Information processing device, state-of-charge estimation method, and program

Abstract

An information processing device (1) for estimating the state of charge of a storage battery (62) provided to a moving body (60) comprises: a communication device (10) that is capable of communicating with a charger (50) for charging the moving body (60) and the storage battery (62); and a processor (20). The processor (20) executes: an information acquisition process for acquiring, via the communication device (10), movement information pertaining to the movement distance of the moving body (60) and charger information pertaining to the charger (50); and a state-of-charge estimation process for estimating the state of charge of the storage battery (62) on the basis of the acquired movement information and charger information.

Description

Information Processing Device, Charging State Estimation Method, and Program Cross - reference to Related Applications

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Application No. 2024 - 164308 filed on September 20, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates to an information processing device, a charging state estimation method, and a program.

[0003] In recent years, with the spread of electric vehicles, energy management for controlling charging power, such as charging during low - cost electricity hours or charging with renewable energy, has been proposed. On the other hand, when using a vehicle, it is required that an appropriate amount of charging be completed, and it has become necessary to grasp the charging state of the storage battery mounted on the moving body. However, with commonly used ordinary chargers, the charging state of the storage battery cannot be obtained. Conventionally, in a moving body equipped with a storage battery such as an electric vehicle, as a configuration for estimating the charging state of the storage battery, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for estimating the charging state of the storage battery based on output information output from the BMS (Battery Management System) of the storage battery mounted on the moving body.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 5987529

[0005] In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the output information of the BMS of the storage battery mounted on the moving body is not shared and has different forms for each type of moving body. Therefore, in order to comprehensively estimate the charging state of the storage battery in a plurality of moving bodies including different types, it is necessary to prepare a system or program optimized for each moving body, which complicates the configuration and is disadvantageous in terms of cost.

[0006] This disclosure aims to provide an information processing device, a charging state estimation method, and a program that can estimate the charging state of a storage battery mounted on a moving body with a simple configuration.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device for estimating the charge state of a battery provided in a mobile body, comprising: a communication device capable of communicating with the mobile body and a charger for charging the battery; and a processor, wherein the processor performs an information acquisition process via the communication device to acquire movement information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile body and charger information relating to the charger; and a charge state estimation process for estimating the charge state of the battery based on the acquired movement information and charger information.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a charge state estimation method for estimating the charge state of a battery of a mobile body, comprising the steps of: acquiring movement information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile body and charger information relating to a charger for charging the battery; and estimating the charge state of the battery based on the acquired movement information and charger information.

[0009] Another aspect of this disclosure is a program that causes a processor to perform the above-described charge state estimation method.

[0010] In the information processing device according to the above embodiment, the charge state of the storage battery is estimated based on movement information regarding the distance traveled by the mobile object and charger information regarding the charger. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare a system or program optimized for each mobile object, which simplifies the configuration and is advantageous in terms of cost.

[0011] In the above-described other embodiment of the charging state estimation method, the charging state of the storage battery is estimated based on the movement information of the mobile body and the charger information of the charger. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare a system or program optimized for each mobile body, which simplifies the configuration and is advantageous in terms of cost.

[0012] In the program of yet another embodiment described above, the charging state estimation method is executed by the processor, and the charging state of the storage battery is estimated based on the movement information of the mobile body and the charger information of the charger. This eliminates the need to prepare a system or program optimized for each mobile body, simplifying the configuration and offering cost advantages.

[0013] As described above, according to the above embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing device, a charging state estimation method, and a program that can estimate the charging state of a battery mounted on a mobile body with a simple configuration.

[0014] The symbols in parentheses in the claims indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later, and do not limit the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0015] The above-mentioned objectives and other objectives, features and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings. The drawings are as follows: Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing system in Embodiment 1; Figure 2 is a flowchart of the processing by the information processing device in Embodiment 1; Figure 3 is a flowchart of the charging state estimation process based on driving distance in Embodiment 1; Figure 4 is a flowchart of the full-charge state estimation process in Embodiment 1; Figure 5 is a flowchart of the energy consumption estimation process in Embodiment 1; and Figure 6 is a flowchart of the charging state notification process in Embodiment 1.

[0016] (Embodiment 1) 1. Overview of the Information Processing Device 1 Embodiment 1 of the above-described information processing device will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The information processing system of Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises an information processing device 1, a charger 50, a mobile unit 60, and a user terminal. In this embodiment, the mobile unit 60 is, for example, a vehicle. The mobile unit 60 includes a mobile unit communication unit 61, a storage battery 62, a distance traveled acquisition unit 63, and a location information acquisition unit. In this embodiment, the charger 50 is connectable to the mobile unit 60 and supplies electricity to the storage battery 62 of the mobile unit 60. The charger 50 has a charger communication unit 51, an output power measurement unit 52, and a connection unit 53. The information processing device 1 performs processing to estimate the charge state of the storage battery 62 of the mobile unit 60. The information processing device 1 comprises a communication device 10, a processor 20, and a memory 40. The information processing device 1 can be configured as a computer and can be configured as a server connected to a network 200. Furthermore, the information processing device 1 may consist of a single device, or it may consist of multiple devices such as multiple cloud servers. Also, the communication device 10 that constitutes the information processing device 1 may consist of multiple devices, such as multiple servers. That is, the communication device 10 may be configured as a device equipped with multiple communication devices, including a communication device that communicates with the charger 50, a communication device that communicates with the mobile device 60, and a communication device that communicates with the user terminal 70. The various components of the information processing device 1 are described in detail below.

