JP6181482B2 - Battery replacement system and program for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for replacing a battery of an electric vehicle such as an electric automobile or an electric scooter. More specifically, the system of the present invention includes an electric vehicle driven by a replaceable battery, a battery station for charging the battery, and a management server for managing the charging status in the battery station. In the system of the present invention, the management server controls the charging speed of the battery in the battery station according to the battery charging information including the position of the electric vehicle, the remaining battery level, etc., so that the electric vehicle arrives at the battery station. Another feature is that the battery can be replaced smoothly.

  Conventionally, an electric vehicle equipped with a replaceable battery is known. An electric vehicle travels by driving a motor with electric power supplied from a battery via a controller. Typical examples of such an electric vehicle include an electric vehicle, an electric scooter, and an electric assist bicycle.

  Due to battery performance and cost problems, electric vehicles such as those mentioned above currently have a distance that can be traveled with a single charge or battery replacement, but are generally liquid fuel vehicles (gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles, and liquefied natural gas). It is said that it is shorter than cars). Therefore, at present, infrastructure is being developed to increase the number of battery stations for charging the battery so that the battery of the electric vehicle can be charged and replaced frequently. For this reason, when the battery of the battery of the own vehicle is low, the user of the electric vehicle stops by a nearby battery station and replaces the battery of the own vehicle with the battery charged at the battery station. The electric vehicle can be continuously driven.

  However, a general battery station requires a charging time of several tens of minutes to several hours in order to fully charge a battery for an electric vehicle, depending on the charging current value to the battery. For this reason, even if the electric vehicle arrives at the nearest battery station, if the charging of the battery is not completed, it is necessary to wait for the charging to be completed in front of the battery station. As described above, in the conventional system, even when the electric vehicle arrives at the battery station, it is assumed that the battery cannot be replaced immediately. This was one of the factors that hindered the spread of systems including electric vehicles and battery stations.

  Here, in order to avoid the delay in charging the battery as described above, it is known that the battery station performs high-speed charging of the battery. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting the remaining battery level of a battery when the battery is stored in a battery station and charging the battery at a high speed when the remaining battery level is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Has been. As described above, when the battery level of the battery is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the high-speed charging is performed, so that when the electric vehicle arrives at the battery station, the necessary battery charging is not completed. It is considered that the possibility of occurrence of this can be reduced.

JP 2001-57711 A

  However, there is a demerit that when the battery is charged at high speed, the deterioration of the battery proceeds. That is, the battery has upper limits on the charging speed and the charging current value mainly from the viewpoint of safety and durability. Here, charging closer to the upper limit of the charging speed and the charging current value is called fast charging, and charging closer to the lower limit of the charging speed and the charging current value is called slow charging. It is known that high-speed charging has a higher degree of battery degradation than normal-speed charging (normal charging) and low-speed charging. Also, in general, when the normal charging is continued and when the battery is charged by appropriately switching between normal charging, low-speed charging, and high-speed charging, the latter has a larger degree of battery deterioration. It is known to be. For this reason, as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the battery remaining amount of the battery is equal to or less than a predetermined value, if fast charge is always performed, the battery is charged even when unnecessary. As a result, there was a problem that the deterioration of the battery progressed without meaning. For example, in the technique of Patent Document 1, even when there is no electric vehicle that needs to be replaced near the battery station, the remaining battery level of the battery stored in the battery station is less than a predetermined value. , Always perform high-speed charging. However, when there is no electric vehicle that needs to be replaced near the battery station, the battery deteriorates by performing normal charging or low-speed charging, rather than charging the battery at a high speed and causing the battery to deteriorate. It can be said that it is preferable to suppress this.

  In addition, electric vehicles are not only driven by one battery but also driven by mounting a plurality of batteries. In general, a battery station stores and charges a plurality of batteries. For this reason, it is assumed that a plurality of batteries mounted on the electric vehicle are replaced with a plurality of batteries stored in the battery station by replacing the battery once. However, in an electric vehicle driven by a plurality of batteries, the performance (speed and mileage) of the entire vehicle may depend on the performance of the battery that has deteriorated most or the battery that has the least remaining battery power. Therefore, when a battery is replaced, if there is a battery with a low remaining battery level or a battery with a high degree of deterioration among a plurality of batteries delivered from the battery station to the electric vehicle, the electric vehicle will perform sufficiently. There was a problem that I could not. That is, when four batteries are delivered from the battery station to the electric vehicle, even if three of them are new batteries, if one of them is an old battery with a high degree of deterioration, these four batteries The performance of an electric vehicle equipped with a battery may depend on the performance of a single battery having the greatest deterioration level. Thus, even if three of the four batteries mounted on the electric vehicle are new, if one of them has an old battery, three new batteries are present. The performance of was not able to be fully drawn out. For this reason, it can be said that it is preferable that the plurality of batteries stored in the battery station have the same level of deterioration as much as possible.

  In addition, when the deterioration level of the battery stored in the battery station increases, the system administrator must go to the battery station, discard the battery with the increased deterioration level, and replace it with a new battery. Necessary. At this time, for example, when a battery with a large deterioration level appears among a plurality of batteries stored in the battery station, the administrator may go to the battery station and replace the battery every time. It is time consuming and not efficient. For this reason, it is required to improve the efficiency by replacing a plurality of batteries at a time. From this point of view, it can be said that it is preferable that the plurality of batteries stored in the battery station have the same level of deterioration as much as possible.

  Furthermore, as described above, in an electric vehicle driven by a plurality of batteries, the performance (speed and travel distance) of the entire vehicle may depend on the performance of the battery with the least remaining battery level. Therefore, the plurality of batteries stored in the battery station are preferably in a state where the remaining battery power is as equal as possible when the electric vehicle arrives. For example, when an electric vehicle requests replacement of four batteries, four batteries with a remaining battery capacity of 80 Ah are provided rather than three batteries with a remaining battery capacity of 100 Ah and one battery with 60 Ah. It is said that it is easier to bring out the performance of the electric vehicle more efficiently by preparing the individual.

  From the above viewpoint, the charging by the battery station is performed so that the deterioration degree of the plurality of batteries and the remaining battery level are leveled as much as possible in consideration of the risk that the deterioration of the battery progresses when high-speed charging is performed. Is desirable. However, conventional battery charging systems perform high-speed charging ignoring the risk of battery deterioration, and have a mechanism for leveling the degree of deterioration and the remaining battery capacity of multiple batteries. It was not.

  For this reason, at present, there is a demand for a technique that can appropriately control the degree of deterioration of the battery and the remaining battery level by controlling the charging speed at the battery station.

Therefore, as a result of intensive studies on the means for solving the problems of the conventional invention, the inventors of the present invention basically predicted the time until the electric vehicle arrives at the battery station, and predicted arrival time. By controlling the charging speed of each battery stored in the battery station based on the above, it is possible to prevent the battery from degrading and to appropriately control the degree of deterioration of the battery and the remaining battery level. I got the knowledge. The inventor has conceived that the problems of the prior art can be solved based on the above knowledge, and has completed the present invention.
More specifically, the present invention has the following configuration.

