JP7787764B2 - Low battery detection system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system for detecting low battery power and a wireless device.

The item tray described in Patent Document 1 includes an item holder, an item sensor, and a communication unit. The item holder holds an item. The item sensor detects item information indicating the status of the item held in the item holder. The communication unit transmits the item information based on the opening and closing of a door to a storage cabinet in which the item tray is stored.

Paragraph [0042] of Patent Document 1 states that the item tray may be equipped with a battery remaining capacity detection unit. The battery remaining capacity detection unit detects the remaining capacity of the battery in the item tray. Information about the remaining battery capacity detected by the battery remaining capacity detection unit is transmitted from the item tray. Therefore, an item tray equipped with a battery remaining capacity detection unit also serves as a system for detecting low battery capacity.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-180739

The item tray described in Patent Document 1 requires a battery level detection unit that detects the remaining battery power itself in order to know when the battery needs to be replaced due to low battery power, so its configuration is not simple.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a battery low charge detection system and wireless device with a simple configuration that can notify the user when it is time to replace the battery due to low battery charge.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery low-charge detection system includes a wireless device, a low-charge detection unit, and a notification unit. The wireless device is placed in a storage cabinet that cools items and is powered by a battery. The low-charge detection unit detects a low charge in the battery. The notification unit notifies a user of the low charge detected by the low-charge detection unit. When the power supply is resumed after an interruption, the wireless device transmits a signal to the low-charge detection unit. The low-charge detection unit detects that the battery is low when it receives the signal from the wireless device a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a wireless device includes a wireless device. The wireless device is powered by a battery located in a storage facility that cools items. When the power supply is resumed after an interruption, the wireless device transmits a signal to a remaining charge shortage detection unit. When the remaining charge shortage detection unit receives the signal from the wireless device a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period, the wireless device causes the remaining charge shortage detection unit to detect that the battery is low.

The battery low charge detection system and wireless device of the present invention have a simple configuration that allows users to know when it's time to replace the battery due to low battery charge.

1 is a graph showing the change in discharge capacity with respect to the discharge current when a general battery is used at temperatures of 0° C., 5° C., and 10° C. 1 is a graph showing the change in voltage with respect to discharge time when a general battery is used at temperatures of 0° C., 5° C., and 10° C. 3 is a graph showing an enlarged view of the vicinity of the limit voltage in FIG. 2. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic overview of a system for detecting a low battery level; FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a wireless device having a wireless device. FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a server. 7 is a modified example of the server shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the mobile communication terminal in detail. 10 is a flowchart showing a case where notification is stopped in response to a notification stop instruction from a user. 10 is a flowchart showing a case where the notification unit stops notification upon receiving a battery replacement signal from the battery replacement detection unit.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or equivalent parts in the drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described repeatedly.

First, the basic principle of the present invention will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a graph showing the change in discharge capacity versus discharge current when a typical battery is used at 0°C, 5°C, and 10°C. Figure 2 is a graph showing the change in voltage versus discharge time when a typical battery is used at 0°C, 5°C, and 10°C. Figure 3 is a graph enlarging the vicinity of the limit voltage in Figure 2.

As shown in Figure 1, generally, when a battery has a constant end voltage, the lower the temperature at which it is used, the smaller the discharge capacity, and the higher the temperature at which it is used, the larger the discharge capacity. In the specific example shown in Figure 1, a battery used at a temperature of 5°C has a smaller discharge capacity at the same discharge current than a battery used at a temperature of 10°C. Similarly, a battery used at a temperature of 0°C has a smaller discharge capacity at the same discharge current than a battery used at a temperature of 5°C. Therefore, the discharge capacity of a battery, i.e., the amount of electricity stored in the battery, depends on the temperature at which the battery is used.

As shown in Figure 2, generally, when a battery has a constant discharge resistance, the lower the temperature at which it is used, the lower the voltage, and the higher the temperature at which it is used, the higher the voltage. In the specific example shown in Figure 2, a battery used at a temperature of 5°C has a lower voltage for the same discharge time than a battery used at a temperature of 10°C. Similarly, a battery used at a temperature of 0°C has a lower voltage for the same discharge time than a battery used at a temperature of 5°C. Therefore, battery voltage also depends on the temperature at which the battery is used.

