Charging system for secondary battery

Abstract

Provided is a charging system for a secondary battery that can calculate the distance that a vehicle can travel on a single charge. The charging system for a secondary battery includes a controller (ECU) that calculates the charging power of a secondary battery (battery) mounted on a vehicle during charging and calculates the distance that the vehicle can travel on a single charge for a predetermined period of time based on the charging power, and a display device (instrument panel) that displays the distance that the vehicle can travel on a single charge.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a charging system for secondary batteries. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, a vehicle range calculation device was known for calculating the remaining driving range of a vehicle. The vehicle range calculation device described in Patent Document 1 calculates the driving range based on the power consumption rate corresponding to the average vehicle speed and the remaining capacity of the secondary battery.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-064364 Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, the device described in Patent Document 1 can calculate the vehicle's range during driving, but cannot calculate the vehicle's range during charging.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a charging system for a secondary battery that can calculate the driving range of a vehicle during charging.

[0006] The secondary battery charging system of the present invention comprises: a controller that calculates the charging power of the secondary battery mounted on the vehicle during charging and calculates the vehicle's driving range for each predetermined time based on the charging power; and a display device that displays the vehicle's driving range.

[0007] Invention Effects

[0008] According to the present invention, the driving range of a vehicle can be calculated during charging. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the structure of a vehicle 50 equipped with the control system according to the embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in calculating a vehicle's remaining driving range.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between SOC and the charging power of battery 130. Detailed Implementation

[0012] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] Figure 1This diagram illustrates the structure of a vehicle 50 equipped with the control system according to this embodiment. The vehicle 50 includes a battery 130 (secondary battery) for storing electrical power for driving. The vehicle 50 is configured to use the electrical energy stored in the battery 130 for driving. The vehicle 50 according to this embodiment is a battery electric vehicle (BEV).

[0014] The battery 130 is composed of, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery.

[0015] The vehicle 50 is equipped with an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "electronic control unit (ECU)") 150. The ECU 150 is configured to perform charging control and discharging control of the battery 130.

[0016] The vehicle 50 also includes a monitoring module 131 for monitoring the state of the battery 130. The monitoring module 131 includes various sensors that detect the state of the battery 130 (e.g., voltage, current, and temperature) and outputs the detection results to the ECU 150. In addition to the aforementioned sensor functions, the monitoring module 131 also has State of Charge (SOC) estimation, State of Health (SOH) estimation, cell voltage equalization, diagnostic functions, and communication functions. The ECU 150 can obtain the state of the battery 130 (e.g., temperature, current, voltage, SOC, and internal resistance) based on the output of the monitoring module 131.

[0017] Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) 40 is equivalent to an external power supply device for the vehicle 50. A power circuit 41 is built into the main body of the EVSE 40. A charging cable 42 is connected to the main body of the EVSE 40.

[0018] The vehicle 50 has a charging port 110 for contact charging and a charger 120. The charging port 110 is configured to receive power supplied from outside the vehicle 50. The charging port 110 is configured to connect a connector 43 to a charging cable 42. The vehicle 50 is connected (plugged in) to the charging port 110 of the vehicle 50 via the connector 43 of the charging cable 42, which is connected to the main body of the EVSE 40, and the vehicle 50 is in a plugged-in state.

[0019] The EVSE40 involved in this embodiment is an AC power supply device that supplies alternating current. Details will be described later; the EVSE40 corresponds to reverse current. Additionally, in... Figure 1The diagram only shows the charging port 110 and charger 120 corresponding to the power supply method of EVSE40, but vehicle 50 may also have multiple charging ports to be compatible with various power supply methods (e.g., AC and DC).

[0020] Charger / discharger 120 is located between charging port 110 and battery 130. Charger / discharger 120 includes: a relay for switching the connection / disconnection of the power path from charging port 110 to battery 130 (neither shown); and a power conversion circuit. The power conversion circuit is configured to perform bidirectional AC / DC conversion. The power conversion circuit is configured to convert AC power supplied from EVSE40 into DC power and output it to battery 130, and to convert DC power supplied from battery 130 into AC power and output it to charging port 110. As the power conversion circuit, for example, a bidirectional inverter can be used.

