JP6940309B2 - Battery cooling control device and battery cooling control method and electric vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a battery cooling control device, a battery cooling control method, and an electric vehicle.

In recent years, an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle that has a drive motor as a drive source and runs on the output of the drive motor using the power supplied from the battery (hereinafter, "electric vehicle" is an electric vehicle equipped with a battery and a drive motor). And hybrid electric vehicles are both included.) Have been put into practical use. The battery mounted on such an electric vehicle is configured to include a plurality of battery cells in order to increase the capacity of the battery and make the mileage of the electric vehicle by electric power as long as possible, and is configured in the passenger compartment or luggage compartment. Often placed under the floor.

Here, it is known that when a battery is exposed to a high temperature, deformation and deterioration of the battery (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “thermal deterioration”) progress. Therefore, if the electric vehicle is left on a road or a parking lot under the scorching sun for a long time, the battery may receive heat from the high temperature road surface and the thermal deterioration of the battery may progress.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vehicle that prevents deformation and deterioration due to a high temperature of the battery. The electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1 is in a battery state when the temperature of the battery detected by the temperature detection unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and the rotation speed of the wheel detected by the speed detection unit is less than a predetermined value. Is configured to be in the warning area and to issue a warning by the notification device. Further, the electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1 is configured to forcibly cool the battery by a cooling unit when there is no reaction from the driver within a certain period of time after issuing a warning by the notification device. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-148338

However, the electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1 issues a warning when the actual temperature of the battery has risen, and if there is no response from the driver within a certain period of time thereafter, the cooling unit is used until the cell temperature falls below the threshold value. Is designed to work. Therefore, when the cooling unit starts to operate, the amount of heat received by the battery is already large, and there is a possibility that deformation and deterioration of the battery cannot be sufficiently prevented.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of heat received by the battery from the road surface when the electric vehicle is parked, thereby suppressing thermal deterioration of the battery. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved battery cooling control device, a battery cooling control method, and an electric vehicle.

In order to solve the above problems, according to a certain viewpoint of the present invention, in a battery cooling control device that cools a battery mounted on an electric vehicle, a parking position information acquisition unit that acquires parking position information of the electric vehicle and a parking position information acquisition unit. A cooling material spraying control unit that controls the spraying of the cooling material on the road surface at the parking position based on the parking position information of the electric vehicle is provided , and the cooling material spraying control unit parks the electric vehicle among the parking positions. A battery cooling control device is provided that sets a spraying execution range corresponding to the range of the road surface on which the battery is located, and sprays the cooling material in the spraying execution range according to the movement of the electric vehicle during the parking operation of the electric vehicle. NS.

The coolant spray control unit controls the parking operation of the electric vehicle, and obtains information on the rear distance line that is superimposed and displayed on the image of the surroundings of the electric vehicle acquired from the parking support control unit, and the spray execution range. Based on the information, at least one of the start time and the end time of the coolant application may be determined.

The coolant spray control unit selects a coolant spray nozzle for spraying the coolant from among a plurality of coolant spray nozzles provided on the electric vehicle based on the information on the trajectory of the electric vehicle and the information on the spray execution range. You may.

The coolant spraying control unit may determine at least one of the start time and the end time of the coolant spraying based on the information on the parking position and the information on the trajectory of the electric vehicle.

The coolant spraying control unit may determine at least one of the start time and the end time of the coolant spraying based on the position information of the electric vehicle.

When the electric vehicle is an electric vehicle that charges the battery by receiving electric power from the power supply unit of the non-contact charging system, the coolant spray control unit is based on the information on the approach between the power supply unit and the electric vehicle. , At least one of the start time and the end time of the application of the coolant may be determined.

The coolant spray control unit may determine the end time of the coolant spraying based on the elapsed time from the start time of the coolant spraying.

The coolant spraying control unit may determine whether or not the coolant is sprayed based on the information that correlates with the road surface temperature at the parking position.

The coolant spray control unit may adjust the amount of coolant sprayed based on the information that correlates with the road surface temperature at the parking position.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to another viewpoint of the present invention, it is a battery cooling control method for cooling a battery mounted on an electric vehicle, which is a step of acquiring information on a parking position of the electric vehicle. , Of the parking positions, the step of setting the spray execution range corresponding to the range of the road surface where the battery is located when the electric vehicle is parked , and the spray execution range according to the movement of the electric vehicle during the parking operation of the electric vehicle. A battery cooling control method is provided that comprises a step of controlling the application of the coolant.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, according to still another viewpoint of the present invention, in an electric vehicle equipped with a battery mounted on the lower side of the vehicle body, a cooling material spraying nozzle provided under the floor of the vehicle body and A drive unit that controls the ejection of the coolant from the coolant spray nozzle, a parking position acquisition unit that acquires parking position information of the electric vehicle, and a parking position that controls the drive unit based on the parking position information of the electric vehicle. The cooling material spraying control unit is provided with a cooling material spraying control unit that controls the spraying of the cooling material on the road surface, and the cooling material spraying control unit corresponds to the range of the road surface on which the battery is located when the electric vehicle is parked. An electric vehicle is provided in which a spraying execution range is set and a cooling material is sprayed in the spraying execution range according to the movement of the electric vehicle during the parking operation of the electric vehicle.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of heat received by the battery from the road surface when the electric vehicle is parked and suppress the thermal deterioration of the battery.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the electric vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image displayed on the display part of the electric vehicle which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the battery cooling control method which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the road surface temperature and the spray amount of a coolant. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode that the nozzle which sprays a coolant is selected and the coolant is sprayed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode that the nozzle which sprays a coolant is selected and the coolant is sprayed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode that the nozzle which sprays a coolant is selected and the coolant is sprayed. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the battery cooling control method which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the battery cooling control method which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the battery cooling control method which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the fuel cell vehicle which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the battery cooling control device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the battery cooling control method which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the image superimposed on the touch screen.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, so that duplicate description will be omitted.

<< 1. First Embodiment >>
<1-1. Overall configuration example of electric vehicle>
First, a configuration example of the electric vehicle 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration example of the electric vehicle 10. The electric vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a two-wheel drive electric vehicle including a battery unit 15 and a drive motor 17, and the front wheels 13FL and 13FR are driven by torque output from the drive motor 17 to travel. The electric vehicle 10 may be a four-wheel drive electric vehicle, or may be a hybrid electric vehicle in which an engine is mounted as a drive source together with a drive motor 17. Further, the electric vehicle 10 may be a fuel cell vehicle.

The drive motor 17 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor, and is connected to the battery unit 15 via an inverter (not shown). The drive motor 17 has a function of generating a driving force of the electric vehicle 10 by being driven (power running drive) by using the electric power supplied from the battery unit 15. Further, the drive motor 17 may be a motor generator that also has a function as a generator that regenerates power using the kinetic energy of the front wheels 13FL and 13FR when the electric vehicle 10 is decelerated. The motor shaft of the drive motor 17 is connected to the left and right front wheels 13FL and 13FR via, for example, a power transmission mechanism including a differential device 19 and left and right front wheel drive shafts 14L and 14R. As a result, the torque output from the drive motor 17 can be transmitted to the front wheels 13FL and 13FR.

The drive motor 17 may drive the rear wheels 13RL and 13RR instead of the front wheels 13FL and 13FR, or may drive both the front wheels 13FL and 13FR and the rear wheels 13RL and 13RR. Further, the electric vehicle 10 may include two drive motors 17, and each drive motor 17 may drive the front wheels 13FL and 13FR and the rear wheels 13RL and 13RR, respectively. Further, the electric vehicle 10 may include a total of four drive motors 17 corresponding to the front wheels 13FL and 13FR and the rear wheels 13RL and 13RR, respectively.

The drive motor 17 is driven and controlled by a motor control device (not shown). For example, when the drive motor 17 is a motor generator, the motor control device drives the inverter, converts the DC power supplied from the battery unit 15 into AC power, and supplies the drive motor 17 to the drive motor 17. Drive. When the drive motor 17 functions as a generator, the motor control device drives the inverter, and the drive motor 17 is rotated by the rotational torque of the front wheels 13FL and 13FR to convert the generated AC power into DC power and the battery. Charge the unit 15.

The battery unit 15 is configured to include, for example, a plurality of batteries. For example, the battery accommodates a plurality of battery cells connected in series and is configured as a rechargeable module having a rated voltage of 200 V. As such a battery, for example, a lithium ion battery, a lithium ion polymer battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a nickel cadmium battery and the like are used. The input / output allowable power of the battery has a characteristic that it decreases as the thermal deterioration of the battery progresses. The battery unit 15 including the plurality of batteries is mounted on the lower side of the vehicle body 11 such as under the floor of the vehicle interior or the luggage compartment. In addition to the battery, the battery unit 15 may include at least one of a temperature control device (hereinafter, also referred to as a “temperature control device”) or a battery management device (BMS: Battery Management System).

The electric vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment has, as components related to cooling control of the battery unit 15, a front image pickup camera 41, a rear image pickup camera 43, a first coolant tank 31, a first coolant spray nozzle 27, and the like. It includes a first actuator 29, a second coolant tank 25, a second coolant spray nozzle 21, and a second actuator 23. Further, the electric vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment includes a shift position detection unit 45, a steering angle detection unit 47, and a battery cooling control device 50 as components related to the cooling control of the battery unit 15.

The front imaging camera 41 is installed, for example, on the upper part of the windshield in the vehicle interior, and photographs the front of the electric vehicle 10 to generate an imaging signal. The rear imaging camera 43 is installed in, for example, a rear bumper, and photographs the rear of the electric vehicle 10 to generate an imaging signal. The front imaging camera 41 and the rear imaging camera 43 have an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), generate an imaging signal, and image the battery cooling control device 50. Output a signal. The installation positions of the front imaging camera 41 and the rear imaging camera 43 are not limited to the above examples.

