JP2009115738A - Scanning device and diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a scanning device capable of reading out battery data from a battery condition detecting device. <P>SOLUTION: In a lead battery 20 which possesses an AI unit detecting battery conditions, the AI unit is equipped with a measuring section that measures the characteristics values, such as the voltage and temperature of the lead battery 20; an operating section deciding battery conditions of the lead battery 20, based on the characteristic value measured at the measuring section; and an EEPROM memorizing at least a part of characteristic values measured at the measuring section as the battery data, as well as, the ID, and LEDs 4 to 7 transmitting the ID and the battery data stored in the EEPROM to a scanning device; while the scanning device is equipped with an optical receiver 19 that includes a photodetector 19 for receiving the ID and the battery data transmitted from the LEDs 4 to 7, a RAM storing the ID and the battery data received at the optical receiver 19 and a communicating section transmitting the ID and the battery data stored in the RAM. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reading device and a diagnostic device, and more particularly to a reading device that reads battery data stored in a battery state detection device that detects a battery state of a lead battery, and a lead battery based on the battery data received from the reading device. The present invention relates to a diagnosis apparatus that performs diagnosis.

  Internal resistance, discharge voltage, open circuit voltage, remaining capacity, state of charge, etc. have been used as parameters representing battery state or measurement parameters for calculating battery state. In recent years, the importance of such battery state monitoring and battery state control has been increasing as the load on the batteries used in automobiles, portable devices, and the like has increased with the increase in performance.

  In order to cope with idle stop start (ISS), regenerative charging, etc., which are performed to reduce exhaust gas, automotive batteries are required to have a technology that keeps the battery in a battery state suitable for these applications. Yes. Lead batteries are one of the typical batteries that can be applied to these applications. A system for remote monitoring using radio waves has been put to practical use for industrial purposes, not for vehicles (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, as a battery inspection method using a vehicle, there is a method of evaluating a voltage in a state where a starter motor is rotated. It has been used for a long time as a battery check method for investigating whether a starter or a battery is the cause of a vehicle whose engine cannot be started. Measurement with a simple voltmeter with a slow time response without using an oscilloscope is common, and if the voltage is relatively stable after the inrush current is about 9 V or more, it is judged as normal. If measures are taken not to supply fuel to the engine so that the engine does not actually start even if the starter motor rotates, a time-stable voltage can be obtained even in a normal vehicle, and the battery can be checked. it can.

Patent 3345793

  In the conventional battery checking method, diagnosis is performed based on one measurement data at the time of checking. This is no problem as a normal inspection method. However, more accurate diagnosis results can be obtained by making a diagnosis based on a plurality of times of measurement data. In such a case, it is reasonable to make a diagnosis together with the measurement data at the past inspection, and more accurate and appropriate advice can be given.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a reading device that reads battery data stored in a battery state detection device and a diagnostic device that diagnoses a lead battery based on battery data received from the reading device. .

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention is a reading device that reads battery data stored in a battery state detection device that detects a battery state of a lead battery, and the battery state detection device includes: Measuring means for measuring a characteristic value including at least a voltage value of the lead battery, state determining means for determining a battery state of the lead battery based on the characteristic value measured by the measuring means, and storing an ID, Non-volatile storage means for storing at least a part of the characteristic values measured by the measurement means as battery data, and transmission means for transmitting the ID and battery data stored in the storage means to the reader. The reader includes a receiving unit that receives the ID and battery data transmitted from the transmitting unit, and a storage unit that stores the ID and battery data received by the receiving unit. And a communication means for transmitting the ID and the cell data stored in the storage means.

  In the first aspect, in the battery state detection device, the characteristic value including at least the voltage value of the lead battery is measured by the measuring unit, and the battery state of the lead battery is determined based on the characteristic value measured by the measuring unit by the state determining unit. The non-volatile storage means that has been determined and stores the ID stores at least a part of the characteristic values measured by the measurement means as battery data, and the ID and battery data stored in the storage means by the transmission means are stored in the reader. Sent. On the other hand, the reading device receives the ID and battery data transmitted from the transmission unit of the battery state detection device by the reception unit, stores the ID and battery data received by the reception unit by the storage unit, and stores the ID and battery data in the storage unit by the communication unit. The stored ID and battery data are transmitted. Examples of the communication destination include a database and a diagnostic device that diagnoses the battery state of the lead battery. At the communication destination, battery data is accumulated based on the ID.

  In the first aspect, the transmission / reception between the transmission unit and the reception unit is preferably optical communication using blinking of the light emitting element, voice communication using an acoustic coupler, or wireless communication using radio waves. Moreover, it is preferable that the transmission means has a light emitting element, and the receiving means has a light receiving portion in which a larger number of light receiving elements than the number of light emitting elements are arranged in one or more rows.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a second aspect of the present invention is a diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing a lead battery based on battery data received from the reading apparatus of the first aspect. Receiving means for receiving the transmitted ID and battery data, data management means for managing the history of battery data for each ID received from the reading device one or more times by the receiving means, and managed by the data management means Diagnostic means for diagnosing the state of the lead battery on the basis of the history of the battery data, and information providing means for providing the diagnosis result diagnosed by the diagnostic means as information on the lead battery.

  In the second aspect, the ID and the battery data transmitted from the communication unit of the reading device are received by the receiving unit, and the battery data for each ID received one or more times from the reading unit by the receiving unit is received by the data managing unit. The history is managed, the state of the lead battery is diagnosed based on the battery data history managed by the data management means by the diagnosis means, and the diagnosis result diagnosed by the diagnosis means is provided as information on the lead battery by the information providing means. The

  Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a third aspect of the present invention is a diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing a lead battery based on battery data received from a terminal computer via a communication network, wherein the terminal computer The ID and battery data are received from the communication means of the reading device according to claim 1, and the received ID and battery data are transmitted to the diagnostic device via a communication network, and the diagnostic device is connected to the terminal computer. Receiving means for receiving the ID and battery data transmitted from the terminal, data managing means for managing the history of battery data for each ID received from the terminal computer one or more times by the receiving means, and the data managing means Diagnostic means for diagnosing the state of the lead battery based on the history of the managed battery data, and the diagnosis result diagnosed by the diagnostic means Comprising an information providing means for providing as information of the battery, the.

