JP2023172388A - Battery-powered communication device, program, and residual battery amount monitoring method for battery-powered communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

To predict battery replacement time in a battery-powered communication device.SOLUTION: Every time an IoT terminal 1 measures battery voltage, the IoT terminal calculates the rate of change in battery voltage based on the latest voltage value of battery voltage and measurement date and time thereof, and a voltage value of reference voltage and measurement date and time thereof. If the calculated rate of change is negative, the IoT terminal uses a linear function of time-battery voltage having this rate of change as a coefficient (slope) and the voltage value of the reference voltage or the latest voltage value of the battery voltage as a constant, and calculates a predicted value of time required for the voltage value of the battery voltage to decrease to a predetermined battery replacement voltage value. The IoT terminal adds the calculated predicted value of time to the measurement date and time of the reference voltage or the measurement date and time of the latest battery voltage to predict a battery replacement time. The IoT terminal then updates the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage to the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for monitoring the remaining battery level of a battery-powered communication device, and particularly to a technique for monitoring the remaining battery level of a battery-powered IoT (Internet of Things) terminal.

In recent years, battery-powered IoT terminals have become popular as IoT terminals that wirelessly relay sensor data detected by sensors to servers. Battery-powered IoT terminals do not require wiring for power supply, and have a high degree of freedom in installation location. However, in order to continue operating a battery-powered IoT terminal, it is necessary to replace the battery before the battery runs out. Therefore, in battery-powered IoT terminals, it is necessary to accurately monitor the remaining battery level.

Patent Document 1 discloses a battery remaining amount determination device for a battery-powered device. This battery remaining capacity determination device measures the battery voltage in the no-load state and the battery voltage in the maximum load state, calculates the amount of voltage drop from these voltage values, and uses the calculated voltage drop as the threshold for determining the remaining capacity. The presence or absence of the remaining battery capacity is determined by comparing the remaining battery capacity with the remaining battery capacity, and if there is a remaining battery capacity, the remaining capacity is displayed, and if there is no battery capacity, a battery replacement indication is displayed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-3022

However, if the battery remaining capacity determination device described in Patent Document 1 is left unattended for a long time with the battery replacement display displayed, there is a possibility that the battery of the battery-powered device will run out. On the other hand, even if the remaining battery level is displayed, the operator does not know how much time the device can continue to operate with the displayed battery level. Therefore, the operator must frequently check whether or not the battery needs to be replaced, which is cumbersome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to predict when to replace a battery in a battery-powered communication device.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention calculates the rate of change of the battery voltage based on the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage, the voltage value of the reference voltage, and the measurement date and time every time the battery voltage is measured. calculate. If the calculated rate of change in voltage is negative, a linear function of time-battery voltage is calculated using the rate of change in battery voltage as a coefficient (slope) and the voltage value of the reference voltage or the latest voltage value of battery voltage as a constant. A predicted value of the time required for the voltage value of the battery voltage to decrease to a predetermined battery replacement voltage value is calculated using the battery voltage value. Then, the calculated time prediction value is added to the measurement date and time of the reference voltage or the latest measurement date and time of the battery voltage to predict the battery replacement time. Thereafter, the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage are updated to the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage.

Here, the calculated rate of change in battery voltage is corrected by the reference slope, the corrected rate of change is used as a coefficient (slope), and the voltage value of the reference voltage or the voltage value of the latest battery voltage is used as a constant. A predicted value of the time required for the voltage value of the battery voltage to decrease to the battery replacement voltage value may be calculated using a linear function of the voltage. In this case, the reference slope is then updated to the corrected rate of change.

