JP2009240154A - Charge and discharge control method for plurality of batteries, and information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charge and discharge control method for a plurality of batteries, which can prolong the lifetime by averaging deterioration of the respective batteries, by arranging the use conditions of each other when a plurality of batteries are used alternately. <P>SOLUTION: The charge and discharge control method for a plurality of batteries used by alternately charging and discharging the batteries is provided with: a step for acquiring the maximum electric capacity of each battery; a step for comparing the maximum electrical capacity of each battery to select the battery whose maximum electrical capacity is the largest; and a step for disconnecting a battery, other than the selected battery and using the selected battery, by charging and discharging for a predetermined period. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging / discharging control method for a plurality of batteries and an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer in which a plurality of batteries are detachably mounted, and more particularly, to a charging control method for a battery with a long battery life. It relates to information processing devices.

  An information processing apparatus that can be carried and used, such as a notebook personal computer (notebook personal computer), is equipped with a detachable battery (a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery that can be used repeatedly by charging).

  In recent years, it has been desired to increase the battery capacity in order to lengthen the use time during portable use, but it is not economical to develop a new large-capacity battery, and it has become inexpensive due to mass production effects. It is more economical to install multiple batteries.

  Since it is difficult to connect and use batteries in parallel, for example, a battery as shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

  The one shown in Patent Document 1 uses batteries alternately such that when one battery is empty (battery capacity is zero), it is switched to the other battery and used when the other battery is empty. Is the method.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-256083

  However, when a plurality of batteries are used alternately by the method shown in Patent Document 1, the degree of deterioration varies between individual batteries over time due to variations between batteries and usage conditions such as temperature. Occurs, and certain batteries may not be usable before other batteries. In addition, when one of the plurality of batteries is used as a spare battery for another notebook personal computer and then attached to the notebook personal computer again, the aforementioned variation in the degree of deterioration becomes large.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. When a plurality of batteries are used alternately, the deterioration of each battery is averaged by extending the use conditions of each other, thereby extending the life. It is an object of the present invention to provide a charge / discharge control method and an information processing apparatus for a plurality of batteries that can be achieved.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the charge / discharge control method for a plurality of batteries according to the present invention includes a step of obtaining the maximum battery capacity of each battery and the maximum battery capacity by comparing the maximum battery capacity of each battery. The step of selecting the largest battery and the step of separating the batteries other than the selected battery and charging and discharging the selected battery for a predetermined period of time are used.

  As a result, the life of individual batteries can be averaged to extend the battery life as a whole.

  In the charge / discharge control method for a plurality of batteries of the present invention, batteries other than the selected battery may be adjusted to a predetermined capacity by discharging or charging before disconnecting.

  As a result, the battery capacity of batteries other than the selected battery can be adjusted to, for example, about 30% of the maximum capacity, so that the rate of deterioration due to leaving the detached battery can be slowed down.

  In the charge / discharge control method for a plurality of batteries according to the present invention, the step of obtaining the number of times of charging or discharging of each battery is compared with the number of times of charging or discharging of each battery, and the battery having the smallest number of times is selected. And a step of separating the battery other than the selected battery and charging and discharging the selected battery until the selected battery becomes equal to the number of times of charging or discharging of the battery other than the selected battery.

  As a result, the number of times of charging or discharging each battery can be made uniform, so that deterioration can be averaged and the life can be extended. For example, when one of the batteries is removed from the notebook computer and used in another notebook computer of the same type and then attached to the notebook computer again, the above method is more effective.

  In the charge / discharge control method for a plurality of batteries of the present invention, batteries other than the selected battery may be adjusted to a predetermined capacity by discharging or charging before disconnecting.

  As a result, the battery capacity of batteries other than the selected battery can be adjusted to, for example, about 30% of the maximum capacity, so that the rate of deterioration due to leaving the detached battery can be slowed down.

  In the charge / discharge control method for a plurality of batteries according to the present invention, the number of times of charging or discharging used for the selected battery may be stored in a nonvolatile memory built in the selected battery.

  As a result, even if the battery is removed and used on another similar type of personal computer, the number of charge / discharge cycles is recorded on the same type of personal computer. Thus, it is possible to immediately grasp the unbalance of the number of times of charging / discharging with other batteries, and to average the number of times of charging / discharging. In addition, there is no inconvenience even if it is used as it is with other notebook computers of the same type.

  The charging / discharging control method for a plurality of batteries according to the present invention is a method for controlling charging of a plurality of batteries, the first step of detecting the battery capacity of the battery being charged, and the battery of the battery being charged. A second step of detecting a battery having a battery capacity value equal to or lower than the first battery capacity value when the capacity reaches the first battery capacity value; and a case where another battery is detected in the second step. If the other battery is not detected in the third step and the second step of charging by switching to another battery, the first battery capacity value is set to be larger than the first battery capacity value. A step of changing the battery capacity value to 2 and continuing the charging operation.

  As a result, the difference in battery capacity between the individual batteries is reduced, and some batteries are not left for a long time in a highly charged state, so that the degree of deterioration between the batteries can be averaged. In general, when a battery is left in a highly charged state (particularly in a fully charged state), its life tends to be shortened. Therefore, it is important to avoid such a state. In addition, for example, two batteries can be charged to, for example, about 50% of the maximum battery capacity. In this case, one battery is charged to 100% and the other battery is charged to 0%. Compared with, charging efficiency is improved and it can contribute to energy saving.

  A charge / discharge control method for a plurality of batteries according to the present invention is a method for controlling the discharge of a plurality of batteries, the first step of detecting the battery capacity of the battery being discharged, and the battery of the battery being discharged. A second step of detecting a battery having a battery capacity value greater than or equal to the first battery capacity value when the capacity reaches the first battery capacity value or less, and a case where another battery is detected in the second step. If the other battery is not detected in the third step of discharging by switching to another battery and the second step, the first battery capacity value is set to be smaller than the first battery capacity value. A step of changing the battery capacity value to 2 and continuing the discharging operation.

