JP7399152B2 - Mobile objects, batteries, information processing methods, and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mobile object, a battery, an information processing method, and a program.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-031936 (filing date: February 25, 2019) and enjoys the benefit of priority from this application. This application incorporates all of the contents of the above-mentioned application by reference.

In recent years, there has been progress in the development of mobile vehicles such as EVs (Electric Vehicles) and HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) whose motors are driven by electric power supplied from batteries (secondary batteries). There is. Furthermore, a mobile object has been proposed that determines the geographical position of the mobile object and periodically transmits the determined geographical position to a service provider (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-037004

By the way, when handling position information of a mobile object, if the amount of data of the position information is large, the cost associated with handling the position information may increase.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aims to provide a mobile object, a battery, an information processing method, and a program that can reduce the cost associated with handling location information. Make it one.

The mobile object, battery, information processing method, and program according to the present invention have the following configurations.
(1): One aspect of the present invention includes a connection portion to which a battery that supplies power for movement to a movable body is removably connected, and a first position indicating the latitude and longitude at which the movable body is located in absolute values. an acquisition unit that acquires information; and a generation unit that generates second position information expressing the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate based on the first position information acquired by the acquisition unit. , outputting the second position information generated by the generation unit to the battery in order to record it in a memory of the battery, and outputting it to the server device via the communication unit. This is a mobile body equipped with an information output unit that performs the following operations.

(2): In the aspect of (1) above, the second position information is defined in a data type range whose maximum value is a maximum movement distance that the mobile object can move without replacing the battery.

(3): In the aspect of (1) or (2) above, the reference coordinates are set within a range of a maximum movement distance that the mobile body can move without replacing the battery.

(4): In any one of the above aspects (1) to (3), the reference coordinates are fixed values that are determined when the battery is attached to the movable body.

(5): In any one of the aspects (1) to (4) above, the reference coordinates are coordinates of a location where the battery is attached to the mobile object.

(6): In any one of the aspects (1) to (3) above, the reference coordinates are set according to the position of the mobile body when the position of the mobile body satisfies a predetermined condition. Updated.

(7): In the aspect of (6) above, the predetermined condition is such that the position of the moving body is within a predetermined range of a reference coordinate system defined by a first axis and a second axis based on the reference coordinates. It is to come off.

(8): In the aspect of (7) above, the first axis defines a position with respect to latitude, and the second axis defines a position with respect to longitude.

(9): In any one of the aspects (6) to (8) above, when the updated reference coordinates are set as new reference coordinates, the generation unit The information output section generates correction information for making the second position information expressed with respect to the new reference coordinates into information expressed with respect to the new reference coordinates, and the information output section outputs the correction information generated by the generation section, Output to at least one of the battery and the server device.

(10): In any one of the above (1) to (9), the information output unit outputs the second position information to the battery in order to record the second position information in the memory included in the battery. .

(11): In the aspect of (10) above, the battery has a connection part that is removably connected to a storage device that stores the battery, and the information recorded in the memory is stored in the connection part of the battery. It can be read through the section.

(12): Another aspect of the present invention is a connection unit that is detachably connected to a moving body, a power storage unit that supplies power for movement to the moving body, a memory in which information is recorded, and a a generating unit that generates second position information expressing the position of the moving body as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate based on first position information indicating the latitude and longitude where the body is located in absolute values; and the generating unit and an information output section that outputs the second position information generated by the second position information to be recorded in the memory.

(13): Another aspect of the present invention is to acquire first position information indicating in absolute values the latitude and longitude at which a mobile body to which a battery that supplies power for movement is removably connected is located; generating second position information expressing the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to reference coordinates based on the first position information, and storing the generated second position information in a memory of the battery; The information processing method performs at least one of outputting to the battery for recording and outputting to the server device via the communication unit.

(14): Another aspect of the present invention is to obtain first position information indicating in absolute values the latitude and longitude at which a mobile body to which a battery that supplies power for movement is removably connected is located; generating second position information expressing the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to reference coordinates based on the first position information generated by the vehicle; and the battery having the generated second position information. This is a program that causes at least one of outputting to the battery for recording in memory and outputting to the server device via the communication unit.

According to (1) to (14), it is possible to reduce the cost associated with handling position information.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage environment in which the electric vehicle 10 of the first embodiment is used. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electric vehicle 10. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of 1st position information PIA. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of 2nd position information PIB and reference coordinate information RI. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of second position information PIB and reference coordinate information RI recorded in memory 133. FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the setting method of reference coordinate RP. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the setting method of reference coordinate RP. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of the setting method of reference coordinate RP. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of first correction information MI. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of history information PIB_T of second position information PIB recorded in memory 133 that is corrected by first correction information MI shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a battery module 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of history information CI_T of power consumption. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a charging station device 200. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow of the electric vehicle 10. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electric vehicle 10A according to a second embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of composition of battery module 100A of a 3rd embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of composition of battery module 100B of a 4th embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a mobile object, a battery, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions are given the same reference numerals. Further, redundant explanations of these configurations may be omitted. Furthermore, in the following description, the electric vehicle 10 is a straddle-type electric vehicle (an electric two-wheeled vehicle), but the electric vehicle 10 is a vehicle equipped with a battery (secondary battery) that supplies electric power for driving (movement). Any vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle may be used. Further, the electric vehicle 10 may be an electric bicycle, an electric kick skater, a robot, or the like.

Electric vehicle 10 is an example of a "mobile object". However, the mobile object is not limited to the electric vehicle 10, and may be a mobile robot, an autonomous mobile device, a drone flying object, or other electric movement device (electric mobility). An embodiment in which an electric vehicle 10 is used as an example of a moving body will be described below.

(First embodiment)
First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. This embodiment is an example in which conversion of position information, which will be described later, is performed in the electric vehicle 10 and the converted position information is written into the memory 133 of the battery module 100.

<1. Usage environment of electric vehicle 10>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage environment in which the electric vehicle 10 of the first embodiment is used. The electric vehicle 10 is equipped with a removable battery module 100. Battery module 100 supplies electric power for driving to electric vehicle 10 . Battery module 100 is an example of a "battery".

The user of the electric vehicle 10 can, for example, use a battery share service in which the battery module 100 is shared by a plurality of users. In the battery sharing service, when the power of the battery module 100 becomes exhausted, the user removes the battery module 100 whose power has been exhausted from the electric vehicle 10 and returns it to the charging station device 200, and then transfers the charged battery from the charging station device 200. The module 100 is lent and installed in the electric vehicle 10. Such a battery share service is realized by, for example, the charging station device 200 and the management server 300.

The charging station device 200 is a facility for storing and charging the battery module 100, and is installed at a plurality of locations (exchange locations for the battery module 100). When the battery module 100 that has been used to run the electric vehicle 10 and has consumed power is returned to a user who has subscribed to the battery share service in advance, the charging station device 200 returns a charged battery module in exchange I will lend you 100. The charging station device 200 is an example of a "charging device" and also an example of a "storage device." Note that the charging station device 200 will be described in detail later.

The management server 300 receives information indicating the travel history of the electric vehicle 10, the user ID, etc. from the charging station device 200 by communicating with the charging station device 200 via the network NW. The management server 300 performs predetermined information processing on the received information and generates information useful for the user and information used for services provided to the user. Management server 300 transmits the generated information to at least one of charging station device 200 and portable information terminal 400 carried by the user, as necessary. Management server 300 is an example of a "server device." Note that the management server 300 will be described in detail later.