The 1st side of the present invention is related with the battery exchange system for electric vehicles.
The system of the present invention includes a plurality of electric vehicles 2, a plurality of battery stations 3, and a management server 4.
The plurality of electric vehicles 2 can travel by driving a motor with one or a plurality of replaceable batteries 1 mounted on the vehicle. Examples of the electric vehicle 2 are an electric automobile, an electric scooter, and an electric assist bicycle. The battery station 3 includes a mechanism that can charge the battery 1. The management server 4 is a server device connected to the electric vehicle 2 and the battery station 3 via a communication network.
In the system of the present invention, the battery 1 is a BMS (Battery Management System) having a function of measuring and calculating the battery remaining amount and the number of times of charging of the battery and communicating the battery charging information including the identification number (ID) to the outside. 10 may be included.
In the system of the present invention, the electric vehicle 2 includes a control device 20, a remaining capacity meter 21, a position information acquisition device (GPS) 22, and a communication device 23.
The control device 20 is connected to a remaining capacity meter 21, a position information acquisition device (GPS) 22, and a communication device 23, respectively. Thereby, the control device 20 appropriately stores the battery information including the remaining battery level of the battery 1 acquired by the remaining capacity meter 21, the current position information of the own vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition device (GPS) 22, and the like. Can be obtained. In addition, the control device 20 can perform calculation processing of information obtained from various devices, and can transmit it to the management server via the communication device 23. The control device 20 may be a device provided in the electric vehicle 2, or may be a device using an information arithmetic processing device provided in a general-purpose portable communication terminal (for example, a smartphone).
The remaining capacity meter 21 acquires battery charging information including the identification number and the remaining battery level of one or more batteries 1 mounted on the electric vehicle 2. The remaining capacity meter 21 may acquire battery charging information from the BMS 10 included in the battery 1, or directly detect and measure the identification number of the battery 1 and the remaining battery level when the battery 1 is connected. Also good. The remaining capacity meter 21 may be a device provided in the electric vehicle 2, or may be a device using an information reception display device provided in a general-purpose portable communication terminal (for example, a smartphone).
The position information acquisition device (GPS) 22 acquires current position information of the electric vehicle 2. The position information acquisition device (GPS) 22 may be a device provided in the electric vehicle 2 or may use a GPS provided in a general-purpose portable communication terminal (for example, a smartphone).
The communication device 23 can transmit a battery replacement request to the management server 4 together with battery charging information and position information. The communication device 23 may be a device provided in the electric vehicle 2 or may use a communication device provided in a general-purpose portable communication terminal (for example, a smartphone).
In the system of the present invention, the battery station 3 has one or a plurality of chargers 31 that can charge a loaded battery by adjusting a charging speed.
Furthermore, in the system of the present invention, the management server 4 has a control unit 40 and a communication unit 41.
The control unit 40 of the management server 4 includes a station selection unit 40a, an arrival time prediction unit 40b, and a charging rate determination unit 40c.
When the station selection unit 40 a receives a battery replacement request from the electric vehicle 2, the station selection unit 40 a includes battery charging information including the identification number of the battery mounted on the electric vehicle 2, the remaining battery level, and the position of the electric vehicle 2. Based on the information, one or a plurality of battery stations 3 that the electric vehicle 2 can reach are selected as “candidate stations”. The arrival time prediction means 40b predicts the time at which the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station based on at least the position information of the electric vehicle 2. The charging speed determination means 40c determines the charging speed of the battery loaded in the charger 31 of the candidate station based on at least the expected time when the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station.
And the communication part 41 of the management server 4 transmits the information regarding the charging speed of the battery determined by the charging speed determination means 40c to the battery station 3 selected as a candidate station.
Thereby, the battery station 3 controls the charging speed of the battery loaded in the charger 31 based on the information regarding the charging speed received from the management server 4.

  As described above, by controlling the charging speed of the battery 1 by the battery station 3 based on the expected time when the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the battery station 3, it becomes possible to perform high-speed charging at an appropriate timing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the battery from being deteriorated wastefully. For example, the management server 4 sends a command to the battery station 3 to perform high-speed charging if the distance between the battery station 3 and the electric vehicle 2 for which the battery replacement request is made is short, and the electric vehicle 2 arrives. A charged battery may be prepared by the time. On the other hand, when the distance between the electric vehicle 2 and the battery station 3 is long, the management server 4 transmits a command to the battery station 3 to charge at the normal speed, thereby reducing the battery deterioration. Can be suppressed.

In the system of the present invention, the battery station 3 preferably further includes a detector 32 and a communication device 33.
The detector 32 acquires battery charging information including the identification number of the battery loaded in the charger 31 and the remaining battery level. The detector 32 may acquire battery charging information from the BMS 10 provided in the battery 1 or may directly detect and measure the identification number of the battery 1 and the remaining battery level when the battery 1 is connected. Good.
Further, the communication device 33 can transmit the battery charge information detected by the detector 32 to the management server 4.
In this case, the charging speed determination unit 40c of the management server 4 sends the charging speed to the charger 31 of the candidate station based on the battery charging information received from the battery station 3 and the expected time of arrival of the electric vehicle 2 at the candidate station. It is preferable to determine the charging rate of the loaded battery.

  As in the above configuration, for example, when the management server 4 notifies that the battery replacement request has been made by the electric vehicle 2, the detector 32 of the battery station 3 extracts the battery charge information, By determining the battery charging speed based on the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle, it is possible to more appropriately determine whether or not the battery needs to be charged at high speed.

In the system of the present invention, the detector 32 of the battery station 3 preferably detects an identification number (ID) of a battery loaded in the charger 31. The detector 32 may acquire the recognition number (ID) from the BMS 10 included in the battery 1 or may directly detect the recognition number (ID) of the battery 1 when the battery 1 is connected.
In this case, it is preferable that the management server 4 further includes a battery database 42 that records the number of times of charging for each battery based on the number of times the identification information of the battery 1 is received from the battery station 3.
Then, the charging speed determination means 40c of the management server 4 charges the candidate station based on the information on the number of times of charging of the battery recorded in the battery database 42 and the expected time when the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station. It is preferable to determine the charging speed of the battery loaded in the container 31.

  As described above, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the management server 4 records the number of times of charging and the full charge capacity of each battery and the statistical data of many past similar batteries in the battery database 42 so that the management server 4 From this information, the degree of deterioration of the battery can be grasped. Then, by determining the charging speed of the battery based on the degree of deterioration of the battery, it is possible to appropriately control the degree of deterioration of the battery and the full charge capacity. Further, the degree of deterioration of the battery can be predicted more accurately by comparing it with a large number of past statistical data of the same type of battery, in addition to the number of times the battery is charged and the full charge capacity.

In the system of the present invention, it is preferable that the battery station 3 has a plurality of chargers 31 or can perform charge control for each battery.
In this case, the control unit 40 of the management server 4 has a deterioration degree calculating means 40d for determining the deterioration degree of each battery based on the information regarding the number of times of charging the battery and the full charge capacity recorded in the battery database 42. It is preferable.
Further, the charging speed determination means 40c of the management server 4 compares the deterioration levels obtained by the deterioration level calculation means 40d for the plurality of batteries 1 loaded in one or a plurality of chargers 31 in one battery station 3. It is preferable to set the charging speed of a new and relatively small battery to a relatively high speed and to determine the charging speed of an old battery having a relatively large deterioration level to a relatively low speed. As a form of the battery station 3, a form in which a plurality of batteries 1 are loaded in one charger 31 is also assumed.

  As in the above configuration, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a new battery with a small deterioration degree among the batteries in one battery station 3 is intentionally deteriorated by positively charging at high speed. On the other hand, for batteries with a high degree of deterioration, avoid fast charging to avoid battery deterioration. Thus, by controlling the charging speed based on the degree of battery deterioration, the degree of deterioration of a plurality of batteries stored in one battery station 3 can be leveled. As a result, when the electric vehicle 2 is required to replace a plurality of batteries, a plurality of batteries whose deterioration levels are relatively leveled can be delivered from the battery station 3 to the electric vehicle 2. That is, in the electric vehicle 2 driven by a plurality of batteries, the performance (speed and travel distance) of the entire vehicle may depend on the performance of the battery having the greatest deterioration level. For this reason, the electric vehicle 2 is equipped with a plurality of batteries whose level of deterioration is leveled, so that the performance of the vehicle is more efficiently exhibited. Further, it is assumed that the degree of deterioration of each battery in the battery station 3 is leveled, so that each battery reaches the disposal time (replacement time) almost at the same time. Thus, the efficiency of the replacement work can be improved by enabling the replacement work of a plurality of batteries to be performed simultaneously.

  In the system of the present invention, the charging speed determination means 40c of the management server 4 has the electric vehicle 2 arrive at the candidate station for a plurality of batteries 1 loaded in one or a plurality of chargers 31 in one battery station 3. In the meantime, it is preferable to determine the charging speed of each battery so that the remaining battery levels of the plurality of batteries approach the same value.

  As in the above configuration, for example, for a plurality of batteries in one battery station 3, the remaining battery levels of each battery are compared. By performing high-speed charging, the remaining battery levels of a plurality of batteries can be made uniform. Thereby, when delivering a plurality of batteries from the battery station 3 to the electric vehicle 2, it is possible to make the remaining amount of the batteries uniform.

In the system of the present invention, each of the plurality of chargers 31 included in the battery station 3 can charge a battery loaded in itself using a battery loaded in another charger 31 as a power source. Preferably there is.
In this case, the charging speed determination means 40c of the management server 4 is used until the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station for the plurality of batteries 1 loaded in one or a plurality of chargers 31 in one battery station 3. In the meantime, it is preferable to determine the charging speed of each battery in consideration of using at least one battery as a power source so that the remaining battery levels of the plurality of batteries approach the same value.