For example, the present invention
A battery-powered communication device,
a voltage measuring means for repeatedly measuring battery voltage;
a reference information storage means for storing the voltage value of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time;
Each time the battery voltage is measured by the voltage measuring means, the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage, and the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage means. slope calculation means for calculating the rate of change of the battery voltage based on the battery voltage;
When the rate of change calculated by the slope calculation means is negative, the rate of change, the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage means, or the latest voltage of the battery voltage. replacement time prediction means for predicting battery replacement time based on the value and measurement date and time;
When the battery replacement time is predicted by the replacement time predicting means, the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage means are updated to the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage. and a reference information update means for updating;
The replacement time prediction means includes:
Using a time-battery voltage linear function with the rate of change as a coefficient and the voltage value of the reference voltage or the latest voltage value of the battery voltage as a constant, the voltage value of the battery voltage is determined to be a predetermined battery replacement voltage. A predicted time value required for the battery voltage to drop to the current value is calculated, and the calculated time predicted value is added to the measurement date and time of the reference voltage or the latest measurement date and time of the battery voltage to predict the battery replacement time.

Since the present invention predicts when the battery will be replaced, the operator does not need to frequently check whether the battery needs to be replaced. Further, in the present invention, each time the battery voltage is measured, the battery replacement time is predicted based on the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage, the voltage value of the reference voltage, and the measurement date and time. Here, the reference voltage is updated with the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage each time the battery replacement time is predicted. Therefore, according to the present invention, in a battery-powered communication device, it is possible to predict with high accuracy the battery replacement time based on the latest tendency of voltage drop of the battery.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wireless data sensing system to which an IoT terminal 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram for explaining the battery replacement timing prediction process of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the battery replacement timing prediction process of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a continuation of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the battery replacement timing prediction process of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a continuation of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of an IoT terminal 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for explaining a part of the battery replacement timing prediction process of the IoT terminal 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flow diagram for explaining a part of the battery replacement timing prediction process of the IoT terminal 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wireless data sensing system to which an IoT terminal 1 according to the present embodiment is applied.

As shown in the figure, the wireless data sensing system is for managing the operating status of equipment 4 such as a factory using IoT, and measures sensor values related to the operating status of the equipment 4 and collects sensor values and Consisting of a sensor 2 that outputs sensor data including the measurement date and time, an IoT server device 3 that collects and manages the sensor data output from the sensor 2, and an IoT terminal 1 according to the present embodiment. .

The IoT terminal 1 accommodates a sensor 2 and is wirelessly connected to a wireless access point (wireless AP) 5, and relays sensor data output from the sensor 2 to the IoT server device 3 via the wireless access point 5. Furthermore, the IoT terminal 1 is a battery-powered IoT terminal, and predicts the battery life so that the battery can be replaced at an appropriate timing, and outputs the prediction result. Note that the wireless access point 5 may be a gateway (GW).

FIG. 2 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the IoT terminal 1 according to the present embodiment.

As illustrated, the IoT terminal 1 includes a battery power source 100, a sensor interface section 101, a wireless interface section 102, a relay section 103, a voltage measurement section 104, a reference information storage section 105, and a slope calculation section 106. , a replacement time prediction section 107, a reference information update section 108, a display section 109, and a main control section 110.

The battery power supply 100 has a replaceably installed battery, and supplies power to each section 101 to 110 of the IoT terminal 1 from the installed battery.

The sensor interface unit 101 is an interface for connecting to the sensor 2 and receives sensor data from the sensor 2.

The wireless interface unit 102 is an interface for wirelessly connecting to the wireless access point 5, and wirelessly transmits sensor data to the IoT server device 3 via the wireless access point 5.

The relay unit 103 relays between the sensor interface unit 101 and the wireless interface unit 102. Thereby, the sensor data of the sensor 2 received by the sensor interface unit 101 is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless interface unit 102 to the wireless access point 5, and then transmitted from the wireless access point 5 to the IoT server device 3.

Voltage measuring section 104 periodically measures the battery voltage of battery power supply 100.

The reference information storage unit 105 stores the voltage value of the reference voltage, the measurement date and time, and the reference slope. The reference voltage and reference slope are used by the slope calculation section 106 and the replacement time prediction section 107.

Every time the battery voltage is measured by the voltage measurement unit 104, the slope calculation unit 106 calculates the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage, and the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage unit 105. The rate of change in battery voltage (average rate of change) is calculated based on .

