Abstract:
Energy exchange equipment is disclosed, which can sell batteries that have been recharged already. A user can buy a new battery from the energy exchange equipment by using a smart card. If a user has an old battery, he can put this old battery in an energy tank on the energy exchange equipment and then extract a new battery. If a user has no old battery, he can directly extract a new battery. The energy exchange equipment then deducts a corresponding amount of money in the smart card based on the electric capacity difference between the extracted new battery and the old battery.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an energy exchange equipment and, more particularly, to an energy exchange equipment utilizing smart cards for deduction of money. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related art 
         [0004]    Batteries can roughly be divided into rechargeable batteries and non-rechargeable batteries. Non-rechargeable batteries such as primary cells, as implied by the name, are batteries that can only be used once, and cannot be recharged to replenish the dissipated chemical energy. Common non-rechargeable batteries include dry batteries, mercury batteries, alkaline batteries, and so on. 
         [0005]    Rechargeable batteries such as secondary batteries and fuel cells are batteries that can be repetitively recycled. Through the recharging process, active materials in the rechargeable batteries can be restored to the original state so as to provide electricity again. Rechargeable batteries include lead acid batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, secondary lithium batteries, lithium ion batteries, polymer lithium batteries, and so on. 
         [0006]    Fuel cells, also called continuous batteries, are characterized in that active materials do not exist at the anode and cathode, but are supplied from an external system. As long as active materials can be supplied continually, the battery can provide sustainable electricity. At the anode, the active material is air or oxygen. At the cathode, the active material is hydrogen or gas. This kind of batteries includes hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells, and is primarily used in generators and electric vehicles or as backup energy. 
         [0007]    The drawback of non-rechargeable batteries is that they can only be used once, and is difficult to recycle. In Taiwan, approximately ten thousands tons of dry batteries are used, but only less than 10% of them are recycled. Dry batteries contain harmful materials like mercury, cadmium, and lead. If dry batteries are buried or burned, these harmful materials will exist in the water source and soil for a long time, causing much danger to the ecologic environment and human health. 
         [0008]    Therefore, rechargeable batteries are better for environmental protection as compared to non-rechargeable batteries. There are many rechargeable batteries belonging to the secondary batteries in the market. A user first purchases a rechargeable battery and then recharges it at home or anywhere that provides a battery socket. The recharging fee is collected by the power company every two months. 
         [0009]    However, the battery socket does not everywhere. For instance, if a user is at a beach and a rechargeable battery has run out and it is very urgent to recharge the battery, the drawback of rechargeable batteries emerges. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, the present invention aims to propose an energy exchange equipment to solve the above problem of rechargeable batteries. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    A primary object of the present invention is to provide energy exchange equipment, which adopts a fee collecting method that bases on the usable battery capacity and is more advantageous to users. 
         [0012]    Another object of the present invention is to provide energy exchange equipment, which is an energy exchange station for selling batteries that has been recharged already. 
         [0013]    Yet another embodiment of the present invention is to provide energy exchange equipment, which utilizes smart cards that can store value and deduct money as tools for transaction. 
         [0014]    To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides energy exchange equipment, in which a smart card in inserted by a user and the remaining sum of money of the smart card is displayed. The user then inserts a first energy box into the energy exchange equipment and extracts a second energy box from the energy exchange equipment. Finally, a corresponding amount of money in the smart card is deducted by the energy exchange equipment based on the electric capacity difference between the first energy box and the second energy box. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of an energy exchange equipment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a diagram of an energy exchange equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a diagram showing the flowchart of implementation of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention provides an energy exchange equipment, which can be installed at any place like a beach, a roadside, a scene, a mountain, a port, and so on. The energy exchange equipment can connect a power cord for charging a secondary battery, or can utilize a device built therein to replenish the capacity of a fuel cell without connecting a power cord. These are all embraced within the scope of the invention. 
         [0020]    The present invention provides energy exchange equipment  12 , which comprises a main body  14 . The main body  14  includes a screen  16 , a smart card device  18 , and a set of energy tanks  20 . The number of the energy tanks  20  can be expanded. In  FIG. 1 , there are eight energy tanks  20 . Each of the energy tanks  20  can be matched with an extraction energy box  22 . The extraction energy box  22  can be inserted into the energy tank  20 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . In this embodiment, the extraction energy box  22  is a rechargeable battery such as a secondary battery (e.g., a lithium ion battery or a polymer lithium battery) or a fuel cell. The rechargeable battery is used in cars, motorcycles, bicycles, or any electronic products driven by batteries. 