  As in the above-described configuration, by charging at least one battery as a power source and charging other batteries, when the plurality of batteries are delivered from the battery station 3 to the electric vehicle 2, the remaining battery level of the batteries is made uniform. Can be achieved.

In the system of the present invention, the battery station preferably further includes a solar power generator 34 that can be used as a power source.
In this case, each of the plurality of chargers 31 can charge the battery loaded in itself using the solar power generator 34a as a power source together with the battery loaded in the other charger 31.
And the charging speed determination means 40c of the management server 4 performs different control in the solar sunshine time zone and the non-sunshine time zone. In other words, the charging speed determination means 40c has the remaining battery levels of the plurality of batteries 1 in the non-sunshine hours of the sun for the plurality of batteries 1 loaded in one or more chargers 31 in one battery station 3. The charging speed of each battery when at least one battery is used as a power source is determined so as to approach the same value. On the other hand, in the solar sunshine hours, the charging speed determination means 40c is a solar power generator so that the remaining battery levels of the plurality of batteries approach the same value before the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station. The charging speed of each battery when using 34a as a power source is determined.

  As described above, the charging speed determination means 40c uses the battery stored in the battery station 3 as a power source during the night (non-sunshine hours) when the battery replacement request from the electric vehicle 2 is considered to be small. Control other batteries to charge and equalize the remaining battery charge of each battery. Then, the charging speed determination means 40c controls to charge each battery using the power supplied from the solar power generator 43a when it is daytime (sunshine hours). Thereby, even if it does not use the electric power supplied, for example from an electric power grid, the charge of the battery in a battery station can be completed with the renewable energy obtained by solar power generation. Moreover, according to the above mechanism, the battery can be charged with 100% renewable energy, and the remaining battery levels of the plurality of batteries can be made uniform.

  The second aspect of the present invention relates to a computer program for causing a server device to function as the management server 4 in the battery exchange system according to the first aspect.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a system and program capable of controlling the charging speed in the battery station and appropriately controlling the degree of deterioration of the battery and the remaining battery level. That is, according to the present invention, while considering the risk of battery deterioration due to high-speed charging, the battery charging speed is appropriately set so as to equalize the degree of deterioration of the plurality of batteries and the remaining battery level as much as possible. Can be controlled.

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an outline of a battery exchange system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric vehicle. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the battery station. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management server. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing in the battery preparation stage. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing when a battery replacement request is made. FIG. 7 shows an example of the charging rate determination process. FIG. 8 shows an example of the charging speed determination process. FIG. 9 shows an example of the charging speed determination process. FIG. 10 shows an example of the charging speed determination process. FIG. 11 shows an example of the charging rate determination process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but includes those appropriately modified by those skilled in the art from the following embodiments.

Here, in this specification, “full charge capacity” means the maximum value of the electric capacity of the battery that can be charged at one time. This full charge capacity is proportional to the degree of deterioration of the battery within a specific range. The full charge capacity gradually decreases as the number of times of charging is increased, and rapidly decreases when a certain number of times of charging is exceeded, making it impossible to supply power required by the electric vehicle. When this full charge capacity decreases rapidly, the battery needs to be discarded or replaced.
In the present specification, the “battery remaining amount” means a remaining amount value of the electric capacity of the battery.

[1. System overview]
With reference to FIG. 1, the outline | summary of the battery exchange system for electric vehicles which concerns on this invention is demonstrated.
FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an outline of a battery exchange system 100 for an electric vehicle according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a system 100 according to the present invention includes a plurality of electric vehicles 2 equipped with replaceable batteries 1, a plurality of battery stations 3 that charge a replacement battery 1, and the entire system. And a management server 4 that performs management. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle 2, the battery station 3, and the management server 4 have a configuration capable of exchanging information with each other. For example, the electric vehicle 2 includes a communication device that can wirelessly communicate with the communication station 5. The battery station 3, the management server 4, and the communication station 5 are connected to each other via an information communication line 6 such as the Internet.

  The electric vehicle 2 travels by driving a motor with electric power supplied from a plurality of batteries 1 mounted on the vehicle. Examples of the electric vehicle 2 are an electric vehicle, an electric scooter, an electric assist bicycle, an electric standing motorcycle, and the like. When the remaining battery level of the driving battery 1 decreases, the electric vehicle 2 stops at a nearby battery station 3. In the battery station 3, a plurality of batteries 1 are stored and charged. The user of the electric vehicle 2 takes out the required number of batteries 1 from the battery station 3 and replaces it with the battery 1 of his / her vehicle. Thereby, the electric vehicle 2 can continue traveling using the charged battery 1. On the other hand, the battery station 3 is loaded with the battery 1 having a low remaining battery level. Then, the battery station 3 receives power supply from a power source such as a power network and starts charging the battery 1 loaded therein.

  In particular, in the present invention, the user of the electric vehicle 2 can send a battery replacement request to the management server 4 in advance via a communication device provided in the vehicle. This battery replacement request includes reservation for battery replacement. The management server 4 that has received the battery replacement request notifies the battery station 3 existing within the reachable range of the electric vehicle 2 that the battery replacement request has been made. In addition, the management server 4 controls the charging speed of the battery 1 in the battery station 3 based on information such as the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle 2. For example, if the charged battery 1 cannot be prepared before the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the battery station 3 in normal speed charging, the management server 4 instructs the battery station 3 to perform high-speed charging. Send. Thereby, when the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the battery station 3, one or a plurality of charged batteries 1 can be prepared.

[2. Specific system configuration]
Next, the specific configuration of this system will be described.
[2-1. Electric vehicle]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric vehicle 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, the electric vehicle 2 includes a replaceable battery 1, a control device 20, a remaining capacity meter 21, a position information acquisition device (GPS) 22, a communication device 23, a motor 24, an interface 25, and a speedometer 26. , And a controller 27. Further, the electric vehicle 2 is provided with an information connection terminal 28 for taking out information by the control device 20 to the outside as needed. The electric vehicle 2 includes an outlet for taking in and out the battery 1. The electric vehicle 2 travels by driving the motor 24 via the controller 27 by the replaceable battery 1 and rotating the wheels by the power transmission mechanism.

  As the battery 1, a known secondary battery such as a rechargeable nickel-metal hydride battery or a lithium ion battery can be basically used. Depending on the type of the electric vehicle 2, the number of the batteries 1 mounted on the vehicle increases or decreases. That is, the number of the batteries 1 mounted on the electric vehicle 2 may be one or plural. The battery 1 supplies power to the motor 24 via the controller 27. Each battery 1 used in this system is assigned an identification number (ID). The identification number (ID) of each battery 1 is stored in a battery database of the management server 4 to be described later and is centrally managed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in the present invention, the battery 1 preferably has a BMS (Battery Management System) 10. The BMS 10 may have a different name, but is basically provided inside or outside the battery and is mainly composed of an integrated circuit, a sensor, and the like. It is also preferable that the BMS 10 measures and calculates battery charging information including control of one or a plurality of batteries 1, the remaining battery level, the number of times of charging, and the like. Further, the battery charging information acquired by the BMS 10 may include the number of times of charging, the voltage, current, temperature, and full charge capacity of the battery in addition to the identification number (ID) and the remaining battery level. The BMS 10 may have a communication function for communicating battery charging information to the outside. That is, the battery charge information such as the identification number and the battery remaining amount acquired from the BMS 10 is the remaining capacity meter 21 mounted on the electric vehicle 2 by wired communication (CAN etc.) or wireless communication (Bluetooth (registered trademark) etc.). It is preferably transmitted to the detector 32 or the like mounted on the battery station 3.

  The control device 20 of the electric vehicle 2 is connected to a remaining capacity meter 21, a position information acquisition device (GPS) 22, a communication device 23, an interface 25, and a speedometer 26, respectively. Thereby, the control device 20 has the battery information including the remaining battery level of the battery 1 acquired from the remaining capacity meter 21, the current position information of the host vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition device (GPS) 22, and the speed. The traveling speed of the own vehicle measured by the total 26 can be obtained as appropriate. In addition, the control device 20 can perform calculation processing on information obtained from various devices, and can transmit it to the management server 4 via the communication device 23. Further, the control device 20 can execute various processes according to input information from the interface 25. Note that the control device 20 may be a device provided in the electric vehicle 2 or may use, for example, an information arithmetic processing device provided in a general-purpose portable communication terminal (for example, a smartphone).