The first coolant tank 31, the first pump 30, the coolant pipe 28, the first coolant spray nozzles 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d (hereinafter, the first cooling when it is not necessary to distinguish them from each other). The coolant spray nozzle 27) and the first actuators 29a, 29b, 29c, 29d (hereinafter collectively referred to as 29 when it is not necessary to distinguish them) are on the road surface at the rear of the electric vehicle 10. It is constructed as a device for spraying coolant. The first coolant tank 31 accommodates a liquid coolant. The coolant may be, for example, water. The first pump 30 discharges the coolant in the first coolant tank 31 to the coolant pipe 28.

The first coolant spray nozzles 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d are installed, for example, under the floor at the rear of the vehicle body 11 at predetermined intervals along the vehicle width direction. The first actuators 29a, 29b, 29c, 29d are provided in the coolant pipe 28 leading to each of the first coolant spray nozzles 27a, 27b, 27c, 27d, and open and close the coolant passage. When the first actuator 29 opens the coolant passage, the coolant pressure-fed by the first pump 30 is injected from the first coolant spray nozzle 27. The first actuator 29 may be, for example, an electromagnetically driven passage on / off valve. Alternatively, the first actuator 29 and the first coolant spray nozzle 27 may be integrally configured as, for example, an electromagnetically driven on / off valve or a proportional control valve.

The second coolant tank 25, the second pump 24, the coolant pipe 22, the second coolant spray nozzles 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d (hereinafter, the second cooling when it is not necessary to distinguish them from each other). The coolant spray nozzle 21) and the second actuators 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d (hereinafter, collectively referred to as the second actuator 23 when it is not necessary to distinguish them) are the electric vehicle 10. It is constructed as a device to spray the coolant on the road surface at the front part of the. The second coolant tank 25, the second pump 24, the coolant pipe 22, the second coolant spray nozzle 21, and the second actuator 23 are the first coolant tank 31, the first pump 30, respectively. , The coolant pipe 28, the first coolant spray nozzle 27, and the first actuator 29 are configured in the same manner.

When the first actuator 29 is a passage opening / closing valve for opening / closing the coolant passage, the first actuator 29 may not be provided corresponding to each of the first coolant spray nozzles 27. 2 One first actuator 29 may be provided corresponding to one or more first coolant spray nozzles 27. For example, by providing one first actuator 29 at a position close to the discharge port of the first pump 30, all the first coolant spray nozzles 27 are simultaneously provided with the coolant by the opening / closing operation of the first actuator 29. Injection can be performed. Further, by providing the plurality of first actuators 29, the first coolant spray nozzle 27 for injecting the coolant can be selected by opening and closing the first actuator 29 individually.

Further, if the coolant is injected from all the first coolant spray nozzles 27 at the same time and the injection of the coolant is stopped, the first actuator 29 may be omitted. In this case, by switching the drive and stop of the first pump 30, the injection and stop of the coolant from the first coolant spray nozzle 27 are switched. The same can be said for the second actuator 23 regarding the number and arrangement of the first actuator 29.

The shift position detection unit 45 detects, for example, the position of the shift lever of the electric vehicle 10 or the on / off of the shift operation switch. The shift position detection unit 45 is provided on the gear shift unit or the gear shift operation panel, and outputs a signal indicating the detected information to the battery cooling control device 50. The steering angle detection unit 47 detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel of the electric vehicle 10. The steering angle detection unit 47 outputs a signal indicating the detected information to the battery cooling control device 50. The shift position detection unit 45 and the steering angle detection unit 47 can be configured by using a known sensor or the like.

The battery cooling control device 50 controls to spray the coolant on the road surface at the parking position of the electric vehicle based on various input information. Hereinafter, a specific configuration example of the battery cooling control device 50 will be described.

<1-2. Battery cooling control device configuration example>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment. The battery cooling control device 50 mainly includes various interfaces and electric circuits including a processor such as a CPU or an MPU. The battery cooling control device 50 includes a control unit 51, an actuator drive unit 57, and a pump drive unit 59. Further, the battery cooling control device 50 includes storage units (not shown) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The ROM stores, for example, a software program executed by the processor and various arithmetic parameters. The RAM stores, for example, information acquired by the control unit 51, various calculation parameters, information on the result of calculation processing by the processor, and the like. The battery cooling control device 50 may be composed of one control device or a plurality of control devices capable of communicating with each other.

The control unit 51 includes a parking support control unit 52, an image pickup processing unit 53, and a coolant spray control unit 54. In the present embodiment, the parking support control unit 52, the image pickup processing unit 53, and the coolant spray control unit 54 are functions realized by executing a software program by the processor. In the present embodiment, the image pickup processing unit 53 functions as a parking position information acquisition unit. The control unit 51 acquires the imaging information output from the front imaging camera 41 and the rear imaging camera 43. Further, the control unit 51 acquires the detection signal output from the shift position detection unit 45 and the steering angle detection unit 47. The actuator drive unit 57 is, for example, a drive circuit having various electronic components, and drives the first actuator 29 and the second actuator 23 based on the drive instruction signal of the control unit 51. The pump drive unit 59 is, for example, a drive circuit having various electronic components, and drives the first pump 30 and the second pump 24 based on the drive instruction signal of the control unit 51.

In the present embodiment, the image pickup processing unit 53 acquires the parking position information of the electric vehicle 10 based on the image pickup information input from the front image pickup camera 41 and the rear image pickup camera 43. Acquiring the parking position information by the image pickup processing unit 53 includes performing arithmetic processing by the image pickup processing unit 53 to detect the parking position. For example, in the case of forward parking in which the electric vehicle 10 is parked forward with respect to the parking position, the imaging processing unit 53 detects the parking position of the electric vehicle 10 based on the imaging information input from the front imaging camera 41. Further, in the case of reverse parking in which the electric vehicle 10 parks backward with respect to the parking position, the imaging processing unit 53 detects the parking position of the electric vehicle 10 based on the imaging information input from the rear imaging camera 43.

The parking support control unit 52 causes the display device 61 to display an image obtained based on the image pickup information of the rear image pickup camera 43 during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, and the parking position detected by the image pickup processing unit 53. Is superimposed on the captured image. Further, the parking support control unit 52 causes the display device 61 to display the captured image obtained based on the image pickup information of the front image pickup camera 41 during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, and is detected by the image pickup processing unit 53. The parking position may be superimposed and displayed on the captured image. Further, the parking support control unit 52 calculates the locus of the electric vehicle 10 when reversing with the current steering angle based on the steering angle information input from the steering angle detecting unit 47, and obtains the captured image. It may be superimposed and displayed. The locus of the electric vehicle 10 can be obtained by a known method.

Further, the parking support control unit 52 superimposes and displays a rear distance line indicating a position where the distance from the position of the rear end portion of the electric vehicle 10 is a preset distance during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. Let me. The distance to display the rear distance line is preset. The parking support control unit 52 may superimpose and display a front distance line indicating a position where the distance from the position of the front end portion of the electric vehicle 10 is a preset distance during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. good. The parking support control unit 52 can set the display position of the rear distance line or the front distance line to be superimposed and displayed according to the information of the parking position and the steering angle.

Further, in the present embodiment, the parking support control unit 52 superimposes the spraying execution range set corresponding to the area where the battery unit 15 is located when the electric vehicle 10 is parked at the detected parking position on the captured image. Display it. The spraying execution range of the coolant is preset so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the parking position according to the arrangement position of the battery unit 15 of the electric vehicle 10. The parking support control unit 52 can set the display position of the spray execution range to be superimposed and displayed according to the parking position information.

During the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, the parking support control unit 52 determines, for example, the start of the parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 when the shift position is switched to reverse, and starts displaying an image on the display device. The parking support control unit 52 may determine the start of the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 based on the input of the control start switch provided in the electric vehicle 10 and operated by a passenger such as a driver. Alternatively, the parking support control unit 52 may determine the start of the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 based on the input of the automatic parking control start to the operating device such as a smart phone.

Further, during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, the parking support control unit 52, for example, starts the control of the start of the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 by a passenger such as a driver provided in the electric vehicle 10. The determination may be made based on the input of the switch. Alternatively, the parking support control unit 52 may determine the start of the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 based on the input of the automatic parking control start to the operating device such as a smart phone.

The coolant spraying control unit 54 sprays the coolant on the road surface at the parking position based on the parking position information when the electric vehicle 10 is parked. For example, the coolant spray control unit 54 starts the coolant spray control process when it detects the start of the parking operation, and corresponds to the range in which the battery unit 15 is located when the electric vehicle 10 is parked in the parking position. Spray the coolant within the set spraying execution range.

For example, the coolant spray control unit 54 outputs a drive instruction signal to the actuator drive unit 57 and the pump drive unit 59 during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, and drives the first actuator 29 to drive the coolant passage. Is opened and the first pump 30 is operated to inject the coolant from the first coolant spray nozzle 27. Further, the coolant spray control unit 54 outputs a drive instruction signal to the actuator drive unit 57 and the pump drive unit 59 during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, and drives the second actuator 23 to drive the coolant. By opening the passage and operating the second pump 24, the coolant is injected from the second coolant spray nozzle 21. In the present embodiment, the actuator drive unit 57 and the pump drive unit 59 function as drive units that supply the coolant to the coolant spray nozzle.

The spraying execution range of the coolant is preset according to the arrangement position of the battery unit 15 in the electric vehicle 10. For example, the coolant may be applied throughout the parking position. However, the smaller the spraying range of the coolant, the more the consumption of the coolant is suppressed. Therefore, when the electric vehicle 10 is parked, the coolant is sprayed in a relatively narrow range including the range where the battery unit 15 is located. May be good.

