JP2019023600A - Management device, terminal device, and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a technique that enables a terminal device to effectively use a deteriorated battery even in a terminal device. In a management device, a receiving unit receives deterioration information related to deterioration of a battery of the terminal device transmitted from the terminal device. The restriction information generation unit 22 generates restriction information for restricting the function of the terminal device based on the deterioration information received by the reception unit 20. The transmission unit 26 transmits the restriction information generated by the restriction information generation unit 22 to the terminal device 10. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a management device, a terminal device, and a communication system that manage battery deterioration of a terminal device.

  A battery attached to a terminal device such as a portable wireless terminal is gradually deteriorated by repeatedly charging and discharging, and the performance is lowered. Here, a smart battery that reports battery parameters such as a battery identification parameter, a charging parameter, a battery voltage, and a battery current to an external device including a power management system is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese National Patent Publication No. 10-509857

  When the above-described conventional smart battery is applied to a terminal device, each user of the terminal device needs to check the deterioration state of the battery, and if the deterioration is large, it is necessary to replace the battery. However, since users of all terminal devices do not always check the deterioration state of the battery frequently, there may be a situation in which a battery with reduced performance is used despite the deterioration state requiring battery replacement. Since the terminal device using the deteriorated battery has a shorter operation time, the convenience for the user is lowered.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a condition, The objective is to provide the technique which can make the terminal device use effectively even if it is a deteriorated battery.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a management device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a reception unit that receives degradation information regarding degradation of a battery of the terminal device, transmitted from the terminal device, and deterioration information received by the reception unit. A restriction information generation unit that generates restriction information for restricting the function of the terminal device, and a transmission unit that transmits the restriction information generated by the restriction information generation unit to the terminal device.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a terminal device. This terminal device transmits deterioration information indicating the degree of deterioration of the battery and battery identification information, deterioration information acquired by the acquisition unit, and restriction information returned based on the transmitted deterioration information And a control unit that restricts the function based on the restriction information.

  Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a communication system. The communication system includes a terminal device having a battery and a management device capable of communicating with the terminal device. The management device receives a deterioration information regarding deterioration of the battery of the terminal device transmitted from the terminal device, and a restriction for restricting the function of the terminal device based on the deterioration information received by the reception unit A restriction information generation unit that generates information; and a transmission unit that transmits the restriction information generated by the restriction information generation unit to the terminal device.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, even a deteriorated battery can be used effectively by the terminal device.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal device of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process of the communication system of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
An outline will be described before the embodiment is specifically described. 1st Embodiment is related with the management apparatus which manages deterioration of the battery of a terminal device. The terminal device performs wireless communication by connecting to the base station device. The management device is composed of, for example, a personal computer and is connected to the base station device. The management apparatus according to the embodiment generates restriction information for restricting the function of the terminal device based on the deterioration information regarding the deterioration of the battery of the terminal device transmitted from the terminal device. Is transmitted to the terminal device via the base station device. The terminal device restricts the function according to the transmitted restriction information.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system 100 according to the first embodiment. The communication system 100 includes a terminal device 10, a base station device 12, a network 14, and a management device 16.

  The terminal device 10 corresponds to a wireless communication system and is connected to the base station device 12. As a wireless communication system, a commercial wireless system, a mobile phone system, and the like are used. However, since these are known techniques, description thereof is omitted here. In FIG. 1, for clarity of explanation, one terminal apparatus 10 is shown, but a plurality of terminal apparatuses 10 may be connected to the base station apparatus 12.

  The base station device 12 corresponds to the same wireless communication system as the terminal device 10 on one end side, and connects the terminal device 10. Moreover, the base station apparatus 12 connects the network 14 on the other end side.

  The network 14 is connected to the base station device 12 and to the management device 16. The network 14 transmits and receives data between various devices. The network 14 may be any network, for example, a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof. With such a configuration, the plurality of terminal devices 10 can communicate with each other via the base station device 12 and the network 14. This communication is a telephone call or data communication.

  The management device 16 communicates with the terminal device 10 via the network 14 and the base station device 12. The management device 16 manages battery deterioration of the terminal device 10.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device 16. The management device 16 includes a reception unit 20, a restriction information generation unit 22, a comparison unit 24, a transmission unit 26, and an output unit 28.