[0017] 2. Communication Device 10 The communication device 10 shown in Figure 1 is capable of communicating with the mobile unit 60, charger 50, and user terminal 70, which will be described later, via the network 200. The communication device 10 includes a mobile unit information receiving unit 11 and a charger information receiving unit 12. The mobile unit information receiving unit 11 receives movement information transmitted from the mobile unit communication unit 61 of the mobile unit 60. The movement information is information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile unit 60, and includes, for example, the distance traveled and location information of the mobile unit 60. The charger information receiving unit 12 receives charger information transmitted from the charger communication unit 51 of the charger 50, which will be described later. The charger information is, for example, information relating to the charger 50 for charging the battery 62 mounted on the mobile unit 60, and includes information corresponding to the value of the charging power when the charger 50 charges the battery 62. Hereinafter, the information corresponding to the value of power may simply be referred to as power.

[0018] 3. Processor 20 The processor 20 shown in Figure 1 is configured to execute a program stored in the program storage unit 42 of the memory 40, which will be described later. By executing the program, it performs the functions of the information acquisition unit 21, the disconnection determination unit 22, the charging power calculation unit 23, the energy consumption estimation unit 24, the cumulative charging energy consumption calculation unit 25, the full charge determination unit 26, the energy consumption calculation unit 27, the charging state estimation unit 28, the charging state notification unit 29, and the power control information creation unit 30. The processor 20 may also consist of a single processor that performs all the processing required to perform the above functions. Alternatively, the processor 20 may consist of, for example, multiple microprocessors, with each microprocessor performing each of the above functions.

[0019] 3-1. Information Acquisition Unit 21 The information acquisition unit 21 acquires the movement information of the mobile body 60 received by the mobile body information receiving unit 11 and the charger information received by the charger information receiving unit 12 via the communication device 10. Each acquired piece of information is stored in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40, which will be described later.

[0020] 3-2. Detachment Determination Unit 22 The detachment determination unit 22 determines the connection status between the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 and the charger 50. More specifically, the detachment determination unit 22 determines whether the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is connected to or detached from the charger 50. In this embodiment, the detachment determination unit 22 can determine whether the battery 62 is connected to the charger 50 based on the position information of the mobile body 60 included in the mobile body 60 movement information obtained from the mobile body information receiving unit 11, and / or the charging power included in the charger information. The detachment determination unit 22 is an example of a connection status determination unit, and the detachment determination process by the detachment determination unit 22 is an example of a connection status determination process.

[0021] For example, the disconnection determination unit 22 can determine that the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is connected to the charger 50, that is, that the charger 50 has not disconnected from the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60, when the position of the mobile body 60 is within a predetermined distance from the charger 50, or when the charging power of the charger 50 exceeds the standby power and the mobile body 60 is being charged by the charger 50.

[0022] For example, the departure determination process performed by the departure determination unit 22 can employ any of the following processing examples.

[0023] <First example of detachment determination process> In the first example, the detachment determination unit 22 determines, based on the position information of the mobile body 60, that if the position of the mobile body 60 is within a predetermined range from the charger 50, the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is connected to the charger 50, and if the position of the mobile body 60 is not within a predetermined range from the charger 50, the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is not connected to the charger 50.

[0024] <Second example of detachment determination process> In the second example, the detachment determination unit 22 determines that if the power to the mobile communication unit 61 mounted on the mobile body 60 is off, the storage battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is connected to the charger 50, and if the power to the mobile communication unit 61 is on, the storage battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is not connected to the charger 50.

[0025] <Third example of detachment determination process> In the third example, the detachment determination unit 22 determines, based on the movement information of the mobile body 60, that if the movement information can be obtained, the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is not connected to the charger 50, and that if the movement information cannot be obtained, the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is connected to the charger 50.

[0026] <Fourth example of detachment determination process> In the fourth example, the mobile body 60 is equipped with a position sensor on the connector of the battery 62. The charger 50 is also equipped with a position sensor on the connection part 53. If the distance between the two position sensors is less than or equal to a predetermined reference value, the detachment determination unit 22 determines that the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is connected to the charger 50. If the distance between the two position sensors exceeds the predetermined reference value, the unit determines that the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is not connected to the charger 50.

[0027] <Fifth example of detachment determination process> In the fourth example, a surveillance camera is installed near the charger 50 to photograph the charger 50. The detachment determination unit 22 determines whether the mobile body 60 can be seen near the charger 50 based on the image taken by the surveillance camera. If the mobile body 60 can be seen near the charger 50, the detachment determination unit 22 determines that the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is connected to the charger 50. If the mobile body 60 cannot be seen near the charger 50 by the surveillance camera, the unit determines that the battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 is not connected to the charger 50.

[0028] Furthermore, the exit determination process may be performed by combining two or more of these examples, or by using methods other than those shown above.

[0029] 3-3. Charging Power Calculation Unit 23 The charging power calculation unit 23 calculates the charging power to the mobile body based on the power output from the charger 50 when charging the storage battery 62 and the power conversion efficiency information of the charger which has been set in advance. The power conversion efficiency information can be set for each charger 50. Here, the power conversion efficiency is defined as: Charging power to the mobile body 60 [W] = Power [W] × Power conversion efficiency (Power) [%]. The power conversion efficiency has different characteristics depending on the type of charger 50 and mobile body 60, and the conversion efficiency changes depending on the power value, but as a general trend, the power conversion efficiency increases as it approaches the rated power. In this embodiment, the power conversion efficiency information which has been set in advance is stored in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40. The charging power calculated by the charging power calculation unit 23 is stored in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40.