  As a result, the difference in battery capacity between individual batteries is reduced, and the degree of deterioration between batteries can be averaged. In addition, when the discharging operation is stopped halfway, there is less chance that some batteries are left in a fully charged state, and rapid deterioration of a specific battery can be prevented.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a battery capacity acquisition unit that acquires the maximum battery capacity of each battery, and a battery battery capacity comparison that compares the maximum battery capacity of each battery and selects the battery having the largest maximum battery capacity value. It is the structure provided with the charge / discharge control means which isolate | separates batteries other than the means and the selected battery, and charges and discharges the selected battery for a predetermined period.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention may further include a display unit, and may display that the battery disconnected by the display unit is at rest.

  This allows the user to easily monitor which battery is currently out of service, which is convenient when replacing the battery.

  The information processing apparatus of the present invention further includes display means, and when the maximum battery capacity value of the detached battery is greater than a predetermined value compared to the maximum battery capacity value of the selected battery, the information processing apparatus is disconnected by the display means. You may make it display recommending removing the battery.

  This increases the opportunity for the user to remove the battery and store it in a cool and dark place, slowing the deterioration of the battery, and extending the life.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a charge / discharge number acquisition unit that acquires the number of times of charging or discharging each battery, and a charge / discharge that compares the number of times of charging or discharging each battery and selects the smallest number of batteries. A number comparison means and a charge / discharge control means for separating and using a battery other than the selected battery and charging / discharging the selected battery until it becomes equal to the number of times the battery other than the selected battery is charged or discharged.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the battery may be provided with a nonvolatile memory, and the number of times the selected battery is charged or discharged may be additionally stored in the nonvolatile memory.

  This makes it possible to correctly grasp the number of times of charging / discharging even when the same battery is mutually utilized between information processing apparatuses such as the same type and type of notebook personal computers.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention may further include a display unit, and display that the battery disconnected by the display unit is at rest.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes display means, and when the number of times of charging or discharging the separated battery is greater than a predetermined value compared to the number of times of charging or discharging the selected battery, In addition, an indication that it is recommended to remove the disconnected battery may be displayed.

  According to the present invention, when a plurality of batteries are used alternately, charging / discharging of a plurality of batteries that can improve the service life by averaging the deterioration of each battery by aligning the conditions of use with each other. A control method and an information processing apparatus can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the electric constitution of PDA. It is a flowchart which shows the charging / discharging control method of the same some battery. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of a display of the display. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of a display of the display. It is a figure which shows the electric constitution of PDA. It is a flowchart which shows the charging / discharging control method of the same some battery. It is a schematic diagram of the charge progress which shows a charge control method. It is a flowchart which shows the charge control method of the said some battery. It is a schematic diagram of the discharge progress which shows a discharge control method. It is a flowchart which shows the discharge control method of the same some battery. It is a flowchart which shows charging / discharging control of the same some battery. It is a flowchart which shows charging / discharging control of the same some battery.

The charge control method and the discharge control method of the present invention will be described in detail by taking the PDA 10 as an example.
(Charge / discharge control method 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of the PDA 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the PDA 10 includes an information processing unit 1 that performs functions such as a word processor function and an Internet function, and other power supply units.

  In the information processing unit 1, the CPU 1 a is a central processing unit that controls the entire PDA 10. An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1b stores an OS and various application software as well as various data. The keyboard 1c is used for data input and various instructions to the information processing unit 1 by various operation buttons 15 provided in the pointing device or the PDA 10. The ROM 1d stores basic operation programs such as BIOS. The RAM 1e operates as a main memory of the CPU 1a. The display 1f displays characters, graphics, and the like. These components 1a to 1f are connected by a bus 1g and transmit information to each other. The DC / DC converter 1h supplies electric power of a necessary voltage to the components 1a to 1f.

  The other power supply units are a power supply control unit 2 connected to the bus 1g, a power switch 3, an external AC adapter 4 that supplies power to the power supply control unit 2, a current control unit 5, and a first battery. A battery 6 (corresponding to the first battery 24L), b battery 7 (corresponding to the second battery 24R), the switch 8, the ammeters 9a and 9b, the voltage It comprises a total of 10a, 10b, thermometers 11a, 11b, and a microcomputer 18.

  Further, each of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 includes nonvolatile memories 6a and 7a such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and temperature sensors 6b and 7b.

  Here, the switch 8 controls the connection of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 to the power supply control unit 2, and the ammeters 9a and 9b measure the respective currents of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7. The measurement result is input to the microcomputer 18 as a digital signal. Similarly, the voltmeters 10a and 10b measure the voltages of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 and input the measurement results to the microcomputer 18 as digital signals. The temperature sensors 6b and 7b detect the temperatures of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7, respectively, and are input to the microcomputer 18 as digitized temperature signals by the thermometers 11a and 11b. Nonvolatile memories 6 a and 7 a are also connected to the microcomputer 18.

  The microcomputer 18 is usually called an EC (embedded controller) and includes therein a battery capacity acquisition unit 18a, a battery capacity comparison unit 18b, and a charge / discharge control unit 18c, which will be described in detail later.

  The output of the charge / discharge control unit 18c of the microcomputer 18 controls the switch 8 and the current control unit 5, and the output of the battery capacity comparison unit 18b is displayed on the display 1f through the power supply control unit 2 as described later. The configuration is as follows.

  In the above configuration, first, power supply to the information processing unit 1 is performed by the a battery 6 or the b battery 7 and the supply from the AC adapter 4, and these power supplies are connected to the bus 1g. The power supply control unit 2 manages. When the AC adapter 4 is not connected, the power supply control unit 2 supplies the power of the battery a or battery b to the DC / DC converter 1h. When the AC adapter 4 is connected, the power from the AC adapter 4 is supplied to the DC / DC converter 1h. When the a battery 6 or the b battery 7 needs to be charged, the current control unit 5 Each battery is charged with the supplied power.

  When the battery capacity of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 decreases or when the power switch 3 is turned off, the CPU 1a is instructed to perform a shutdown operation, and then the power supply to the DC / DC converter 1h is stopped. To do.

  Charging the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 is performed through the switch 8 by controlling the power supplied from the AC adapter 4 by the current control unit 5, and these executions are controlled by the charge / discharge control unit 18 c. To do.

