Vehicle battery cooling device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle battery cooling device that can efficiently suppress battery degradation while considering the weather conditions around a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle battery cooling device includes: a blower 54 which can blow the air in a cabin to a battery 24 installed in a vehicle 10; a door open / close state detection sensor 20 which can detect whether at least one of doors 16L, 16R, 18L, 18R that can open / close an opening 14 installed in a vehicle body 12 is in an open state for opening the opening or a close state for closing the opening; an information acquisition unit which can acquire target information being at least one of first information about the rain around the vehicle and second information about the outside air temperature around the vehicle; and a control unit which operates the blower when the door open / close state detection sensor detects that all doors are in the close state or when the target information does not satisfy a specific condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle battery cooling device. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with an electric motor as a drive source of the vehicle, a battery capable of supplying power to the electric motor, and a blower (fan) capable of blowing air from the vehicle compartment to the battery. The vehicle further includes a door capable of opening and closing an opening provided on the body of the vehicle, and a door open / closed state detection sensor capable of detecting whether the door is in an open state that opens the opening or a closed state that closes the opening.

[0003] In this vehicle, when the door open / close sensor detects that the door is closed, the blower operates to supply air from the vehicle interior to the battery, so that when the door is closed, the battery is cooled by the blower, preventing deterioration of the battery.

[0004] On the other hand, in this vehicle, when the door open / closed state detection sensor detects that the door is open, the blower stops, so that, for example, when it is raining around the vehicle and the door is open, the rain (moisture) is not supplied to the battery by the blower. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2013 / 084350 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the vehicle of Patent Document 1, the decision as to whether to operate the blower is made without considering the weather around the vehicle. Therefore, the invention of Patent Document 1 may stop the blower when it is not necessary to stop the blower. In other words, the invention of Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of efficiently suppressing battery deterioration.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVEHICATION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle battery cooling device that can efficiently suppress battery deterioration while taking into account the weather around the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The vehicle battery cooling device of claim 1 includes a blower capable of blowing air from a vehicle compartment to a battery mounted in the vehicle, a door opening / closing state detection sensor capable of detecting whether at least one door capable of opening and closing an opening provided on a body of the vehicle is in an open state that opens the opening or a closed state that closes the opening, an information acquisition unit capable of acquiring target information which is at least one of first information regarding rain in the vicinity of the vehicle and second information regarding an outside air temperature in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a control unit which operates the blower when the door opening / closing state detection sensor detects that all of the doors are in the closed state or when the target information does not satisfy a specific condition, and which stops the blower when the door opening / closing state detection sensor detects that at least one of the doors is in the open state and the target information satisfies the specific condition. Equipped with.

[0009] The control unit of the vehicle battery cooling device of claim 1 stops the blower when the door open / closed state detection sensor detects that at least one door is open and the target information, which is at least one of the rain represented by the first information and the outside air temperature represented by the second information, satisfies a specific condition. Therefore, for example, when at least one door is open and the rain represented by the first information satisfies the specific condition, rain (moisture) is not supplied to the battery by the blower. The control unit of the vehicle battery cooling device of claim 1 operates the blower when the door open / closed state detection sensor detects that all doors are closed or when the target information does not satisfy the specific condition. Therefore, for example, even if at least one door is open, if the rain represented by the first information does not satisfy the specific condition, air from the vehicle compartment is supplied to the battery by the blower. Therefore, the vehicle battery cooling device of claim 1 can efficiently suppress deterioration of the battery while taking into account the weather around the vehicle.

[0010] The vehicle battery cooling device of claim 2 is in accordance with claim 1, wherein the specific condition is satisfied when the amount of rainfall per unit time represented by the first information is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

[0011] In the vehicle battery cooling device of claim 2, the specific condition is satisfied when the amount of rainfall per unit time represented by the first information is equal to or greater than the first threshold. Therefore, the vehicle battery cooling device of claim 2 can supply air from the vehicle compartment to the battery by the blower when the amount of rainfall per unit time represented by the first information is less than the first threshold, even when at least one door is open.

[0012] The vehicle battery cooling device described in claim 3 is in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the information acquisition unit is at least one of a rain sensor, a wiper information acquisition unit that acquires the operation state of a wiper provided in the vehicle, and a wireless communication device that can acquire the target information via wireless communication from a communication device located outside the vehicle.

[0013] The vehicle battery cooling device of claim 3 is capable of acquiring at least one of the first information and the second information by using at least one of the rain sensor, the wiper information acquisition unit, and the wireless communication device.