  In the third aspect, the terminal computer receives the ID and battery data from the communication means of the reading device of the first aspect, and transmits the received ID and battery data to the diagnostic device via the communication network. On the diagnostic apparatus side, the ID and battery data transmitted from the terminal computer are received by the receiving means, and the history of the battery data for each ID received one or more times from the terminal computer by the receiving means is managed by the data managing means. The state of the lead battery is diagnosed based on the history of the battery data managed by the data management means by the diagnosis means, and the diagnosis result diagnosed by the diagnosis means is provided as information on the lead battery by the information providing means.

  In the third aspect, the information providing means may provide the information about the lead battery via any of a homepage on the Internet, e-mail, FAX, mail, and courier. Moreover, you may make it further provide the group name information provision means which provides the information for acquiring the group name which performs the battery check by a reader or the said group name on the homepage of a communication net.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the reading device receives the ID of the battery state detection device and the battery data of the lead battery by the receiving means, and stores the received ID and battery data in the storage means. The ID and battery data stored in the nonvolatile memory of the state detection device can be read, the information stored in the nonvolatile memory is read by the reader, and the already read information is stored in the nonvolatile memory. Therefore, the capacity of the nonvolatile memory of the battery state detection device can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the history of battery data for each ID is managed by the data management means, and the state of the lead battery is diagnosed by the diagnosis means based on the history of battery data managed by the data management means. Therefore, by using past battery data, it is possible to increase the amount of data used in the diagnosis of the lead battery, and to obtain an effect that the diagnosis of the lead battery can be performed appropriately.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect, the diagnostic apparatus receives the ID and the battery data from the terminal computer via the communication network. The effect that it can arrange | position to can be acquired.

  In this embodiment, ID and battery data are transmitted from the battery state detection device and received by the reading device. A circuit configuration for detecting a battery state from voltage and temperature measurement data is a low cost and desirable circuit configuration. Depending on the battery state detection algorithm, information on the current and the liquid level position of the electrolytic solution may be required. In this case, data of the current sensor and the liquid level sensor are also measured. There is also an algorithm for detecting a battery state by measuring an internal resistance from a voltage change when a battery is discharged by the discharge circuit, and in that case, the battery may have a discharge circuit.

  The ID and battery data are recorded in a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM in the battery state detection device. It is desirable that all measured data is recorded in the nonvolatile memory. However, since lead batteries for automobiles are used for about 3 to 9 years, a memory capacity of about 200 GB is required. It is difficult to maintain the price setting with commerciality by mounting it on a low-cost automotive lead-acid battery, and only a very small amount of data such as minimum voltage and maximum temperature can be recorded due to cost constraints. However, even if only a small amount of data is read at a time, more information can be provided to the user if past data can be referred to using the ID. For this reason, the ID and battery data received by the reading device are further transmitted from the reading device to the personal computer and managed by the computer receiving the ID and battery data, or further diagnosed from this computer via a communication network. Managed by site computers. At this time, except for the ID of the battery state detection device, the battery data stored in the non-volatile memory of the transmitted battery state detection device may be deleted or identified as unnecessary data. According to the user's request, the data of the ID of the battery state detection device attached to the lead battery of the user is searched, and the result of diagnosis based on the extracted data is provided to the user. At that time, if a plurality of sets of data having the same ID are included on different dates, a diagnosis is made based on the plurality of sets of data.

  When a user requests to provide battery diagnosis results, the battery status detection on the lead battery of the user is detected from the user information such as the user's name, address, phone number, e-mail address, date of birth, etc. It is necessary to know the ID of the device. As a method for associating the user with the ID, for example, at the time of user registration, the serial number written on the surface of the lead battery owned by the user is entered, and the serial number is used as the ID, There is a method of specifying an ID from a correspondence table of serial numbers recorded in advance and IDs of battery state detection devices. As another method, the user is provided with user information when performing an inspection using the reading device for the first time, and a table for creating a table that associates the ID read by the reading device with the user information is provided. There is a method in which paper or electronic data on which an ID is printed is handed over to the user and the user is presented or input the ID of the battery state detection device when a request for providing a battery diagnosis result is made. In the latter case, it is not always necessary to manage user information, so that data can be easily managed.

  When a lead battery serial number is used as an ID, it cannot be automatically read at the time of reading by the reading device. Therefore, before or after reading, the serial number is input by the reading device as shown in FIG. Manage with battery data.

  Note that the user information here is not necessarily information that can identify an individual, but information that can identify an individual is considered personal information as defined in the Personal Information Protection Law. In accordance with the provisions of the law, it is necessary to apply the law as a business operator handling personal information.

  Diagnosis is performed based on one or more sets of data obtained by searching with the same ID, but the advantage of using ID is that past data can be recalled and that multiple sets read in the past multiple times with a reader More accurate and appropriate advice can be given based on the data. There is also an advantage that traceability can be secured at a high level.

  The reading device receives transmission data generated by blinking of the light emitting element of the battery state detection device by a light receiving unit including a light receiving element such as a photodiode, a phototransistor, or a CCD. The number of light-emitting elements on the battery side is not limited. For example, three LEDs that light up and indicate the status of good, replacement, and overcharge of the lead battery, and the status of charge and caution are required. Alternatively, a total of four LEDs can be used, one LED blinking and displaying. On the other hand, it is preferable that the number of light receiving elements of the reading device is at least equal to or more than the number of light emitting elements of the battery state detecting device.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a diagnostic system for diagnosing a lead battery based on battery data received via a communication network will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 9, the diagnosis system of the present embodiment wirelessly transmits the ID of the AI unit 30 as the battery state detection device read by the reading device 50 and the battery data of the lead battery 20 to the store PC 60, and the store PC 60 The received ID and battery data are transmitted to the diagnostic device 70 at the diagnostic site via the Internet. The diagnostic device 70 accumulates the received battery data in the database server for each ID, and the battery data accumulated in the database server. Based on this, the battery state of the lead battery 20 is diagnosed and the diagnosis result is provided to the user.

