JP2006123807A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control device capable of operating both of a motor for driving and an air conditioner as requested by the power of a battery, even when the input/output of the battery is limited. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle control device estimates driving amount of the motor for driving requested to travel a vehicle on a traveling route set in advance when operating the motor for generating driving force required for the traveling of the vehicle and the air conditioner by discharge power from the battery (S1, S2), and estimates discharge amount of the battery from the estimated driving amount. When it is estimated that a using condition of the battery becomes severe based on the estimated discharge amount of the battery (S3), the air conditioner is made to perform an intermittent operation (S7). At this time, an intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner is preliminarily determined by a temperature difference (S4) of a present cabin temperature and a recommended cabin temperature, battery SOC and battery temperature (S5), and a vehicle body color (S6). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that operates both a drive motor that generates a driving force necessary for vehicle travel and a vehicle interior air conditioner with electric power charged in a battery.

  Conventionally, a hybrid vehicle including a drive motor that can transmit power to an engine and an axle is known. This hybrid vehicle is equipped with a battery, operates both the drive motor and on-vehicle equipment such as a vehicle interior air conditioner with the electric power supplied from the battery, and if the electric power from the battery is insufficient, the engine Complementation is performed by generating power using the power of (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

In Patent Document 1, an accelerator opening, a vehicle speed, a remaining battery capacity (State Of Charge; SOC), and an on / off operation of an air conditioner switch are input by an electronic control unit to obtain a required power for the vehicle, and the SOC is low. In this case, a technique for controlling a drive motor that reduces torque shock due to cranking when an air conditioner switch is turned on is described. Further, in Patent Document 1, a normal operation mode in which required power is generated by an engine and torque conversion is performed by a motor, and when the SOC is low, the sum of the required power and power that generates electric power necessary for charging is calculated from the engine. A charging operation mode to output, a discharge operation mode in which the battery is discharged and the shortage is compensated by the engine when the SOC is high, and a motor operation mode in which the engine operation is stopped and the required power is output from the motor when the vehicle speed is low. It is described to do.
JP 2004-143957 A

  However, in the prior art including the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, when the remaining capacity of the battery is reduced, the power output is limited to prevent overdischarge, or when the battery is hot, the battery is damaged. It is considered that both the drive motor and the air conditioner are operated as required when general battery control is performed, such as when power input / output is restricted to prevent power and life. Absent. Therefore, there is a possibility that both the drive motor and the air conditioner cannot be operated as required by supplying power from the battery.

  Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described circumstances, and even when the input / output restriction of the battery is performed, both the drive motor and the air conditioner are in accordance with the request by the power of the battery. A vehicle control device that can be operated is provided.

  The vehicle control device according to the present invention is preset by the estimating means when both the driving motor that generates the driving force necessary for vehicle travel and the air conditioner are operated by the discharge power from the battery. The drive amount of the drive motor required for traveling along the travel route is estimated, and the battery discharge amount is estimated from the estimated drive amount. And when it estimates that the use condition of a battery will become severe based on the estimated discharge amount of the battery by an estimation means, the above-mentioned subject is solved by making an air-conditioner operate intermittently by a control means.

  According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, it is estimated that the drive amount of the drive motor necessary for traveling on the travel route increases and the use condition of the battery becomes severe, and the discharge power is limited to protect the battery. Even if it is necessary to do so, the discharge amount of the battery can be suppressed by intermittently operating the air conditioner in advance. As a result, the battery charge amount is reduced, so that the air conditioner is not suddenly turned off. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the passenger compartment temperature suddenly changes. Both can be operated as required by power supply from the battery.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is mounted on a hybrid vehicle that generates traveling torque by a drive motor and an engine (not shown), and both the drive motor 33 and the air conditioner 348 (air conditioner) are connected to the same battery. This is applied to the CPU 11 constituting the vehicle control system driven by the motor 31.

[Configuration of vehicle control system]
The vehicle control system includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that comprehensively controls each unit, a timer 12 that measures time, and a memory 13 that stores various types of information. In the figure, a thin solid line indicates a control line, and a thick solid line indicates a high voltage line.

