WO2020203577A1

WO2020203577A1 - Battery management device, battery management method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2020203577A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/013423
Authority: WO
Inventors: 崇志丹光; 善彦山本; 悠起武井; 祥子辻; 智恵金
Original assignee: マクセルホールディングス株式会社
Priority date: 2019-03-29
Filing date: 2020-03-25
Publication date: 2020-10-08
Also published as: JPWO2020203577A1

Abstract

A battery management device 10 manages the charging state of a battery 4 for a drone. The battery management device 10 comprises: an information acquisition unit 11 that acquires flight condition information relating to flight conditions in the scheduled flight location of the drone; a charging completion time determination unit 12 determines a charging completion time on the basis of the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11; and a charging completion time control unit 13 that controls the charging of the battery 4 so that the charging of the battery 4 is complete at the charging completion time determined by the charging completion time determination unit 12.

Description

Battery management device, battery management method, program

The present invention relates to a battery management device, a battery management method, and a program for controlling battery charging.

In recent years, the use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) has expanded. Batteries are installed in the drone. Drone batteries are often rechargeable batteries. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-516024 (Patent Document 1) discloses that a drone battery can be charged by a drone dock via a conduction pad or an inductive charging device. There is. When the drone's battery is at its minimum charge, the drone is automatically returned to the drone dock for charging.

Special Table 2018-516024

Drones are used for various purposes. For example, a drone can be used to spray pesticides, inspect buildings, take aerial photographs, and so on. Since drones are often used outdoors, weather is often a condition for flying drones to achieve their goals. Therefore, even if the drone battery is charged in advance for the day when it is scheduled to be used, the weather conditions may be bad on that day and the drone may have to be abandoned. In such a case, if the battery is left fully charged, the capacity of the battery deteriorates and the resistance increases. In such a case, if the battery is forcibly discharged in order to avoid capacity deterioration, power is wasted and efficiency is deteriorated. The conditions that affect the flight of a drone are not limited to the weather. For example, the drone may not be able to fly to other drones in the planned flight area due to conditions such as flight conditions and regulations by law and other regulations.

Therefore, the present application discloses a battery management device, a battery management method, and a program that enable efficient charging of a drone battery in consideration of weather and other conditions related to drone flight.

The battery management device according to the embodiment of the present invention is a battery management device that manages the charging state of the battery for the drone. The battery management device has an information acquisition unit that acquires flight condition information regarding flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone, and a charge completion time that determines when charging is completed based on the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition unit. It includes a determination unit and a charge completion control unit that controls charging of the battery so that charging of the battery is completed when charging is completed determined by the charge completion determination unit.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a battery management device, a battery management method, and a program that enable efficient charging of a drone battery in consideration of weather and other conditions related to drone flight.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the entire system including the battery management device. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the battery management device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the battery management device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of weather information. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the battery management device 10. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of data recorded in the memory in the processing of the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of data used when determining and controlling when charging of a plurality of drones is completed. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the charge control.

(Structure 1)
The battery management device according to the embodiment of the present invention is a battery management device that manages the charging state of the drone battery. The battery management device has an information acquisition unit that acquires flight condition information regarding flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone, and a charge completion time that determines when charging is completed based on the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition unit. It includes a determination unit and a charge completion control unit that controls charging of the battery so that charging of the battery is completed when charging is completed determined by the charge completion determination unit.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to complete the charging of the battery when the charging is completed (charging completion time) determined based on the flight condition information regarding the flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone such as the weather. Therefore, efficient charging is possible in consideration of flight conditions such as weather. The completion of charging may be, for example, a state in which the battery is not fully charged to a fully charged state, or the capacity of the battery may reach a target capacity.

(Structure 2)
In the configuration 1, the battery management device may further include a discharge unit that discharges the battery based on an input operation. As a result, the discharge can be started at the timing when the input operation for instructing the discharge is received. For example, when the battery is not used when charging is completed due to flight conditions such as weather or the convenience of the user, the battery can be discharged according to the input operation of the user. Therefore, more efficient charging becomes possible. The remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery at the completion of discharge by the discharge unit is preferably 50% or less, and more preferably 30% or less. This is because the lower the remaining capacity of the battery during storage, the less the capacity deterioration and resistance deterioration. It is preferable that the remaining capacity of the battery when the discharge by the discharge unit is completed does not reach 0%. This is to reduce the risk of over-discharging due to leakage current.