<1-3. Example of display image>
FIG. 3 shows an example of a display image on the display device 61 by the parking support control unit 52 during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. When the electric vehicle 10 is parked backward, the parking position line 79 indicating the parking position 71 detected by the image pickup processing unit 53 is superimposed and displayed on the captured image obtained based on the image pickup information of the rear image pickup camera 43. .. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the parking position 71 is detected based on the two white lines 73, and the corresponding parking position line 79 is superimposed and displayed on the captured image. Further, the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 are superimposed and displayed on the captured image.

The example of the display image shown in FIG. 3 is an example of an image displayed when the electric vehicle 10 goes straight backward and parks, and the rear distance line 77 is associated with the steering angle being substantially zero degree. Is substantially parallel to the upper and lower borders of the screen of the display device 61. While the positional relationship between the parking position line 79 and the spray execution range 75 and the white line 73 in the captured image is constant, the rear distance line 77 is the parking position line 79 and the spray execution range 75 as the electric vehicle 10 moves backward. The relative positional relationship with and changes. That is, as the electric vehicle 10 moves backward, the rear distance line 77 overlaps the spray execution range 75, and the relative positions of the rear distance lines 77 change so as to pass the spray execution range 75.

Even during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, even when the display device 61 in the vehicle displays the captured image based on the captured information of the front imaging camera 41, the same image as the example of the displayed image shown in FIG. 3 is displayed. It may be displayed on the display device 61.

<1-4. Operation example of battery cooling control device>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control method by the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, an example will be described in which the electric vehicle 10 travels straight backward to perform reverse parking.

First, the coolant spray control unit 54 of the battery cooling control device 50 starts the coolant spray control process (step S11). The coolant spray control unit 54 determines, for example, the start of the parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 when the shift position is switched to reverse, and starts the coolant spray control process. The coolant spray control unit 54 may determine the start of the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 based on the input of the control start switch provided in the electric vehicle 10 and operated by a passenger such as a driver. Alternatively, the coolant spray control unit 54 may determine the start of the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 based on the input of the automatic parking control start to the operating device such as a smart phone. Further, in step S11, at the same time that the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts the coolant spraying control process, the parking support control unit 52 of the battery cooling control device 50 parks using the image pickup information of the rear imaging camera 43. Start support control.

Next, the parking support control unit 52 superimposes a preset rear distance line 77 on the captured image obtained based on the captured information of the rear imaging camera 43 and displays it on the display device 61 (step S13). Next, the image pickup processing unit 53 of the battery cooling control device 50 detects the parking position 71 of the electric vehicle 10 based on the image pickup information of the rear image pickup camera 43 (step S15). For example, the image pickup processing unit 53 can detect the parking position 71 based on the white line 73. The image pickup processing unit 53 may detect the parking position 71 by detecting other objects such as a curb or a bollard from the image pickup information in combination with the white line 73 or instead of the white line 73. The method of detecting the parking position 71 based on the imaging information is not limited to the above example.

Next, the parking support control unit 52 superimposes and displays the parking position line 79 indicating the parking position 71 detected by the image pickup processing unit 53 on the display image together with the spray execution range 75 (step S17). The spraying execution range 75 is preset so that, for example, the rear distance line 77 and the spraying execution range 75 have a predetermined positional relationship. At this time, for example, the display image shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display device 61.

Next, the coolant spray control unit 54 determines whether or not the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 overlap with each other as the electric vehicle 10 moves backward (step S19). The coolant spray control unit 54 repeats the determination in step S19 during the period until the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 overlap (the period of S19 / No). On the other hand, when the coolant spraying control unit 54 detects that the rear distance line 77 and the spraying execution range 75 overlap each other (S19 / Yes), the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant on the road surface at the parking position 71 (step). S21). For example, the coolant spray control unit 54 outputs a drive instruction signal to the actuator drive unit 57 and the pump drive unit 59, drives the first actuator 29 to open the coolant passage, and operates the first pump 30. By letting the coolant spray the coolant from the first coolant spray nozzle 27.

Next, the coolant spray control unit 54 determines whether or not the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 continue to overlap (step S23). During the period in which the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 overlap (the period of S23 / Yes), the coolant spray control unit 54 repeats the determination in step S23. During this time, the coolant spray control unit 54 continues spraying the coolant. On the other hand, when the rear distance line 77 passes through the spray execution range 75 and the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 do not overlap with each other as the electric vehicle 10 moves backward (S23 / No), the coolant is cooled. The material spraying control unit 54 stops spraying the coolant (step S25). Specifically, the coolant spray control unit 54 outputs a drive instruction signal to the actuator drive unit 57 and the pump drive unit 59, stops the first pump 30, and drives the first actuator 29 to cool the coolant. By closing the coolant passage, the injection of the coolant from the first coolant spray nozzle 27 is stopped.

The spraying operation of the coolant by the battery cooling control process executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. 5 and 8 are schematic views for explaining the spraying operation of the coolant during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. In FIGS. 5 to 8, the upper view shows a plan view of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 as viewed from above, and the lower figure shows a view of the electric vehicle 10 as viewed from the side. In each of the upper views in FIGS. 5 to 8, the spray execution range 75 and the rear distance line 77 displayed on the display device 61 are shown in a plane. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the electric vehicle 10 is located in front of the parking position 71, and FIG. 6 shows a state immediately after the rear distance line 77 starts to overlap the spray execution range 75. Further, FIG. 7 shows a state immediately after the rear distance line 77 has passed the spray execution range 75, and FIG. 8 shows a state in which the electric vehicle 10 is housed in the parking position 71.

As shown in FIG. 5, immediately after the electric vehicle 10 starts the reverse parking operation, the electric vehicle 10 is located in front of the parking position 71, and the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 do not overlap. During the period until the electric vehicle 10 moves backward and the rear distance line 77 starts to overlap the spraying execution range 75, the determination in step S19 is No, and the spraying of the coolant is not started. After that, as shown in FIG. 6, when the electric vehicle 10 moves backward and the rear distance line 77 overlaps the spray execution range 75, the step S19 is a Yes determination, and the first coolant spray nozzle 27 to the parking position 71 Spraying the coolant W on the road surface 5 is started (step S21 above).

Further, in the period until the electric vehicle 10 moves backward and the rear distance line 77 passes the spraying execution range 75, the step S23 is a Yes determination, and the spraying of the coolant W is continued. After that, as shown in FIG. 7, when the electric vehicle 10 moves backward and the rear distance line 77 passes through the spray execution range 75 and the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 do not overlap, the step S23 described above Is No, and the spraying of the coolant W from the first coolant spray nozzle 27 to the road surface 5 at the parking position 71 is stopped (step S25 above). In this way, as shown in FIG. 8, the electric vehicle 10 is housed in the parking position 71 so that the battery unit 15 is located on the region where the coolant W is sprayed.

By spraying the coolant W on the high temperature road surface, the road surface temperature is lowered and an air flow is generated by the heat of vaporization when the coolant W evaporates. Therefore, the battery unit 15 is less likely to receive heat from the high temperature road surface, and a relatively low temperature air flow is supplied toward the battery unit 15, so that the heat dissipation efficiency of the battery unit 15 can be improved. As a result, the amount of heat actually received by the battery unit 15 is reduced, and thermal deterioration of the battery can be suppressed.

The battery cooling control device 50 can execute the battery cooling control process according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 even during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. In this case, the display device 61 superimposes the parking position line, the spray execution range, and the front distance line in addition to displaying the captured image based on the image captured information of the front imaging camera 41. Further, in step S11, the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 based on the input of the control start switch provided in the electric vehicle 10 and operated by a passenger such as a driver. May be determined. Alternatively, the coolant spray control unit 54 may determine the start of the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 based on the input of the automatic parking control start to the operating device such as a smart phone.

<1-5. Modification example>
Although examples of the battery cooling control device 50 and the battery cooling control method according to the present embodiment have been described so far, the battery cooling control device 50 and the battery cooling control method according to the present embodiment can be variously modified. Hereinafter, some modifications of the present embodiment will be described.

In the example of the above embodiment, the parking support control unit 52 superimposes and displays the spray execution range 75 on the captured image, but instead of the spray execution range 75, the electric vehicle 10 is parked at the parking position 71. The area where the battery unit 15 is arranged may be superimposed and displayed. In this case, the coolant spray control unit 54 uses the elapsed time or the moving distance of the electric vehicle 10 as a reference for the time when the battery unit 15 starts to overlap the area where the battery unit 15 is arranged or the time when the overlap is released. The start time or end time of spraying may be determined and the spraying of the coolant may be controlled.

Further, in the example of the above embodiment, the image is displayed on the display device 61 by the parking support control unit 52, but the spraying control of the coolant may be performed without displaying the image. That is, the coolant spraying control unit 54 may spray the coolant during a period in which it is determined that the spraying execution range overlaps with the rear distance line 77 or the front distance line in the calculation process.

Further, in the example of the above embodiment, the coolant spraying control unit 54 sprays the coolant W while the rear distance line 77 superimposed and displayed on the captured image by the parking support control unit 52 and the spray execution range 75 overlap. However, the coolant spraying control unit 54 may spray the coolant W during the period during which the reverse parking operation is performed. However, the consumption amount of the coolant W can be reduced by setting the start condition and the end condition of the spraying the coolant W in advance and spraying the coolant W in a limited range. As a result, the interval for replenishing the coolant can be extended. The method of determining the start time and end time of the spraying of the coolant W is not limited to the example of determining whether or not the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 overlap. With the electric vehicle 10 parked at the parking position 71, the start time and end time of the spraying of the coolant W may be determined in consideration of the position of the battery unit 15 within the spraying range of the coolant W. ..

