Vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle that can reduce the deterioration in performance of a power unit while saving energy.SOLUTION: There is provided a vehicle equipped with: a switching valve that switches air supplied from a building between first air having a relatively low temperature and second air having a relatively high temperature and sends it to a vehicle compartment or a power unit; and a control unit that controls the switching of the switching valve so that a temperature of the power unit is maintained within a predetermined temperature range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Vehicles have been proposed that take in air discharged from a house into the vehicle and use that air to warm up the engine and the vehicle cabin (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-45959 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In electric and hybrid vehicles, when the temperature of a power unit including a motor and a battery drops, the performance of the power unit drops when charging and when starting to drive. However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, since the air discharged from the house is sent to the vehicle, the temperature of the sent air may be low. In such a case, the technology described in Patent Document 1 may not be able to sufficiently warm up the power unit, and may not be able to reduce the deterioration of the power unit's performance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to reduce the deterioration of performance of a power unit while saving energy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a switching valve that switches between sending relatively low temperature first air and relatively high temperature second air supplied from a building to a passenger compartment or a power unit, and a control unit that controls the switching of the switching valve so that the temperature of the power unit is maintained within a predetermined temperature range. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the deterioration of the performance of the power unit while saving energy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a warm-up system. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the flow of cold air and hot air in a vehicle. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a flap mechanism. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a flap mechanism. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the temperature of the battery during a warm-up process. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a warm-up process. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a pre-warm-up process. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a charging warm-up process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <1. Warm-up system configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a warm-up system 1. In Fig. 1, the flow of air is indicated by outlined arrows. 1, the warm-up system 1 includes a vehicle 2 and a building 3. The vehicle 2 and the building 3 are connected via a cable 4.

[0010] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cable 4. As shown in Fig. 2, the cable 4 is provided with a cable wire group 41 for transmitting electricity and signals, and an air duct 42 for circulating air. The cable wire group 41 and the air duct 42 are covered with a sheath 43 having insulating and heat insulating properties. Thereby, the vehicle 2 and the building 3 are physically and electrically connected via the cable 4.

[0011] The vehicle 2 is, for example, an electric vehicle, and is capable of charging a battery 23 (see FIG. 2) with electricity supplied from the building 3 via a cable group 41. In addition, air (low temperature air, high temperature air) is supplied to the vehicle 2 from the heating equipment 11 of the building 3 through the air duct 42, as will be described in detail later.

[0012] The building 3 is, for example, a general house, an office, a factory, etc. The building 3 is provided with a heating device 11. The heating device 11 draws in air from the outside and heats the drawn-in air. The heating device 11 then sends the heated air into the room 12. In this way, the heating device 11 can heat the room 12. Note that the heating device 11 may also draw in and heat the air in the room 12.

[0013] An exhaust port 13 is provided in the room 12. The exhaust port 13 is provided in order to exhaust the air in the room 12 to the outside. The exhaust port 13 may be provided with an exhaust fan or the like for forcibly exhausting the air to the outside, or may be configured to naturally exhaust the air without being provided with an exhaust fan or the like.

[0014] In addition, the building 3 is provided with a flow path 14 for directly sending air from the heating device 11 to the vehicle 2 without passing through the room 12. This allows the heating device 11 to directly send heated air from the flow path 14 to the vehicle 2.

[0015] Here, the air discharged from the room 12 is at a temperature that humans feel is comfortable, and is therefore at about 25° C. On the other hand, the air passing through the flow path 14 is sent directly from the heating device 11, and is therefore at a relatively higher temperature (for example, 50° C.) than the air discharged from the room 12. In the following description, the air discharged from the interior 12 is referred to as low-temperature air (first air), and the air sent directly to the vehicle 2 via the flow path 14 is referred to as high-temperature air (second air).

[0016] A switching valve 15 is provided at the exhaust port 13 and the outlet of the flow path 14. The switching valve 15 is an electronic valve whose switching is controlled by a control unit 25 of the vehicle 2 described later. The switching valve 15 is a three-way valve connected to the outlet of the exhaust port 13, the outlet of the flow path 14, and one end of the cable 4. Based on the control of the control unit 25, the switching valve 15 switches so that either the low-temperature air discharged from the exhaust port 13 or the high-temperature air that has passed through the flow path 14 is sent to the vehicle 2.

