Remote preheating method for compartment of electric bus

Abstract

A remote preheating method for a compartment of an electric bus. The method comprises: acquiring a preheating instruction, which is sent by a remote monitoring platform; calling a bus controller according to the preheating instruction to perform bus self-inspection on an electric bus; calling an MCU to start a BMS, and sending a power-on signal to a battery pack by means of the BMS, so as to preheat a compartment of the electric bus; sending a charging signal to a charging pile by means of the BMS, so as to perform charging; and when the temperature in the compartment reaches a set temperature threshold value and the electric quantity reaches a set electric quantity threshold value, completing the remote preheating of the compartment before departure. Therefore, a comfortable compartment environment is provided, and electricity consumption of an electric bus due to preheating is prevented, thereby ensuring the cruising ability of the electric bus.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of remote control of electric buses, and in particular, relates to a remote preheating method for a compartment of an electric bus. BACKGROUND

[0002] In seasons such as summer and winter with relatively extreme temperatures, the temperature in the compartments of electric buses can be excessively high or low, often affecting the riding environment in the compartment for drivers and passengers. Furthermore, the batteries of the electric buses exhibit poor discharge characteristics in low-temperature conditions, leading to reduced driving range of the electric buses. Meanwhile, it is necessary to preheat the batteries of the electric buses before charging at low temperature, which consumes a significant amount of time and battery power. This prevents the electric buses from maintaining a full charge condition at departure, which necessitates additional charging and compromises the cruising ability of the electric buses. In the prior art, the electric buses often need to be preheated before they are started, which, however, takes an excessively long time to heat the entire compartment to a comfortable temperature required for normal starting of the electric bus in cold weather. As a result, the comfort level and subsequent departure of the electric buses are affected, resulting in problems such as delays, insufficient cruising ability, and cold compartments of the electric buses.

[0003] Chinese Patent CN108501675A discloses a method and system for controlling remote preheating of electric automobile. The method comprises: obtaining a vehicle use reservation instruction transmitted by a remote terminal; determining reserved vehicle use beginning time according to the vehicle use reservation instruction; obtaining a preheating time needed by heating a power battery to a first set temperature threshold, and determining a preheating beginning time according to a vehicle use beginning time and the preheating time; if the preheating beginning time is larger than a set time threshold, enabling a vehicle-mounted TBOX to begin to time, and when the preheating beginning time is reached, transmitting a dormancy awakening signal to wake up a vehicle controller by using a CAN bus and transmitting a preheating signal to the vehicle controller; and after the vehicle controller receives the preheating signal, transmitting a heating signal to a battery management module, which controls a heating module to preheat the power battery. This invention can increase the comfort level and cruising ability for electric vehicles. However, the invention described above is used in electric vehicles to heat the power battery only, failing to significantly enhance the comfort level during the use of vehicles while also posing certain risks. SUMMARY Technical Problem

[0004] In view of the current situation in the prior art, the present invention aims to solve the technical problem with providing a remote preheating method for a compartment of an electric bus, by which preheating the compartment of the electric bus and completing charging of the electric bus are performed by means of BMS control, such that the temperature in the electric bus reaches a set value when the electric bus departs, thereby improving the comfort level in the electric bus and ensuring a full charge state for a battery when the electric bus departs. Technical Solution

[0005] To solve the technical problem described above, the present invention employs a technical solution as follows: a remote preheating method for a compartment of an electric bus, including:

[0006] SI: acquiring a preheating instruction, which is sent by a remote monitoring platform;

[0007] S2: calling a bus controller according to the preheating instruction to perform bus selfinspection on the electric bus, and proceeding to a next step when the bus self-inspection is completed and a preheating time point is reached;

[0008] S3: calling an MCU to start a BMS, and sending a power-on signal to a battery pack by means of the BMS, so as to preheat the compartment of the electric bus;

[0009] S4: when an electric quantity of the battery pack of the electric bus is lower than a set electric quantity threshold value, sending a charging signal to a charging pile by means of the BMS, so as to perform charging on the electric bus by the charging pile; and

[0010] S5: when a temperature in the compartment of the electric bus reaches a set temperature threshold value and the electric quantity reaches the set electric quantity threshold value, completing remote preheating of the compartment of the electric bus.

[0011] Further, the bus self-inspection in step S2 includes BMS self-inspection and CC2 signal selfinspection, and when the BMS receives a BMS awakening signal transmitted by the bus controller, the bus self-inspection is started.

[0012] Further, in a normal state of the electric bus, a CC2 signal is maintained throughout a bus selfinspection stage and a preheating stage.

[0013] Further, in step S2, when a fault occurs during self-inspection of the electric bus, a selfinspection fault signal is sent to the remote monitoring platform, by means of which fault information is displayed and the remote preheating is stopped.

