APPROPRIATE BATTERY EXCHANGE

• US 20080157722A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC System Technologies Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC System Technologies Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Konno, Masaaki, Yao, Wenbeen, NOBUTAKA, Yasushi, Hayashi, Masakazu, Kamiya, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US11/947,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20080157722A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/137
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In a battery exchange system for facilitating exchange at appropriate intervals of a chargeable battery with another fully charged chargeable battery for charging, a user device having characteristic identification information reads a serial number from a battery when the battery is installed and transmits to a control device correspondence information in which the identification information and the serial number have been placed in correspondence with each other. A charging device reads the serial number from a battery when charging of the battery has been completed and transmits the serial number to the control device. The control device calculates a scheduled charging time of the battery having the serial number that has been transmitted from the charging device based on the time of reception of the correspondence information that was transmitted from user device and, before the calculated scheduled charging time, carries out notification prompting battery exchange.

Claims

1. A battery exchange system comprises:

a user device belonging to a user, said user device being supplied with power from a battery having a characteristic serial number;

a charging device for charging said battery; and

a control device for managing the state of said battery charge;

wherein;

said user device has characteristic identification information, reads said serial number from said battery when said battery is installed, and places said identification information and said serial number in correspondence with each other and transmits as correspondence information to said control device;

said charging device reads said serial number from said battery when charging of said battery has been completed and transmits this serial number to said control device; and

said control device receives and stores correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device, receives a serial number that has been transmitted from said charging device, calculates a scheduled charging time that is next scheduled for the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device places in correspondence with each other the serial number that has been transmitted from said charging device and said scheduled charging time and stores this as charging information, and, before the scheduled charging time that has been stored, displays said identification information that is stored in correspondence with the serial number of that battery to carry out notification prompting battery exchange.

2. The battery exchange system according to claim 1, wherein said control device carries out notification prompting battery exchange at a time that precedes said stored scheduled charging time by a preset interval.

3. The battery exchange system according to claim 1, wherein, when the serial number included in the correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device exists in said charging information, said control device deletes from said charging information the serial number and the scheduled charging time that has been placed in correspondence with the serial number.

4. The battery exchange system according to claim 3, wherein, when the serial number included in the correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device does not exist in said charging information, said control device displays said identification information that is stored in correspondence with the serial number of that battery to carry out notification that a battery for which charging is not complete has been installed.

5. The battery exchange system according to claim 1, wherein said control device calculates a scheduled charging time of the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device and state-of-utilization information of said user device that has been collected in a state-of-utilization information database.

6. The battery exchange system according to claim 1, wherein said control device calculates a scheduled charging time of the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device and state-of-use information of said battery that has been collected in a state-of-use information database.

7. The battery exchange system according to claim 1, wherein;

said control device calculates an amount of charge for charging a battery having the serial number that was transmitted from said charging device based on user information, which is information about said user, and transmits said calculated amount of charge to said charging device; and

said charging device reads said serial number from said battery when starting charging of said battery, transmits said serial number to said control device, and charges said battery to reach the amount of charge that was transmitted from said control device.

8. The battery exchange system according to claim 1, wherein said battery comprises:

a power-supply unit for supplying power to said user device; and

a memory unit for storing said serial number.

9. The battery exchange system according to claim 1, wherein said identification information is the telephone number of said user device.

10. A user device that has characteristic identification information;

that, upon installation of a battery having a characteristic serial number, reads said serial number from said battery; and

that places said identification information and said serial number in correspondence with each other and transmits this as correspondence information to a control device that manages the state of said battery charge.

11. A charging device that carries out charging of a battery having a characteristic serial number that is installed in a user device that belongs to a user, that reads said serial number from said battery when charging of said battery has been completed, and that transmits the serial number to a control device that manages the state of said battery charge.

12. The charging device according to claim 11, wherein said charging device:

reads said serial number from said battery when starting charging of said battery, transmits the serial number to said control device; and

charges said battery having the serial number to reach the amount of charge, this amount of charge being calculated in said control device based on user information, which is information of said user.

13. A control device that:

receives and stores correspondence information in which a serial number and identification information have been placed in correspondence with each other and transmitted from a user device, said serial number being a characteristic serial number belonging to a battery that supplies power to said user device and said identification information being information characteristic of said user device;

receives said serial number that has been transmitted from a charging device that carries out charging of said battery;

calculates a scheduled charging time that is next scheduled for the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device;

places in correspondence with each other the serial number that has been transmitted from said charging device and said scheduled charging time and stores this as charging information; and

before the scheduled charging time that has been stored, displaying said identification information that is stored in correspondence with the serial number of the battery to carry out notification prompting battery exchange.

14. The control device according to claim 13, wherein said control device carries out notification prompting battery exchange at a time that precedes said stored scheduled charging time by a preset interval.

15. The control device according to claim 13, wherein, when a serial number included in correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device exists in said charging information, said control device deletes from said charging information the serial number and the scheduled charging time that has been placed in correspondence with the serial number.

16. The control device according to claim 15, wherein, when the serial number included in correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device does not exist in said charging information, said control device displays said identification information that is stored in correspondence with the serial number of that battery to carry out notification indicating that a battery for which charging is not complete has been installed.

17. The control device according to claim 13, wherein said control device calculates a scheduled charging time of the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device and state-of-utilization information of said user device that has been collected in a state-of-utilization information database.