[0021] The vehicle 50 also includes a monitoring module 121 for monitoring the status of the charger 120. The monitoring module 121 includes various sensors that detect the status of the charger 120 and outputs the detection results to the ECU 150. In this embodiment, the monitoring module 121 is configured to detect the voltage and current input to the power conversion circuit and the voltage and current output from the power conversion circuit.

[0022] In the vehicle 50 in the plugged-in state, external charging (i.e., charging the battery 130 with power supplied from outside the vehicle 50) and external power supply (i.e., supplying power from the vehicle 50 to the outside) are possible. Power for external charging is supplied, for example, from the EVSE 40 to the charging port 110. The charger 120 is configured to convert the power received from the charging port 110 into power suitable for charging the battery 130 and output the converted power to the battery 130. Power for external power supply is supplied from the battery 130 to the charger 120. The charger 120 is configured to convert the power supplied from the battery 130 into power suitable for external power supply and output the converted power to the charging port 110. When either external charging or external power supply is performed, the relay of the charger 120 is in a closed state (connected state); when neither external charging nor external power supply is performed, the relay of the charger 120 is in an open state (disconnected state).

[0023] ECU 150 comprises a processor 151, random access memory (RAM) 152, and a storage device 153. ECU 150 can be a computer. The processor 151 can be a central processing unit (CPU). RAM 152 functions as working memory, temporarily storing data processed by the processor 151. The storage device 153 is configured to store the stored information. The storage device 153 may include, for example, read-only memory (ROM) and rewritable non-volatile memory. In addition to the program, the storage device 153 stores information used in the program (e.g., maps, formulas, and various parameters). In this embodiment, the processor 151 executes the program stored in the storage device 153 to perform various controls in ECU 150. However, the various controls in ECU 150 are not limited to software execution; they can also be executed using dedicated hardware (electronic circuitry). Furthermore, the number of processors in ECU 150 is arbitrary, and a processor can be prepared for each specified control.

[0024] Vehicle 50 also includes: a drive unit 140; an input device 161; an instrument panel 162; a navigation system (hereinafter referred to as "NAVI") 170; communication equipment 180; and drive wheels W. Furthermore, the drive method of vehicle 50 is not limited to... Figure 1 The front-wheel drive shown can also be rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

[0025] The driving unit 140 includes a power control unit (PCU, not shown) and a motor generator (MG), which use electricity stored in the battery 130 to drive the vehicle 50. The PCU is configured, for example, to include an inverter, a converter, and a relay (hereinafter referred to as the "System Main Relay (SMR)") (all not shown). The PCU is controlled by the ECU 150. The MG is, for example, a three-phase AC motor generator. The MG is driven by the PCU and configured to rotate the drive wheel W. The PCU uses electricity supplied from the battery 130 to drive the MG. Furthermore, the MG is configured to perform regenerative power generation and supply the generated electricity to the battery 130. The SMR is configured to switch the connection / disconnection of the power path from the battery 130 to the MG. The SMR is in a closed state (connected state) when the vehicle 50 is in motion.

[0026] The instrument panel 162 (display device) is configured to display information related to the vehicle 50. For example, the instrument panel 162 displays various information related to the vehicle 50 measured by various sensors mounted on the vehicle 50. The information displayed on the instrument panel 162 may include at least one of the following: external temperature, vehicle speed, battery SOC 130, vehicle power consumption, and vehicle distance traveled. The instrument panel 162 may be a touch panel display. The instrument panel 162 is controlled by the ECU 150.

[0027] The secondary battery charging system 200 includes, for example, an ECU 150 and an instrument panel 162.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps involved in calculating the driving range of vehicle 50.