The user can transmit the user information to the management server 300 by inputting the user information into the mobile information terminal 400 and communicating with the management server 300 via the network NW. The user can perform various operations related to the battery share service and receive predetermined information via the mobile information terminal 400. Note that the network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a provider device, a wireless base station, and the like.

<2. Electric vehicle 10>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of electric vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. A battery module 100 is removably mounted on the electric vehicle 10. The electric vehicle 10 travels with the driving force of an electric motor driven by electric power supplied from the battery module 100. Note that, as described above, the electric vehicle 10 may be a hybrid electric vehicle or the like that is driven by a combination of an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, and an electric motor to which electric power is supplied from the battery module 100. In this embodiment, two battery modules 100 can be mounted on the electric vehicle 10. However, the number of battery modules 100 that can be mounted on the electric vehicle 10 may be one, or three or more.

The electric vehicle 10 includes, for example, a battery connection section 12, a driving force output device 14, a vehicle sensor 16, a vehicle control section 18, and a position information management section 20.

When the battery module 100 is installed in the electric vehicle 10, the battery connection part 12 is removably connected to the battery module 100. The battery connection section 12 is connected to a connection section 110 (see FIG. 11) of the battery module 100, which will be described later. The battery connection unit 12 is, for example, a power line connection terminal (battery terminal) for receiving power supply from the battery module 100 and a connection terminal for data communication (for example, serial communication) between the battery module 100 and the electric vehicle 10. and a communication line connection terminal. The battery connection section 12 is an example of a "connection section."

The running driving force output device 14 controls, for example, an electric motor for driving the electric vehicle 10, an inverter that converts the electric power supplied from the battery module 100 into electric power of a desired voltage and frequency, and supplies it to the electric motor. It includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The ECU controls the power supplied to the electric motor from the battery module 100, for example, by controlling an inverter. Thereby, the ECU controls the driving force (torque) that the electric motor outputs to the drive wheels.

The vehicle sensor 16 includes a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a rotational speed sensor, an odometer, and other various sensors mounted on the electric vehicle 10. Vehicle sensor 16 outputs the measured data to vehicle control section 18 .

The vehicle control unit 18 receives sensor measurement results from the vehicle sensor 16, and also receives a value (SOC) indicating the state of charge of the power storage unit 120 (see FIG. 11) of the battery module 100 from the BMU 130 (see FIG. 11) of the battery module 100, which will be described later. :State of Charge). The vehicle control unit 18 performs predetermined processing based on the received data, and controls the driving force output device 14 as necessary.

The position information management unit 20 acquires the position information of the electric vehicle 10, performs a predetermined conversion process on the acquired position information, and writes the converted position information into the memory 133 of the battery module 100, which will be described later. The position information management section 20 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 21, a relative value generation section 22, and an information output section 23. Note that the position information management unit 20 may be provided as a part of the navigation device, or may be provided independently of the navigation device.

The GNSS receiver 21 has an antenna and a computer, receives radio waves arriving from a plurality of GNSS satellites (for example, GPS satellites), and calculates the position of the electric vehicle 10 based on information included in the received radio waves ( positioning). Thereby, the GNSS receiver 21 acquires first position information PIA (see FIG. 3) that indicates the latitude and longitude where the electric vehicle 10 is located in absolute values. The first position information PIA acquired by the GNSS receiver 21 is output to the relative value generation section 22. The GNSS receiver 21 is an example of an "acquisition unit". Note that the first position information PIA will be described in detail later.

Here, "obtaining" as used in this specification is not limited to obtaining information by receiving or reading information generated by another device; This also includes cases in which the information is obtained by calculating and generating the information yourself based on the information contained in the radio waves. Furthermore, the term "absolute value" as used herein means an expression that is paired with a relative value. The term "absolute value" as used herein means a value relative to absolute zero (the equator and the international reference meridian), and both positive and negative values may exist.

The relative value generation unit 22 receives the first position information PIA from the GNSS receiver 21. Based on the received first position information PIA, the relative value generation unit 22 generates second position information PIB (see FIG. 4) expressing the position of the electric vehicle 10 as a relative value that is a difference value with respect to reference coordinates RP (described later). generate. The relative value generation unit 22 outputs the generated second position information PIB to the information output unit 23. The relative value generation unit 22 is an example of a “generation unit”. Note that the second position information PIB will also be described in detail later.

The information output unit 23 outputs the second position information PIB generated by the relative value generation unit 22 to the battery module 100 in order to record it in the memory 133 of the battery module 100. For example, the information output unit 23 outputs the second position information PIB to the battery module 100 via the battery connection unit 12. For example, the information output unit 23 outputs the second position information PIB to the battery module 100 at regular time intervals or at regular mileage intervals. Thereby, the second position information PIB is stored in the memory 133 of the battery module 100.

Furthermore, the information output unit 23 outputs the reference coordinate information RI (see FIG. 4) indicating the reference coordinates RP used to generate the second position information PIB to the battery module 100 in order to record the reference coordinate information RI (see FIG. 4) in the memory 133 of the battery module 100. Output to. For example, the information output unit 23 outputs the reference coordinate information RI to the battery module 100 via the battery connection unit 12. Note that the information output section 23 may be provided as a part of the vehicle control section 18 instead of the position information management section 20.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the first position information PIA. As described above, the first position information PIA is information in which the position of the electric vehicle 10 is expressed in absolute values of latitude and longitude. That is, the first position information PIA is position information expressed in a range of plus/minus 180 degrees over the entire earth, assuming that the equator is 0 degrees latitude and the international reference meridian (IERS reference meridian) is 0 degrees longitude. In other words, the first location information PIA is location information that uniquely identifies a location on the entire earth. Further, the first position information PIA includes, for example, time information (time stamp) at which the first position information PIA is generated.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the second position information PIB and the reference coordinate information RI. As described above, the second position information PIB is position information in which the position of the electric vehicle 10 is expressed as a relative value that is a difference with respect to the reference coordinates RP. Here, the reference coordinates RP are coordinates that represent a reference position for generating the second position information PIB using absolute values of latitude and longitude. For example, the second location information PIB is generated by subtracting the absolute values of the latitude and longitude of the reference coordinates RP from the absolute values of the latitude and longitude included in the first location information PIA. Alternatively, the second position information PIB may be generated by subtracting the absolute values of the latitude and longitude included in the first position information PIA from the absolute values of the latitude and longitude of the reference coordinates RP. The second location information PIB includes, for example, time information (time stamp) at which the first location information PIA from which the second location information PIB was generated was acquired.

The second location information PIB has a smaller amount of data than the first location information PIA. For example, the second position information PIB has fewer data digits (has a narrower data type range) than the first position information PIA. The number of digits of the data of the second position information PIB does not need to be the number of digits that can uniquely identify the position on the entire earth, but the maximum travel distance Lmax (for example, the number The number of digits may be sufficient as long as it can uniquely identify the location within the area defined by 10 kilometers). For example, if the maximum travel distance Lmax of the electric vehicle 10 is less than 100 km, the second position information PIB does not need to have digits greater than "degrees" regarding latitude and longitude, but may have digits less than "degrees". Bye.