When the rate of change in voltage calculated by the slope calculation unit 106 is negative, the replacement time prediction unit 107 stores the rate of change in voltage, the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage, and the reference information storage unit 105. The battery replacement time is predicted based on the reference slope stored in the.

The reference information update unit 108 updates the voltage value of the reference voltage, the measurement date and time, and the reference slope stored in the reference information storage unit 105 when the battery replacement time is predicted by the replacement time prediction unit 107.

The display unit 109 is composed of a liquid crystal panel or the like, and displays the battery replacement time predicted by the replacement time prediction unit 107.

The main control unit 110 centrally controls each unit 100 to 109 of the IoT terminal 1.

Note that the functional configuration of the IoT terminal 1 shown in FIG. digital It may be realized by software using a computer such as a signal processor. Alternatively, in a computer system including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an auxiliary storage device, and a communication interface, the CPU loads a predetermined program from the auxiliary storage device onto the memory and executes the above program. Each functional component may be realized as a process.

3 to 5 are flowcharts for explaining the battery replacement timing prediction process of the IoT terminal 1 according to the present embodiment.

When the regular measurement timing arrives (YES in S100), the voltage measuring unit 104 measures the battery voltage of the battery power source 100 (S101). Then, the voltage value of the measured battery voltage is output to the slope calculation unit 106 along with the measurement date and time.

In response to this, if the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage are not registered in the reference information storage unit 105 (NO in S102), the slope calculation unit 106 calculates the voltage value and measurement date of the battery voltage received from the voltage measurement unit 104. The date and time are registered in the reference information storage unit 105 as the voltage value of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time (S103).

On the other hand, if the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage have been registered in the reference information storage unit 105 (YES in S102), the slope calculation unit 106 stores the voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage received from the voltage measurement unit 104, The rate of change in battery voltage is calculated using the voltage value of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time registered in the reference information storage unit 105 (S104). Then, the calculated rate of change in voltage is output to the replacement time prediction unit 107 together with the voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage received from the voltage measurement unit 104. When the voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage are respectively Vc and Tc, and the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage are Vs and Ts, respectively, the rate of change A of the battery voltage can be calculated using the following equation 1. .

Next, the replacement time prediction unit 107 determines whether the sign of the rate of change A of battery voltage is negative (S105). If the rate of change A of the battery voltage is positive, that is, if the battery voltage is rising (NO in S105), there is a possibility that the battery voltage was not measured correctly, so this rate of change A should be adopted. No, the process returns to S100.

On the other hand, if the slope A of the battery voltage is negative, that is, if the battery voltage is decreasing (YES in S105), the replacement time prediction unit 107 refers to the reference information storage unit 105 and It is checked whether a reference slope is registered in (S106).

Here, if the reference slope is not registered in the reference information storage unit 105 (NO in S106), the replacement time prediction unit 107 sets the voltage value Vc of the battery voltage received from the slope calculation unit 106 as a constant, and A linear function of time-battery voltage with the rate of change A as a coefficient (slope) is set as a voltage drop characteristic equation (S107). When the time is T and the battery voltage is V, the voltage drop characteristic equation can be expressed by Equation 2 below.

Next, the replacement time prediction unit 107 uses the set voltage drop characteristic formula to determine the voltage required for the battery voltage value V to drop to the battery replacement voltage value Ve registered in advance as the battery voltage value at which the battery should be replaced. A predicted time value (descent time) Tx is calculated (S108). Then, the replacement time prediction unit 107 calculates the battery replacement time Te by adding the drop time Tx to the battery voltage measurement date and time Tc received from the slope calculation unit 106 (S109). Then, the main control unit calculates the battery replacement time Te along with the voltage value Vc of the battery voltage received from the slope calculation unit 106, the measurement date and time Tc, and the rate of change of the battery voltage (the rate of change used as the slope A of the voltage drop characteristic equation). 110.