(Lead battery and AI unit)
As shown in FIG. 1, the lead battery 20 has a substantially rectangular battery case serving as a battery container, and an automatic battery (type: 65B24R). As the material of the battery case, for example, a polymer resin such as polyethylene (PE) can be used. Each electrode plate group is formed by laminating a plurality of negative plates and positive plates with a separator interposed therebetween, and the cell voltage is 2.0V. For this reason, the nominal voltage of the lead battery 20 is set to 12V. The upper part of the battery case is bonded or welded to an upper lid made of a polymer resin such as PE that seals the upper opening of the battery case. A temperature sensor such as a thermistor is embedded in a substantially central portion of the battery case.

  The upper lid is provided with a positive terminal 1 and a negative terminal 2 for supplying electric power to the outside by using the lead battery 20 as an automobile power source. In addition, an AI unit 30 that determines the battery state (charged state (SOC) and health state (SOH)) of the lead battery 20 is housed (built in) in the upper lid.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the AI unit 30 includes an A / D converter, a reference power source, etc., and a voltage measuring unit 33 that measures the voltage of the lead battery 20, and the above-described temperature sensor, A / D converter, and the like. A temperature measurement unit 34 for measuring the temperature of the lead battery 20, a calculation unit 31 including a microprocessor (hereinafter abbreviated as MP), a ROM, a RAM, a nonvolatile memory EEPROM 32, and a switch A button (hereinafter abbreviated as a switch) 3 (also see FIG. 1), a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as an LED) 4 to 7 as a light emitting element, a D / A converter, a transistor, a resistor, and the like. The LED 4 to 7 are turned on or blinked to display the battery state of the lead battery 20 and to be used for optical communication with the reading device 50, and a coil-type buzzer and buzzer. D / A converter for operating, a transistor, a notification unit 36 that is configured to have a resistance such as to generate a warning sound, a.

  These parts are mounted on both surfaces of the substrate 25 (see FIG. 8). On the substrate 25, connector pins for performing external writing to the EEPROM 32 are provided. The AI unit 30 is connected to the positive electrode terminal 1 and the negative electrode terminal 2 by a connection conductor (not shown) in the upper lid, and the operating power is supplied from the lead battery 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8, the LEDs constituting the operation display unit 35 are, in order from the right, a green LED 7 indicating that the health condition of the lead battery 20 is good, and attention should be paid (of the lead battery 20 It is arranged at a pitch of 5.2 mm in the order of yellow LED 6 indicating deterioration) or red LED 5 indicating replacement required, red LED 4 indicating overcharge, The LEDs 4 to 7 are covered with a plate-like translucent resin cover 23. For this reason, the light from the LED is scattered and transmitted through the cover 23, thereby improving the visibility of lighting or blinking of the lead battery 20 from the oblique direction. In addition, although the seal 22 (refer FIG. 8) is affixed on the upper cover of the lead battery 20, the part in which the cover 23 is located is transparent and transmits light so that the display / communication functions of the LEDs 4 to 7 are not impaired. Has been. Therefore, the portion of the seal 22 located on the LEDs 4 to 7 may be not only transparent but only a notch.

  When displaying the battery status, the three LEDs 4, 5, 7 other than the yellow LED 6 are only lit, but the yellow LED 6 is lit to indicate that the health status of the lead battery 20 needs attention. Flashes to indicate charging.

  As shown in Table 1, these LEDs automatically turn on or flash for about 30 seconds except for LED 7 to indicate the battery status of the lead battery 20 after the engine is stopped, but the switch 3 is pressed. Sometimes it lights up or flashes for 5 seconds. The LEDs 5 to 7 are also used for optical communication with the reading device 50. The operation and the like will be described later.

  A buzzer sound emission hole 17 is formed at a position where the buzzer of the AI unit 30 on the upper lid is mounted, and the upper surface of the operation display unit 35 of the AI unit 30 is substantially flush with the upper surface of the upper lid. .

(Reading device)
As shown in FIG. 4, the optical signals transmitted from the LEDs 5 to 7 of the AI unit 30 are read by a reading device 50 installed in a partner company (see FIG. 9) that sells and inspects lead batteries (see battery manufacturer). Read. The reading device 50 includes a main body unit 8 and a light receiving unit 15 connected to the main body unit 8, and more specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 7, a user's input from an input unit described later. An input control unit 52 for controlling commands, an LCD control unit 53 for controlling display of a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as LCD) 14, a printer control unit 54 for controlling printing of the printer 13, and a store PC 60 (see FIG. 9). ), A calculation unit 51 having a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, and the like, the light receiving unit 15 described above, and a power supply unit 56 serving as a power source for the reading device 50. Note that the communication unit 55 is also equipped with a mobile phone terminal in order to communicate with the diagnostic site.

  The main body 8 is provided with an input unit having a power button 9, a cross button 10, a clear button 11, and a confirmation button 12, a printer 13, an LCD 14, and the control units described above.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, a total of 27 light receiving elements 19 such as phototransistors are arranged in the light receiving unit 15 in a horizontal direction with a pitch of 2.6 mm and a vertical length of 3 rows with a pitch of 2 mm. ing. In this embodiment, three rows are arranged in the vertical direction, but one row may be used. As shown in FIG. 8, the light receiving element 19 of the light receiving unit 15 is placed on the upper lid of the lead battery 20 so as to face the LEDs 4 to 7 of the lead battery 20 (AI unit 30). A protruding portion protruding from the light receiving element 19 is formed on the opposite side peripheral portion of the LEDs 4 to 7 of the light receiving portion 15 (see also FIG. 8), and the protruding portion is brought into contact with the upper surface of the upper lid of the lead battery 20, thereby 20 (AI unit 30) performs optical communication (receives optical signals from LEDs 5 to 7) (state shown in FIG. 4).

