ID is assigned to each battery to distinguish it from other batteries. However, there is a possibility of unauthorized use of a battery by using only the ID to replace the battery cell portion, such as a fraudulent battery in which the ID is copied and the copied ID is assigned to a battery consisting of different battery cell portions, or a fraudulent battery in which the battery cell portion of an ID-assigned battery is swapped. Such unauthorized use would hinder the widespread use of the battery passport system, and therefore technology to prevent such use is needed.

[0015] Therefore, in the anomaly detection method disclosed herein, when battery information including the battery ID is acquired, batteries with the same ID but different IDs are found, thereby identifying the IDs used to create abnormal illegal batteries and enabling the illegal batteries to be excluded from the battery sharing cycle, thereby preventing the illegal use of batteries.

[0016] In order to achieve the above, the anomaly detection method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is an anomaly detection method executed by a computer for detecting an anomaly in a battery, and includes the steps of acquiring battery information from the battery, the battery information including an ID for distinguishing the battery from other batteries, and detecting whether the battery about which the battery information was acquired is abnormal based on multiple pieces of battery information that include the same ID among the acquired battery information.

[0017] According to this, battery information including an ID can be acquired from a battery to be subjected to abnormality detection, and abnormality detection for the target battery can be performed using information on other batteries with the same ID as the ID included in the battery information. By comparing battery information with the same ID, it is possible to detect whether the battery with that ID is an abnormal, unauthorized battery. In this way, unauthorized use of batteries can be suppressed by, for example, excluding the detected unauthorized battery from the cycle.

[0018] Furthermore, an abnormality detection method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the abnormality detection method described in the first aspect, and in the detection step, if it is determined that multiple pieces of battery information containing the same ID include battery information acquired from different batteries, it is detected that one of the batteries from which the multiple pieces of battery information were acquired is abnormal.

[0019] According to this, if the battery information used for detection includes battery information obtained from different batteries despite having the same ID, it is possible to detect that at least one of the batteries involved in obtaining the battery information used for detection is abnormal.

[0020] Furthermore, an anomaly detection method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the anomaly detection method described in the second aspect, wherein the acquiring step is performed between the start and completion of charging of a battery using charging equipment, and in the detecting step, if multiple pieces of battery information containing the same ID include battery information in which charging of one battery started within the period from the start and completion of charging of the other battery, it is determined that the battery information included is acquired from a different battery.

[0021] According to this, by acquiring battery information between the start and end of charging of a battery using charging equipment, it can be determined that the battery information includes information acquired from different batteries due to the existence of two batteries with overlapping charging periods, that is, between the start and end of charging of a battery using charging equipment.

[0022] Furthermore, an anomaly detection method according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the anomaly detection method according to the third aspect, wherein the acquiring step is performed after the battery is connected to charging equipment to charge it.

[0023] According to this, it is possible to acquire battery information about a battery after the battery is connected to charging equipment to charge the battery. Therefore, the act of connecting the battery to charging equipment to charge the battery can be used as a trigger to acquire battery information. For example, the battery and charging equipment are physically connected to transmit and receive power, but if a communication port for data communication is also connected at that time, it is possible to acquire battery information in a more reliable connection state when the battery is connected to charging equipment to charge the battery.

[0024] Furthermore, an anomaly detection method according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the anomaly detection method according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the acquiring step is performed between the start of charging of a battery using charging equipment and the completion of charging, and the detecting step uses a unit time that is an estimated travel time from one charging equipment to another charging equipment, and determines that the battery information included is acquired from a different battery if the battery information including the same ID includes battery information in which charging of one battery at one charging equipment was started within a period obtained by adding the unit time from the start of charging to the completion of charging and after the completion of charging.

[0025] According to this, taking into account the time required to travel from one charging facility to another, which is called a unit time, if charging of one battery at one charging facility overlaps with charging of another battery at another charging facility, it can be determined that there are two batteries with the same ID, and that the battery information contained therein is obtained from different batteries.