Further, the coolant spraying control unit 54 may determine whether or not the coolant is sprayed based on the information correlating with the road surface temperature of the parking position 71. That is, when the road surface temperature of the parking position 71 is low and it can be determined that the possibility of thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 is zero, the coolant spray control unit 54 does not spray the coolant during the parking operation. It may be controlled to. Further, the coolant spraying control unit 54 may control the amount of coolant sprayed based on the information correlating with the road surface temperature of the parking position 71. That is, the coolant spraying control unit 54 may reduce the amount of the coolant sprayed when the road surface temperature at the parking position 71 is relatively low and the thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 is unlikely to occur. The consumption of the coolant can be reduced by reducing the amount of the coolant sprayed according to the road surface temperature of the parking position 71 or by prohibiting the spraying. As a result, the interval for replenishing the coolant can be extended.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the road surface temperature and the amount of the coolant sprayed. In the example shown in FIG. 9, from the viewpoint of suppressing thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15, the basic spray amount W0 (mm ³ / min) of the coolant sufficient for cooling the battery unit 15 is set and is basic. Is set so that the coolant having a basic spray amount of W0 is sprayed, while the amount of the coolant sprayed decreases according to the road surface temperature when the road surface temperature is less than the first threshold value T1. ing. Further, for example, when the road surface temperature is less than the second threshold value T0, the spraying of the coolant is prohibited. The amount of coolant sprayed is adjusted according to the road surface temperature by setting the threshold values corresponding to the first threshold value T1 and the second threshold value T0 according to the parameters used as the information correlating with the road surface temperature of the parking position 71. can do. As a result, the consumption of the coolant can be reduced and the period for replenishing the coolant can be extended.

The information that correlates with the road surface temperature may be, for example, at least one of outside air temperature, meteorological information, time, and season. Alternatively, statistical data of information such as outside air temperature, meteorological information, time, and season may be accumulated and used as information that correlates with the road surface temperature. The coolant spray control unit 54 may detect such information by using a sensor mounted on the electric vehicle 10, or may acquire the information by communication with a vehicle other than the own vehicle.

In adjusting the amount of the coolant sprayed or prohibiting the spraying based on the information correlating with the road surface temperature, the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant in step S21 of the above flowchart. The amount of spraying or the propriety of spraying may be determined. Further, when the coolant spraying control unit 54 prohibits the spraying of the coolant based on the information correlating with the road surface temperature, the coolant spraying control unit 54 may determine in advance whether or not the coolant can be sprayed before step S11 of the above flowchart. .. In this case, since it is determined that the coolant spraying is unnecessary, the execution of the control process of the coolant spraying control unit 54 can be stopped, and the load on the control unit 51 can be reduced.

Further, the coolant spray control unit 54 is provided with a plurality of first coolant spray nozzles 27a, 27b, 27c provided in the electric vehicle 10 based on the information on the locus of the electric vehicle 10 and the information on the spray execution range 75. , 27d, the first coolant spraying nozzle 27 for spraying the coolant may be selected. As a result, for example, when the electric vehicle 10 turns backward and parks, it is possible to reduce the amount of the coolant sprayed, which has a low contribution to the cooling of the battery unit 15.

10 to 12 are schematic views shown for explaining the spraying operation of the coolant when the electric vehicle 10 reverses and parks while turning. 10 to 12 show a plan view of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 as viewed from above, respectively. In FIGS. 10 to 12, the spray execution range 75 and the rear distance line 77 displayed on the display device 61 are shown in a plane.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the electric vehicle 10 moves backward while turning and the rear distance line 77 overlaps the spray execution range 75, the coolant W from the first coolant spray nozzle 27 to the road surface 5 at the parking position 71 Spraying is started. At this time, during the period in which the track of the electric vehicle 10 estimated based on the steering angle information indicates a turning track, the coolant spraying control unit 54 is provided with the first coolant spraying material at the left end of the vehicle body 11 in the vehicle width direction. The coolant W is not sprayed from the nozzle 27d. As shown in FIG. 11, when the electric vehicle 10 further moves backward, for example, when the steering angle becomes zero degrees and the track of the electric vehicle 10 shows a straight track, the coolant spray control unit 54 performs all the thirds. Spraying of the coolant W from the coolant spray nozzle 27 of No. 1 is started. After that, the coolant W is continuously sprayed until the rear distance line 77 passes through the spraying execution range 75.

Then, when the electric vehicle 10 moves backward and the rear distance line 77 passes through the spray execution range 75 and the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 do not overlap, the vehicle is parked from the first coolant spray nozzle 27. The spraying of the coolant W on the road surface 5 at the position 71 is stopped. In this way, as shown in FIG. 12, the electric vehicle 10 is housed in the parking position 71 so that the battery unit 15 is located on the region where the coolant W is sprayed. The spraying range of the coolant W shown in FIG. 12 is reduced by stopping the spraying of the coolant from the first coolant spray nozzle 27d for a predetermined period of time, and the consumption of the coolant is suppressed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the coolant spraying control unit 54 has finished spraying the coolant when the rear distance line 77 and the spraying execution range 75 do not overlap, but the coolant spraying has started. Therefore, the spraying of the coolant may be terminated after the elapse of a preset predetermined time. For example, during the parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, the estimated time from when the rear distance line 77 overlaps the spray execution range 75 to the end of the parking operation is set in advance as the spray period, and the coolant spray control unit 54 sets the spray period. The coolant may be sprayed on.

Further, in the above embodiment, the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant when the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 overlap, and the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 overlap. Although the spraying of the coolant was finished when the condition was not reached, the spraying of the coolant may be started at the start of the parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, for example. That is, after the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant at an appropriate time after the start of the parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 do not overlap. At that time, the spraying of the coolant may be finished.

<1-6. Effect of the example of the first embodiment>
As described above, according to the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment, the image pickup processing unit 53 as the parking position information acquisition unit performs an image pickup obtained based on the image pickup information of the front image pickup camera 41 or the rear image pickup camera 43. Information on the parking position 71 of the electric vehicle 10 is acquired based on the image. Further, the coolant spraying control unit 54 of the battery cooling control device 50 sprays the coolant on the road surface 5 of the parking position 71 based on the information of the parking position 71 during the parking operation. As a result, the road surface temperature of the parking position 71 can be lowered, and an air flow is generated by the heat of vaporization generated when the coolant evaporates, so that heat dissipation of the battery unit 15 can be promoted. Therefore, when the electric vehicle 10 is parked in a state where the road surface temperature is high, the amount of heat actually received by the battery unit 15 can be reduced, and the thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be suppressed.

Further, in the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment, the cooling material spraying control unit 54 is a front distance line or a front distance line superimposed on an image obtained based on the image information of the front image camera 41 or the rear image camera 43. At least one of the start time and the end time of the spraying of the cooling material is determined based on the information of the rear distance line 77 and the information of the spray execution range 75. As a result, the coolant W can be easily accurately sprayed on the road surface in the region where the battery unit 15 is arranged while the electric vehicle 10 is parked at the parking position 71. Therefore, the effect of suppressing thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be enhanced.

Further, in the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment, the coolant spraying control unit 54 sprays the coolant toward a predetermined range based on the front distance line or the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75. There is. As a result, the consumption of the coolant is reduced, and the interval for replenishing the coolant can be extended.

Further, in the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment, the coolant spraying control unit 54 determines whether or not the coolant needs to be sprayed based on the information correlating with the road surface temperature of the parking position 71, and also cools. The amount of material sprayed can also be adjusted. As a result, the consumption of the coolant is reduced, and the interval for replenishing the coolant can be extended.

Further, in the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment, the coolant spraying control unit 54 sprays the coolant W to spray the coolant W based on the information on the trajectory of the electric vehicle 10 and the information on the spray execution range 75. The nozzle can be selected. As a result, the amount of the coolant that is difficult to contribute to cooling the battery unit 15 is reduced, and the interval for replenishing the coolant can be extended.

<< 2. Second Embodiment >>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control device 50 and the battery cooling control method according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The basic configuration of the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment can be configured in the same manner as the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the battery cooling control device 50 does not use the information of the rear distance line and the spray execution range superimposed and displayed by the parking support control, but is based on the information of the locus of the electric vehicle 10 and the information of the parking position. To determine the start and end times of spraying the coolant. Hereinafter, the configuration example of the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment will be described mainly different from the first embodiment.

<2-1. Battery cooling control device configuration example>
In the present embodiment, when the parking position is detected by the image pickup processing unit 53, the coolant spray control unit 54 obtains the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the angle of the vehicle body 11 with respect to the parking position 71. The current position of the electric vehicle 10 with respect to the parking position 71 includes information on the distance between the parking position 71 and the electric vehicle 10. For example, the coolant spraying control unit 54 obtains the shortest distances from both corners on the back side of the parking position line 79 to the rear distance line 77, and the distance between the parking position 71 and the electric vehicle 10 based on the respective shortest distances. And the angle of the vehicle body 11 may be obtained. However, the method of obtaining the distance between the parking position 71 and the electric vehicle 10 and the angle of the vehicle body 11 is not limited to the above example.

Further, the cooling material spraying control unit 54 detects the steering angle information output from the steering angle detecting unit 47 and the rotation speed of at least one of the left and right front wheels 13FL, 13FR, 13RL, and 13RR, which is not shown. Based on the information of the number of revolutions output from, the locus of the electric vehicle 10 actually traveled is calculated. For example, the coolant spray control unit 54 can calculate the moving distance of the electric vehicle 10 based on the rotation speed output from the rotation sensor and the preset wheel radius. The coolant spray control unit 54 can obtain the traveling locus of the electric vehicle 10 based on the obtained moving distance and steering angle of the electric vehicle 10. Then, the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant when the electric vehicle 10 moves to a predetermined position from the position where the distance between the parking position 71 and the electric vehicle 10 and the angle of the vehicle body 11 are obtained. Further, when the electric vehicle 10 moves to a predetermined position, the spraying of the coolant is completed.

The configuration and control processing of the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment other than the points described here can be configured or set in the same manner as in the case of the battery cooling control device 50 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the parking support control unit 52 does not have to superimpose and display the spraying execution range on the captured image.