[0029] In step S101, the ECU 150 obtains the SOC of the battery 130 from the monitoring module 131 before the charging of the battery 130 begins.

[0030] In step S102, ECU 150 calculates the charging power (charging output) of battery 130 during charging. Specifically, ECU 150 calculates the charging power (charging output) of battery 130 within the range of its State of Charge (SOC) before charging begins. For example, ECU 150 can calculate the charging power (charging output) of battery 130 based on, for example, the charging output of battery 130 within the range of its State of Charge (SOC) before charging begins. Figure 3 The relationship between the SOC and the charging power of battery 130 is shown to determine the charging power of battery 130 during charging.

[0031] In step S103, ECU 150 predicts the charge amount (CV) of battery 130 per predetermined time (T) based on the charging power (P) of battery 130. For example, ECU 150 can set CV as the product of P and T. Alternatively, ECU 150 can use a table representing CV relative to a combination of P and T.

[0032] In step S104, ECU 150 calculates the driving range of vehicle 50 for each predetermined time period based on the charge amount of battery 130 for each predetermined time period. For example, ECU 150 may also calculate the driving range of vehicle 50 for each predetermined time period based on a table showing the correspondence between the charge amount of battery 130 for each predetermined time period and the driving range of vehicle 50 for each predetermined time period. Alternatively, ECU 150 may also calculate the driving range of vehicle 50 for each predetermined time period by multiplying the charge amount of battery 130 for each predetermined time period by a predetermined constant.

[0033] In step S105, ECU 150 displays the remaining driving distance of vehicle 50 at each specified time on instrument panel 162.

[0034] According to this embodiment, the charging amount and the remaining driving range based on the charging power during battery charging can be calculated and displayed. By calculating the remaining driving range corresponding to the charging power and charging time during charging and notifying the user, the user can change the charging time, etc.

[0035] Furthermore, it can recommend charging / driving within the optimal SOC zone.

[0036] For example, even under the same ΔSOC 20% (normal temperature range), (1) the charging time is about 10 minutes when the SOC is 40% to 60%, and (2) the charging time is about 30 minutes when the SOC is 80% to 100%. With a range of 100km at a ΔSOC 20% capacity, by setting (1) 100km / 10 minutes and (2) 33km / 10 minutes, it is possible to recommend charging to the user within the range of (1).

[0037] In the above embodiment, the ECU 150 calculates the charge amount of the battery 130 per specified time based on the charging power, and calculates the driving range of the vehicle 50 per specified time based on the charge amount of the battery 130 per specified time, but is not limited to this. The ECU 150 may also directly calculate the driving range of the vehicle 50 per specified time based on the charging power using a reference table.

[0038] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ECU 150 calculates the charging power of the battery 130 during charging based on the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 130 before charging begins, but it is not limited to this. The ECU 150 may also calculate the charging power of the battery 130 during charging based on the current and voltage of the battery 130 during charging.

[0039] It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is not shown in the foregoing description, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0040] Symbol Explanation

[0041] 41-Power supply circuit, 42-Charging cable, 43-Connector, 50-Vehicle, 110-Charging port, 120-Charger / discharger, 121, 131-Monitoring module, 130-Battery, 140-Driving drive unit, 151-Processor, 152-RAM, 153-Storage device, 161-Input device, 162-Dashboard, 180-Communication equipment, 200-Charging system.

Claims

1. A charging system for a secondary battery, characterized in that, have: The controller determines the charging power of the secondary battery installed in the vehicle during charging, and calculates the vehicle's remaining driving range for each predetermined time period based on the charging power; and A display device shows the vehicle's remaining driving range.

2. The charging system for a secondary battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller calculates the charging power of the secondary battery based on the state of charge (SOC) of the secondary battery before charging begins.

3. The charging system for a secondary battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller predicts the amount of charge of the secondary battery at each specified time based on the charging power, and calculates the driving range of the vehicle at each specified time based on the predicted amount of charge.

Images