Vehicle side controller

Abstract

To purpose the load alleviation of efficient warming and snow removal work for a running battery.SOLUTION: A vehicle controller related to this invention comprises one or a plurality of processors and a storage medium which stores a program executed by the one or a plurality of processors, where the program contains one or a plurality of instructions, and where the one or a plurality of instructions make the one or a plurality of processors execute the processing of determining whether or not a closed space is formed below the vehicle body and the processing of directing the execution of heater control for warming the closed space when a device on equipment side which charges a vehicle running battery is determined to form the closed space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of a vehicle-side control device for controlling the temperature of a vehicle using a device provided outside the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that the input / output characteristics of a vehicle's driving battery deteriorate at low temperatures. This is particularly noticeable when the vehicle is started to run after having been left in a low temperature environment. In response to this, a technique has been proposed for warming up the driving battery before starting to run.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a technique for preheating a driving battery by inductively heating metal provided on the bottom surface of a battery pack using magnetic field lines generated by a power supply coil. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-062712 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is desirable to preheat the driving battery more efficiently. This problem is likely to occur in areas with low temperatures, such as areas with heavy snowfall. In these areas, users are required to clear the snow around the vehicle before starting to drive, which places a heavy burden on the user.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently heat a driving battery and reduce the burden of snow removal work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A vehicle-side control device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises one or more processors and a storage medium on which a program executed by the one or more processors is stored, the program including one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to execute a process of determining whether or not a closed space has been formed beneath the vehicle body, and a process of instructing an equipment-side device that charges the vehicle's driving battery to execute heater control to heat the closed space if it is determined that the closed space has been formed. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently heat the driving battery and reduce the burden of snow removal work. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a charging system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a closed space. [Diagram 3] 10 is a diagram for explaining a configuration in which either AC power or DC power is applied to the equipment side coil. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram for explaining, together with FIG. 3, a configuration for supplying either AC power or DC power to the equipment side coil. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by a vehicle-side control device. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by a vehicle-side control device regarding heater control. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by a vehicle-side control device regarding charging control. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by a vehicle-side control device in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <1. Charging system configuration> An example of the configuration of a charging system S according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The charging system S is a system for contactlessly charging a driving battery mounted on the vehicle 1, and is a system that is installed in various places such as the garden of the owner of the vehicle 1.

[0011] The charging system S includes a vehicle 1 and a facility-side device 2.

[0012] The vehicle 1 is made up of a vehicle body 3 with various parts provided inside and outside.

[0013] Specifically, the vehicle 1 includes a vehicle-side coil 4, a rectifier 5, a relay 6, a driving battery 7, and a vehicle-side control device 8.

[0014] The vehicle-side coil 4 generates AC power by electromagnetic induction. The AC power generated by the vehicle-side coil 4 is input to a rectifier 5.

[0015] The rectifier 5 functions as an alternating current (AC) / direct current (DC) conversion circuit, converts AC power into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the relay 6 .

[0016] The relay 6 is turned on, for example, when the driving battery 7 is being charged, and supplies the DC power converted by the rectifier 5 to the driving battery 7. Furthermore, the relay 6 electrically disconnects the rectifier 5 and the driving battery 7 by being turned off when the driving battery 7 is not being charged, for example.

[0017] The driving battery 7 is a high-voltage in-vehicle battery that supplies power used to drive the wheels and various electronic devices of the vehicle 1.

[0018] The driving battery 7 is charged with DC power supplied from the rectifier 5 via the relay 6 .

[0019] The driving battery 7 supplies a power supply voltage to a PCU (Power Control Unit) (not shown) for driving a driving motor (not shown).

[0020] The PCU is configured with an inverter and a DC / DC converter for driving the motor for driving, generates an AC current for driving the motor based on the above-mentioned power supply voltage, and supplies it to the motor. The PCU may be provided with a regenerative braking function to optimize energy efficiency by utilizing regenerative energy.

[0021] The vehicle-side control device 8 collectively refers to various ECUs (Electronic Control Units). That is, the vehicle-side control device 8 may be configured by a plurality of ECUs, or may be configured as a single control unit.