[0014] The vehicle battery cooling device described in claim 4 is, in any one of claims 1 to 3, provided with an interior temperature sensor capable of acquiring third information regarding the interior temperature, which is the temperature of the vehicle compartment, and the specific condition is satisfied when the outside air temperature represented by the second information is equal to or higher than a second threshold value and the outside air temperature represented by the second information is higher than the interior temperature represented by the third information by equal to or higher than the third threshold value.

[0015] In the vehicle battery cooling device of claim 4, when the outside air temperature represented by the second information is equal to or higher than the second threshold, it is possible to prevent the outside air around the vehicle that is equal to or higher than the vehicle interior temperature represented by the third information from being supplied to the battery by the blower. Therefore, the vehicle battery cooling device of claim 5 can efficiently suppress deterioration of the battery when the outside air temperature represented by the second information is equal to or higher than the second threshold.

[0016] The vehicle battery cooling device described in claim 5 is, in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the vehicle is provided with an air intake port that opens in an area on one side of the left and right sides of the center of the vehicle's left-right direction in the vehicle compartment, the blower is capable of blowing air from the vehicle compartment sucked in through the air intake port to the battery, and the control unit stops the blower when the door opening / closing state detection sensor detects that the door that can open and close the opening provided on the side surface on one side of the vehicle body is in the open state and the target information satisfies the specific condition.

[0017] The vehicle battery cooling device of claim 5 does not stop the blower when the door that can open and close the opening on the other side of the left and right sides of the vehicle body is open, regardless of whether the target information satisfies a specific condition. In this case, there is little risk that rain and outside air at an outside temperature that satisfies the specific condition will be supplied to the battery by the blower. Effect of the Invention

[0018] As described above, the vehicle battery cooling device according to the present invention has the excellent effect of being able to efficiently suppress battery deterioration while taking into account the weather around the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle battery cooling device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a rear seat of the vehicle and an air intake of a blower. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of an ECU of a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the ECU. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific condition determination map recorded in a ROM of the ECU. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed by a CPU of the ECU. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of an ECU according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a process executed by a CPU of an ECU according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] A first embodiment of a vehicle battery cooling device 70 (hereinafter, cooling device 70) according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Arrow FR, appropriately shown in the figures, indicates the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction, arrow LH indicates the left side in the vehicle lateral direction, and arrow UP indicates the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0021] 1, a vehicle 10 equipped with a cooling device 70 of this embodiment includes a windshield 13 fixed to a vehicle body 12, front doors 16L, 16R (doors) for respectively opening and closing left and right openings 14 formed in the front part of the vehicle body 12, and rear doors 18L, 18R (doors) for respectively opening and closing left and right openings 14 formed in the rear part of the vehicle body 12. Furthermore, the vehicle 10 includes four curtsic switches (door open / close state detection sensors) 20 for detecting whether the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are in a closed state in which the corresponding openings 14 are closed, or an open state in which the corresponding openings 14 are opened.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 10 includes an electric motor 22, a battery 24, a battery temperature sensor 26, and a charger 28. The vehicle 10 has the electric motor 22 and an internal combustion engine (not shown) as drive sources. The battery 24 is capable of supplying electric power to the electric motor 22 that drives the drive wheels, and is also capable of charging and discharging the battery. As shown in Fig. 2, the battery 24 includes a case 25 and a number of battery cells (not shown) provided inside the case 25. A battery temperature sensor 26 capable of detecting the temperature of the battery cells is provided inside the case 25. The charger 28 charges the battery 24 with electric power supplied from an external power source (not shown) such as a household power source. In other words, the vehicle 10 is a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV).

[0023] 1, the vehicle body 12 is provided with a wiper 32, which is a movable member located immediately in front of the windshield 13. The wiper 32 swings relative to the windshield 13 by the driving force of an actuator 34 (see FIG. 3), and slides on the surface of the windshield 13.

[0024] 3, the vehicle 10 is provided with a mode changeover switch 36 and a wiper switch 38. The mode changeover switch 36 is capable of switching the control mode of the actuator 34 between a manual control mode and an automatic wiper control mode.

[0025] For example, when the manual control mode is selected by the mode change switch 36, the actuator 34 is not operated when the wiper switch 38 is OFF. On the other hand, when the manual control mode is selected and the wiper switch 38 is switched ON, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 60 (described later) transmits an operation signal to the actuator 34 to operate the actuator 34. This causes the wiper 32 to slide on the surface of the windshield 13.

[0026] 1 and 3, the vehicle 10 further has a rain sensor (information acquisition unit) 40 located immediately behind the upper part of the windshield 13. Light waves (electromagnetic waves) emitted forward by the rain sensor 40 pass through the windshield 13 and travel toward the outside of the windshield 13. Then, when the light waves are reflected by moisture (rain) located in front of the windshield 13, the reflected light passes through the windshield 13 and is received by the rain sensor 40. The detection result of the rain sensor 40 is transmitted to the ECU 60, which will be described later.