In the present embodiment, the second position information PIB sets the maximum travel distance Lmax that the electric vehicle 10 can travel without replacing the battery module 100 to the maximum value (for example, the maximum positive value and the maximum negative value with respect to the reference coordinates RP). Specified by the data type range (maximum value). In other words, the second position information PIB is within the data type range in which the maximum digit among the digits indicating the distance is used (for example, the maximum digit value is 64 km instead of 256 km) when traveling to the maximum travel distance Lmax. stipulated.

Here, "the maximum travel distance Lmax that the electric vehicle 10 can travel without replacing the battery module 100" is, for example, the vehicle type (model) of the electric vehicle 10, one or more types that can be mounted on the electric vehicle 10 at the same time. It is derived in advance based on the capacity of the battery module 100 when fully charged and the average power consumption rate analyzed from tests, big data, etc. Furthermore, if the electric vehicle 10 is a hybrid electric vehicle or the like, a value obtained by adding a margin to the average maximum movement distance analyzed from big data or the like may be set as the maximum movement distance Lmax. The maximum movement distance Lmax is set in advance for each vehicle type (model) of the electric vehicle 10 and stored in the storage unit of the position information management unit 20, and can be referenced by the relative value generation unit 22.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the second position information PIB and reference coordinate information RI output by the information output unit 23 and recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100. The second position information PIB is stored in the memory 133 in chronological order. In other words, the memory 133 records history information PIB_T of the second position information PIB, which is stored in time series. History information PIB_T is the position history (driving history) of electric vehicle 10. The history information PIB_T includes, for example, the period from when the battery module 100 is lent from the charging station device 200 until the battery module 100 is returned to the charging station device 200 (that is, the period during which the battery module 100 is installed in the electric vehicle 10 The second position information PIB is information accumulated in chronological order over a period of time. Furthermore, reference coordinate information RI indicating the reference coordinates RP is recorded in the memory 133. For example, only one reference coordinate RP is set as a common reference coordinate for all the second position information PIB included in the history information PIB_T.

Next, a method of setting the reference coordinates RP used to generate the second position information PIB will be explained. The reference coordinates RP are set by the relative value generation unit 22, for example. The reference coordinate RP is, for example, a coordinate within the range of the maximum travel distance Lmax that the electric vehicle 10 can travel without replacing the battery module 100 (i.e. , coordinates within or above the maximum movement distance Lmax) are set. According to such reference coordinates RP, the reference coordinates RP can be set relatively close to the position of the electric vehicle 10, making it easier to reduce the data amount of the second position information PIB. However, the reference coordinates RP are not limited to the above example, and coordinates of a position beyond the maximum movement distance Lmax of the electric vehicle 10 may be set, starting from the location where the battery module 100 is mounted. Some examples of how to set the reference coordinates RP will be described below.

(1st example)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first example of a method for setting the reference coordinates RP. The first example is an example in which the reference coordinate RP is a fixed value. That is, the reference coordinates RP are not changed at least until the battery module 100 is replaced next time. For example, the reference coordinate RP is a fixed value that is determined when the battery module 100 is mounted on the electric vehicle 10. In the first example, the coordinates of a specific base are set as the reference coordinates RP. The specific base is, for example, a place where the battery module 100 was replaced (for example, an exchange center). In other words, the specific location is the location where the battery module 100 was installed (for example, where it was installed most recently). According to such a setting method, since the reference coordinates RP is not updated, there is no need for correction processing of the second position information PIB accompanying the update of the reference coordinates RP. Note that the specific base may be the user's home, a destination that the user often goes to, or the like when the user is identified by a method described later. Further, when information indicating the user's destination is acquired based on the user's input to the navigation device mounted on the electric vehicle 10, the specific base may be the user's destination.

(2nd example)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second example of the method for setting the reference coordinates RP. The second example is another example in which the reference coordinate RP is a fixed value. That is, in the second example, the reference coordinates RP are not changed at least until the battery module 100 is replaced next time. In the second example, the reference coordinates RP are set to coordinates on the maximum travel distance Lmax that can be traveled without replacing the battery module 100.

In the second example, the reference coordinate RP is set, for example, on the extension line of the approximate direction in which the electric vehicle 10 moves after leaving the place where the battery module 100 was replaced (for example, an exchange place). As an example, the reference coordinate RP is a virtual extension connecting the location where the electric vehicle 10 replaced the battery module 100 with a point located after a predetermined time has elapsed (for example, 15 minutes) after departing from that location. The coordinates of the intersection of the line L1 and the frame line L2 indicating the maximum movement distance Lmax of the electric vehicle 10 are set. According to such a setting method, the reference coordinates RP are not updated, so there is no need for correction processing associated with updating the reference coordinates RP.

In this case, the reference coordinates RP are set in a direction having a predetermined inclination (for example, an inclination of 30 degrees or more) with respect to both the latitude line and the longitude line, starting from the location where the electric vehicle 10 replaced the battery module 100. It is preferable if it is done. In this case, the relative value indicating the position of electric vehicle 10 in second position information PIB is likely to be either a positive value or a negative value. In this case, handling of the data tends to be easier, and since there is no need to distinguish between plus and minus, the data amount of the second position information PIB can be further reduced.

(3rd example)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a third example of the method for setting the reference coordinates RP. The third example is an example in which, when the position of electric vehicle 10 satisfies a predetermined condition, reference coordinates RP are changed (updated) according to the position of electric vehicle 10 while electric vehicle 10 is traveling. An example of "a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied" is "deviating from a predetermined range", which will be described later, but is not limited thereto. Another example of "when predetermined conditions are met" is when multiple candidates for the reference coordinates RP are set in advance, and compared to a certain candidate (first candidate) that was most recently used as the reference coordinates RP. This is an example in which the reference coordinates RP are changed to the second candidate in response to approaching another candidate (second candidate).

In the following, as an example of "a case where predetermined conditions are met", the position of electric vehicle 10 is defined by a first axis (first variable) and a second axis (second variable) with reference coordinates RP as a reference ( An example in which the reference coordinates RP is changed when the reference coordinates RP deviates from a predetermined range of the reference coordinate system (demarcated) will be described. A third example will be described in which the reference coordinates RP are changed when the position of the electric vehicle 10 deviates from a predetermined range, and the predetermined range also shifts accordingly (the predetermined range also moves).

The third example is an example in which a predetermined range based on a reference coordinate system (orthogonal coordinate system) in which the first axis defines a position in terms of latitude and the second axis defines a position in terms of longitude is applied. However, the reference coordinate system that defines the predetermined range is not limited to an orthogonal coordinate system; for example, the first axis defines the straight line distance from the reference coordinate RP (origin), and the second axis passes through the reference coordinate RP. It may also be a polar coordinate system that defines angles to a line.

In the third example, when the electric vehicle 10 travels beyond the reference coordinates RP in the first reference direction (first reference direction) (that is, regardless of the position in the second reference direction), the relative value generation unit 22 1 reference direction, the coordinates of the first reference direction of the reference coordinates RP are updated according to the position of the first reference direction of the electric vehicle 10 (when traveling beyond the coordinates of the first reference direction of the reference coordinates RP) . Furthermore, when the electric vehicle 10 travels beyond the reference coordinates RP in a second reference direction (second reference direction) different from the first reference direction (that is, the position in the first reference direction is Regardless of the position of the second reference direction of the electric vehicle 10, when traveling in the second reference direction beyond the coordinates of the second reference direction of the reference coordinates RP, the second reference direction of the reference coordinates RP is Update coordinates. The first reference direction is, for example, a direction along either a longitude line or a latitude line. The second reference direction is, for example, a direction along either the longitude line or the latitude line. Below, an example in which the north direction is set as the first reference direction and the east direction is set as the second reference direction will be specifically described. The first reference orientation is an example of a "first orientation." The second reference orientation is an example of a "second orientation."