As shown in Figure 3, which is an enlarged view of the limit voltage (the minimum voltage at which wireless device 11, described below, can operate; in this embodiment, 2.7 V) in Figure 2, even if the voltage of a battery used at 5°C falls below the limit voltage (see T1 in Figure 3), if the temperature at which the battery is used rises from 5°C to 10°C, the voltage may rise above the limit voltage (see T2 in Figure 3). In other words, the battery may recover from a dead state if the temperature at which it is used rises. However, even if the battery is used at 10°C for a while, the battery voltage will fall below the limit voltage, i.e., it will return to a dead state (see T3 in Figure 3). Therefore, even if the battery recovers from a dead state due to an increase in the temperature at which it is used, it will still still have insufficient charge remaining.

The basic principle of this invention is that the recovery from a dead battery state due to an increase in the temperature at which the battery is used serves as a trigger for detecting a low battery charge. The location where the temperature at which the battery is used rises is a storage cabinet that cools items. When a user checks, replaces, replenishes, or removes an item, the storage cabinet is in communication with the outside, which can cause the temperature to rise.

Next, with reference to Figure 4, an overview of the battery low charge detection system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram that schematically illustrates the battery low charge detection system 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the low battery detection system 1 includes a wireless device 11, a server 20, and a mobile communication terminal 30. The wireless device 11, the server 20, and the mobile communication terminal 30 are connected via a network 40. The network 40 is, for example, a network capable of wireless communication. Networks capable of wireless communication include, for example, the Internet, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a public telephone network, and short-range wireless communication. Short-range wireless communication is, for example, communication compliant with communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Note that the network 40 may also be a wired communication network such as a wired LAN.

Wireless device 11 is powered by battery B. Battery B is placed inside refrigerator 100 (an example of a storage cabinet for cooling items) together with wireless device 11. Refrigerator 100 has an openable door 101. When power supply from battery B is interrupted and then resumed, wireless device 11 transmits a signal (hereinafter referred to as a resume signal) to server 20. Wireless device 11 is, for example, a communication device that broadcasts beacons using BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy). Although not shown, a relay device (e.g., a gateway device) that relays communication between wireless device 11 and server 20 may also be present. The relay device receives beacons and the like emitted by wireless device 11 and transmits the information contained in the received beacons and the like to server 20 via network 40.

The server 20 detects a low remaining charge in the battery B that supplies power to the wireless device 11. The server 20 has a server-side communication unit 21, a server-side control unit 22, and a server-side memory unit 23.

The server-side communication unit 21 is an interface or the like, and communicates with the wireless device 11 and the mobile communication terminal 30 via the network 40. The server-side communication unit 21 includes, for example, a network interface controller (NIC) that communicates according to a predetermined communication protocol. The predetermined communication protocol is, for example, the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocol suite (i.e., the Internet Protocol Suite).

The server-side control unit 22 has a low battery level detection unit 25. The low battery level detection unit 25 detects that battery B is low on power when a resume signal from the wireless device 11 is received a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period. The server-side control unit 22 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The server-side control unit 22 executes information processing in accordance with a computer program stored in the server-side memory unit 23.

The server-side memory unit 23 includes a storage device and stores computer programs and data. The computer programs stored in the server-side memory unit 23 are used by the server-side control unit 22 to execute information processing. The data stored in the server-side memory unit 23 is the conditions for the low remaining charge detection unit 25 to detect that battery B is low, i.e., a specified period and a specified number of times. The server-side memory unit 23 includes, for example, a main memory unit such as a semiconductor memory, and an auxiliary memory unit such as a semiconductor memory, a solid-state drive, and a hard disk drive. The server-side memory unit 23 may also include removable media.