[0027] When it rains around the vehicle 10, the rain sensor 40 detects rain (moisture). When the auto wiper control mode is selected, the ECU 60 determines whether or not to send an activation signal to the actuator 34 based on information (first information) related to rain received from the rain sensor 40, as described below. When an activation signal is sent to the actuator 34, the wiper 32 slides on the windshield 13 by the driving force of the actuator 34. On the other hand, when the activation signal is no longer sent to the actuator 34, the wiper 32 stops sliding.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 10 is provided with a sensitivity setting unit 42 for adjusting the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40. An occupant of the vehicle 10 can operate the sensitivity setting unit 42 to select the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40 from among three levels: "high," "medium," and "low." Here, it is assumed that the amount of rainfall per unit time around the vehicle 10 is a predetermined constant amount. In this case, if the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40 is set to "low," the rain sensor 40 may not detect rain. On the other hand, if the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40 is set to "high," the rain sensor 40 may detect rain.

[0029] A pair of left and right front seats (not shown) and a rear seat 46 (see FIG. 2) located behind the front seats are provided in the vehicle interior 12A, which is the interior space of the vehicle 10. The rear seat 46 has a support member 48, which is a hollow body fixed to the floor surface 12A1 of the vehicle interior 12A, and a seat main body 50 fixed to an upper portion of the support member 48.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the battery 24 and the battery temperature sensor 26 are provided inside the support member 48. Furthermore, an air intake port 48A and an exhaust port 48B are provided on the front surface of the support member 48. An air intake duct 52 is provided inside the support member 48. An opening on one end side of the air intake duct 52 is connected to the air intake port 48A, and an opening on the other end side is located inside the case 25. A blower (cooling fan) 54 is provided inside the air intake duct 52. The blower 54 rotates by the driving force of an actuator 56 (see FIG. 3). When the blower 54 rotates, air in the vehicle interior 12A is sucked into the air intake duct 52 from the air intake port 48A, and is supplied to the battery cells in the case 25 from the opening on the other end side of the air intake duct 52. When air flow with a lower temperature than that of the battery cells is supplied to the battery cells, the battery cells are cooled.

[0031] Next, a configuration and functions of the ECU 60 will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the ECU 60 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (control unit) 60A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 60B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 60C, a storage 60D, a communication I / F 60E, and an input / output I / F 60F. The CPU 60A, the ROM 60B, the RAM 60C, the storage 60D, the communication I / F 60E, and the input / output I / F 60F are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an internal bus 60Z.

[0032] The CPU 60A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. The CPU 60A reads out a program from the ROM 60B or the storage 60D, and executes the program using the RAM 60C as a working area. The CPU 60A controls each component and performs various calculation processes according to the program recorded in the ROM 60B or the storage 60D.

[0033] The ROM 60B stores various programs and various data. The RAM 60C temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 60D is configured by a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various programs and various data.

[0034] The communication I / F 60E is an interface for connecting, via an external bus (not shown), to an ECU (not shown) other than the ECU 60. For example, the communication standard of the CAN protocol is used for this interface.

[0035] The input / output I / F 60F is an interface for communicating with various devices, including the curtsy switch 20, the electric motor 22, the battery 24, the battery temperature sensor 26, the actuator 34, the mode change switch 36, the wiper switch 38, the rain sensor 40, the sensitivity setting unit 42, and the actuator 56.

[0036] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the ECU 60. The ECU 60 has, as its functional configuration, a door state recognition unit 601, a sensitivity control unit 602, a wiper control unit 603, a wiper operation frequency acquisition unit (information acquisition unit) (wiper information acquisition unit) 604, and a blower control unit (information acquisition unit) 605. The door state recognition unit 601, the sensitivity control unit 602, the wiper control unit 603, the wiper operation frequency acquisition unit 604, and the blower control unit 605 are realized by the CPU 60A reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 60B.

[0037] Based on the information received from each of the curtsic switches 20, the door state recognition unit 601 recognizes whether the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are in a closed state or an open state.

[0038] The sensitivity control unit 602 adjusts the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40 when the sensitivity setting unit 42 is operated.

[0039] The wiper control unit 603 switches the control mode of the wiper 32 when the mode change switch 36 is operated.

[0040] Furthermore, when the control mode of the wiper 32 is set to the manual control mode, if the wiper switch 38 is switched ON, the wiper control unit 603 transmits an operation signal to the actuator 34 to operate the actuator 34. On the other hand, when the control mode of the wiper 32 is in the manual control mode, if the wiper switch 38 is switched OFF, the wiper control unit 603 does not transmit an operation signal to the actuator 34.

