JP2011118638A - Battery rental system server, method, program, and portable electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery rental system for providing a battery in accordance with user's requirements. <P>SOLUTION: In the battery rental system, a server 110 of a battery rental service company 100 includes: a fee setting unit 115 for referring to a storage device 113 storing battery's storable amount of electricity, and setting a battery rental fee based on the storable amount of electricity; and a billing unit 116 for billing the rental fee for a battery provided to a user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery rental system server, method, program, and portable electronic device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a battery rental system, server, and method for providing a rental service for a secondary battery used for a power source of the portable electronic device. The present invention relates to a portable electronic device suitable for use with a program and a server of such a battery rental system.

  In recent years, with the widespread use of portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, notebook personal computers, and digital cameras, users have increased opportunities to use these electronic devices that use a secondary battery (battery) as a main power source. Since the secondary battery, which is the main power source of the portable electronic device, is a consumable item, the time required for the secondary battery is often lowered depending on the usage status of the user, and the user may be dissatisfied. The decrease in the duration of the secondary battery mainly results from a decrease in the amount of electricity (full charge amount) when the secondary battery is fully charged due to the deterioration of the secondary battery.

  Patent Document 1 describes a secondary battery reuse system that provides a charged secondary battery. In this system, the number of times of charging is recorded in a database in association with the ID of the secondary battery, and only reusable secondary batteries are selected and provided to the user.

  Patent Document 2 describes a secondary battery replacement system that replaces a secondary battery whose secondary battery has a reduced lifetime. In this system, normally, it is assumed that the user repeatedly charges the secondary battery (battery pack), and when the user feels dissatisfaction due to the deterioration of the secondary battery, a rental service that supports the user is provided. In this system, when a user repeatedly charges and uses a secondary battery, as a result, the secondary battery's full charge amount decreases, and when the user feels dissatisfied with the lifetime of the secondary battery. After calculating the appropriate price, the secondary battery is replaced with another charged secondary battery. Therefore, the user can use the secondary battery without worrying about the number of times the secondary battery is charged or the degree of deterioration, and if the user feels that the remaining time is insufficient, it is sufficient to receive the replacement service.

JP 2008-250786 A WO2006 / 090636

  In the secondary battery replacement service system described in Patent Literature 2, the compensation is calculated according to the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery brought in by the user and the degree of deterioration of the secondary battery provided for replacement. However, the user has no choice about the secondary battery provided in exchange. For this reason, a user who desires a secondary battery having a long lifetime may be provided with a secondary battery having a short lifetime, and the user remains dissatisfied. When trying to eliminate such dissatisfaction, even secondary batteries that can still be used by other users will be discarded because they have a short lifetime, and there is a concern that the load on the environment will increase. .

  In the systems of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the system determines whether or not the secondary battery can be reused. However, whether or not it can be reused is not simply determined solely by the objective number of times of charging or the battery life, but it depends on the subjective judgment of the user and the purpose of use. In both patent documents, there is a problem that whether or not a battery can be used is not judged from this viewpoint.

  In view of the above, the present invention can provide a secondary battery according to the user's purpose of use and desire, and a battery rental system server, method, program, and such server that can reduce the load on the environment. It is an object to provide a portable electronic device that is suitable for use.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention refers to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in a battery, a charge setting unit that sets a rental fee for the battery based on the amount of electricity that can be stored, and a user A battery rental system server comprising: a charging unit that charges the rental fee for the battery provided to the server.

  The present invention also provides a portable electronic device that uses a secondary battery provided from a server of the battery rental system of the present invention and transmits history information to the server.

  The present invention further includes a step in which the computer refers to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in the battery, sets a rental fee for the battery based on the amount of electricity that can be stored, and the computer provides the user A battery rental method comprising: charging a rental fee for the battery.

  The present invention further relates to a process of setting a rental fee for a battery based on the amount of electricity that can be stored with reference to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in the computer, and a battery provided to the user And a program for executing the process of charging the rental fee.

  According to the server, method, program, and portable electronic device of the battery rental system of the present invention, it is possible to provide a secondary battery according to the user's desire and to reduce the load on the environment.

1 is a block diagram of a battery rental system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram of the server of the battery rental service provider shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the portable electronic device shown in FIG. 1. The table | surface which shows the service menu which the server of FIG. 2 provides. The table | surface which shows the historical data of the battery which the portable electronic device of FIG. 3 preserve | saves. The table | surface which shows the management data of the battery which the server of FIG. 2 preserve | saves. The flowchart which shows the process before the rental start of the battery rental system of FIG. The flowchart which shows the rental process of the battery rental system of FIG. The flowchart which shows the return process of the battery rental system of FIG. The table | surface which shows a part of management data which the server of the battery rental service provider of the 2nd battery rental system of this invention preserve | saves.