[0026] Furthermore, an anomaly detection method according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an anomaly detection method according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, wherein the battery information includes a maximum charge capacity of the battery, and in the detecting step, if the variance of the maximum charge capacities included in multiple pieces of battery information containing the same ID is a value equal to or greater than a variance threshold, it is determined that the battery information includes battery information obtained from different batteries.

[0027] According to this, for the same battery, the variance of maximum charging capacity will converge to a certain extent, but if the variance is greater than the variance threshold, which cannot be said to be convergence, it can be determined that there are two batteries with the same ID and that the battery information included is obtained from different batteries.

[0028] Furthermore, an anomaly detection method according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is an anomaly detection method according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, wherein the battery information includes a maximum charge capacity of the battery, and in the detecting step, if the trend in the maximum charge capacity included in multiple pieces of battery information containing the same ID is a trend that is equal to or greater than a degradation threshold, it is determined that the battery information includes battery information obtained from different batteries.

[0029] According to this, the trend in maximum charging capacity will change to a certain extent in line with the design value in the case of a normal battery, but if it shows a trend that is far from such a change and is above the deterioration threshold, it can be determined that there are two batteries with the same ID and that the battery information contained therein was obtained from different batteries.

[0030] In addition, an abnormality detection method according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is an abnormality detection method described in any one of the first to seventh aspects, and further includes a step of identifying and notifying a battery that has been detected as abnormal.

[0031] This allows a battery that has been detected as abnormal to be identified from among several batteries that have been given battery information with the same ID, and this can be notified.

[0032] A program according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the anomaly detection method according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

[0033] According to this, by having a computer execute the method, it is possible to achieve the same effect as the anomaly detection method described above.

[0034] In addition, an abnormality detection system according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is an abnormality detection system for detecting abnormalities in a battery, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires battery information from the battery, including an ID for distinguishing the battery from other batteries, and a detection unit that detects whether the battery about which battery information has been acquired is abnormal based on multiple pieces of battery information that contain the same ID among the acquired battery information.

[0035] This can achieve the same effects as the anomaly detection method described above.

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Each of the embodiments described below represents a specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, components, steps, and step orders shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not recited in independent claims are described as optional components. Furthermore, the respective contents of all the embodiments and alternative examples can be combined.

[0037] In addition, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in each drawing.

[0038] Furthermore, in this specification, when a comparison is made, for example, with "above a threshold" or "below a threshold," it means that the distinction is made at the threshold, and may mean "greater than the threshold" or "below the threshold," respectively.

[0039] Furthermore, the numerical values ​​of the thresholds and the like in the present embodiment are merely examples, and other numerical values ​​may be used.

[0040] (Embodiment) [Overall Configuration] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an anomaly detection system according to an embodiment. As shown in the figure, the anomaly detection system is implemented in parallel in a series of systems for managing batteries 3, including a battery passport system 1. The anomaly detection system may be implemented only in the battery passport system 1, or may be implemented in an exchange station 2 serving as charging equipment interposed between the battery passport system 1 and the battery 3, or may be implemented in both. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the anomaly detection system is implemented in both the battery passport system 1 and the exchange station 2 will be described as an example, but as described above, the configuration of the anomaly detection system is not limited to this.

[0041] The battery passport system 1 is realized by a cloud server or the like, and as shown in the figure, includes an external communication unit 11 and a detection unit 12 as acquisition units, i.e., an anomaly detection system, and a storage unit. The external communication unit 11 is communicatively connected to the exchange station 2 via a communication network such as the Internet. This enables the battery passport system 1 to acquire battery information from the exchange station 2. More specifically, the battery passport system 1 can acquire battery information from the battery 3 via the exchange station 2. The external communication unit 11 is a software communication interface realized, for example, by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory.