  The remaining capacity meter 21 acquires battery charging information including the identification number of the battery 1 mounted on the electric vehicle 2 and the remaining battery level. The remaining capacity meter 21 may acquire battery charging information from the BMS 10 included in the battery 1, and when the battery 1 is connected, the identification number of the battery 1, the remaining battery level, and the like are communicated by wired communication (such as CAN) or It may be detected and measured directly via wireless communication (such as Bluetooth (registered trademark)). The battery charge information acquired by the remaining capacity meter 21 is output to the control device 20. The remaining capacity meter 21 may be a device provided in the electric vehicle 2, or may be a device using an information reception display device provided in a general-purpose portable communication terminal (for example, a smartphone).

  An example of the position information acquisition device (GPS) 22 is a GPS (Global Positioning System). The GPS is a device for measuring the current position of the electric vehicle 2 and obtaining information for specifying the current position. The position information acquisition device (GPS) 22 measures the time required to receive each radio wave based on the information on the radio wave transmission time included in the radio waves sent from a plurality of GPS satellites, and indicates the time. Time information is sent to the control device 20. The control device 20 can calculate information regarding the latitude and longitude of the location of the electric vehicle 2 based on the acquired time information. The position information acquisition device (GPS) 22 is mounted on the electric vehicle 2 included in, for example, a car navigation system (not shown). The position information acquisition device (GPS) 22 may be a device provided in the electric vehicle 2, or may be a device using a GPS provided in a general-purpose mobile communication terminal (for example, a smartphone). .

  The communication device 23 is connected to the communication station 5 via a wireless line and can perform bidirectional communication with the management server 4 via the information communication line 6. The communication device 23 can transmit information processed by the control device 20 to the management server 4 or can receive information from the management server 4. For example, the communication device 23 is included in a car navigation system (not shown) and is mounted on the electric vehicle 2. The communication device 23 may be a device provided in the electric vehicle 2, or may be a device using a communication device provided in a general-purpose portable communication terminal (for example, a smartphone).

  The motor 24 converts the electric power obtained from the battery 1 through the controller 27 into a rotational output and transmits it to the power transmission mechanism. The electric vehicle 2 travels when the output from the motor 24 is transmitted to the wheels via the power transmission mechanism.

  A display device for displaying control information of the interface 25 and the control device 20 and an input device for receiving information input by a user operation of the electric vehicle 2 as necessary. The interface 25 may be a touch panel display in which a display device and an input device are integrated.

  The speedometer 26 is an instrument that calculates the instantaneous traveling speed of the electric vehicle 2 based on the rotational speed of the motor 24, the power transmission mechanism, or the like or a position information acquisition device (GPS) 22.

  The controller 27 has a function of controlling the power supplied from the battery 1 and transmitting it to the motor 24.

[2-2. Battery station]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the battery station 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, the battery station 3 includes a controller 30, a plurality of chargers 31, a detector 32, a communication device 33, and a power source 34. The battery 1 can be loaded in each of the plurality of chargers 31. The charger 31 loaded with the battery 1 is supplied with power from the power source 34 according to control by the controller 30 and charges the battery 1.

  The controller 30 of the battery station 3 is connected to a plurality of chargers 31, a detector 32, and a communication device 33. For this reason, the controller 30 can control the charging speed of the battery 1 by the charger 31 based on the control information received from the management server 4 via the communication device 33. Further, the controller 30 can process the detection information acquired by the detector 32 from the battery 1 and transmit it to the management server 4 via the communication device 33.

The charger 31 is a device that is electrically connected to the battery 1, receives power supply from the power supply 34, and performs a charging operation on the battery 1. The charger 31 charges the battery 1 by, for example, a constant current constant voltage method (CC-CV method). In this constant current constant voltage method (CC-CV method), charging is performed at a constant current value from the beginning of charging, and the voltage is maintained when the battery voltage reaches a predetermined value as charging proceeds. In this charging method, the charging current value is continuously reduced.
Further, the charger 31 can vary the charging speed of the battery 1 in accordance with a control signal from the controller 30. For example, it is preferable that the charger 31 can change the charging speed in at least two stages of normal charging that charges at a normal speed and high-speed charging that charges at a higher speed than normal charging. Moreover, the charger 31 may be capable of performing low-speed charging in which charging is performed at a lower speed than normal charging in addition to normal charging and high-speed charging. Further, in the battery 1 that is charged by the constant current and constant voltage method, the charging speed and the charging current value are in a substantially proportional relationship. For this reason, the charging speed of the battery 1 can be freely adjusted by controlling the charging current value supplied from the charger 31 to the battery 1. For example, the battery 1 has upper limits on the charging speed and the charging current value mainly from the viewpoint of safety and durability. For this reason, charging that is closer to the upper limit of the charging speed and charging current value is faster charging, charging that is closer to the lower limit of the charging speed and charging current value is slower charging, and charging that is based on the current value between faster charging and slower charging is normal. Charge it. In other words, charging at a standard speed within a certain range is called normal charging, charging faster than normal charging is called fast charging, and charging slower than normal charging is called slow charging. be able to. Details of the adjustment of the charging speed by the charger 31 will be described later.

  The detector 32 is a device for acquiring battery charging information including an identification number and a remaining battery level from the battery 1 in a charged state. The detector 32 may acquire battery charging information from the BMS 10 included in the battery 1, and when the battery 1 is connected, the identification number of the battery 1, the remaining battery level, and the like are wired communication (such as CAN). Alternatively, it may be one that directly detects and measures via wireless communication (such as Bluetooth (registered trademark)). The remaining battery level of the battery 1 is obtained by, for example, measuring the charge / discharge current value of the battery 1 using the BMS 10 and subtracting the amount of electricity obtained by integrating the current from the remaining capacity (full charge capacity) in the fully charged state. Can be detected. The battery charge information detected by the detector 32 is sent to the controller 30.

  The communication device 33 is a device for the battery station 2 to perform bidirectional communication with the management server 4 via the information communication line 6. The communication device 33 can transmit information processed by the controller 30 to the management server 4 or receive information from the management server 4.

  As the power supply 34, any known power supply can be used as long as it can supply power to the charger 31. For example, it is good also as utilizing the renewable energy obtained by the solar power generator 34a as the power supply 34. FIG. The solar power generator 34a is preferably installed in the vicinity of the battery station 2. Further, as the power source 34, commercial power supplied from the power network 34b may be used. The power source 34 can also use both renewable energy and commercial power.

[2-3. Management server]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management server 4.
As shown in FIG. 4, the management server 4 includes a control unit 40, a communication unit 41, a battery database 42, an electric vehicle database 43, and a station database 44. The management server 4 has a function of controlling this system by centrally managing information on the battery 1, the electric vehicle 2, and the battery station 3. The management server 4 may execute these functions by one server device, or may execute these functions by a plurality of server devices. The control unit 40 of the management server 4 reads out the program stored in the main memory and performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to the read program.

  The control unit 40 of the management server 4 is connected to a communication unit 41, a battery database 42, an electric vehicle database 43, and a station database 44. The control unit 40 records information received from each of the plurality of electric vehicles 2 and the plurality of battery stations 3 via the communication unit 41 in various databases 42, 43, and 44. The control unit 40 generates control signals for the electric vehicle 2 and the battery station 4 based on information recorded in the various databases 42, 43, 44, and transmits the control signals via the communication unit 41. be able to.

  The communication unit 41 is a device for the management server 4 to perform bidirectional communication with the electric vehicle 2 and the battery station 3 via the information communication line 6. For example, the communication unit 41 transmits the control signal generated by the control unit 40 toward the electric vehicle 2 and the battery station 3. The communication unit 41 can receive various information transmitted from the electric vehicle 2 and the battery station 3.

The battery database 42 is storage means for recording management information for each of the plurality of batteries 1 used in the present system. FIG. 4 shows an example of the data structure of the battery database 42. As shown in FIG. 4, the battery station 42 stores various management information in association with each other using the identification number (ID) of the battery 1 as key information. As shown in FIG. 4, the management information of the battery 1 includes information on the current location of the battery, the number of times of charging, the remaining battery level, the full charge capacity, and the deterioration level.
Further, by storing information on a plurality of batteries used in the past in the battery database 42, battery statistical data can be obtained. By recording statistical data of the same type of batteries used in the past in the battery database 42 for each battery, the management server 4 can more accurately grasp the degree of battery deterioration from these pieces of information. . In other words, the degree of deterioration of the battery can be predicted more accurately by comparing with the past statistical data of a large number of the same type of batteries in addition to the number of times the battery is charged and the full charge capacity.