  The receiving unit 20 receives, from the terminal device 10 via the network 14 and the base station device 12, deterioration information regarding battery deterioration of the terminal device 10, identification information of the battery, and position information of the terminal device 10. . Device information for identifying the terminal device 10 that is the transmission source is attached to these pieces of information.

  The deterioration information includes, for example, information on the degree of battery deterioration. Regarding the technique for calculating the degree of deterioration, various methods have been proposed, and any known technique may be used, and thus description thereof is omitted here. The battery identification information includes, for example, battery model number and serial number information. The receiving unit 20 outputs the deterioration information to the restriction information generating unit 22 and outputs the identification information and the position information to the output unit 28.

  The restriction information generation unit 22 generates restriction information for restricting the function of the terminal device 10 based on the deterioration information received by the reception unit 20. The restriction information generation unit 22 generates restriction information so that the power consumption of the terminal device 10 decreases as the degree of deterioration of the battery based on the deterioration information increases.

  The restriction information includes, for example, at least one of information for restricting the transmission function of the terminal device 10 and information for restricting the luminance of the backlight of the display unit of the terminal device 10. The information for limiting the transmission function of the terminal device 10 is, for example, information for prohibiting transmission of the terminal device 10, information for limiting the transmission power of the terminal device 10, or transmission permission time of the terminal device 10. Contains information to limit The transmission permission time is a time during which the terminal device 10 can continuously transmit for a call, and is set to, for example, 30 seconds when not limited. The restriction information generation unit 22 adjusts the degree of restriction of the backlight brightness, transmission power, and transmission permission time according to the target power consumption. The restriction information generation unit 22 outputs the restriction information to the transmission unit 26. The transmission unit 26 transmits the restriction information generated by the restriction information generation unit 22 to the terminal device 10 via the network 14 and the base station device 12.

  The comparison unit 24 compares the deterioration level of the battery based on the deterioration information and a threshold value, and outputs information that recommends battery replacement according to the comparison result. The information that recommends battery replacement includes information for confirming whether or not to accept delivery of the replacement battery. Specifically, the comparison unit 24 outputs information recommending battery replacement to the transmission unit 26 when the degree of deterioration of the battery is greater than a threshold value. The comparison unit 24 does not output information recommending battery replacement to the transmission unit 26 when the degree of deterioration of the battery is equal to or less than the threshold value. The threshold value is set in advance by computer simulation or experiment. The transmission unit 26 transmits the information recommending battery replacement output from the comparison unit 24 to the terminal device 10 via the network 14 and the base station device 12.

  When the consent information is transmitted from the terminal device 10 in response to the information recommending battery replacement, the output unit 28 is based on the position information of the terminal device 10 and the battery identification information transmitted from the terminal device 10. , Information related to receipt of the replacement battery corresponding to the identification information is output. For example, the output unit 28 outputs an instruction to deliver a charged replacement battery to the terminal device 10. Of course, the output unit 28 also outputs information regarding the reception of the replacement battery to the terminal device 10. The output unit 28 outputs a delivery instruction to a display unit (not shown) of the management device 16, and the display unit displays the delivery instruction. In this case, the person in charge confirming the delivery instruction displayed on the display unit arranges delivery of the replacement battery. Specifically, the person in charge arranges for the replacement battery purchased in advance stored in a predetermined location to be delivered to the position of the terminal device 10. The delivery person may drive the vehicle and deliver the replacement battery to the position of the terminal device 10. Further, as an automated replacement battery delivery system, a charged replacement battery may be automatically delivered to the position of the terminal device 10 using a drone based on a delivery instruction from the output unit 28.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the terminal device 10. The terminal device 10 includes a battery 40, a communication unit 42, a call unit 44, an acquisition unit 46, a positioning unit 48, a control unit 50, a display unit 52, and an operation unit 54. The battery 40 is a power source for the terminal device 10 and supplies power to each unit of the terminal device 10. The battery 40 is a detachable and rechargeable secondary battery.

  The communication unit 42 corresponds to the above-described wireless communication system and communicates with the base station apparatus 12. Further, the communication unit 42 communicates with the management device 16 via the base station device 12 and the network 14. The call unit 44 executes call processing with another terminal device 10 while using the communication unit 42. An example of a call is PTT (Push to Talk). In PTT, the user presses a button at the start of a call and releases the button at the end of the call. From the start of the call to the end of the call, the communication unit 42 performs transmission. If the button is not pressed, the user only listens to the message. Since a known technique may be used for the call processing, description thereof is omitted here.