[0017] <2. Vehicle configuration> 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 2 includes a motor 21, an inverter 22, a battery 23, a charging plug 24, and a control unit 25. The motor 21, the inverter 22, and the battery 23 configure a power unit (PU) of the vehicle 2.

[0018] The motor 21 is a power source, such as a three-phase AC motor, that drives the vehicle 2. The motor 21 generates driving force using electric power supplied from a battery 23 via an inverter 22, and transmits the driving force to driving wheels to drive the vehicle 2.

[0019] The motor 21 also generates electricity (power) by performing a regenerative operation. The electricity generated by the regenerative operation of the motor 21 is supplied to the battery 23 via the inverter 22.

[0020] The inverter 22 converts the DC current supplied from the battery 23 into a three-phase AC current and supplies it to the motor 21. When the motor 21 performs regenerative operation, the inverter 22 converts the AC current supplied from the motor 21 into a DC current and supplies it to the battery 23.

[0021] The battery 23 is a so-called high-voltage secondary battery, and stores electricity to be supplied to the motor 21. The battery 23 is mounted on the floor panel and below the vehicle interior 38 (see FIG. 4).

[0022] The battery 23 can be charged by regenerative operation using the motor 21. The battery 23 can also be charged by electricity supplied from the building 3 via a cable 4 inserted into a charging plug 24.

[0023] The control unit 25 is made up of a computer such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and controls the entire vehicle 2. In addition, the control unit 25 is able to perform switching control of the switching valve 15 when the vehicle 2 and the building 3 are connected via the cable 4.

[0024] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the flow of low temperature air and high temperature air in the vehicle 2. In Fig. 4, the flow directions of the low temperature air and high temperature air are indicated by outlined arrows.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle 2 includes a supply passage 31, a switching valve 32, an interior exhaust passage 33, a PU exhaust passage 34, a brake exhaust passage 35, a check valve 36, and a flap mechanism 37.

[0026] One end of the supply flow path 31 is connected to the charging plug 24, and the other end is connected to the switching valve 32. The supply flow path 31 communicates with the air duct 42 of the cable 4 when the cable 4 is connected to the charging plug 24. This allows low temperature air or high temperature air to flow into the supply flow path 31 from the building 3.

[0027] The switching valve 32 is an electronic valve whose switching is controlled by the control unit 25. The switching valve 32 is a three-way valve connected to the supply flow path 31, the indoor discharge flow path 33, and the PU discharge flow path 34. The switching valve 32 switches so as to connect either the indoor discharge flow path 33 or the PU discharge flow path 34 to the supply flow path 31 based on the control of the control unit 25.

[0028] One end of the indoor exhaust flow path 33 is connected to the switching valve 32, and the other end is connected to the vehicle compartment 38. When the supply flow path 31 and the indoor exhaust flow path 33 are connected by the switching valve 32, the indoor exhaust flow path 33 sends out the low temperature air or high temperature air that has passed through the air duct 42 of the cable 4 and the supply flow path 31 to the vehicle compartment 38. However, in reality, when the supply flow path 31 and the indoor exhaust flow path 33 are connected by the switching valve 32, the switching valve 15 switches so that low-temperature air is supplied from the building 3, and only low-temperature air is sent from the indoor exhaust flow path 33 to the vehicle cabin 38.

[0029] One end of the PU exhaust flow path 34 is connected to the switching valve 32, and the other end is connected to the battery 23 that constitutes the power unit. The other end of the PU exhaust flow path 34 may be connected to the space in which the battery 23 is mounted.

[0030] When the supply flow path 31 and the PU discharge flow path 34 are connected by the switching valve 32, the PU discharge flow path 34 sends out the low temperature air or high temperature air that has passed through the air duct 42 of the cable 4 and the supply flow path 31 to the battery 23. However, in reality, when the supply flow path 31 and the PU exhaust flow path 34 are connected by the switching valve 32, the switching valve 15 switches so that high-temperature air is supplied from the building 3, and only high-temperature air is sent from the PU exhaust flow path 34 to the battery 23.

