Battery control system for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery control system for a vehicle. When it is detected by the seating sensor (17) that no occupant is seated on the rear seat (13R), the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery (14) is increased and set. When it is detected by the seating sensor (17) that an occupant is seated on the rear seat (13R), the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery (14) is decreased and set.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021 - 010225 filed on January 26, 2021, and the entire contents including the specification, claims, drawings, and abstract are incorporated herein by reference. Technical field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a battery control system for a vehicle in which a battery is disposed below an occupant seat. Background art

[0004] A driving battery is provided in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle. For example, an electric vehicle in which a battery is disposed below a rear seat is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015 - 107728. In such an electric vehicle, the battery control system sets the output upper limit value and the input upper limit value of the battery according to the battery temperature. Therefore, if the battery temperature is the same, the cruising range and driving performance of the electric vehicle are constant. Summary of the invention

[0005] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0006] In the above - mentioned electric vehicle in which a battery is disposed below an occupant seat, if it is desired to improve the cruising range and driving performance, it is also possible to consider increasing the output upper limit value and the input upper limit value of the battery. However, in this case, since the battery temperature rises and the occupant seat becomes hot, the comfort of the occupant sitting on the occupant seat decreases.

[0007] Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle battery control system that can balance the improvement of the cruising range and driving performance of the vehicle and the comfort of the occupants.

[0008] Means for solving the problems

[0009] The vehicle battery control system of the present disclosure is characterized by including: a battery disposed below an occupant seat; an occupancy detection unit that detects the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the occupant seat; and a control device that sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery. The control device increases and sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery when the occupancy detection unit detects that no occupant is sitting on the occupant seat, and decreases and sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery when the occupancy detection unit detects that an occupant is sitting on the occupant seat.

[0010] In the vehicle battery control system of the present disclosure, preferably, the control device increases and sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery when air - conditioning is being concentrated on occupant seats other than the occupant seat below which the battery is disposed.

[0011] In the vehicle battery control system of the present disclosure, preferably, when the control device is centrally air - conditioning the occupant seat, the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery is lowered and set.

[0012] In the vehicle battery control system of the present disclosure, preferably, it further includes a battery temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the battery. When the temperature of the battery is lower than a specified temperature, the control device raises and sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery.

[0013] In the vehicle battery control system of the present disclosure, preferably, it further includes a battery temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the battery. When the temperature of the battery is equal to or higher than the specified temperature, the control device lowers and sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery.

[0014] Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the vehicle battery control system of the present disclosure, it is possible to balance the improvement of the vehicle's cruising range and driving performance and the comfort of the occupants. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle battery control system as an example of an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a block diagram showing the structure of the control device.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a coordinate diagram showing the correlation between the battery temperature and the input - output upper limit value of the battery.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing the control process performed by the control device. Detailed Embodiments

[0020] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail. In the following description, specific shapes, materials, directions, numerical values, etc. are examples for facilitating the understanding of the present disclosure and can be appropriately changed according to uses, purposes, specifications, etc.

[0021] Use Figure 1 to describe a vehicle battery control system 10 as an example of an embodiment. Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing the vehicle battery control system 10.

[0022] The vehicle battery control system 10 is a system that is installed in a vehicle 11 where a battery 14 is disposed under the rear seat 13R, and changes a preset output upper limit value or input upper limit value of the battery 14 according to the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R. According to the vehicle battery control system 10, as will be described in detail later, it is possible to balance the improvement of the cruising range and driving performance of the vehicle 11 and the comfort of the occupant.

[0023] The vehicle 11 in this example is an electric vehicle that charges the battery 14 and uses an electric motor as power, but is not limited thereto. The vehicle can also be a hybrid vehicle, for example.

[0024] The vehicle battery control system 10 includes a plurality of occupant seats 13 installed in the vehicle interior 12 for occupants to sit on, a battery 14 disposed under the rear seat 13R among the occupant seats 13, an air conditioning device 15 that air-conditions (conditions the air in) the vehicle interior 12, and a control device (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) 20 that changes the output upper limit value or input upper limit value of the battery 14.

[0025] The control device 20 of the vehicle battery control system 10 includes an operation unit 16 capable of operating the setting of the centralized air conditioning described later, a seat sensor 17 as a seat detection unit for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R, and a battery temperature sensor 18 as a battery temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the battery 14.

[0026] The occupant seat 13 is a seat installed in the vehicle interior 12 of the vehicle 11 for occupants to sit on. In this example, the occupant seat 13 includes front seats 13F arranged in two columns in the vehicle width direction at the front row of the vehicle interior and rear seats 13R arranged in two columns in the vehicle width direction at the rear row of the vehicle interior.