  As information on the current location of the battery, an identification number (ID) of the electric vehicle 2 in which the battery is stored and an identification number (ID) of the battery station 3 are recorded. Further, when the electric vehicle 2 or the battery station 3 can store a plurality of batteries, the information on the current location of the battery is stored in any of the plurality of storage locations of the vehicle 2 or the battery station 3. Is preferably information indicating whether or not is stored. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the identification number with the initial “V” is the identification number of the electric vehicle, and the identification number with the initial “S” is the identification number of the battery station. Number.

  Further, as information on the number of times the battery has been charged, information on the number of times the battery has been stored in the battery station 3 may be recorded, the number of times the battery has been fully charged, or It is good also as recording the frequency | count that the battery remaining amount after battery charge became more than the specified numerical value or ratio. However, the method for obtaining the number of times the battery is charged is not limited to the above-described method, and other known methods can be employed. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, information on the number of times the battery is charged is recorded separately for the charging speed, such as the number of times of fast charging, the number of times of normal charging, and the number of times of performing slow charging. It is preferable. By counting the number of times of charging for each charging speed, it is possible to improve the accuracy of calculating the degree of deterioration of the battery.

  Regarding the battery charging information including the battery identification number and the remaining battery level, it is preferable to record the latest battery charging information transmitted by the electric vehicle 2 or the battery station 3. That is, when the current location of the battery 1 is an electric vehicle, the battery charging information transmitted by the communication device 23 is recorded. When the current location of the battery 1 is a battery station, the battery charging information transmitted by the communication device 33 of the battery station 3 is recorded. In the battery database 42, it is preferable that the battery charge information is always updated to the latest information.

  Further, as the information regarding the full charge capacity of the battery, it is preferable that the rated full charge capacity and the full charge capacity of the battery are recorded. In FIG. 4, in addition to the full charge capacity, the rated full charge capacity is shown in parentheses. When the battery 1 includes the BMS 10 for measuring and calculating the full charge capacity, the full charge capacity may be measured and calculated by the BMS 10.

  If the battery 1 does not include the BMS 10 or if the battery 1 does not include the BMS 10, but the BMS 10 does not actually measure and calculate the full charge capacity, The rated full charge capacity (when present) and the full charge capacity corrected by the control unit 40 in consideration of the deterioration of the battery are preferably recorded in the battery database 42. Normally, the full charge capacity value decreases as the battery is used more frequently. At this time, the full charge capacity is preferably a value obtained by correcting the rated full charge capacity based on the number of fast charges, the number of normal charges, and the number of slow charges. Furthermore, there are cases where high-speed charging deteriorates the battery more than normal charging, and normal charging deteriorates the battery more than low-speed charging. Therefore, in this case, it is more preferable to obtain the full charge capacity by changing the weighting of the degree of influence on the deterioration of the battery according to the fast charge, the normal charge, and the low speed charge. In this way, the number of fast charge, normal charge, and slow charge of each battery is recorded in the battery database 42, and the full charge capacity is more accurately determined by comparing the record of the number of charges with the past statistical data. Can be guessed. Note that the calculation for obtaining the full charge capacity described above is performed by the control unit 40 based on information on the number of times of charging recorded in the battery database 42 and information on the rated full charge capacity. However, the method for obtaining the full charge capacity of the battery is not limited to the method described above, and other known methods can be adopted. For example, it is good also as calculating | requiring a full charge capacity | capacitance by recording the electrical resistance value at the time of charging the battery 1 sequentially. Further, for example, it is possible to mount a memory other than the BMS 10 for sequentially storing the full charge capacity in the battery 1 itself.

  Further, the information on the degree of deterioration of the battery is calculated by the control unit 40 based on the information recorded in the battery database 42. For example, the degree of deterioration may be ranked in five stages from A (new) to E (old). For example, it means that the battery needs to be discarded when the degree of deterioration reaches E rank. As an example of ranking, the control unit 40 can compare the full charge capacities and obtain the degree of deterioration from the rated full charge capacity to the actual full charge capacity as the degree of deterioration. However, the full charge capacity actually measured and calculated from the battery alone by the BMS 10 or the like may vary depending on the external environment and usage load, and accuracy may be low. In this case, it is also preferable to obtain the degree of deterioration corrected based on the number of fast charges, the number of normal charges, and the number of slow charges. In this way, the number of high-speed charging, normal charging, and low-speed charging of each battery is recorded in the battery database 42, and the degree of deterioration can be estimated more accurately by comparing the number of times of charging with the past statistical data. can do. However, the method for obtaining the degree of deterioration of the battery is not limited to the method described above, and other known methods can be employed.

  As described above, the battery database 42 uses the identification number (ID) as key information for each of the plurality of batteries 1, regarding the current location of the battery, the number of times of charging, the remaining battery level, the full charge capacity, and the degree of deterioration. Information is preferably recorded in association with each other.

  In the electric vehicle database 43, for each of the plurality of electric vehicles 2 included in this system, an identification number (ID), personal information of the user (name, address, contact information, etc.), vehicle type, battery usage history The transmission history of the battery replacement request is preferably recorded in association with each other. Information on the type of vehicle includes information on the type, weight, fuel consumption, and model of the electric vehicle 2. The battery usage history includes the identification number (ID) of the battery used in the electric vehicle 2, the identification number (ID) of the battery station that obtained the battery, and the like. The transmission history of the battery replacement request includes information such as the number of times the replacement request is transmitted, the location, and the time.

  In the station database 44, it is preferable that an identification number (ID), a location, a battery usage history, a battery charging history, and the like are recorded in association with each other for each of the plurality of battery stations 3 included in the present system. The battery usage history includes information such as the number of times the battery 1 is removed from the battery station 3, date, date, weather, and identification number of the removed battery 3. The battery charging history includes information such as the identification number of the battery that has been charged at the battery station.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 40 of the management server 4 preferably includes a station selection unit 40a, an arrival time prediction unit 40b, a charging rate determination unit 40c, and a deterioration degree calculation unit 40d. These means 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, and the control unit 40 are functional blocks that function by reading a program stored in the main memory and executing the read program. These means 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d will be described in detail according to the processing flow of the system described below.

[3. System processing flow]
5 and 6 are flowcharts showing an operation example of the battery exchange system according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows a flow when the battery 1 is newly loaded into the battery station 3. That is, the flow shown in FIG. 5 shows a preparation stage process in which the battery 1 is charged by the battery station 3.

  As shown in FIG. 5, first, one or a plurality of batteries 1 are newly loaded into the battery station 3 (step S1-1). The battery 1 loaded in the battery station 3 may be new or used.

  When the battery 1 is newly loaded, the battery station 3 uses the detector 32 to extract battery charge information including the identification number and the remaining battery level from the battery 1 (step S1-2).

  The battery station 3 transmits battery charge information including the identification number extracted by the detector 32 and the remaining battery level to the management server 4 (step S1-3). Further, the battery station 3 starts charging the newly loaded battery 1 (step S1-4). At this time, the battery station 3 performs normal charging or low-speed charging so that the deterioration of the battery 1 does not proceed even when the remaining amount of the battery 1 is low. That is, at this stage, since the battery station 3 has not received a battery replacement request from the electric vehicle 2, it is not necessary to charge the battery 1 at high speed. Rather, if the battery 1 is charged at a high speed in a stage where the battery replacement request from the electric vehicle 2 is not received, the battery 1 is unnecessarily deteriorated.

  On the other hand, the management server 4 receives battery charge information including the identification number and the remaining battery level transmitted by the battery station 3 (step S1-5). Thereafter, the control unit 40 of the management server 4 updates the battery database 42 based on the received battery charging information (step S1-6). The battery database 42 is preferably updated by updating the remaining location of the battery 1, updating the number of times of charging, updating the remaining battery level, updating the full charge capacity, and updating the degree of deterioration. As described above, it is preferable that the update of the full charge capacity and the deterioration degree is performed by correcting based on the number of times of charging the battery stored in the battery database 42. The control unit 40 of the management server 4 may update the charging history recorded in the station database 44 based on the battery charging information received from the battery station 3.