[0031] In this manner, in this embodiment, the switching valve 15 and the switching valve 32 are controlled to switch in conjunction with each other. Specifically, when low-temperature air is to be sent to the vehicle 2, the switching valve 15 is switched to send the low-temperature air to the air duct 42 of the cable 4, and the switching valve 32 is switched to connect the supply flow path 31 and the interior exhaust flow path 33. Hereinafter, such a state may be referred to as low-temperature warm-up. Moreover, when the high-temperature air is to be sent to the vehicle 2, the switching valve 15 is switched to send the high-temperature air to the air duct 42 of the cable 4, and the switching valve 32 is switched to connect the supply flow path 31 and the PU exhaust flow path 34. Hereinafter, such a state may be referred to as high-temperature warm-up.

[0032] A brake discharge flow passage 35 is connected to the middle of the supply flow passage 31. One end of the brake discharge flow passage 35 is connected to the middle of the supply flow passage 31, and the other end is disposed near the brake 26 of the vehicle 2.

[0033] The brake discharge flow path 35 is connected so that the cold air or hot air supplied from the building 3 branches off from the supply flow path 31 before it reaches the switching valve 32. Therefore, while cold air or hot air is being supplied from the building 3 to the vehicle 2, cold air or hot air is always being supplied to the brakes 26.

[0034] A check valve 36 is provided between the vehicle compartment 38 and the battery 23. The check valve 36 allows air to pass from the vehicle compartment 38 to the battery 23, but does not allow air to pass from the battery 23 to the vehicle compartment 38 (blocks air from passing through the check valve 36). Therefore, the low-temperature air supplied to the passenger compartment 38 is able to warm the passenger compartment 38 and then be sent to the battery 23 through the check valve 36, thereby warming the battery 23. The low temperature air or high temperature air that has warmed the battery 23 is discharged to the outside of the vehicle 2 from below the battery 23.

[0035] A floor panel (bottom of the vehicle body) of the vehicle 2 is provided with a square cylindrical flap mechanism 37 for covering the space below the battery 23.

[0036] 5 and 6 are partial cross-sectional views illustrating the configuration of the flap mechanism 37. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the flap mechanism 37 includes a flap support portion 51, a flap 52, a flange 53, a spring portion 54, and a stopper 55.

[0037] The flap support portion 51 includes an inner frame 51a and an outer frame 51b, and supports the flap 52 and the flange 53 by sandwiching them between the inner frame 51a and the outer frame 51b. The flap support portion 51 supports the flap 52 and the flange 53 so as to be movable in the up and down direction.

[0038] The flap 52 is formed in a generally rectangular cylindrical shape so as to cover the space below the battery 23, and is disposed along the up-down direction. A flange 53 is integrally formed at the upper end of the flap 52. The flange 53 is formed so as to extend in the horizontal direction at the upper end of the flap 52 so as to close the gap between the inner frame 51a and the outer frame 51b.

[0039] A spring portion 54 is connected to the upper end of the flange 53. The spring portion 54 has a lower end connected to the flange 53 and an upper end connected to the vehicle body.

[0040] Further, a through hole is formed in the inner frame 51a at a predetermined height in the thickness direction, and a stopper 55 is disposed in the through hole. The stopper 55 is movable in the thickness direction under the control of the control unit 25. When the stopper 55 moves toward the flap 52 side (outside), it comes into contact with the lower surface of the flange 53, restricting the flap 52 and the flange 53 from moving downward. Furthermore, when the stopper 55 moves toward the battery 23 (inside), the entire stopper 55 is accommodated inside the inner frame 51a, and the restriction on the movement of the flap 52 and the flange 53 is released.

[0041] The flap mechanism 37 thus configured is controlled by the control unit 25 so that the stopper 55 is positioned on the flap 52 side when the cable 4 is not connected to the vehicle 2. This prevents the flap 52 from moving downwards while the vehicle 2 is traveling, etc.