[0030] 3-4. Energy Estimation Unit 24 The energy estimation unit 24 estimates the amount of power consumed by the mobile body 60 based on the movement information. In this embodiment, the energy estimation unit 24 estimates the amount of power consumed D / A by dividing the movement distance D of the mobile body 60, which is the movement information, by the energy consumption A of the mobile body 60. In this specification, "energy consumption" refers to the distance (km) that the mobile body 60 can move per unit energy (kWh). The energy estimation unit 24 can also estimate the amount of power charged by dividing the charging power W by the control period h.

[0031] 3-5. Cumulative Charging Energy Calculation Unit 25 The cumulative charging energy calculation unit 25 calculates the cumulative value B of the charging energy when the storage battery 62 is charged to full capacity by the charger 50. The calculated cumulative value B of the charging energy is stored in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40.

[0032] 3-6. Full Charge Determination Unit 26 The full charge determination unit 26 detects that the battery 62 has reached full charge based on the charger information. In this embodiment, the charging power W is acquired as charger information, and when the charging power W, the standby power W0 of the charger 50, and the minimum instructible power Wm satisfy the following equation (1) for a predetermined period of time, the unit detects that the battery 62 has reached full charge. Standby power W0 is the power that is constantly consumed by the charger 50. The minimum instructible power Wm is a value that has been set in advance as the minimum power used by the charger 50 to charge the battery 62. When the battery 62 is fully charged or nearly fully charged, the charging power of the charger 50 decreases, and by detecting that the charging power has decreased below the minimum instructible power Wm based on the following equation (1), it is possible to detect that the battery 62 has reached full charge by charging with the charger 50. The full charge capacity when the full charge determination unit 26 detects that the battery has reached full charge is stored in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40.

[0033] W0<W<Wm (1) W: Charging power (W) W0: Standby power (W) Wm: Instructable power (W)

[0034] Furthermore, equation (1) may also be satisfied when the connection to the battery 62 is disconnected while the battery 62 is being charged by the charger 50. For this reason, the full charge determination unit 26 preferably determines that the battery 62 and the charger 50 are connected in order to distinguish between the arrival of full charge and the disconnection of the battery 62. This is done by determining that the mobile body 60 is located near the charger 50 based on the mobile body 60's position information, or by determining that the battery 62 of the mobile body 60 is connected to the charger 50 based on a surveillance camera or sensor, and then detecting when full charge has been reached.

[0035] 3-7. Fuel Consumption Calculation Unit 27 The fuel consumption calculation unit 27 calculates the fuel consumption A of the mobile unit 60 based on the cumulative value B of the amount of electricity charged to the battery 62 until the battery 62 is fully charged and the cumulative value D of the distance traveled by the mobile unit 60. The cumulative value B of the amount of electricity charged is the cumulative value of the amount of electricity charged calculated by the cumulative amount of electricity charged calculation unit 25. When the cumulative value D is the distance traveled since the last full charge and the cumulative value B is the amount of electricity charged since the last full charge, the fuel consumption A can be calculated using the following formula (2). The calculated fuel consumption is stored in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40.

[0036] A = D / B (2) A: Electricity consumption (km / kWh) D: Cumulative distance traveled since the last full charge (km) B: Cumulative amount of electricity charged since the last full charge (kWh)

[0037] 3-8. Charging State Estimation Unit 28 The charging state estimation unit 28 estimates the charging state of the battery 62 based on the movement information and charger information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. In this embodiment, the charging state (SOC: State Of Charge) of the battery 62 is estimated based on the full charge capacity P of the battery 62, the capacity increase due to the amount of power charged by the charger 50 in the battery 62 estimated by the power amount estimation unit 24, and the capacity decrease due to the amount of power consumed. The full charge capacity P is stored as a fixed value in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40, just like the power conversion efficiency information. The value of the full charge capacity P is set according to the characteristics of the mobile body 60, for example, the characteristics of the vehicle or the type of vehicle.

[0038] In other words, the charge state estimation unit 28 estimates the State of Charge (SOC) reduced by the movement of the mobile body 60 from the amount of power consumed estimated by the energy consumption estimation unit 24 and the full charge capacity P of the storage battery 62, and estimates the difference from the previously estimated SOC as the current SOC. At this time, the amount of power consumed estimated by the energy consumption estimation unit 24 can be expressed as D / A. Then, when the current charge state is SOC(t) and the previous charge state is SOC(t-1), the charge state estimation unit 28 estimates the current SOC(t) from the following equation (3).

[0039] SOC (t) = SOC (t-1) - (D / A) / P x 100 (3) D: Travel distance (km) A: Electricity cost (km / kWh) P: Full charge capacity (kWh)

[0040] Furthermore, the charge state estimation unit 28 estimates the SOC increased by charging with the charger 50 from the amount of charging energy estimated by the energy energy estimation unit 24 and the full charge capacity P of the storage battery 62, and estimates the difference from the previously estimated SOC as the current SOC. At this time, the amount of charging energy estimated by the energy energy estimation unit 24 can be expressed in W / h. Then, when the current charge state is SOC(t) and the previous charge state is SOC(t-1), the charge state estimation unit 28 estimates the current SOC(t) from the following equation (4).

[0041] SOC(t)=SOC(t-1)+(W / h) / P×100 (4) W: Charging power (kW) h: Control cycle (h) P: Full charge capacity (kWh)

[0042] The current SOC(t) estimated by the charge state estimation unit 28 is stored in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40. The full charge capacity P of the battery 62 is stored as a fixed value in the memory 40 and is read from the memory 40 when the charge state estimation process is executed. The full charge capacity P of the battery 62 may also be calculated using a known method.

[0043] Furthermore, if the full charge determination unit 26 detects that the battery has reached full charge, the charge state estimation unit 28 estimates the current state of charge (SOC) of the storage battery 62 to be 100%.