In response to this, the main control unit 110 displays the battery replacement time Te received by the replacement time prediction unit 107 on the display unit 109 (S110). The main control unit 110 also uses the voltage value Vc of the battery voltage, the measurement date and time Tc, and the rate of change of the battery voltage (the rate of change used as the slope A of the voltage drop characteristic equation) received by the replacement time prediction unit 107 as reference information. It is passed to the update unit 108. Then, the reference information updating unit 108 updates the voltage value Vs and measurement date and time Ts of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage unit 105 with the voltage value Vc and measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage received from the main control unit 110, respectively. At the same time, the rate of change A of the battery voltage received from the main control unit 110 is registered as the reference slope (S111). After that, the process returns to S100.

Further, in S106, if the reference slope is registered in the reference information storage unit 105 (YES in S106), the replacement time prediction unit 107 corrects the rate of change of battery voltage using this reference slope (S112). Specifically, the rate of change A of the battery voltage is corrected so that it becomes the slope of a straight line that bisects the angle formed by the straight line whose slope is the rate of change A of the battery voltage and the straight line with the reference slope. When the reference slope is As, the rate of change A' of the battery voltage after correction can be expressed by Equation 3 below.

Next, the replacement time predicting unit 107 calculates the time-battery voltage ratio by using the voltage value Vc of the battery voltage received from the slope calculating unit 106 as a constant and using the corrected battery voltage change rate A' as a coefficient (slope). A linear function is set as a voltage drop characteristic equation (S113). When the time is T and the battery voltage is V, the voltage drop characteristic equation can be expressed by Equation 4 below.

Next, the replacement time prediction unit 107 uses the set voltage drop characteristic formula to determine the voltage required for the battery voltage value V to drop to the battery replacement voltage value Ve registered in advance as the battery voltage value at which the battery should be replaced. A descending time Tx is calculated (S114). Then, the replacement time prediction unit 107 calculates the battery replacement time Te by adding the drop time Tx to the battery voltage measurement date and time Tc received from the slope calculation unit 106 (S115). Then, the battery replacement time Te is determined based on the voltage value Vc of the battery voltage received from the slope calculation unit 106, the measurement date and time Tc, and the rate of change of the battery voltage after correction (the rate of change used as the slope of the voltage drop characteristic equation) A' At the same time, it is output to the main control section 110.

In response to this, the main control unit 110 displays the battery replacement time Te received by the replacement time prediction unit 107 on the display unit 109 (S116). In addition, the main control unit 110 updates the reference information with the voltage value Vc of the battery voltage received by the replacement time prediction unit 107, the measurement date and time Tc, and the rate of change of the battery voltage after correction (the slope of the voltage drop characteristic equation) A′. Hand it over to department 108. Then, the reference information update unit 108 receives the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage, the measurement date and time Ts, and the reference slope As stored in the reference information storage unit 105 from the main control unit 110, and updates the voltage value Vc of the battery voltage, The measurement date and time Tc and the corrected battery voltage change rate (slope of the voltage drop characteristic equation) A' are updated (S117). After that, the process returns to S100.

The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

Since the IoT terminal 1 according to the present embodiment predicts and outputs the battery replacement time Te, the operator does not need to frequently confirm whether or not battery replacement is necessary. Moreover, each time the battery voltage is measured, the battery replacement time is predicted based on the latest voltage value Vc and measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, voltage value Vs of the reference voltage, and measurement date and time Ts. Here, the reference voltage is updated to the latest voltage value Vc of the battery voltage and measurement date and time Tc each time the battery replacement time Te is predicted. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately predict the battery replacement time Te from the latest voltage drop trend of the battery.

In addition, the IoT terminal 1 according to the present embodiment converts the rate of change A of the battery voltage obtained from the latest voltage value Vc and measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage, and the measurement date and time Ts into a reference slope. The time for battery replacement is determined using a linear function of time-battery voltage, with the corrected battery voltage change rate A' as a coefficient (slope) and the latest voltage value Vc of the battery voltage as a constant. Predict Te. Specifically, the rate of change A of the battery voltage is corrected so that it becomes the slope of a straight line that bisects the angle formed by the straight line whose slope is this rate of change A and the straight line with the reference slope As. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the reference slope As is added to the rate of change A of the battery voltage obtained from the latest voltage value Vc and measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage, and the measurement date and time Ts. This prevents the battery replacement time Te from greatly varying from the previously predicted battery replacement time Te when the rate of change A changes significantly from the reference slope As. Variations can be reduced.