<2-2. Operation example of battery cooling device>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control method by the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, an example will be described in which the electric vehicle 10 travels straight backward to perform reverse parking.

First, similarly to the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment, each part of the battery cooling control device 50 executes the processing of each step of steps S11 to S17. Next, the coolant spraying control unit 54 of the battery cooling control device 50 obtains the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the angle of the vehicle body 11 with respect to the parking position 71 (step S31). For example, the coolant spraying control unit 54 obtains the shortest distances from both corners on the back side of the parking position line 79 to the rear distance line 77, and the distance between the parking position 71 and the electric vehicle 10 based on the respective shortest distances. And the angle of the vehicle body 11 may be obtained. The current position of the electric vehicle 10 with respect to the parking position 71 includes information on the distance between the parking position 71 and the electric vehicle 10. However, the method of obtaining the distance between the parking position 71 and the electric vehicle 10 and the angle of the vehicle body 11 is not limited to the above example.

Next, the coolant spraying control unit 54 determines whether or not the moving distance D of the electric vehicle 10 has reached the spraying start reference distance Dstt1 as the electric vehicle 10 moves backward (step S33). The moving distance D of the electric vehicle 10 can be obtained based on, for example, the number of rotations of at least one of the left and right front wheels 13FL, 13FR, 13RL, and 13RR and the radius of the wheels. The coolant spraying control unit 54 repeats the determination in step S33 during the period until the moving distance D of the electric vehicle 10 reaches the spraying start reference distance Dstt1 (the period of S33 / No). On the other hand, when the coolant spraying control unit 54 detects that the moving distance D of the electric vehicle 10 has reached the spraying start reference distance Dstt1 (S33 / Yes), the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant on the road surface at the parking position 71. (Step S21).

Next, the coolant spraying control unit 54 determines whether or not the moving distance D of the electric vehicle 10 is equal to or less than the spraying end reference distance Dstp1 (step S37). The coolant spraying control unit 54 repeats the determination in step S37 during the period until the moving distance D of the electric vehicle 10 exceeds the spraying end reference distance Dstp1 (S37 / Yes period). During this time, the coolant spray control unit 54 continues spraying the coolant. On the other hand, when the moving distance D of the electric vehicle 10 exceeds the spraying end reference distance Dstp1 (S37 / No) as the electric vehicle 10 moves backward, the coolant spraying control unit 54 stops the spraying of the coolant ( Step S25).

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the coolant spraying operation by the coolant spraying control unit 54 of the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment. For example, taking the case where the steering angle is substantially zero degree, the coolant spraying control unit 54 of the electric vehicle 10 with respect to the parking position 71 is based on, for example, the rotation speed of the left rear wheel 13RL and the radius r. The distance D that the electric vehicle 10 has moved can be obtained from the current position and the position where the angle of the vehicle body 11 is obtained. When the required moving distance D becomes the spraying start reference distance Dstt1, the step S33 determines Yes, and the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant (step S21). After that, when the required moving distance D becomes the spraying end reference distance Dstp1, the determination in step S37 is No, and the coolant spraying control unit 54 ends the spraying of the coolant (step S25). As a result, when the electric vehicle 10 is parked at the parking position 71, the battery unit 15 is located on the area where the coolant W is sprayed. Therefore, the amount of heat received by the battery unit 15 from the road surface at the parking position 71 is reduced, and thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be suppressed.

The spraying start reference distance Dstt1 and the spraying end reference distance Dstp1 may be set according to the distance between the parking position 71 at the start of the coolant spraying control process and the current position of the electric vehicle 10. Alternatively, the battery unit 15 may be set in advance so that the battery unit 15 can be located in the range where the coolant W is sprayed when the electric vehicle 10 is parked at the parking position 71.

Note that FIG. 14 shows how the coolant is sprayed during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, but the coolant is also sprayed during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. In this case, the coolant spray control unit 54 selects and selects either the first coolant spray nozzle 27 or the second coolant spray nozzle 21 provided on the front side in the traveling direction of the electric vehicle 10. The coolant may be sprayed from the coolant spray nozzle.

The current position of the parking position 71 or the electric vehicle 10 may be, for example, the position of the center of the parking position 71 or the electric vehicle 10. By using the information of the parking position 71 or the center position of the electric vehicle 10, the coolant spray control unit 54 uses the same reference distance regardless of the forward parking operation or the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 to obtain the coolant. The start and end times of spraying can be determined.

<2-3. Effect of the example of the second embodiment>
As described above, the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment applies a cooling material to the road surface at the parking position when the electric vehicle 10 is parked, based on the information of the parking position 71 and the information of the locus of the electric vehicle 10. Spray. As a result, the road surface temperature at the parking position can be lowered, and airflow is generated by the heat of vaporization generated when the coolant evaporates, so that heat dissipation of the battery unit 15 can be promoted. Therefore, when the electric vehicle 10 is parked in a state where the road surface temperature is high, the amount of heat actually received by the battery unit 15 can be reduced, and the thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be suppressed.

The coolant spray control process by the coolant spray control unit 54 of the battery cooling control device 50 according to the present embodiment may be performed in combination with the coolant spray control process according to the first embodiment. For example, the coolant spray control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant when the front distance line or the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 overlap, and when the electric vehicle 10 moves to a predetermined position, the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant. You may finish spraying. On the contrary, the coolant spray control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant when the electric vehicle 10 moves to a predetermined position, so that the front distance line or the rear distance line 77 and the spray execution range 75 do not overlap. When it becomes, the spraying of the coolant may be finished.

Further, also in the battery cooling control device 90 according to the present embodiment, the spray control process of the coolant can be executed by appropriately combining the modified examples of the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment.

<< 3. Third Embodiment >>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control device and the battery cooling control method according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The battery cooling control device according to the present embodiment is an example of determining the start time and the end time of the spraying of the coolant by using a position information recognition system such as a navigation system. Hereinafter, the configuration example of the battery cooling control device according to the present embodiment will be described mainly different from the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment.

<3-1. Battery cooling control device configuration example>
FIG. 15 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the battery cooling control device 90 according to the present embodiment. The control unit 51 of the battery cooling control device 90 includes a parking position information acquisition unit 91 and a coolant spray control unit 54. The control unit 51 can acquire an output signal from the position information recognition system 93.

The position information recognition system 93 is, for example, a GPS, a beacon device, a vehicle to vehicle communication system, a vehicle to infrastructure communication system, or a vehicle to home communication system (not shown). It may be a system that guides the current position of at least the electric vehicle 10 while communicating with at least one of the out-of-vehicle communication systems. Specifically, the position information recognition system 93 may be, for example, a navigation system. The out-of-vehicle communication system exemplified above receives a signal output from the electric vehicle 10, generates information on the current position of the electric vehicle 10, and transmits the information to the position information recognition system 93. The position information recognition system 93 outputs the acquired information on the current position of the electric vehicle 10 to the control unit 51.

The parking position information acquisition unit 91 acquires the parking position information of the electric vehicle 10. For example, when the position information recognition system 93 is a navigation system, the parking position information acquisition unit 91 determines a target parking position based on the parking position information previously stored in the navigation system and the current position of the electric vehicle 10. It may be specified. Further, the parking position information acquisition unit 91 may specify the target parking position based on the parking position information received from the external communication system by the position information recognition system 93 and the current position of the electric vehicle 10.

The cooling material spraying control unit 54 parks the electric vehicle 10 based on the current position information of the electric vehicle 10 output from the position information recognition system 93 and the parking position information acquired by the parking position information acquisition unit 91. Spray the cooling material on the road surface in the parking position during operation. For example, the cooling material spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the cooling material when the distance between the parking position and the electric vehicle 10 is within the spraying start reference distance after determining the start of the parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. When the distance between the parking position and the electric vehicle 10 is within the spraying end reference distance, the spraying of the cooling material may be finished.

Configurations and control processes other than the points described here can be configured or set in the same manner as in the case of the first embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the actuator drive unit 57 and the pump drive unit 59 function as drive units that supply the coolant to the coolant spray nozzle.

<3-2. Operation example of battery cooling device>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control method by the battery cooling control device 90 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, similarly to the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment, the coolant spraying control unit 54 of the battery cooling control device 90 starts the coolant spraying control process (step S11). Next, the parking position information acquisition unit 91 of the battery cooling control device 50 acquires the information of the parking position 71 of the electric vehicle 10 (step S41). For example, when the position information recognition system 93 is a navigation system, the parking position information acquisition unit 91 targets the parking position 71 based on the parking position information stored in the navigation system in advance and the current position of the electric vehicle 10. May be specified. Further, the parking position information acquisition unit 91 may specify the target parking position 71 based on the parking position information received from the external communication system by the position information recognition system 93 and the current position of the electric vehicle 10.

Next, in the cooling material spraying control unit 54, the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 output from the position information recognition system 93 and the parking position 71 acquired by the parking position information acquisition unit 91 is equal to or less than the spray start reference distance Dstt2. It is determined whether or not it is (step S43). The coolant spraying control unit 54 repeats the determination in step S43 during the period until the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 becomes the spraying start reference distance Dstt2 or less (the period of S43 / No). On the other hand, when the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 becomes the spray start reference distance Dstt2 or less (S43 / Yes), the coolant spray control unit 54 provides the coolant to the road surface at the parking position 71. Is started (step S21).

Next, the coolant spraying control unit 54 determines whether or not the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 is equal to or greater than the spraying end reference distance Dstp2 (step S45). The coolant spraying control unit 54 repeats the determination in step S45 during the period until the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 becomes less than the spraying end reference distance Dstp2 (S45 / Yes period). During this time, the coolant spray control unit 54 continues spraying the coolant. On the other hand, when the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 becomes less than the spraying end reference distance Dstp2 as the electric vehicle 10 moves backward (S45 / No), the coolant spraying control unit 54 determines. The spraying of the coolant is stopped (step S25).

