Display control device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a display control device for a vehicle that is able to maximally utilize a function of supplying power to an external part of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A display control device for a vehicle 1 capable of supplying power to an external part, includes: a generator motor 3 that generates power by using driving force of an engine 2; a battery 9 that stores the power generated by the generator motor 3; a display unit 10 that displays various information; and a control unit 11 that adjusts an amount of power generation according to a vehicle state; wherein the control unit 11 calculates an amount of power that can be supplied to the external part, sets, as an amount of power that can be used, an amount of power obtained by subtracting an amount of power currently supplied from the amount of power that can be supplied, and causes the display unit 10 to display the amount of power that can be used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes that in an electric vehicle having a connection part capable of supplying power to the outside of the vehicle, when in a power supply mode in which power is supplied to the outside through the connection part, the power supply possible time that can be continuously supplied at the current output power is displayed on a display unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 014655 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in such vehicles, although the time that the current output power can be continuously supplied is displayed, the user cannot recognize the amount of power that can be used by the vehicle, and therefore, even if the vehicle has a surplus of power that can be supplied, it cannot be used.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle display control device that can maximize the use of the function of supplying power to the outside of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vehicle display control device for a vehicle capable of supplying power to the outside, which comprises a generator that generates electricity by using the driving force of an internal combustion engine, a storage battery that stores the electricity generated by the generator, a control unit that adjusts the amount of electricity generated in accordance with the vehicle condition, and a display unit that displays various information, wherein the control unit calculates the amount of electricity that can be supplied to the outside, determines the amount of electricity that is obtained by subtracting the amount of electricity currently being supplied from the amount of electricity that can be supplied as the amount of usable electricity, and displays the amount of usable electricity on the display unit. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In this way, according to the present invention, it is possible to maximize the use of the function of supplying power to the outside of the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display of the available power amount of the vehicle display control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the available power amount display process of the vehicle display control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A vehicle display control device in one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle display control device for a vehicle capable of supplying power to the outside, which is equipped with a generator that generates power using the driving force of an internal combustion engine, a storage battery that stores the power generated by the generator, a control unit that adjusts the amount of power generated depending on the vehicle condition, and a display unit that displays various information, and the control unit is configured to calculate the amount of power that can be supplied to the outside, calculate the amount of power that is obtained by subtracting the amount of power currently being supplied from the amount of power that can be supplied as the amount of usable power, and display the amount of usable power on the display unit.

[0010] As a result, the vehicle display control device according to the embodiment of the present invention can maximize the use of the power supply function to the outside of the vehicle. EXAMPLES

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vehicle display control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] In Figure 1, a vehicle 1 equipped with a vehicle display control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to include an engine 2 as an internal combustion engine, a generator motor 3 (shown as MG1 in the figure) as a generator, a drive motor 4 (shown as MG2 in the figure), a differential 5, drive wheels 6, a generator motor inverter 7 (shown as INV1 in the figure), a drive motor inverter 8 (shown as INV2 in the figure), a battery 9 as a storage battery, a display unit 10, and a control unit 11.

[0013] A plurality of cylinders are formed in the engine 2. In this embodiment, the engine 2 is configured to perform a series of four strokes, which are an intake stroke, a compression stroke, an expansion stroke, and an exhaust stroke, for each cylinder.

[0014] The generator motor 3 has a rotating shaft connected to the output shaft of the engine 2. As a result, the generator motor 3 generates electric power by the driving force of the engine 2. The generator motor 3 supplies the generated electric power to a battery 9.

[0015] The drive motor 4 has a rotating shaft connected to left and right drive wheels 6 via a differential 5. As a result, the drive motor 4 functions as an electric motor that drives the drive wheels 6 with power supplied from a battery 9 via a drive motor inverter 8, and also functions as a generator that generates electricity with the reverse drive force input from the differential 5.

[0016] The generator motor inverter 7, under the control of the control unit 11, converts the three-phase AC power generated by the generator motor 3 into DC power to charge the battery 9.

[0017] Under the control of the control unit 11, the drive motor inverter 8 converts the DC power supplied from the battery 9 into three-phase AC power and supplies it to the drive motor 4. Under the control of the control unit 11, the drive motor inverter 8 converts the three-phase AC power generated by the drive motor 4 into DC power to charge the battery 9.

[0018] The battery 9 is configured by a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The battery 9 is connected to the generator motor 3 and the drive motor 4, and is charged by the generated power of the generator motor 3 or the generated power (regenerative power) of the drive motor 4.