In this embodiment, a time-battery voltage linear function is used, in which the latest voltage value Vc of the battery voltage is a constant and the rate of change A of the battery voltage or its corrected rate of change A' is a coefficient (slope). is used as the voltage drop characteristic equation (see Equations 2 and 4) to calculate the drop time Tx required for the battery voltage value V to drop to the battery replacement voltage value Ve, and calculate the drop time Tx required for the battery voltage value V to drop to the battery replacement voltage value Ve. The battery replacement time Te is calculated by adding this descent time Tx. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The voltage drop characteristic equation (Equation 2, Equation 2, 4), calculate the drop time Tx necessary for the battery voltage value V to drop to the battery replacement voltage value Ve, and set this drop time Tx at the measurement date and time Ts of the reference voltage. The battery replacement time Te may be calculated by adding .

In addition, in this embodiment, the rate of change A of the battery voltage obtained from the latest voltage value Vc and measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage, and the measurement date and time Ts is defined as a slope. The angle formed by the straight line with the reference slope As and the straight line with the reference slope As is corrected so as to have the slope of the straight line bisecting the angle, and the battery replacement time Te is predicted using the corrected rate of change A'. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is sufficient that the rate of change A of the battery voltage determined from the latest voltage value Vc and measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage, and the measurement date and time Ts is corrected by the reference slope As. For example, the rate of change A of the battery voltage may be corrected by weighting and averaging the rate of change A of the battery voltage and the reference slope As with predetermined weights, respectively. Alternatively, without correcting the rate of change A of the battery voltage with the reference slope A', a linear function of time-battery voltage with this rate of change A as a coefficient (slope) and the latest voltage value Vc of the battery voltage as a constant can be created. It may also be used to predict when to replace the battery. Even in this case, after predicting the battery replacement time Te, the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time Ts are updated to the latest voltage value Vc and measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage. The replacement time Te can be accurately predicted.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The IoT terminal 1A according to the present embodiment can be used in place of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the wireless data sensing system shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the IoT terminal 1A according to the present embodiment.

The IoT terminal 1A according to the present embodiment is different from the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. and that a main control section 110a is provided in place of the main control section 110. Other configurations are similar to the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

The measured area storage unit 111 stores the measured area indicating the battery consumption of the battery power source 100 in a TV standard in which the vertical axis is the voltage value V of the battery voltage and the horizontal axis is the time T.

When the rate of change A of the battery voltage calculated by the slope calculation unit 106 is negative, the actual measurement area updating unit 112 updates the latest battery voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit 104 in the above-mentioned TV coordinate system. The coordinates (Tc, Vc) specified by the voltage value Vc and the measurement date and time Tc, the coordinates (Ts, Vs) specified by the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time Ts, and the battery replacement voltage value Ve and the battery voltage. Calculate the area of the rectangular area surrounded by the coordinates (Tc, Ve) specified by the latest measurement date and time Tc, and the coordinates (Ts, Ve) specified by the battery replacement voltage value Ve and reference voltage measurement date and time Ts. Then, the calculated area is added to the measured area storage unit 111 as the measured area indicating the battery consumption described above.

When the battery replacement time Te is predicted by the replacement time prediction unit 107, the battery remaining amount calculation unit 113 calculates the latest voltage value Vc of the battery voltage measured by the voltage measurement unit 104 in the above-mentioned TV standard system. and the coordinates (Tc, Vc) specified by the measurement date and time Tc, the coordinates (Tc, Ve) specified by the battery replacement voltage value Ve and the latest measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, the battery replacement voltage value Ve and the battery replacement The area of the triangular area surrounded by the coordinates (Te, Ve) specified by the time Te is calculated as the predicted area of battery consumption. Then, the remaining battery level of the battery power source 100 is calculated using the measured area of battery consumption and the predicted area of battery consumption stored in the measured area storage unit 111.