[0022] The multiple ECUs may include various types of ECUs, such as a battery control ECU that controls the charging of the driving battery 7, a display control ECU that controls the display of display devices (including meters, etc.) equipped in the vehicle 1, an airbag control ECU, and an air conditioning control ECU.

[0023] The vehicle-side control device 8 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and the like, and performs overall control of the vehicle 1.

[0024] The vehicle-side control device 8 controls the relay 6 to connect and disconnect the driving battery 7 and the rectifier 5 .

[0025] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the driving battery 7 may be capable of being charged via a connector portion provided on the vehicle 1.

[0026] The vehicle 1 is equipped with various sensors at various locations.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows, as sensors equipped in the vehicle 1, a thermistor 9 for measuring the temperature of the driving battery 7, and sensors 10 which collectively indicate various other sensors.

[0028] The sensors 10 may be a camera for an around-view monitor, a detection radar for detecting obstacles for an ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems), or the like.

[0029] The vehicle-side controller 8 acquires the battery temperature Tb as temperature information of the driving battery 7 from the thermistor 9, and performs pre-heating control of the driving battery 7 based on the result. The vehicle-side controller 8 also uses the sensing results from the sensors 10 in the pre-heating control of the driving battery 7.

[0030] Specifically, the vehicle-side control device 8 determines, based on the sensing results from the sensors 10, whether or not a closed space SP is formed in the space below the body 3 of the vehicle 1.

[0031] The closed space SP is a space that is formed below the vehicle body 3 when, for example, snow accumulates around the vehicle 1 due to snowfall after the vehicle 1 is parked. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the space below the body 3 of the vehicle 1 is blocked on all sides by snow, forming a closed space SP below.

[0032] As will be described later, when the vehicle-side control device 8 determines that the closed space SP is formed, it requests the facility-side device 2 to execute heater control for the closed space SP. This warms up the closed space SP, and indirectly preheats the driving battery 7 via the vehicle body 3.

[0033] The closed space SP is like an igloo surrounded by snow, which makes it difficult for the heat to escape to the outside, making it possible to realize efficient heater control. In other words, the closed space SP can be said to be a pseudo-igloo space.

[0034] The vehicle-side control device 8 acquires information regarding snow accumulation to determine whether or not a closed space SP has been formed.

[0035] The vehicle 1 is equipped with a vehicle-side communication unit 11 and a vehicle-side antenna 12 . The vehicle-side communication unit 11 transmits and receives information to and from external devices via a vehicle-side antenna 12 for wireless communication.

[0036] The vehicle-side control device 8 acquires and transmits information to and from external devices via the vehicle-side communication unit 11 .

[0037] For example, the vehicle-side control device 8 acquires weather information (weather information) via the vehicle-side communication unit 11. This weather information is the above-mentioned information about snowfall, and the vehicle-side control device 8 may determine whether or not a closed space SP has been formed by determining the presence or absence of snowfall using the acquired weather information.

[0038] Alternatively, the vehicle-side control device 8 may acquire the snow accumulation information itself via the vehicle-side communication unit 11. In this case, the vehicle-side control device 8 acquires location information via a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna provided as the vehicle-side antenna 12, and acquires snow accumulation information for the area where the vehicle 1 is located.

[0039] In addition, the vehicle-side control device 8 transmits an instruction to start or stop the heater control of the closed space SP to the facility-side device 2 via the vehicle-side communication unit 11.

[0040] The facility-side device 2 includes a DC converter circuit 13 , an inverter 14 , a facility-side coil 15 , and a facility-side control device 16 .

[0041] The DC converter circuit 13 has a configuration for converting, for example, input commercial AC power into DC power. The DC converter circuit 13 supplies the converted DC power to the inverter 14.

[0042] Based on the input DC power, the inverter 14 generates AC power to be supplied to the equipment-side coil 15. Note that the inverter 14 in this embodiment is also capable of supplying the input DC power to the equipment-side coil 15 as DC power.