In other words, in the third example, the reference coordinate RP is a corner position (corner position, for example, the northeasternmost position) of a predetermined range, and the area A is rectangular (or fan-shaped) with one side having the maximum movement distance Lmax. This is an example in which when the position of electric vehicle 10 deviates from a certain predetermined range, the position of reference coordinates RP is updated, and area A also moves as the reference coordinates RP is updated. However, the example of setting the predetermined range is not limited to the above example. For example, the reference coordinates RP need not be set at a corner position of the predetermined range, but may be set on a line defining the predetermined range, inside the predetermined range, or outside the predetermined range. In other words, the update of the reference coordinates RP is not limited to the case where the electric vehicle 10 travels beyond the reference coordinates RP, but rather a predetermined range set from another viewpoint (for example, a predetermined range centered on the reference coordinates RP) The position of electric vehicle 10 may deviate from the position shown in FIG. The shape of the predetermined range is not limited to a rectangular shape or a fan shape, and may be other shapes. One side of the predetermined range is not limited to the maximum movement distance Lmax, and may be shorter than the maximum movement distance Lmax, or may be longer than the maximum movement distance Lmax.

For example, the relative value generation unit 22 monitors the latest first position information PIA acquired by the GNSS receiver 21. The relative value generation unit 22 compares the absolute values of the latitude and longitude included in the latest first position information PIA acquired by the GNSS receiver 21 with the absolute values of the latitude and longitude of the reference coordinates RP, and 10 has moved northward beyond reference coordinates RP, and whether electric vehicle 10 has moved eastward beyond reference coordinates RP.

Then, when determining that the electric vehicle 10 has moved northward beyond the reference coordinates RP, the relative value generation unit 22 determines that the latitude coordinates (absolute value) of the reference coordinates RP correspond to the latitude included in the first position information PIA. The latitude coordinates (absolute value) of the reference coordinate RP are updated so that the coordinates (absolute value) of the reference coordinate RP become the coordinates (absolute value). On the other hand, if the relative value generation unit 22 determines that the electric vehicle 10 has moved eastward beyond the reference coordinates RP, the longitude coordinates (absolute value) of the reference coordinates RP are included in the first position information PIA. The longitude coordinates (absolute value) of the reference coordinates RP are updated so that they become the longitude coordinates (absolute value). According to such a setting method, the relative value indicating the position of electric vehicle 10 in second position information PIB is always either a positive value or a negative value. In this case, handling of the data tends to be easier, and since there is no need to distinguish between plus and minus, the data amount of the second position information PIB can be further reduced.

Further, according to the third example, the data amount of the second position information PIB can be further reduced than the second example. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the second position information PIB may be any data type range that can uniquely specify a position in a rectangular area A with one side having the maximum movement distance Lmax. That is, the data type range of the second position information PIB may be a range of only positive values (or only negative values) with the maximum movement distance Lmax as the maximum value.

Note that the orientations to be set as the first reference orientation and the second reference orientation may be determined as follows. For example, the relative value generation unit 22 generates an electric vehicle based on the positional relationship between the place where the electric vehicle 10 replaced the battery module 100 and the place where the electric vehicle 10 will be located after a predetermined time has elapsed (for example, 15 minutes) after leaving that place. The approximate moving direction of the vehicle 10 is determined, and the first reference direction and the second reference direction are set in a direction in which the above-mentioned update process is reduced (for example, a direction opposite to the determined moving direction of the electric vehicle 10). You may. Further, when the above-described updating process continues for a predetermined period of time, the relative value generation unit 22 sets at least one of the first reference orientation and the second reference orientation to be opposite to the orientation set at that time. You may change the orientation to the side.

In the third example, when the electric vehicle 10 moves north beyond the reference coordinates RP, the relative value generation unit 22 converts the latitude coordinates (absolute values) of the reference coordinates RP to the latitude included in the first position information PIA. If the coordinates (absolute value) of the updated reference coordinate RP are updated, the second position information PIB generated in the past and recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100 is rewritten based on the latitude coordinate (absolute value) of the updated reference coordinate RP. The first correction information MI (see FIG. 9) is generated. For example, the relative value generation unit 22 generates the memory 133 of the battery module 100 based on the difference between the latitude coordinates (absolute value) of the updated reference coordinates RP and the latitude coordinates (absolute value) of the reference coordinates RP before updating. The addition value (or subtraction value) to the relative value of the second position information PIB recorded in is generated as the first correction information MI. Note that an example of the first correction information MI will be described in detail later.

When the relative value generation unit 22 generates the first correction information MI, the relative value generation unit 22 outputs the generated first correction information MI to the information output unit 23. The information output unit 23 outputs the first correction information MI generated by the relative value generation unit 22 to the BMU 130 of the battery module 100, and also outputs the second position information PIB recorded in the memory 133 based on the first correction information MI. A control command for correction (rewriting) is output to the BMU 130. BMU 130 corrects second position information PIB recorded in memory 133 of battery module 100 based on first correction information MI and control commands received from electric vehicle 10.

Similarly, when the electric vehicle 10 moves eastward beyond the reference coordinates RP, the relative value generation unit 22 converts the longitude coordinates (absolute value) of the reference coordinates RP into the longitude coordinates (absolute values) included in the first position information PIA. If the longitude coordinates (absolute value) of the updated reference coordinates RP are updated, the second position information PIB that was generated in the past and recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100 is updated. 2. Generate correction information. For example, the relative value generation unit 22 generates the memory 133 of the battery module 100 based on the difference between the longitude coordinates (absolute value) of the updated reference coordinates RP and the longitude coordinates (absolute value) of the reference coordinates RP before updating. The addition value (or subtraction value) to the relative value of the second position information PIB recorded in is generated as second correction information. Note that the example of the content of the second correction information is the same as the example of the content of the first correction information MI, so illustration thereof is omitted.

When the relative value generation unit 22 generates the second correction information, the relative value generation unit 22 outputs the generated second correction information to the information output unit 23. The information output unit 23 outputs the second correction information generated by the relative value generation unit 22 to the BMU 130 of the battery module 100, and corrects the second position information PIB recorded in the memory 133 based on the second correction information. A control command for (rewriting) is output to the BMU 130. BMU 130 corrects second position information PIB recorded in memory 133 of battery module 100 based on second correction information received from electric vehicle 10 .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the first correction information MI. The example shown in FIG. 9 shows a case where the electric vehicle 10 moves northward by 2 seconds of latitude beyond the reference coordinates RP. In this case, the reference coordinates RP are updated so that the latitude increases by 2 seconds. In this case, as the first correction information MI, correction information for correcting the relative value of the second position information PIB by reducing the latitude by 2 seconds is generated.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the history information PIB_T of the second position information PIB recorded in the memory 133 that is corrected by the first correction information MI shown in FIG. In this example, minus 2 seconds is uniformly added to the relative value indicating the latitude of each second position information PIB included in the history information PIB_T recorded in the memory 133. Thereby, the relationship between the updated reference coordinates RP and the second position information PIB that was generated in the past and recorded in the memory 133 is correctly associated.