[0019] The battery 9 is provided with a battery state sensor 91. The battery state sensor 91 detects the charge / discharge current, voltage, and battery temperature of the battery 9. The battery state sensor 91 is connected to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 is capable of detecting the charge state of the battery 9 based on the output of the battery state sensor 91.

[0020] An outlet 93 is connected to the battery 9 via a DC / AC converter 92. The DC / AC converter 92 converts the power of the battery 9 into commercial power. For example, an AC current of 100V is supplied from the outlet 93, and power can be supplied to an electrical device by inserting the power plug of the electrical device into the outlet 93.

[0021] The outlet 93 is provided with a current sensor 94 that detects the current being supplied from the outlet 93. The current sensor 94 outputs the current from the battery 9 to the outlet 93 as a positive current value to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 can calculate the value of power currently being supplied from the outlet 93 from the output of the current sensor 94. Note that the calculated power value may change suddenly, so it is advisable to perform a smoothing process.

[0022] The display unit 10 is configured, for example, with an image display device such as a liquid crystal display, etc. The display unit 10 displays various information to inform the driver.

[0023] The control unit 11 is composed of a computer unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory for storing backup data, etc., an input port, and an output port.

[0024] The ROM of the computer unit stores various constants, various maps, and the like, as well as a program for causing the computer unit to function as the control unit 11. That is, the CPU executes the program stored in the ROM using the RAM as a working area, causing the computer unit to function as the control unit 11 in this embodiment.

[0025] To the input port of the control unit 11, various sensors including the engine speed sensor 21 and water temperature sensor 22 in addition to the battery state sensor 91 and current sensor 94 described above are connected.

[0026] The engine speed sensor 21 detects the engine speed, which is the engine speed of the engine 2. The water temperature sensor 22 detects the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 2.

[0027] To the output port of the control unit 11, various control targets including the engine 2, the generator motor inverter 7, the drive motor inverter 8, and the display unit 10 are connected.

[0028] In this embodiment, when power is being supplied to an external electrical device from the outlet 93, the control unit 11 calculates the amount of power that can be supplied to the outside, determines the amount of power that is obtained by subtracting the amount of power currently being supplied from the amount of power that can be supplied as the amount of usable power, and causes the display unit 10 to display the amount of usable power.

[0029] For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 11 displays the amount of available power as a ratio to the amount of power that can be supplied.

[0030] For example, when the engine 2 is generating power, the control unit 11 determines the sum of the amount of power that the battery 9 can output and the amount of power generated by the engine 2 as the amount of power that can be supplied.

[0031] For example, when power generation is not being performed by the engine 2, the control unit 11 determines the amount of power that can be supplied to be the sum of the amount of power that can be output by the battery 9 and the virtual generated power amount, which is the amount of power that would be generated if power generation were performed by the engine 2.

[0032] The virtual generated power amount is, for example, the amount of power based on the lowest amount of power that can be generated by the engine 2. The lowest amount of power that can be generated by the engine 2 is, for example, the amount of power that can be generated when the engine 2 is in a cold state. The cold state here is, for example, the amount of power generated when the engine 2 performs a warm-up operation at an idling speed or an engine speed close to the idling speed.

[0033] The available power amount display process performed by the vehicle display control device according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The available power amount display process described below starts when the supply of power to the outside from the outlet 93 starts, is executed at preset time intervals, and stops when the supply of power to the outside from the outlet 93 ends.

[0034] In step S1, the control unit 11 calculates the amount of power used that is supplied to the outside from the outlet 93. After executing the process of step S1, the control unit 11 executes the process of step S2.

[0035] In step S2, the control unit 11 performs an smoothing process on the calculated power value. After performing the process of step S2, the control unit 11 performs a process of step S3.

[0036] In step S3, the control unit 11 calculates the amount of power that can be supplied to the outside, and calculates the ratio of available power. After executing the process of step S3, the control unit 11 executes the process of step S4.

[0037] In step S4, the control unit 11 causes the calculated ratio of available power to be displayed on the display unit 10. After executing the process of step S4, the control unit 11 ends the available power amount display process.

[0038] Thus, in this embodiment, when power is being supplied to an external electrical device from the outlet 93, the control unit 11 calculates the amount of power that can be supplied to the outside, determines the amount of power that is obtained by subtracting the amount of power currently being supplied from the amount of power that can be supplied as the amount of usable power, and causes the display unit 10 to display the amount of usable power.