[0043] 3 is an equivalent circuit of the inverter 14 and the equipment side coil 15. The inverter 14 is configured to include switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4.

[0044] The switches SW1 and SW3 are connected in series, the positive side of the DC converter circuit 13 is connected to the switch SW1 side, and the negative side of the DC converter circuit 13 is connected to the switch SW3 side.

[0045] Similarly, the switches SW2 and SW4 are connected in series, the positive side of the DC converter circuit 13 is connected to the switch SW2 side, and the negative side of the DC converter circuit 13 is connected to the switch SW4 side.

[0046] That is, the pair of switches SW1 and SW3 is arranged in parallel with the pair of switches SW2 and SW4.

[0047] One end of the facility-side coil 15 is connected to the connection point between the switches SW1 and SW3, and the other end of the facility-side coil 15 is connected to the connection point between the switches SW2 and SW4.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, by controlling only the switches SW1 and SW4 to be in the ON state, a current flows in the equipment side coil 15 from the switch SW1 side to the switch SW4 side.

[0049] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, by controlling only the switches SW2 and SW3 to be in the ON state, a current flows in the equipment side coil 15 from the switch SW2 side to the switch SW3 side.

[0050] That is, an AC current flows through the equipment-side coil 15 by alternately repeating the state shown in FIG. 3 and the state shown in FIG. As a result, an AC electromotive force is generated in the vehicle coil 4 in response to a change in current in the equipment coil 15, and charging power is supplied to the driving battery 7 via the rectifier 5 and the like. That is, the driving battery 7 is charged contactlessly by electromagnetic induction between the facility coil 15 and the vehicle coil 4.

[0051] In addition, by continuing the state shown in Figure 3 in which only switches SW1 and SW4 are controlled to the ON state, or by continuing the state shown in Figure 4 in which only switches SW2 and SW3 are controlled to the ON state, DC power is applied to the equipment side coil 15.

[0052] By supplying DC power to the equipment side coil 15, heat can be generated efficiently in the equipment side coil 15.

[0053] The heat generated by the equipment side coil 15 warms the closed space SP described above, and indirectly warms the vehicle body 3 or the driving battery 7.

[0054] The facility side control device 16 controls the non-contact charging of the driving battery 7 provided in the vehicle 1, and also executes heater control for pre-heating the driving battery 7. The facility-side controller 16 basically realizes charging control and heater control based on instructions received from the vehicle-side controller 8 of the vehicle 1.

[0055] Based on instructions from the vehicle-side controller 8, the equipment-side controller 16 controls the switches SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4 of the inverter 14 to switch between a heater mode in which DC power is supplied to the equipment-side coil 15 and a charging mode in which AC power is supplied.

[0056] The facility-side device 2 includes an facility-side communication unit 17 and a facility-side antenna 18 . The facility-side communication unit 17 transmits and receives information to and from the vehicle-side communication unit 11 of the vehicle 1 via an facility-side antenna 18 for wireless communication.

[0057] The equipment-side controller 16 receives instructions from the vehicle-side controller 8 via the equipment-side communication unit 17, and realizes the above-mentioned charging control, heater control, and mode switching control.

[0058] <2. Control flow> An example of the flow of processing executed by the vehicle-side control device 8 is shown in FIG. In step S101, the vehicle-side control device 8 determines whether or not to perform contactless charging. This determination process may be performed based on, for example, a selection operation by the user. For example, the vehicle-side control device 8 may detect that the time to start contactless charging based on a schedule set by the user has arrived, and may determine "Yes" in the process of step S101.

[0059] Alternatively, when the vehicle is driven a predetermined distance at a predetermined time on a regular basis, such as to go to work every morning, the vehicle-side control device 8 may check the remaining battery charge (SOC: State Of Charge) in preparation for the next drive and determine whether or not to start contactless charging.

[0060] When it is determined that contactless charging is not to be started (step S101: No), the vehicle-side control device 8 proceeds to step S102 and determines whether or not there is a plan to start traveling within a predetermined time.