  Before describing embodiments of the present invention, an outline of the present invention will be described. The server of the battery rental system of the present invention refers to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in the battery in its minimum configuration, and sets a battery rental fee based on the amount of electricity that can be stored And a charging unit that charges the rental fee for the battery provided to the user.

  The portable electronic device of the present invention uses a battery provided from the server of the battery rental system of the present invention in its minimum configuration, and transmits history information to the server.

  In the battery rental method of the present invention, in the minimum configuration, the computer refers to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in the battery, and sets a battery rental fee based on the amount of electricity that can be stored. And a computer charging the rental fee for the battery provided to the user.

  The program of the present invention, in its minimum configuration, refers to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in a computer in a computer, and sets a rental fee for the battery based on the amount of electricity that can be stored; And processing for charging the rental fee for the battery provided.

  According to the server, method, program, and portable electronic device of the battery rental system of the present invention, it is possible to provide a secondary battery according to the user's desire and purpose of use, and expand the reusable range of the secondary battery. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of discarded secondary batteries and the load on the environment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a battery rental system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The battery rental system includes a server 110 of a battery rental service provider 100, a server 210 of a battery collection and delivery store 200, a server 310 of a battery recycler 300, a portable electronic device 410 of a user 400, and a server 510 of a battery manufacturer 500. And a server 610 of the electronic device manufacturer 600 and a communication network connecting them. The communication network includes the Internet 800 and a mobile telephone system having a radio base station 700. The server 210 of the battery collection / distribution store 200 has a function as a vending machine (automatic rental machine).

  The battery rental service provider 100 uses the server 110 to manage the battery pack 221 via the server 210 of the battery collection and delivery store 200 and the Internet 800. In addition, the battery rental service provider 100 uses the server 110 to manage the usage status of the battery pack 411 of the portable electronic device 410 held by the user 400 via the wireless base station 700. The user 400 receives a rental service of the battery pack 221 from the battery collection / delivery store 200 when the time of the battery pack 411 used for the portable electronic device 410 decreases. The battery rental service provider 100 manages the battery pack 221 at the battery collection / distribution store 200, which classifies the level of full charge, in other words, the level of electricity (battery capacity) that can be stored in the battery. A battery pack with an appropriate capacity level is supplied at an appropriate price. Here, the unit of electric quantity (battery capacity) is indicated by ampere hour (Ah).

  The battery recycling business 300 uses the server 310, receives information on the battery pack to be discarded from the server 110 of the battery rental service business 100, and manages the recycling schedule. The battery manufacturer 500 uses the server 510 to receive battery pack demand information from the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 and manage the production schedule of the battery pack. In addition, the electronic device manufacturer 600 uses the server 610 to obtain usage status information of the battery pack 411 of the portable electronic device 410 of the user 400 from the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100, and uses this information for the user's electronic device. Use to improve convenience.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 shown in FIG. The server 110 includes a transmission / reception unit 111, a data processing unit 112, a battery database 113, a capacity calculation unit 114, a charge setting unit 115, and a charging unit 116. The transmission / reception unit 111 transmits / receives data to / from another server or the portable electronic device 410 via the Internet 800. The data processing unit 112 processes data based on data received from another server or the portable electronic device 410 and records the data in the battery database 113 or other storage device. The capacity calculation unit 114 refers to the data in the battery database 113 and calculates the amount of electricity when each battery pack is fully charged. The charge setting unit 115 classifies the amount of electricity calculated by the capacity calculation unit 114 for each level, and sets a charge determined for each electric level for each battery pack to be rented. When the server 210 of the battery collection / distribution store 200 rents a battery to the user 400, the charging unit 116 receives the information and charges the user 400. Each of the above parts includes a part of hardware, and the remainder is configured by a computer program.

  FIG. 3 shows a detailed configuration of the portable electronic device 410 shown in FIG. The portable electronic device 410 includes a battery pack 411, a charge / discharge circuit 412, a current integrating circuit 413, a microcomputer 414, a memory 415, an antenna 416a, a wireless circuit 416b, a display unit 417a, a display control circuit 417b, and other circuits 418. . The battery pack 411 includes a protection circuit 411a, a battery 411b, a thermistor 411c, and a memory 411d.

