Vehicle heating system

Abstract

To suppress unnecessary heating preparation.SOLUTION: A vehicle heating system estimates a trip travelling time (S12), calculates a preparation time until when designated heating can be started on the basis of a heating instruction (S13), and inhibits the start of heating when the heating cannot be started within the estimated trip travelling time or when the trip travelling time is within a predetermined time after the start of heating (S15).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle heating systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, heating systems that utilize the heat of high-temperature engine coolant to heat the vehicle interior have been widely used. However, such heating systems cannot be used when the coolant is at a low temperature. Therefore, when the coolant is at a low temperature, the coolant temperature is increased by using a heat pump used for air conditioning, increasing the engine speed, heating the coolant with a water heater, or, in hybrid vehicles, extending the engine operating period to accelerate the increase in coolant temperature.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 proposes providing an electric heating plate for room heating, and when the cooling water is at a low temperature, heating is performed by the electric heating plate with power according to the outside air temperature, thereby rapidly heating the room. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-2240 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, the vehicle is typically used for a trip to a destination, and therefore heating in the vehicle is required during the journey to the destination while the driver and other occupants are inside the vehicle.

[0006] The distance to the destination may be short, and the driving time may be short. In such a short drive, the vehicle may have already arrived at its destination by the time it tries to heat the coolant to a high temperature and start heating the vehicle. In such a case, the energy used to heat the coolant would be wasted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention estimates the travel time of a trip, calculates the preparation time until the instructed heating can start based on the heating instruction, and suppresses the start of heating if heating cannot be started within the estimated travel time of the trip or if the travel time of the trip is within a predetermined time after the start of heating.

[0008] Also, suppressing the start of heating may be achieved by outputting a message urging the user not to start heating.

[0009] The travel time of the trip may be an estimated travel time to the destination in a navigation device.

[0010] The travel time of the trip may be a predetermined time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the heating system of the present disclosure, unnecessary heating preparations can be suppressed, thereby achieving energy savings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle heating system 100 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart of heating control according to driving time. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and configurations formed by selectively combining multiple examples are also included in the present disclosure.

[0014] "Overall structure" FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle heating system 100 according to this embodiment. The vehicle is equipped with an engine 10. The engine 10 is a vehicle drive source, and the vehicle runs on its output. The engine 10 is, for example, a gasoline engine, but may be any other internal combustion engine. From the viewpoint of heating, the engine 10 is a heat source, and the engine 10 can be replaced with a fuel cell, a motor, a battery, or the like.

[0015] Coolant is supplied to engine 10 from pump 12. The coolant is heated by engine 10, and the heated coolant is discharged from engine 10. The coolant from engine 10 is supplied to heat exchanger 14. A heat medium from heat pump 16 is also supplied to heat exchanger 14. Heat exchanger 14 exchanges heat between the coolant from engine 10 and the heat medium from heat pump 16. In this example, the coolant can be heated by the heat of the high-temperature heat medium sent from heat pump 16. Note that heat pump 16 is a device that circulates a heat medium through a compressor, condenser, evaporator, etc., to transfer heat mainly for cooling the vehicle interior. In this example, heat exchanger 14 corresponds to the condenser and is used to heat the coolant.

[0016] The cooling water from the heat exchanger 14 is supplied to a water heater 18, where it is further heated as necessary. The water heater 18 can be configured as an electric heater that uses power from a battery, etc. Therefore, the amount of heating of the cooling water in the water heater 18 can be easily adjusted.

[0017] The coolant from the water heater 18 is supplied to a heater core 20. The heater core 20 exchanges heat between the coolant and air sent from a blower 22. That is, the air from the blower 22 is heated by the heat from the high-temperature coolant, and is sent as warm air into the vehicle cabin. In the circulation mode, the air inside the vehicle cabin passes through the heater core 20 and is circulated into the vehicle cabin. In the outside air mode, the outside air passes through the heater core 20 and is sent into the vehicle cabin, heating the vehicle cabin.

[0018] A temperature sensor 24 is provided at the inlet of the heater core 20 to measure the temperature of the cooling water supplied to the heater core 20.

[0019] The coolant from the heater core 20 is supplied to the suction side of the pump 12 via a radiator 26. The radiator 26 cools the coolant by exchanging heat with the outside air. The radiator 26 is provided with a bypass path 24a, which allows the coolant to circulate to the pump 12, bypassing the radiator 26. This example is intended for a case where heating is performed using the coolant, and the coolant bypasses the radiator 26 by passing through the bypass path 24a.

[0020] In this way, the coolant delivered from the pump 12 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the engine 10, the heat exchanger 14, and the water heater 18, and then supplied to the heater core 20. The air passing through the heater core 20 is heated, thereby heating the interior of the vehicle. The airflow rate of the blower 22 is also changed as needed, and the interior of the vehicle is heated to the desired temperature.

[0021] The heating system 100 is provided with a control unit 30 for controlling various devices mounted on the vehicle. The control unit 30 is configured as a computer and controls the various devices in response to various input signals. In addition, normally, the control unit 30 can also communicate with devices outside the vehicle as needed.

[0022] A navigation device 32 is also connected to the control unit 30. The navigation device 32 has a current location detection device such as a GPS, map data, a display device, etc., and has the function of displaying the current location on a map display and, when a destination is set, calculating and displaying a route to the destination.

[0023] An input unit 34 and an output unit 36 ​​are connected to the control unit 30. The output unit 36 ​​is configured with a liquid crystal display device or the like, and can also function as a display device for the navigation device 32. The output unit 36 ​​preferably has a speaker or the like, and is also capable of audio output. Furthermore, the input unit 34 can be equipped with various switches as well as a touch panel that utilizes the output unit 36 ​​(display device).