(Structure 3)
In the

above configuration

1 or 2, the battery management device may further include a charging unit that charges the battery in response to an input operation. As a result, for example, charging can be performed at a timing that meets the user's request. For example, charging can be performed according to a user's input operation in preference to the control of the charging completion control unit for completing the charging of the battery when the determined charging is completed. In this case, charging can be completed before the completion of charging according to the input operation instructing charging.

(Structure 4)
In any of the above configurations 1 to 3, the charging completion control unit includes a charging time calculation unit that calculates the charging time required to complete charging of the battery based on the charging capacity of the battery, and the charging unit. The charging start time is determined based on the charging completion time determined by the completion time determination unit and the charging time calculated by the charging time calculation unit, and the charging of the battery is controlled so as to start charging at the charging start time. It may include a start control unit. Thereby, the charging of the battery can be controlled more reliably so that the charging of the battery is completed when the charging is completed. The charging time calculation unit can calculate the required charging time using, for example, the charging capacity and charging current of the battery.

(Structure 5)
In any of the above configurations 1 to 4, the battery may be a drone battery. In this case, the charge completion control unit determines the charge capacity based on the flight schedule of the drone, and controls the charge of the battery so that the charge of the determined charge capacity is completed when the charge is completed. be able to. As a result, the battery can be efficiently charged according to the drone's flight plan and conditions such as the weather.

(Structure 6)
In any of the above configurations 1 to 5, the charging completion control unit determines whether or not to discharge before charging based on the time until the charging is completed, and when it is determined to discharge, the said The charging of the battery may be controlled so that the charging is completed by the time the charging is completed after the battery is discharged. As a result, if there is sufficient time to complete charging, the battery can be charged after being discharged. For example, the charge completion control unit may determine that the battery is fully charged and the battery is discharged before charging when the time until the completion of charging is longer than a predetermined time. As a result, it is possible to reduce the duration of time when the battery is fully charged.

(Structure 7)
In any of the above configurations 1 to 6, the charging completion time determination unit may determine the charging completion time based on the information input from the user in addition to the flight condition information. As a result, the battery can be efficiently charged according to the information input from the user and the flight conditions. As the information input by the user, for example, flight schedule information including the flight schedule location of the drone can be used.

(Structure 8)
In any of the above configurations 1 to 7, the charging completion determination unit may further determine the charging capacity in addition to the charging completion determination unit. This makes it possible to determine the amount of charge and the time when charging is completed in consideration of flight conditions. The charging capacity can be, for example, the amount of power to charge the battery from the start to the end of charging.

(Structure 9)
In any of the above configurations 1 to 8, the battery may be charged in a state of being connected to the drone, and charging may be controlled by the drone. The charging completion control unit may instruct the drone to complete charging of the battery when charging is completed determined by the charging completion determination unit.

In any of the above configurations 1 to 8, the charging completion control unit may control the charging speed of the battery based on the time until the charging completion determined by the charging completion determination unit. .. For example, the charging completion control unit may select a charging mode according to the time until the charging is completed from among a plurality of charging modes having different charging speeds. The charging completion control unit can control the charging of the battery in the selected charging mode (that is, charging speed). This makes it possible to charge at an appropriate charging speed according to the charging time.

In any of the above configurations 1 to 8, the charging completion control unit may display the charging completion time determined by the charging completion determination unit on the display device. The display device may be, for example, a battery management device, a charger for charging the battery, or a display included in the drone. As a result, the user can grasp when charging is completed.

The battery management method in the embodiment of the present invention is a battery management method for managing the state of charge of the drone battery executed by the computer. The battery management method includes a step in which the computer acquires flight condition information regarding flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone, a step in which the computer determines when charging is completed based on the acquired flight condition information, and a computer. However, there is a step of controlling the charging of the battery so that the charging of the battery is completed on the determined charging completion date.

The program according to the embodiment of the present invention is a battery management program that causes a computer to execute a process of managing the charge state of a battery for a drone. The program has an information acquisition process for acquiring flight condition information regarding flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone, and a charge completion time determination process for determining when charging is completed based on the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition process. The computer is made to execute the charging completion control process for controlling the charging of the battery so that the charging of the battery is completed when the charging is completed, which is determined by the charging completion determination process.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The same and corresponding configurations are designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the same description is not repeated. In addition, in order to make the explanation easy to understand, in the drawings referred to below, the configuration is shown in a simplified or schematic manner, or some constituent members are omitted.

(Device configuration example)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the entire system including the battery management device according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the battery management device 10 manages the charging state of the battery 4 of the drone 5 as an example. The battery management device 10 can communicate with the server 2 and the charger 3. The battery management device 10 is connected to the server 2 via a network N such as the Internet. Further, the battery management device 10 may be connected to the charger 3 wirelessly or by wire, or may be built in the charger 3. The battery management device 10 manages the charging state of the battery 4 by controlling the charger 3.