[0041] Furthermore, when the control mode of the wiper 32 is set to the auto wiper control mode, the wiper control unit 603 uses the detection result received from the rain sensor 40 to determine whether or not to send an operation signal to the actuator 34. That is, when the received detection result indicates that the rain sensor 40 has detected rain (moisture), the wiper control unit 603 sends an operation signal to the actuator 34.

[0042] The wiper operation frequency acquisition unit 604 recognizes the operation frequency, which is the number of times the wiper 32 operates per unit time, based on the operation information of the actuator 34. The wiper operation frequency acquisition unit 604 recognizes the operation frequency of the wiper 32 as any one of "high," "medium," "low," or "stopped." When the wiper control unit 603 does not transmit an operation signal to the actuator 34 even once within a unit time, the wiper operation frequency acquisition unit 604 recognizes the operation frequency of the wiper 32 as "stopped."

[0043] The blower control unit 605 calculates a target number of rotations per unit time of the blower 54 based on the information received from the battery temperature sensor 26 .

[0044] Furthermore, the blower control unit 605 controls the actuator 56 based on the acquired target rotation speed. When an ignition switch (not shown) provided in the vehicle 10 is in the OFF state, the blower control unit 605 does not transmit an activation signal to the actuator 56. On the other hand, when the ignition switch is in the ON state, the blower control unit 605 transmits an activation signal to the actuator 56 except when a predetermined stop condition is met or when the target rotation speed is zero. Note that the "ignition switch" in this specification includes an ignition switch operated by a key and other switches. Other switches include, for example, a push-type start button.

[0045] Furthermore, the blower control unit 605 judges whether or not the stop condition is satisfied. The stop condition is satisfied when any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R is in an open state and a specific condition is satisfied. In other words, the stop condition is not satisfied when all of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are in a closed state or when the specific condition is not satisfied.

[0046] When the blower control unit (information acquisition unit) 605 receives a detection result indicating that rain (moisture) has been detected from the rain sensor 40, the blower control unit (information acquisition unit) 605 determines whether or not a specific condition is established by using a specific condition determination map 65 shown in FIG. 5 and recorded in the ROM 60B. The specific condition determination map 65 is created for each of the three sensitivities of the rain sensor 40.

[0047] The specific condition determination map 65 defines the operation frequency of the wiper 32 as four levels: "high," "medium," "low," and "stop." "High," "medium," and "low" are the frequencies when the automatic wiper control mode is selected. On the other hand, "stop" is the frequency when the manual control mode is selected and the wiper switch 38 is in the OFF state.

[0048] For example, when the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40 is "high" and the operation frequency of the wiper 32 is "high", the blower control unit 605 determines that the estimated rainfall (target information) per unit time around the vehicle 10 is large. In other words, the estimated rainfall per unit time around the vehicle 10 is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold. Furthermore, when the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40 is "high" and the operation frequency of the wiper 32 is any of "medium", "low", and "stop", the blower control unit 605 estimates that the estimated rainfall per unit time around the vehicle 10 is small. In other words, the estimated rainfall per unit time around the vehicle 10 is estimated to be less than the first threshold. Furthermore, when the blower control unit 605 estimates that the estimated rainfall is large, it determines that the specific condition is satisfied. On the other hand, when the blower control unit 605 estimates that the estimated rainfall is small, it determines that the specific condition is not satisfied.

[0049] In addition, when the rain sensor sensitivity is "high", the rain sensor 40 can detect rain even if the amount of rain is small. Therefore, when the rain sensor sensitivity is "high" and the wiper 32 is stopped, it is considered that there is a possibility that a small amount of rain is falling. Therefore, the specific condition determination map 65 specifies that the estimated amount of rain is small when the rain sensor sensitivity is "high" and the wiper operation frequency is "stopped". Also, when the rain sensor sensitivity is "low", the rain sensor 40 does not detect rain unless the amount of rain is relatively large. Therefore, when the rain sensor sensitivity is "low" and the wiper operation frequency is "stopped", it is possible that a large amount of rain is falling. Therefore, the specific condition determination map 65 specifies that the estimated amount of rain is large when the rain sensor sensitivity is "low" and the wiper operation frequency is "stopped". Also, when the rain sensor sensitivity is "medium", the possibility that the rain sensor 40 detects rain when the amount of rain is small is higher than when the rain sensor sensitivity is "low". Therefore, when the rain sensor sensitivity is "medium" and the wiper 32 is stopped, it is considered that there is a possibility that a large amount of rain is falling. Therefore, the specific condition determination map 65 defines that the estimated rainfall amount is large when the rain sensor sensitivity is "medium" and the wiper operation frequency is "off."