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the coolant spraying operation by the coolant spraying control unit 54 of the battery cooling control device 90 according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 when the start of the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 is determined (step S11 above) is the distance Dset2. When the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 becomes the spraying start reference distance Dstt2 or less, the step S43 is determined to be Yes, and the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant W (the step above). S21). Further, when the electric vehicle 10 moves and the distance ΔD between the current position of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 becomes less than the spraying end reference distance Dstp2, the above step S45 is determined as No, and the coolant spraying control unit 54 determines the coolant W. Is finished (step S25 above). As a result, when the electric vehicle 10 is parked at the parking position 71, the battery unit 15 is located on the area where the coolant W is sprayed. Therefore, the amount of heat received by the battery unit 15 from the road surface at the parking position 71 is reduced, and thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be suppressed.

Note that FIG. 17 shows how the coolant is sprayed during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, but the coolant is also sprayed during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. In this case, the coolant spray control unit 54 selects and selects either the first coolant spray nozzle 27 or the second coolant spray nozzle 21 provided on the front side in the traveling direction of the electric vehicle 10. The coolant may be sprayed from the coolant spray nozzle.

The current position of the parking position 71 or the electric vehicle 10 may be, for example, the position of the center of the parking position 71 or the electric vehicle 10. By using the information of the parking position 71 or the center position of the electric vehicle 10, the coolant spray control unit 54 uses the same reference distance regardless of the forward parking operation or the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 to obtain the coolant. The start and end times of spraying can be determined.

The electric vehicle 10 to which the battery cooling control device 90 according to the present embodiment is applied does not have to include the front image pickup camera 41 and the rear image pickup camera 43. Further, if the steering angle information is not used for the coolant spray control process, the electric vehicle 10 may not include the steering angle detecting unit 47.

<3-3. Effect of the example of the third embodiment>
As described above, the battery cooling control device 90 according to the present embodiment includes information on the current position of the electric vehicle 10 output from the position information recognition system 93 and information on the parking position acquired by the parking position information acquisition unit 91. When the electric vehicle 10 is parked, the cooling material is sprayed on the road surface at the parking position. As a result, the road surface temperature at the parking position can be lowered, and airflow is generated by the heat of vaporization generated when the coolant evaporates, so that heat dissipation of the battery unit 15 can be promoted. Therefore, when the electric vehicle 10 is parked in a state where the road surface temperature is high, the amount of heat actually received by the battery unit 15 can be reduced, and the thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be suppressed.

Further, also in the battery cooling control device 90 according to the present embodiment, the spraying control process of the coolant can be executed by appropriately combining the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment. can.

<< 4. Fourth Embodiment >>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control device and the battery cooling control method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The battery cooling control device according to the present embodiment is a battery cooling control device applicable to an electric vehicle capable of charging the battery by the non-contact charging system, and the power supply unit of the non-contact charging system and the electric vehicle are close to each other. This is an example of determining the start time and end time of spraying the coolant based on the information. Hereinafter, the configuration example of the battery cooling control device according to the present embodiment will be described mainly different from the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment.

<4-1. Non-contact charging system ＞
First, the non-contact charging system will be briefly described. The electric vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment includes a charging unit that performs non-contact charging. The charging unit includes a power receiving coil provided under the floor of the vehicle body 11, and charges the battery by converting the electric power generated in the power receiving coil by electromagnetic induction into direct current. In the non-contact charging system, an external charging device for charging the battery by non-contact charging is provided, and a power feeding coil is installed on the road surface at a predetermined parking position. In this embodiment, the power feeding coil functions as a power feeding unit of the non-contact charging system. When an alternating current is supplied to the feeding coil while the power receiving coil and the feeding coil face each other, the alternating current flows through the power receiving coil due to electromagnetic induction from the feeding coil. As a result, the battery of the electric vehicle 10 is charged.

<4-2. Battery cooling control device configuration example>
FIG. 18 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the battery cooling control device 80 according to the present embodiment. The control unit 51 of the battery cooling control device 80 includes an approach detection unit 81 and a coolant spray control unit 54.

The approach detection unit 81 detects the approach between the power feeding coil of the non-contact charging system and the electric vehicle 10. For example, the approach detection unit 81 may detect the approach of the power feeding coil based on the image pickup information output from the front image pickup camera 41 or the rear image pickup camera 43. Specifically, the approach detection unit 81 may perform image processing of the image captured by the front image pickup camera 41 or the rear image pickup camera 43 to detect the approach of the power feeding coil. Alternatively, the approach detection unit 81 may detect the approach of the feeding coil by receiving a signal transmitted by a wireless communication device installed in the vicinity of the feeding coil. The method of detecting the approach between the power feeding coil of the non-contact charging system and the electric vehicle 10 is not limited to the above example, and may be detected by another method. The position where the power feeding coil is installed is the parking position of the electric vehicle 10 when the battery mounted on the electric vehicle 10 is charged. That is, in the present embodiment, the approach detection unit 81 functions as a parking position information acquisition unit.

The coolant spray control unit 54 puts the coolant on the road surface at the parking position when the electric vehicle 10 is parked, based on the information on the approach between the power supply coil of the non-contact charging system and the electric vehicle 10 detected by the approach detection unit 81. Is sprayed. For example, the coolant spraying control unit 54 determines that the parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 has started, and then starts spraying the coolant as the power supply coil and the electric vehicle 10 approach each other. The application of the coolant may be terminated when the feeding coil is further approached and the feeding coil is out of the imaging range.

Configurations and control processes other than the points described here can be configured or set in the same manner as in the case of the first embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the actuator drive unit 57 and the pump drive unit 59 function as drive units that supply the coolant to the coolant spray nozzle.

<4-3. Operation example of battery cooling device>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control method by the battery cooling control device 80 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, similarly to the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment, the coolant spraying control unit 54 of the battery cooling control device 80 starts the coolant spraying control process (step S11). Next, the approach detection unit 81 of the battery cooling control device 80 acquires the imaging information of the front imaging camera 41 or the rear imaging camera 43, and detects the feeding coil of the non-contact type external charging device (step S51). For example, the approach detection unit 81 may perform image processing of the image captured by the front imaging camera 41 or the rear imaging camera 43 to detect the feeding coil within the imaging range.

Next, the coolant spraying control unit 54 determines whether or not the feeding coil detected in the captured image has a predetermined size or more set in advance (step S53). The coolant spraying control unit 54 repeats the determination in step S53 during the period until the size of the feeding coil in the captured image becomes a predetermined size or more (the period of S53 / No). On the other hand, when the size of the feeding coil in the captured image becomes larger than a predetermined size (S53 / Yes), the coolant spraying control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant on the road surface at the parking position (step). S21).

Next, the coolant spray control unit 54 determines whether or not the feeding coil is within the imaging range (step S55). The coolant spray control unit 54 repeats the determination in step S55 during the period until the feeding coil deviates from the imaging range (S55 / Yes period). During this time, the coolant spray control unit 54 continues spraying the coolant. On the other hand, when the feeding coil is out of the imaging range (S55 / No), the coolant spraying control unit 54 stops spraying the coolant (step S25).

The spraying operation of the coolant by the battery cooling control process executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 23. 20 to 23 are schematic views shown for explaining the spraying operation of the coolant during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. 20 to 23 show a plan view of the electric vehicle 10 and the parking position 71 as viewed from above. FIG. 20 shows a state in which the electric vehicle 10 is located in front of the parking position 71, FIGS. 21 and 22 show the electric vehicle 10 entering the parking position 71, and FIG. 23 shows the electric vehicle 10 entering the parking position 71. Indicates a state in which the vehicle is stored in the parking position 71.

As shown in FIG. 20, immediately after the electric vehicle 10 starts the reverse parking operation, the electric vehicle 10 is located in front of the parking position 71, and the distance ΔDc between the power feeding coil 83 and the power receiving coil 49 becomes the distance Dset3. ing. In this state, although the feeding coil 83 is detected in the image captured by the rear imaging camera 43 (not shown), the size of the feeding coil 83 is perceived to be smaller than the preset size, and the coolant is sprayed. Not started. When the electric vehicle 10 moves backward and the distance ΔDc between the power feeding coil 83 and the power receiving coil 49 approaches the distance Dstt3 as shown in FIG. 21, the size of the power feeding coil 83 in the captured image becomes larger than the preset size. Is also caught big. As a result, the step S53 is determined to be Yes, and the coolant W is started to be sprayed from the first coolant spray nozzle 27 to the road surface 5 at the parking position 71 (step S21).

Further, during the period when the electric vehicle 10 moves backward and the feeding coil 83 exists within the imaging range, the step S55 is a Yes determination, and the spraying of the coolant W is continued. After that, as shown in FIG. 22, when the electric vehicle 10 moves backward and the distance ΔDc between the power feeding coil 83 and the power receiving coil 49 approaches the distance Dstp3, the power feeding coil 83 goes out of the imaging range. As a result, the determination in step S55 is No, and the spraying of the coolant W from the first coolant spray nozzle 27 to the road surface 5 at the parking position 71 is stopped (step S25). In this way, as shown in FIG. 23, the electric vehicle 10 is housed in the parking position 71 so that the battery unit 15 is located on the region where the coolant W is sprayed. Therefore, the amount of heat actually received by the battery unit 15 is reduced, and the thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be suppressed.

Although FIGS. 20 to 23 show how the coolant is sprayed during the reverse parking operation of the electric vehicle 10, the coolant is also sprayed during the forward parking operation of the electric vehicle 10. In this case, the coolant spray control unit 54 selects and selects either the first coolant spray nozzle 27 or the second coolant spray nozzle 21 provided on the front side in the traveling direction of the electric vehicle 10. The coolant may be sprayed from the coolant spray nozzle.