  In the present embodiment, the number of the light receiving elements 19 is larger than the number of the LEDs 5 to 7, but this makes it less likely that a communication error due to a positional shift occurs than in the configuration where the light receiving elements and the light emitting elements are the same number. The number of the light receiving elements 19 in the horizontal direction in FIG. 6 is desirably more than twice the number of LEDs 5 to 7 used for optical communication.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the data received by optical communication from the lead battery 20 (AI unit 30) on the opposite surface (the upper part of the light receiving unit 15) where the light receiving element 19 of the light receiving unit 15 is disposed. Two LEDs 16 are provided for displaying the reception state. One LED 16 is lit when 1/2 data is received, and the other LED 16 is lit when data reception is completed.

  There are two mounting directions of the receiving unit 15 when viewed from the top surface of the lead battery 20, but it can be normally read in any mounting direction. The reading device 50 according to the present embodiment detects the direction of the receiving unit 15 by detecting the position of the clock signal that emits light at equal time intervals. The LED other than the clock signal (including the LED 4 not used for optical communication) may be identified from the blinking characteristics of the LED to identify the direction of the light receiving unit 15. Since the mode signal from the LED 5 is not necessarily a signal required in the present invention, for example, by eliminating the mode signal and making the two inner signals and the two outer signals of the four LEDs the same, the software of the reader 50 on the receiving side can be used. You may make it respond | correspond to the direction of the light-receiving part 15, without adding the process for pinpointing the direction of the receiving part 15. FIG.

(Store PC)
A store PC 60 is deployed in the partner company. The store PC 60 is constituted by a personal computer, and has a communication unit for receiving the ID of the AI unit 30 and the battery data of the lead battery 20 transmitted from the reading device 50. The communication unit is a peripheral device of the store PC 60 and is connected to the store PC 60 via an interface. The store PC 60 is connected to the Internet directly or indirectly through a public line and a provider. In the present embodiment, communication between the reading device 50 and the store PC 60 is performed using a wireless LAN, but a wired connection may be used.

(Diagnosis site)
The diagnostic site is operated by an information service provider. The information service provider assumed here is a department within the battery manufacturer, but may be an operator outside the battery manufacturer. The diagnostic site is connected to the Internet, and through a firewall, the web server 71, the database server 73 that stores battery data of the lead battery for each ID, and the diagnosis of the lead battery based on the battery data stored in the database server 73 A terminal PC 72 for performing the above and a mail server 74 for notifying the user of the diagnosis result are connected by a LAN.

(Operation)
Next, the operation of each element constituting the diagnostic system of the present embodiment will be described according to the operation mode of the AI unit 30.

<AI unit>
The AI unit 30 is a test mode in which the value of the test voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit 33 is transmitted by blinking the LED, and as shown in Table 1, the battery state of the lead battery 20 is turned on. In addition, there are three operation modes: a normal mode for flashing and displaying, and a history reading mode for transmitting battery data of the lead battery 20 stored in the EEPROM 32 to the reading device 50 by flashing the LED.

  The inspection mode is a mode executed at the time of (manufacturing) inspection of the AI unit 30 before the AI unit 30 is accommodated in the upper lid of the lead battery 20, and the AI unit 30 that has passed this inspection is a lead battery. 20 in the top lid. In this embodiment, in order to simplify the description, an example of inspection using the above-described reading device 50 is shown. However, in actual manufacturing inspection, inspection is performed by a dedicated inspection jig including the reading device 50. The normal mode is a mode that is executed after the lead battery 20 containing the AI unit 30 is mounted on the automobile. As described above, the LED is lit or blinks according to the battery state of the lead battery 20. The history reading mode is a mode for mainly grasping what history the lead battery 20 has or has deteriorated when the diagnosis or inspection of the lead battery 20 is necessary. Hereinafter, these modes will be described in order.

<Inspection mode>
When the inspection operation power supply is turned on to the connection conductor of the AI unit 30, an initial setting process for expanding the program and program data stored in the ROM into the RAM is performed. The MP waits until a voltage that forms a predetermined voltage waveform is applied to the connection conductor (voltage measurement unit 33). When a predetermined voltage waveform is applied to the connection conductor, the MP is instructed to enter the inspection mode. Judge that there was. As the predetermined voltage waveform, for example, a rectangular wave voltage waveform in which a voltage rise to 15 V or more is performed 5 times and a voltage drop to 7 V or less is performed 5 times within 600 ms can be used.

  In the inspection of the AI unit 30, a voltage inspection for confirming the voltage measurement accuracy of the voltage measurement unit 33, a temperature inspection for confirming the temperature measurement accuracy of the temperature measurement unit 34, a version inspection for confirming the version of the program stored in the ROM, and an EEPROM 32 A writing check for confirming the characters written in and other type checking are performed. In this inspection, as will be described in detail in the normal mode (described later), whether the MP can determine whether the engine is stopped or during engine start, engine start, and a buzzer operation check are also performed.

  In the inspection mode, for example, (A) the value of the inspection voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit 33, (B) the value of the inspection temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 34, (C) the EEPROM 32 for inspection (from the outside) The written character information, (D) the ID (unique serial number) of the AI unit 30, and (E) the checksum are transmitted in sequence by rapidly blinking the LEDs 5 to 7 (optical communication).