  A case where the charge / discharge control unit 18c is controlled in addition to the control of the switch 8 by the microcomputer 18 will be described. That is, when the lids of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 are closed, the switch 8 is controlled by the charge / discharge control 18c. When the opening / closing operation of either the a battery 6 or the b battery 7 is detected, the switching control by the microcomputer 18 is performed.

  Next, a charging / discharging control method for a plurality of batteries will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS.

  In step S1, the battery capacity acquisition unit 18a acquires the maximum battery capacity of the battery a. The method is performed as follows, for example.

  First, the battery capacity acquisition unit 18a discharges the a battery 6 so that the battery capacity becomes empty (zero). At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the switch 8 is on the battery a side, and the power of the battery a is consumed in the information processing unit 1, and the battery capacity is empty is measured by the voltmeter 10a. Detected by voltage.

  Next, the battery capacity acquisition unit 18a charges the battery a with the power supplied from the AC adapter 4 at a constant current value controlled by the current control unit 5, and charges until the maximum battery capacity is reached. The maximum battery capacity is detected by detecting the gradient of the voltage detected by the voltmeter 10a, the rising gradient of the temperature measured by the thermometer 11a, and the charge measured by the ammeter 9a during this charging. A current time product (ampere hour) is calculated by calculating a time integral value of the current.

  The battery capacity acquisition unit 18a acquires the true maximum battery capacity Qa in which the calculated current-time product value is corrected by the battery temperature.

  Next, in step S2, the maximum battery capacity Qb of the b battery 7 is acquired by the same method as in step S1.

  In addition, the value of the maximum battery capacity calculated | required by step S1 and step S2 is written in the non-volatile memories 6a and 6b, respectively.

  Next, in step S3, the battery capacity comparison unit 18b compares the maximum battery capacities Qa and Qb of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7, and the battery having the larger maximum battery capacity Qa is subjected to the PDA 10 per charge. Therefore, the battery having the larger capacity is selected (here, Qa> Qb).

  Next, in step S4, the charge / discharge control unit 18c can determine that the battery whose battery capacity comparison unit 18b has determined that the maximum battery capacity is low has a small number of charge cycles and / or has deteriorated. The battery 7 having a low battery capacity is adjusted to a predetermined battery capacity (for example, 30% of the maximum battery capacity) that can be used for a longer time and can be stored stably for a long time. That is, the charging / discharging control unit 18c disconnects the a battery 6 with the switch 8, connects the b battery 7, and consumes the power of the b battery 7 in the information processing unit 1, so that the battery capacity of the b battery 7 is predetermined. When the ratio becomes 30% (30% in the present embodiment), the switch 8 is operated to disconnect the battery 7.

  In the next step S5, as shown in displays 21 and 22 in FIG. 3, it is displayed on the display 1f that the b battery 7 is inactive, and the a battery 6 is also displayed as being charged. Made.

  At this time, if the difference between the maximum battery capacities of the two parties, Qa−Qb, is larger than the predetermined value QS, for example, the b battery 7 is removed on the display 1f as shown in the display 23 of FIG. It is displayed that it is recommended to store in a cool and dark place or replace with a new battery.

  Next, in step S <b> 6, the switch 8 connects the a battery 6, and the required power of the information processing unit 1 is supplied only by the a battery 6.

  After continuing this state (repeated use of charging / discharging) for a predetermined period, in step S7, the battery capacity acquisition unit 18a again acquires the maximum battery capacity Qa ′ of the battery a 6 in the same manner as in step S1, When the maximum battery capacity Qa ′ of the a battery 6 becomes approximately equal to the maximum battery capacity Qb of the b battery 7 in S8, a display to start using the b battery 7 is displayed on the display 1f in step S9 ( Not shown). If it is confirmed in step S10 that the b battery 7 is attached, then in step S11, the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 are used alternately by repeating the above flow.

  In the above description, when Qa ′ becomes equal to Qb ′ in step S8, the battery a is switched from the battery a to the battery b. However, in step S8, hysteresis is provided when comparing the maximum battery capacities of both batteries, and Qa ′. The a battery 6 may be used until is reduced by a predetermined capacity value from Qb ′. In addition, the acquisition frequency of the maximum battery capacity of the battery may be appropriately set in consideration of the usage environment and usage frequency of the PDA 10.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the maximum battery capacity of each battery is obtained and compared, the battery having the maximum battery capacity is selected, and only this battery is used for a predetermined period of time. Since a plurality of batteries are used while maintaining balance, a specific battery is not used before other batteries, and the battery life as a whole battery can be extended. it can. In addition, since batteries other than the selected battery stand by at a predetermined low battery capacity of, for example, about 30% suitable for storage, avoiding unnecessarily shortening the life of unselected batteries. it can.

  As a method of obtaining the maximum battery capacity of a battery, it was obtained by changing the battery capacity from an empty state to a fully charged state, but conversely, obtaining it by changing from a fully charged state to an empty state. It doesn't matter if it is done.

  In step S7, the maximum battery capacity of the a battery 6 is acquired. As an alternative method, the difference between the maximum battery capacities of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 obtained in step S1 and step S2. You may make it transfer to step S9, after using the charge time or discharge time according to (Qa-Qb), and the battery a.

  Steps S1 and S2 do not necessarily have to be performed every charge / discharge cycle. For example, the configuration is performed every predetermined number of charge / discharge cycles (for example, 5 times), when a new battery is stored in the battery storage unit. The present invention may be applied to a configuration in which only the battery cover is closed after the storage cover of any battery storage unit is opened and closed. Further, when steps S1 and S2 are performed only at specific times as described above, a loop from step S5 to step 8 in FIG. 2 is executed in the normal charging step. By performing such a charging / discharging step, the life of each of the plurality of batteries can be extended, the time per one battery that can drive the information processing device can be increased, and / or the individual batteries can be charged and discharged with high efficiency. Can be realized.

  In addition, although charging, discharging, resting, etc. of the battery are displayed on the display of the information processing apparatus, display may be performed using a plurality of LEDs or the like. Similarly, the display when the difference between the maximum capacities of two batteries is larger than a predetermined value may be displayed not by a display but by blinking of an LED or the like.

(Charge / discharge control method 2)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of the PDA 10.

  The electrical configuration in FIG. 5 is basically the same as that in FIG. 1, and the means built in the microcomputer 18 is changed. Those given the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 are the same as those in FIG.