[0042] On the other hand, when the cable 4 is connected to the vehicle 2, the control unit 25 controls the stopper 55 to be located on the battery 23 side. This allows the flap 52 to move downward.

[0043] When low temperature air or high temperature air is sent to the vehicle 2, the flange 53 is pushed downward by the air pressure (wind pressure) of the low temperature air or high temperature air. As a result, the flap 52 and the flange 53 move downward against the elastic force of the spring portion 54. Then, the flap 52 covers the space below the battery 23, and the space below the battery 23 is shielded from the outside.

[0044] Here, as described above, when low temperature air or high temperature air is sent to the vehicle 2, the low temperature air or high temperature air is discharged from below the battery 23 to the outside of the vehicle 2. If the space below the battery 23 is covered by the flap 52, the discharged low temperature air or high temperature air will remain in the space below the battery 23. In this way, it is possible to reduce the temperature of the space below the battery 23 being lowered by the outside air (outside temperature).

[0045] <2. Warm-up process> Next, the warm-up process performed in the vehicle 2 will be described. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the temperature of the battery 23 during the warm-up process. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the warm-up process. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the pre-warm-up process. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the charge warm-up process.

[0046] 7, the battery 23 constituting the power unit has a predetermined optimum temperature range within which it can exhibit a predetermined performance. The minimum temperature range is a temperature range between a low temperature threshold THL and a high temperature threshold THH.

[0047] The performance of the battery 23 decreases in a low temperature range lower than the low temperature threshold THL and in a high temperature range higher than the high temperature threshold THH. Therefore, the vehicle 2 performs a warm-up process described below to enable the battery 23 to be maintained in the optimal temperature range while saving energy.

[0048] The low temperature threshold THL is set to, for example, 0°C because it also functions as a temperature for preventing freezing of the devices of the vehicle 2. The high temperature threshold THH is set to, for example, 50°C.

[0049] When the cable 4 is connected to the charging plug 24 in the vehicle 2, a warm-up process shown in FIG. 8 is performed.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 8, when the warm-up process is started (time T1 in FIG. 7), in step S1, the control unit 25 switches the switching valve 15 so that low-temperature air is sent to the vehicle 2, and switches the switching valve 32 so that low-temperature air is sent toward the passenger compartment 38 (low-temperature warm-up). As a result, the cold air warms the passenger compartment 38, and then passes through the check valve 36 to warm the battery 23. The cold air also moves the flap 52 downward. Furthermore, the cold air warms the brakes 26. However, when the outside air temperature is lower than the low temperature air temperature, the temperature of each part of the vehicle 2 including the battery 23 will gradually decrease as shown in Fig. 7. In particular, when the outside air temperature is lower than the low temperature threshold THL (0°C), each part of the vehicle 2, such as relays and valves, may freeze and not operate normally. Therefore, in this embodiment, the parts of the vehicle 2 are prevented from freezing by performing a pre-warm-up process and a charging warm-up process, which will be described later. On the other hand, if the low temperature air is higher than the low temperature threshold THL, the low temperature air will always be sent to the vehicle compartment 38 and the battery 23. However, since the low temperature air is lower than the high temperature threshold THH, the temperature of the battery 23 will be maintained within the optimal temperature range even if the low temperature air is always sent to the vehicle compartment 38 and the battery 23.

[0051] In the next step S2, the control unit 25 sets the charging start time. The charging start time may be input by the user or may be a predetermined time. After the charging start time is set, the control unit 25 executes a pre-warming process in step S3. The pre-warming process is a process for warming up the vehicle interior 38 before and after charging the battery 23 and for warming up the battery 23 so as to maintain the temperature of the battery 23 within an optimal temperature range.

[0052] 9, when the pre-warm-up process is started, in step S11 the control unit 25 acquires the temperature of the battery 23, meteorological information (outside air temperature), and the temperature and flow rate of the low-temperature air or high-temperature air sent to the vehicle 2, and estimates the PU predicted temperature based on the acquired information. The PU predicted temperature is the predicted temperature of the battery 23 in the future, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. The method for estimating the predicted temperature may be, for example, to calculate the predicted temperature by inputting the acquired information into a calculation formula that has been calculated in advance, or to calculate the predicted temperature by inputting the acquired information into a machine learning model that has been created in advance.