  The acquisition unit 46 acquires deterioration information regarding deterioration of the battery 40 and identification information of the battery 40 from the battery 40 when the terminal device 10 is activated. As a technique for acquiring the deterioration information and identification information of the battery 40, a known technique may be used. For example, a value (deterioration degree) obtained by calculating the degree of deterioration from the design capacity value of the battery and the current capacity value is used as the deterioration information. The acquisition unit 46 outputs the deterioration information and the identification information to the communication unit 42. The communication unit 42 transmits the deterioration information and the identification information to the management device 16 via the base station device 12 and the network 14.

  The positioning unit 48 has a GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning function, and measures the position of the terminal device 10. Position information that is a result of positioning is indicated by latitude and longitude. The positioning unit 48 outputs the position information to the communication unit 42. The communication unit 42 transmits location information to the management device 16 via the base station device 12 and the network 14.

  The control unit 50 displays various information on the display unit 52. Although illustration is omitted, the display unit 52 includes a liquid crystal panel that displays various types of information and a backlight that illuminates the liquid crystal panel.

  The communication unit 42 receives the restriction information transmitted from the management device 16 based on the deterioration information. The communication unit 42 outputs the restriction information to the control unit 50. The control part 50 restrict | limits the function of the own terminal device 10 according to restriction | limiting information. When the restriction information includes information for prohibiting transmission, the control unit 50 prohibits transmission for a call by the communication unit 42. When the restriction information includes information for restricting transmission power, the control unit 50 restricts transmission power for a call by the communication unit 42. When the restriction information includes information for restricting the transmission permission time, the control unit 50 restricts the transmission permission time by the communication unit 42 to, for example, several seconds. As a result, the call is terminated when the limited transmission permission time elapses while the user presses the PTT button and makes a call. When the restriction information includes information for restricting the luminance of the backlight, the control unit 50 reduces the luminance of the backlight of the display unit 52.

  The communication unit 42 receives information recommending battery replacement transmitted from the management device 16. The information that recommends battery replacement includes, for example, character information of a short mail. The communication unit 42 outputs information recommending battery replacement to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 causes the display unit 52 to display a message recommending battery replacement.

  The operation unit 54 is an interface for accepting an operation by a user, and is configured by buttons, for example. When the operation unit 54 accepts an operation for accepting battery replacement by the user when a message recommending battery replacement is displayed on the display unit 52, the operation unit 54 outputs consent information to the communication unit 42. The communication unit 42 transmits consent information to the management device 16 via the base station device 12 and the network 14.

  When the user consents to the battery replacement, the communication unit 42 receives the information regarding the reception of the replacement battery transmitted from the management device 16. The communication unit 42 outputs information related to reception of the replacement battery to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 causes the display unit 52 to display information related to receiving the replacement battery.

  When the control unit 50 confirms that the battery 40 has been replaced based on the deterioration information acquired by the acquisition unit 46, the control unit 50 releases the limitation on the function of the terminal device 10 based on the limitation information. Alternatively, when the consent information is output from the operation unit 54, the control unit 50 may release the restriction on the function of the terminal device 10 based on the restriction information.

  This configuration can be realized in terms of hardware by a CPU, memory, or other LSI of any computer, and in terms of software, it can be realized by a program loaded in the memory, but here it is realized by their cooperation. Draw functional blocks. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