Note that in FIG. 10, for convenience of explanation, the relative value of the second position information PIB is shown as a negative value. However, as described above, according to the method of setting the reference coordinates RP according to the third example, the relative value is always either a positive value or a negative value. Therefore, for example, by managing the history information PIB_T as a whole so that the relative value is a negative value, there is no need to manage plus/minus for individual relative values. Thereby, the amount of data of the second position information PIB can be made smaller.

The example of the first correction information MI and the correction of the second position information PIB using the first correction information MI has been described above with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Note that the same applies to the second correction information and the correction of the second position information PIB using the second correction information. Note that while the first correction information MI includes a correction amount related to latitude (a value added or subtracted from the relative value of the second position information PIB), the second correction information includes a correction amount related to longitude.

Further, the first correction information and the second correction information are not limited to the above example. For example, when the reference coordinates RP is updated, the relative value generation unit 22 transmits information indicating the updated reference coordinates RP (absolute values of the latitude and longitude coordinates of the updated reference coordinates RP) to the information output unit 23. It may also be output to the battery module 100 via. In this case, the BMU 130 of the battery module 100 selects the reference coordinates RP recorded in the memo 133 based on the difference between the reference coordinates RP before updating recorded in the memory 133 and the updated reference coordinates RP received from the electric vehicle 10. 2 position information PIB (each second history information PIB of history information PIB_T) is corrected. In this case, information indicating the latitude of the reference coordinates RP that is updated when the electric vehicle 10 moves northward beyond the reference coordinates RP is an example of "first correction information." Furthermore, information indicating the longitude of the reference coordinates RP that is updated when the electric vehicle 10 moves eastward beyond the reference coordinates RP is an example of "second correction information."

Further, another example of the first correction information and the second correction information is as follows. For example, when the reference coordinates RP are updated, the relative value generation unit 22 generates second position information PIB that has been generated in the past and is recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100 (all past information included in the history information PIB_T). The second position information PIB at the time) is read out from the battery module 100, and each read second position information PIB is corrected based on the difference between the reference coordinates RP before the update and the reference coordinates RP after the update, and the corrected second position The information PIB may be output to the information output section 23. In this case, the information output unit 23 outputs the corrected second position information PIB to the battery module 100, and erases the second position information PIB that has been generated in the past and is recorded in the memory 133. A control command for recording the second position information PIB in the memory 133 is output to the battery module 100. As a result, the second position information PIB that was generated in the past and recorded in the memory 133 is rewritten. In this case, in the second position information PIB corrected by the relative value generation unit 22, the value related to latitude is an example of "first correction information" and the value related to longitude is an example of "second correction information". do.

Furthermore, another example of the first correction information and the second correction information is as follows. The relative value generation unit 22 of the electric vehicle 10 has a storage unit with a relatively large capacity, and holds the first position information PIA at each time point acquired by the GNSS reception unit 21. Then, when the reference coordinates RP is updated, the relative value generation unit 22 calculates second position information PIB at all past times based on the updated reference coordinates RP and the first position information PIA at each time point. The recalculated second position information PIB may be output to the information output unit 23. In this case, the information output unit 23 outputs the recalculated second position information PIB to the battery module 100, and erases the second position information PIB that has been generated in the past and is recorded in the memory 133. A control command for recording the corrected second position information PIB in the memory 133 is output to the battery module 100. In this case, in the second position information PIB recalculated by the relative value generation unit 22, the value related to latitude is an example of "first correction information", and the value related to longitude is an example of "second correction information". Applies to.

<3. Battery module 100>
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the battery module 100. The battery module 100 includes, for example, a connection section 110, a power storage section 120, and a BMU (Battery Management Unit) 130.

Connection portion 110 is detachably connected to battery connection portion 12 of electric vehicle 10 when battery module 100 is mounted on electric vehicle 10 . Furthermore, the connecting portion 110 is electrically connected to the charging station device 200 when the battery module 100 is accommodated in the slot portion 221 (see FIG. 1) of the charging station device 200, and is used to charge the power storage unit 120. Power is supplied from the charging station device 200. The connection section 110 includes, for example, a power line connection terminal (battery terminal) and a communication line connection terminal so as to correspond to the battery connection section 12 and the charging station connection section 224.

Power storage unit 120 supplies electric power for running to electric vehicle 10 via connection unit 110 . Power storage unit 120 is a battery pack configured by connecting a plurality of single cells in series. Examples of the single cells that make up the power storage unit 120 include secondary batteries such as lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, and lithium-ion batteries, capacitors such as electric double-layer capacitors, or composite batteries that combine secondary batteries and capacitors. etc.

BMU 130 controls charging and discharging of battery module 100 and records information regarding electric vehicle 10. BMU 130 includes, for example, a measurement sensor 131, a control unit 132, and a memory 133. Note that the measurement sensor 131 and the control unit 132 may be provided as part of the electric vehicle 10 instead of the battery module 100. In this case, battery module 100 may include only memory 133 instead of BMU 130.

Measurement sensor 131 includes various sensors such as a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a temperature sensor for measuring the state of charge of power storage unit 120. For example, the voltage sensor may measure the terminal voltage of each unit cell that makes up the power storage unit 120 or the terminal voltage of an assembled battery configured by connecting a plurality of unit cells that make up the power storage unit 120 in series. . For example, the current sensor measures the discharge current discharged from power storage unit 120. For example, the temperature sensor measures the temperature of power storage unit 120 during charging and discharging. The measurement sensor 131 outputs the measured voltage, current, temperature, etc. to the control unit 132.

Control unit 132 controls charging and discharging of power storage unit 120, performs cell balancing, detects abnormalities in power storage unit 120, and controls charging and discharging current of power storage unit 120 based on measurement results of measurement sensor 131, control commands from electric vehicle 10, and the like. is derived, and the SOC of power storage unit 120 is estimated. Further, when predetermined information is output from the information output unit 23 of the electric vehicle 10 to the battery module 100, the control unit 132 records the information received from the information output unit 23 of the electric vehicle 10 in the memory 133.

The memory 133 is, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory. Various information regarding the electric vehicle 10 is recorded in the memory 133. For example, the memory 133 records the history information PIB_T of the second position information PIB and the reference coordinate information RI described above. Further, the memory 133 records historical information such as the amount of power consumed while the electric vehicle 10 is running, the battery SOC, and battery status information (for example, abnormality or failure of the power storage unit 120). Furthermore, the memory 133 stores a battery ID assigned to the battery module 100. The battery ID is, for example, a serial number uniquely given to identify the battery module 100. The battery ID is an example of identification information.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of power consumption history information CI_T. The control unit 132 of the BMU 130 performs predetermined calculations based on the voltage, current, etc. measured by the measurement sensor 131, and derives the power consumption (Wh). The predetermined calculation means, for example, that the amount of power discharged by the power storage unit 120 (the consumption of the electric vehicle 10) is calculated by integrating the power calculated from the voltage and current measured by the measurement sensor 131 over time. The purpose is to derive the amount of electricity (electric energy). The control unit 132 causes the storage unit 130 to store the derived power consumption amount in association with a timestamp representing the date and time at that time. Further, control unit 132 performs predetermined processing based on the voltage, current, etc. measured by measurement sensor 131, and derives the SOC of power storage unit 120. Although not illustrated, the power consumption history information CI_T may include an SOC associated with a timestamp representing the current date and time. For deriving the SOC, for example, a method of estimating the SOC based on the integrated value of the initial SOC and the electric energy, a method of estimating the SOC from the terminal voltage, etc. can be used.

