Control device

Abstract

To provide a control device capable of suppressing efficiency of electric power transmission from decreasing while suppressing an on-vehicle component from deteriorating owing to a temperature rise.SOLUTION: A server 100 comprises a communication part 103 (acquisition part) which acquires information on whether an electric vehicle 20 performs electric power transmission according to an electric power demand request from an electric power system PG (electric power network), and a processor 101 (command part) which generates a command signal (signal) for controlling a cooling device 22 mounted on the electric vehicle 20. The processor 101 generates the command signal so that the cooling device 22 has higher cooling performance when the electric vehicle 20 performs electric power transmission which accords with an electric power demand adjustment request than when the electric vehicle 20 performs electric power transmission which does not accord with the electric power demand adjustment request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-087261 (Patent Document 1) discloses a management device that manages charging, etc. performed by electric vehicles, etc. in response to demand response. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-087261 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request (demand response) is performed more frequently than power transmission in normal vehicle use. Therefore, in order to suppress deterioration of on-board components caused by temperature rise in a vehicle that performs power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request, it is conceivable to relatively increase the cooling capacity of the vehicle's cooling device. In this case, the cooling capacity is increased even in a vehicle that does not respond to a power supply and demand adjustment request (i.e., a vehicle that has relatively few opportunities for power transmission). Specifically, the flow rate of the coolant by the pump is increased. This causes an increase in pump loss and an increase in power consumption by the cooling device. As a result, the efficiency of power transmission in a vehicle that does not respond to a power supply and demand adjustment request may decrease.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a control device that can suppress a decrease in power transmission efficiency while suppressing deterioration of on-board components caused by temperature increases. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a control device for controlling an electric vehicle capable of power transmission including at least one of charging from a power grid and discharging to the power grid, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding whether the electric vehicle transmits power in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request from the power grid, and a command unit that generates a signal for controlling a cooling device mounted on the electric vehicle. The command unit generates the signal such that the cooling performance of the cooling device when the electric vehicle transmits power in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request is higher than the cooling performance of the cooling device when the electric vehicle transmits power not in response to the power supply and demand adjustment request.

[0007] In the control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, as described above, the cooling performance of the cooling device when the electric vehicle executes power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request is improved compared to the cooling performance of the cooling device when the electric vehicle executes power transmission not in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request. This makes it possible to further suppress the temperature rise of the on-board components when executing power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request, thereby effectively suppressing deterioration of the on-board components. In addition, it is possible to suppress the cooling capacity of the cooling device from becoming excessively high when executing power transmission not in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request, thereby suppressing an excessive decrease in cooling efficiency. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the efficiency of power transmission while suppressing deterioration of the on-board components caused by an increase in temperature. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress deterioration of on-board components caused by temperature increases while suppressing a decrease in efficiency of power transmission. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cooling device for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 illustrates a map for VPP power transfer according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates a map for non-VPP power transfer according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between temperature and power transfer efficiency of an electric vehicle versus time in accordance with one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing control between a server and an electric vehicle according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system 1 according to this embodiment. The system 1 includes a power system PG, a server 100, a system management server 10, an electric vehicle 20, an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) 30, a mobile terminal 40, and an EVSE 50. The server 100 and the power system PG are examples of the "control device" and the "power network" of the present disclosure, respectively.

[0012] The power system PG is a power network constructed by power plants and power transmission and distribution facilities (not shown). The power system management server 10 manages the power supply and demand in the power system PG (power network). The power system management server 10 transmits a request (power supply and demand adjustment request) to the server 100 to adjust the power demand of the power system PG based on the power generated and consumed by each power adjustment resource managed by the power system management server 10.

[0013] The server 100 is a server managed by an aggregator, which is an electric utility that provides an energy management service by bundling a plurality of power adjustment resources in a region, a specific facility, and the like.