  The operation of the communication system 100 configured as above will be described. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing processing of the communication system 100 of FIG. This sequence diagram shows processing when the degree of deterioration of the battery 40 is larger than a threshold value. The terminal device 10 acquires deterioration information and identification information (S10), and transmits the deterioration information and identification information to the management device 16 (S12). The management device 16 generates restriction information (S14) and transmits the restriction information to the terminal device 10 (S16). The terminal device 10 restricts its function (S18). The management device 16 transmits information recommending battery replacement to the terminal device 10 (S20). The terminal device 10 displays a message recommending battery replacement (S22), and transmits acceptance information to the management device 16 in response to an operation of accepting battery replacement by the user (S24). The management device 16 outputs information related to receiving the replacement battery (S26). For example, the management device 16 outputs an instruction to deliver a replacement battery. The management device 16 transmits information related to receipt of the replacement battery to the terminal device 10 (S27). The user obtains the delivered replacement battery and replaces the battery 40. The terminal device 10 confirms the battery replacement (S28) and releases the function restriction (S30). Note that the processing shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. 4 may be performed again regarding the release of the function restriction. For example, the terminal device 10 acquires deterioration information and identification information (S10), and transmits the deterioration information and identification information to the management device 16 (S12). The management device 16 generates the restriction information but does not deteriorate, so it generates the restriction information without restriction (S14), and transmits the restriction information without restriction, that is, the function restriction release information to the terminal device 10 (S16). ). The terminal device 10 releases the restriction on its function (S18). As can be seen from the above, the restriction information may not only narrow the function but also be in the direction of expansion.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, based on the deterioration information related to the deterioration of the battery 40 of the terminal device 10, the restriction information for restricting the function of the terminal device 10 is generated, and this restriction information is used as the terminal device 10. Therefore, the function of the terminal device 10 using the deteriorated battery 40 can be limited. Therefore, the power consumption of the terminal device 10 can be reduced, and the operating time can be extended even when the deteriorated battery 40 is used. Therefore, even if the battery 40 is deteriorated, the terminal device 10 can be utilized to the maximum extent effectively.

  Moreover, since the restriction information includes information for restricting a transmission function that consumes more power than other functions, the power consumption of the terminal device 10 can be efficiently reduced. In addition, when the degree of deterioration of the battery 40 is larger than the threshold value, information recommending battery replacement is transmitted to the terminal device 10, so that the user can recognize that the battery 40 should be replaced. Further, when the user approves the battery replacement, the delivery of the replacement battery to the position of the terminal device 10 is arranged, so that the time until the battery replacement can be shortened. Therefore, the period during which the function of the terminal device 10 is limited due to the deteriorated battery 40 can be shortened.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, when the user approves the battery replacement, the user is notified of the location where the replacement battery is close to the position of the terminal device 10 as information related to the reception of the replacement battery. Different from the embodiment. Below, it demonstrates centering on difference with 1st Embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management apparatus 16 according to the second embodiment. The output unit 28 of the management device 16 includes a storage unit 30 and a selection unit 32. In the first embodiment, the information related to the reception of the replacement battery needs to be output to the outside of the communication system, whereas in the second embodiment, the information related to the reception of the replacement battery is the communication. Since the output is only for the system, the configuration of the storage unit 30 and the selection unit 32 can be said to be substantially equivalent to the output unit 28.

  The storage unit 30 stores a plurality of pieces of information on where the replacement battery can be obtained. Information on where the replacement battery is available is indicated by latitude and longitude. The information on the place where the replacement battery is available is associated with the identification information of the battery 40. The place where the replacement battery is available is, for example, a predetermined place such as a building where a replacement battery purchased in advance is stored, and is input in advance by a person in charge of management. The place where the replacement battery can be obtained may be a place of a store where the replacement battery can be purchased, acquired from a server (not shown) via the network 14.

  When the acceptance information is transmitted from the terminal device 10 in response to information recommending battery replacement, the selection unit 32 is based on the position information of the terminal device 10 and the battery identification information transmitted from the terminal device 10. Then, from the information on the available locations of the plurality of replacement batteries stored in the storage unit 30, the information on the available locations of the replacement batteries corresponding to the identification information and the position of the terminal device 10 is selected. The place where the replacement battery corresponding to the position of the terminal device 10 is available is the place where the replacement battery is available within a predetermined distance from the position of the terminal device 10. The predetermined distance is set in advance. The selection unit 32 outputs information on the location where the selected replacement battery is available to the transmission unit 26. The transmission unit 26 transmits the information on the location where the replacement battery selected by the selection unit 32 is available to the terminal device 10 via the network 14 and the base station device 12.

  Please refer to FIG. In the terminal device 10, the communication unit 42 receives information on the place where the replacement battery is available transmitted from the management device 16 in response to the consent information. The communication unit 42 outputs information on the place where the replacement battery is available to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 causes the display unit 52 to display a place where the replacement battery can be obtained. In the display unit 52, the place where the replacement battery can be obtained may be displayed in characters or may be displayed on a map. The user can go to the place where the replacement battery is available, obtain the replacement battery, and replace the deteriorated battery 40.