[0024] Operation during heating The operation of the heating system 100 during heating will now be described. When an occupant gets into the vehicle, they first turn on the key switch to supply power to various devices and start the engine 10. When the heating is turned on by the input unit 34, the temperature sensor 24 detects the temperature of the coolant. If the coolant temperature is sufficiently high, the blower 22 is turned on to blow warm air into the vehicle interior to heat the vehicle.

[0025] If the coolant temperature is lower than the desired value, the system is set to an early heating mode. In the early heating mode, the coolant temperature is raised early by turning on the water heater 18, turning on the heat pump 16, and increasing the engine 10 rotation speed. After the coolant temperature has risen to a predetermined value, the blower 22 is turned on to start heating. By setting the temperature of the coolant flowing into the heater core 20 and the airflow rate of the blower 22 to predetermined values, the desired heating of the vehicle interior is achieved.

[0026] "Heating control according to driving time" 2 is a flowchart of heating control according to driving time in the control unit 30. First, it is determined whether the heating is ON or not (S11). If the heating is not ON, there is no need for heating processing, so the process ends. The heating is usually turned ON by the user operating a heating switch, but it may also be turned ON automatically depending on the temperature, etc.

[0027] If it is YES in S11, estimate the predicted travel time (A) of the current trip (S12). For example, in the case of a trip where the destination and route are set in the navigation device 32, the travel time to the destination of the trip is set as the predicted travel time. Even when the route is not set, the travel time of the trip may be estimated as the most frequent travel time of the driver of the vehicle. For example, identify the driver with a smart key or the like, analyze and store the characteristics of the trips of the driver. A trip that starts at a specific time every day can be estimated as a company commuting trip, and the predicted travel time can be estimated as ** minutes. Also, a trip with a short time on a specific day of the week is a trip to a supermarket or convenience store, and the predicted travel time can be estimated as ** minutes. Furthermore, the predicted travel time may be set to a predetermined short time, for example, about 20 minutes by default, or may be set to a predetermined short time by the user.

[0028] When the travel time (A) of the trip is estimated in S11, next, calculate the preparation time (B) which is the time until the start of heating (S13). As described above, heating cannot start unless the cooling water temperature reaches a predetermined temperature. Therefore, estimate the preparation time (B), which is the time required for the cooling water temperature to reach the predetermined temperature for starting heating, from the current cooling water temperature, the heating capacity of the engine 10, the heat pump 16, the water heater 18, etc. For example, if heating starts when the cooling water temperature reaches 50°C, calculate the time required for the cooling water temperature to reach 50°C as the preparation time (B) until the start of heating.

[0029] Next, compare the calculated times A and B, and determine whether A < B or A - B is within a predetermined time (S14). For example, if the travel time A of the trip is 20 minutes and the preparation time B until the start of heating is 21 minutes, heating will not start during the trip, so there is no meaning in preparing for heating. Also, if the travel time A of the trip is 20 minutes and the preparation time until the start of heating is 18 minutes, heating can be performed for 2 minutes, but it is considered that almost no heating effect can be obtained.

[0030] If the determination in S14 is YES, suppress the start of heating (S15). For example, output a display such as "It will take some time until the heating is turned on. If you want to turn on the heating, please give the 'ON' instruction again." or "Since it is necessary to reach the destination before starting the heating, the heating will not be turned on.", prompt the user to turn off the heating, request another operation to turn on the heating, or automatically turn off the heating. Here, turning off the heating can be the cancellation of the early heating mode such as the heating of the water heater 18, the heating using the heat pump 16, or the increase in the engine speed of the engine 10.

[0031] When the heating is turned on by the operation of the user, it is preferable to display information about suppressing the heating, but it is also possible to omit the display when the automatic activation without the user's operation is stopped. Instead of the display, voice guidance may be provided.

[0032] On the other hand, if the determination in S14 is NO, perform normal control (S16). That is, if the trip is long enough, perform operations such as increasing the engine speed of the engine 10, heating by the heat pump 16, and heating by the water heater 18 in the early heating mode.

[0033] In this way, when a heating start instruction by the user such as turning on the heating switch is input, the control unit 30 determines whether effective heating can be performed in the current trip. For example, it is determined that the heating is not effective when (1) the heating is not started until the end of the trip (A < B), or (2) the time of the trip after the start of heating is short (A - B < a predetermined value). When it is not effective, the start of heating is suppressed. Therefore, unnecessary heating preparation can be suppressed, energy consumption can be reduced, and the driving range of the vehicle can be increased.

Explanation of Signs

[0034] 10 engine, 12 pump, 14 heat exchanger, 16 heat pump, 18 water heater, 20 heater core, 22 blower, 24 temperature sensor, 24a bypass path, 26 radiator, 30 control unit, 32 navigation device, 34 input unit, 36 output unit, 100 heating system.

Claims

1. Estimate the travel time of the trip, Based on the heating instruction, calculate the preparation time until the instructed heating can start, suppressing the start of heating when heating cannot be started within the estimated travel time of the trip or when the travel time of the trip is within a predetermined time after heating has started; Vehicle heating system.

2. 10. The vehicle heating system of claim 1, Inhibiting the start of heating is outputting a display urging not to start heating. Vehicle heating system.

3. 3. A vehicle heating system according to claim 1 or 2, The travel time of the trip is an estimated travel time to the destination in the navigation device. Vehicle heating system.

4. 3. A vehicle heating system according to claim 1 or 2, The travel time of the trip is a predetermined time. Vehicle heating system.

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