  The microcomputer 18 includes a charge / discharge number acquisition unit 18d, a charge / discharge number comparison unit 18e, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c described with reference to FIG.

  A charge / discharge control method for a plurality of batteries will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6 with reference to FIG. 5 and FIGS.

  In step S <b> 21, the charge / discharge number acquisition unit 18 d acquires the number Na of charge or discharge stored in the nonvolatile memory 6 a of the battery a.

  Next, in step S <b> 22, as in step S <b> 1, the charge / discharge number acquisition unit 18 d acquires the number of times Nb of charging or discharging stored in the nonvolatile memory 7 a of the b battery 7.

  Next, in step S23, the charge / discharge number comparison unit 18e compares the number of times Na and Nb are charged or discharged between the battery a and the battery b, and the battery having a smaller number of times of charge / discharge has a larger maximum battery capacity Qa. Since the time and life that can be used to drive the PDA 10 per charge are long, a battery with a small number of charge / discharge cycles is selected (here, Na <Nb).

  Next, in step S24, the charge / discharge control unit 18c can determine that the battery determined to have a large number of charge / discharge cycles has a low maximum battery capacity and / or deteriorated. In order to suppress the progress of deterioration of the battery 7 with a small number of discharges, the battery capacity is adjusted to a predetermined battery capacity that can be stably stored for a long time (for example, 30% of the maximum battery capacity). That is, the charging / discharging control unit 18c disconnects the a battery 6 with the switch 8, connects the b battery 7, and causes the information processing unit 1 to consume the power of the b battery 7, so that the battery capacity of the b battery 7 is 30. When the value reaches%, the switch 8 is operated to disconnect the battery 7.

  In the next step S25, as shown in displays 21 and 22 in FIG. 3, it is displayed on the display 1f that the b battery 7 is inactive, and the a battery 6 is also being discharged or discharged. Is displayed.

  At this time, if the difference between the two times, Nb-Na is larger than the predetermined value Ns, for example, as shown in the display 23 of FIG. It is recommended to save the battery or replace it with a new battery.

  Next, in step S <b> 26, the switch 8 connects the a battery 6, and the required power of the information processing unit 1 is supplied from only the a battery 6.

  In step S27, the number N of charging or discharging of the battery a is measured, and the result is added and stored in the nonvolatile memory 6a.

  When the number Na + N of charging or discharging of the battery a 6 becomes equal to the number of charging or discharging Nb of the battery b 7 in the next step S28, the use of the battery b is started on the display 1f in step S29. Is displayed (not shown). Next, when it is confirmed in step S30 that the b battery is mounted, in step S31, the above-described flow is repeated, and the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 are used alternately.

  In the above description, when Na + N becomes equal to Nb in step S28, the battery 6 is switched to the battery b. However, in step S28, hysteresis is provided when comparing the number of times of charging / discharging of both batteries, and Na + N is greater than Nb. The a battery 6 may be used until it becomes larger by a predetermined number of times. In addition, the acquisition frequency of the number of times of charging / discharging the battery may be appropriately set in consideration of the use environment and the use frequency of the PDA 10.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the number of times of charging or discharging of each battery is acquired and compared, the battery having the smallest number of times of charging / discharging is selected, and only the selected battery is charged with another battery. Alternatively, it is used repeatedly until the number of discharges is reached.

  In general, it is known that the battery deteriorates in proportion to the number of times of charging / discharging, and the degree of deterioration between the batteries can be averaged by aligning the number of times of charging / discharging of each battery. It is effective in such cases.

  When one of the batteries of the PDA 10 equipped with a plurality of batteries is used as a spare battery for another PDA 10 of the same type and then attached to the original PDA 10 again, the number of charge / discharge cycles between the batteries is immediately It is possible to check the balance, repair the battery so that the number of times of charging / discharging is balanced, and suppress the progress of deterioration as a whole of the plurality of batteries. This is possible because the number of charge / discharge cycles is stored in the battery.

  In addition, although the number of times of charging / discharging was described as being stored in the nonvolatile memory in the battery, when the battery used in the PDA 10 is fixed, it is stored in the nonvolatile memory provided in the PDA 10 main body. May be.

  In addition, it is known that a battery will deteriorate so much that it uses it in the state where the battery capacity to charge is large. In particular, when the battery is left fully charged (charged to the maximum capacity of the battery), the deterioration is large. Further, even when the battery capacity is used up (when the battery capacity is 0%), the battery deteriorates. Therefore, a charge control method and a discharge control method that can extend the life of the battery while avoiding the fully charged state as much as possible will be described.

(Charge control method)
FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of charging progress showing a charging control method, in which charging time is taken on the horizontal axis, and charging progress is shown on the vertical axis.

  The characteristic A (solid line) in the drawing indicates the progress of charging of the battery a 6, and the characteristic B (dotted line) indicates the progress of charging of the battery b 7. For ease of explanation, the battery capacity when both batteries are completely used is shown as zero.

  Details of the charge control method will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 8 with reference to FIG.

  In step S41, the a battery 6 is charged. In step S42, the battery capacity Qa of the battery a 6 is sequentially detected. In step S43, when the battery capacity Qa of the a battery 6 becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value Q1 (30% in FIG. 7), the charging of the a battery 6 is stopped in step S44 (time t1 in FIG. 7). Next, in step S45, it is checked whether the battery capacity Qb of the other battery is lower than a predetermined value Q1. Since the b battery 7 has a battery capacity of zero (YES), the process proceeds to step S46, and charging of the b battery 7 is started. In step S47, the battery capacity Qb is sequentially detected. If it becomes above, in step S49, charge of the b battery 7 will be stopped (time t2 of FIG. 7).

  If the battery capacity Qb of the b battery 7 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value Q1 in step S45 (NO), the b battery 7 is not charged in step S46, and the process jumps to step S50.

  Next, in step S50, the battery a is charged again. In step S51, the battery capacity Qa is sequentially detected. In step S52, the battery capacity Qa is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value Q2 (80% in FIG. 7). Then, in step S53, the charging of the battery a 6 is suspended (time t3 in FIG. 7).