The mobile communication terminal 30 is, for example, an information communication terminal (smartphone, tablet, etc.) that can be carried by the user. The mobile communication terminal 30 is registered with the server 20. The mobile communication terminal 30 has a terminal-side communication unit 31, a terminal-side control unit 32, a terminal-side memory unit 33, and an alarm unit 38. The hardware used as the terminal-side communication unit 31, the terminal-side control unit 32, and the terminal-side memory unit 33, like the hardware used as the server-side communication unit 21, the server-side control unit 22, and the server-side memory unit 23, controls the mobile communication terminal 30 and communicates with the outside. The alarm unit 38 alerts the user to a low remaining charge in battery B detected by the low remaining charge detection unit 25.

The wireless device 11, server 20, and mobile communication terminal 30 that make up the low battery detection system 1 will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 5 to 8. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing in detail the wireless device 10 having the wireless device 11. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing in detail the server 20. Figure 7 is a modified example of the server 20 shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 is a block diagram showing in detail the mobile communication terminal 30.

As shown in FIG. 5, the wireless device 11 is part of the wireless device 10 located inside the refrigerator 100. In addition to the wireless device 11 and battery B, the wireless device 10 includes an internal control unit 12, an internal storage unit 13, a sensor 17, and a light-emitting unit 18. The hardware components used as the internal control unit 12 and internal storage unit 13 control the wireless device 10, as do the hardware components used as the server-side control unit 22 and server-side storage unit 23. The internal control unit 12, internal storage unit 13, sensor 17, and battery B constitute an item management unit 19. The item management unit 19 transmits information about a specific item (such as a containerized beverage) stored or placed in the wireless device 10 inside the refrigerator 100 to the server 20 via the wireless device 11. Therefore, the item management unit 19 includes, for example, an item tray (not shown) for holding the specific item. Battery B is not particularly limited as long as its voltage can rise from below the limit voltage to above the limit voltage as the temperature at which it is used increases. Battery B is, for example, a dry cell battery. In the configuration shown in Figure 5, wireless device 11 is also powered by battery B.

The wireless device 10 may have a light-emitting unit 18. The light-emitting unit 18 includes a light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light-emitting unit 18 may also function as a notification unit 38. When the server 20 detects that the remaining charge of the battery B is low, the light-emitting unit 18 functioning as the notification unit 38 lights up or blinks. The blinking interval, i.e., the time from when the light turns off until it turns on again, is, for example, any time between 1 and 10 seconds (preferably 4 to 6 seconds).

In addition to the light-emitting unit 18, the refrigerator 100's speaker, interior light, or display screen (none of which are shown) may also function as the alarm unit 38. When the refrigerator 100's speaker functions as the alarm unit 38, if the server 20 detects that battery B is low, the refrigerator 100's speaker will issue an alert by emitting a voice or an alarm sound. When the refrigerator 100's interior light functions as the alarm unit 38, if the server 20 detects that battery B is low, the interior light will turn on or flash. When the refrigerator 100's display screen functions as the alarm unit 38, if the server 20 detects that battery B is low, the refrigerator 100's display screen will display alert information (such as a text message).