The main control unit 110a centrally controls each unit 100 to 109 and 111 to 113 of the IoT terminal 1A.

Note that the functional configuration of the IoT terminal 1A shown in FIG. 6 is also realized in hardware by an integrated logic IC such as ASIC or FPGA, similar to the functional configuration of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Alternatively, it may be realized by software using a computer such as a DSP. Alternatively, in a computer system equipped with a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device, and a communication interface, each functional component is processed by the CPU loading a predetermined program from the auxiliary storage device onto the memory and executing it. It may also be realized as

The battery replacement time prediction process of the IoT terminal 1A according to the present embodiment is performed between S110 and S111 in the battery replacement time prediction process of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. S200 and S201 shown in FIG. 7 are executed, and S202 to S206 shown in FIG. 8 are executed between S116 and S117. The rest is the same as the battery replacement timing prediction process of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 5.

In S200 shown in FIG. 7, the main control unit 110a obtains the voltage drop characteristic equation shown in Equation 2 from the replacement time prediction unit 107. Then, this voltage drop characteristic equation is passed to the actual measurement area updating section 112 along with the latest measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage and the measurement date and time Ts of the reference voltage received from the replacement time prediction section 107.

In response, the measured area updating unit 112 updates the voltage drop characteristic equation received from the main control unit 110a, the latest measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, the measurement date and time Ts of the reference voltage, and the battery replacement voltage value Ve. In the above-mentioned TV standard system, the coordinates (Tc, Vc) specified by the latest voltage value Vc of the battery voltage and the measurement date and time Tc, and the coordinates (Tc, Vc) specified by the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time Ts. The coordinates (Ts, Vs), the coordinates (Tc, Ve) specified by the battery replacement voltage value Ve and the measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, and the coordinates (Tc, Ve) specified by the battery replacement voltage value Ve and the measurement date and time Ts of the reference voltage. The area Sc of a rectangular region surrounded by Ts, Ve) is calculated. When the voltage drop characteristic equation shown in Equation 2 is taken as f(T), this area Sc can be calculated using Equation 5 below.

Next, the measured area updating unit 112 stores the area Sc of the rectangular area calculated using Equation 5 above in the measured area storage unit 111 as the measured area of battery consumption (S201).

Further, in S202 shown in FIG. 8, the main control unit 110a acquires the voltage drop characteristic equation shown in Equation 4 from the replacement time prediction unit 107. Then, this voltage drop characteristic equation is passed to the actual measurement area updating section 112 along with the latest measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage and the measurement date and time Ts of the reference voltage received by the replacement time prediction section 107.

In response, the measured area updating unit 112 updates the voltage drop characteristic equation received from the main control unit 110a, the latest measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, the measurement date and time Ts of the reference voltage, and the battery replacement voltage value Ve. In the above-mentioned TV standard system, the coordinates (Tc, Vc) specified by the latest voltage value Vc of the battery voltage and the measurement date and time Tc, and the coordinates (Tc, Vc) specified by the voltage value Vs of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time Ts. The coordinates (Ts, Vs), the coordinates (Tc, Ve) specified by the battery replacement voltage value Ve and the latest measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage, and the coordinates (Tc, Ve) specified by the battery replacement voltage value Ve and the measurement date and time Ts of the reference voltage. The area Sc of a rectangular area surrounded by the coordinates (Ts, Ve) is calculated. When the voltage drop characteristic equation shown in Equation 4 is taken as f'(T), this area Sc can be calculated using Equation 6 below.

Next, the measured area updating unit 112 adds the area Sc of the rectangular area calculated by the above-mentioned equation 6 to the measured area storage unit 111 (S203).

Next, the main control unit 110a passes the voltage drop characteristic equation shown in Equation 4, the latest battery voltage measurement date and time Tc, and the battery replacement time Te received by the replacement time prediction unit 107 to the battery remaining amount calculation unit 113.