  As shown in FIG. 3, in this inspection mode, the LED 7 is used as a clock generation LED that repeatedly turns on for 0.5 ms and turns off for 0.5 ms. The LED 6 is used as a data transmission LED that serially transmits the data (A) to (E) described above in binary (by turning on or off for 1 ms). Because of serial transmission, between the data transmissions (A) to (E), for example, there is a transmission suspension time of 5 ms when the LED 6 is turned off. Further, the LED 5 emits light in the inspection mode (binary “1”), and turns off in the history reading mode described later (binary “0”). The LED 4 is used only in the normal mode and is not used in the inspection mode and the history reading mode.

  In the inspection in the inspection mode, the connector of the writing unit (not shown) is connected to the connector pin described above, and “AAAA” and “5555”, for example, are written in the EEPROM 32 by the writing unit. Next, for example, a voltage generator (not shown) capable of generating a voltage of 6V to 16V in a stepwise manner generates the above-described predetermined voltage waveform and applies it to the voltage measuring unit 33 via the connection conductor. Thus, the AI unit 30 is shifted to the inspection mode.

  After shifting to the inspection mode, a predetermined inspection voltage generated by the voltage generator is applied to the voltage measuring unit 33. Furthermore, for example, a small constant temperature chamber is provided, and the temperature in the chamber of a temperature generating device (not shown) that can be changed stepwise (for example, in units of 30 ° C.) from −10 ° C. to 50 ° C. The temperature sensor of the measurement unit 34 is inserted, and the inside of the chamber is set to a predetermined inspection temperature. The MP captures the inspection voltage as a digital value via the voltage measurement unit 33, captures the inspection temperature as a digital value via the temperature measurement unit 34, and transmits measurement data of the captured inspection voltage and inspection temperature. Therefore, the LEDs 5 to 7 are turned on or off (flashing) by outputting a high level signal or a low level signal to the gate of the transistor via the DA converter. Accordingly, the LEDs 5 to 7 transmit the data (A) to (E) described above to the reading device 50. The inspection voltage by the voltage generator and the inspection temperature by the temperature generator are changed every predetermined time.

  The reading device 50 receives the transmission signals generated by the blinking of the LEDs 5 to 7 by the 27 light receiving elements 19 arranged close to the LEDs 5 to 7 respectively, and displays the data (A) to (E) described above on the LCD 14. As a result, a version check, a write check on the EEPROM 32, a format check to determine whether all the data (A) to (F) can be received, and the like are performed. Further, in the voltage inspection and the temperature inspection, whether the inspection voltage (plurality) and the value of the inspection voltage (plurality) measured by the voltage measuring unit 33 are within a predetermined tolerance range or the inspection temperature ( (B) and (B) whether or not the inspection temperature values (plurality) measured by the temperature measuring unit 34 are within a predetermined tolerance range.

  In the inspection mode, the MP determines whether the switch 3 is pressed three times within 5 seconds, and whether 10 minutes have elapsed from the command to enter the inspection mode. If any one of these is affirmative, data other than the ID of the AI unit 30 stored in the EEPROM 32 is initialized, and the processing routine in the inspection mode is terminated.

<Normal mode>
The main operation of the MP in the normal mode is to monitor (measure) the voltage of the lead battery 20, and when it is determined that the battery state (SOH, SOC) of the lead battery 20 is lower than a preset determination threshold value, A warning is given to the user (driver) with an LED and a buzzer after the engine is stopped. The details are as follows.

  The MP captures the digital voltage value of the lead battery 20 via the voltage measuring unit 33 at predetermined time intervals (for example, 2 ms), and determines (calculates) the SOC and SOH of the lead battery 20 based on the captured voltage value. ) In addition, the MP measures the temperature of the lead battery 20 every predetermined time (for example, 1 second) via the temperature measuring unit 34, and converts it into, for example, SOC and SOH at room temperature (25 ° C) according to the captured temperature value. Correct the temperature.

  It is simple to measure the open circuit voltage (OCV) to determine the SOC. For this purpose, OCV data is obtained in advance for each SOC lead battery, a relational expression or map between the OCV and the SOC is created, and a relational expression or map is obtained from the OCV measured through the voltage measuring unit 33. Use this to calculate the SOC back.

  Moreover, SOH has a strong correlation with the internal resistance value of the lead battery. A so-called DC method can be used for measuring the internal resistance of the lead battery. The direct current method is a method of measuring the OCV of the lead battery and the minimum voltage value at the time of starting the engine, and obtaining the internal resistance value from the difference therebetween. In order to determine the SOH from the internal resistance value, as in the case of determining the SOC, data of the internal resistance value is obtained in advance for each lead battery of each SOH and measured using a relational expression or a map. The SOH may be calculated from the internal resistance value of the battery. The details are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 described above.

  On the other hand, the AI unit 30 has a function of detecting the engine state based on the measured voltage of the lead battery 20. That is, the MP constantly monitors (measures) the voltage of the lead battery 20 and determines the engine state of engine start, engine start, and engine stop from the measured voltage change.

<Engine start>
In general, in a vehicle having an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine vehicle or a diesel engine vehicle, electric power is supplied from a lead battery and a cell motor is rotated to start the engine. At this time, a large current flows, and accordingly, the voltage between the terminals of the lead battery 20 greatly decreases. When measuring the voltage drop and the time change of the current at this time, a sharp peak-shaped large current flows immediately after the current starts to flow through the cell motor, and at the same time, the voltage between the terminals of the lead battery 20 shows a sharp valley-shaped voltage drop. . The minimum voltage value Vst at this time is data for determining SOH as described above.

  Therefore, MP is a voltage drop of Y (0.50 to 3.0) V or more within X (1 to 100) ms after the start of discharge of the lead battery 20 (for example, a voltage drop of 1.5 V or more within 15 ms). ) And a predetermined value a (a: a voltage value of 109 to 121% of the OCV of the lead battery 20) or more is determined thereafter. judge. Note that the first minimum voltage value measured at the start of discharge of the lead battery 20 and the minimum voltage value measured within 15 ms after the start of discharge of the lead battery 20 are used to determine the SOH as described above. Calculated as the value Vst. On the other hand, when a negative determination is made, it is considered that an in-vehicle electrical component such as a car air conditioner or a car navigation system is activated (the engine is regarded as not started).