[0044] In this embodiment, the state of charge estimation unit 28 of the processor 20 may output, as an estimation result, a state of charge that is lower than the state of charge estimated in the state of charge estimation process by a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount is not limited and can be set as appropriate. For example, the state of charge that is lower by the predetermined amount may be a value that is lower in the range of 5% to 10% than the estimated state of charge, and may be output to the user as the estimation result. Here, the reason for estimating as described above is to avoid a situation where, considering that an estimation error of about 5% may occur in the estimated state of charge, it is erroneously determined that the battery is fully charged and charging cannot be performed. On the other hand, the reason for setting the upper limit value of the above range to 10% is to avoid a situation where the difference from the actual charge amount of the vehicle is too large and the user experience and reliability are impaired.

[0045] 3-9. State of Charge Notification Unit 29 The state of charge notification unit 29 of the processor 20 notifies the user of the mobile body 60 of the current state of charge (t) estimated by the state of charge estimation unit 28. In this embodiment, the state of charge notification unit 29 transmits the current state of charge (t) to the user terminal 70 described later that the user of the mobile body 60 has via the communication device 10.

[0046] 3-10. Power Control Information Creation Unit 30 The power control information creation unit 30 creates power control information for controlling the power when the charger 50 charges the storage battery 62 based on the state of charge (SOC) estimated by the state of charge estimation unit 28. For example, when the estimated state of charge of the storage battery 62 is less than 100%, power control information for performing charge control of the charger 50 so that the state of charge becomes 100% is created as the power control information. The power control information is information that associates, for example, the charging schedule for each mobile body 60 and the relationship between the charging time zone and the power output in that time zone. As an example, it is information such as the vehicle X outputs 5000 W from 10:00 to 13:00 and 1000 W from 13:00 to 14:00. The created power control information is stored in the information storage unit 41 of the memory 40 and transmitted to the charger 50 via the communication device 10.

[0047] In this embodiment, the power control information creation unit 30 creates the power control information including the charging control information for the moving body 60 with a use reservation based on the SOC estimated by the charge state estimation unit 28 and the charging control information using the renewable energy output from the renewable energy output unit 80 described later. That is, in this embodiment, the power control information can be created so as to utilize the renewable energy output as surplus power at a predetermined timing. The renewable energy is not limited, and examples include sunlight, wind power, geothermal energy, wave power, and the like.

[0048] The power control information created by the power control information creation unit 30 includes, for example, information for the processor 20 to instruct the charger 50 as follows: (a) Based on the reservation time of use of the moving body 60 and the SOC, instruct to charge so as to make it in time for the reservation time. (b) Instruct to preferentially charge the moving body 60 with a use reservation. (c) Instruct to charge at the timing when the power of the renewable energy can be obtained. (d) Instruct to preferentially charge the moving body 60 with a low SOC. (e) Instruct to charge so that the SOC of the storage battery 62 mounted on the moving body 60 matches the SOC of the storage battery 62 mounted on other moving bodies 60.

[0049] 4. Memory 40 The memory 40 can be composed of a rewritable non-volatile storage medium. The memory 40 may be composed of one storage medium, or may be composed of a plurality of storage mediums such as, for example, a plurality of cloud servers. The memory 40 has an information storage unit 41 and a program storage unit 42 in the storage area. The information storage unit 41 stores various information obtained, calculated or estimated by the processor 20, such as the information received by the communication device and the current SOC estimated by the processor 20. The program storage unit 42 stores in advance the programs of the processes executed by the processor 20. The details of the programs stored in the program storage unit 42 will be described later.

[0050] 5. Charger 50 The charger 50 is connected to the battery 62 mounted on the mobile unit 60 and charges the battery 62. The charger communication unit 51 transmits the above-mentioned charger information to the communication device 10 of the information processing device 1. It also receives the above-mentioned power control information from the communication device 10.

[0051] The output power measurement unit 52 measures the power output from the charger 50 to the storage battery 62. The connection unit 53 is configured to be connectable to the storage battery 62 mounted on the mobile unit 60. When the connection unit 53 is connected to the storage battery 62, it becomes possible to output power from the charger 50 to the storage battery 62 and charge the storage battery 62. Note that the connection between the connection unit 53 and the storage battery 62 is not limited to wired power supply, but may also be wireless power supply.

[0052] 6. Mobile Unit 60 The mobile unit 60 is not limited in form as long as it is equipped with a storage battery 62, and examples include vehicles, trains, ships, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). The mobile unit 60 is equipped with a mobile unit communication unit 61, a distance acquisition unit 63, and a location information acquisition unit 64 along with the storage battery 62. The mobile unit communication unit 61 transmits the above-mentioned movement information to the communication device 10 of the information processing device 1.

[0053] The distance acquisition unit 63 acquires the distance traveled by the mobile body 60. The distance traveled can be acquired by a known method, and if the mobile body 60 is a vehicle, the output of the odometer, which calculates the distance traveled based on the vehicle speed sensor installed in the vehicle, can be acquired as the distance traveled. The position information acquisition unit 64 acquires the position information of the mobile body 60. The method of acquiring position information by the position information acquisition unit 64 is not limited, and in this embodiment, the position information of the mobile body 60 is acquired by GPS (Global Positioning System). Furthermore, the configuration of the storage battery 62 is not limited, and lithium-ion batteries, all-solid-state batteries, etc., can be used.

[0054] In this embodiment, multiple vehicles are used as the mobile body 60 equipped with a storage battery 62 that is the target of SOC estimation by the information processing device 1. The multiple vehicles that make up the mobile body 60 may include vehicles of different make and models or vehicles from different manufacturers.