In response to this, the battery remaining amount calculation unit 113 uses the voltage drop characteristic equation received from the main control unit 110a, the latest battery voltage measurement date and time Tc, the battery replacement time Te, and the battery replacement voltage value Ve. Therefore, in the above-mentioned TV standard, the coordinates (Tc, Vc) specified by the latest voltage value Vc of the battery voltage and the measurement date and time Tc, and the battery replacement voltage value Ve and the latest measurement date and time Tc of the battery voltage are used. The area Se of the triangular area surrounded by the specified coordinates (Tc, Ve) and the coordinates (Te, Ve) specified by the battery replacement voltage value Ve and battery replacement time Te is calculated as the predicted area of battery consumption. (S204). This area Se can be calculated using Equation 7 below.

Then, the battery remaining amount calculation unit 113 uses the total value of the measured area Sc of battery consumption stored so far in the measured area storage unit 111 and the predicted area Se of battery consumption to The remaining amount W (%) is calculated (S205). Specifically, the ratio (%) of the predicted area Se of battery consumption to the total value of the measured area Sc of battery consumption and the predicted area Se of battery consumption is calculated as the remaining battery amount W. The remaining battery capacity W can be calculated using Equation 8 below.

Next, the battery remaining amount calculating section 113 outputs the remaining battery amount W to the main control section 110a. In response, the main control unit 110a displays the remaining battery capacity W received by the remaining battery capacity calculation unit 113 on the display unit 109 together with the battery replacement time Te that is currently being displayed (S206).

The second embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

According to the IoT terminal 1A according to the present embodiment, the remaining battery level W is also displayed in addition to the battery replacement time Te, so the user can easily determine the timing for battery replacement work. Other effects are similar to those of the IoT terminal 1 according to the first embodiment.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and many modifications can be made within the scope of the invention.

For example, in each of the embodiments described above, the battery replacement time Te (in the second embodiment, the battery replacement time Te and the remaining battery power W) is displayed on the display unit 109 provided in the IoT terminals 1 and 1A. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Instead of displaying it on the display unit 109, or in addition to displaying it on the display unit 109, the battery replacement time Te is transmitted from the wireless interface unit 102 to the IoT server device 3 or a dedicated management terminal, and the IoT server device 3 or may be displayed on a dedicated management terminal.

Further, the present invention can be widely applied to battery-powered communication devices.

1, 1A: IoT terminal 2: Sensor 3: IoT server device 4: Equipment 5: Wireless access point 100: Battery power supply 101: Sensor interface unit 102: Wireless interface unit 103: Relay unit 104: Voltage measurement unit 105: Reference information storage Section 106: Slope calculation section 107: Replacement time prediction section 108: Standard information update section 109: Display section 110, 110a: Main control section 111: Actual measurement area storage section 112: Actual measurement area update section 113: Battery remaining amount calculation section

Claims (6)