Next, FIG. 6 shows a flow when a battery replacement request is made from the electric vehicle 2.
As shown in FIG. 6, first, the control device 20 of the electric vehicle 2 generates a replacement request for the battery 1 mounted on the host vehicle (step S2-1). The replacement request for the battery 1 may be automatically generated by the control device 20 when the remaining battery level of the battery 1 becomes a predetermined value or less. Further, the battery 1 replacement request may be generated manually by the control device 20 when the user of the electric vehicle 1 performs a predetermined input operation via the interface 25.

  When the battery replacement request is generated by the control device 20, the BMS 10 of the battery 1 measures and calculates the remaining battery level of each battery 1 mounted on the host vehicle (step S2-2). The battery charge information including the remaining battery level of each battery 1 measured and calculated by the BMS 10 is transmitted to the remaining capacity meter 21 of the electric vehicle 2. When the remaining capacity meter 21 acquires battery charging information including an identification number and a remaining battery level, the remaining capacity meter 21 sends the information to the control device 20. In addition, acquisition of the identification number of each battery 1, a battery remaining amount, etc. may be directly performed by the remaining capacity meter 21.

  When the battery replacement request is generated by the control device 20, the position information acquisition device (GPS) 22 of the electric vehicle 2 detects the current position of the own vehicle (step S2-3). Information on the current position of the electric vehicle 2 detected by the position information acquisition device (GPS) 22 is sent to the control device 20.

  When the control device 20 receives the battery charging information including the identification number of the battery 1 and the remaining battery level, and information on the current position of the host vehicle, the control device 20 transmits the information to the management server 4 together with the battery replacement request. (Step S2-5).

  The management server 4 includes a battery replacement request transmitted from the electric vehicle 2, battery charging information including the identification number of the battery 1 mounted on the electric vehicle 2 and the remaining battery level, and information on the current position of the electric vehicle 2, Receive (step S2-6). The control unit 40 of the management server 4 may temporarily store these pieces of information received from the electric vehicle 2 in a memory. Further, the control unit of the management server 40 may record the battery replacement request received from the electric vehicle 2 in the electric vehicle database 43.

  The station selection means 40a of the control unit 40 moves the electric vehicle 2 based on the battery charging information and the current position information including the battery identification number and the battery remaining amount received from the electric vehicle 2 for which the battery replacement request is made. The possible distance (reachable range) is determined (step S2-6). The distance that the electric vehicle 2 can move with a certain amount of battery remaining varies depending on the type of electric vehicle. Therefore, the station selection means 40a refers to, for example, the model of the electric vehicle 2 and determines how far the battery can travel with the remaining battery level. Further, the station selecting means 40a may consider the weather, time zone, road congestion, etc. in determining the reachable range of the electric vehicle 2.

  Thereafter, the station selection means 40a of the control unit 40 selects one or a plurality of battery stations 3 included in the reachable range of the electric vehicle 2 as “candidate stations” (step S2-7). The station selection unit 40a may select all the battery stations 3 included in the reachable range of the electric vehicle 2 as candidate stations. The station selection means 40a may select only the battery station 3 nearest to the electric vehicle 2. Further, the station selecting means 40a extracts a plurality of battery stations 3 included in the reachable range of the electric vehicle 2, and then transmits the locations of the plurality of battery stations 3 to the electric vehicle 2 so that the user of the electric vehicle 2 Alternatively, one battery station 3 may be selected from the plurality of battery stations 3, and the process of selecting one battery station 3 selected by the user as a candidate station may be performed. Moreover, the station selection means 40a is good also as selecting the arbitrary battery stations 3 selected by the operator of this system as a candidate station among the some battery stations 3 included in the reachable range of the electric vehicle 2. .

  When the candidate station is selected, the control unit 40 of the management server 4 notifies the selected battery station 3 (step S2-8). That is, the control unit 40 of the management server 4 notifies the candidate station that there is a possibility that the electric vehicle 2 may stop for battery replacement.

  The battery station 3 selected as a candidate station receives the notification from the management server 4 (step S2-9). The battery station 3 (candidate station) that has been notified of the possibility of the electric vehicle 2 dropping in, extracts battery charging information by the detector 32 for a plurality of batteries 1 that are being charged when receiving the notification. . The battery charging information extracted here includes the identification number (ID) of the battery 1 and the remaining battery level. Then, the battery station 3 selected as a candidate station transmits the battery charge information extracted by the detector 32 to the management server 4 (step S2-11).

  The management server 4 receives the battery charge information transmitted by the battery station 3 (step S2-12). Thereafter, the deterioration degree calculation means 40d of the management server 4 obtains the deterioration degree of each battery based on the battery charging information received from the battery station 3 and information on the number of times of charging of the battery recorded in the battery database 42 ( Step S2-13). Thereafter, the control unit 40 of the management server 4 updates the battery database 42 to the latest state based on the received battery charging information (step S2-14). As the update operation of the battery database 42 here, it is preferable to update the number of times the battery 1 is charged, update the remaining battery level, update the full charge capacity, and update the degree of deterioration. As described above, it is preferable that the update of the full charge capacity is performed by correcting based on the number of times of charging the battery stored in the battery database 42. The update of the information regarding the degree of deterioration of the battery is based on the degree of deterioration obtained by the deterioration degree calculating means 40d.

  On the other hand, the arrival time predicting means 40b of the control unit 40 provided in the management server 4 has the candidate station selected by the station selecting means 40a, and then the electric vehicle 2 that has requested battery replacement arrives at the candidate station. Is predicted (step S2-15). The traveling speed (for example, legal speed) of the electric vehicle 2 varies depending on the type of the electric vehicle. Therefore, the arrival time predicting means 40b refers to, for example, the model of the electric vehicle 2, and predicts the time until the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station from the position where the battery replacement request is transmitted. The arrival time predicting means 40b may take into consideration the weather, time zone, road congestion, and the like when predicting the time when the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station.

  As described above, after the battery database 42 is updated to the latest state (step S2-14) and the arrival time of the electric vehicle 2 is predicted (step S2-15), the charging rate determination unit of the management server 4 40c determines the speed | rate which charges the battery 1 in a candidate station based on such information (step S2-16). The charging speed determination unit 40 determines the charging speed of the battery 1 at the candidate station based on the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle 2 and information recorded in the battery database 42 in consideration of various factors. The charging speed determination process will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. The charging speed determined by the charging speed determination unit 40 is converted into a control signal by the control unit 40 and transmitted to the battery station 3 selected as a candidate station (step S2-17).

  The battery station 3 selected as a candidate station receives the control signal related to the charging rate transmitted by the management server 4 (step S2-18). Then, the controller 30 of the battery station 3 controls the charging speed of the charger 31 according to the control signal regarding the charging speed received from the management server 4 (step S2-19).

  Although illustration is omitted, the management server 4 notifies the electric vehicle 2 of the position of the candidate station at the stage of selecting the candidate station (step S-17), and guides the electric vehicle 2 to the candidate station. It is good also as performing control. Thereby, the electric vehicle 2 can be smoothly guided to the battery station 3 selected as the candidate station. Further, by guiding the electric vehicle, the user of the electric vehicle 2 can move the electric vehicle 2 to the battery station 3 without worrying about running out of the battery.

[4. Charging speed determination process]
Next, the charging speed determination process performed by the charging speed determination unit 40c of the management server 4 in step S2-16 will be described in detail. Examples of the charging speed determination process are shown in FIGS. However, the processes shown in FIGS. 7 to 11 are merely examples, and the charging speed determination process in the present invention is not limited to the processes illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 11.

FIG. 7A shows an example in which the charging speed of the battery is controlled based on the expected time when the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the battery station 3 and the remaining battery level of the battery charged in the battery station 3. Yes. As described above, the estimated arrival time may be estimated in consideration of the speed and position of the electric vehicle 2 until the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station from the position where the battery replacement request is transmitted. In addition, the estimated arrival time can be obtained in consideration of the weather, time zone, road congestion, and the like.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle 2 is 30 minutes or more and the remaining battery level of the battery charged in the battery station 3 is 90 Ah or more, the battery is , "Slow charging" is enough. In this case, even if the battery is charged at low speed, the battery can be fully charged before the electric vehicle 1 arrives. In addition, when time is available, battery deterioration can be prevented by charging the battery at a low speed.
On the other hand, even if the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle 2 is 30 minutes or more, if the remaining battery level of the battery charged in the battery station 3 is 70 Ah or less, the battery is “fast charged”. Thus, the battery can be fully charged before the electric vehicle 1 arrives.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A, when the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle 2 is within 15 minutes and the remaining battery level of the battery is 70 Ah or less, the battery is “normally charged”. I am going to do that. The reason for performing such processing is that even if the battery is charged at high speed, it is not in time for the electric vehicle 2 to arrive, so priority is given to prevent the battery from being deteriorated by charging normally.