  Next, in step S54, it is checked whether the battery capacity Qb of the other battery is lower than a predetermined value Q2. Here, if there is no battery having a battery capacity lower than the predetermined value Q2, the process proceeds to step S59, and charging is continued as it is. However, since the b battery 7 remains 30% (YES), the process proceeds to the next step S55. The battery 7 starts charging, and the battery capacity Qb is sequentially detected in step S56. When the battery capacity Qb becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value Q2 in step S57, the charging of the battery b is stopped in step S58 ( Time t4 in FIG.

  Next, in step S59, the battery a is charged again, and in step S60, the battery capacity Qa is sequentially detected. In step S61, the battery capacity Qa is equal to or greater than a third predetermined value Q3 (100% in FIG. 7). In step S62, the charging of the battery a is stopped (time t5 in FIG. 7).

  Next, in step S63, it is checked whether the battery capacity Qb of the other battery is lower than a predetermined value Q3. Since the b battery 7 maintains the battery capacity of 80% (YES), the process proceeds to step S64, the charging of the b battery 7 is started, the battery capacity Qb is sequentially detected in step S65, and in step S66, the battery When the capacity Qb becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value Q3, the charging of the battery b is stopped in step S67 (time t6 in FIG. 7).

  As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of charging targets (battery capacities) are provided, and the plurality of batteries are charged to the most recent charging target in order from the battery with the smallest capacity value. There is an effect like this.

  FIG. 7B shows a conventional method in which the battery “b” indicated by the characteristic B (dotted line) is charged after the battery “a” is fully charged as indicated by the characteristic A (solid line).

  The time axis of FIG. 7B is shown by the same time axis as that of FIG.

  As is clear by comparing FIG. 7 (a) and FIG. 7 (b), the time during which the used battery capacity that adversely affects the battery life is held at 0% and at the fully charged (100% charged) state. However, in the case of this embodiment, it is significantly shorter than the conventional case.

  Further, as apparent from FIG. 7A, the difference in battery capacity between the individual batteries being charged is reduced, so that when the charging is stopped halfway, the capacity difference between the batteries is reduced and the batteries are left as they are. When the battery is left unattended, the degree of deterioration of the battery can be leveled.

  In addition, the period during which some of the batteries are fully charged is shortened, and rapid deterioration of a specific battery can be prevented.

  For example, when the charging operation is stopped at time t4 in FIG. 7B, the battery 6 is charged to 100%, the battery 7 is charged to 60%, and the sum of the battery capacities of both batteries is 160%. is there.

  Similarly, when the charging operation is stopped at time t4 in FIG. 7 (a), the battery 6 is 80% and the battery 7 is 80% charged, and the sum of the battery capacities of both batteries is 160%. is there.

  That is, according to the present invention, when the charging operation is stopped halfway and the battery is left as it is, the chance that one of the batteries is fully charged is reduced, and therefore, the battery is left fully charged. Extreme battery deterioration can be avoided as much as possible.

  Further, according to this method, in a mode in which a plurality of (for example, two) batteries are switched and an information processing device such as the PDA 10 is driven, the maximum battery capacity of each battery can be charged to, for example, about 50%. . In this case, the sum of the battery capacities of both batteries is the same at 100%, but the same charging time and information are the same as in the conventional system in which one battery is charged at 100% and the other battery is charged at 0%. It is possible to suppress the deterioration of a plurality of batteries while the processing equipment is driven.

  Further, although shown as the same gradient in FIGS. 7A and 7B, it is known that the actual charging efficiency decreases at the end of charging (a state approaching full charging). Therefore, even if the sum of the battery capacities is the same, the configuration in which each battery is divided and charged to a lower capacity is charged fully until one battery is fully charged and the battery capacity of the other battery is reduced. Compared to the conventional configuration for maintaining the state, the charging efficiency is good and it can contribute to energy saving.

(Discharge control method)
Another example will be described in which the period of maintaining the fully charged state is shortened as much as possible to extend the battery life.

  FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of the discharge progress showing the discharge control method, wherein the discharge time is taken on the horizontal axis and the progress of discharge is shown on the vertical axis.

  Characteristic A (solid line) in the drawing indicates the progress of discharge of battery a, and characteristic B (dotted line) indicates the progress of discharge of battery b. In order to make the explanation easy to understand, the case where both batteries are discharged between a fully charged battery capacity of 100% and a fully discharged battery capacity of 0% is shown.

  Details of the charge control method will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 10 with reference to FIG.

  In step S71, the battery a 6 is discharged. In step S72, the battery capacity Qa of the battery a 6 is sequentially detected. In step S73, when the battery capacity Qa of the a battery 6 becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value Q1 (80% in FIG. 9), the discharge of the a battery 6 stops in step S74 (time t1 in FIG. 9). Next, in step S75, it is checked whether or not the battery capacity Qb of the other battery is greater than a predetermined value Q1. Since the battery 7 has a battery capacity of 100% (YES), the process proceeds to step S76, the battery 7 starts discharging, the battery capacity Qb is sequentially detected in step S77, and the battery capacity Qb is a predetermined value in step S78. If it becomes Q1 or less, in step S79, the discharge of the battery b is suspended (time t2 in FIG. 9).

  In step S75, if the battery capacity Qb of the b battery 7 is equal to or less than the predetermined value Q1 (NO), the b battery 7 is not discharged in step S76, and the process jumps to step S80.

  Next, in step S80, the battery a is discharged again. In step S81, the battery capacity Qa is sequentially detected. In step S82, the battery capacity Qa is reduced to a second predetermined value Q2 (30% in FIG. 9) or less. In step S83, the discharge of the battery a 6 is stopped (time t3 in FIG. 9).

  Next, in step S84, it is checked whether or not the battery capacity Qb of another battery is larger than a predetermined value Q2. If there is no battery having a battery capacity larger than the predetermined value Q2, the process proceeds to step S89, and the discharge is continued as it is. However, since the b battery 7 remains 80% (YES), the process proceeds to the next step S85. In step S86, the battery capacity Qb is sequentially detected. In step S87, when the battery capacity Qb becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value Q2, the discharge of the b battery 7 is stopped (step S88). Time t4 in FIG. 9).