  The CPU 11 collects information from various sensors that will be described later, and comprehensively controls each unit based on this information. In particular, the CPU 11 performs an intermittent operation by controlling the operation and non-operation of the air conditioner 34 based on the intermittent time measured by the timer 12. Further, the CPU 11 calculates a recommended cabin temperature, which is a recommended cabin temperature, based on information from the navigation system 21 described later, and sets the intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner 34.

  The timer 12 measures a predetermined intermittent time calculated by the CPU 11. The intermittent time measured by the timer 12 is supplied to the CPU 11.

  The memory 13 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile memory, and the like, and stores various information including a predetermined program executed by the CPU 11. In particular, the memory 13 stores various tables that will be described in detail later, that is, an intermittent operation frequency table, a battery margin allowance coefficient table, and an air conditioner intermittent operation frequency coefficient table by vehicle body color. Various information stored in the memory 13 is read in response to a request from the CPU 11.

  The navigation system 21 calculates the travel route from the current location of the hybrid vehicle to the destination according to the control of the CPU 11, and also displays terrain information indicating the currently traveling terrain, current time, and time (season) indicating the current season. Collect information. And the navigation system 21 performs route guidance etc. to the destination by displaying on the display screen which does not illustrate the content which superimposed the present location, the map, and the driving route. The navigation system 21 supplies environmental information such as terrain information and time (season) information on the travel route to the CPU 11 in response to a request from the CPU 11.

  Further, the vehicle control system has a battery 31 that supplies operating power to a driving motor 33 and an air conditioner 34, which will be described later, an inverter 32 that converts a direct current from the battery 31 into an alternating current, and a driving force required for traveling. A drive motor 33 is provided, and an air conditioner 34 for adjusting the passenger compartment temperature.

  The battery 31 is charged with power generated from an alternator connected to the engine and regenerative power of the drive motor 33. The battery 31 discharges power by the operation of the inverter 32 and the air conditioner 34, and supplies operating power to the drive motor 33 and the air conditioner 34.

  The inverter 32 converts the direct current from the battery 31 into, for example, a three-phase alternating current under the control of the CPU 11 in order to drive the drive motor 33. The inverter 32 includes, for example, a plurality of switching elements, and supplies electric power for generating the necessary torque calculated by the CPU 11 to the driving motor 33 by performing duty control on each switching element.

  The drive motor 33 consumes electric power supplied from the inverter 32 according to the control of the CPU 11 and transmits power to an axle (not shown). As a result, the vehicle control system generates vehicle travel torque necessary for travel. Further, the drive motor 33 generates electric power by regenerative braking under the control of the CPU 11 and supplies the generated regenerative power to the battery 31.

  The air conditioner 34 is a high-power air conditioner that is operated by the power supplied from the battery 31 in accordance with the control of the CPU 11. The air conditioner 34 has its driving amount and power consumption determined so that the recommended cabin temperature obtained by the CPU 11 matches the current cabin temperature.

  Furthermore, the vehicle control system includes a passenger compartment temperature sensor 41, a battery temperature sensor 42, a battery voltage sensor 43, and a wheel speed sensor 44.

  The vehicle interior temperature sensor 41 is a temperature sensor attached to the vehicle interior or the like, and detects the current vehicle compartment temperature. The passenger compartment temperature sensor 41 is used to detect a difference from the recommended passenger compartment temperature calculated by the CPU 11 based on the terrain information and time (season) information collected by the navigation system 21. The detected value of the passenger compartment temperature sensor 41 is regularly monitored by the CPU 11.

  The battery temperature sensor 42 is a temperature sensor attached to the surface of the battery 31 and detects the temperature of the battery 31. The battery temperature sensor 42 is used by the CPU 11 to grasp a margin that is a difference between the current battery SOC and the battery upper limit value or the battery lower limit value. The detected value of the battery temperature sensor 42 is regularly monitored by the CPU 11.

  The battery voltage sensor 43 is a voltage sensor attached to each end electrode of the battery 31 or each battery cell, and detects the voltage of the battery 31. The voltage detected by the voltage temperature sensor 43 is used by the CPU 11 to convert it into the remaining capacity (State Of Charge: SOC) of the battery 31. The CPU 11 grasps the margin of the battery 31 described above based on the converted SOC of the battery 31.

  The wheel speed sensor 44 detects the rotational speed of the drive motor 33. The CPU 11 detects the current vehicle speed of the hybrid vehicle based on the rotational speed detected by the wheel speed sensor 44.