In FIG. 7B, in addition to the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle 2 and the remaining battery level of the battery charged in the battery station 3, the electric vehicle 2 can travel after reaching the battery station 3 (candidate station). In this example, the charging speed of the battery is controlled in consideration of a simple distance. The distance traveled after the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station is an index indicating the urgency of battery replacement. That is, if the electric vehicle 2 can travel only a short distance after arriving at the candidate station, it can be said that the urgency to replace the battery of the electric vehicle 2 is high. On the other hand, if the electric vehicle 2 can travel a longer distance after arriving at the candidate station, it can be said that the urgency to replace the battery of the electric vehicle 2 is low. Here, the travelable range of the electric vehicle 2 can be calculated in consideration of the remaining battery level of the battery mounted on the electric vehicle 2 and the vehicle type. The distance that can be traveled after the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station can be calculated by subtracting the distance from the electric vehicle 2 to the candidate station from the travelable range of the electric vehicle 2.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, when it is assumed that the remaining amount of the battery charged in the battery station 3 is 70 Ah, the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle 2 is within 30 minutes. In the case where the travelable distance after the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station is within 5 km, the urgency of battery replacement of the electric vehicle 2 is high. For this reason, in such a case, the battery is “fast charged”.
On the other hand, even if the estimated arrival time of the electric vehicle 2 is within 30 minutes, if the travelable distance after the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the candidate station is 10 km or more, the urgency of battery replacement of the electric vehicle 2 Is low. Therefore, in such a case, the battery is “normally charged”, and priority is given to prevention of battery deterioration.

FIG. 7C shows an example in which the battery replacement timing is predicted from the past use history of the battery station 3 and the battery charging speed is controlled according to the prediction. By predicting the battery replacement timing in this way, even when the position information and the information regarding the remaining battery level cannot be acquired from the electric vehicle 2, when the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the battery station 3, the battery is fully charged. The possibility of requiring a battery can be increased. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7C, the usage frequency of the battery station 3 is obtained from the past usage history for each current time zone, weather, and day of the week. Then, “fast charging” is performed for the time zone, weather, and day of the week when the usage frequency is high, and “slow charging” is performed for the time zone, weather, and day of the week when the usage frequency is low.
For example, looking at the usage frequency of the battery station 3 according to the weather, the usage frequency is high when it is sunny or cloudy, and the usage frequency is low when it is raining. Further, when looking at the usage frequency of the battery station 3 by day of the week, the usage frequency is high on weekdays and the usage frequency is low on holidays and holidays. Further, when looking at the usage frequency of the battery station 3 by time zone, the usage frequency is high during the morning and evening commuting rush hours, and the usage frequency is low at night. In the example shown in FIG. 7 (c), the battery replacement timing is predicted from these past usage histories, and “fast charge”, “normal charge”, and “slow charge” of the battery are controlled. Yes.

  FIG. 8 ranks the degree of deterioration of a plurality of batteries charged in the battery station 3, and sets the charging speed of each battery so that the degree of deterioration of each battery in the battery station 3 is leveled. An example of control is shown. That is, the battery database 42 included in the management server 4 records the degree of deterioration for each of the plurality of batteries. The information regarding the degree of deterioration of the battery is a value determined based on the number of times the battery is charged and information regarding the battery full charge capacity. By leveling the degree of deterioration of each battery, it becomes possible to replace deteriorated batteries of a plurality of battery stations 3 located in one battery station 3 or in a specific geographical range at a time.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the deterioration degrees of the battery 1 being charged are indicated by A to E for a plurality of battery stations 3 within a specific geographical range. The degree of deterioration A to E means that “A” is the newest and “E” is the oldest. Looking at the four battery stations 3 within the specific geographical area shown in FIG. 8, there are many batteries 1 that have a high degree of deterioration and are about to be replaced with new ones. 1 is also present. For this reason, it can be said that it is preferable to suppress the deterioration of the battery 1 by refraining from high-speed charging and performing normal charging or low-speed charging for the relatively old battery 1 having a high degree of deterioration. On the other hand, it can be said that a relatively new battery 1 with a low degree of deterioration is preferably subjected to high-speed charging to promote the deterioration of the battery 1 to match the deterioration degree of other old batteries 1. For example, in one battery station 3, a new battery 1 having a large difference in the degree of deterioration from the other battery 1 is charged relatively frequently so that it is always used preferentially. It is preferable to promote. Also, even if there is a relatively new battery 1 in one battery station 3, when the difference in the degree of deterioration from the other battery 1 is small, high-speed charging should be avoided as much as possible while preferentially using it. It is preferable to do. Thus, when determining the charging speed of the battery 1, for the purpose of leveling the degree of deterioration with the other battery 1, "fast charging", " It is preferable to determine “normal charge” or “slow charge”.

  FIG. 9 shows an example in which the charging speed is controlled so that the remaining battery levels are uniform for a plurality of batteries charged in one battery station 3. That is, such charge speed control is to fully charge any one battery 1 in the same battery station 3 when it is necessary to replace a plurality of batteries 1 for one electric vehicle 2. Instead of giving priority, priority is given to bringing the remaining battery levels of all the batteries 1 close to the same state. This is because, in an electric vehicle driven by a plurality of batteries, the performance (speed and mileage) of the entire vehicle may depend on the performance of the battery that has deteriorated most or the battery that has the least remaining battery level.

  In addition, the commercial power supply that supplies power to the battery station 3 is mainly limited in current value (A) and current amount (Ah). For example, the current value (A) of normal power supplied from the power grid is limited for each store depending on the content of the contract with the power company. Furthermore, when power obtained by a renewable energy system (for example, a photovoltaic power generation device) is supplied to the battery station 3, the current value (A) and the amount of current are proportional to the solar illuminance and sunshine duration. (Ah) is limited. For this reason, in order to equalize the remaining battery capacity of a plurality of batteries in one battery station 3 while the current value (A) and the current amount (Ah) are limited, the charging speed ( = Charging current value) must be controlled appropriately.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the current value (A) supplied to one battery station 3 is limited to 60A. Further, it is assumed that the number of batteries 1 managed by one battery station 3 is four, and the remaining battery levels are 90 Ah, 90 Ah, 80 Ah, and 80 Ah. Further, it is assumed that the time until the electric vehicle 1 arrives at the battery station 3 is one hour. In such a case, the two batteries 1 that have been charged up to 90 Ah are relatively “slowly charged” at 10 Ah (10 A × 1 h). On the other hand, the two batteries 1 that have been charged up to 80 Ah are relatively “fast charged” at 20 Ah (20 A × 1 h). As described above, the charging speeds (= charging current values) of the batteries 1 are interchanged, and when the electric vehicle 1 arrives, a plurality of batteries having the same battery level are prepared simultaneously. It is preferable to adjust the charging speed of 1.

  FIG. 10 shows an example in which the charger 31 in one battery station 3 can use the battery 1 loaded in another charger 31 as a power source. In the example shown in FIG. 10, considering that the charger 31 can use the battery 1 loaded in the other charger 31 as a power source, the remaining battery levels of the plurality of batteries are made uniform. Control the charging speed.

  First, FIG. 10A shows a case where each charger 31 cannot use the battery 1 loaded in another charger 31 as a power source. For example, assume that the amount of current from the external power supply is limited to 25 Ah. In addition, it is assumed that four batteries 1 are stored in the battery station 3 and the remaining amounts of the batteries 1 are 95 Ah, 85 Ah, 70 Ah, and 65 Ah. Further, it is assumed that the time until the electric vehicle 1 arrives at the battery station 3 is one hour. In such a case, assuming that each charger 31 cannot use the battery 1 loaded in the other charger 31 as a power source, the remaining battery levels of the four batteries 1 are reduced one hour after the electric vehicle 2 arrives. It is difficult to make uniform. For example, it is assumed that the battery 1 with a remaining battery level of 70 Ah is charged with 10 Ah (10 A × 1 h), and the battery 1 with a remaining battery level of 65 Ah is charged with 15 Ah (15 A × 1 h). However, as a result, the remaining battery levels of the four batteries 1 are 95 Ah, 85 Ah, 80 Ah, and 80 Ah, which cannot be said to be completely uniform.