[0014] The server 100 requests the electric vehicle 20 to perform "power transmission" as one means for increasing or decreasing the power demand of the power system PG. Power transmission is a control including power supply to the power system PG (external power supply / external discharging) and charging from the power system PG (external charging). The server 100 transmits a request signal requesting power transmission to the electric vehicle 20 or a mobile terminal 40 or the like owned by the user of the electric vehicle 20. Note that the electric vehicle 20 may be configured to be capable of only one of external power supply and external charging.

[0015] Power transmission is performed between the electric vehicle 20 and the power grid PG via the EVSE 30 (50). The electric vehicle 20 includes, for example, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a battery electric vehicle (BEV), and a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).

[0016] The electric vehicle 20 includes a battery 21 and a cooling device 22. The battery 21 is charged or discharged by power transmission. The cooling device 22 cools on-board components such as the battery 21 and a PCU (Power Control Unit) including an inverter and the like.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, the cooling device 22 includes a coolant flow path 22a, a coolant pump 22b, and a temperature sensor 22c. The coolant flow path 22a is formed of a refrigerant pipe through which the coolant for cooling the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted components flows. The coolant pump 22b sends out the coolant from the coolant flow path 22a in a predetermined direction. The temperature sensor 22c detects the temperature of the coolant at a predetermined location in the coolant flow path 22a.

[0018] Each of the EVSE 30 and the EVSE 50 refers to a power supply facility for a vehicle. A charging cable 31 (51) connected to the EVSE 30 (50) is connected to an inlet of the electric vehicle 20, whereby electric power is exchanged between the EVSE 30 (50) and the electric vehicle 20.

[0019] By being connected to the EVSE 30, the electric vehicle 20 is able to transmit power in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request from the power system PG (system management server 10).

[0020] Moreover, the EVSE 50 is installed, for example, in a home 52 of a user of the electric vehicle 20. By connecting the electric vehicle 20 to the EVSE 50, the electric vehicle 20 becomes able to execute power transmission for a purpose that does not comply with a power supply and demand adjustment request (for example, a vehicle use purpose such as traveling).

[0021] Server 100 is also configured to manage information on registered electric vehicles 20 (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle information"), information on each registered user (hereinafter also referred to as "user information"), and information on registered EVSEs 30 and EVSEs 50 (hereinafter also referred to as "EVSE information"). The user information, vehicle information, and EVSE information are distinguished by identification information (ID) and stored in memory 102, which will be described later.

[0022] The server 100 includes a processor 101, a memory 102, and a communication unit 103. The processor 101 and the communication unit 103 are examples of a "command unit" and an "acquisition unit" of the present disclosure, respectively.

[0023] The processor 101 generates a command signal for controlling the cooling device 22 mounted on the electric vehicle 20. The generated command signal is transmitted to the electric vehicle 20 through the communication unit 103. The electric vehicle 20 receives the command signal and controls the cooling device 22 to perform cooling based on the command signal. The command signal is an example of a "signal" in the present disclosure.

[0024] The communication unit 103 communicates with the mobile terminal 40, the electric vehicle 20, and the EVSE 30 (50).

[0025] The communication unit 103 acquires information regarding power transmission between the electric vehicle 20 and the EVSE 30 (50). Specifically, the communication unit 103 acquires information regarding the amount of power to be charged or supplied by power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request.

[0026] The mobile terminal 40 is a terminal carried by the user of the electric vehicle 20. The server 100 transmits a predetermined signal to the mobile terminal 40, thereby causing the mobile terminal 40 to display a screen for confirming with the user whether or not to respond to the power supply and demand adjustment request. The server 100 (communication unit 103) receives a signal input (selected) on the mobile terminal 40 indicating the user's intention to respond or not to the power supply and demand adjustment request. As a result, the communication unit 103 acquires information regarding whether or not the electric vehicle 20 will transmit power in response to the power supply and demand adjustment request.

[0027] Here, in an electrically powered vehicle, it is desirable to suppress deterioration of on-board components caused by a rise in temperature due to power transmission, while suppressing a decrease in the efficiency of power transmission.