[0042] The detection unit 12 detects whether the battery 3 corresponding to the acquired battery information (i.e., the source of the battery information) is abnormal. In other words, the detection unit 12 determines whether the battery 3 is an unauthorized battery. The detection unit 12 is a software information processing unit that is realized by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory.

[0043] The storage unit is an information storage device for storing battery specific information 13 shown in the figure. The battery specific information is information for determining whether the battery 3 is normal or not using the ID of the battery 3. The storage unit is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory. The storage unit also stores battery information previously acquired. The storage unit also stores information about the manufacturer of each battery 3, the maximum charge capacity of the battery 3 at the time of design, the current maximum charge capacity of the battery 3 at the time of the last communication, and so on.

[0044] The exchange station 2 is realized as an edge server, and as shown in the figure, a plurality of exchange stations 2 exist for one battery passport system 1. Although the figure shows the detailed configuration of one of the exchange stations 2, all exchange stations 2 have the same configuration as the one shown in detail in the figure.

[0045] As shown in the figure, the exchange station 2 includes an external communication unit 21 and a detection unit 22 as acquisition units, i.e., an anomaly detection system, a memory unit, and a battery storage unit 24. The external communication unit 21 is communicatively connected to the battery passport system 1 via a communication network such as the Internet. The external communication unit 21 is also communicatively connected to the battery 3 via a wired connection formed between the battery 3. This enables the exchange station 2 to acquire battery information from the battery 3. The external communication unit 21 is a software communication interface realized, for example, by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory.

[0046] The detection unit 22 detects whether the battery 3 corresponding to the acquired battery information (i.e., the source of the battery information) is abnormal. In other words, the detection unit 22 determines whether the battery 3 is an unauthorized battery. The detection unit 22 is a software information processing unit that is realized by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory.

[0047] The storage unit is an information storage device for storing battery information 23 shown in the figure. The battery information includes the ID of the battery 3 and information on the state of the battery 3. The storage unit is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory. The storage unit also stores the charge capacity of the battery 3 currently stored in the battery storage unit 24.

[0048] The battery storage unit 24 is a structure for connecting the battery 3 to the exchange station 2 and for transmitting and receiving information to and supplying power to the connected battery 3. The battery storage unit 24 physically corresponds to the external shape of the battery 3 so as to engage with the battery 3. A plurality of battery storage units 24 are provided for one exchange station 2, so that one exchange station 2 can transmit and receive information to and supply power to a plurality of batteries 3.

[0049] As shown in the figure, the battery 3 includes an external communication unit 31 and a storage unit. The external communication unit 31 is communicably connected to the exchange station 2 via wired communication. This allows the battery 3 to transmit battery information to the exchange station 2. The external communication unit 31 is a software communication interface that is realized, for example, by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory.

[0050] The memory unit is an information storage device for storing secret information 32 and individual battery information 33 shown in the figure. The battery information is information including the ID of the battery 3 and information on the state of the battery 3. The memory unit is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory. The secret information 32 is information corresponding to the ID of the battery 3. The battery 3 and the battery passport system 1 verify that the battery 3 is normal in terms of its ID through authentication using the battery specific information 13 and the secret information 32. The battery passport system 1 then permits the exchange station 2 to supply power to the battery 3 only if the battery 3 is normal in terms of its ID.

[0051] The above authentication is performed, for example, as shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a communication sequence diagram showing the transmission and reception of information performed in the anomaly detection system according to the embodiment. As shown in the diagram, when a battery 3 is newly stored in the battery storage unit 24 from the exchange station 2 (together with the operation for starting charging, in other words, when charging starts), information is transmitted to the battery passport system 1. The battery passport system 1 starts recording information. The battery passport system 1 first determines whether the battery 3 newly stored in the battery storage unit 24 is a normal battery from the viewpoint of its ID. Specifically, the battery passport system 1 transmits a random number called a challenge to the battery 3 and receives a calculation result using the random number and secret information 32 as a response from the battery 3. The above challenge and response use a so-called private key and public key authentication technique. Note that the authentication method is not limited to this as long as it can be guaranteed that the ID itself is correct. An exchange station 2 is involved in the communication between the battery passport system 1 and the battery 3, but in this case, the exchange station 2 only has the function of receiving information sent from one side and sending it to the other side, and receiving information sent from the other side and sending it to the one side.