<4-4. Effect of the example of the fourth embodiment>
As described above, the battery cooling control device 80 according to the present embodiment is parked during the parking operation of the electric vehicle 10 based on the information of the proximity of the power feeding coil 83 of the external charging device of the non-contact charging system and the electric vehicle 10. Spray the coolant on the road surface at the location. As a result, the road surface temperature at the parking position can be lowered, and airflow is generated by the heat of vaporization generated when the coolant evaporates, so that heat dissipation of the battery unit 15 can be promoted. Therefore, when the electric vehicle 10 is parked in a state where the road surface temperature is high, the amount of heat actually received by the battery unit 15 can be reduced, and the thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be suppressed.

Further, the battery cooling control device 80 according to the present embodiment determines that the power feeding coil 83 of the external charging device and the electric vehicle 10 are close to each other based on the images captured by the front imaging camera 41 or the rear imaging camera 43. The approach of the power feeding coil 83 of the external charging device and the electric vehicle 10 may be determined by a method other than this example. For example, the coolant spraying control unit 54 may determine the approach by utilizing the fact that the charging efficiency in the non-contact charging system changes according to the distance between the power feeding coil 83 and the power receiving coil 49. In this case, the coolant spray control unit 54 starts spraying the coolant when, for example, an alternating current starts to flow in the power receiving coil 49 due to electromagnetic induction from the power feeding coil 83 (that is, when the charging efficiency exceeds zero). , The spraying of the coolant may be terminated when the charging efficiency exceeds a preset threshold value.

Further, also in the battery cooling control device 80 according to the present embodiment, the spraying control process of the coolant can be executed by appropriately combining the battery cooling control devices according to the first embodiment to the third embodiment. ..

<< 5. Fifth Embodiment >>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control device and the battery cooling control method according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The battery cooling control device according to the present embodiment is a battery cooling control device applicable to a fuel cell vehicle, and is an example in which water generated during power generation by a fuel cell is used as a cooling material. Hereinafter, the configuration example of the battery cooling device according to the present embodiment will be described mainly different from the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment.

<5-1. Configuration example of fuel cell vehicle>
First, a configuration example of a fuel cell vehicle will be briefly described. FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the fuel cell vehicle 100 as one aspect of the electric vehicle. The fuel cell vehicle 100 includes a hydrogen tank 110, a fuel cell 112, a battery unit 15, a drive motor 17, a drive wheel 13, a power conversion unit 116, and a control device 130. The fuel cell vehicle 100 obtains a drive torque using a drive motor 17 that is driven by using the electric power supplied from the battery unit 15 as a drive source. Further, the fuel cell vehicle 100 activates the fuel cell 112 at an appropriate time to generate electric power, and charges the battery provided in the battery unit 15. A part of the electric power generated by the fuel cell 112 may be supplied to the drive motor 17.

The fuel cell 112 generates electricity by reacting hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The hydrogen tank 110 and the fuel cell 112 are connected via a pipe 111, and hydrogen gas is supplied from the hydrogen tank 110 to the fuel cell 112 by a motor pump or the like (not shown). Further, air as oxygen gas is supplied to the fuel cell 112 by a compressor or the like (not shown). The supply amounts of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are controlled by the control device 130 according to the voltage of the generated power.

The power conversion unit 116 converts the electric power generated by the fuel cell 112 and supplies it to at least one of the battery unit 15 or the drive motor 17. Further, the power conversion unit 116 converts the power supplied by the battery unit 15 and supplies it to the drive motor 17. Further, the power conversion unit 116 converts the regenerative power generated by the drive motor 17 and charges the battery provided in the battery unit 15.

In the present embodiment, the fuel cell vehicle 100 has a front image pickup camera 41, a rear image pickup camera 43, an underfloor image pickup camera 44, a water tank 121, and a cooling material spray nozzle as components related to cooling control of the battery unit 15. It includes 125, a drainage control unit 123, a drainage switch 127, and a touch screen 62. The underfloor imaging camera 44 is installed in the vicinity of the battery unit 15 or the coolant spray nozzle 125, and images the underfloor of the fuel cell vehicle 100 including the area directly under the battery unit 15 to generate an imaging signal. The touch screen 62 is installed in the vehicle interior and displays an captured image obtained based on the captured information captured by the rear imaging camera 43 or the underfloor imaging camera 44. Further, the touch screen 62 displays a selection button, a command button, or the like that can be operated by a passenger such as a driver, and accepts the operation input of the passenger.

The water tank 121 stores water generated when the fuel cell 112 generates electricity as a coolant. The coolant spray nozzle 125 is connected to the water tank 121 via the drainage control unit 123. The drainage control unit 123 may be, for example, a means for pumping water such as a pump, or a means for opening and closing the coolant piping. When the drainage control unit 123 is a means for opening and closing the coolant pipe, the water in the water tank 121 may be discharged from the coolant spray nozzle 125 by its own weight.

The drainage switch 127 is installed in the vehicle interior and is operated by a passenger such as a driver to transmit a switch on / off signal to the control device 130. In addition, the fuel cell vehicle 100 according to the present embodiment may include appropriate components of the electric vehicle 10 shown in FIG. For example, the fuel cell vehicle 100 may include a shift position detection unit 45 and a steering angle detection unit 47.

<5-2. Battery cooling control device configuration example>
FIG. 25 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the control device 130 that functions as the battery cooling control device according to the present embodiment. The control unit 131 of the control device 130 includes a parking support control unit 52, an image pickup processing unit 53, and a coolant spray control unit 133. The control unit 131 acquires the imaging information output from the front imaging camera 41, the rear imaging camera 43, and the underfloor imaging camera 44. Further, the control unit 131 acquires the detection signals output from the shift position detection unit 45 and the steering angle detection unit 47. Further, the control unit 131 displays on the touch screen 62 an image obtained based on the image information captured by the rear image camera 43 or the underfloor image camera 44, and a selection button or a command button that accepts the operation input of the passenger. Further, the control unit 131 acquires a signal output from the drain switch 127. The pump drive unit 59 drives the pump as the drainage control unit 123 based on the drive instruction signal of the control unit 131. In the present embodiment, the pump drive unit 59 functions as a drive unit that supplies the coolant to the coolant spray nozzle.

The parking support control unit 52 and the image pickup processing unit 53 may be configured in the same manner as the parking support control unit 52 and the image pickup processing unit 53 of the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the image pickup processing unit 53 functions as a parking position information acquisition unit. The coolant spray control unit 133 sprays the coolant on the road surface at the parking position based on the information on the parking position. The coolant spray control unit 133 starts the coolant spray control process when it detects the completion of parking, and sprays the coolant when it detects that the drain switch 127 is turned on and drainage is permitted. The cooling material spraying control unit 133 may determine the completion of parking of the fuel cell vehicle 100 at the parking position based on the locus of the fuel cell vehicle 100, and shift position information, GPS, a beacon device, and an inter-vehicle communication system. , Road-to-vehicle communication system, or communication with an out-of-vehicle communication system such as a communication system between a vehicle and a building may be used for determination.

Configurations and control processes other than the points described here can be configured or set in the same manner as in the cases of the first embodiment to the third embodiment.

<5-3. Operation example of battery cooling control device>
Next, an example of the battery cooling control method by the control device 130 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 26.

First, the coolant spray control unit 133 determines whether or not the parking of the fuel cell vehicle 100 at the parking position is completed (step S71). For example, the coolant spray control unit 133 determines the completion of parking when it is determined that the fuel cell vehicle 100 moves toward the parking position displayed on the display device by the automatic parking control and is settled in the parking position. May be good. Further, the coolant spray control unit 133 may determine the completion of parking based on the locus of the fuel cell vehicle 100 moving toward the parking position displayed on the display device. Further, the coolant spray control unit 133 may determine the completion of parking based on the fact that the shift position has been switched to parking and communication with an external communication system such as GPS. In addition, the coolant spray control unit 133 may determine the completion of parking of the fuel cell vehicle 100 at the parking position by an appropriate method.

If it cannot be determined that the fuel cell vehicle 100 has been parked at the parking position (S71 / No), the coolant spray control unit 133 repeats the determination in step S71 until it is determined that the parking is completed. When the coolant spray control unit 133 determines that the parking of the fuel cell vehicle 100 at the parking position is completed (S71 / Yes), the control device is the same as the battery cooling control device 50 according to the first embodiment. The coolant spray control unit 133 of 130 starts the coolant spray control process (step S11). Next, the coolant spray control unit 133 determines whether or not the drainage switch 127 is turned on (step S72). When the drain switch 127 is not turned on (S72 / No), the coolant spray control unit 133 proceeds to step S25 without starting the coolant spraying, and ends the coolant spray control (step S25). At this time, the coolant spray control unit 133 may proceed to step S25 if, for example, the drainage switch 127 is not turned on between the time when the coolant spray control is started in step S11 and the time when a predetermined time elapses.

On the other hand, when the drainage switch 127 is turned on (S72 / Yes), the cooling material spraying control unit 133 outputs an captured image obtained based on the captured information captured by the rear imaging camera 43 or the underfloor imaging camera 44 to the touch screen 62. A button for selecting whether or not to allow drainage (hereinafter, also referred to as a “drainage permission selection button”) is superimposed and displayed on the captured image (step S73). FIG. 27 shows an example of an image in which the image captured by the underfloor imaging camera 44 and the drainage permission selection button are superimposed and displayed on the touch screen 62. In the example shown in FIG. 27, the road surface 5 of the parking position 71 and the left and right front wheels 13FL and 13FR of the fuel cell vehicle 100 imaged by the underfloor imaging camera 44 are displayed on the touch screen 62, and the coolant spraying execution range. 75 and the drainage permission selection button are superimposed and displayed.