  On the other hand, FIG. 10B shows a case where each charger 31 can use the battery 1 loaded in another charger 31 as a power source. Here, also in the example of FIG. 10B, it is assumed that the remaining battery capacity and the current amount limitation of the battery 1 are the same conditions as in FIG. However, in the example shown in FIG. 10B, each charger 31 can use the battery 1 loaded in the other charger 31 as a power source. For this reason, it is possible to supply power to the charging of the other battery 1 using the battery 1 charged to 95 Ah having the largest remaining battery capacity as a power source. For example, the current is allowed to flow backward from the battery 1 charged to 95 Ah by −10 Ah (−10 A × 1 h). Then, the electric power supplied from the battery 1 with the remaining battery level 95Ah is utilized for charging the battery 1 with the remaining battery level 70Ah and the battery 1 with the remaining battery level 65Ah. As a result, the battery 1 with a remaining battery level of 70 Ah can be charged with 15 Ah (15 A × 1 h), and the battery 1 with a remaining battery level of 65 Ah can be charged with 20 Ah (20 A × 1 h). As a result, the remaining battery levels of the four batteries 1 are all 85 Ah one hour after the electric vehicle 2 arrives, and the remaining battery levels become uniform. As described above, the remaining battery 1 is charged by using the battery 1 stored in one battery station 3 having a relatively large amount of remaining battery as a power source, thereby realizing uniform battery remaining of each battery 1. It becomes easy.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which the battery 1 is charged by making maximum use of the renewable energy obtained by the solar power generator provided in the battery station 3. When the battery station 3 is provided with a solar power generator, there is a demand for charging the battery 1 using renewable energy obtained from the solar power generator as much as possible and refraining from using commercial power. In particular, the charging of the battery 1 is preferably 100% with renewable energy. However, since the solar power generator converts solar sunshine into energy, there are limitations on the current value (A) and the amount of current (Ah) that can be supplied. The solar power generator can charge the battery 1 during the solar sunshine hours, but it is difficult to charge the battery 1 during the non-sunshine hours. Furthermore, as described above, it is also required to make the remaining amount of each battery 1 as uniform as possible.
Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 11, in the non-sunshine hours of the sun, the remaining battery level of each battery 1 is obtained by using the battery 1 in the battery station 3 as a power source and charging other batteries. Are made uniform as much as possible, and when the solar sunshine hours are reached, the batteries that have the remaining amount of battery are uniformly charged all at once.

  First, Fig.11 (a) has shown the example which does not charge the battery 1 in the non-sunshine time zone of the sun. For example, it is assumed that four batteries 1 are stored in the battery station 3 and the remaining amounts of the batteries 1 are 95 Ah, 85 Ah, 75 Ah, and 65 Ah. In addition, it is assumed that the electric vehicle 2 arrives at the battery station 3 after one hour has passed since the solar sunshine time zone. In such a case, when the remaining battery level of the battery 1 in the battery station 3 is not equalized at the time of switching from the non-sunshine time zone to the sunshine time zone, the solar sunshine time zone is reached. In addition, even if high-speed charging is performed using renewable energy obtained from a solar power generator, some batteries may not be fully charged. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), it is difficult to equalize the remaining battery level of each battery 1 when the electric vehicle 2 arrives even if it is charged for 1 hour after the solar sunshine hours. .

  On the other hand, FIG. 11B shows that the remaining battery level of each battery 1 can be obtained by charging the other battery using the battery 1 in the battery station 3 as a power source even in the non-sunshine hours of the sun. Is to be as uniform as possible. For example, in the non-sunshine hours of the sun, a current amount of 15 Ah is supplied from a battery 1 with a remaining battery level of 95 Ah to a battery 1 with a remaining battery level of 65 Ah to be charged. In addition, a current amount of 5 Ah is supplied from the battery 1 with a remaining battery level of 85 Ah to the battery 1 with a remaining battery level of 75 Ah for charging. Thereby, in the non-sunshine time zone of the sun, the battery remaining amount of each battery 1 becomes all 80 Ah and is made uniform. And in the state in which the battery remaining amount of each battery 1 was equalized in this way, it switches from the non-sunshine time zone of the sun to the sunshine time zone. Thereby, charging of the battery 1 is started by the renewable energy obtained from the solar power generator. At this time, since the remaining battery level of each battery 1 is already equalized, the battery 1 is fully charged when the electric vehicle 2 arrives by charging each battery 1 with a current amount of 20 Ah. A plurality of charged batteries 1 can be prepared. As described above, when the battery station 3 includes the solar power generator, the remaining power of each battery 1 is made uniform by using the solar non-sunshine time zone. The renewable energy obtained can be used to the maximum.

  As mentioned above, in this specification, in order to express the content of this invention, it demonstrated focusing on preferable embodiment of this invention, referring drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes modifications and improvements obvious to those skilled in the art based on the matters described in the present specification.

  The present invention relates to a battery exchange system for an electric vehicle. Therefore, the present invention can contribute to the realization of a society using clean energy.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery 2 ... Electric vehicle 3 ... Battery station 4 ... Management server 10 ... BMS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Control apparatus (electric vehicle) 21 ... Remaining capacity meter 22 ... Position information acquisition apparatus (GPS)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 ... Communication apparatus 24 ... Motor 25 ... Interface 26 ... Speedometer 27 ... Controller 28 ... Information connection terminal 30 ... Controller (battery station) 31 ... Charger 32 ... Detector 33 ... Communication device 34 ... Power supply 34a ... Solar power generation Machine 34b ... Power network 40 ... Control unit (management server) 40a ... Station selection means 40b ... Arrival time prediction means 40c ... Charging speed determination means 40d ... Degradation degree calculation means 41 ... Communication part 42 ... Battery database 43 ... Electric vehicle database 44 ... Station database 100 ... battery exchange system

Claims (3)

A plurality of electric vehicles (2) capable of traveling by driving a motor with one or a plurality of replaceable batteries (1) mounted on the vehicle;
A plurality of battery stations (3) capable of charging the battery (1);
A battery exchange system comprising: the electric vehicle (2) and the battery station (3); and a management server (4) connected to each other via a communication network,
The electric vehicle (2)
A communication device (23) capable of transmitting the battery replacement request to the management server;
The battery station (3)
One or more chargers (31) capable of adjusting the charging speed and charging a loaded battery;
A detector (32) for detecting battery charge information including an identification number of a battery loaded in the charger (31);
A communication device (33) capable of transmitting the battery charging information to the management server (4),
The battery database (42) of the management server (4) stores the degree of deterioration of each battery in association with the identification number of each battery,
The control unit (40) of the management server (4)
When the battery replacement request is received from the electric vehicle (2), the battery identification number is identified from the battery database (42) by referring to the battery identification number received from at least one battery station (3). A charge rate determining means (40c) that reads out the degree of deterioration of the battery associated with the number and determines the charge rate of the battery loaded in the charger (31) of the battery station based on the read degree of deterioration of the battery. )
The communication unit (41) of the management server (4)
Information on the charging speed of the battery determined by the charging speed determining means (40c) is transmitted to the battery station (3);
The battery station (3)
A battery exchange system that controls a charging speed of a battery loaded in the charger (31) based on information on a charging speed received from the management server (4).   The computer program for functioning a server apparatus as a management server (4) in the battery exchange system of Claim 1. Traveling by driving the motor with a replaceable battery (1) mounted on the vehicle Electric vehicle (2) and a battery stay capable of charging the battery by adjusting the charging speed A management server (4) connected to the network (3) via a communication network,
The management server (4)
A battery database that stores the degree of deterioration of each battery in association with the identification number of each battery. (42)
When a battery replacement request is received from the electric vehicle, the battery station Of the battery loaded in the charger (31) of the battery station received from Referring to the number, it is associated with the battery identification number from the battery database. The deterioration level of the battery being read is read, and based on the read battery deterioration degree, Determine the charging speed of the battery installed in the battery charger of the TerriStation, and Send information about the charging speed of the battery to the battery station
Management server.

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