  The vehicle control system configured as described above calculates the necessary torque required for running the hybrid vehicle from an accelerator opening sensor and a wheel speed sensor 44 (not shown), and generates the necessary torque. The drive amount of the drive motor 33 is controlled. Then, the CPU 11 performs switching control between an operation mode in which the current required torque is generated only from the engine, an operation mode in which the current required torque is generated from the engine and the drive motor 33, and an operation mode in which only the drive motor 33 is generated. .

  Further, in parallel with the control for generating the necessary torque, the CPU 11 consumes the air conditioner 34 so that the current set temperature of the air conditioner switch and the current cabin temperature detected by the cabin temperature sensor 41 coincide with each other. Control power.

  Further, the CPU 11 calculates the battery SOC from the detection value of the battery temperature sensor 42 while controlling the drive amount of the engine and the drive motor 33 and the air conditioner 34, and calculates the current battery SOC. The SOC lower limit value recognized as an overdischarge state and the SOC upper limit value recognized as an overcharge state are compared.

  Then, when the battery SOC approaches the SOC and decreases, the CPU 11 performs output restriction that suppresses power consumption of the drive motor 33 and the air conditioner 34 in order to prevent overdischarge. In addition, when the ambient temperature of the battery 31 is high from the outside air temperature sensor (not shown) or the outside air temperature estimated from the environment of the current location, the CPU 11 inputs / outputs the battery 31 in order to prevent the battery 31 from being damaged and shortening its life. Make restrictions.

  Furthermore, the CPU 11 estimates that the SOC of the battery 31 approaches the SOC lower limit value based on the travel route calculated by the navigation system 21 and the environment in the travel route, and determines that the SOC of the battery 31 approaches the SOC lower limit value. In order to suppress, the power consumption control process which controls the power consumption of the air conditioner 34 in advance is performed.

[Power consumption control processing]
Next, a processing procedure of power consumption control processing executed by the CPU 11 by the vehicle control system configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This power consumption control process is executed every predetermined period set in advance or when the travel route and environment information is acquired by the navigation system 21.

  First, as shown in the figure, in step S1, the CPU 11 acquires, from the navigation system 21, terrain information and time (season) information including altitude and gradient added to link information constituting the travel route, For example, it is determined whether or not an uphill road exists on a travel route within a specified distance such as within 1 km from the current location.

  That is, it is estimated whether or not the power required for the drive motor 33 is increased due to an increase in the required power for the hybrid vehicle to travel, and as a result, the discharge power from the battery 31 is increased. . As a result, the CPU 11 estimates in advance that the discharge power of the battery 31 actually increases.

  Here, if the CPU 11 determines that there is no uphill road, the determination in step S1 is repeated. That is, even if the hybrid vehicle travels along the travel route, it is determined that there is no problem even if the air conditioner 34 is normally operated by the battery 31, and the process waits as it is.

  On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines that there is an uphill road, in step S2, the CPU 11 calculates the required torque of the entire hybrid vehicle when traveling on the uphill road using the slope of the uphill road, the legal speed and the vehicle body weight. presume. Further, the CPU 11 estimates the required torque of the drive motor 33 obtained by subtracting the engine power from the required torque. Further, the duration time obtained by dividing the climbing distance by the average vehicle speed is estimated.

  In step S3, the CPU 11 multiplies the estimated required torque of the drive motor 33 by the duration time to obtain the power consumption of the drive motor 33 until the completion of traveling on the climbing road. For example, during traveling on the climbing road By determining whether or not the SOC of the battery 31 may fall below the lower limit value, it is estimated whether or not the usage condition of the battery 31 becomes severe.

  In step S3, the CPU 11 checks whether or not the current battery SOC determined by the voltage of the battery 31 detected by the battery voltage sensor 43 has decreased and the current detected by the battery temperature sensor 42. Also check whether the battery temperature of the battery has reached a high temperature.

  Then, when the CPU 11 estimates that the use condition of the battery 31 is not strict, the battery SOC is set to the lower limit even when the air conditioner 34 is normally operated by the discharge power of the battery 31 even when the battery 31 is traveling on a hill. It is determined that there is no possibility of lowering, and the processing from step S1 is repeated.