<4. Charging station device 200>
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of charging station device 200. The charging station device 200 includes, for example, a charging module 220, a display 230, an authenticator 240, a charging station communication section 250, and a charging station control section 260.

The charging module 220 includes, for example, a plurality of slot sections 221, a plurality of charging station connection sections 224, and a plurality of chargers 226 (only one of each is shown in the figure).

The slot portion 221 is a mechanism for receiving and charging the battery module 100. The slot portion 221 includes, for example, an upper slot portion 221U and a lower slot portion 221L (see FIG. 1).

Charging station connection section 224 is provided on the bottom surface of each slot section 221. Charging station connection section 224 is electrically connected to connection section 110 of battery module 100 when battery module 100 is accommodated in slot section 221 .

Charger 226 is provided on the bottom surface of each slot portion 221. Charger 226 is electrically connected to power storage unit 120 of battery module 100 via charging station connection unit 224 and is capable of charging power storage unit 120 . A power source for supplying power to power storage unit 120 is connected to charger 226 .

For example, the display 230 is disposed above the charging module 220 and includes a touch panel (display panel with a touch sensor). The display device 230 can input necessary information according to user operations, and can also provide various information to the user. The display 230 displays predetermined information, which will be described later, when the battery module 100 is returned by the user, for example.

Authenticator 240 is placed, for example, on top of charging module 220, and is a device that authenticates users. The authenticator 240 can read recorded information on an NFC card (not shown) carried by the user, for example, using Near Field Communication (NFC). Thereby, charging station device 200 can identify the user using the user ID included in this recorded information.

Note that the charging station device 200 may identify the user in the following manner. For example, the management server 300, which will be described later, manages the user ID registered when first borrowing the battery module 100 and the battery ID of the battery module 100 that the user is borrowing in association with each other. In this case, the charging station device 200 may identify the user by reading the battery ID of the battery module 100 returned to the slot section 221. In this case, the management server 300 manages the battery ID of the newly lent battery module 100 and the user ID in a new manner.

Charging station communication unit 250 has, for example, an antenna and a high frequency circuit for communication, and can communicate with management server 300 via network NW.

Charging station control section 260 includes, for example, an information acquisition section 261, a charging control section 262, an information conversion section 263, an information transmission section 264, and an information provision section 265.

The information acquisition unit 261 reads various information recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100 from the battery module 100 via the charging station connection unit 224 and the connection unit 110 of the battery module 100. For example, the information acquisition unit 261 reads history information PIB_T of the second position information PIB, reference coordinate information RI, and battery ID from the memory 133. Further, the information acquisition unit 261 reads history information of each of the power consumption amount, battery SOC, and battery status information from the memory 133.

Charging control unit 262 controls charger 226 to fully charge power storage unit 120 based on the battery SOC and the like read from memory 133 of battery module 100 .

Information converter 263 obtains first position information PIA based on second position information PIB and reference coordinate information RI read from battery module 100. That is, the information conversion unit 263 performs a conversion inverse to the process in which the relative value generation unit 22 of the electric vehicle 10 converts the first position information PIA into the second position information PIB, and for example, converts the reference coordinate RP and the second position information. By adding the PIB, the first position information PIA is restored. The information conversion unit 263 converts the second position information PIB at each time point included in the history information PIB_T, thereby converting the first position information PIA at each time point (i.e., the history information, latitude and longitude of the first position information PIA) is displayed as an absolute value) of the electric vehicle 10 is acquired. The information converter 263 outputs the history information of the acquired first position information PIA to the information transmitter 264. Note that the conversion by the information conversion unit 263 described above may be performed by the management server 300 instead of the charging station device 200.

Information transmitting section 264 outputs various information to management server 300 via charging station communication section 250. For example, the information transmitting unit 264 transmits history information of the first position information PIA acquired by the information converting unit 263 to the management server 300. Further, the information transmitting unit 264 transmits each history information of the battery ID, power consumption, battery SOC, and battery status information to the management server 300.

Information providing section 265 receives various information from management server 300 via charging station communication section 250. The information providing unit 265 provides the information received from the management server 300 to the user by displaying it on the display 230, for example.

<5. Management server 300>
Management server 300 provides information useful to the user based on information received from charging station device 200. For example, the management server 300 calculates electricity cost information indicating the electricity cost of the electric vehicle 10 based on the history information of the first position information PIA and the history information of the power consumption amount. The calculated electricity cost information is transmitted to at least one of the charging station device 200 and the mobile information terminal 400 via the network NW, and is displayed on the display 230 of the charging station device 200 and the display screen of the mobile information terminal 400. .

The management server 300 also generates information used to provide services to users. For example, the management server 300 records history information of the first position information PIA for each user ID. Then, the management server 300 generates action range information indicating the action range of each user based on the history information of the first position information PIA for each user ID accumulated over a predetermined period of time. The home range information can be derived, for example, by predetermined statistical processing. The predetermined statistical processing means, for example, that after removing outliers from the position information included in the history information of the first position information PIA, the center of gravity of a plurality of position information is determined, and the position information at the position farthest from the center of gravity is obtained. It may be to find the distance to. Based on the derived home range information of each user, the management server 300 provides information, advertisements, and coupons regarding at least one of stores, facilities, and events in each user's home range. At least one of these is acquired. The management server 300 transmits at least one of the acquired information, advertisement, and coupon to at least one of the charging station device 200 and the mobile information terminal 400 via the network NW, and the charging station device 200 or the display screen of the mobile information terminal 400.

<6. Processing flow>
Next, an example of the process flow of the electric vehicle 10 will be described. Note that the example described below is an example when the third example described above is adopted as the method for setting the reference coordinates RP (that is, when an update process occurs).

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process flow of the electric vehicle 10. First, the GNSS receiver 21 of the electric vehicle 10 receives radio waves arriving from a plurality of GNSS satellites (eg, GPS satellites), and calculates the position of the electric vehicle 10 based on information included in the received radio waves. Thereby, the GNSS receiver 21 acquires first position information PIA indicating the latitude and longitude where the electric vehicle 10 is located in absolute values (step S11).

Next, the relative value generation unit 22 generates the absolute values of latitude and longitude included in the latest first position information PIA acquired by the GNSS receiver 21 and the latitude and longitude of the reference coordinates RP held by the relative value generation unit 22. Compare with the absolute value of longitude.

Specifically, the relative value generation unit 22 first determines whether the electric vehicle 10 is moving northward beyond the reference coordinates RP (step S12). If the relative value generation unit 22 determines that the electric vehicle 10 has not moved northward beyond the reference coordinates RP (step S12: NO), the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the relative value generation unit 22 determines that the electric vehicle 10 is moving northward beyond the reference coordinates RP (step S12: YES), the relative value generation unit 22 converts the latitude coordinates of the reference coordinates RP into the first position. The latitude coordinates included in the information PIA are updated (step S13).