  In connection with this engine start-up, MP is the first time that a voltage drop of Y (0.50 to 3.0) V or more (for example, within 15 ms) within X (1 to 100) ms after the start of discharge of the lead battery 20. The lead battery 20 is mounted on the vehicle when it is determined that there is a voltage drop of 1.5 V or more) and a predetermined value a (a: 109 to 121% of the OCV of the lead battery 20) is higher than that. Therefore, it is determined that a command to shift to the normal mode has been issued. When the mode is shifted to the normal mode, the time measurement by the internal clock is started, and the minimum voltage value Vst0 (the minimum voltage value in the non-degraded state of the lead battery 20) and the checksum of the lead battery 20 at this time are written in the EEPROM 32. .

<Engine is running>
MP is a lead battery because the voltage of the lead battery 20 is always greater than or equal to the predetermined value a described above after the affirmative determination of the engine start described above (the generator (alternator, regulator) is operating when the engine is running). 20 is in a charged state, and the voltage is higher than OCV.) When the determination is affirmative, it is determined that the engine is being started.

<Engine stop>
(1) After determining that the engine is being started, when the voltage of the lead battery 20 becomes a certain value b or less: it is determined that the engine has been stopped from the engine starting state. For example, a voltage value of 103 to 108% of the OCV of the lead battery 20 can be used as the voltage value of b. Also, (2) after determining that the engine is starting, when the voltage of the lead battery 20 decreases at a speed equal to or higher than a certain value c, and the voltage drop is equal to or larger than a certain value d: It is determined that the vehicle has stopped. The voltage drop rate of c can be 1.0 to 4.0 V / s, and the voltage drop width of d can be 0.05 to 0.20 V. Further, (3) after determining that the engine is being started, the voltage of the lead battery 20 drops to a certain value e or less, and the change width of the voltage at that time is a certain fixed value f with a certain time width. When the value is less than or equal to g: It is determined that the engine is stopped from the engine starting state. The voltage value of e can be 102 to 109% of the OCV of the lead battery 20, the value of f is 0.01 to 1.0 s, and the voltage change width of g is 0.1 to 0.3 V. . MP determines that the engine has stopped when it falls under any of (1) to (3).

  Note that MP represents the voltage of the lead battery 20 measured after the engine is stopped, after the polarization reaction of the lead battery 20 is resolved (for example, after 6 hours have passed without detecting a voltage fluctuation of 100 mV or more per second). Measure as In each case, the MP records the measured OCV in the EEPROM 32.

  Further, the MP measures the minimum voltage value Vst at the time of starting the engine, and records the measured Vst in the EEPROM 32 each time. In the normal mode, the MP stores the lead battery 20 in the EEPROM 32 every predetermined time (for example, two weeks = 336 hours) from the time when the mode is changed to the normal mode (the lead battery 20 is assumed to be mounted on the automobile). Predetermined data (data necessary for calculation of items 1 to 25 in Table 2 to be described later) such as usage time, operating time, overdischarge time, engine start frequency is written as battery data, and the checksum is updated. Since the engine is not always started when the predetermined time has elapsed, in this case, the latest operating time data stored in the RAM before the predetermined time has elapsed is written.

  In addition, the MP calculates SOC and SOH at all times or after the lead battery containing the AI unit 30 is mounted on the automobile. The calculated SOC and SOH values are compared with a predetermined determination threshold value every time the calculation is performed. When the SOC and SOH values are lower than the determination threshold, a preparatory operation for notification is performed in accordance with the notification timing. In this embodiment, as shown in Table 1, in principle, the alarm level is set to three levels of “good”, “caution”, and “replacement required” (defective) for SOH, and “good”, “required” for SOC. The level is divided into two stages of “required charging”, and the result is recorded in the EEPROM 32 for each level division calculation.

  Since the AI unit 30 is accommodated in the upper lid of the lead battery 20, the AI unit 30 is arranged at a place where the lead battery 20 is installed. Most of them are in the engine room or in an automobile such as a passenger compartment, and a warning sound emitted by a buzzer is difficult to hear due to vehicle noise while driving. For this reason, the generation timing of the warning sound generated by the AI unit 30 is set as follows so that the warning sound is easily heard by the user so that the warning sound is reliably transmitted to the user. In addition, immediately after the MP determines that the engine has stopped, the high level signal is continuously or intermittently output to the gate of the transistor that turns on the LED via the D / A converter, and the LED is turned on or blinked. At the same time, after a predetermined time has elapsed, a high level signal is sent to the gate of the transistor that operates the buzzer via another D / A converter to generate a warning sound.

  At the timing of stopping the engine from the engine starting state, it is estimated that the user often performs a series of operations of getting out of the automobile, closing the door, locking the door, and leaving the automobile. Therefore, when a warning sound is generated (for example, when the SOH of the lead battery 20 falls below the determination threshold value), if the warning is provided with a certain time lag from the timing at which the engine is determined to have stopped, the alarm is issued to the user. Is more likely to be transmitted. In addition to the notification start timing, the notification duration by the buzzer warning sound is also an important factor.

  As these specific times and times, it is preferable that the notification start be performed between 0 and 60 seconds after the engine is stopped. The notification duration needs to be 2 seconds or more, and it is necessary to keep reporting for a maximum of several minutes. Moreover, since the optimal value of these time and time changes with the usage forms of a vehicle, what is necessary is just to determine by an individual case according to the use of the lead battery 20. FIG. In addition, the lead battery 20 of a present Example is a thing for general passenger cars, and as shown in Table 1, the alerting | reporting continuation time of the warning sound by a buzzer is set to about 30 seconds.

