Electric Storage Device Information Collection System

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing information collection systems for electric storage devices in vehicles collect highly accurate GPS position information, which can infringe on user privacy by detailing their operation history, while often requiring more accuracy than necessary for estimating electric storage device deterioration.

Innovation Solution

An information collection system that uses lower accuracy estimation information, such as address or regional data, associated with the electric storage device information, to protect user privacy and provide sufficient accuracy for monitoring purposes, by extracting and storing address information from communication contracts or vehicle management records.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If GPS information with high accuracy is collected, then position information accuracy is improved, but user privacy protection deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposition information accuracyVSAvoiduser privacy infringement
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary components of position information (prefecture, city, ward level) while removing excessive detailed information (specific addresses, precise coordinates). This extraction principle allows collecting sufficient position data for estimating electric storage device deterioration conditions without capturing overly detailed user movement patterns that would infringe privacy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different levels of position information granularity for different purposes: coarse-grained position information (prefecture/city level) is used for privacy protection and general deterioration estimation, while finer-grained information is only collected when specifically needed and with appropriate user consent. This local quality principle allows the system to adapt information collection depth to specific needs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If GPS information with high accuracy is collected, then position information accuracy is improved, but data collection complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposition information accuracyVSAvoiddata collection system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses readily available, low-cost position information from communication contracts (mobile phone carrier data) instead of implementing complex GPS tracking systems. This approach leverages existing infrastructure to obtain sufficient position data without requiring complex hardware or processing systems, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining adequate accuracy for deterioration estimation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Loss of information

If detailed operation history is collected, then deterioration estimation accuracy is improved, but user privacy protection deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedeterioration estimation accuracyVSAvoiduser privacy infringement
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential elements needed for deterioration estimation (position, temperature, charge-discharge cycles) while excluding unnecessary detailed operation history (specific routes, timing patterns, user behavior). This selective extraction maintains sufficient information for accurate deterioration prediction while minimizing privacy intrusion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial action by collecting only the specific position information levels (prefecture, city, ward) that are sufficient for deterioration estimation without collecting excessive detailed operation history. This partial collection approach provides adequate data for estimating temperature loads and charge-discharge patterns while avoiding unnecessary privacy infringement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3392076B1Information collection system for electric storage device
Publication Date: 2022.09.28 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP3392076B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3392076B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3392076B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An information collection system for an electric storage device includes: a storage device (310) in which registration information is stored, the registration information being information in which estimation information allowing an estimation of a position of an object vehicle and identification information identifying the object vehicle are associated with each other; and a computation device (300) configured to store electric storage device information indicating information about an electric storage device equipped in each of the plurality of vehicle, in the storage device (310). The computation device (300) is configured to acquire the estimation information associated with the identification information by referring to the registration information and associate at least a part of the estimation information with the electric storage device information, as the position information about the object vehicle, after the computation device (300) receives the identification information from the communicator (DCM).