  On the other hand, when it is estimated that the use condition of the battery 31 becomes severe, the CPU 11 performs a process of acquiring parameters for determining the intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner 34 in steps S4 to S6, and in step S7, the air conditioner. 34 intermittent operation frequencies are implemented.

  In step S <b> 4, the CPU 11 detects the vehicle compartment temperature from the vehicle compartment temperature sensor 41 and obtains the recommended vehicle compartment temperature based on the topographic information and time (season) information supplied from the navigation system 21. At this time, the CPU 11 obtains the recommended cabin temperature by referring to table data (not shown) in which the topography, time, and season of the travel route are associated with the recommended cabin temperature. CPU11 calculates | requires the temperature difference of recommended vehicle interior temperature and present vehicle interior temperature.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 11 stores an intermittent operation frequency table indicating the relationship between the difference between the vehicle compartment temperature and the recommended vehicle compartment temperature, and the product of the required torque required for hill-climbing and the duration time. As the temperature difference is larger and the product of the required torque and the duration is larger, the intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner 34 is set larger. That is, when the relationship between the temperature difference and the product of the required torque and the duration corresponds to the characteristic A, the highest intermittent operation frequency is selected from the predetermined intermittent operation frequencies, and the characteristic B is satisfied. Selects a moderate intermittent operation frequency, and when the characteristic C is satisfied, selects the lowest intermittent operation frequency among the predetermined intermittent operation frequencies.

  In step S5, the CPU 11 refers to the battery margin allowance coefficient table stored in the memory 13 based on the battery SOC and the battery temperature detected in step S3, and parameters for determining the intermittent operation frequency. The battery margin coefficient is obtained.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 11 refers to the battery margin allowance coefficient table indicating the relationship between the battery temperature and the battery SOC from the memory 13, and the higher the temperature of the battery 31, or the remaining battery 31. The battery margin coefficient that sets the air conditioner 34 to a higher intermittent operation frequency is selected as the capacity is smaller. That is, when the relationship between the battery temperature and the battery SOC corresponds to the characteristic A, the highest battery margin allowance coefficient is selected, and when the relationship between the characteristics B and C is satisfied, the medium battery margin allowance coefficient is selected. When the characteristic D is satisfied, the lowest battery margin coefficient is selected. The battery margin coefficient is multiplied by the intermittent operation frequency set in step S4 when actually determining the intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner 34 in step S7 described later.

  Furthermore, CPU11 calculates | requires the vehicle body color coefficient for determining intermittent operation frequency with the vehicle body color of a hybrid vehicle in step S6. Here, the degree of increase in the passenger compartment temperature differs depending on the color of the vehicle body as well as the temperature and season. Therefore, in step S6, the CPU 11 refers to the air conditioner intermittent operation frequency coefficient table by the vehicle body color from the memory 13, and determines the vehicle body color coefficient that is a parameter for determining the intermittent operation frequency.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 11 refers to the air conditioner intermittent operation frequency coefficient table indicating the relationship between the vehicle body color coefficient and the vehicle body color shade for each season from the memory 13. The vehicle body color coefficient is set to be larger as the color is lighter. In winter, the vehicle body color coefficient is set to be larger as the vehicle body color is darker. This information may be stored in the memory 13 at the factory at the time of vehicle production.

  In step S7, the CPU 11 performs intermittent control of the air conditioner 34 based on the data obtained in steps S14 to S16. At this time, the CPU 11 obtains a new intermittent operation frequency by multiplying the intermittent operation frequency obtained in step S3 by the battery margin coefficient obtained in step S5 and the vehicle body color coefficient obtained in step S6. And CPU11 controls the frequency which operates the air conditioner 34 according to a new intermittent operation frequency. Further, the CPU 11 sets the calculated intermittent operation frequency in the timer 12 and operates and stops the air conditioner 34 according to the time measured by the timer 12.

  Furthermore, in step S8, the CPU 11 detects the battery temperature and the battery SOC, refers to the battery margin coefficient table stored in the memory 13, and is in a state where the battery temperature is high and the battery SOC is low, and the battery 31 It is determined whether or not to be disabled. Here, as a criterion for determining that the battery 31 is unusable, as shown in the battery margin coefficient table of FIG. 4, the battery temperature is so high that deterioration of the battery 31 is remarkably promoted, and the battery is so low that it falls below the lower limit value. The SOC is low and the battery temperature and the battery SOC are set in advance. And when both battery temperature and battery SOC correspond to the intermittent prohibition area | region which is the reference | standard which determines that the battery 31 is unusable, intermittent operation | movement of the air conditioner 34 is temporarily prohibited, and processing is performed. Exit.