  Next, in step S89, the battery a is discharged again. In step S90, the battery capacity Qa is sequentially detected. In step S91, the battery capacity Qa reaches the third predetermined value Q3 (0% in FIG. 9). Then, in step S92, the discharge of the battery a is stopped (time t5 in FIG. 9).

  Next, in step S93, it is checked whether or not the battery capacity Qb of another battery is larger than a predetermined value Q3. Since the b battery 7 maintains the battery capacity of 30% (YES), the process proceeds to step S94, and the discharge of the b battery 7 is started. In step S95, the battery capacity Qb is sequentially detected. When the capacity Qb reaches the predetermined value Q3, in step S97, the discharge of the b battery 7 stops (time t6 in FIG. 9).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality of discharge targets (battery capacities) are provided, and a plurality of batteries are discharged to the nearest discharge target in order from a battery having a larger capacity value. The discharge is performed in order from the state where the capacitance values are aligned toward the lower discharge target, and has the following effects.

  FIG. 9B shows a conventional method in which the a battery 6 is discharged to a state of 0% capacity as shown by the characteristic A (solid line), and then the b battery 7 shown by the characteristic B (dotted line) is discharged. Is shown.

  The time axis of FIG. 9B is shown by the same time axis as that of FIG.

  As is clear from a comparison between FIG. 9 (a) and FIG. 9 (b), the fully charged (100% charged) state that adversely affects the battery life and the time during which the used battery capacity is maintained at 0%. However, in the case of the present embodiment, the battery deterioration due to full charge can be suppressed because it is significantly shorter than the conventional case.

  Further, as apparent from FIG. 9A, since the difference in battery capacity between the individual batteries being discharged is reduced, the capacity between the batteries when the discharge is stopped (the use of the information processing device is stopped). The difference is reduced, and the degree of deterioration of the battery can be leveled.

  Moreover, the chance that a part of batteries are left in a fully charged state is reduced, and rapid deterioration of a specific battery can be prevented.

  When the discharge operation is stopped at time t3 in FIG. 9B, the battery 6 has a capacity of 10%, the battery 7 has a capacity of 100% (fully charged), and the sum of the battery capacity of both batteries is 110%. is there.

  Similarly, when the charging operation is stopped at time t3 in FIG. 9A, the battery capacity of the a battery 6 is 30%, the battery capacity of the b battery 7 is 80%, and the sum of the battery capacities of both batteries is also 110%.

  That is, according to the present invention, when the discharge operation is stopped halfway and the battery is left as it is, the period during which one battery is kept in a fully charged state is reduced, and therefore the battery is left fully charged. The extreme deterioration of the battery due to can be avoided as much as possible.

  The target capacity at the time of charging / discharging is three stages of 30%, 80%, and 100%. However, the target capacity and the number of stages are not limited to these, and are appropriately optimized depending on the use state. You only have to set it.

(Charge / discharge control method 3)
Another example of a case where the battery life is extended while avoiding the fully charged state as much as possible will be described. In this example, it is determined to which capacity zone the remaining capacities of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 belong, and the capacity zones determined to belong (for example, 0% to 30% zone, 30% to 60% zone). , 60% to 80% zone), the charge / discharge of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 is controlled.

  Here, each area when the range of values that the remaining capacity of the battery can take is divided into at least two areas is defined as a capacity zone. In the present embodiment, each capacity zone is expressed as a percentage range, but may be expressed as a capacity value range, for example. The capacity zone is preferably set appropriately in accordance with the use mode or purpose of use of the battery. Each capacity zone can be represented by, for example, an upper limit value and a lower limit value of the capacity.

  First, in step S81 shown in FIG. 11, the battery capacity acquisition unit 18a acquires the battery capacity zones of the battery a and the battery b. The battery capacity acquisition unit 18a acquires a range of possible battery capacity values set based on the acquired battery capacity as a capacity zone.

  Next, in step S82, the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether or not the capacity zone of the battery a is different from the capacity zone of the battery b.

  When it is determined in step S82 that the capacity zones are different, the process proceeds to step S83, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether or not charging is in progress.

  If it is determined in step S83 that charging is in progress, the process proceeds to step S84, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether the capacity zone of the battery a is smaller than the capacity zone of the battery b. .

  In Step S84, when it is determined that the capacity zone is small, the process proceeds to Step S85, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the a battery 6 and performs charging. When it is determined in step S84 that the capacity zone is not small, the process proceeds to step S86, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the b battery 7 and performs charging.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S83 that the battery is not being charged, the process proceeds to step S87, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether or not the battery is being discharged. If it is determined in step S87 that the battery is not discharging, the charge / discharge control unit 18c ends the process. If it is determined in step S87 that the battery is being discharged, the process proceeds to step S88, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether the capacity zone of the battery a is larger than the capacity zone of the battery b. .

  In step S88, when it is determined that the capacity zone is large, the process proceeds to step S85, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the a battery 6 and discharges it. In step S88, when it is determined that the capacity zone is not large, the process proceeds to step S86, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the b battery 7 and discharges it.

  If it is determined in step S82 that the capacity zones are the same, the process proceeds to step S89, and the charge / discharge number comparison unit 18e determines the charge / discharge number of the a battery 6 and the b battery acquired by the charge / discharge number acquisition unit 18d. 7 is determined whether or not the number of times of charging and discharging is the same.

  In Step S89, when it is determined that the number of times of charging / discharging is the same, the process proceeds to Step S85, and the charging / discharging control unit 18c continuously charges / discharges the battery on the currently used side.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S89 that the number of times of charging / discharging is different, the processing proceeds to step S90, and the number of times of charging / discharging of the battery 6 is greater than the number of times of charging / discharging of the battery b. Determine whether.

  In Step S90, when it is determined that there is not much, the process proceeds to Step S85, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the a battery 6 and performs charge / discharge. If it is determined in step S90 that the number is large, the process proceeds to step S86, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the b battery 7 and performs charge / discharge.

  In the present charge / discharge control method 3, in step S81, zones are allocated to capacity zones that are preset battery capacity ranges according to the battery capacities of the plurality of batteries, so that the selected batteries exist in the same zone. The comparison step with other batteries can be omitted. Therefore, the complexity of comparing the capacities according to the usage (charging or discharging) status of each battery can be eliminated, and there is an effect that the utility is high.