[0061] If there is no plan to start traveling (step S102: No), the vehicle-side control device 8 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle is scheduled to start traveling (step S102: Yes), the vehicle-side controller 8 acquires the battery temperature Tb in step S103, and determines whether the battery temperature Tb is higher than the first threshold temperature Tt1.

[0063] The first threshold temperature Tt1 is a determination value that is set based on the optimum temperature of the driving battery 7 during driving, and is set to, for example, a value lower than the optimum temperature during driving.

[0064] When it is determined that the battery temperature Tb is higher than the first threshold temperature Tt1 (step S103: Yes), the vehicle-side controller 8 ends the series of processes shown in FIG. If it is determined that the battery temperature Tb is significantly higher than the first threshold temperature Tt1, processing for cooling the driving battery 7 may be performed.

[0065] When it is determined that the battery temperature Tb is equal to or lower than the first threshold temperature Tt1 (step S103: No determination), the vehicle-side control device 8 acquires information about the obstacle (accumulated snow) in step S104. This information acquisition may be performed by acquiring sensing results of various sensors equipped in the vehicle 1, or may be performed by acquiring information from the outside via the vehicle-side communication unit 11.

[0066] Next, the vehicle-side control device 8 determines whether or not a closed space SP is formed below the vehicle body 3 in step S105.

[0067] When executing this determination process, the vehicle-side control device 8 acquires sensing information from various sensors, and obtains weather information and the like via the vehicle-side communication unit 11 .

[0068] If it is determined that the closed space SP is not formed (step S105: No determination), the vehicle-side controller 8 ends the series of processes shown in Fig. 5. That is, heater control by supplying DC power to the equipment-side coil 15 is not performed. In this case, the vehicle-side controller 8 may execute pre-heating control of the driving battery 7 by another method.

[0069] If it is determined that a closed space SP has been formed (step S105: Yes judgment), the vehicle-side control device 8 performs heater control in step S106 to preheat the driving battery 7 to a predetermined temperature, and then ends the series of processes shown in Figure 5.

[0070] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S101 that contactless charging is to be performed (step S101: Yes), the vehicle-side controller 8 determines in step S107 whether the battery temperature Tb is higher than the second threshold temperature Tt2.

[0071] The second threshold temperature Tt2 is a determination value that is set based on the optimum temperature of the driving battery 7 during charging, and is set to, for example, an appropriate temperature or a value slightly lower than that.

[0072] When it is determined that the battery temperature Tb is higher than the second threshold temperature Tt2 (step S107: Yes), the vehicle-side controller 8 skips steps S109 and S108 and proceeds to step S111.

[0073] When it is determined that the battery temperature Tb is equal to or lower than the second threshold temperature Tt2 (step S107: No), the vehicle-side control device 8 acquires information about the obstacle (accumulated snow) in step S108. This process is the same as the process in step S104.

[0074] Next, in step S109, the vehicle-side control device 8 determines whether or not a closed space SP is formed. This process is the same as the process in step S105.

[0075] If it is determined that the closed space SP is not formed (step S109: No determination), the vehicle-side controller 8 does not execute the heater control of step S108 and proceeds to step S111. That is, heater control by supplying DC power to the equipment-side coil 15 is not executed. In this case, the vehicle-side controller 8 may execute heating control of the driving battery 7 by another method.

[0076] If it is determined that a closed space SP has been formed (step S109: Yes judgment), the vehicle-side control device 8 performs heater control in step S110 to heat the driving battery 7 to a predetermined temperature, completing preparations for efficient contactless charging.

[0077] After completing the process of step S110, the vehicle-side control device 8 performs charging control in step S111, and increases the remaining battery charge of the driving battery 7 to a predetermined value.

[0078] The heater control process in steps S106 and S110 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0079] In the heater control, in step S121, the vehicle-side control device 8 transmits a heater mode start instruction to the facility-side device 2. In response to receiving this instruction, the facility-side device 2 supplies DC power to the facility-side coil 15, thereby causing the facility-side coil 15 to start generating heat.