The battery management device 10 includes an information acquisition unit 11, a charge completion determination unit 12, a charge completion control unit 13, a discharge unit 14, and a charging unit 15. The battery management device 10 is composed of one or more computers or circuits including a processor and a memory. The functions of the above-mentioned functional units 11 to 15 can be realized, for example, by the processor executing the program. Such programs and non-transitory recording media on which they are recorded are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. As an example, the battery management device 10 may be composed of a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a computer built in the charger 3 or the drone 5, a PC, or the like. Further, at least a part of each of the functional units 11 to 15 may be configured by a circuit or a computer built in the charger 3.

The information acquisition unit 11 acquires data indicating flight condition information regarding flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone from an external computer connected via a network such as a server 2. The flight condition information includes, for example, a weather forecast. The weather forecast includes information showing daily or hourly weather forecasts such as "sunny", "rain", and "sunny and sometimes cloudy", as well as weather information such as precipitation probability, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, visibility, or airflow. Forecast, or warnings or warnings, etc. may be included. In the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires data including weather forecasts for a plurality of days at the planned flight location of the drone from the server 2. The information acquisition unit 11 may acquire weather information on a regular basis at a fixed time every day, for example.

The flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 is not limited to the weather forecast. For example, information that affects the availability of flight, such as the flight schedule of another drone at the scheduled flight location, the flight permission status, or a predetermined flight schedule, may be acquired as flight condition information. Further, the information acquisition unit 11 may acquire flight condition information by receiving input from a user, in addition to the case of acquiring flight condition information data from an external computer.

The charging completion time determination unit 12 determines the charging completion time, that is, the charging completion time based on the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. The time when the charging is completed determined here is the time when the charging of the drone battery 4 should be completed. When charging is completed, which is determined by the charging completion determination unit 12, for example, at least one of the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second may be specified. When the determined charging is completed, it suffices to specify when (timing) the charging is completed. The expression format for specifying the time when charging is completed is not particularly limited. The charging completion time determination unit 12 can determine at least one of the date and time when charging is completed, for example, when charging is completed.

The charge completion time determination unit 12 can determine, for example, the closest day among the days when the conditions (for example, weather forecast) indicated by the flight condition information satisfy a predetermined standard when the charge is completed. Further, the charging completion time determination unit 12 may determine the charging completion time (charging completion time) in addition to the charging completion date or instead of the charging completion date. The criteria for weather information to determine when charging is complete are, for example, at least one of the weather forecast content (eg, no rain, snow, sleet, blizzard, etc.), probability of precipitation, or wind speed. It may be. The weather conditions that affect the flight of the drone can be used as the basis for determining when charging is complete. In addition to the flight condition information, the charging completion determination unit 12 may use, for example, input information from the user to determine when charging is completed.

As the input information from the user, for example, flight schedule information including the flight schedule location of the drone can be used. The battery management device 10 may include, for example, an input receiving unit that receives input of flight schedule information from the user. The input receiving unit may receive input of information from the user, for example, via the user interface provided in the battery management device 10. Alternatively, the input receiving unit may receive the user's input information from an external device (user terminal or the like) via the communication unit included in the battery management device 10.

The flight schedule information input from the user includes data indicating the flight amount such as flight time, flight distance, flight area, or flight path, or other flight plan information in addition to the scheduled flight location. May be included. The planned flight location is information indicating the location where the drone is scheduled to fly. The format of the information indicating the planned flight location is not particularly limited. The information indicating the planned flight location may be, for example, coordinate data including longitude and latitude, as well as location identification data for specifying an address, a place name, another area or area, or the like.

The information acquisition unit 11 may acquire flight condition information indicating flight conditions at the planned flight location input by the user, for example. That is, the charge completion time determination unit 12 may determine the charge completion time based on the flight condition information acquired based on the flight schedule information input from the user. For example, the information acquisition unit 11 can acquire the weather forecast in the area including the planned flight location input by the user from the server 2.

The charging completion control unit 13 instructs the charger 3 to complete charging of the battery 4 when charging is completed, which is determined by the charging completion determination unit 12. When charging is completed, the control unit 13 determines, for example, a charging start time that enables the completion of charging on the charging completion date based on the charging capacity of the battery 4, and starts charging the battery 4 at the charging start time. In addition, the charger 3 can be controlled. When charging is completed, the control unit 13 may instruct the charger 3 to start charging at a determined charging start time by using the clock function provided in the computer of the battery management device 10. Alternatively, the charger 3 has a built-in clock or timer, and the charger 3 instructed by the control unit 13 when charging is completed is configured to start charging at the instructed charging start time using the clock or timer. You may.