[0050] In addition, the parenthesized "many" "(many)" in the specific condition determination map 65 indicates a lower estimation accuracy than the parenthesized "many". Similarly, the parenthesized "few" "(few)" in the specific condition determination map 65 indicates a lower estimation accuracy than the parenthesized "few".

[0051] Of the configuration described above, the battery temperature sensor 26, rain sensor 40, sensitivity setting unit 42, support member 48 (intake port 48A, exhaust port 48B), intake duct 52, blower 54, actuator 56 and ECU 60 are components of the cooling device 70.

[0052] (Action and Effects) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0053] The following describes the processing executed by the CPU 60A of the ECU 60. The CPU 60A repeatedly executes the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0054] In step S10 (hereinafter, the word "step" will be omitted), CPU 60A calculates a target number of rotations per unit time of blower 54 based on information received from battery temperature sensor 26.

[0055] After completing the process of S10, the CPU 60A proceeds to S11 and determines whether or not the target rotation speed is greater than zero.

[0056] After completing the process of S11, the CPU 60A proceeds to S12, where it determines whether or not any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R is open.

[0057] If the result of S12 is No, the CPU 60A proceeds to S18, where it transmits an actuation signal to the actuator 56. This causes the blower 54 to rotate at the target rotation speed acquired in S10.

[0058] On the other hand, if the determination in S12 is Yes, the CPU 60A proceeds to S13, where it obtains information related to the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40 set by the sensitivity setting unit 42 and the operation frequency of the wipers 32.

[0059] After completing the process of S13, the CPU 60A proceeds to S14, where it estimates the amount of rainfall per unit time around the vehicle 10 using the specific condition determination map 65.

[0060] After completing the process of S14, the CPU 60A proceeds to S15, where it determines whether the estimated amount of rainfall is large or not.

[0061] If the answer to S15 is Yes, the CPU 60A proceeds to S16 and stops the blower 54. In other words, the CPU 60A does not send an actuation signal to the actuator 56 at this time.

[0062] After completing the process of S16, the CPU 60A proceeds to S17 and determines whether or not a predetermined set time has elapsed since the time when the blower 54 stopped rotating.

[0063] If the determination in S17 is Yes, the CPU 60A proceeds to S18, and rotates the blower 54 at the target rotation speed obtained in S10.

[0064] Moreover, if the determination in S15 is No, the CPU 60A also proceeds to S18.

[0065] When the process of S18 is completed, CPU 60A temporarily ends the process of the flowchart in FIG.

[0066] As described above, the cooling device 70 of this embodiment stops the blower 54 when the curtsic switch 20 detects that any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open and a specific condition is satisfied. Therefore, for example, when any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open and the estimated amount of rainfall around the vehicle 10 is heavy, rain (moisture) is not supplied to the battery 24 (battery cells) by the intake port 48A, the intake duct 52, and the blower 54. Furthermore, the cooling device 70 operates the blower 54 when the curtsic switch 20 detects that all of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are closed, or when a specific condition is not satisfied. Therefore, for example, even if any of the front doors 16L, 16R and rear doors 18L, 18R are open, if the specific condition is not met, air from the passenger compartment 12A is supplied to the battery 24 (battery cells) by the air intake 48A, the air intake duct 52, and the blower 54. Therefore, the cooling device 70 can efficiently suppress deterioration of the battery 24 (battery cells) while taking into account the weather around the vehicle 10.

[0067] Furthermore, the cooling device 70 estimates the amount of rainfall around the vehicle 10 based on the detection result of the rain sensor 40, information about the sensitivity of the rain sensor 40, the operation frequency of the wipers 32, and the specific condition determination map 65. Therefore, the cooling device 70 can estimate the amount of rainfall around the vehicle 10 with high accuracy. Therefore, when any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open and the amount of rainfall around the vehicle 10 is so small that the blower 54 cannot suck up moisture (rain) outside the vehicle, the blower 54 is not stopped. Therefore, the cooling device 70 can efficiently suppress deterioration of the battery 24 (battery cell) compared to a case where the blower 54 is always stopped when the rain sensor 40 detects rain.

[0068] The battery temperature sensor 26, the rain sensor 40, and the ECU 60 are devices that are generally installed in many vehicles. Therefore, the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment is unlikely to have particularly high manufacturing costs or heavy vehicle weight due to the inclusion of the cooling device 70, compared to a normal vehicle.