         [0021]    The smart card device  18  is built in the main body  14 . When a user inserted a smart card in the main body  14 , the smart card device  18  can read the smart card. The user can utilize a control module and the screen  16  to store value, insert an energy box, extract an energy box, or deduct money according to the indications shown on the screen  16 . The smart card can be an IC card, a credit card, or plastic money. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a diagram showing the flowchart of implementation of the present invention. First, a user starts energy exchange (Step S 12 ) and inserts a smart card into the smart card device  18  (Step S 14 ). The energy exchange equipment  12  then displays the information in the smart card on the screen  16  (Step S 16 ). The information contains the remaining sum in the smart card. 
         [0023]    Next, if the remaining sum in the smart card is not enough, the user can utilize the control module on the energy exchange equipment  12  to select either a value-storing step S 20  or another step S 22  (Step S 18 ). 
         [0024]    If the user selects the Step S 20 , he first inserts cash into the smart card device  20  to store value and then proceeds to the Step S 22 . 
         [0025]    Subsequently, the user inserts an old battery to be exchanged (Step S 22 ), and the remaining electric capacity of this old battery is displayed (Step S 24 ). 
         [0026]    The remaining capacity of an old battery depends on many factors. For example, the maximum capacity of a secondary battery will decrease after several times of charging and discharging. The remaining capacity of an old battery not in use for a long time will also decrease. Moreover, an old battery not in use for a long time is more subject to damage than an old battery that has been charged and discharged several times. A battery makes use of chemical materials to convert chemical energy to electric energy. These chemical materials should always keep their activity so as not to become inactive or deteriorated. When the activity of the original chemical materials is totally depleted or near depletion, new chemical actions can hardly occur, and the battery capacity therefore drops. This battery is aged. Even when an old battery is aged, it still contains a certain capacity that just cannot be outputted. In other words, the capacity in an old battery that cannot be outputted is considerable. It should be noted that the old battery in the steps S 22  and S 24  is purchased by the user from the energy exchange equipments  12  installed everywhere, convenience stores, retail stores, or distributors. If the user has no old battery, the steps S 22  and S 24  can be saved to directly proceed to Step S 26 . 
         [0027]    In Step S 26 , the user utilizes the control module to select an extraction energy box  22  located in a certain energy tank  20 , and the energy exchange equipment  12  determines whether the remaining sum in the smart card is enough. The mathematical expression of determination is: (the remaining sum in the smart card)&gt;(the degree of electricity of the second energy box−the degree of electricity of the first energy box)×(price per degree of electricity). In other words, when the energy exchange equipment  12  cannot deduct the corresponding money in the smart card, Step S 34  is performed to stop energy exchange. 
         [0028]    When the energy exchange equipment  12  determines that the remaining sum in the smart card is larger than the difference between the degree of electricity of the second energy box and the first energy box multiplied by the price per degree of electricity, the user extracts a new battery after the screen  16  indicates that he can extract a new battery (Step S 28 ), and the smart card device  18  deducts a corresponding money in the smart card based on the electric capacity difference between the extracted new battery and the old battery. (Step S 30 ). 
         [0029]    The present invention has the following advantage. When a user purchases a new battery, this battery contains electricity that can be outputted and electricity that cannot be outputted due to aging or other factors. The money deduction mechanism proposed in the present invention excludes the electricity that cannot be outputted to save unnecessary expense of user, thereby substantially saving user&#39;s money. 
         [0030]    After deduction of money, the smart card device  18  returns the smart card and indicates that the user can retrieve the smart card on the screen  16  (Step S 32 ), and the energy exchange is finished (Step S 34 ). 
         [0031]    Furthermore, a network card and related network equipments can be provided inside the energy exchange equipment  12  so that an energy control center can monitor and control the energy exchange equipment  12  via the Internet. The energy exchange equipment  12  proposed in the present invention can be installed everywhere so that users can conveniently purchase batteries. Different from the conventional mode of battery purchase, the present invention adopts a fee collecting method that bases on the usable battery capacity and is more advantageous to users. 
         [0032]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.