As shown in FIG. 6, the server-side control unit 22 of the server 20 may have a restart signal acquisition unit 24 and a condition acquisition unit 26 in addition to the low remaining charge detection unit 25. The restart signal acquisition unit 24 acquires a restart signal from the wireless device 11 via the server-side communication unit 21. The condition acquisition unit 26 acquires the conditions for detecting a low remaining charge of battery B, i.e., the predetermined period and the predetermined number of times, from the server-side memory unit 23. The predetermined period and the predetermined number of times are set to values that will prevent the low remaining charge detection unit 25 from erroneously detecting that battery B replacement is insufficient. Therefore, the predetermined period is much shorter than the value obtained by multiplying the lifespan of battery B used in the refrigerator 100 (the discharge time until the battery voltage falls below the limit voltage) by the predetermined number of times. Specific examples of the predetermined period and the predetermined number of times are, for example, 1 to 2 days and 2 to 3 times (preferably 1 day and 2 times). When this preferred value is set, the low remaining charge detection unit 25 detects that battery B is low in charge if the restart signal acquisition unit 24 acquires a restart signal twice or more in one day. If the restart signal acquisition unit 24 acquires a restart signal once in one day, it is assumed that battery B has been replaced, and the low remaining charge detection unit 25 does not detect that battery B is low in charge. When the low remaining charge detection unit 25 detects that battery B is low in charge, it transmits a signal (hereinafter referred to as the low remaining charge signal) to the notification unit 38 to notify that battery B is low in charge.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the server-side control unit 22 of the server 20 may have a battery replacement detection unit 27 in addition to the low battery detection unit 25, the restart signal acquisition unit 24, and the condition acquisition unit 26. The battery replacement detection unit 27 detects that battery B of the wireless device 10 has been replaced. For example, the battery replacement detection unit 27 determines that battery B has been replaced when the restart signal received from the wireless device 11 is less than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period. When the battery replacement detection unit 27 determines that battery B has been replaced, that is, when it detects that battery B has been replaced, it transmits a signal notifying the notification unit 38 that battery B has been replaced (hereinafter, battery replacement signal).

As shown in FIG. 8 , the notification unit 38 of the mobile communication terminal 30 has a speaker 38a, a display screen 38b, and a vibration unit 38c. Notification methods by the notification unit 38 of the mobile communication terminal 30 include, for example, at least one of the following: vocalization or generation of an alarm sound by the speaker 38a, display of notification information (such as a text message) on the display screen 38b, and vibration by the vibration unit 38c. Notification by the notification unit 38 is stopped, for example, when a preset time has passed, a user instructs the notification to stop, or a battery replacement signal is received from the battery replacement detection unit 27. Notification and notification stop by the notification unit 38 of the mobile communication terminal 30 are performed based on software (application) installed in the terminal-side memory unit 33.

The processing executed by the low battery detection system 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the process of stopping notification in response to a user instruction to stop notification. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the process of stopping notification in response to the notification unit 38 receiving a battery replacement signal from the battery replacement detection unit 27.

The processing shown in FIG. 9 includes step S10, which is processing by the wireless device 10, steps S20 to S22, which are processing by the server 20, and steps S30 to S33, which are processing by the mobile communication terminal 30.

First, if the voltage of battery B placed inside refrigerator 100 falls below the threshold voltage, power supply from battery B is interrupted. If refrigerator 100 door 101 is opened, the temperature at which battery B is used may rise, causing the voltage of battery B to exceed the threshold voltage. In this case, power supply from battery B is resumed after being interrupted. As shown in FIG. 9 , in step S10, wireless device 10 transmits a resume signal to server 20 each time power supply from battery B is resumed after being interrupted. The resume signal is a signal transmitted when wireless device 10 is powered on, and is different from the signal based on information about the item detected by sensor 17. The resume signal may also include a signal based on information about the item.

In step S20, the server 20 receives a resume signal from the wireless device 10 via the server-side communication unit 21. Although not shown or described, the server 20 also receives information about specific items in the refrigerator 100 transmitted by the wireless device 10 in addition to the resume signal. In step S21, the server 20 determines whether the received resume signal has been received a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S21, the process proceeds to step S22. On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S21, the process returns to step S20. In step S22, the server 20 transmits a low-amount signal to the mobile communication terminal 30.

If the voltage of battery B placed inside refrigerator 100 is near the limit voltage, a rise in the temperature at which battery B is used will cause the voltage of battery B to exceed the limit voltage and wireless device 10 to resume operation. Therefore, whenever the temperature of battery B inside wireless device 10 rises and the voltage exceeds the limit voltage, such as when refrigerator door 101 is opened or wireless device 10 is taken out of refrigerator 100, wireless device 10 resumes operation. When the temperature of battery B inside wireless device 10 drops, such as when refrigerator door 101 is closed or wireless device 10 is placed back inside refrigerator 100, wireless device 10 operation is interrupted. In other words, wireless device 10 will repeatedly interrupt and resume operation multiple times in a relatively short period of time due to actions such as opening and closing refrigerator door 101. In this embodiment, the frequency of this resumption operation is focused on to detect a low remaining charge in battery B.