[0055] 7. User Terminal 70 The user terminal 70 is a terminal owned by a user using the mobile device 60. The user terminal 70 includes a user terminal communication unit 71 and a display unit 72. The form of the user terminal 70 is not limited and can be a smartphone, tablet, or a laptop or desktop personal computer.

[0056] 8. Network 200 The network 200 enables the transmission and reception of information between the information processing device 1, the charger 50, the mobile device 60, and the user terminal 70. Its form is not limited and may be wired or wireless, and can be, for example, the internet or an intranet.

[0057] 9. Processing Flow by Information Processing Device 1 The processing flow by the processor 20 of the information processing device 1 in this embodiment will be explained using Figures 2 to 5. As shown in Figure 2, the processing flow by the information processing device 1 in this embodiment includes a movement information acquisition process S1, a charger power acquisition process S2, a charging state estimation process S3 based on driving distance, a full charge state estimation process S4, and an energy consumption estimation process S5.

[0058] First, in the movement information acquisition process S1, the processor 20 performs a process to acquire movement information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile body 60. In this embodiment, the distance traveled acquired by the movement distance acquisition unit 63 of the mobile body 60 is transmitted by the mobile body communication unit 61, and the mobile body information receiving unit 11 in the communication device 10 of the information processing device 1 receives the distance traveled by the mobile body 60 via the network 200. The information acquisition unit 21 of the processor 20 acquires the movement information received by the mobile body information receiving unit 11.

[0059] Next, in the charger power acquisition process S2, the processor 20 performs a process to acquire charger information related to the charger 50. In this embodiment, the output power of the charger 50 measured by the output power measurement unit 52 of the charger 50 is transmitted as charger information by the charger communication unit 51, and the charger information receiving unit 12 in the communication device 10 of the information processing device 1 receives the charger information via the network 200. The information acquisition unit 21 of the processor 20 acquires the charger information received by the charger information receiving unit 12.

[0060] Subsequently, in the charge state estimation process S3 based on the distance traveled, the processor 20 performs a process to estimate the charge state of the storage battery 62 mounted on the mobile body 60 based on the distance traveled by the mobile body 60. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, in step S31, it is determined whether or not the distance traveled has been acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. If the distance traveled has not been acquired, the process S3 is terminated.

[0061] On the other hand, if the information acquisition unit 21 acquires the distance traveled in step S31, the process proceeds to step S32, where the power consumption estimation unit 24 performs a process to estimate the amount of power consumed. The amount of power consumed can be expressed as D / A. Then the process proceeds to step S33, where the processor 20 performs a process to estimate the charge state of the storage battery 62. In step S33, the charge state estimation unit 28 of the processor 20 estimates the current SOC(t) of the storage battery 62 based on the full charge capacity P of the storage battery 62, the amount of power consumed D / A, and the previously estimated SOC(t-1). That is, based on the above equation (3), the SOC for the amount of power consumed by the movement of the mobile body 60 is estimated from the amount of power consumed D / A estimated by the power consumption estimation unit 24 and the full charge capacity P of the storage battery 62, and the difference between the previously estimated SOC(t-1) and the consumed SOC is estimated as the current SOC(t). Then the charge state estimation process S3 based on the distance traveled is terminated. The current SOC(t) is stored in memory 40. The stored current SOC(t) is read from memory 40 during the next charge state estimation process and referenced as the previous SOC(t-1).

[0062] Next, the full charge state estimation process S4 shown in Figure 2 is performed. As shown in Figure 4, in step S41, the processor 20 performs a disconnection determination process to determine whether the battery 62 is connected to the charger 50, based on the position information of the moving body 60 included in the movement information or the charging power output from the charger 50 included in the charger information.

[0063] In this embodiment, the detachment determination process in step S41 is performed by the detachment determination unit 22 of the processor 20, which determines, based on the position information of the mobile body 60, whether the position of the mobile body 60 is within a predetermined range from the charger 50, or whether the mobile body 60 is being charged by the charger 50 based on the charging power. If it is determined that the position of the mobile body 60 is within a predetermined range from the charger 50, or that the mobile body 60 is being charged by the charger 50 based on the charging power, the process proceeds to Yes in step S41, and in step S42, the detachment determination unit 22 determines that the mobile body 60 is connected to the charger 50. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S41 that neither is the case, the process proceeds to No in step S41, and in step S43, the detachment determination unit 22 determines that the mobile body 60 has detached from the charger 50, and the process ends. The information processing device 1 notifies the user terminal 70 that the mobile body 60 is detached from the charger 50 and is not being charged.

[0064] If step S41 is Yes, the process proceeds to steps S42 and S44, where the charging power calculation unit 23 performs a charging power calculation process to calculate the charging power W to the mobile body 60 based on the power of the charger 50 that charges the storage battery 62 acquired by the information acquisition unit 21 and the power conversion efficiency information of the charger 50 that has been set in advance. Then, in step S45, the full charge determination unit 26 of the processor 20 performs a full charge determination process to detect that the storage battery 62 has reached full charge based on the charger information. In this embodiment, in step S45, the full charge determination unit 26 of the processor 20 determines whether the charging power W, the standby power W0 of the charger 50, and the minimum instructible power Wm satisfy the above formula (1).

[0065] In step S45, if it is determined that the above-described equation (1) is satisfied, the processor 20 determines in step S46 that the battery 62 of the mobile unit 60 is fully charged. Then, in step S476, the charge state estimation unit 28 of the processor 20 estimates the current SOC to be 100%, stores the estimated SOC in the memory 40 as the current SOC, and terminates the process S4.