  According to the AI unit 30 of the present embodiment, in most cases, the warning sound can be reliably transmitted to the user, but in reality, the SOC and SOH that generate the warning sound are assumed on the assumption that several missed hearings occur. The determination threshold value may be set slightly higher with a margin.

  On the other hand, in the display of the battery state of the lead battery 20 by the LEDs 4 to 7, the LED is turned on or blinked immediately after the engine is stopped. In this embodiment, the time is about 5 minutes as shown in Table 1. In the AI unit 30, the switch 3 is arranged on the operation display unit 35. This is because a user who hears a warning sound from the buzzer or desires to know the battery state can check the battery state (SOC, SOH) of the lead battery 20. That is, when the switch 3 is pressed once, as shown in Table 1, the battery state is displayed by the LED 5 so that the user can arbitrarily grasp the battery state.

<History reading mode>
The MP waits until the switch 3 is pressed by the second predetermined operation. When the switch 3 is pressed by the second predetermined operation, the MP determines that there is an instruction to shift to the history reading mode. Examples of the second predetermined operation include an operation of pressing the switch 3 seven times within 5 seconds.

  In the history reading mode, the LEDs of the AI unit 30 and the battery data of the lead battery 20 stored in the EEPROM 32 are transmitted every predetermined time by blinking the LEDs 5 to 7 at high speed (optical communication), and finally the checksum is transmitted. Is done. As shown in FIG. 3, as in the inspection mode, the LED 7 is used as a clock generation LED, and the LED 6 is used as a data transmission LED. The LED 5 is turned off (binary “0”) in the history reading mode, contrary to the inspection mode.

  Similar to the inspection mode, the optical signals transmitted from the LEDs 5 to 7 of the AI unit 30 are read by the reading device 50. The reading device 50 receives the transmission signal generated by the blinking of the LEDs 6 and 7 by the 27 light receiving elements 19 disposed in proximity to the LEDs 4 to 7, and calculates the ID of the AI unit 30 and the battery data of the lead battery 20. Is displayed on the LCD 15 after the transmission data is confirmed by the checksum. Further, the data is output by the printer 13 as necessary. Note that it is easier to grasp the change (deterioration transition) of the time-series minimum voltage value Vst in a graph.

  Thereby, the deterioration process of the lead battery 20 can be grasped. The minimum voltage value Vst at the time of starting the engine of the lead battery 20 is the internal resistance of the lead battery 20 from the minimum voltage value Vst0 (when the lead battery 20 is in a non-degraded state) when the lead battery 20 is first installed in the automobile. As the value increases, it gradually decreases and deteriorates. Therefore, for example, by referring to the graph of the change in the minimum voltage value Vst, it is possible to grasp at which point the deterioration has progressed (see “information provision” in FIG. 9).

  In the history reading mode, the MP determines whether the switch 3 has been pressed three times within 5 seconds and whether 10 minutes have elapsed from the command to enter the history reading mode in the history reading mode. If both are negative, the processing routine in the history reading mode is continued. If any of them is positive, the processing routine in the history reading mode is terminated.

  The ID of the AI unit 30 and the battery data of the lead battery 20 stored in the RAM of the calculation unit 51 of the reading device 50 are transmitted to the store PC 60 by wireless LAN by the communication unit 55. The store PC 60 encrypts the ID and battery data received from the reading device 50, and transmits the encrypted ID and battery data to the information service provider's diagnosis site via the Internet. In FIG. 9, encryption by SSL is assumed, but encryption techniques other than SSL may be used. If the communication partner store PC 60 cannot be recognized by the wireless LAN, the reading device 50 automatically transmits the ID and battery data to the information service provider's diagnostic site from the end of the built-in mobile phone using the packet communication line. It also has a function.

  The terminal PC 72 at the diagnostic site searches whether the battery data of the same ID is already stored in the database server 73 using the received ID as a search key. When the determination is negative, the ID and battery data are stored in the database server 73. When the determination is affirmative, the battery data received this time is added to the stored battery data and stored. At this time, if there is overlapping battery data, the overlapping portion is eliminated. The AI unit 30 can take an aspect in which the battery data is deleted from the EEPROM 32 except for the ID after transmitting the ID and battery data with the LEDs 5 to 7. In such an aspect, the terminal PC 72 does not need to perform the duplicated portion elimination process.

  Next, the terminal PC 72 reads the battery data of the lead battery corresponding to the received ID from the database 73 using the received ID as a search key, and diagnoses the lead battery as shown in Table 2, for example. Items 26 to 29 in Table 2 are calculated using not only the battery data received this time but also the battery data already stored in the database server 73. Symbol Δ in item 26 to item 29 in Table 2 represents a difference between data read at two different timings.

  The diagnosis site notifies the user of the diagnosis result by e-mail, FAX, mail, home delivery mail, homepage screen or the like. Information such as e-mail address, FAX number, and address is registered in advance and managed by the server of the information service provider. In FIG. 9, notification means by telephone, mail, e-mail, and homepage screen is assumed for user registration, but other means may be used. If there is no problem in the management of personal information, the user registration form may be filled in when the lead battery 20 is inspected, and the information registered by the user via the partner company may be sent to the information service provider. It is also possible for the user to input the ID of the AI unit 30 that is known in advance at the time of reading with the reading device 50 on the input form screen of the home page, and display the diagnosis result. User registration is not required.

  Although discarded in FIG. 9, the LAN of the diagnostic site includes a post-processing device that cuts continuous forms such as FAX, mail, and mail for delivery, home-delivery mail, fanfold paper, etc. into single sheets. A mail device, a homepage update terminal PC, and the like are provided that are configured to have an inserter device or the like for insertion into a folding envelope and are automatically enclosed in an envelope and sent to each user. For the convenience of the user, the homepage of the diagnostic site includes the name of the partner company that conducts inspection of the lead battery by the reading device 50 or information for obtaining information on the partner company (for example, the address of the homepage of the partner company). ) Is described.