[0027] The battery 14 is a battery for driving, and a lithium-ion secondary battery is suitably used. As described above, the battery 14 is disposed under the rear seat 13R among the occupant seats 13. In this example, a structure in which the battery 14 is disposed under the rear seat 13R is adopted, but it is not limited thereto, and the battery 14 can also be disposed under the front seat 13F.

[0028] The air conditioning device 15 is a device that air-conditions the vehicle interior 12. The air conditioning device 15 has a function of centrally air-conditioning a specific occupant seat 13 (for example, the front seat 13F or the rear seat 13R). The operation unit 16 is installed in the vehicle interior 12 and is configured to be able to operate the setting of the occupant seat 13 that is centrally air-conditioned by the air conditioning device 15. Information on the centralized air conditioning of the operation unit 16 is sent to the control device 20.

[0029] The seating sensor 17 is a sensor that is provided in the seat surface of the rear seat 13R and detects the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R by changing the resistance value of a strain gauge using the weight of the occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R. The detection signal of the seating sensor 17 is sent to the control device 20.

[0030] In this example, the seating sensor 17 is applied as the seating detection unit, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the following structure may also be used: a rear door opening / closing sensor is used to detect the entry and exit of an occupant relative to the rear seat 13R, and the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R is detected. In addition, the following structure may also be used: a seat belt buckle sensor of the rear seat 13R is used to detect the presence or absence of wearing of the seat belt of the rear seat 13R, thereby detecting the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R.

[0031] The battery temperature sensor 18 is a sensor that is provided near the battery 14 and detects the temperature of the battery 14. The detection signal of the battery temperature sensor 18 is sent to the control device 20.

[0032] The control device 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as an arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and performs signal processing while using the temporary storage function of the RAM according to a program pre-stored in the ROM. Details of the control device 20 will be described later.

[0033] Use Figure 2 and Figure 3 to illustrate the structure of the control device 20. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the control device 20. Figure 3 is a coordinate diagram showing the correlation between the temperature of the battery 14 and the input / output upper limit value of the battery 14.

[0034] The control device 20 is connected to the operation unit 16, the seating sensor 17, the battery temperature sensor 18, etc., and receives the signals sent from them. In addition, the control device 20 is connected to the battery 14, etc., and sends signals to them.

[0035] The control device 20 includes a seating information acquisition unit 21 that acquires information on the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R below which the battery 14 is arranged, a centralized air-conditioning information acquisition unit 22 that acquires information on the centralized air-conditioning of the air-conditioning device 15, a battery temperature acquisition unit 23 that acquires information on the temperature of the battery 14, and an input / output upper limit value change unit 24 that changes the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery 14.

[0036] The centralized air-conditioning information acquisition unit 22 has the following functions: when the occupant seat 13 for centralized air-conditioning is set by the operation unit 16, it acquires the information of the occupant seat 13 for the set centralized air-conditioning. In the centralized air-conditioning information acquisition unit 22, for example, when the front seat 13F is set for centralized air-conditioning, it is highly likely that there is no occupant on the rear seat 13R. In the centralized air-conditioning information acquisition unit 22, for example, when the rear seat 13R is set for centralized air-conditioning, it is highly likely that there is an occupant on the rear seat 13R and the occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R pursues comfort.

[0037] The input / output upper limit value change unit 24 has the following functions: when there is no occupant on the rear seat 13R, it increases the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery 14 to make a setting change; when there is an occupant on the rear seat 13R, it decreases the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery 14 to make a setting change.

[0038] Here, the input upper limit value is the upper limit value of the input to the battery 14, including the upper limit value when power is input to the battery 14 through regenerative braking and the upper limit value when power is input to the battery 14 through an external charging device. In addition, the output upper limit value is the upper limit value of the output of the battery 14 during the running of the vehicle 11, including the upper limit value when power is output from the battery 14 to the drive motor for running according to the accelerator opening.

[0039] According to the input / output upper limit value change unit 24, it is possible to balance the improvement of the cruising range and driving performance of the vehicle 11 and the comfort of the occupants. More specifically, when there is no occupant on the rear seat 13R, by increasing the input / output upper limit value of the battery 14 to make a setting change, it is possible to seek an improvement in the cruising range and driving performance of the vehicle 11. On the other hand, when there is an occupant on the rear seat 13R, by decreasing the input / output upper limit value of the battery 14 to make a setting change, it is possible to seek an improvement in the comfort of the rear seat 13R.

[0040] In addition, the input / output upper limit value change unit 24 may also increase the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery 14 to make a setting change when the front seat 13F is set for centralized air-conditioning. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cruising range and driving performance of the vehicle 11 from deteriorating in the case of a malfunction of the seat sensor 17 although there is no occupant on the rear seat 13R.