[0066] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S45 that the above-mentioned equation (1) is not satisfied, the process proceeds to No in step S45, and in step S48, the energy estimation unit 24 performs a process to estimate the amount of charge. In this embodiment, in step S48, the energy estimation unit 24 estimates the amount of charge by dividing the charge power W by the control period h.

[0067] Subsequently, in step S49, the charge state estimation unit 28 estimates the current State of Charge (SOC) based on the above-described formula (4), using the charge energy W / h estimated by the energy energy estimation unit 24 in step S45, the full charge capacity P of the storage battery 62, and the previous SOC, and then terminates the process S4.

[0068] Next, the power consumption estimation process S5 shown in Figure 2 is performed. As shown in Figure 5, in step S51, the charging power calculation unit 23 performs a charging power calculation process to calculate the charging power W to the mobile unit 60 based on the power output from the charger 50 when charging the storage battery 62 and the power conversion efficiency information of the charger 50 which has been set in advance.

[0069] Subsequently, in step S52, the full charge determination unit 26 of the processor 20 performs a full charge determination process to detect that the storage battery 62 has reached full charge based on the charger information. In this embodiment, in step S52, the full charge determination unit 26 determines whether the charging power W, the standby power W0 of the charger 50, and the minimum instructible power Wm satisfy the above-described formula (1).

[0070] In step S52, if it is determined that the charging power W, the standby power W0 of the charger 50, and the minimum instructible power Wm satisfy the above formula (1), it is determined that the storage battery 62 has reached full charge, and the process proceeds to Yes in step S52. Then, in step S53, the cumulative charging power amount calculation unit 25 of the processor 20 performs a cumulative charging power amount calculation process to calculate the cumulative value of the amount of charging power to the storage battery 62 until it is fully charged, based on formula (2).

[0071] Then, in step S54, the power consumption calculation unit 27 of the processor 20 calculates the power consumption A of the mobile unit 60 based on the above-described equation (2), using the cumulative value of the amount of power charged to the battery 62 until the battery 62 is fully charged and the cumulative value D of the distance traveled by the mobile unit 60, and terminates the process S5. The calculated power consumption A is stored in the memory 40. On the other hand, in step S52, if the power consumption calculation unit 27 of the processor 20 determines that the above-described equation (1) is not satisfied, the process proceeds to No in step S52 and terminates the process S5. If the calculated power consumption A is extremely large compared to the current power consumption value, or if the calculated power consumption A is a negative value, it may be determined to be a calculation error and not stored in the memory 40. This makes it possible to perform SOC estimation based on a highly accurate power consumption A value.

[0072] Next, in step S6 shown in Figure 2, the power control information creation unit 30 of the processor 20 creates power control information for controlling the power used when the charger 50 charges the battery 62, based on the current SOC estimated by the charge state estimation unit 28. In this embodiment, in step S6, the power control information creation unit 30 creates power control information that includes control information for charging the mobile device 60 reserved by the user, and control information for charging using renewable energy output from the renewable energy output unit 80, based on the SOC estimated by the charge state estimation unit 28.

[0073] Next, in step S7 shown in Figure 2, the charging status notification process S7 is performed. In the charging status notification process S7, as shown in Figure 6, in step S71, the processor 20 determines whether or not the storage battery 62 is connected to the charger 50. This determination is performed by the disconnection determination unit 22 in the same manner as in steps S41 to S43 described above. If it is determined in step S71 that the storage battery 62 is connected to the charger 50, the process proceeds to Yes in step S71, and in step S72, the information processing device 1 notifies the user of the mobile device 60 of the SOC estimated in the charging status estimation process S49 using the charging status notification unit 29.

[0074] 10. Charge state estimation method for estimating the charge state of the battery 62 of the mobile unit 60 The charge state estimation method for estimating the charge state of the battery 62 of the mobile unit 60 in this embodiment 1 includes, as shown in Figure 2, the steps of acquiring movement information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile unit 60 and charger information relating to the charger 50 that charges the battery 62 (S1, S2), and estimating the charge state of the battery 62 based on the acquired movement information and charger information (S3, S4).

[0075] 11. The program stored in the program storage unit 42 shown in Program Diagram 1 is a program that causes the processor 20 to execute the above processing flow by the information processing device 1 shown in Figures 2 to 5.

[0076] 12. Effects of the Information Processing Device 1 According to the information processing device 1 of this embodiment, the charging state of the storage battery 62 is estimated based on movement information regarding the distance traveled by the mobile body 60 and charger information regarding the charger 50. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare an optimized system or program for each mobile body 60, which simplifies the configuration and is advantageous in terms of cost.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the processor 20 acquires the charging power when the charger 50 charges the storage battery 62 as charger information in information acquisition processes S1 and S2, and performs a full charge determination process S45 that detects when the storage battery 62 has reached full charge based on the charger information, a charging power amount estimation process S48 that estimates the amount of charging power by the charger 50 based on the charger information, and a power consumption estimation process S32 that estimates the amount of power consumed by the mobile body 60 based on the movement information. Then, in the charge state estimation process S49, the current charge state is estimated based on the full charge capacity of the storage battery 62, the increase in capacity due to the charging power amount, and the decrease in capacity due to the power consumption. This makes it possible to estimate the charge state with high accuracy with a simple configuration.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the processor 20 outputs an estimated SOC that is a predetermined amount lower than the SOC estimated in the charge state estimation process S49. In this case, by underestimating the SOC in advance, it is possible to prevent power shortages from occurring when the mobile body 60 is moving.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the processor 20 executes energy consumption calculation processes S5 and S54 to calculate the energy consumption of the mobile unit 60 based on the cumulative value of the amount of charge stored in the storage battery 62 until it is fully charged and the cumulative value of the distance traveled by the mobile unit 60. This makes it possible to calculate energy consumption with high accuracy.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the processor 20 performs a disconnection determination process S41 to determine whether the battery 62 is connected to the charger 50 based on the position information of the moving body 60 included in the movement information or the charging power output from the charger 50 included in the charger information, and if the determination result of the disconnection determination process S41 indicates that the battery 62 is connected to the charger 50, it performs a full charge determination process S45. This improves the accuracy of estimating the full charge state.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the processor 20 performs a charging power calculation process S51, which calculates the charging power to the mobile unit 60 based on the power output from the charger 50 when charging the storage battery 62 and pre-set power conversion efficiency information of the charger 50, and an integrated charging power calculation process S53, which calculates the integrated value of the amount of charging power when the storage battery 62 is charged by the charger 50 until it is fully charged, based on the charger information. As a result, the power consumption can be calculated at a time when the charging amount calculation is relatively accurate, such as when the battery is fully charged, and thus the accuracy of power consumption estimation can be improved.