For example, the charge completion control unit 13 has a charge time calculation unit 131 that calculates the charge time required to complete the charge of the battery 4 based on the charge capacity of the battery 4, and the calculated charge time and charge completion time. A start control unit 132 that determines the charging start time based on the completion of charging determined by the determination unit 12 may be included. The start control unit instructs the charger 3 to start charging at the determined charging start time, for example.

The charge capacity of the battery 4 is determined by, for example, the battery 4. When the battery 4 includes a plurality of battery packs, the charging capacity can be determined by the capacity of one battery pack and the number of battery packs. The charge capacity may be a value recorded in advance in the battery management device 10. Further, the charging capacity may be the amount of charging until the charging is completed. The charge completion determination unit 12 may determine the charge amount until the charge is completed. In this case, the charge amount determined by the charging completion determination unit 12 can be used as the charge capacity. The charging time can be calculated from, for example, the charging capacity. The charging time calculation unit 131 may calculate the charging time from the charging capacity according to, for example, a pre-programmed calculation method, or may use the correspondence data indicating the correspondence between the charging capacity and the charging time recorded in advance. , The charging time may be calculated. Further, the charging time may be calculated by using the charging current in addition to the charging capacity. The charging current is determined by, for example, the charger 3.

Further, the charge completion determination unit 12 or the charge completion control unit 13 may determine the charge capacity of the battery 4 based on the flight schedule of the drone. The flight schedule of the drone is determined based on, for example, input from the user. The battery management device 10 may include an interface for receiving input from the user of the flight schedule of the drone. Alternatively, the battery management device 10 may access the recording device in which the data indicating the flight schedule of the drone based on the user's input is recorded to acquire the flight schedule of the drone. The flight schedule of the drone may be represented by, for example, data indicating the flight time, the flight distance, the area of the flight area, or the flight amount such as the flight path. Further, in the process of determining the charge capacity based on the flight schedule of the drone, for example, the charge capacity is calculated from the data indicating the flight amount by using a pre-programmed calculation or the correspondence data indicating the correspondence between the flight amount and the charge capacity. It may be a process to be performed. Further, the calculated charge capacity may be a value that can be converted into a charge capacity such as a charging time or the number of battery packs to be charged, in addition to the value of the capacity of the battery 4.

The charge completion determination unit 12 or the charge completion control unit 13 may determine the charge capacity of the battery 4 based on the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. For example, the charging capacity can be determined based on the weather information at the time of charging completion determined by the charging completion determination unit 12. As the weather information, data indicating weather conditions (for example, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, etc.) that affect the power consumption of the drone can be used to determine the charge capacity. In addition, the charging start control unit 13 can determine the charging capacity by using both the flight schedule of the drone and the weather information. This makes it possible to more accurately determine the charge capacity required for the drone to fly.

The discharge unit 14 discharges the battery 4 based on the input operation. The discharge unit 14 may provide an interface for receiving an operation instructing the user to discharge. For example, the discharge unit 14 can receive an operation from the user by the user interface of the computer constituting the battery management device 10. Further, the discharge unit 14 may be provided in the charger 3. In this case, the discharge operation can be accepted by an input device such as a button provided on the charger 3. When the discharge unit 14 detects an input operation indicating discharge, the discharge unit 14 discharges the charger 3. The charger 3 can prioritize the discharge control by the discharge unit 14 over the charge control based on the flight condition information by the charge start control unit 13.

The remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery 4 when the discharge by the discharge unit 14 is completed is preferably 50% or less, and more preferably 30% or less. Further, it is preferable that the remaining capacity of the battery 4 when the discharge is completed does not reach 0%. For example, the discharge unit 14 can monitor the remaining capacity of the battery 4 and control the charger 3 to discharge the battery 4 until the target remaining capacity is reached. Alternatively, the charger 3 may be provided with, for example, a circuit that stops discharging when the remaining capacity falls below a threshold value (for example, 30%) as an over-discharge protection function.

The charging unit 15 charges the battery 4 based on the input operation. The charging unit 15 may provide an interface for accepting an operation instructing the user to charge. For example, the charging unit 15 can receive an operation from the user by the user interface of the computer constituting the battery management device 10. Further, the charging unit 15 may be provided in the charger 3. In this case, the charging operation can be accepted by an input device such as a button provided on the charger 3. When the charging unit 15 detects an input operation indicating charging, the charging unit 15 charges the charger 3. The charger 3 can prioritize the charging control by the charging unit 15 over the charging control based on the flight condition information by the charging start control unit 13.