[0014] Further, in step S4, after the charging pile receives the charging signal, a value of a control guidance function signal is pulled down, the charging pile is controlled to charge the electric bus according to the pulled-down control guidance function signal, and charging self-inspection is performed.

[0015] Further, in step S5, when the remote preheating is completed for the compartment of the electric bus, a heating stop signal is sent by means of the BMS, and the electric bus enters a dormancy mode.

[0016] Further, the heating stop signal includes a preheating stop signal and a charging stop signal.

[0017] Further, the charging stop signal is categorized as a self-recoverable charging stop signal and a self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, and when the charging of the electric bus is stopped due to an internal reason of the BMS or power grid disconnection under manual control, the charging stop signal is the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal.

[0018] Further, when the BMS receives the self-recoverable charging stop signal and the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, a self-recovery charging state of the electric bus differs, wherein:

[0019] when the BMS receives the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, the battery of the electric bus is not self-recoverable for charging; and

[0020] when the BMS receives the self-recoverable charging stop signal, a charging recovery acknowledgment message is sent via a CAN bus according to an internal condition of the electric bus, and the electric bus self-recovers for charging.

[0021] Further, a number of self-recovery charging times of the electric bus cannot exceed two. Beneficial Effects

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0023] (1) the present invention provides a remote preheating method for a compartment of an electric bus compartment, by which the compartment of the electric bus is remotely preheated by means of the BMS to provide a comfortable compartment environment before departure without taking up extra departure time for compartment heating, thereby avoiding the situation that the temperature in the compartment has not yet reached the appropriate temperature at departure;

[0024] (2) when the electric quantity of the electric bus is lower than the set electric quantity threshold value, a charging signal is sent to a charging pile by means of the BMS, so as to perform charging on the electric bus by the charging pile, such that the electric bus is prevented from electricity consumption due to preheating and from insufficient electric quantity after departure, thereby ensuring the cruising ability of the electric bus; and

[0025] (3) when a fault occurs during self-inspection of the electric bus, a self-inspection fault signal is sent to the remote monitoring platform, by means of which fault information is displayed and the remote preheating is stopped, such that the safety of remote preheating is improved for the electric bus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a remote preheating method for a compartment of an electric bus provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The following provides the specific embodiments of the present invention, and the technical solutions of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Embodiment I

[0028] To improve the comfort level during use of an electric bus and allow for remote preheating of the compartment of the electric bus in advance m cold environments to avoid delays in starting time of departure and insufficient driving range, as shown in FIG. 1, the present invention provides a remote preheating method for a compartment of an electric bus. The remote preheating method includes:

[0029] SI: acquiring a preheating instruction, which is sent by a remote monitoring platform;

[0030] S2: calling a bus controller according to the preheating instruction to perform bus selfinspection on the electric bus, and proceeding to a next step when the bus self-inspection is completed and a preheating time point is reached;

[0031] S3: calling an MCU to start a BMS, and sending a power-on signal to a battery pack by means of the BMS, so as to preheat the compartment of the electric bus;

[0032] S4: when an electric quantity of the battery pack of the electric bus is lower than a set electric quantity threshold value, sending a charging signal to a charging pile by means of the BMS, so as to perform charging on the electric bus by the charging pile; and

[0033] S5: when a temperature in the compartment of the electric bus reaches a set temperature threshold value and the electric quantity reaches the set electric quantity threshold value, completing remote preheating of the compartment of the electric bus.

[0034] When the temperature is excessively high or low in summer and winter, the compartment of the electric bus may be remotely preheated or precooled before departure. Taking the low-temperature condition in winter as an example, according to the specific use of the bus, a user sends a preheating instruction to the bus controller by the remote monitoring platform, and the bus controller performs bus self-inspection on the electric bus before a preheating time point according to the preheating instruction. If no abnormality is found in the bus after the bus self-inspection is completed, the electric bus calls the MCU to start the BMS, by which the power-on signal is sent to the battery pack to cause the battery pack of the electric bus to initiate its operation, formally starting a bus preheating process. The BMS initiates a high-voltage power-on process and turns on a discharge circuit to initiate a compartment heating process. When the electric quantity of the battery is lower than the set electric quantity threshold value due to electricity consumption of the battery pack of the electric bus during the preheating process, a charging signal is sent to the charging pile by means of the BMS to initiate a charging process, causing the charging pile to charge the electric bus. Before the charging process begins, the charging gun needs to be inserted into the electric bus all the time to keep a charging standby state. When the temperature in the compartment of the electric bus reaches the set temperature threshold value and the electric quantity reaches the set electric quantity threshold value, the charging process and the high-voltage power-off process end, in which case all high- and low-voltage devices and the BMS of the electric bus are awakened and powered off. The heating stop signal is sent by means of the BMS to cause the bus controller to enter a dormancy mode, such that the existing temperature in the compartment and the power required for the electric bus to travel are maintained, thereby completing the remote preheating of the compartment of the electric bus. In this way, the temperature in the compartment is maintained at an appropriate level, and the electric quantity is sufficient, thereby increasing the departure and travel efficiency.