[0082] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the processor 20 executes a power control information creation process S6 to create power control information for controlling the power used when the charger 50 charges the battery 62, based on the SOC estimated by the charge state estimation process S49. This enables efficient energy management related to charging the battery 62 using the SOC of the battery 62 mounted on the mobile unit 60.

[0083] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, the processor 20 creates the power control information using renewable energy as the charging power in the power control information creation process S6 for charging the battery 62 of the mobile body 60 for which use has been reserved. This makes it possible to improve the utilization rate of renewable energy.

[0084] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, when the battery 62 is connected to the charger 50, the processor 20 executes a charging state notification process S7 to notify the user of the mobile unit 60 of the State of Charge (SOC) estimated in the charging state estimation process S49. This improves user convenience by notifying the user that the battery 62 is not connected to the charger 50, allowing the user to avoid reserving the mobile unit 60 or to reserve a different mobile unit 60 that is already charged. Also, since the fact that the battery 62 is not connected to the charger 50 means that the mobile unit 60 will not be at the designated location at the reserved time, the administrator of the mobile unit 60 can provide services such as advising the user to switch to a different mobile unit 60. This improves convenience for both the user and the administrator of the mobile unit 60.

[0085] 13. Effects and Benefits of the Charge State Estimation Method According to the charge state estimation method of this embodiment 1, the charge state of the storage battery 62 is estimated based on the movement information of the mobile body 60 and the charger information of the charger 50. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare an optimized system or program for each mobile body 60, which simplifies the configuration and is advantageous in terms of cost.

[0086] 14. Effects of the Program According to the program of this embodiment 1, by having the processor 20 execute the above-mentioned charge state estimation method, the charge state of the storage battery 62 is estimated based on the movement information of the mobile body 60 and the charger information related to the charger 50. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare an optimized system or program for each mobile body 60, which simplifies the configuration and is advantageous in terms of cost.

[0087] As described above, according to the above embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing device, a charging state estimation method, and a program that can estimate the charging state of a battery mounted on a mobile body with a simple configuration.

[0088] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from its essence.