[0041] Moreover, the input / output upper limit value change unit 24 may also decrease the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery 14 to make a setting change when the rear seat 13R is set for centralized air-conditioning. Thereby, it is possible to decrease the input / output upper limit value of the battery 14 to make a setting change when the occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R pursues comfort.

[0042] In addition, the input / output upper limit value changing unit 24 can also set and change the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery 14 in an increased manner if the temperature of the battery 14 is lower than a specified temperature (for example, 40°C). Thereby, the battery temperature does not rise unnecessarily, and the safety efficiency of the battery 14 is improved.

[0043] Moreover, the input / output upper limit value changing unit 24 can also set and change the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery 14 to be decreased if the temperature of the battery 14 is equal to or higher than the specified temperature (for example, 40°C). Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cruising range and driving performance of the vehicle 11 from decreasing unnecessarily.

[0044] As Figure 3 shown, the input / output upper limit values of the battery 14 are set separately according to the temperature of the battery 14. In other words, the input / output upper limit value changing unit 24 has a function of setting and changing in such a way that the normal input / output upper limit value ( Figure 3 the solid line in) is expanded to the input / output upper limit value without passengers ( Figure 3 the dashed line in). In addition, the input / output upper limit value changing unit 24 has a function of setting and changing in such a way that the normal input / output upper limit value is reduced to the input / output upper limit value with passengers ( Figure 3 the dash-dotted line in).

[0045] Use Figure 4 to illustrate the control process performed by the control device 20.

[0046] As Figure 4 shown, in step S11, the seat occupancy information acquisition unit 21 acquires information on the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R. In step S12, the centralized air-conditioning information acquisition unit 22 acquires the information on the centralized air-conditioning set by the operation unit 16. In step S13, the battery temperature acquisition unit 23 acquires the temperature of the battery 14 detected by the battery temperature sensor 18.

[0047] In step S14, according to the information on the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R acquired in step S11, if there is an occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R, the process proceeds to step S15, and if there is no occupant sitting on the rear seat 13R, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0048] In step S15, according to the information on the centralized air-conditioning acquired in step S12, if the centralized air-conditioning is set for the rear seat 13R, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, according to the information on the temperature of the battery 14 acquired in step S12, if the temperature of the battery 14 is equal to or higher than the specified temperature (for example, 40°C), the process proceeds to step S17.

[0049] In step S17, the input / output upper limit value of the battery 14 is lowered by the input / output upper limit value changing unit 24 to change the setting, aiming to improve the comfort of the rear seat 13R. In Figure 3 's coordinate diagram, the normal input / output upper limit value (solid line) is reduced to the input / output upper limit value with an occupant ( Figure 3 's single-dot dash line) for setting change. It should be noted that steps S15 or S16 can be omitted from step S14 and move to step S17.

[0050] On the other hand, in step S18, according to the information of the centralized air conditioner obtained in step S12, if the centralized air conditioner is set for the front seat 13F, it moves to step S19. In step S19, according to the information of the temperature of the battery 14 obtained in step S12, if the temperature of the battery 14 is lower than the specified temperature (for example, 40°C), it moves to step S20.

[0051] In step S20, the input / output upper limit value of the battery 14 is increased by the input / output upper limit value changing unit 24 to change the setting, aiming to improve the cruising range and driving performance of the vehicle 11. In Figure 3 's coordinate diagram, the normal input / output upper limit value (solid line) is reduced to the input / output upper limit value without an occupant ( Figure 3 's dashed line) for setting change. It should be noted that steps S18 or S19 can be omitted from step S14 and move to step S20.

[0052] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and their modified examples, and various changes and improvements can of course be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A battery control system for a vehicle, comprising: a battery disposed under a rear seat; an occupancy detection unit configured to detect the presence or absence of an occupant sitting on the rear seat; and a control device configured to set an output upper limit value or an input upper limit value of the battery, wherein the control device sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery to be increased when the occupancy detection unit detects that the occupant is not sitting on the rear seat, and sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery to be decreased when the occupancy detection unit detects that the occupant is sitting on the rear seat, wherein the control device sets the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery to be increased when a centralized air conditioning is set for a front seat, thereby preventing a decrease in the cruising range and driving performance of the vehicle in a case where the occupancy sensor malfunctions although no occupant is sitting on the rear seat, wherein the control device sets the input upper limit value or the output upper limit value of the battery to be decreased when a centralized air conditioning is set for the rear seat, thereby improving the comfort of the rear seat.

2. The battery control system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a battery temperature detection unit configured to detect the temperature of the battery, wherein the control device sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery to be increased when the temperature of the battery is lower than a specified temperature.

3. The battery control system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a battery temperature detection unit configured to detect the temperature of the battery, wherein the control device sets the output upper limit value or the input upper limit value of the battery to be decreased when the temperature of the battery is equal to or higher than the specified temperature.

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