In this case, the relative value generation unit 22 generates first correction information MI for rewriting the second position information PIB that has been generated in the past and is recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100 (step S14). The first correction information MI is output to the battery module 100. Thereby, the second position information PIB recorded in the memory 133 is corrected based on the first correction information MI (step S15). The process by electric vehicle 10 then proceeds to step S16.

Next, the relative value generation unit 22 determines whether the electric vehicle 10 is moving eastward beyond the reference coordinates RP (step S16). If the relative value generation unit 22 determines that the electric vehicle 10 has not moved eastward beyond the reference coordinates RP (step S16: NO), the process proceeds to step S20. On the other hand, if the relative value generation unit 22 determines that the electric vehicle 10 is moving eastward beyond the reference coordinates RP (step S16: YES), the relative value generation unit 22 converts the longitude coordinates of the reference coordinates RP into the first position. The coordinates of the longitude included in the information PIA are updated (step S17).

In this case, the relative value generation unit 22 generates second correction information for rewriting the second position information PIB that has been generated in the past and is recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100 (step S18), and 2 correction information is output to the battery module 100. Thereby, the second position information PIB recorded in the memory 133 is corrected based on the second correction information (step S19). Note that the process of step S15 (correction of the second position information PIB based on the first correction information MI) and the process of step S19 (correction of the second position information PIB based on the second correction information) may be performed simultaneously. . The process by electric vehicle 10 then proceeds to step S20.

Next, based on the first position information PIA acquired by the GNSS receiver 21, the relative value generation unit 22 generates second position information that expresses the position of the electric vehicle 10 as a relative value that is a difference value with respect to the reference coordinates RP. A PIB is generated (step S20). Next, the information output unit 23 outputs the second position information PIB generated by the relative value generation unit 22 to the battery module 100. As a result, the second position information PIB is recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100 (step S21). This completes one flow. This flow is repeatedly executed at a predetermined period (for example, every fixed time interval or every fixed distance traveled). In addition, in the flow described above, the process of step S12 and the process of step S16 may be performed either first, or may be performed simultaneously.

<7. Action/Effect>
Here, as a comparative example, a case will be considered in which location information in which latitude and longitude are displayed as absolute values is stored in the memory 133 of the battery module 100. Location information in which latitude and longitude are displayed as absolute values has a relatively large amount of data. Therefore, in order to continue storing position information in the memory 133 until the battery module 100 is replaced next time, a high-capacity memory 133 is required. Such a high-capacity memory is expensive, making it difficult to reduce the cost of the battery module 100.

On the other hand, the electric vehicle 10 of the present embodiment obtains second position information based on the first position information PIA acquired by the GNSS receiver 21, which expresses the position of the electric vehicle 10 by a relative value that is a difference with respect to the reference coordinates RP. A relative value generation unit 22 that generates the PIB, and an information output unit 23 that outputs the second position information PIB generated by the relative value generation unit 22 to the battery module 100 in order to record it in the memory 133 of the battery module 100. have That is, the electric vehicle 10 of the present embodiment has a shorter cruising distance (maximum movable distance) than, for example, a gasoline-powered vehicle, and among electric vehicles 10, an electric vehicle 10 with a battery exchange method has a shorter cruising distance. By focusing on the fact that the position information is even shorter, and by expressing the position information expressed as an absolute value as a relative value, the data amount of the position information is reduced and recorded in the memory 133. According to such a configuration, the amount of data recorded in the memory 133 can be reduced, and a low-capacity memory (inexpensive memory) can be used as the memory 133. This makes it possible to reduce costs associated with handling location information. Furthermore, if the second position information PIB is recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100 instead of being outputted via communication to the server device, it may be necessary to record the second position information PIB in the memory 133 of the battery module 100, when the electric vehicle 10 does not have a communication device with the outside, or when the electric vehicle 10 does not have a communication device with the outside, Even if the communication environment of the electric vehicle 10 is not sufficient, the position information of the electric vehicle 10 can be stored. Furthermore, when the battery module 100 is replaced at a charging station or the like, when the second position information PIB is recorded in the memory 133 of the battery module 100, the position information of the electric vehicle 10 can be directly acquired by the charging station device 200. This improves convenience.

In the present embodiment, the second position information PIB is defined in a data type range whose maximum value is the maximum travel distance Lmax that the electric vehicle 10 can travel without replacing the battery module 100. According to such a configuration, the amount of data recorded in the memory 133 can be further reduced.

(Second embodiment)
Next, referring to FIG. 15, a second embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the second position information PIB is transmitted to the management server 300 via the communication unit 32 mounted on the electric vehicle 10 and the network NW. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electric vehicle 10A according to the second embodiment. The electric vehicle 10A of this embodiment includes a communication section 32. The communication unit 32 has, for example, an antenna and a high frequency circuit for communication, and can communicate with the management server 300 via the network NW.

In the present embodiment, instead of or in addition to outputting the second position information PIB to the battery module 100, the information output unit 23 of the electric vehicle 10 outputs the second position information PIB to the communication unit 32 and the network NW. The information is output to the management server 300 via. Furthermore, when the reference coordinates RP is updated and at least one of the first correction information MI and the second correction information is generated, the information output unit 23 of the electric vehicle 10 outputs the generated first correction information MI and/or Alternatively, the second correction information is output to the management server 300 via the communication unit 32 and the network NW.

In the present embodiment, the management server 300 manages some functions of the BMU 130 of the battery module 100 according to the first embodiment (second position information PIB generated in the past based on the first correction information MI and the second correction information). (a function of correcting the information conversion unit 263), and a part of the function of the charging station device 200 according to the first embodiment (the function of the information conversion unit 263).

Here, as a comparative example, a case will be considered in which position information in which latitude and longitude are displayed as absolute values is output to the management server 300 via the communication unit 32. In this case, since the amount of data for location information in which latitude and longitude are displayed as absolute values is relatively large, communication costs may become high.

On the other hand, the electric vehicle 10A of this embodiment includes an information output section 23 that outputs the second position information PIB generated by the relative value generation section 22 to the management server 300 via the communication section 32. According to such a configuration, the amount of data transmitted via the communication unit 32 can be reduced, and communication costs can be kept low. This makes it possible to reduce costs associated with handling location information.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 16. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the acquisition and conversion of position information is performed in the battery module 100A, and the converted position information is written into the memory 133 of the battery module 100A. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment. The battery module 100A is an example of a "battery".

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a battery module 100A according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the battery module 100A includes a position information management section 20A. The position information management unit 20A includes, for example, a GNSS receiver 21, a relative value generation unit 22, and a recording control unit 24. That is, the battery module 100A has an antenna for receiving radio waves from a GNSS satellite, and can acquire the first position information PIA by itself. The recording control unit 24 causes the memory 133 to record the second position information PIB generated by the relative value generation unit 22. Further, when the reference coordinates RP is updated and at least one of the first correction information MI and the second correction information is generated, the recording control unit 24 performs a correction based on the first correction information MI and/or the second correction information. , corrects the second position information PIB recorded in the memory 133. The recording control section 24 is an example of an "information output section" in the battery module 100A. Note that the recording control unit 24 may be provided as a part of the BMU 130.

According to such a configuration, as in the first embodiment, the amount of data recorded in the memory 133 can be reduced, and a low-capacity memory (inexpensive memory) can be used as the memory 133. . This makes it possible to reduce costs associated with handling location information.