[0052] The battery passport system 1 verifies the response sent from the battery 3, and then stores in a storage unit the battery information sent from the battery 3 including the secret information 32. As a result, the battery passport system 1 updates the database containing the past information of the battery 3 with the specific ID that has been accumulated up to that point.

[0053] Then, the battery passport system 1 and the exchange station 2 perform detection processing in parallel using the battery information.

[0054] 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing an anomaly detection method performed in the anomaly detection system according to the embodiment. Detection of whether or not the battery 3 is abnormal is divided into a detection process by the battery passport system 1 shown in FIG. 3 and a detection process by the exchange station 2 shown in FIG. 4.

[0055] First, as shown in FIG. 3, when a certain battery 3 is stored in the battery storage unit 24 and the above challenge and response are established (the ID is normal), the detection unit 12 reads out the ID included in the battery information newly obtained from the battery 3 by the external communication unit 11 and past battery information of the same ID from the memory unit (S11).

[0056] Here, the detection unit 12 determines whether battery information with the same battery ID has been transmitted and stored in the memory unit from an exchange station 2 other than the exchange station 2 where the battery 3 is stored within the unit time (S12). If there is a record of a battery 3 with the same ID stored in an exchange station 2 that is physically inaccessible from the exchange station 2 where the new battery 3 is stored, this means that a different battery 3 exists despite the same ID, and it can be determined that these batteries 3 with IDs are abnormal. In other words, when considering the travel time from a certain exchange station 2 after charging is completed at that exchange station 2, if it is physically impossible for the new battery 3 to be stored at that exchange station 2, it can be determined that a different battery 3 exists despite the same ID. Therefore, the unit time is appropriately set to the estimated travel time between these two exchange stations 2 depending on the combination of the two exchange stations 2.

[0057] If battery information with the same battery ID is stored in the storage unit (Yes in S12), it is detected that at least one of the batteries 3 with the same battery ID is abnormal (S15). For example, the ID of the abnormal battery 3 may be excluded (aborted) from a list of IDs that are determined to be normal in a challenge and response with the battery passport system 1 so that the exchange station 2 does not charge the battery 3 with this ID.

[0058] Next, the detection unit 12 calculates the variance of the maximum charge capacity and determines whether the calculated value is equal to or greater than the variance threshold (whether the variation is relatively large) (S13). FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the variance of the maximum charge capacity in the anomaly detection system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a graph plotting the maximum charge capacity included in the battery information obtained from six chargings of a battery 3 with a certain ID against the period of use of the battery 3. As indicated by the solid arrows in the figure, tracing the plot of the six maximum charge capacities may reveal a large variance value rather than a constant decreasing curve. For example, if an abnormal battery 3 with a relatively small maximum charge capacity and a duplicated ID is added to a cycle, a normal battery 3 and an abnormal battery 3 are used in parallel, and a graph like the one shown in the figure may be obtained by plotting a series of maximum charge capacities by ID.

[0059] In the figure, the dashed line indicates a decreasing curve (virtual curve) of the maximum charge capacity over time, with the limit set to within an acceptable variance range. The dashed curve indicates that two series exist for the plot of maximum charge capacity shown in the figure. That is, it can be seen that, despite having the same ID, there are batteries 3 that are distributed toward relatively large values ​​of maximum charge capacity and batteries 3 that are distributed toward relatively small values ​​of maximum charge capacity. In this way, by examining the variance of maximum charge capacity, it can be determined that there are different batteries 3 with the same ID. Furthermore, in this case, the abnormal battery 3 is considered to be the battery 3 that is distributed toward relatively small values ​​of maximum charge capacity, and therefore the abnormal battery 3 can be identified.