[0039] As a result, while power is being supplied to an external electrical device from outlet 93, the amount of available power is displayed on display unit 10. Therefore, by providing the user with a visible remaining capacity that vehicle 1 can supply to the outside, it is possible to maximize the use of the power supply function to the outside.

[0040] In addition, when power generation is being performed by the engine 2, the control unit 11 determines the amount of power that can be supplied to be the sum of the amount of power that can be output by the battery 9 and the amount of power generated by the engine 2, and when power generation is not being performed by the engine 2, the control unit 11 determines the amount of power that can be supplied to be the sum of the amount of power that can be output by the battery 9 and the virtual generated power amount, which is the amount of power that would be generated if power generation was performed by the engine 2.

[0041] As a result, when power is being generated by the engine 2, the amount of power that can be supplied is determined as the sum of the amount of power that the battery 9 can output and the amount of power generated by the engine 2, and when power is not being generated by the engine 2, the amount of power that can be supplied is determined as the sum of the amount of power that the battery 9 can output and the virtual generated power amount, which is the amount of power that would be generated by the engine 2. Therefore, when power is not being generated by the engine 2, the amount of power generated by the engine 2 can be added together as the virtual generated power amount, thereby making it possible to maximize the use of the power supply function to the outside.

[0042] The virtual generated electric power amount is the amount of electric power that can be generated by the engine 2 at the lowest possible amount.

[0043] As a result, the virtual generated power amount is set to the lowest amount of power that can be generated by the engine 2. This reduces the load on the engine 2 and maximizes the use of the power supply function to the outside.

[0044] The lowest amount of electricity that can be generated by the engine 2 is the amount of electricity that can be generated when the engine 2 is in a cold state.

[0045] As a result, the amount of power that the engine 2 can generate when it is cold is set to the lowest amount of power that can be generated by the engine 2. This reduces the load on the engine 2 and maximizes the use of the power supply function to the outside.

[0046] In this embodiment, the amount of available power is displayed on the display unit 10, but it may also be displayed on a display device of a terminal such as a smartphone connected to the vehicle 1 via wireless communication or the like. Also, the amount of available power may be returned in response to an inquiry from an app on a smartphone or the like connected to the vehicle 1 via wireless communication or the like, and displayed on the app.

[0047] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the control unit 11 performs various judgments and calculations based on various sensor information, but this is not limited to the above. The vehicle 1 may be provided with a communication unit capable of communicating with an external device such as an external server, and various judgments and calculations may be performed by the external device based on the detection information of the various sensors transmitted from the communication unit. The judgment results and calculation results may be received by the communication unit, and various controls may be performed using the received judgment results and calculation results.

[0048] Although an embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended that all such modifications and equivalents be included in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 vehicle 2. Engine (internal combustion engine) 3. Generator motor (generator) 7. Power generation motor inverter 9 Battery 10 Display section 11 Control section 21 Engine speed sensor 22 Water temperature sensor 91 Battery Status Sensor 92 DC / AC Converter 93 Power Outlet 94 Current Sensor

Claims

1. A generator that generates electricity by utilizing the driving force of the internal combustion engine; A storage battery that stores the power generated by the generator; A control unit that adjusts the amount of power generation according to the vehicle state; A display control device for a vehicle that is equipped with a display unit that displays various information and can supply power to an external device, The control unit calculates the amount of power that can be supplied to the outside, subtracts the amount of power currently being supplied from the amount of power that can be supplied to the outside, determines the amount of power that can be used, and displays the amount of power that can be used on the display unit.

2. 2. The vehicle display control device according to claim 1, wherein, when power generation is being performed by the internal combustion engine, the control unit determines the amount of power that can be supplied as the sum of the amount of power that can be output by the storage battery and the amount of power generated by the internal combustion engine, and, when power generation is not being performed by the internal combustion engine, determines the amount of power that can be supplied as the sum of the amount of power that can be output by the storage battery and a virtual generated amount of power, which is the amount of power that would be generated if power were being generated by the internal combustion engine.

3. The display control device for a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the virtual generated electric power amount is the lowest amount of electric power that can be generated by the internal combustion engine.

4. 4. The display control device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the lowest amount of electricity that can be generated by the internal combustion engine is an amount of electricity that can be generated when the internal combustion engine is in a cold state.

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