18. The control device according to claim 13, wherein said control device calculates a scheduled charging time of the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device and state-of-use information of said battery that has been collected in a state-of-use information database.

19. The control device according to claim 13, wherein said control device calculates the amount of charge that is needed for charging the battery having the serial number that was transmitted from said charging device based on user information, which is information about said user.

20. A method in a battery exchange system that is made up from a user device that belongs to a user and that is supplied with power from a battery having a characteristic serial number, a charging device for carrying out charging of said battery, and a control device for managing the state of said battery charge;

said method comprising steps wherein;

said charging device reads said serial number from said battery when charging of said battery has been completed;

said charging device transmits said serial number to said control device;

said user device reads said serial number from said battery when said battery is installed;

said user device places characteristic identification information that belongs to said user device and said serial number in correspondence with each other and transmits this as correspondence information to said control device;

said control device calculates a scheduled charging time that is next scheduled for the battery having the serial number that was transmitted from said charging device based on the time of reception at which correspondence information transmitted from said user device is received;

said control device places the serial number transmitted from said charging device and said scheduled charging time in correspondence with each other and stores this as charging information; and

said control device, before said scheduled charging time, displays said identification information that has been placed in correspondence with the serial number of the battery to carry out notification prompting battery exchange.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising a step wherein said control device carries out notification prompting battery exchange at a time that precedes said scheduled charging time by a preset interval.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising a step wherein, when a serial number included in correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device exists in said charging information, said control device deletes from said charging information the serial number and the scheduled charging time that has been placed in correspondence with the serial number.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising a step wherein, when a serial number included in correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device does not exist in said charging information, said control device displays said identification information that was placed in correspondence with the serial number of the battery to carry out notification indicating that a battery for which charging is not complete has been installed.

24. The method according to claim 20, further comprising a step wherein said control device calculates a scheduled charging time of the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device and state-of-utilization information of said user device that has been collected in a state-of-utilization information database.

25. The method according to claim 20, further comprising a step wherein said control device calculates a scheduled charging time of the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device and state-of-use information of said battery that has been collected in a state-of-use information database.

26. The method according to claim 20, further comprising steps wherein:

said charging device reads said serial number from said battery when starting charging of said battery;

said charging device transmits said serial number that has been read to said control device;

said control device calculates the amount of charge that is needed for charging the battery having the serial number that was transmitted from said charging device based on user information, which is information about said user;

said control device transmits said calculated amount of charge to said charging device; and

said charging device charges said battery to reach the amount of charge that was transmitted from said control device.

27. A recording medium for recording a program for causing a user device, which is supplied with power from a battery having a characteristic serial number, and which is manufactured to allow connection to a control device for managing the state of said battery charge, and which has characteristic identification information, to execute processes of:

reading said serial number from said battery when said battery is installed;

placing said identification information and said serial number in correspondence with each other; and

transmitting information in which said identification information and said serial number have been placed in correspondence with each other as correspondence information to said control device.

28. A recording medium for recording a program for causing a charging device which is manufactured to allow connection with a control device for managing the state of battery charge having a characteristic serial number and which is installed in a user device that belongs to a user and which carries out charging of said battery, to execute processes of:

reading said serial number from said battery when charging of said battery is completed; and

transmitting said serial number to said control device.

29. The recording medium according to claim 28 for recording a program for causing said charging device to further execute processes of:

reading said serial number from said battery when starting charging of said battery;

transmitting said serial number to said control device; and

charging said battery having said serial number to reach the amount of charge, said amount of charge being calculated in said control device based on user information, which is information about said user.

30. A recording medium for recording a program for causing a control device, which is manufactured to allow connection to a user device that is supplied with power from a battery having a characteristic serial number and connection to a charging device that carries out charging of said battery and which manages the state of said battery charge, to execute processes of:

receiving and storing correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device;

receiving said serial number that has been transmitted from said charging device;

calculating a scheduled charging time that is next scheduled for the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device;

placing a serial number that has been transmitted from said charging device and said scheduled charging time in correspondence with each other and storing this as charging information; and

before said stored scheduled charging time, displaying said identification information that has been stored in correspondence with the serial number of the battery to carry out notification prompting battery exchange.

31. The recording medium according to claim 30 for recording a program for causing said control device to further execute a process of carrying out notification prompting battery exchange at a time that precedes said stored scheduled charging time by a preset interval.

32. The recording medium according to claim 30 for recording a program for causing said control device to further execute a process of, when a serial number included in correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device exists in said charging information, deleting from said charging information the serial number and the scheduled charging time that has been placed in correspondence with that serial number.

33. The recording medium according to claim 32 for recording a program for causing said control device to further execute a process of, when a serial number included in correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device does not exist in said charging information, displaying said identification information that is stored in correspondence with the serial number of the battery to carry out notification indicating that a battery for which charging is not complete has been installed.

34. The recording medium according to claim 30 for recording a program for causing said control device to further execute a process of calculating a scheduled charging time of the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device and state-of-utilization information about said user device that has been collected in a state-of-utilization information database.

35. The recording medium according to claim 30 for recording a program for causing said control device to further execute a process of calculating a scheduled charging time of the battery having said serial number based on the time of reception of correspondence information that has been transmitted from said user device and state-of-use information of said battery that has been collected in a state-of-use information database.

36. The recording medium according to claim 30 for recording a program for causing said control device to further execute a process of calculating the amount of charge that is needed for charging the battery having a serial number that has been transmitted from said charging device based on user information, which is information about said user.