[0053] When the PU predicted temperature is estimated in this manner, in step S12, the control unit 25 determines whether the estimated PU predicted temperature will become equal to or lower than the low temperature threshold value THL after a predetermined time period (for example, after 10 minutes). If the PU predicted temperature does not become equal to or lower than the low temperature threshold value THL after the predetermined time (No in step S12), the control unit 25 moves the process to step S14 without performing step S13.

[0054] On the other hand, if the PU predicted temperature becomes lower than or equal to the low temperature threshold THL after the specified time (Yes in step S12), in step S13, the control unit 25 switches the switching valve 15 so that high-temperature air is sent to the vehicle 2, and switches the switching valve 32 so that high-temperature air is sent toward the battery 23 (high-temperature warm-up).

[0055] As a result, the high-temperature air is sent directly to the battery 23 without passing through the vehicle interior 38. This allows the temperature of the battery 23 to be higher than when low-temperature air is being sent to it. Therefore, the temperature of the battery 23 gradually rises, for example, as shown by the solid line after time T2 in FIG. 7. At this time, since the determination is made using the PU predicted temperature, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 2 including the battery 23 from freezing due to the temperature dropping below 0° C.

[0056] Thereafter, in step S14, the control unit 25 determines whether or not high temperature warm-up is in progress. If the high temperature warm-up is not in progress (No in step S14), the control unit 25 ends the pre-warm-up process. If the vehicle is in the high-temperature warm-up state (Yes in step S14), in step S15, the control unit 25 determines whether the estimated PU predicted temperature will become equal to or higher than the high-temperature threshold value THH after a predetermined time period. If the PU predicted temperature does not become equal to or higher than the high temperature threshold value THH after the predetermined time period (No in step S15), the control unit 25 ends the pre-warm-up process.

[0057] On the other hand, if the PU predicted temperature becomes equal to or higher than the high temperature threshold value THH after the specified time (Yes in step S15), in step S16, the control unit 25 switches the switching valve 15 so that low temperature air is sent to the vehicle 2, and switches the switching valve 32 so that low temperature air is sent toward the passenger compartment 38, and ends the pre-warming process. As a result, as shown after time T3 in FIG. 7, the temperature of the battery 23 gradually decreases.

[0058] 8, in step S4, the control unit 25 determines whether the charging start time has arrived. Until the charging start time arrives (No in step S4), the control unit 25 repeats the pre-warming process. As a result, until charging of the battery 23 starts, in the vehicle 2, at least the temperature of the battery 23 is maintained within the optimal temperature range, and each part of the vehicle 2 is maintained free from freezing.

[0059] Then, when the charging start time arrives (Yes in step S4), in step S5, the control unit 25 starts charging the battery 23 with electricity supplied from the building 3 via the cable 4. Note that if the SOC of the battery 23 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (e.g., 90%), the process of step S5 may be skipped.

[0060] When charging of the battery 23 begins, in step S6, the control unit 25 switches the switching valve 15 so that low-temperature air is sent to the vehicle 2, and switches the switching valve 32 so that low-temperature air is sent toward the passenger compartment 38 (low-temperature warm-up).

[0061] Next, in step S7, the control unit 25 executes a charging warm-up process. The charging warm-up process is a process for warming up the battery 23 while the battery 23 is being charged so as to maintain the temperature of the battery 23 within an optimal temperature range.

[0062] 10, when the charging warm-up process is started, in step S21 the control unit 25 acquires the temperature of the battery 23, meteorological information (outside air temperature), and the temperature and flow rate of the low-temperature air or high-temperature air sent to the vehicle 2, as well as the amount of heat generated during charging of the battery 23. The amount of heat generated during charging of the battery 23 is stored in advance in the memory unit of the control unit 25 as a known value. The control unit 25 estimates the PU predicted temperature based on the acquired information. Note that, as in the pre-warm-up process, the PU predicted temperature may be estimated by, for example, inputting the acquired information into a calculation formula obtained in advance, or may be calculated by inputting the acquired information into a machine learning model created in advance. This differs from the pre-warm-up process in that the predicted PU temperature is estimated taking into account the amount of heat generated when the battery 23 is charged.