[0080] In step S122, the vehicle-side control device 8 determines whether the battery temperature Tb has reached a target temperature. This target temperature is set to a first threshold temperature Tt1 when the control device 8 is executed in accordance with step S106 in FIG. 5, and is set to a second threshold temperature Tt2 when the control device 8 is executed in accordance with step S110.

[0081] When it is determined that the battery temperature Tb has not reached the target temperature (step S122: No determination), the vehicle-side controller 8 proceeds to the process of step S123. On the other hand, when it is determined that the battery temperature Tb has reached the target temperature (step S122: Yes), the vehicle-side controller 8 proceeds to step S124 without executing the process of step S123.

[0082] In step S123, the vehicle-side control device 8 checks whether there is a problem with the thermal efficiency by, for example, judging whether the heat rise rate per minute is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The heat rise rate per minute refers to the rise rate per minute of the battery temperature Tb obtained from the thermistor 9, or, if there is another air temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature of the space below the vehicle body 3, the rise rate per minute of the temperature of the closed space SP obtained from the thermistor.

[0083] If it is determined that the heat rise rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and there is no problem with the thermal efficiency (step S123: Yes determination), the vehicle-side controller 8 returns to the process of step S122. That is, by repeating steps S122 and S123, heater control continues until the target temperature is reached unless the thermal efficiency decreases.

[0084] On the other hand, if it is determined that the heat rise rate is less than the predetermined value and there is a problem with the thermal efficiency (step S123: No determination), the vehicle-side control device 8 proceeds to step S124 and transmits a heater mode end instruction to the facility-side device 2. In response to receiving this instruction, the facility-side device 2 stops the supply of DC power to the facility-side coil 15, and causes the facility-side coil 15 to end heat generation.

[0085] Next, a specific process of the charge control shown in step S110 in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0086] In the charging control, in step S141, the vehicle-side control device 8 transmits a charging mode start instruction to the facility-side device 2. In response to receiving this instruction, the facility-side device 2 starts supplying AC power to the facility-side coil 15. As a result, an electromotive force is generated by electromagnetic induction in the vehicle-side coil 4, and AC power starts to be supplied to the rectifier 5.

[0087] In step S142, the vehicle-side controller 8 determines whether or not the remaining battery charge of the driving battery 7 is equal to or greater than the target charge amount. When it is determined that the remaining battery charge is less than the target charge amount (step S142: No), the vehicle-side controller 8 repeats the process of step S141.

[0088] On the other hand, if it is determined that the remaining battery charge is equal to or greater than the target charge amount (step S142: Yes), the vehicle-side control device 8 transmits a charge mode end instruction to the facility-side device 2 in step S143. In response to receiving this instruction, the facility-side device 2 stops the supply of AC power to the facility-side coil 15. As a result, the electromotive force caused by electromagnetic induction in the vehicle-side coil 4 disappears, and the supply of AC power to the rectifier 5 is stopped.

[0089] <3. Modifications> The closed space SP may be a space in which at least one side of the space below the vehicle body 3 is blocked by an obstacle. When one of the four sides is blocked by an obstacle, the airflow below the vehicle body 3 becomes poor.

[0090] Since at least three of the four sides of the space below the vehicle body 3 are blocked by obstacles, wind will not pass through the closed space SP, and the heater control described above can be performed efficiently.

[0091] Although snow has been given as an example of an obstacle above, other objects may also be used. For example, a body cover may be placed to cover the body 3 of the vehicle 1, and the closed space SP may be formed by closing off all four sides of the space below the body 3 with this body cover. This allows efficient heater control even when there is no snow.

[0092] Alternatively, the obstacle may be a wall of a building, etc. When the space below the vehicle body 3 is surrounded by a wall or the like, the airflow becomes poor, and therefore the heater efficiency can be improved. Such a configuration may be realized, for example, by a multi-storey car park.