  In this charge / discharge control method 3, since there are two batteries, a battery and b battery, the comparison of the battery capacity values in the zones is omitted in steps S 84 and S 88, but they exist in the zones. When there are a plurality of batteries to be operated, a step of comparing the battery capacity values of the plurality of batteries existing in the zone selected in steps S84 and S88 is added.

  Similarly, in steps S89 and S90, the comparison of the number of times of charging / discharging in the zone is omitted, but when there are a plurality of batteries in the zone, the selected zone is inserted between step S82 and step S89. A step of comparing the number of times of charge / discharge for a plurality of batteries existing in the same manner as steps S89 and S90 is added.

  In the charge / discharge control method 3, the capacity zone is set to 0% to 30%, 30% to 60%, and 60% to 80%. However, the upper limit value and the lower limit value in each zone are applied to the information processing apparatus to be applied. It can be set accordingly. In addition, even when the capacity of the battery is exhausted is 0%, it is known as one factor that deteriorates the battery life as in the fully charged state. Therefore, by setting 0% of the above-mentioned zone to about 10%, for example, The life can be further extended.

(Charge / discharge control method 4)
Still another example of the case where the battery life is extended while avoiding the fully charged state as much as possible will be described. Also in this example, it is determined to which capacity zone the remaining capacities of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 belong, and the capacity zones determined to belong (for example, 0% to 30% zone, 30% to 60% zone) , 60% to 80% zone), the charge / discharge of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 is controlled.

  First, in step S <b> 101 shown in FIG. 12, the battery capacity acquisition unit 18 a acquires the battery capacity zones of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7.

  Next, in step S <b> 102, the charge / discharge control unit 18 c determines whether or not the capacity zone of the a battery 6 is different from the capacity zone of the battery of the b battery 7.

  When it is determined in step S102 that the capacity zones are different, the process proceeds to step S103, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether or not charging is in progress.

  If it is determined in step S103 that charging is in progress, the process proceeds to step S104, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether or not the capacity zone of the battery a is smaller than the capacity zone of the battery b. .

  In step S104, when it is determined that the capacity zone is small, the process proceeds to step S105, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the a battery 6 and performs charging. If it is determined in step S104 that the capacity zone is not small, the process proceeds to step S106, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the b battery 7 and charges it.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that the battery is not being charged, the process proceeds to step S107, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether or not the battery is being discharged. If it is determined in step S107 that the battery is not discharging, the charge / discharge control unit 18c ends the process. If it is determined in step S107 that the battery is being discharged, the process proceeds to step S108, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c determines whether the capacity zone of the battery a is larger than the capacity zone of the battery b. .

  If it is determined in step S108 that the capacity zone is large, the process proceeds to step S105, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the battery a 6 and performs discharge. In step S108, when it is determined that the capacity zone is not large, the process proceeds to step S106, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the b battery 7 and discharges it.

  When it is determined in step S102 that the capacity zones are the same, the process proceeds to step S109, and the battery capacity comparison unit 18b determines that the maximum battery capacities of the a battery 6 and the b battery 7 acquired by the battery capacity acquisition unit 18a are the same. It is determined whether or not they are the same.

  When it is determined in step S109 that the maximum battery capacities are the same, the process proceeds to step S111, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c continues to charge / discharge the battery on the currently used side.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S109 that the maximum battery capacity is different, the process proceeds to step S110, where the battery capacity comparison unit 18b determines whether the maximum battery capacity of the battery a is larger than the maximum battery capacity of the battery b. Determine.

  If it is determined in step S110 that the battery is large, the process proceeds to step S105, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the battery a 6 and performs charge / discharge. If it is determined in step S110 that the battery is small, the process proceeds to step S106, and the charge / discharge control unit 18c selects the b battery 7 and performs charge / discharge.

  In the present charge / discharge control method 4, in step S101, zones are allocated to capacity zones that are preset battery capacity ranges according to the battery capacity of each of the plurality of batteries, so as long as the selected batteries exist in the same zone. The comparison step with other batteries can be omitted. Therefore, the complexity of comparing the capacities according to the usage (charging or discharging) status of each battery can be eliminated, and there is an effect that the utility is high.

  In this charge / discharge control method 4, since there are two batteries, a battery and b battery, the comparison of the battery capacity values in the zones is omitted in steps S104 and S108, but they exist in the zones. When there are a plurality of batteries to be operated, a step of comparing the battery capacity values of the plurality of batteries existing in the zone selected in steps S104 and S108 is added.

  Similarly, in steps S109 and S110, the comparison of the number of times of charging / discharging in the zone is omitted. However, when there are a plurality of batteries in the zone, the selected zone is set between step S102 and step S109. A step of comparing the number of times of charging / discharging for a plurality of batteries existing in is added in the same manner as in steps S109 and S110.

  In the charge / discharge control method 4, the capacity zone is set to 0% to 30%, 30% to 60%, and 60% to 80%. It can be set accordingly. In addition, even when the capacity of the battery is 0%, it is known as one factor that deteriorates the battery life as in the fully charged state. Therefore, by setting 0% of the above-mentioned zone to about 10%, for example, The life can be further extended.

  The configuration described in the above embodiment is merely a specific example and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Any configuration can be employed within the scope of the effects of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the charge control and / or discharge control shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 2, 6, 8, 10, 11, and 12 is applied to the PDA shown in FIG. 1 has been described. The charge control and / or discharge control is not limited to the PDA, and can be applied to other devices including a plurality of batteries.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing part 2 Power supply control part 3 Power switch 4 AC adapter 5 Current control part 6 a Battery 6a, 7a Nonvolatile memory (EEPROM)
6b, 7b Temperature sensor 7b Battery 8 Switch 9a, 9b Ammeter 10a, 10b Voltmeter 11a, 11b Thermometer 12 Microcomputer (EC)
12a Battery capacity acquisition means 12b Battery capacity comparison means 12c Charge / discharge control means 12d Charge / discharge frequency acquisition means 12e Charge / discharge frequency comparison means

Claims (15)