In step S30, the mobile communication terminal 30 receives a low remaining charge signal from the server 20 via the terminal-side communication unit 31. In step S31, the mobile communication terminal 30 notifies the user that battery B is low in charge via the notification unit 38. In step S32, the mobile communication terminal 30 determines whether or not it has received an instruction to stop the notification from the user. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S32, the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S32, step S32 is repeated. In step S33, the mobile communication terminal 30 stops the notification.

As explained above with reference to Figures 1 to 6, 8, and 9, according to this embodiment, a low remaining charge in battery B is detected based on the resume signal, so there is no need to detect the remaining charge in battery B itself, allowing for a simpler configuration.

On the other hand, compared to the process shown in Figure 9, the process shown in Figure 10 further includes steps S23 and S24, and includes step S32a instead of step S32. Below, we will explain the steps in the process shown in Figure 10 that are different from the process shown in Figure 9, and will omit explanations of steps that overlap with the process shown in Figure 9.

If a negative determination (No) is made in step S21, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the server 20 determines whether battery B has been replaced. For example, the server 20 determines that battery B has been replaced if the restart signal is received less than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S23, the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S23, the process returns to step S20. In step S24, the server 20 transmits a battery replacement signal to the mobile communication terminal 30.

In step S32a, the mobile communication terminal 30 determines whether or not a battery replacement signal has been received. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S32a, the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S32a, step S32a is repeated.

As explained above with reference to Figures 1 to 5, 7, 8, and 10, this embodiment not only simplifies the configuration, but also prevents batteries B with insufficient charge from being overlooked for replacement, as the notification is stopped upon replacement of the battery B.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be created by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all components shown in the embodiments. The drawings mainly show each component diagrammatically to facilitate understanding, and the number of each component shown may differ from the actual number due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the components shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention.

As described with reference to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the refrigerator 100 is used as an example of a storage facility for cooling items. However, instead of the refrigerator 100, any storage facility for cooling items, such as a freezer or a refrigerated warehouse, may be used.

As explained with reference to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the server-side control unit 22 of the server 20 has the remaining amount shortage detection unit 25. However, the terminal-side control unit 32 of the mobile communication terminal 30 or the refrigerator-side control unit 12 of the wireless device 10 may also have the remaining amount shortage detection unit 25.

The present invention can be used in the field of low battery detection systems.

B Battery 1 Battery low level detection system 10 Wireless device 11 Wireless equipment 12 Refrigerator internal control unit 13 Refrigerator internal memory unit 17 Sensor 18 Light emitting unit 19 Item management unit 21 Server side communication unit 22 Server side control unit 23 Server side memory unit 24 Resume signal acquisition unit 25 Low level detection unit 26 Condition acquisition unit 27 Battery replacement detection unit 30 Portable communication terminal 31 Terminal side communication unit 32 Terminal side control unit 33 Terminal side memory unit 38 Notification unit 38a Speaker 38b Display screen 38c Vibration unit 40 Network 100 Refrigerator 101 Door

Claims (4)

a wireless device powered by a battery, the wireless device being arranged in a storage facility for cooling items;
a remaining charge shortage detection unit that detects a remaining charge shortage of the battery;
a notification unit that notifies a user of the remaining amount deficiency detected by the remaining amount deficiency detection unit,
the wireless device transmits a signal to the remaining charge shortage detection unit when the power supply is resumed after being interrupted;
The battery low charge detection system detects that the battery is low when the signal from the wireless device is received two or more times within a predetermined period. The battery low charge detection system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined period is set to one day. The battery low charge detection system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the low charge detection unit transmits information indicating that the battery is low to a pre-registered mobile communication device. a wireless device having the wireless device;
the wireless device is provided in the storage facility,
The system for detecting a low battery level according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless device includes the notification unit.