  The portable electronic device 410 is connected to the radio base station 700 from the microcomputer 414 via the radio circuit 416b and the antenna 416a. The microcomputer 414 receives and monitors the amount of charge / discharge current to the battery pack 411 and the terminal voltage of the battery pack 411 from the current integration circuit 413, and calculates the total charge / discharge current from the battery pack 411. These data are stored as history data in the memory 411d and transmitted to the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100. The protection circuit 411a electrically protects the battery pack 411. The thermistor 411c detects the temperature of the battery 411b. When the temperature value of the battery 411b is abnormal, the microcomputer 414 stops the power supply of the portable electronic device. The display unit 417a displays information such as the remaining capacity of the battery pack 411, the amount of current used, and a notification message to the user 400 from the microcomputer 414 via the display control circuit 417b. The microcomputer 414 also controls the other circuit 418 of the portable electronic device 410. The charging / discharging circuit 412 receives power supply from the AC adapter and controls switching of charging / discharging to the battery pack 411.

  FIG. 4 illustrates a menu of services provided by the battery rental system. The service menu of FIG. 4 includes a type of battery that can be rented (battery pack A), a battery capacity level (100, 90, and 80), and typical battery usage functions (function A, function B, and function C). ) Shows the estimated time for each time and the rental fee. In the figure, it is shown that the rental fee per unit amount of electricity (Ah) varies depending on the level of the battery capacity of the battery pack, that is, the length of time the battery pack has. The usage functions A, B, and C are assumed to be usage functions in battery applications such as personal computers, PDAs, and mobile phones.

  In addition, when renting, in addition to the displayed rental fee, a deposit for the battery pack body may be charged, and the deposit may be returned when the battery pack is returned. A portion of the deposit may be collected depending on the decrease in the battery capacity level. As a battery transaction form, a sales form in which a battery is once sold and its residual value is paid at the time of taking over the battery is substantially the same as the rental. Therefore, the term “battery rental” used in the present invention is used. Includes such sales forms.

  5 and 6 illustrate battery pack management data managed in the battery rental system. FIG. 5 shows the history data of the battery pack 411 currently used by the portable electronic device 410 stored in the memory 411d of the portable electronic device 410, and FIG. 6 shows the history of the portable electronic device 410 managed by the server 110 of the battery rental business 100. It is the management data of the battery pack in use. In this system, for each serial number of the battery pack 411 to be rented, charge / discharge and usage status data such as a use start date, a charge start voltage, a total charge current, a total discharge current, and a use temperature are managed. The server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 classifies the full charge amount of the battery pack into a plurality of battery capacity levels as shown in FIG. 4, and sets a charge per unit amount of electricity for each battery pack.

  When setting the battery capacity of the battery pack, the capacity calculation unit 114 of the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 sets the new battery pack with reference to the rated value. For the reuse battery pack, the capacity calculation unit 114 of FIG. Based on the management data, it is calculated and set using a predetermined program. In the charge setting of the reuse battery pack, the collected battery pack may be determined by the amount of electricity (full charge amount) when the battery pack is once fully discharged and then fully charged. The portable electronic device 410 also has a program for calculating the battery capacity level of the currently used battery pack 411 from the history data of FIG. 5, and this program can display the battery capacity level of the currently used battery pack 411. It is.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing before the battery rental system provides a service, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing when the battery pack is rented, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing when the battery pack is returned. is there. The processing of the battery rental system of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the process of the previous stage of battery rental service provision is demonstrated. In step S101 in FIG. 7, the process in the previous stage starts. The user 400 reads the history data (FIG. 5) of the battery pack 411 stored in the memory 411 d in the battery pack 411 of the portable electronic device 410 with the microcomputer 414. The read data is displayed on the display unit 417a of the portable electronic device 410. The user presses a button in the display, for example, activates a capacity calculation program, calculates the battery capacity of the battery pack 411, and confirms a decrease in the battery capacity level. In step S <b> 102, the user 400 calls the battery rental service HP of the battery rental service provider 100 from the portable electronic device 410 connected to the Internet 800. In step S103, the user 400 confirms the handling model.

  In step S <b> 104, the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 searches for the battery collection / distribution store 200 near the user 400 from the location information of the user 400 and displays the location of the battery collection / distribution store 200. In step S105, the user 400 confirms the location of the battery collection / delivery store 200. The user 400 confirms the battery pack service menu (FIG. 4), and reserves a rental service in step S106. When the reservation is selected, the process proceeds to step S <b> 107, and the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 confirms the user 400 for user registration. If there is user registration, in step S108, the user 400 inputs the user ID and password, and the server 110 determines the input content. If the input can be confirmed, the server 110 confirms the completion of reservation in step S109, and the reservation operation is completed in step S116. On the other hand, if the battery pack rental is not reserved in step S106, the reservation process ends in step S116.