[0069] Next, a second embodiment of a vehicle battery cooling device according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Note that the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0070] 7, the vehicle 10 of this embodiment does not include the wiper 32, the actuator 34, the mode selector switch 36, the wiper switch 38, the rain sensor 40, and the sensitivity setting unit 42, but instead includes an outside air temperature sensor (information acquisition unit) 72 and an interior temperature sensor 74. The outside air temperature sensor 72 is provided in the vehicle body 12, detects the air temperature (outside air temperature) around the vehicle 10, and transmits information (second information) related to the outside air temperature to the ECU 60. The interior temperature sensor 74 is provided in the vehicle compartment 12A, detects the air temperature (interior temperature) of the vehicle compartment 12A, and transmits information (third information) related to the interior temperature to the ECU 60. The outside air temperature sensor 72 and the interior temperature sensor 74 are connected to the input / output I / F 60F.

[0071] The ECU 60 of this embodiment does not include the sensitivity control unit 602, the wiper control unit 603, and the wiper operation frequency acquisition unit 604 as functional components.

[0072] The function of the blower control unit 605 of this embodiment is the same as that of the blower control unit 605 of the first embodiment, except for the manner of determining whether or not the specific condition is satisfied. The blower control unit 605 of this embodiment determines whether or not the specific condition is satisfied using the detection results of the outside air temperature sensor 72 and the vehicle interior temperature sensor 74, without using the specific condition determination map 65. Specifically, the blower control unit 605 determines whether or not the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is equal to or higher than the second threshold. The value of the second threshold can be set arbitrarily. It is preferable to set the second threshold so that the outside air temperature is likely to be equal to or higher than the second threshold in summer and is likely to be lower than the second threshold in winter.

[0073] When the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is equal to or higher than the second threshold, the blower control unit 605 determines whether the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is equal to or higher than the inside vehicle temperature detected by the inside vehicle temperature sensor 74 by a third threshold or more. When the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the second threshold and is equal to or higher than the inside vehicle temperature by the third threshold or more, the blower control unit 605 determines that the specific condition is met. When this specific condition is met, the outside air (air) having the outside air temperature is supplied to the battery 24 (battery cell) by the intake port 48A, the intake duct 52, and the blower 54, it is considered to be at such a high temperature that it may deteriorate the battery cell.

[0074] On the other hand, when the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is less than the second threshold, the blower control unit 605 determines whether the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is lower than the inside vehicle temperature detected by the inside vehicle temperature sensor 74 by the fourth threshold or more. When the outside air temperature is less than the second threshold and is lower than the inside vehicle temperature by the fourth threshold or more, the blower control unit 605 determines that the specific condition is met. When this specific condition is met, the outside air (air) having the outside air temperature is supplied to the battery 24 (battery cell) by the intake port 48A, the intake duct 52, and the blower 54, it is considered to be at such a low temperature that it may deteriorate the battery cell.

[0075] Of the configuration described above, the battery temperature sensor 26, support member 48 (intake port 48A, exhaust port 48B), intake duct 52, blower 54, actuator 56, ECU 60, outside air temperature sensor 72 and interior temperature sensor 74 are components of the cooling device 80 of the second embodiment.

[0076] (Action and Effects) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0077] The following describes the processing executed by the CPU 60A of the ECU 60. The CPU 60A repeatedly executes the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0078] The CPU 60A executes the processes of S20, 21, and 22. The processes of S20, 21, and 22 are the same as S10, 11, and 12 in the first embodiment, respectively.

[0079] If the result of S22 is No, the CPU 60A proceeds to S29, where it transmits an actuation signal to the actuator 56. This causes the blower 54 to rotate at the target rotation speed acquired in S20.

[0080] On the other hand, if the determination in S22 is Yes, the CPU 60A proceeds to S23, where it obtains information relating to the outside air temperature from the outside air temperature sensor 72 and obtains information relating to the inside air temperature from the inside air temperature sensor 74.

[0081] After completing the process of S23, the CPU 60A proceeds to S24, where it determines whether the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is equal to or higher than the second threshold value.

[0082] If the result of S24 is Yes, the CPU 60A proceeds to S25, where it determines whether the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is higher than the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor 74 by a third threshold value or more.

[0083] If the determination in S25 is Yes, the CPU 60A proceeds to S26. The process of S26 is the same as S16 in the first embodiment. When the process of S26 is completed, the CPU 60A proceeds to S28. The process of S28 is the same as S17 in the first embodiment. Furthermore, if the determination in S28 is Yes, the CPU 60A proceeds to S29. The process of S29 is the same as S18 in the first embodiment.

[0084] On the other hand, if the result of S24 is No, the CPU 60A proceeds to S27, where it determines whether the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is lower than the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor 74 by a fourth threshold value or more.

[0085] If the determination in S27 is Yes, the CPU 60A proceeds to S26. Also, if the determination in S21 is No, the CPU 60A proceeds to S26.

[0086] After completing the process of S26, the CPU 60A proceeds to S28.

[0087] On the other hand, if the determination in S27 is No, the CPU 60A proceeds to S29.