[0093] In the process flow shown in FIG. 5, an example is shown in which the heater control in step S110 is executed when it is determined in step S109 that the closed space SP is formed. As a modification of this, the time required for the remaining battery charge of the driving battery 7 to reach or exceed the target charge amount may be taken into consideration. For example, if the current remaining battery charge of the driving battery 7 is only slightly short of the target charge amount, it may be quicker to start charge control rather than inserting heater control.

[0094] For example, the vehicle-side control device 8 can achieve this by executing the process shown in Fig. 8. Note that Fig. 8 shows only the changed parts of the processes shown in Fig. 5 and the surrounding processes.

[0095] If the vehicle-side control device 8 determines that the battery temperature Tb is equal to or lower than the second threshold temperature Tt2 (step S107: No judgment), obtains information about an obstacle (snow accumulation) (step S108), and then determines that a closed space SP has been formed (step S109: Yes judgment), it proceeds to step S161 and judges whether the time required to reach the target charge amount will be shorter if heater control is performed before charge control.

[0096] In this determination process, for example, information such as the charging efficiency of the driving battery 7, the temperature characteristics of the driving battery 7, or the difference between the target charge amount and the current battery remaining amount can be used. However, it is not necessary to use all of this information. For example, when the difference between the target charge amount and the current battery remaining amount is smaller than a threshold value, the vehicle-side control device 8 determines that the time required to reach the target charge amount is shorter when the heater control is not executed (step S161: No determination).

[0097] If the determination in step S161 is "Yes," the vehicle-side controller 8 executes the heater control in step S110, and then executes the charging control in step S111.

[0098] On the other hand, if the determination in step S161 is "No", the vehicle-side controller 8 does not execute the heater control in step S110, but executes the charging control in step S111.

[0099] <4. Summary> The vehicle-side control device 8 described above includes one or more processors (such as the CPU of the vehicle-side control device 8) and a storage medium (such as a memory provided in the vehicle-side control device 8) on which a program executed by the one or more processors is stored, and the program includes one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to execute a process of determining whether or not a closed space SP has been formed below the vehicle body 3 (steps S105, S109), and a process of instructing the equipment-side device 2 that charges the driving battery 7 of the vehicle 1 to execute heater control to warm the closed space SP when it is determined that a closed space SP has been formed (step S121). The closed space SP refers to, for example, a state in which the space below the vehicle body 3 is blocked on all four sides by snow or the like. In a situation in which the closed space SP is formed below the vehicle body 3, heat applied to heat the inside of the closed space SP is made difficult to escape to the outside of the closed space SP. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently transfer heat applied to the closed space SP to the vehicle body 3, and it is possible to efficiently control the heater for heating the driving battery 7 arranged under the floor and for adjusting the temperature of the vehicle interior. It is also possible to reduce the power consumption and the time required for the temperature of the driving battery 7 and the vehicle interior to reach a predetermined temperature. Furthermore, by performing this type of heater control before charging the driving battery 7, charging can be started with the temperature of the driving battery 7 having been appropriately increased, thereby improving charging efficiency. Furthermore, by heating the inside of the closed space SP, some of the snow on all four sides of the closed space SP can be melted. This reduces the effort and time required to clear snow around the vehicle 1, and shortens the time spent working under extremely low temperatures. This reduces the physical fatigue of the user and the impact on the human body. In addition, since the heater is controlled by supplying power from the equipment side, rather than from an on-board battery such as the driving battery 7, the remaining battery charge of the driving battery 7 is not consumed. This prevents a decrease in the battery driving distance, making it suitable for long-distance driving.

[0100] In addition, the instruction to execute heater control given from the vehicle-side control device 8 to the facility-side device 2 may be an instruction to apply DC power to a coil for contactless charging (facility-side coil 15) provided in the facility-side device 2. This enables heater control for the closed space SP by utilizing the facility-side coil 15 used for contactless charging. In other words, the facility-side device 2 does not need to be provided with a separate configuration for heater control, and the configuration of the facility-side device 2 can be simplified, leading to cost reduction of the facility-side device 2.