(Effects etc.)
Next, effects and the like of the diagnostic system of this embodiment will be described.

  The reader 50 receives the ID of the AI unit 30 and the light signal of the battery data of the lead battery 20 from the LEDs 5 to 7 of the AI unit 30 by the light receiving unit 15 having the light receiving element 19 and calculates the received ID and battery data. The data is stored in the RAM of the unit 51 and displayed on the LCD 14. Therefore, the reading device 50 can read the ID and battery data stored in the EEPROM 32 of the AI unit 30. Further, since the information stored in the EEPROM 32 of the AI unit 30 is read by the reading device 50, it is not necessary to store the read information in the EEPROM 32. Therefore, the capacity of the EEPROM 32 of the AI unit 30 can be reduced. it can.

  Moreover, since terminal PC72 of a diagnostic site can diagnose a lead battery together with the past battery data stored in database server 73 by using ID as a search key (for example, item 26-item of Table 2) In the case of calculating 29, since the diagnosis result is more stable than the single battery data at the time of checking the battery), an accurate and appropriate diagnosis of the lead battery 20 can be performed. Furthermore, by performing management based on ID, there is an advantage that the traceability for the AI unit 30 and eventually the lead battery 20 containing the AI unit 30 can be secured at a high level. Moreover, since ID and battery data are transmitted to a diagnostic site via the internet, a diagnostic site can be installed in arbitrary places.

  In the above embodiment (and example), an example in which transmission / reception between the battery state detection device (AI unit 30) and the reading device is performed by optical communication between the light emitting element and the light receiving element has been described. Not limited to this, voice communication using an acoustic coupler or wireless communication using radio waves may be used.

  Moreover, although the example which diagnoses the lead battery 20 with the terminal PC72 of the diagnostic site was shown in the said Example (refer Table 2), you may make it carry out with store PC60. In this case, the ID and battery data may be stored in the hard disk instead of the database server 73 as data management means.

  The reading device of the present invention can read battery data stored in the battery state detection device, and the diagnostic device can perform more accurate and appropriate diagnosis by using past battery data. Both contribute to the sale of lead batteries or battery state detection devices, and thus have industrial applicability.

1 is an external perspective view schematically showing a lead battery according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. It is a schematic block diagram of the AI unit accommodated in the upper cover of the lead battery. It is a timing chart when LED of the operation display part of AI unit transmits ID and battery data which were stored in EEPROM. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows typically a reader when a light-receiving part is mounted in the upper cover of a lead battery. It is a front view of the main-body part of a reader. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the light receiving element of the light-receiving part of a reader. It is a schematic block diagram of a reader. It is sectional drawing which shows the relationship between LED of an AI unit, and the light receiving element of a reader. It is explanatory drawing of the diagnostic system of an Example.

Explanation of symbols

4, 5, 6, 7 LED (part of transmission means)
19 Light receiving element (part of receiving means)
20 Lead battery 30 AI unit (Battery state detection device)
31 Calculation unit (state determination means)
32 EEPROM (nonvolatile storage means)
33 Voltage measurement part (part of measurement means)
50 Reading Device 51 Calculation Unit (Storage Unit)
55 Communication part (communication means)
60 Store PC (terminal computer)
71 Web server (receiving means)
72 Terminal PC (diagnostic means)
73 Database server (data management means)
74 Mail server (part of information provision means)

Claims (7)

A reading device that reads battery data stored in a battery state detection device that detects a battery state of a lead battery,
The battery state detection device,
Measuring means for measuring a characteristic value including at least a voltage value of the lead battery;
State determining means for determining a battery state of the lead battery based on the characteristic value measured by the measuring means;
Non-volatile storage means for storing ID and at least a part of the characteristic value measured by the measurement means as battery data;
Transmitting means for transmitting the ID and battery data stored in the storage means to the reader;
With
The reader is
Receiving means for receiving the ID and battery data transmitted from the transmitting means;
Storage means for storing the ID and battery data received by the receiving means;
A communication means for transmitting the ID and battery data stored in the storage means;
A reading apparatus comprising:   The reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein transmission / reception between the transmission unit and the reception unit is optical communication using blinking of a light emitting element, voice communication using an acoustic coupler, or wireless communication using radio waves.   The reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transmitting unit includes a light emitting element, and the receiving unit includes a light receiving unit in which a larger number of light receiving elements than the number of the light emitting elements are arranged in one or a plurality of rows. . A diagnostic device for diagnosing a lead battery based on battery data received from the reading device according to claim 1,
Receiving means for receiving the ID and battery data transmitted from the communication means;
Data management means for managing a history of battery data for each ID received once or a plurality of times from the reader by the receiving means;
Diagnostic means for diagnosing the state of the lead battery based on the history of battery data managed by the data management means;
Information providing means for providing the diagnosis result diagnosed by the diagnosis means as information on the lead battery;
Diagnostic device with A diagnostic device for diagnosing a lead battery based on battery data received from a terminal computer via a communication network,
The terminal computer receives the ID and battery data from the communication unit of the reading device according to claim 1, and transmits the received ID and battery data to the diagnostic device via a communication network.
The diagnostic device comprises:
Receiving means for receiving the ID and battery data transmitted from the terminal computer;
Data management means for managing battery data history for each ID received from the terminal computer one or more times by the receiving means;
Diagnostic means for diagnosing the state of the lead battery based on the history of battery data managed by the data management means;
Information providing means for providing the diagnosis result diagnosed by the diagnosis means as information on the lead battery;
Diagnostic device with   6. The diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information providing means provides information on the lead battery by any one of an Internet homepage, electronic mail, FAX, mail, and courier.   7. The organization name information providing means for providing, on a homepage of a communication network, a name of an organization that conducts battery inspection by the reader or information for obtaining the organization name. The diagnostic device according to 1.

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