[0088] When the process of S29 is completed, CPU 60A temporarily terminates the process of the flowchart in FIG.

[0089] As described above, the cooling device 80 of this embodiment determines that the specific condition is met when the outside air temperature (target information) detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is equal to or higher than the second threshold value and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is higher than the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor 74 by equal to or higher than the third threshold value. Furthermore, the cooling device 80 stops the blower 54 when the cur- rent switch 20 detects that any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open and the specific condition is met. Therefore, when any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open and the outside air (air) around the vehicle 10 is hot enough to deteriorate the battery cells, the outside air (air) is not supplied to the battery 24 (battery cells) by the intake port 48A, the intake duct 52, and the blower 54. On the other hand, the cooling device 80 operates the blower 54 when the cur- rent switch 20 detects that all of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are closed, or when the specific condition is not met. Therefore, for example, even if any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open, if the specific condition is not met, the air in the passenger compartment 12A and the outside air (air) around the vehicle 10 are supplied to the battery 24 (battery cells) by the air intake 48A, the air intake duct 52, and the blower 54. Therefore, the cooling device 80 can efficiently suppress deterioration of the battery 24 (battery cells) when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the second threshold value.

[0090] Furthermore, the cooling device 80 determines that the specific condition is established when the outside air temperature (target information) detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is less than the second threshold value and the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 72 is lower than the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor 74 by a fourth threshold value or more. Furthermore, the cooling device 80 stops the blower 54 when the cur- rent switch 20 detects that any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open and the specific condition is satisfied. Therefore, when any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open and the outside air (air) around the vehicle 10 is at a temperature low enough to cause deterioration of the battery cells, the outside air (air) is not supplied to the battery 24 (battery cells) by the air intake 48A, the air intake duct 52, and the blower 54. On the other hand, the cooling device 80 operates the blower 54 when the cur- rent switch 20 detects that all of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are closed, or when the specific condition is not met. Therefore, for example, even if any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R are open, if the specific condition is not met, the air in the passenger compartment 12A and the outside air (air) around the vehicle 10 are supplied to the battery 24 (battery cells) by the air intake 48A, the air intake duct 52, and the blower 54. Therefore, the cooling device 80 can efficiently suppress deterioration of the battery 24 (battery cells) when the outside air temperature is lower than the second threshold value.

[0091] The cooling device 70 according to the first embodiment and the cooling device 80 according to the second embodiment have been described above, but the design thereof can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0092] For example, when the rain sensor 40 detects rain, the CPU 60A may determine that the specific condition is satisfied without using the specific condition determination map 65. Furthermore, when the rain sensor 40 does not detect rain, the CPU 60A may determine that the specific condition is not satisfied without using the specific condition determination map 65. The CPU 60A of this modification determines whether the specific condition is satisfied based only on information (first information) regarding whether it is raining around the vehicle 10 acquired from the rain sensor 40. Therefore, the CPU 60A can determine whether the specific condition is satisfied in a shorter time than when using the specific condition determination map 65 (information regarding the operation frequency of the wiper 32). Therefore, for example, when rain suddenly starts to fall around the vehicle 10 at the timing when an occupant moves from inside the vehicle to outside the vehicle while switching any of the front doors 16L, 16R and the rear doors 18L, 18R from the closed state to the open state, the blower 54 in operation can be stopped quickly. Furthermore, in this case, even if the amount of rainfall around the vehicle 10 is slight, the blower 54 is stopped, so there is almost no risk of rain being supplied to the battery 24.

[0093] Furthermore, the CPU 60A can estimate the amount of rainfall based only on the detection result of the rain sensor 40, without using the specific condition determination map 65. Therefore, the CPU 60A may use the amount of rainfall estimated based only on the detection result of the rain sensor 40 to determine whether or not the specific condition is satisfied.

[0094] When the vehicle 10 cannot execute control in the auto wiper control mode using the rain sensor 40, the CPU 60A may obtain information regarding the operation frequency per unit time of the wiper 32 operated by the wiper switch 38, and may calculate an estimated amount of rainfall around the vehicle 10 based on the information regarding the operation frequency. In this case, the CPU 60A may apply the obtained estimated amount of rainfall to the specific condition determination map 65 to determine whether or not to operate the blower 54 (actuator 56).

[0095] Furthermore, in a case where the vehicle 10 is unable to execute control in the automatic wiper control mode using the rain sensor 40, the CPU 60A may determine that the specific condition is satisfied when the wiper 32 operated by the wiper switch 38 is in operation. In this case, the CPU 60A may determine that the specific condition is not satisfied when the wiper 32 is not in operation.