[0035] In step S2, the bus self-inspection includes BMS self-inspection and CC2 signal self-inspection, in order to ensure intact connection between the electric bus controller and a bus terminal. When receiving the BMS awakening signal transmitted by the bus controller, the BMS begins the bus selfinspection. Under normal conditions, the CC2 signal remains active from the bus self-inspection stage through the preheating stage. If no abnormality is found during the BMS self-inspection, the electric bus remote preheating process may be initiated. If a fault occurs during the self-inspection, a self inspection fault signal is transmitted to the remote monitoring platform, by means of which the fault information of the electric bus is displayed and the remote preheating is stopped, and repairs and adjustments are made based on the fault information to improve the safety of remote preheating for the electric bus. The BMS and the CC2 signal are critical parts of the electric bus preheating process. The BMS is configured to control the bus preheating process, and the CC2 signal is configured to ensure intact connection, thereby preventing preheating faults.

[0036] Further, in step S4, after the charging pile receives the charging signal, the value of a control guidance function signal is pulled down, the charging pile is controlled to charge the electric bus according to the pulled-down control guidance function signal, and charging self-inspection is performed.

[0037] In step S4, the charging gun needs to be inserted into the charging position of the electric bus. After receiving the charging signal, the charging pile pulls down the value of the control guidance function signal. After detecting a change in the value of the control guidance function signal, the MCU of the charging pile changes an output signal to control the charging pile to charge the electric bus. Also, charging self-inspection is performed to prevent faults during charging.

[0038] Further, the heating stop signal includes a preheating stop signal and a charging stop signal.

[0039] The heating stop signal sent by means of the BMS includes a preheating stop signal and a charging stop signal. If a fault occurs when the electric bus performs a preheating task or when preheating is completed, the electric bus may be stopped and allowed to enter the dormancy mode. To better protect the electric bus and prevent untimely addressed faults during the remote preheating process of the electric bus, inspections are conducted during charging and preheating processes of the electric bus. These inspections include those performed on a motor, an air conditioner, a charging pile and the like. In the case of a fault, a corresponding fault feedback and related information are transmitted to the remote monitoring platform to facilitate staff to adjust a corresponding device, such that the work efficiency is improved.

[0040] Further, the charging stop signal is categorized as a self-recoverable charging stop signal and a self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, and when the charging of the electric bus is stopped due to an internal reason of the BMS or power grid disconnection under manual control, the charging stop signal is the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal.

[0041] Further, when the BMS receives the self-recoverable charging stop signal and the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, a self-recovery charging state of the electric bus differs, where:

[0042] when the BMS receives the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, the battery of the electric bus is not self-recoverable for charging; and

[0043] when the BMS receives the self-recoverable charging stop signal, a charging recovery acknowledgment message is sent by a CAN bus according to an internal condition of the electric bus, and the electric bus self-recovers for charging.

[0044] Further, the number of self-recovery charging times of the electric bus cannot exceed two.

[0045] The charging stop signal is categorized as a self-recoverable signal and a self-nonrecoverable signal. When the charging of the electric bus is stopped due to an internal reason of the BMS or power grid disconnection under manual control, the charging stop signal is the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal. For example, the electric bus is not self-recoverable for charging after charging stop caused by the internal safety reasons of the BMS such as BMS insulation faults, excessively low level of battery cells, and over-temperature of charging sockets, or due to direct power grid disconnection under manual control. However, when the BMS receives the self-recoverable charging stop signal, a charging recovery acknowledgment message is sent via a CAN bus according to internal conditions (including charging stop reasons such as lower electric quantity than the set electric quantity threshold value due to electricity consumption by bus-mounted high / low / voltage electricity consumption devices, power failure of power grid, and other non-charging-related factors) of the electric bus. If charging can be restarted, the electric bus self-recovers for charging by reestablishing a charging connection. However, the number of self-recovery charging times of the electric bus may not exceed two, so as to prevent the electric bus from charging faults and safety hazards caused by repeated restarts.