[0060] Therefore, if the calculated value is equal to or greater than the variance threshold (Yes in S13), the detection unit 12 further determines whether the maximum charge capacity included in the battery information of the newly stored battery 3 belongs to the virtual curve with the smaller maximum charge capacity (S16). If it is determined that the maximum charge capacity included in the battery information of the newly stored battery 3 belongs to the virtual curve with the smaller maximum charge capacity (Yes in S16), the detection unit 12 identifies the newly stored battery 3 as abnormal and notifies the user that the battery 3 is abnormal (S17). This notification may be sent to the exchange station 2 to notify the user who stored the battery 3, the administrator who manages the exchange station 2, the manufacturer of the battery, or some other notification. It is preferable that an appropriate notification be sent so that the person who receives the notification can remove the battery 3 from the cycle. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the maximum charge capacity included in the battery information of the newly stored battery 3 belongs to the virtual curve with the smaller maximum charge capacity (No in S16), one of the batteries 3 is abnormal, so the process proceeds to step S15, where the ID may be excluded, for example.

[0061] Next, the detection unit 12 examines the transition in maximum charge capacity and determines whether the transition exceeds a degradation threshold, indicating a faster maximum charge capacity degradation than the normal maximum charge capacity degradation curve (degradation rate) expected for the battery 3 (S14). Generally, abnormal batteries 3 often use inexpensive components in their battery cells, which often result in an extremely rapid decrease in maximum charge capacity. Therefore, by setting a degradation threshold corresponding to a faster rate of deterioration of the maximum charge capacity degradation curve than that of a normal battery 3, it is possible to determine the presence of an abnormal battery 3 that is deteriorating faster than this degradation threshold. Since the initial value of maximum charge capacity should be the design capacity of a normal battery 3, if the abnormal battery 3 is replaced, the maximum charge capacity may decrease rapidly at that point. In this way, it is possible to determine whether a battery 3 with the same ID has been replaced and whose maximum charge capacity is degrading abnormally quickly from the transition from the initial value. If it is determined that the transition exceeds the degradation threshold (Yes in S14), the process proceeds to step S15, where the ID may be excluded. In addition, since it is considered that only abnormal batteries 3 that have been swapped or otherwise caused the abnormal battery to exist, it can be said that the abnormal battery has been identified. Therefore, if it is determined that the transition is greater than or equal to the degradation threshold (Yes in S14), the process may proceed to step S17 instead of step S15.

[0062] If the detection unit 12 determines that the transition is below the deterioration threshold (No in S14), the process ends.

[0063] 4 , when a certain battery 3 is stored in the battery storage unit 24 and the challenge and response are established (the ID is normal), the detection unit 22 determines whether a battery 3 associated with battery information including the same ID as the ID included in the battery information newly obtained from the battery 3 by the external communication unit 21 exists in the battery storage unit 24 (S21). Here, different batteries 3 exist despite having the same ID, so if it is determined that a battery 3 associated with battery information including the same ID exists in the battery storage unit 24 (Yes in S21), it is detected that at least one of the batteries 3 with the same battery ID is abnormal (S22). For example, the ID of the abnormal battery 3 may be excluded (aborted) from the list of IDs determined to be normal in the challenge and response with the battery passport system 1 so that the exchange station 2 does not charge the battery 3 with this ID.

[0064] If the detection unit 22 determines that the battery 3 associated with the battery information including the same ID does not exist in the battery storage unit 24 (No in S21), the process ends.

[0065] As described above, by obtaining battery information including an ID and comparing it with battery information of the same ID, it is possible to determine whether a different battery 3 exists despite having the same ID, and to detect that the battery 3 corresponding to that ID is abnormal. Therefore, the abnormality determination method of this embodiment makes it possible to prevent unauthorized use of batteries.

[0066] Other Embodiments Although the anomaly detection method and the like according to the present disclosure have been described above based on the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications.