[0028] Therefore, in this embodiment, the processor 101 generates a command signal to control the cooling device 22 so that the cooling performance (cooling capacity) of the cooling device 22 when the electric vehicle 20 performs power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request (hereinafter referred to as VPP power transmission) is higher than the cooling performance (cooling capacity) of the cooling device 22 when the electric vehicle 20 performs power transmission that does not comply with a power supply and demand adjustment request (hereinafter referred to as non-VPP power transmission).

[0029] Specifically, when the electric vehicle 20 performs VPP power transmission, the server 100 transmits a command signal to the electric vehicle 20 via the communication unit 103 to command the execution of cooling control based on the map for VPP power transmission shown in Fig. 3. In addition, when the electric vehicle 20 performs non-VPP power transmission, the server 100 transmits a command signal to the electric vehicle 20 via the communication unit 103 to command the execution of cooling control based on the map for non-VPP power transmission shown in Fig. 4.

[0030] A map for VPP power transmission is provided for each charging amount in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request. In Fig. 3, maps corresponding to the charging amounts of 25 kWhh, 50 kWh, and 100 kWh are illustrated. Note that the map for VPP power transmission is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 3. In addition, the map shown in Fig. 3 (Fig. 4) is stored in memory 102.

[0031] Server 100 transmits, for example, the map information of Fig. 3 or 4 together with the command signal to electric vehicle 20. The command signal and the map information may be transmitted to mobile terminal 40. When map information for VPP power transmission is transmitted to electric vehicle 20, information on a plurality of maps shown in Fig. 3 may be transmitted.

[0032] 3, the temperature of the coolant (the value detected by the temperature sensor 22c) is associated with the flow rate of the coolant flowing through the coolant flow path 22a. The electric vehicle 20 adjusts the flow rate of the coolant by controlling the output of the coolant pump 22b based on the map information received from the server 100, the value detected by the temperature sensor 22c, and the (planned) amount of power to be charged in the power transmission (kWh). The (planned) amount of power to be charged means an agreed amount of power to be charged that is determined in advance based on a power supply and demand adjustment request.

[0033] For example, when the charged power amount is 50 kWh and the temperature of the cooling water is −20° C., the cooling water pump 22b is controlled so that the flow rate of the cooling water becomes 40 L / min.

[0034] In the map shown in Fig. 4, the relationship between the temperature and flow rate of the cooling water is uniquely determined regardless of the amount of power supplied by the power transmission. When comparing the cooling performance (flow rate) corresponding to the same temperature, the cooling performance corresponding to the map shown in Fig. 4 is lower than the cooling performance corresponding to the map with the lowest cooling performance among the maps shown in Fig. 3 (the map corresponding to the amount of power supplied of 25 kWh in Fig. 3).

[0035] 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between time and the temperature (left vertical axis) of on-board components such as a capacitor element (not shown) of a charger in electric vehicle 20 and the efficiency of power transmission (right vertical axis). As shown in FIG. 5, the temperature of the capacitor element corresponding to VPP power transmission (upper solid line) is lower than the temperature of the capacitor element corresponding to non-VPP power transmission (upper dashed line). This is because, as described above, the cooling performance in VPP power transmission is relatively high. This suppresses the deterioration of the capacitor element caused by VPP power transmission.

[0036] In addition, since the cooling performance in non-VPP power transmission is adjusted to be relatively small, the power consumption of the coolant pump 22b is reduced, and the efficiency of non-VPP power transmission (lower dashed line) is higher than the efficiency of VPP power transmission (lower solid line).

[0037] As described above, when VPP power transmission is performed, the deterioration of on-board components such as capacitor elements is suppressed, and when non-VPP power transmission is performed, the efficiency of power transmission can be made relatively high. As a result, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of on-board components caused by temperature rise while suppressing the decrease in the efficiency of power transmission.

[0038] (Server and electric vehicle sequence control) Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a sequence control by the server 100 (processor 101) and the electric vehicle 20 when performing power transmission will be described.

[0039] In step S1, the server 100 determines whether or not there is a request from the power system PG (system management server 10) to participate in the next day's power supply and demand adjustment (demand response). If there is a participation request (Yes in S1), the process proceeds to step S2. If there is no participation request (No in S1), the process proceeds to step S4. Note that the power supply and demand adjustment is not limited to being performed on the next day, and may be performed, for example, several hours later.