The charger 3 has a flight condition interlocking mode in which the charging operation is performed based on the flight condition information according to the instruction of the control unit 13 at the start of charging, and a manual mode in which the discharging unit 14 and the charging unit 15 perform the charging operation based on the input operation. The configuration may be switchable. That is, the battery management device 10 may control to switch the operation mode of the charger 3. For example, when the charger 3 is operating in the flight condition interlocking mode and the discharge unit 14 discharges or the charging unit 15 gives an instruction to charge, the charger 3 switches the flight condition interlocking mode to the manual mode to discharge. Alternatively, charging can be performed. The charger 3 or the battery management device 10 may be configured to output information indicating the current operation mode (for example, flight condition interlocking mode or manual mode). The output form is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include output to an output device such as an LED lamp, a speaker, or a display, transmission of an e-mail or other message, and output of data to a predetermined recording area.

The charger 3 or the battery management device 10 may be configured to output information indicating the state of the battery 4 or other notification information in addition to the operation mode. For example, the start of charging and the notification of the completion of charging may be output to the user from the battery management device 10. Alternatively, when the battery 4 is not connected to the charger 3 even when the charging start time for completing the charging is reached when the charging is completed, the battery 4 is not connected, that is, the connection of the battery 4 is urged. Notification may be output.

The battery management device 10 may have an output device (for example, a speaker and a display) built-in, or may be connected to the output device. The charger 3 or drone 5 may include an output device 3a (eg, LED lamp, speaker, display, etc.). The battery management device 10 can output the above information to at least one output device of the battery management device 10, the charger 3, and the drone 5. The battery 4 may also be provided with an output device 4a (LED lamp or the like). For example, information indicating the charging state may be output to the output device 4a of the battery 4.

Further, the charging completion control unit 13 may display the charging completion time determined by the charging completion determination unit 12 on a display device provided in at least one of the battery management device 10, the charger 3 and the drone 5.

(Operation example)
2 and 3 are flowcharts showing an operation example of the battery management device 10. In S1 of FIG. 2, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires flight condition information. For example, weather information is acquired as flight condition information. As weather information, for example, weather forecast data for a predetermined number of days (for example, one week) is acquired. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of weather information acquired in S1. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the weather forecast data for eight days including today is included. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the weather forecast is for each day, but the data may be acquired for the weather forecast for each time zone (am, afternoon) or hour. In addition, weather information in a predetermined area may be acquired. The target area of the weather information to be acquired may be specified by the user, for example.

In S2, the charge completion determination unit 12 determines the charge completion date. The charging completion time determination unit 12 can determine the closest day among the days when the weather forecast indicated by the acquired weather information satisfies a predetermined standard as the charging completion date. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 4, as an example, the standard is that the weather does not include any of "rain", "snow", "hail", and "hail", and the wind speed is a threshold value (example: 20 m / s). And the probability of precipitation does not exceed the threshold (eg 40%). In this case, the closest day that meets the criteria is two days later.

Note that the charging completion determination unit 12 may determine a plurality of days as charging completion dates within the target period. For example, if it is necessary to fly the drone twice a week to spray pesticides, the charge completion determination unit 12 can determine two charge completion dates by 7 days later. In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 4, as an example, 2 days and 5 days are determined as the charging completion date. The number of charges within the target period can be determined based on the input from the user.

The charging completion time determination unit 12 may determine the charging completion date by further using the information input from the user in addition to the weather information. By input, the user can specify or limit the charging completion date, for example, excluding after 5 days. In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 4, as an example, 2 days and 6 days are determined as the charging completion date.

In S3 of FIG. 2, the charging completion control unit 13 instructs the charger 3 to complete charging on the charging completion determination date determined in S2. For example, the charging completion time control unit 13 can instruct the charger 3 to start charging at a time (that is, when charging start is specified) that is set in advance by a preset charging time from 0 o'clock on the charging completion determination date. .. By starting charging when the charger 3 specifies to start charging, charging is completed at 0 o'clock on the charging completion determination date.

As described above, the value of the charging time for determining the time when the charging start is specified may be variable. For example, the charging time may be calculated using the charging capacity and the charging current. The charging capacity may be, for example, a predetermined value, or may be determined based on an input from the user (for example, the number of battery packs to be charged). Alternatively, the charging capacity may be determined based on data indicating the flight amount of the drone (for example, flight time, distance, area, etc.) and weather information (for example, wind speed, etc.) on the charging completion date. The charging current may be, for example, a predetermined value or a value calculated from the measured value of the charging current of the charger 3.