A battery-powered communication device,
a voltage measuring means for repeatedly measuring battery voltage;
a reference information storage means for storing the voltage value of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time;
Each time the battery voltage is measured by the voltage measuring means, the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage, and the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage means. slope calculation means for calculating the rate of change of the battery voltage based on the battery voltage;
When the rate of change calculated by the slope calculation means is negative, the rate of change, the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage means, or the latest voltage of the battery voltage. replacement time prediction means for predicting battery replacement time based on the value and measurement date and time;
When the battery replacement time is predicted by the replacement time predicting means, the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage means are updated to the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage. and a standard information updating means for updating,
The replacement time prediction means includes:
Using a time-battery voltage linear function with the rate of change as a coefficient and the voltage value of the reference voltage or the latest voltage value of the battery voltage as a constant, the voltage value of the battery voltage is determined to be a predetermined battery replacement voltage. The battery replacement time is predicted by calculating a predicted time required for the battery voltage to drop to a certain value, and adding the calculated time predicted value to the measurement date and time of the reference voltage or the latest measurement date and time of the battery voltage. A battery-powered communication device. The battery-powered communication device according to claim 1,
The reference information storage means stores a reference slope;
The replacement time prediction means includes:
Using the reference slope stored in the reference information storage means, correct the rate of change calculated by the slope calculation means, use the corrected rate of change as a coefficient, and calculate the voltage value of the reference voltage or Using a time-battery voltage linear function with the latest voltage value of the battery voltage as a constant, calculate the time required for the voltage value to decrease to the battery replacement voltage value,
The reference information updating means includes:
When the battery replacement time is predicted by the replacement time prediction means, the reference slope stored in the reference information storage means is updated to the corrected rate of change. communication equipment. The battery-powered communication device according to claim 2,
The replacement time prediction means includes:
The rate of change calculated by the slope calculation means is determined by the slope of a straight line that bisects the angle formed by the straight line whose slope is the rate of change and the straight line of the reference slope stored in the reference information storage means. A battery-powered communication device characterized by correcting. A battery-powered communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Measured area storage means for storing the measured area of battery consumption in a coordinate system in which the vertical axis is the voltage value and the horizontal axis is the time;
When the rate of change calculated by the slope calculation means is negative, in the coordinate system, coordinates specified by the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage, and the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage. , coordinates specified by the battery replacement voltage value and the latest measurement date and time of the battery voltage, and coordinates specified by the battery replacement voltage value and the measurement date and time of the reference voltage. Measured area updating means that calculates the area of the region and adds the calculated area to the measured area storage means as the measured area of the battery consumption;
When the battery replacement time is predicted by the replacement time predicting means, in the coordinate system, coordinates specified by the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage, and the battery replacement voltage value and the battery voltage The area of the area surrounded by the coordinates specified by the latest measurement date and time and the coordinates specified by the battery replacement voltage value and the battery replacement time is calculated as a predicted area of battery consumption, and the actual measured area storage means It is characterized by further comprising a remaining battery amount calculation means for calculating, as a remaining battery amount, a ratio of the predicted area of battery consumption to the total value of the measured area of battery consumption and the predicted area of battery consumption stored in . A battery-powered communication device. A program that causes a computer to function as a battery-powered communication device,
Voltage measuring means for repeatedly measuring battery voltage;
reference information storage means for storing the voltage value of the reference voltage and the measurement date and time;
Every time the battery voltage is measured by the voltage measuring means, the voltage value and measurement date and time of the latest battery voltage are determined based on the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage means. , slope calculation means for calculating the rate of change of the battery voltage;
When the rate of change calculated by the slope calculation means is negative, the slope of the voltage drop, the voltage value of the reference voltage stored in the reference information storage means, the measurement date and time, or the latest battery voltage replacement time prediction means for predicting battery replacement time based on the voltage value and measurement date and time; and when the battery replacement time is predicted by the replacement time prediction means, the reference information stored in the reference information storage means causing the computer to function as a reference information updating means for updating the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage to the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage;
The replacement time prediction means includes:
Using a time-battery voltage linear function with the rate of change as a coefficient and the voltage value of the reference voltage or the latest voltage value of the battery voltage as a constant, the voltage value of the battery voltage is determined to be a predetermined battery replacement voltage. The battery replacement time is predicted by calculating a predicted time required for the battery voltage to drop to a certain value, and adding the calculated time predicted value to the measurement date and time of the reference voltage or the latest measurement date and time of the battery voltage. A program that does. A method for predicting remaining battery power of a battery-powered communication device, the method comprising:
The battery voltage is repeatedly measured, and each time the battery voltage is measured, the battery voltage is measured based on the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage and the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage registered in advance. Calculate the rate of change of voltage,
When the calculated rate of change is negative, using a linear function of time-battery voltage, with the rate of change as a coefficient and the voltage value of the reference voltage or the latest voltage value of the battery voltage as a constant, A predicted time value required for the voltage value of the battery voltage to decrease to a predetermined battery replacement voltage value is calculated, and the calculated time predicted value is added to the measurement date and time of the reference voltage or the latest measurement date and time of the battery voltage. predicting the battery replacement time,
Battery-powered communication characterized in that when the battery replacement time is predicted, the voltage value and measurement date and time of the reference voltage registered in advance are updated to the latest voltage value and measurement date and time of the battery voltage. A method for predicting the remaining battery power of a device.

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