[0101] Furthermore, in the vehicle-side control device 8, one or more instructions may cause one or more processors (such as the CPU of the vehicle-side control device 8) to determine that a closed space SP has been formed when an obstacle (such as snow or a wall) is located in at least one of the four lateral directions in the space below the vehicle body 3. By blocking a portion of the side of the space below the vehicle body 3, the heat applied by the heater control is less likely to escape, and the vehicle body 3 and the driving battery 7 can be appropriately heated. In particular, when the lower space is blocked on three sides by obstacles, it becomes difficult for wind to pass through, like an igloo surrounded by snow, making it possible to efficiently heat the space using the applied heat. Situations where the driving battery 7 needs to be heated are common in winter when temperatures are low, particularly in areas with heavy snowfall. In areas with heavy snowfall, there is a high possibility that a closed space SP will occur in which the space below the vehicle body 3 is surrounded by snow, and it is therefore possible to preferably execute the heater control described above.

[0102] In addition, in the vehicle-side control device 8, one or more instructions may cause one or more processors (such as the CPU of the vehicle-side control device 8) to execute a process of acquiring information regarding snowfall (steps S104, S108) and a process of determining whether or not a closed space SP has been formed based on the acquired information (steps S105, S109). The information regarding snowfall may be meteorological information regarding the weather, or may be information obtained as a result of determining whether or not there is snow around the vehicle 1 using a sensor attached to the vehicle 1. For example, the amount of snowfall after the vehicle 1 stops is acquired or estimated based on meteorological information, and used as information regarding snow accumulation. Alternatively, the presence or absence of snow is determined by performing image recognition processing on an image acquired by a camera equipped in the vehicle 1, and the determined information is related to snowfall. In addition, the presence or absence of an obstacle and whether the obstacle is snow or not may be determined based on the sensing results of a detection radar that is equipped on the vehicle 1 and detects obstacles, or the sensing results of an outside air temperature sensor, and this may be used as information regarding snow accumulation. These methods make it possible to appropriately determine whether or not there is a closed space SP, and to realize efficient heater control.

[0103] In addition, in the vehicle-side control device 8, the one or more instructions may cause one or more processors (such as the CPU of the vehicle-side control device 8) to execute a process of acquiring information on heater efficiency in heater control (step S123) and a process of instructing the equipment-side device 2 to terminate heater control if the heater efficiency is lower than a threshold value (step S124). This makes it possible to appropriately determine whether to continue or end the heater control based on the actual efficiency of the heater control, regardless of the determination result of whether or not the closed space SP is formed. Therefore, even if it is erroneously determined that a closed space SP has been formed and low-efficiency heater control is executed, it is possible to terminate the heater control, thereby suppressing unnecessary power consumption.

[0104] The above-described embodiments and modifications can be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 2 Equipment side equipment 3. Body 7. Driving battery 8 Vehicle side control device 15 Equipment side coil (coil) SP closed space

Claims

1. one or more processors; A storage medium storing a program executed by the one or more processors, The program includes one or more instructions, The one or more instructions may be for the one or more processors to: A process of determining whether or not an enclosed space is formed below the vehicle body; and executing a process of instructing a facility-side device that charges a vehicle's driving battery to execute heater control for heating the closed space when it is determined that the closed space is formed. Vehicle side control device.

2. The instruction to execute the heater control is an instruction to apply DC power to a coil for contactless charging provided in the facility side device. The vehicle-side control device according to claim 1 .

3. The one or more instructions may be for the one or more processors to: When an obstacle is located in at least one of four lateral directions in the space below the vehicle body, it is determined that the closed space is formed. The vehicle-side control device according to claim 1 .

4. The one or more instructions may be for the one or more processors to: Obtaining information regarding snow accumulation; and determining whether or not the closed space is formed based on the acquired information. The vehicle-side control device according to claim 1 .

5. The one or more instructions may be for the one or more processors to: A process of acquiring information on heater efficiency in the heater control; When the heater efficiency is lower than a threshold value, a process of instructing the facility-side device to end the heater control is executed. The vehicle-side control device according to claim 1 .

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