The flight amount of the drone can be determined based on, for example, input from the user. For example, the battery management device 10 may acquire data indicating the date on which the drone is to be flown, such as data indicating the flight plan of the drone, and data indicating the amount of flight by input from the user or reading from a predetermined recording device. it can.

When charging is completed, the control unit 13 may determine in S3 whether or not to discharge before charging. For example, the charge completion control unit 13 may determine that the discharge before charging is performed when the time from the current time to the completion of charging is longer than the threshold value. The charging completion control unit 13 may make the above determination based on the time until charging completion and the charging state of the battery 4. For example, the charging start control unit 13 may determine that the battery 4 will be discharged before charging when the battery 4 is fully charged and the time from the current time to the completion of charging is longer than the threshold value. In this case, the battery management device 10 has a configuration for monitoring the charging state of the battery 4. The battery management device 10 may record data indicating the state of charge of the battery 4. The data indicating the charging state of the battery 4 may be, for example, data calculated based on the current value or voltage value detected by the charger 3, or data obtained based on the data indicating the charging history. You may.

When the control unit 13 at the time of charging completion determines in S3 that the battery is discharged before charging, it instructs the charger to complete charging by the charging completion date after discharging the battery 4. For example, the charge completion control unit 13 can instruct the charger 3 to start discharging immediately after the above determination and to start charging at the start of charging. The charging start control unit 13 may instruct the charger 3 to discharge until the remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery 4 becomes a predetermined value (for example, 50% or 30% or the like) or less. Alternatively, the charger 3 may be configured to stop discharging when the remaining capacity of the battery 4 falls below a predetermined value.

When charging is completed, the control unit 13 may determine the charging speed in S3. For example, the charging completion control unit 13 can select a charging mode according to the time from the current time to the completion of charging, among a plurality of predetermined charging modes having different charging speeds. For example, if the time from the present time to the completion of charging is shorter than the threshold value, the quick charging mode can be set, and if the time until the completion of charging is longer than the threshold value, the normal charging mode can be set. Further, the charging completion control unit 13 may determine the charging speed based on the time until the charging is completed and the charging capacity. For example, the charging completion control unit 13 may calculate the charging time required to charge the charging capacity at each of the plurality of charging speeds. In this case, it is possible to select a charging speed that does not exceed the charging time from the present time to the completion of charging and has the longest charging time. From the viewpoint of suppressing deterioration of the battery, it is preferable not to charge the battery rapidly.

The battery management device 10 may repeatedly execute the process shown in FIG. 2 at a predetermined cycle. For example, the battery management device 10 can repeatedly execute the process shown in FIG. 2 when operating the charger 3 in the flight condition interlocking mode. In addition, the process of FIG. 2 can be executed at a cycle that matches the cycle in which the weather forecast is updated. As a result, the charging completion date can be updated according to the update of the weather forecast. For example, when the weather forecast for the charging completion date changes from "sunny" to "rainy", the charger 3 can be instructed to postpone the charging completion date and release the battery 4.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the battery management device 10 receives an operation input from the user (S11). When an operation instructing charging is input from the user (YES in S12), the charging unit 15 instructs the charger 3 to charge (S13). When the charger 3 receives an instruction from the charging unit 15, the charger cancels the instruction from the control unit 13 when charging is completed, and starts charging the battery 4. In this case, the battery management device 10 may stop the process shown in FIG. As a result, the operation of the charger 3 can be switched from the flight condition cooperation mode to the manual mode.

When an operation instructing discharge is input from the user (YES in S14), the discharge unit 14 instructs the charger 3 to discharge (S15). When the charger 3 receives an instruction from the discharge unit 14, the charger cancels the instruction from the control unit 13 when charging is completed, and starts discharging the battery 4. In this case, the battery management device 10 may stop the process shown in FIG. As a result, the operation of the charger 3 can be switched from the flight condition cooperation mode to the manual mode. The processes S11 to S15 of FIG. 3 are repeated until the operation reception is completed (YES in S16). The discharging unit 14 may instruct the charger 3 to discharge until the remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery 4 becomes a predetermined value (for example, 50% or 30% or the like) or less. Alternatively, the charger 3 may be configured to stop discharging when the remaining capacity of the battery 4 falls below a predetermined value.

The switching from the manual mode to the flight condition cooperation mode can be performed, for example, in response to an operation input from the user. For example, when there is an operation input to start the flight condition cooperation mode, the battery management device 10 starts the periodic execution of the process shown in FIG. As a result, the operation mode of the charger 3 can be switched from the manual mode to the flight condition cooperation mode.