  According to the present embodiment, when the user approves the battery replacement, the user is notified of the location where the replacement battery close to the position of the terminal device 10 is available, so the time until the battery replacement can be shortened. Therefore, the period during which the function of the terminal device 10 is limited due to the deteriorated battery 40 can be shortened. Moreover, the effect of 1st Embodiment can also be acquired.

  The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. The embodiments are exemplifications, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to combinations of the respective constituent elements and processing processes, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. .

  For example, the first embodiment and the second embodiment may be combined, and the output unit 28 of the management device 16 may have the functions of the first embodiment and the second embodiment. In this case, for example, when there is a place where the replacement battery is available within a predetermined distance from the position of the terminal device 10, the selection unit 32 selects the place where the replacement battery is available, while the position of the terminal device 10 is The output unit 28 may output a delivery instruction when there is no place where the replacement battery is available within a predetermined distance from Alternatively, according to the operation of the operation unit 54 of the terminal device 10 by the user, it may be determined whether the selection unit 32 selects a place where the replacement battery is available or the output unit 28 outputs a delivery instruction. According to this modification, various usage situations of the terminal device 10 can be dealt with.

  Further, although an example in which the management device 16 is provided separately from the base station device 12 has been described, the management device 16 may be included in the base station device 12. According to this modification, the degree of freedom of configuration can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Terminal device, 16 ... Management apparatus, 20 ... Reception part, 22 ... Restriction information production | generation part, 24 ... Comparison part, 26 ... Transmission part, 28 ... Output part, 30 ... Memory | storage part, 32 ... Selection part, 40 ... Battery , 100: Communication system.

Claims (10)

A receiving unit that receives deterioration information about deterioration of the battery of the terminal device transmitted from the terminal device;
A restriction information generating unit that generates restriction information for limiting the function of the terminal device based on the deterioration information received by the receiving unit;
A transmission unit that transmits the restriction information generated by the restriction information generation unit to the terminal device;
A management apparatus comprising: Comparing the deterioration level of the battery based on the deterioration information and a threshold value, and further comprising a comparison unit that outputs information recommending battery replacement according to the comparison result,
The management device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits information recommending battery replacement output from the comparison unit to the terminal device.   When consent information is transmitted from the terminal device in response to the information recommending battery replacement, receiving a replacement battery corresponding to the identification information based on the battery identification information transmitted from the terminal device The management apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an output unit that generates information regarding the management information.   The information regarding the reception of the replacement battery is an instruction to deliver the replacement battery corresponding to the identification information to the position of the terminal device based on the position information transmitted from the terminal device and the identification information of the battery. The management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the management apparatus is provided. The output unit is
A storage unit that stores a plurality of information on locations where replacement batteries are available;
When consent information is transmitted from the terminal device in response to information recommending battery replacement, the storage unit is based on the position information of the terminal device and the battery identification information transmitted from the terminal device. A selection unit that selects information on an available place of the replacement battery corresponding to the identification information and the position of the terminal device from information on the available places of the plurality of replacement batteries stored in
The information regarding the reception of the replacement battery is information on an available place of the replacement battery selected by the selection unit,
The management device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission unit transmits information on an available place of the replacement battery selected by the selection unit to the terminal device.   The management device according to claim 1, wherein the restriction information includes information for restricting a transmission function of the terminal device. An acquisition unit for acquiring deterioration information indicating a degree of deterioration of the battery and battery identification information;
A communication unit that transmits the deterioration information based on the degree of deterioration acquired by the acquisition unit and receives restriction information that is returned based on the transmitted deterioration information;
A control unit that restricts a function based on the restriction information;
A terminal device comprising: The communication unit receives information that recommends battery replacement based on the transmitted deterioration information, and when the user of the terminal device approves the information that recommends battery replacement, information on receiving a replacement battery. Receive
The terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit releases the restriction when a battery is replaced based on information regarding reception of the replacement battery. A positioning unit that acquires position information of the terminal device,
The communication unit transmits the position information,
The terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the information related to receiving the replacement battery is information based on the position information. A terminal device having a battery;
A management device capable of communicating with the terminal device,
The management device
A receiving unit for receiving deterioration information regarding deterioration of the battery of the terminal device transmitted from the terminal device;
A restriction information generating unit that generates restriction information for limiting the function of the terminal device based on the deterioration information received by the receiving unit;
And a transmission unit that transmits the restriction information generated by the restriction information generation unit to the terminal device.

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