[0063] When the PU predicted temperature is estimated in this manner, in the process from step S22 to step S26, the control unit 25 performs the same process as the process from step S12 to step S16 in the pre-warm-up process.

[0064] That is, in step S22, the control unit 25 determines whether the estimated PU predicted temperature will become equal to or lower than the low temperature threshold value THL after a predetermined time. If the PU predicted temperature does not become equal to or lower than the low temperature threshold value THL after the predetermined time (No in step S22), the control unit 25 moves the process to step S24 without performing step S23.

[0065] On the other hand, if the PU predicted temperature becomes lower than or equal to the low temperature threshold THL after the specified time (Yes in step S22), in step S23, the control unit 25 switches the switching valve 15 so that high-temperature air is sent to the vehicle 2, and switches the switching valve 32 so that high-temperature air is sent toward the battery 23 (high-temperature warm-up).

[0066] Thereafter, in step S24, the control unit 25 determines whether or not high temperature warm-up is in progress. If the high temperature warm-up is not in progress (No in step S24), the control unit 25 ends the charge warm-up process. If the vehicle is in the high-temperature warm-up state (Yes in step S24), in step S25, the control unit 25 determines whether the estimated PU predicted temperature will become equal to or higher than the high-temperature threshold value THH after a predetermined time period. If the PU predicted temperature does not become equal to or higher than the high temperature threshold THH after the predetermined time (No in step S25), the control unit 25 ends the charging warm-up process.

[0067] On the other hand, if the PU predicted temperature becomes equal to or higher than the high temperature threshold THH after the specified time (Yes in step S25), in step S26, the control unit 25 switches the switching valve 15 so that low temperature air is sent to the vehicle 2, and switches the switching valve 32 so that low temperature air is sent toward the passenger compartment 38 (high temperature warm-up), and ends the charging warm-up process.

[0068] 8, in step S8, the control unit 25 determines whether charging of the battery 23 is completed. Until charging of the battery 23 is completed (No in step S8), the control unit 25 repeats the charging warm-up process. As a result, until charging of the battery 23 is completed, in the vehicle 2, at least the temperature of the battery 23 is maintained within the optimal temperature range, and each part of the vehicle 2 is maintained so as not to freeze.

[0069] When charging of the battery 23 is completed (Yes in step S8), the control unit 25 executes the pre-warming process in step S3. Then, in step S9, the control unit 25 determines whether the cable 4 has been removed. The control unit 25 repeats the pre-warming process until the cable 4 is removed (No in step S9), and ends the warming process when the cable 4 is removed (Yes in step S9).

[0070] <3. Modifications> Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific examples and can adopt various configurations. For example, in the above embodiment, the vehicle 2 is an electric vehicle. However, the vehicle 2 may be a hybrid vehicle.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the control unit 25 executes the pre-warm-up process (step S3) and the charge warm-up process (step S7) as different processes. However, the control unit 25 may execute the pre-warm-up process (step S3) and the charge warm-up process (step S7) as the same process. In this case, when estimating the PU predicted temperature before and after charging, 0 may be acquired as the heat generation amount during charging of the battery 23.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the flap mechanism 37 is used as the mechanism for vertically moving the flap 52. However, other mechanisms may be used as long as they can move the flap 52 vertically.

[0073] In the above embodiment, one air duct 42 is provided on the cable 4, and either low temperature air or high temperature air selected by the switching valve 15 is sent to the vehicle 2. However, two air ducts 42 may be provided on the cable 4, and both low temperature air and high temperature air may be sent to the vehicle 2, with the sending of the low temperature air and the high temperature air being switched in the vehicle 2.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the air discharged from the room 12 is used as the low-temperature air (first air), and the air directly sent out from the heating device 11 is used as the high-temperature air (second air). However, the low-temperature air and the high-temperature air are not limited to this, and any air having different temperatures sent out from the building 3 may be used.