By the above processes of FIGS. 2 and 3, it is possible to achieve both charge control according to flight condition information and charge control that suits the user's situation. For example, when the battery is fully charged at the completion of charging determined based on the flight condition information, but the drone is not flown due to the user's circumstances or the like, the charger 3 is charged according to the instruction of the battery management device 10. 4 can be discharged to prepare for the next charge. Further, the user can start charging or discharging the battery 4 by operating input regardless of the flight condition information. For example, if the drone is not flown due to the user's convenience when charging is completed based on the flight condition information, the user can release the fully charged state of the battery 4 by inputting a discharge operation. Alternatively, if it becomes necessary to fly the drone before the completion of charging based on the flight condition information, the user can charge the battery 4 by inputting a charging operation.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the battery management device 10. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of data recorded in a memory accessible from the battery management device 10 in the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

In S0 of FIG. 5, the battery management device 10 receives input of flight schedule information from the user. As the flight schedule information, as an example, information indicating the flight schedule location and flight amount of the drone 5 is input by the user. For example, data indicating the flight path (flight route) or flight range of the drone 5 is input. In addition to the geographical information of the planned flight location, information on the flight schedule such as the number of flights and the scheduled flight period (target period) may be input.

In S1, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires flight condition information indicating flight conditions at the scheduled flight location included in the flight schedule information input in S0 from, for example, an external computer such as a server 3. Flight conditions may include, for example, the weather at the planned flight location during the period of interest, the flight conditions of other drones, and at least one of the regulations. In addition, at least a part of the flight condition information may be input by the user. When the scheduled flight period (target period) is input from the user in S0, the information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the flight conditions of the scheduled flight location in the target period.

In S2, the charge completion time determination unit 12 determines the charge completion time based on the flight condition information acquired in S1. For example, in the flight condition information, a period in which the flight conditions of the target period at the planned flight location input in S0 satisfy a predetermined standard is determined as the flightable period. For example, if the flight conditions acquired in S1 include information indicating the weather, the flight status of other drones, and regulations, a period in which all of these satisfy predetermined criteria is determined as the flightable period. As a result, it is possible to determine the flightable period during which the flight is possible within the target period input to the user. When charging is completed, the charge completion time determination unit 12 determines a time before the determined flight period when charging is completed.

In S3, the charge completion control unit 13 determines the charge capacity based on the flight schedule information input in S0. The charge completion control unit 13 can determine the charge capacity by, for example, determining the flight amount from the flight schedule information and calculating the charge capacity from the determined flight amount. When charging is completed, the control unit 13 may calculate the flight amount from the flight route included in the flight schedule information, the number of flights, and the like. The above-mentioned corresponding data can be used in the process of calculating the charge capacity from the flight amount. The charge capacity determination process may be executed by the charge start determination unit 12 in S2. Further, the flight condition information acquired in S1 may be used for the process of determining the charge capacity. For example, the charge capacity determined based on the flight amount may be corrected based on the flight conditions (for example, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, etc.). In addition, data indicating the state of the battery may be used in the process of determining the charge capacity. For example, the charge capacity may be determined based on the remaining capacity of the battery.

The determined charge capacity may be, for example, a value indicating the ratio (for example, what percentage) to charge with respect to the full charge. That is, it is possible to complete charging with less remaining capacity than full charge.

In S3, the charging completion control unit 13 controls the charger 3 so as to complete the charging of the determined charging capacity when the charging is completed determined in S2. For example, the charging completion control unit 13 determines the charging start time for completing the charging amount at the charging completion determined in S2. The start of charging can be, for example, a time point corresponding to the charging capacity before the completion of charging. When charging is completed, the control unit 13 instructs the charger 3 to start the charger at the determined start of charging.

When charging is completed, the control unit 13 may control charging while monitoring the battery status. For example, the remaining capacity of the battery 4 may be monitored, and charging on / off or charging speed may be controlled according to the remaining capacity. At least a part of the processing of the control unit 13 at the time of charging completion may be executed by the charger 3.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to control when charging is completed in consideration of the flight schedule in addition to the flight conditions. The battery management device 10 can also be used to charge the batteries of a plurality of drones 5.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of data used when the battery management device 10 determines and controls when charging of a plurality of drones is completed. In the example shown in FIG. 7, for example, the process shown in FIG. 5 is executed for each of the plurality of drones 5-1 to 5-3. Processing may be executed by a plurality of computers for a plurality of drones 5-1 to 5-3.