[0046] In summary, the remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to the present invention allows for: acquiring a preheating instruction, which is sent by a remote monitoring platform; calling a bus controller according to the preheating instruction to perform bus self-inspection on the electric bus; when the bus self-inspection is completed and a preheating time point is reached, calling an MCU to start a BMS, sending a power-on signal to a battery pack by means of the BMS so as to preheat the compartment of the electric bus, and sending a charging signal to a charging pile by means of the BMS so as to perform charging on the electric bus by the charging pile; and when a temperature in the compartment of the electric bus reaches a set temperature threshold value and the electric quantity reaches the set electric quantity threshold value, completing remote preheating of the compartment of the electric bus. With such a method, a comfortable compartment environment is provided before departure time of the electric bus without taking up extra departure time for compartment heating, thereby avoiding the situation that the temperature in the compartment has not yet reached the appropriate temperature at departure. When the electric quantity of the electric bus is lower than the set electric quantity threshold value, the charging signal is sent to the charging pile by means of the BMS, so as to perform charging on the electric bus by the charging pile, such that the electric bus is prevented from electricity consumption due to preheating and from insufficient electric quantity after departure, thereby ensuring the cruising ability of the electric bus. In this way, the temperature in the bus has reached the set value at departure, and the battery is ensured to be fully charged when the bus departs. When a fault occurs during self-inspection of the electric bus, a selfinspection fault signal is sent to the remote monitoring platform, by means of which fault information is displayed and the remote preheating is stopped, such that the safety of remote preheating is improved for the electric bus.

[0047] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as, up, down, left, right, front, back, ...) in the embodiments of the present invention only serve to explain a relative positional relationship, a motion condition and the like between various components under a specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawing). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications change therewith accordingly.

[0048] In addition, the descriptions such as "first”, "second" and “one” involved in the embodiments of the present invention are merely for a descriptive purpose, and shall not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. As such, features defined by “first” and “second” can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of said features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified, “a plurality of’ means at least two, for example, two, three, etc.

[0049] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified and defined, the terms "connection", "fixation", and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the “fixation” may be a fixed connection, or a detachable connection or an integral connection; may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; may be a direct connection, or an indirect connection via an intermediate medium, or an internal connection between two elements, or an interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in accordance with specific conditions.

[0050] In addition, the technical solutions of various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, which must be based on their feasibility for those skilled in the art. When the technical solutions are in conflict during the combining or the combination is not achievable, it should be considered that such a combination does not exist and is not within the protection scope claimed by the present invention. [0051 ] The specific embodiments described herein are merely for exemplifying the spirit of the present invention. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs may make a variety of modifications or supplementations or substitutions in a similar way to the specific embodiments as described, which is deemed as not departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A remote preheating method for a compartment of an electric bus, comprising:SI: acquiring a preheating instruction, which is sent by a remote monitoring platform;S2: calling a bus controller according to the preheating instruction to perform bus selfinspection on the electric bus, and proceeding to a next step when the bus self-inspection is completed and a preheating time point is reached;S3: calling an MCU to start a BMS, and sending a power-on signal to a battery pack by means of the BMS, so as to preheat the compartment of the electric bus;S4: when an electric quantity of the battery pack of the electric bus is lower than a set electric quantity threshold value, sending a charging signal to a charging pile by means of the BMS, so as to perform charging on the electric bus by the charging pile; andS5: when a temperature in the compartment of the electric bus reaches a set temperature threshold value and the electric quantity reaches the set electric quantity threshold value, completing remote preheating of the compartment of the electric bus.

2. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 1, wherein the bus self-mspection in step S2 comprises BMS self-inspection and CC2 signal selfinspection, and when the BMS receives a BMS awakening signal transmitted by the bus controller, the bus self-inspection is started.

3. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 2, wherein in a normal state of the electric bus, a CC2 signal is maintained throughout a bus selfinspection stage and a preheating stage.

4. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 1, wherein in step S2, when a fault occurs during self-inspection of the electric bus, a self-inspection fault signal is sent to the remote monitoring platform, by means of which fault information is displayed and the remote preheating is stopped.

5. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 1, wherein in step S4, after the charging pile receives the charging signal, a value of a control guidance function signal is pulled down, the charging pile is controlled to charge the electric bus according to the pulled-down control guidance function signal, and charging self-inspection is performed.

6. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 1, wherein in step S5, when the remote preheating is completed for the compartment of the electric bus, a heating stop signal is sent by means of the BMS, and the electric bus enters a dormancy mode.

7. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 6, wherein the heating stop signal comprises a preheating stop signal and a charging stop signal.

8. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 7, wherein the charging stop signal is categorized as a self-recoverable charging stop signal and a self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, and wherein when the charging of the electric bus is stopped due to an internal reason of the BMS or power grid disconnection under manual control, the charging stop signal is the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal.

9. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 8, wherein when the BMS receives the self-recoverable charging stop signal and the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, a self-recovery charging state of the electric bus differs, wherein:when the BMS receives the self-nonrecoverable charging stop signal, a battery of the electric bus is not self-recoverable for charging; andwhen the BMS receives the self-recoverable charging stop signal, a charging recovery acknowledgment message is sent via a CAN bus according to an internal condition of the electric bus, and the electric bus self-recovers for charging.

10. The remote preheating method for the compartment of the electric bus according to claim 9, wherein a number of self-recovery charging times of the electric bus cannot exceed two.

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