[0075] <4. Summary of the embodiment> As described above, the vehicle 2 of the embodiment is equipped with a switching valve 32 that switches and sends out the relatively low temperature first air (low temperature air) and the relatively high temperature second air (high temperature air) supplied from the building 3 to the passenger compartment 38 or the power unit (battery 23), and a control unit 25 that controls the switching of the switching valve 32 so that the temperature of the power unit is maintained within a predetermined temperature range (optimum temperature range). As a result, in the vehicle 2, the vehicle interior 38 and the battery 23 can be efficiently warmed up by the low-temperature air or the high-temperature air. For example, if the temperature of the battery 23 can be maintained within the optimum temperature range using only low-temperature air, the battery 23 can be warmed up using only low-temperature air, thereby enabling energy-saving warm-up. Furthermore, if the temperature of the battery 23 cannot be maintained in the optimum temperature range using only low-temperature air, the battery 23 is warmed up with high-temperature air when the temperature of the battery 23 (PU predicted temperature) falls below the low-temperature threshold THL. This reduces the time that high-temperature air is used, making it possible to maintain the temperature of the battery 23 in the optimum temperature range with less energy consumption. Thus, in the vehicle 2, it is possible to reduce the degradation of the performance of the power unit (particularly the battery 23) while achieving energy conservation.

[0076] The first air (low temperature air) is air that is exhausted from the room 12 of the building 3 that has been heated by the heating equipment 11, and the second air (high temperature air) is air that is supplied directly from the heating equipment 11. The low-temperature air discharged from the room 12 of the building 3 is usually discharged outdoors. Therefore, by using the low-temperature air discharged from the room 12 of the building 3 to warm up the vehicle compartment 38 and the battery 23, energy can be reused, thereby achieving further energy savings. Moreover, the high-temperature air is directly sent out from the heating device 11 used to heat the room 12. Therefore, there is no need to use a new device for generating high-temperature air, and the equipment can be made smaller and less expensive.

[0077] The control unit 25 controls the switching valve 32 so as to send the first air (low temperature air) to the vehicle interior 38 and to send the second air (high temperature air) to the power unit (battery 23). As a result, the vehicle interior 38 is heated by the low-temperature air to a temperature equivalent to that of the interior 12, and the battery 23 is heated by the high-temperature air to a temperature at which it can perform even when the outside air temperature is low. Therefore, the vehicle 2 can reduce the performance degradation of the power unit and heat the vehicle interior 38 to a temperature suitable for people.

[0078] The vehicle 2 is provided with a check valve 36 that allows air to pass from the vehicle interior 38 to the power unit (battery 23) and does not allow air to pass from the power unit (battery 23) to the vehicle interior 38. As a result, in the vehicle 2, it is possible to warm up the passenger compartment 38 and the battery 23 with low-temperature air, and it is also possible to prevent high-temperature air from being sent to the passenger compartment 38 and raising the temperature thereto higher than necessary.

[0079] The vehicle is provided with a flap 52 that can protrude downward from the bottom of the vehicle body so as to cover the space below the power unit (battery 23). As a result, the space below the battery 23 is covered by the flap 52 during warm-up, and thus the battery 23 is prevented from being cooled by outside air in the space below the battery 23. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1. Warm-up system 2 Vehicles 3. Building 4 Cable 11 Heating equipment 12 Indoor 23 Battery 25 Control Unit

Claims

1. a switching valve that switches between the first air having a relatively low temperature and the second air having a relatively high temperature supplied from the building and sends the first air to the vehicle compartment or the power unit; a control unit that controls switching of the switching valve so that the temperature of the power unit is maintained within a predetermined temperature range; A vehicle equipped with.

2. The first air is air that is heated by a heating device and discharged from a room of the building, The second air is air supplied directly from the heating device.

2. The vehicle of claim 1.

3. The control unit controls the switching valve to send the first air to the vehicle compartment and to send the second air to the power unit. A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a check valve that allows air to pass from the vehicle compartment to the power unit and does not allow air to pass from the power unit to the vehicle compartment A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A flap is provided that can protrude downward from the bottom of the vehicle body so as to cover the space below the power unit. A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

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