[0096] The second embodiment may be applied to the first embodiment and the modified example of the first embodiment. That is, it may be determined whether or not a specific condition is established based on at least one of information on rain and information on an outside air temperature and an indoor temperature.

[0097] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, when the intake port 48A provided in the support member 48 opens in an area to the left of the center of the vehicle interior 12A in the vehicle left-right direction, the blower 54 may be stopped when the curtsey switch 20 detects that at least one of the left front door 16L and the rear door 18L is open and a specific condition is satisfied. In other words, in this case, the blower 54 is not stopped when the curtsey switch 20 detects that at least one of the right front door 16R and the rear door 18R is open and a specific condition is satisfied. In this way, when the intake port 48A opens in an area to the left of the vehicle interior 12A, even if the blower 54 operates with at least one of the right front door 16R and the rear door 18R in an open state, there is little risk that rain around the vehicle 10 will be sucked by the blower 54 through the opening 14 opened by at least one of the front door 16R and the rear door 18R and supplied to the battery 24. According to this modification, deterioration of the battery 24 (battery cells) can be suppressed more efficiently than when the blower 54 is always stopped when any one of the doors opens the opening 14 and a specific condition is satisfied. If the air intake 48A opens in an area to the right of the center of the vehicle in the left-right direction of the passenger compartment 12A, the blower 54 may be stopped when the courtesy switch 20 detects that at least one of the right front door 16R and the rear door 18R is open and a specific condition is satisfied.

[0098] A wireless communication device (Data Communication Module, not shown) (information acquisition unit) mounted on vehicle 10 may use wireless communication to receive at least one of information regarding the presence or absence of rain around vehicle 10, information regarding the amount of rainfall, and information regarding the outside air temperature from a communication device located outside vehicle 10. In this case, CPU 60A can determine whether a specific condition is satisfied using at least one of the information regarding the presence or absence of rain around vehicle 10, information regarding the amount of rainfall, and information regarding the outside air temperature received in this manner.

[0099] As long as the vehicle 10 has a battery that supplies power to an electric motor that is a drive source, the vehicle 10 may be a hybrid vehicle other than a PEV, or an EV (Electric Vehicle). [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 10 Vehicles 12 Body 12A cabin 14 Openings 16L 16R Front door (door) 18L 18R Rear door (door) 20. Curtness switch (door open / close detection sensor) 24 Batteries 32 Wiper 40 Rain sensor (information acquisition unit) 48A Intake 54 Blower (cooling fan) 60A CPU (control unit) 604 Wiper operation frequency acquisition unit (information acquisition unit) (wiper information acquisition unit) 70 Vehicle battery cooling device (cooling device) 72 Outside air temperature sensor (information acquisition part) 74 Vehicle interior temperature sensor 80 Vehicle battery cooling device (cooling device)

Claims

1. A blower capable of blowing air from within a vehicle compartment to a battery mounted in the vehicle; a door opening / closing state detection sensor capable of detecting whether at least one door capable of opening and closing an opening provided in a vehicle body of the vehicle is in an open state in which the opening is opened or a closed state in which the opening is closed; an information acquisition unit capable of acquiring target information, which is at least one of first information related to rain around the vehicle and second information related to an outside air temperature around the vehicle; a control unit that operates the blower when the door open / close state detection sensor detects that all of the doors are in the closed state or when the target information does not satisfy a specific condition, and stops the blower when the door open / close state detection sensor detects that at least one of the doors is in the open state and the target information satisfies the specific condition; A vehicle battery cooling device comprising:

2. The vehicle battery cooling device according to claim 1 , wherein the specific condition is satisfied when the amount of rainfall per unit time represented by the first information is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

3. 3. The vehicle battery cooling device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the information acquisition unit is at least one of a rain sensor, a wiper information acquisition unit that acquires the operation status of a wiper provided in the vehicle, and a wireless communication device that can acquire the target information via wireless communication from a communication device located outside the vehicle.

4. a vehicle interior temperature sensor capable of acquiring third information related to a vehicle interior temperature, the vehicle interior temperature being a temperature of the vehicle compartment; 2. The vehicle battery cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the specific condition is satisfied when the outside air temperature represented by the second information is equal to or higher than a second threshold value and the outside air temperature represented by the second information is higher than the interior temperature represented by the third information by a third threshold value or more.

5. the vehicle has an air intake opening in one of a left side and a right side area of ​​a center of the vehicle in a left-right direction of the vehicle interior, The blower is capable of blowing air drawn from the vehicle compartment through the air intake port to the battery, 3. A vehicle battery cooling device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the control unit stops the blower when the door opening / closing state detection sensor detects that the door capable of opening and closing the opening provided on the side of the one side of the vehicle body is in the open state and when the target information satisfies the specific condition.

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