Returning to FIG. 26, the coolant spray control unit 133 determines whether or not the drainage is permitted by selecting “YES (drainage)” on the touch screen 62 (step S74). When "YES (drainage)" is selected and drainage is permitted (S74 / Yes), the coolant spray control unit 133 starts spraying the coolant on the road surface at the parking position (step S21). For example, the coolant spray control unit 133 outputs a drive instruction signal to the pump drive unit 59 and drives the pump as the drainage control unit 123 to inject the coolant from the coolant spray nozzle 125.

After starting the spraying of the coolant, the coolant spray control unit 133 continues spraying the coolant until the water in the water tank 121 is emptied while the drain switch 127 is turned on (S75). / No). On the other hand, when the water in the water tank 121 is emptied and the drainage is completed, or when the drain switch 127 is turned off (S75 / Yes), the coolant spraying control unit 133 sprays the coolant. If this is done, the spraying of the coolant is stopped (step S76), and the coolant spraying control is terminated (step S25).

In step S74, when the passenger selects “NO (do not drain)” on the touch screen 62 (S74 / No), the coolant spray control unit 133 even when the drain switch 127 is turned on. Proceeds to step S25 without starting the spraying of the coolant, and ends the coolant spray control (step S25).

<5-4. Effect of the example of the fifth embodiment>
As described above, the control device 130 according to the present embodiment is based on the captured image obtained by the imaging processing unit 53 as the parking position information acquisition unit based on the imaging information of the rear imaging camera 43 or the underfloor imaging camera 44. Obtain information on the parking position of the fuel cell vehicle 100. Then, the drainage switch 127 is turned on by a passenger such as a driver, and the cooling material spraying control unit 133 displays an image captured under the floor or behind the parking position as information on the parking position of the fuel cell vehicle 100 for boarding. When it is detected that a person has permitted drainage, a cooling material is sprayed on the road surface at the parking position. As a result, the road surface temperature at the parking position can be lowered, and airflow is generated by the heat of vaporization generated when the coolant evaporates, so that heat dissipation of the battery unit 15 can be promoted. Therefore, when the fuel cell vehicle 100 is parked in a state where the road surface temperature is high, the amount of heat actually received by the battery unit 15 can be reduced, and the thermal deterioration of the battery in the battery unit 15 can be suppressed.

Further, the control device 130 according to the present embodiment sprays water generated by the power generation of the fuel cell 112 as a coolant. Therefore, the water that needs to be drained is effectively utilized. Further, since the possibility of drainage is selected according to the intention of the passenger, the water generated by the power generation of the fuel cell 112 can be stored without waste and sprayed on the road surface at the parking position as needed. Furthermore, after displaying the captured image as parking position information, the passengers can choose whether or not to execute drainage, so if the parking position is a multi-story parking lot, etc., the drainage will cause water to flow downstairs or to the surrounding area. It can be prevented appropriately. In the control device 130 according to the present embodiment, the drainage switch 127 is omitted, and when parking is completed, the cooling material spraying control unit 133 displays an image of the parking position and selects whether or not to allow drainage. The button to be displayed may be superimposed and displayed on the captured image. Further, the coolant spraying control unit 133 may determine whether or not to allow drainage based on the captured image of the parking position, and automatically control the start and end of water spraying in the water tank 121.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the field of technology to which the present invention belongs can come up with various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims. , These are also naturally understood to belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in each of the above embodiments, the electric vehicle 10 includes a front image pickup camera 41 and a rear image pickup camera 43, and controls the spraying of the cooling material by using the image pickup information of either camera during the forward parking operation or the reverse parking operation. Although the process was performed, the present invention is not limited to such an example. When the electric vehicle 10 is further provided with side imaging cameras on both sides of the vehicle body 11 and a surround view display on the display device 61 is possible, the surround view display is sprayed with a front distance line or a rear distance line 77. The execution range 75, the parking position line 79, and the like may be superimposed and displayed. Then, the coolant spray control unit of the battery cooling control device may execute the coolant spray control process based on the image information displayed in the surround view. In addition, the coolant spray control unit performs coolant spray control processing based on image information of a camera that images the road surface under the floor of the electric vehicle in combination with the front or rear of the electric vehicle or instead of the front or rear. May be executed.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the electric vehicle 10 is provided with the first coolant spray nozzle 27 behind the vehicle body 11 and the second coolant spray nozzle 21 behind the vehicle body 11. Is not limited to such an example. For example, a part of at least one of the first coolant spray nozzle 27 or the second coolant spray nozzle 21 may be provided under the floor on the side of the vehicle body 11. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the display device 61 and the touch screen 62 are installed in the vehicle interior, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the display device may be a mobile terminal such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal that the passenger can carry to check and operate the display even outside the vehicle.

5 Road surface 10 Electric vehicle 15 Battery unit 21 Second coolant spray nozzle 27 First coolant spray nozzle 50 Battery cooling control device 52 Parking support control unit 53 Imaging processing unit (parking position information acquisition unit)
54 Coolant spray control unit 71 Parking position 75 Spraying execution range 77 Rear distance line 80 Battery cooling control device 81 Approach detection unit (parking position information acquisition unit)
83 Power supply coil (power supply unit)
90 Battery cooling control device 91 Parking position information acquisition unit W Coolant

Claims (14)

In a battery cooling control device that cools a battery mounted on an electric vehicle
A parking position information acquisition unit that acquires parking position information of the electric vehicle, and a parking position information acquisition unit.
A coolant spraying control unit that controls the spraying of the coolant on the road surface at the parking position based on the information on the parking position of the electric vehicle.
With
The cooling material spraying control unit sets a spraying execution range corresponding to the range of the road surface on which the battery is located when the electric vehicle is parked among the parking positions, and the electric vehicle is operated during the parking operation of the electric vehicle. A battery cooling control device that sprays the cooling material in the spraying execution range according to the movement of the vehicle. The coolant spraying control unit includes information on a rear distance line that is superimposed and displayed on an image of the surroundings of the electric vehicle acquired from a parking support control unit that controls the parking operation of the electric vehicle. The battery cooling control device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the start time and the end time of the spraying of the coolant is determined based on the information of the spraying execution range. The coolant spray control unit sprays the coolant among a plurality of coolant spray nozzles provided on the electric vehicle based on the information on the trajectory of the electric vehicle and the information on the spray execution range. The battery cooling control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the coolant spray nozzle is selected. The coolant spraying control unit determines at least one of a start time and an end time of the spraying of the coolant based on the information on the parking position and the information on the trajectory of the electric vehicle, according to claim 1. The battery cooling controller described. The battery cooling control device according to claim 1, wherein the coolant spraying control unit determines at least one of a start time and an end time of the spraying of the coolant based on the position information of the electric vehicle. When the electric vehicle is an electric vehicle that charges the battery by receiving electric power from the power supply unit of the non-contact charging system.
The battery cooling according to claim 1, wherein the coolant spraying control unit determines at least one of a start time and an end time of the spraying of the coolant based on the information of the approach between the power supply unit and the electric vehicle. Control device. In a battery cooling control device that cools a battery mounted on an electric vehicle
A parking position information acquisition unit that acquires parking position information of the electric vehicle, and a parking position information acquisition unit.
A coolant spraying control unit that controls the spraying of the coolant on the road surface at the parking position based on the information on the parking position of the electric vehicle.
With
The coolant spraying control unit determines at least one of a start time and an end time of the coolant spraying based on the parking position information and the locus information of the electric vehicle. .. The battery cooling according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the coolant spraying control unit determines the end time of the coolant spraying based on the elapsed time from the start time of the coolant spraying. Control device. The battery cooling control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the coolant spraying control unit determines whether or not the coolant needs to be sprayed based on information correlating with the road surface temperature of the parking position. .. The battery cooling control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the coolant spraying control unit adjusts the amount of the coolant sprayed based on information correlating with the road surface temperature of the parking position. In the battery cooling control method for cooling the battery mounted on the electric vehicle,
The step of acquiring the parking position information of the electric vehicle and
Among the parking positions, a step of setting a spray execution range corresponding to the range of the road surface on which the battery is located when the electric vehicle is parked, and
And controlling the spraying of the coolant into said distributing execution range in accordance with the movement of the electric vehicle parked vehicle operation of the electric vehicle,
A battery cooling control method. In the battery cooling control method for cooling the battery mounted on the electric vehicle,
The step of acquiring the parking position information of the electric vehicle and
Based on the information of the trajectory of the electric vehicle and information of the parking position, and determining at least one of the start timing and end timing of the application of cold却材, the spraying of the coolant into the road surface of the parking position Steps to control and
A battery cooling control method. In an electric vehicle equipped with a battery mounted on the lower side of the vehicle body
The coolant spray nozzle provided under the floor of the vehicle body and
A drive unit that supplies the coolant to the coolant spray nozzle and
A parking position acquisition unit that acquires information on the parking position of the electric vehicle, and a parking position acquisition unit.
A coolant spray control unit that controls the drive unit based on the parking position information of the electric vehicle and controls the spraying of the coolant on the road surface at the parking position.
With
The coolant spray control unit sets a spray execution range corresponding to the range of the road surface on which the battery is located when the electric vehicle is parked among the parking positions, and the electric vehicle is operated during the parking operation of the electric vehicle. An electric vehicle that sprays the coolant in the spraying execution range according to the movement of the vehicle. In an electric vehicle equipped with a battery mounted on the lower side of the vehicle body
The coolant spray nozzle provided under the floor of the vehicle body and
A drive unit that supplies the coolant to the coolant spray nozzle and
A parking position acquisition unit that acquires information on the parking position of the electric vehicle, and a parking position acquisition unit.
A coolant spray control unit that controls the drive unit based on the parking position information of the electric vehicle and controls the spraying of the coolant on the road surface at the parking position.
With
The coolant spraying control unit determines at least one of a start time and an end time of the coolant spraying based on the parking position information and the locus information of the electric vehicle. ..

Images