[0067] For example, the present disclosure may be embodied as the above-described methods. Furthermore, the present disclosure may be embodied as a computer program for implementing these methods by a computer, or as a digital signal comprising the computer program. For example, one aspect of the present disclosure may be a computer program for causing a computer to execute each of the characteristic steps included in the anomaly detection method.

[0068] The present disclosure may also be a computer program or a digital signal recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, a DVD, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), a semiconductor memory, etc. Alternatively, the present disclosure may be a digital signal recorded on such a recording medium.

[0069] The present disclosure may also be applied to transmitting a computer program or digital signal via a telecommunications line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network such as the Internet, data broadcasting, or the like.

[0070] The order in which the steps in the flowchart are executed is merely an example for specifically explaining the present disclosure, and other orders may be used. Some of the steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps, or some of the steps may not be executed.

[0071] The division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be moved to another functional block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0072] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined with each other. Furthermore, various modifications that a person skilled in the art may conceive of may be made to the present embodiment, and configurations constructed by combining components of different embodiments may also be included in the present disclosure, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0073] The present disclosure is useful for detecting abnormal batteries.

[0074] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Battery passport system 2 Exchange station 3 Battery 11, 21, 31 External communication unit 12, 22 Detection unit 13 Battery specific information 23 Battery information 24 Battery storage unit 32 Confidential information 33 Individual battery information

Claims

1. An anomaly detection method executed by a computer for detecting an abnormality in a battery, comprising the steps of: acquiring battery information from the battery, the battery information including an ID for distinguishing the battery from other batteries; and detecting whether the battery for which the battery information was acquired is abnormal based on a plurality of pieces of battery information that include the same ID among the acquired battery information.

2. The abnormality detection method according to claim 1, wherein in the detecting step, if it is determined that the battery information obtained from different batteries is included in the plurality of pieces of battery information containing the same ID, it is detected that one of the batteries from which the plurality of pieces of battery information is obtained is abnormal.

3. The abnormality detection method according to claim 2, wherein the acquiring step is performed between the start and completion of charging of the battery using charging equipment, and the detecting step determines that the battery information included is acquired from a different battery if the battery information includes battery information in which charging of one battery started within the period from the start of charging of the other battery to the completion of charging, among the plurality of battery information containing the same ID.

4. The anomaly detection method according to claim 3, wherein the acquiring step is performed after the battery is connected to the charging equipment for charging.

5. The anomaly detection method according to claim 2, wherein the acquiring step is performed between the start and completion of charging of the battery using charging equipment, and the detecting step uses a unit time that is an estimated travel time from one charging equipment to another charging equipment, and if the plurality of battery information containing the same ID includes battery information in which charging of one of the batteries at the one charging equipment started within a period obtained by adding the unit time from the start of charging to the completion of charging and after the completion of charging, it is determined that the battery information contained therein was acquired from a different battery.

6. The abnormality detection method according to claim 2, wherein the battery information includes the maximum charge capacity of the battery, and in the detecting step, if the variance of the maximum charge capacities included in the plurality of pieces of battery information containing the same ID is equal to or greater than a variance threshold value, it is determined that the battery information includes information obtained from different batteries.

7. The abnormality detection method according to claim 2, wherein the battery information includes the maximum charge capacity of the battery, and in the detecting step, if the trend in the maximum charge capacity included in multiple pieces of battery information containing the same ID is greater than or equal to a degradation threshold, it is determined that the battery information included is obtained from a different battery.

8. The abnormality detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the step of identifying and notifying the battery detected as abnormal.

9. A program for causing a computer to execute the anomaly detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. An abnormality detection system for detecting abnormalities in a battery, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires battery information from the battery, including an ID for distinguishing the battery from other batteries; and a detection unit that detects whether the battery for which the battery information was acquired is abnormal based on a plurality of pieces of battery information that contain the same ID among the acquired battery information.

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