Note that, instead of including the GNSS receiver 21, the battery module 100A includes a position information acquisition unit that receives the first position information PIA generated by the GNSS receiver 21 provided in the electric vehicle 10 from the electric vehicle 10. You may. In this case, this location information acquisition unit corresponds to an example of an “acquisition unit”.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 17. This embodiment differs from the third embodiment in that the second location information PIB is transmitted to the management server 300 via the communication unit 140 installed in the battery module 100B and the network NW. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the third embodiment. Battery module 100B is an example of a "battery".

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a battery module 100B according to the fourth embodiment. The battery module 100B of this embodiment includes a communication section 140 and a position information management section 20B. The communication unit 140 has, for example, an antenna and a high frequency circuit for communication, and can communicate with the management server 300 via the network NW.

The position information management section 20B includes, for example, a GNSS receiver 21, a relative value generation section 22, a recording control section 24, and an information output section 25. The information output unit 25 outputs the second position information PIB to the management server 300 via the communication unit 140 and the network NW. Further, when the reference coordinates RP is updated and at least one of the first correction information MI and the second correction information is generated, the information output unit 25 outputs the generated first correction information MI and/or the second correction information. The information is output to the management server 300 via the communication unit 140 and the network NW.

In this embodiment, the management server 300 has a function of correcting the second position information PIB generated in the past based on the first correction information MI and the second correction information, and a charging station device, as in the second embodiment. It has the same function as the information conversion unit 263 of 200.

According to such a configuration, similarly to the second embodiment, the amount of data transmitted via the communication unit 140 can be reduced, and communication costs can be kept low. This makes it possible to reduce costs associated with handling location information. Note that in this embodiment, the memory 133 and the recording control unit 24 may be omitted.

In the first to fourth embodiments described above, all or some of the functions of the location information management units 20, 20A, and 20B, all or some of the functions of the BMU 130, and all or some of the functions of the charging station control unit 260 are described. The section is realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). However, all or part of these functional units are realized by hardware (including circuits) such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Alternatively, it may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware.

Although the mode for implementing the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments in any way, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. can be added.

10,10A...Electric vehicle (mobile object)
14...Travel driving force output device 12...Battery connection part (connection part)
16...Vehicle sensor 18...Vehicle control section 20, 20A, 20B...Position information management section 21...GNSS receiver (acquisition section)
22...Relative value generation unit (generation unit)
23... Information output section 24... Recording control section (information output section)
25... Information output unit 32... Communication unit 100, 100A, 100B... Battery module (battery)
110... Connection section 120... Power storage section 130... BMU
131...Measurement sensor 132...Control unit 133...Memory 140...Communication unit

Claims (13)

a connection part to which a battery for supplying power for movement to the mobile object is removably connected;
an acquisition unit that acquires first position information indicating the latitude and longitude where the mobile body is located in absolute values;
a generation unit that generates second position information that expresses the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate based on the first position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
an information output unit that outputs the second position information generated by the generation unit to the battery in order to record it in a memory included in the battery;
A moving body equipped with a connection part to which a battery for supplying power for movement to the mobile object is removably connected;
an acquisition unit that acquires first position information indicating the latitude and longitude where the mobile body is located in absolute values;
a generation unit that generates second position information that expresses the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate based on the first position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Outputting the second position information generated by the generation unit to the battery in order to record it in a memory of the battery, and outputting it to the server device via the communication unit. an information output section;
Equipped with
The second position information is defined in a data type range whose maximum value is a maximum travel distance that the mobile object can move without replacing the battery.
mobile object. a connection part to which a battery for supplying power for movement to the mobile object is removably connected;
an acquisition unit that acquires first position information indicating the latitude and longitude where the mobile body is located in absolute values;
a generation unit that generates second position information that expresses the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate based on the first position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Outputting the second position information generated by the generation unit to the battery in order to record it in a memory of the battery, and outputting it to the server device via the communication unit. an information output section;
Equipped with
The reference coordinates are set to coordinates within a maximum travel distance that the mobile object can move without replacing the battery.
mobile object . a connection part to which a battery for supplying power for movement to the mobile object is removably connected;
an acquisition unit that acquires first position information indicating the latitude and longitude where the mobile body is located in absolute values;
a generation unit that generates second position information that expresses the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate based on the first position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Outputting the second position information generated by the generation unit to the battery in order to record it in a memory of the battery, and outputting it to the server device via the communication unit. an information output section;
Equipped with
The reference coordinates are fixed values that are determined when the battery is attached to the moving body.
mobile object. a connection part to which a battery for supplying power for movement to the mobile object is removably connected;
an acquisition unit that acquires first position information indicating the latitude and longitude where the mobile body is located in absolute values;
a generation unit that generates second position information that expresses the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate based on the first position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Outputting the second position information generated by the generation unit to the battery in order to record it in a memory of the battery, and outputting it to the server device via the communication unit. an information output section;
Equipped with
The reference coordinates are coordinates of a location where the battery is attached to the moving body.
mobile object. a connection part to which a battery for supplying power for movement to the mobile object is removably connected;
an acquisition unit that acquires first position information indicating the latitude and longitude where the mobile body is located in absolute values;
a generation unit that generates second position information that expresses the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate based on the first position information acquired by the acquisition unit;
Outputting the second position information generated by the generation unit to the battery in order to record it in a memory of the battery, and outputting it to the server device via the communication unit. an information output section;
Equipped with
The reference coordinates are updated according to the position of the mobile body when the position of the mobile body satisfies a predetermined condition.
mobile object. The predetermined condition is that the position of the moving body is outside a predetermined range of a reference coordinate system defined by a first axis and a second axis with respect to the reference coordinates.
The moving body according to claim 6. the first axis defines a position with respect to latitude;
the second axis defines a position with respect to longitude;
The moving body according to claim 7. When the updated reference coordinates are set as new reference coordinates,
The generation unit generates correction information for making the second position information generated in the past and expressed with respect to the reference coordinates into information expressed with respect to the new reference coordinates,
The information output unit outputs the correction information generated by the generation unit to at least one of the battery and the server device.
The moving body according to any one of claims 6 to 8. The battery has a connection part that is removably connected to a storage device that stores the battery,
the information recorded in the memory is readable via the connection of the battery;
The moving body according to claim 1. a connection part that is removably connected to the moving body;
a power storage unit that supplies power for movement to the mobile body;
memory in which information is recorded;
a generation unit that generates second position information expressing the position of the mobile body as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate, based on first position information indicating the latitude and longitude where the mobile body is located in absolute values;
an information output unit that outputs the second position information generated by the generation unit in order to record it in the memory;
battery with. obtaining first position information indicating in absolute values the latitude and longitude at which a mobile body to which a battery that supplies power for movement is removably connected is located;
Based on the acquired first position information, generate second position information expressing the position of the moving object as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate;
outputting the generated second position information to the battery in order to record it in a memory included in the battery;
Information processing method. acquiring first position information indicating in absolute values the latitude and longitude at which a mobile body to which a battery for supplying electric power for movement is removably connected is located;
Based on the acquired first position information, generate second position information in which the position of the moving body is expressed as a relative value that is a difference with respect to a reference coordinate;
outputting the generated second position information to the battery in order to record it in a memory included in the battery;
program.

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