[0040] In step S2, the server 100 determines whether or not the user has permitted participation in response to the participation request in step S1. If the user has permitted participation (Yes in S2), the process proceeds to step S3. If the user has not permitted participation (No in S2), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0041] In step S3, the server 100 transmits a command signal to the electric vehicle 20 to execute cooling control in accordance with the map for VPP power transmission (see FIG. 3). At this time, information on the map for VPP power transmission (see FIG. 3) is also transmitted to the electric vehicle 20.

[0042] In step S4, the server 100 transmits a command signal to the electrically powered vehicle 20 to execute cooling control in accordance with the map for non-VPP power transmission (see FIG. 4). At this time, information on the map for non-VPP power transmission (see FIG. 4) is also transmitted to the electrically powered vehicle 20.

[0043] In step S5, the electric vehicle 20 determines whether or not a command signal has been received in step S3 or S4. If a command signal has been received (Yes in S5), the process proceeds to step S6. If a command signal has not been received (No in S5), the process of step S5 is repeated.

[0044] In step S6, the electric vehicle 20 executes cooling control based on the command signal received in step S3 or S4. Specifically, the electric vehicle 20 determines the flow rate of the cooling water based on the received map information, information on the temperature of the cooling water detected by the temperature sensor 22c, and the amount of power to be charged (planned amount) by power transmission executed in response to the power supply and demand adjustment request, and executes cooling control. Then, the process ends.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, the server 100 (processor 101) generates a command signal to the electric vehicle 20 so that the cooling performance of the cooling device 22 when the electric vehicle 20 executes power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request is higher than the cooling performance of the cooling device 22 when the electric vehicle 20 executes power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request. This makes it possible to relatively lower the temperature of on-board components, etc. when executing power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request. As a result, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the electric vehicle 20 that is appropriately responding to the power supply and demand adjustment request. In addition, since the cooling when executing power transmission not in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request can be relatively weakened, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the efficiency of power transmission.

[0046] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which server 100 transmits information on the map for cooling control (see FIGS. 3 and 4) to electric vehicle 20, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the server may calculate the flow rate of the cooling water based on the map information, the detection value of temperature sensor 22c, and the amount of charged power in power transmission, and transmit information on the calculated flow rate of the cooling water to electric vehicle 20 (or mobile terminal 40).

[0047] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the flow rate (cooling capacity) of the cooling water is determined using a map, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The flow rate of the cooling water may be calculated based on predetermined parameters and an arithmetic expression without using a map.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the cooling capacity is controlled by controlling the flow rate of the cooling water, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the cooling capacity may be controlled by controlling a parameter other than the flow rate of the cooling water (for example, the air volume of a heat dissipation fan).

[0049] In the above embodiment, an example in which the cooling performance is controlled based on the planned amount of charging power has been shown, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The cooling performance may be controlled based on the actual value of the amount of charging power. For example, as the amount of charging power increases during power transmission, a map with higher cooling performance may be switched to. In addition, cooling may be performed after power transmission according to a map corresponding to the amount of charging power after the power transmission is completed (the amount of power actually charged).

[0050] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the command signal to the cooling device 22 is generated by the server 100, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The command signal may be generated by an ECU of the electric vehicle 20 or the like.

[0051] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 20 electric vehicle, 11 battery, 22 cooling device, 100 server (control device), 101 processor (command unit), 103 communication unit (acquisition unit), PG power system (power grid).

Claims

[Claim 1] A control device for controlling an electric vehicle capable of transmitting power including at least one of charging from a power grid and discharging to the power grid, an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding whether the electric vehicle performs the power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request from the power grid; a command unit that generates a signal for controlling a cooling device mounted on the electric vehicle, The control device, wherein the command unit generates the signal such that the cooling performance of the cooling device is higher when the electric vehicle performs the power transmission in response to a power supply and demand adjustment request than when the electric vehicle performs the power transmission that does not comply with the power supply and demand adjustment request.

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