[Effect of the embodiment]
As described above in detail, according to the vehicle control system to which the present invention is applied, the air conditioner 34 is intermittently operated when it is estimated that the use condition of the battery 31 becomes severe according to the control of the CPU 11. Even when it is necessary to limit the output of the battery 31 according to the required torque of the driving motor 33, it is possible to avoid suddenly changing the air conditioner 34 to the off state regardless of the passenger's intention. . Therefore, according to this vehicle control system, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the passenger compartment temperature suddenly changes, and to operate both the drive motor 33 and the air conditioner 34 almost as required by the power supply from the battery 31. Can do.

  Further, according to this vehicle control system, the intermittent operation of the air conditioner 34 is performed based on the difference between the vehicle compartment temperature and the recommended vehicle compartment temperature, the required torque of the drive motor 33 and the duration thereof according to the control of the CPU 11. Since the frequency is set, the passenger compartment temperature does not change suddenly. Moreover, according to this vehicle control system, since the transition of the battery SOC can be estimated from the required torque and the duration, the situation where the battery SOC falls below the lower limit value and the air conditioner 34 is completely turned off is avoided. The maintenance time of the performance of the air conditioner 34 can be lengthened.

  Further, according to this vehicle control system, the intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner 34 is set to be larger as there is no margin of the battery 31 according to the control of the CPU 11, so that the load on the battery 31 can be reduced and the air conditioner can be reduced. The maintenance time of the performance of 34 can be lengthened.

  Furthermore, according to this vehicle control system, the intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner 34 is appropriately changed according to the vehicle color according to the control of the CPU 11, so that the vehicle interior temperature control with high accuracy in consideration of the endothermic property due to the vehicle color. It can be performed.

  Further, according to this vehicle control system, when the margin of the battery 31 becomes smaller than a predetermined value according to the control of the CPU 11, the intermittent operation of the air conditioner 34 is prohibited, so that the battery 31 is appropriately protected. be able to.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and even if it is a form other than this embodiment, as long as it does not depart from the technical idea of the present invention, it depends on the design and the like. Of course, various modifications are possible.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle control system containing CPU to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows a series of processes at the time of performing control of an air conditioner in the vehicle control system containing CPU which applied this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of an intermittent operation frequency table. It is a figure which shows the example of a battery margin allowance coefficient table. It is a figure which shows the example of the air conditioner intermittent operation frequency coefficient table by a vehicle body color.

Explanation of symbols

11 CPU
12 Timer 13 Memory 21 Navigation System 31 Battery 32 Inverter 33 Drive Motor 34 Air Conditioner 41 Cabin Temperature Sensor 42 Battery Temperature Sensor 43 Battery Voltage Sensor 44 Wheel Speed Sensor

Claims (5)

In a vehicle control device that operates both a drive motor that generates a driving force necessary for vehicle travel and an air conditioner by using discharged electric power from a battery,
A drive amount of the drive motor required for traveling on a preset travel route is estimated, a discharge amount of the battery is estimated from the estimated drive amount, and the estimated discharge amount of the battery is calculated. Based on estimation means for estimating whether or not the use condition of the battery becomes severe,
And a control means for intermittently operating the air conditioner when the estimation means estimates that the use condition of the battery becomes severe.   The control means increases the difference between the passenger compartment temperature detected by the passenger compartment temperature sensor and the recommended passenger compartment temperature, which is a passenger compartment temperature recommended according to the position information of the passenger passage, as the travel route is increased. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner is set to be larger as the drive amount of the drive motor required for running is higher.   3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit sets the intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner to be larger as the charge amount of the battery is smaller or as the temperature of the battery is higher.   The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit changes an intermittent operation frequency of the air conditioner according to a vehicle body color. The said control means prohibits intermittent operation | movement of the said air conditioner, when the charge amount of the said battery and the temperature of the said battery correspond to the predetermined range set beforehand. The vehicle control device according to any one of the above.

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