  If there is no user registration in step S107, whether or not user registration is possible is entered in step S110, and if registration is possible, registration necessary items such as name, address, and telephone number are entered in step S111. In step S112, the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 confirms the input content. In step S113, the server 110 assigns a user ID to the user 400. In step S114, the user 300 determines a password, inputs the password, and the server 110 manages the user ID and the password. In step S115, the user 400 confirms the user registration content transmitted from the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100, and returns to step S106. If it is determined in step S110 that user registration is not possible, the process proceeds to step S116, and the reservation process is terminated.

  Next, rental processing in the battery rental service will be described. In step S201 in FIG. 8, the rental process starts. The user 400 arrives at the battery collection / distribution store 200 searched in the process of FIG. In step S202, the user 400 confirms a handling model. In step S203, the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 confirms the presence / absence of user registration. If there is user registration, the user 400 inputs the user ID and password in step S204, and the server 110 determines the input content. In step S205, the server 110 confirms whether or not the battery pack is reserved. If there is a reservation, the server 110 confirms the reservation content in step S206. If the reservation contents match, in step S207, the user 400 confirms the name of the battery pack that can be used.

  In step S <b> 208, the user 400 registers rental fee payment credit card information from the server 210 of the battery collection and delivery store 200. In step S209, the user 400 takes out the designated battery pack from the automatic rental machine functioning as the server 210. The charging unit 116 of the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 receives the battery rental information and charges the user the fee set by the fee setting unit 115. The charge information is notified to the user 400 from the server 210 of the battery collection / distribution store 200. In step S218, the rental of the battery pack is completed. In step S203, if there is no user registration, in step S210, whether or not user registration is possible is entered. If registration is possible, in step S211, the user 400 registers necessary items such as name, address, and telephone number. input. In step S212, the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 confirms the input content. In step S213, the user 400 confirms the user ID assigned from the server 110. In step S214, the user 400 determines a password, inputs the password, and the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 manages the user ID and the password.

  In step S215, the user 400 confirms the user registration content transmitted from the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100, and returns to step S203. In step S205, the user 400 confirms whether or not a battery pack has been reserved. If there is no reservation, the user 400 inputs reservation contents from the battery pack rental menu (FIG. 4) in step S216, and proceeds to step S206. . If the contents are to be changed in step S206, the contents are changed from the battery pack rental menu (FIG. 4) in step S217, and the process proceeds to step S206.

  The user 400 uses the portable electronic device 410 by using the lent battery pack 411 as a power source. While the battery pack 411 is being lent, the portable electronic device 410 monitors the state of the battery pack 411 based on the history data of FIG. 5 together with the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 via the wireless base station 700. When the battery capacity is reduced, the user 400 is notified to that effect. In addition, the server 110 monitors the usage state of the battery pack 411 with management data (FIG. 6), and performs a service of notifying the user 400 of information for suppressing a decrease in battery capacity. Further, the server 110 manages history data for each battery pack 411 from the start of use of the battery pack to disposal.

  Next, battery pack return processing will be described. In step S301 in FIG. 9, a process when the user 400 returns the battery pack starts. The user 400 reads the history data (FIG. 5) of the battery pack 411 stored in the memory 411 d in the battery pack 411 using the microcomputer 414. The read data is displayed on the display unit 417a of the portable electronic device 410. The capacity calculation program is activated by the selection of the user 400, and the user 400 confirms a decrease in the battery capacity of the battery pack 411. The user 400 executes a search similar to the battery collection / distribution store 200 search in FIG. 7 and arrives at the searched battery collection / distribution store 200. The automatic rental machine constituting the server 210 of the battery collection / delivery store 200 operates as an automatic return machine. In step S302, the user 400 inputs the user ID and password to the automatic rental machine, the data is transmitted from the server 210 to the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100, and the server 110 determines the input content. In step S303, the user 400 returns the battery pack to the automatic rental machine. In step S304, the server 110 checks whether or not the returned battery pack is a rental battery pack. Note that the server 210 may be configured separately from the lending device and the return device of the automatic rental machine and connected to these by wiring.