[0089] The features of this disclosure are as follows: [Item 1] An information processing device for estimating the charge state of a battery provided in a mobile body, comprising: a communication device capable of communicating with the mobile body and a charger for charging the battery; and a processor, wherein the processor performs an information acquisition process via the communication device to acquire movement information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile body and charger information relating to the charger; and a charge state estimation process for estimating the charge state of the battery based on the acquired movement information and charger information. [Item 2] The information processing apparatus according to Item 1, wherein the processor, in the information acquisition process, acquires the charging power when the charger charges the storage battery as charger information, performs a full charge determination process to detect that the storage battery has reached full charge based on the charger information, performs a charging power amount estimation process to estimate the amount of charging power in the storage battery based on the charger information, and performs a power consumption estimation process to estimate the amount of power consumed by the mobile body based on the movement information, and in the charging state estimation process, estimates the charging state based on the full charge capacity of the storage battery, the increase in capacity due to the amount of charging power, and the decrease in capacity due to the amount of power consumed. [Item 3] The information processing apparatus according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the processor outputs a charging state that is a predetermined amount lower than the charging state estimated in the charging state estimation process as an estimation result. [Item 4] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the processor performs a power consumption calculation process to calculate the power consumption of the mobile body based on the cumulative value of the amount of charging power charged in the storage battery until the storage battery is fully charged and the cumulative value of the distance traveled by the mobile body. [Item 5] The information processing apparatus according to Item 2, wherein the processor performs a connection status determination process to determine whether the storage battery is connected to the charger based on the location information of the moving body included in the movement information or the charging power output from the charger included in the charger information, and performs the full charge determination process when the determination result of the connection status determination process indicates that the storage battery is connected to the charger.[Item 6] The information processing device according to any one of Items 1 to 5, wherein the processor performs a charging power calculation process to calculate the charging power to the mobile body based on the power output from the charger when charging the battery and pre-set power conversion efficiency information of the charger, and an integrated charging power calculation process to calculate the integrated value of the amount of charging power when the battery is charged by the charger until it is fully charged, based on the charger information. [Item 7] The information processing device according to any one of Items 1 to 6, wherein the processor performs a power control information creation process to create power control information for controlling the power used when the charger charges the battery, based on the charging state estimated by the charging state estimation process. [Item 8] The information processing device according to Item 7, wherein the processor creates power control information using renewable energy as charging power in a power control information creation process for charging the battery of the mobile body for which use has been reserved. [Clause 9] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the processor performs a charging state notification process to notify the user of the mobile body of the charging state estimated in the charging state estimation process when the battery is connected to the charger. [Clause 10] A charging state estimation method for estimating the charging state of a battery of a mobile body, comprising the steps of: acquiring movement information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile body and charger information relating to a charger for charging the battery; and estimating the charging state of the battery based on the acquired movement information and charger information. [Clause 11] The charging state estimation method according to Clause 10, comprising the steps of acquiring the movement information and the charger information, wherein the charger information includes acquiring the charging power when the charger charges the storage battery; detecting that the storage battery has reached full charge based on the charger information; estimating the amount of charging power in the storage battery based on the charger information; and estimating the amount of power consumed by the moving body based on the movement information, wherein the charging state estimation step involves estimating the charging state based on the full charge capacity of the storage battery, the increase in capacity due to the amount of charging power, and the decrease in capacity due to the amount of power consumed.[Item 12] A charging state estimation method according to item 10 or 11, wherein in the step of estimating the charging state, the method outputs a charging state that is a predetermined amount lower than the estimated charging state as the estimation result. [Item 13] A charging state estimation method according to any one of items 10 to 12, further comprising the step of calculating the power consumption of a mobile body based on the cumulative value of the amount of power charged to the battery until the battery is fully charged and the cumulative value of the distance traveled by the mobile body. [Item 14] A charging state estimation method according to any one of items 10 to 13, further comprising the step of determining whether the battery is connected to the charger based on the position information of the mobile body included in the movement information or the power output from the charger included in the charger information, wherein if the determination result in the step of determining whether the battery is connected to the charger indicates that the battery is connected to the charger, the method of detecting that the battery has reached full charge is performed. [Item 15] A charging state estimation method according to any one of items 10 to 14, comprising the steps of: calculating the charging power to the mobile body based on the power output from the charger when charging the battery and pre-set power conversion efficiency information of the charger; and calculating the cumulative amount of charging power when the battery is charged by the charger until it is fully charged, based on the charger information. [Item 16] A charging state estimation method according to any one of items 10 to 15, comprising the step of creating power control information for controlling the power used by the charger when charging the battery, based on the charging state estimated in the step of estimating the charging state. [Item 17] A charging state estimation method according to item 16, wherein in the step of creating power control information for charging the battery of the mobile body for which a reservation for use has been made, the power control information is created using renewable energy as the charging power. [Item 18] A charging state estimation method according to any one of items 10 to 17, comprising the step of notifying the user of the mobile body of the charging state estimated in the step of estimating the charging state when the battery is connected to the charger. [Item 19] A program that causes a processor to execute the charge state estimation method described in any one of items 10 to 18.

[0090] This disclosure is described in accordance with embodiments, but it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to such embodiments or structures. This disclosure also encompasses various variations and variations within the equivalence range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms that include one, more, or fewer of those elements, fall within the scope and concept of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An information processing device (1) for estimating the charge state of a battery provided in a mobile body (60), comprising: a communication device (10) capable of communicating with the mobile body and a charger (50) for charging the battery; and a processor (20), wherein the processor performs: an information acquisition process (S1, S2) via the communication device to acquire movement information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile body and charger information relating to the charger; and a charge state estimation process (S33, S47, S49) to estimate the charge state of the battery based on the acquired movement information and charger information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor, in the information acquisition process, acquires the charging power when the charger charges the storage battery as charger information; performs a full charge determination process (S45) to detect that the storage battery has reached full charge based on the charger information; performs a charging power amount estimation process (S48) to estimate the amount of charging power by the charger based on the charger information; and performs a power consumption estimation process (S32) to estimate the amount of power consumed by the moving body based on the movement information; and in the charging state estimation process, estimates the charging state based on the full charge capacity of the storage battery, the increase in capacity due to the amount of charging power, and the decrease in capacity due to the amount of power consumed.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor outputs a charge state that is a predetermined amount lower than the charge state estimated in the charge state estimation process as an estimated result.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor performs an energy consumption calculation process (S5, S54) to calculate the energy consumption of the mobile body based on the cumulative value of the amount of charge charged to the storage battery until the storage battery is fully charged and the cumulative value of the distance traveled by the mobile body.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor performs a connection status determination process (S41) to determine whether the storage battery is connected to the charger based on the location information of the moving body included in the movement information or the charging power output from the charger included in the charger information, and performs the full charge determination process when the determination result of the connection status determination process indicates that the storage battery is connected to the charger.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor performs a charging power calculation process (S51) which calculates the charging power to the mobile body based on the power output from the charger when charging the storage battery and pre-set power conversion efficiency information of the charger, and an integrated charging power calculation process (S53) which calculates the integrated value of the amount of charging power when the storage battery is charged by the charger until it is fully charged, based on the charger information.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor executes a power control information creation process (S6) to create power control information for controlling the power used when the charger charges the battery, based on the charge state estimated by the charge state estimation process.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the processor, in the process of creating power control information for charging the battery of the mobile body for which use has been reserved, creates power control information using renewable energy as charging power.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor performs a charging state notification process (S7, S72) to notify the user of the mobile device of the charging state estimated in the charging state estimation process when the storage battery is connected to the charger.

10. A method for estimating the charge state of a battery of a mobile body, comprising the steps of: acquiring movement information relating to the distance traveled by the mobile body and charger information relating to a charger for charging the battery (S1, S2); and estimating the charge state of the battery based on the acquired movement information and charger information (S33, S47, S49).

11. A program that causes a processor (20) to execute the charge state estimation method described in claim 10.

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