  If the battery capacity of a plurality of batteries is acquired, and the battery capacity of one battery is above a predetermined reference value and the battery capacity of the other battery is at or below the reference value, the battery capacity is A plurality of charge / discharge control steps for switching the battery so as to discharge a battery above the reference value or charge a battery having a battery capacity below the reference value; Battery charge control method. In the charge / discharge control step,
When the battery capacity of the battery being charged is acquired, when the battery capacity of the battery being charged reaches or exceeds the first battery capacity value, a battery having a battery capacity value less than or equal to the first battery capacity value is determined. And
If another battery having a battery capacity value equal to or lower than the first battery capacity value is detected, the battery is switched to the other battery and charged,
If no other battery having a battery capacity value equal to or lower than the first battery capacity value is detected, the first battery capacity value is set to a second battery capacity value that is larger than the first battery capacity value. To continue charging operation,
When the battery capacity of the battery being discharged is acquired, when the battery capacity of the battery being discharged reaches a first battery capacity value or less, a battery having a battery capacity value greater than or equal to the first battery capacity value is determined. And
If another battery having a battery capacity value greater than or equal to the first battery capacity value is detected, switching to the other battery and discharging,
When no other battery having a battery capacity value equal to or greater than the first battery capacity value is detected, the first battery capacity value is set to a second battery capacity value that is smaller than the first battery capacity value. The charging control method for a plurality of batteries according to claim 1, wherein the discharging operation is continued after being changed to. The reference value is a capacity zone in a battery capacity range where the battery capacity of each battery exists,
In the charge / discharge control step, a capacity zone in which the battery capacity of each individual battery exists is acquired, and when the capacity zones are different, the battery existing in the larger capacity zone is discharged or the battery capacity is small. The charge control method for a plurality of batteries according to claim 1, wherein the batteries are switched so as to charge the batteries in the capacity zone. A maximum battery capacity acquisition step for acquiring the maximum battery capacity of each individual battery, and a battery battery capacity comparison step for comparing the maximum battery capacity acquired in the maximum battery capacity acquisition step and selecting a battery having the largest maximum battery capacity value And further comprising
In the charge / discharge control step, when the capacity zones of the battery capacities of the individual batteries are the same, the batteries other than the selected battery are disconnected, and the selected battery is used by charging and discharging for a predetermined period. The charge control method for a plurality of batteries according to claim 3. Charge / discharge number acquisition step of acquiring the number of times of charging or discharging of the individual batteries;
A charge / discharge number comparison step of selecting the smallest number of batteries by comparing the number of times of charge or discharge of the individual batteries,
In the charge / discharge control step, when the capacity zones where the battery capacities of the individual batteries exist are the same, the number of times of charging or discharging in a plurality of batteries existing in the same capacity zone is acquired, and the number of times is small The charge control method for a plurality of batteries according to claim 3, wherein a battery is selected, and the selected battery is used by being charged / discharged until it becomes equal to the number of times of charge or discharge of a battery other than the selected battery.   If the battery capacity of a plurality of batteries is acquired, and the battery capacity of one battery is above a predetermined reference value and the battery capacity of the other battery is at or below the reference value, the battery capacity is A charge / discharge control unit that switches batteries is provided to discharge a battery that is above the reference value or to charge a battery that has a battery capacity that is less than the reference value. apparatus. The charge / discharge control unit
When the battery capacity of the battery being charged is acquired, when the battery capacity of the battery being charged reaches or exceeds the first battery capacity value, a battery having a battery capacity value less than or equal to the first battery capacity value is determined. And
If another battery having a battery capacity value equal to or less than the first battery capacity value is detected, the battery is switched to the other battery and charged.
If no other battery having a battery capacity value equal to or lower than the first battery capacity value is detected, the first battery capacity value is set to a second battery capacity value that is larger than the first battery capacity value. To continue charging operation,
When the battery capacity of the battery being discharged is acquired, when the battery capacity of the battery being discharged reaches a first battery capacity value or less, a battery having a battery capacity value greater than or equal to the first battery capacity value is determined. And
When another battery having a battery capacity value greater than or equal to the first battery capacity value is detected, the battery is switched to the other battery and discharged, and another battery capacity value greater than or equal to the first battery capacity value is detected. 7. The discharge operation is continued according to claim 6, wherein when no battery is detected, the first battery capacity value is changed to a second battery capacity value that is smaller than the first battery capacity value. Information processing device. The reference value is a capacity zone in a battery capacity range where the battery capacity of each battery exists,
In the charge / discharge control step, a capacity zone in which the battery capacity of each individual battery exists is acquired, and when the capacity zones are different, the battery existing in the larger capacity zone is discharged or the battery capacity is small. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the battery is switched so as to charge the battery in the capacity zone. A maximum battery capacity acquisition unit for acquiring the maximum battery capacity of the individual batteries;
A battery battery capacity comparison unit that compares the maximum battery capacity acquired by the maximum battery capacity acquisition unit and selects a battery having the largest maximum battery capacity value;
The charge / discharge control unit separates batteries other than the selected battery when the capacity zones of the battery capacities of the individual batteries are the same, and charges and discharges the selected battery for a predetermined period. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a display unit, wherein the display unit displays that the disconnected battery is at rest.   When the maximum battery capacity value of the disconnected battery is larger than a predetermined value compared to the maximum battery capacity value of the selected battery, the display section is further removed, and the disconnected battery is removed from the display section. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a display to recommend is provided. A charge / discharge number acquisition unit for acquiring the number of times of charge or discharge of the individual battery;
A charge / discharge number comparison unit that selects the battery of the smallest number of times by comparing the number of times of charge or discharge of the individual batteries;
The charge / discharge control unit acquires the number of times of charging or discharging in a plurality of batteries existing in the same capacity zone when the capacity zones where the battery capacity of the individual batteries exist are the same, and the number of times is small The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a battery is selected, and the selected battery is used by being charged / discharged until it becomes equal to the number of times a battery other than the selected battery is charged or discharged.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a nonvolatile memory, wherein the number of times the selected battery is charged or discharged is stored in the nonvolatile memory.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a display unit, wherein the display unit displays that the disconnected battery is at rest.   A display unit, and when the number of times of charging or discharging of the separated battery is greater than a predetermined value compared to the number of times of charging or discharging of the selected battery, the separated battery is displayed on the display unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a display indicating that it is recommended to remove is performed.

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