  If the rental capacity is confirmed in step S304, the battery capacity is checked in step S305. If the battery capacity is good (OK), the battery pack is stored in a storage location in step S306, and the battery capacity is determined in step S310. Complete the return of the pack. If the battery capacity is insufficient (NG), the battery pack is delivered to the battery cycle operator 300 in step S307, and the return of the battery pack is completed in step S310. If it is determined in step S304 that the product is not a rental product, the handling model is confirmed in step S308, and the battery pack usage status is read from the memory of the battery pack in step S309. Thereafter, it is sent to a battery recycling company (step S307).

  In the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. The first effect is to provide a battery classified into usable capacity levels when supplying a battery to be used as a power source for an electronic device, so that the user can recognize and receive the capacity level in advance. The user is not dissatisfied due to lack of time.

  The second effect is that when the battery used for the electronic device is supplied, the usable capacity level of the battery is divided, so that the battery usable by the user can be reused for the user who needs a lower capacity level. Can be provided as. For this reason, the number of discarded batteries can be reduced, and the load on the environment can be reduced.

  The third effect is that the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 monitors the user's charging history and provides the user with a method that can further suppress the capacity reduction of the battery pack as a recommended usage method. It is possible to reduce the amount of battery waste as a whole society.

  FIG. 10 shows a part of management data stored in the battery rental system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This management data is managed by the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100 together with the management data of FIG. The configuration itself of the battery rental system of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIGS. In the present embodiment, the usage state of the battery pack 411 during the period of use by the user 400 is monitored by management data (FIG. 6), and information provided to the user is devised in order to suppress a decrease in capacity. The information in FIG. 10 is information provided to the user for each event or periodically, and is provided from the data processing unit 112 that analyzes the management information.

  In the example of FIG. 10, recommended usage conditions for suppressing a decrease in the capacity of the battery pack are set, points are given to the user 400 who observes the usage conditions, and a privilege such as a discount from the rental fee is given. The data processing unit 112 also functions as a point giving unit. In this embodiment, similar to the previous embodiment, the user is provided with a recommended usage method that can suppress a decrease in the capacity of the battery pack, and by further promoting the recommended use from the user merit of giving points, the society as a whole Further reduce the amount of battery waste and promote the reduction of environmental impact.

  In the above embodiment, the server 210 of the battery collection / distribution store 200 has been described as being separate from the server 110 of the battery rental service provider 100, but these servers may be combined into one. Alternatively, each function of the server may be distributed to a plurality of servers.

  Although the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to illustrative embodiments, the invention is not limited to these embodiments and variations thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

100: Battery rental service providers 110, 210, 310, 510, 610: Server 111: Transmission / reception unit 112: Data processing unit 113: Battery database 114: Capacity calculation unit 115: Charge calculation unit 116: Billing unit 200: Battery collection / distribution store 221: Battery pack 300: Battery recycler 400: User 410: Portable electronic device 411: Battery pack 411a: Protection circuit 411b: Battery 411c: Thermistor 411d: Memory 412: Charge / discharge circuit 413: Current integration circuit 414: Microcomputer 415 : Memory 416a: Antenna 416b: Radio circuit 417a: Display unit 417b: Display control circuit 418: Other circuit 500: Battery manufacturer 600: Electronic device manufacturer 700: Radio base station 800: Internet

Claims (8)

A charge setting unit that sets a rental fee for the battery based on the amount of electricity that can be stored with reference to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in the battery;
A battery rental system server comprising: a charging unit that charges the rental fee for a battery provided to a user.   The battery rental system server according to claim 1, wherein the charge setting unit sets a rental charge per unit amount of electricity for each level of the amount of electricity that can be accumulated divided into a plurality of levels.   The battery rental according to claim 1, further comprising a capacity calculator that calculates the amount of electricity that can be stored based on history information including at least one of a battery charging history, a discharging history, and a usage temperature history. System server.   The server of the battery rental system according to claim 3, wherein the capacity calculation unit calculates the amount of electricity that can be stored from history information previously acquired from an electronic device that uses the battery via a communication line.   The battery rental system server according to claim 4, further comprising a point granting unit that analyzes the history information and gives points to the electronic device.   The portable electronic device which uses the battery provided from the server of the battery rental system according to claim 5 and transmits the history information to the server. The computer refers to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in the battery, and sets a rental fee for the battery based on the amount of electricity that can be stored;
Charging a rental fee for a battery provided to a user by a computer. On the computer,
Referring to a storage device that stores the amount of electricity that can be stored in the battery, and setting a rental fee for the battery based on the amount of electricity that can be stored;
A program for a battery rental system that executes a process of charging the rental fee for a battery provided to a user.

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