Further, the charge completion determination unit 12 may determine the flight period of each of the plurality of drones 5-1 to 5-3 based on the flight schedule information of the plurality of drones 5-1 to 5-3. This allows you to adjust the flight duration of multiple drones. For example, the flight duration of each of multiple drones can be determined so that multiple drones do not fly to the same place at the same time. For example, the charge completion determination unit 12 determines that, among a plurality of drones 5-1 to 5-3, for drones 5-1 and 5-2 having the same scheduled flight location, these drones 5-1 and 5 during the same period. Each flight period can be determined so that -2 does not fly.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of charge control. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the charger 3 wirelessly supplies power to the battery 4 connected to the drone 5. In this case, the charge control unit included in the drone 5 controls the charge of the battery 4 while communicating with the charger 3. When charging is completed, the control rod 13 instructs the drone 5 to complete charging of the battery 4 when charging is completed, which is determined by the charging completion determination unit 12. In the case of this configuration, the battery management device 10 may acquire information indicating the state of the battery 4 from the drone 5. Further, the battery management device 10 may receive the flight schedule information input from the user from the drone 5.

A part of the processing executed by the battery management device 10 may include processing by AI (artificial intelligence). For example, AI may be used in the process of determining when charging is completed based on the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition unit 11. For example, the charge completion time determination unit 12 may determine the charge completion time using a learned model that outputs the flightable period or the charge completion time by inputting the flight condition information. The trained model may be a model by deep learning using a neural network. For example, a trained model can be generated by learning using data including information indicating whether or not flight is possible under flight conditions and flight conditions as teacher data. Further, for example, AI may be used in the process of determining charge control information (at the start of charging, etc.) from the time when charging is completed.

The drone in the present embodiment is an unmanned aerial vehicle (aircraft), which is operated by automatic control by a computer or remote control by a human.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

3 Charger 4 Battery 5 Drone 10 Battery management device 11 Information acquisition unit 12 When charging is completed Decision unit 13 When charging is completed Control unit 14 Discharge unit 15 Charging unit

Claims

It is a battery management device that manages the charge status of the drone battery.
An information acquisition unit that acquires flight condition information regarding flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone, and
A charge completion time determination unit that determines the charge completion time based on the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and a charge completion time determination unit.
A battery management device including a charge completion control unit that controls charging of the battery so that charging of the battery is completed when charging is completed, which is determined by the charge completion determination unit.
The battery management device according to claim 1, further
A battery management device including a discharge unit that discharges the battery based on an input operation.
The battery management device according to claim 1 or 2, further
A battery management device including a charging unit that charges the battery in response to an input operation.
The battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
When the charging is completed, the control unit
A charging time calculation unit that calculates the charging time required to complete charging of the battery based on the charging capacity of the battery.
The charging start time is determined based on the charging completion time determined by the charging completion time determination unit and the charging time calculated by the charging time calculation unit, and the battery is charged so as to start charging at the charging start time. A battery management device that includes a start control unit to control.
The battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The charge completion control unit determines the charge capacity based on the flight schedule of the drone, and controls the charge of the battery so that the charge of the determined charge capacity is completed when the charge is completed. apparatus.
The battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The charging completion control unit determines whether or not to discharge before charging based on the time until charging is completed, and if it is determined to discharge, discharges the battery and then completes charging. A battery management device that controls the charging of the battery so that the charging is completed by the time.
The battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the charge completion determination unit determines the charge completion time based on the information input from the user in addition to the flight condition information. ..
The battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
The charge completion determination unit is a battery management device that further determines the charge capacity in addition to the charge completion determination unit.
The battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The battery is charged while being connected to the drone, and the charging is controlled by the drone.
The charging completion control unit is a battery management device that instructs the drone to complete charging of the battery when charging is completed determined by the charging completion determination unit.
A battery management method that manages the state of charge of the drone battery executed by the computer.
The process of the computer acquiring flight condition information regarding the flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone, and
The process of determining when charging is complete based on the acquired flight condition information,
A battery management method comprising a step of controlling the charging of the battery so that the computer completes the charging of the battery on the determined charging completion date.
A program that causes a computer to execute a process that manages the charge status of the drone battery.
Information acquisition processing for acquiring flight condition information regarding flight conditions at the planned flight location of the drone, and
The charge completion time determination process for determining the charge completion time based on the flight condition information acquired by the information acquisition process, and the charge completion time determination process.
A program that causes a computer to execute a charge completion control process that controls charging of the battery so that the battery charge is completed when the charge is completed, which is determined by the charge completion determination process.