Output adjustment device

Abstract

To make it possible to change the traveling mode of a vehicle at an arbitrary timing.SOLUTION: An output adjustment ECU manages a capacity of a battery in an electric vehicle in a fashion of being classified into a normal capacity (displayed to a user as SOC (normal)) and an extra capacity (displayed to a user as SOC (extra)). When an attack mode is selected as a travel mode of the electric vehicle, the output adjustment ECU increases output of the battery within the range of a remaining amount of the extra capacity compared to when the travel mode is a normal mode. When a regenerative mode is selected as the travel mode of the electric vehicle, the output adjustment ECU increases input to the battery more than when the travel mode is the normal mode to increase regenerative power, and allocates the increased regenerative power compared to that in the normal mode to the extra capacity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an output conditioning device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for achieving both highly responsive driving force change in response to accelerator operation and good fuel economy in a hybrid vehicle equipped with an electric motor in addition to an internal combustion engine as a driving source. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-199163 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Vehicles used daily are required to be energy-efficient, but for example, when entering a main line of a highway, the vehicle needs to be rapidly accelerated in order to match its speed with the flow of other vehicles traveling on the main line. Or, there are cases where a driver wants to perform sporty driving with sharp acceleration and deceleration on a circuit, etc. In contrast, the technology described in Patent Document 1 determines the vehicle's driving mode based on accelerator operation, so there is a risk that a user such as a driver cannot change the driving mode at any time.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide an output adjustment device that can change the driving mode of a vehicle at any timing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The output adjustment device of the first aspect includes a control unit that divides the battery capacity of an electric vehicle into a normal capacity and a surplus capacity, and when a battery output expansion mode is selected as the driving mode via an input device, expands the battery output more than when the driving mode is in the normal mode within the range of the remaining surplus capacity, and when a regenerative mode is selected as the driving mode via the input device, expands the battery input more than when the driving mode is in the normal mode to increase regenerative power, and allocates the increased regenerative power compared to the normal mode to the surplus capacity.

[0007] In the first aspect, the capacity of the battery of the electric vehicle is divided into a normal capacity and an excess capacity. When the battery output expansion mode is selected as the driving mode, the battery output is expanded within the remaining range of the excess capacity, more than when the driving mode is the normal mode. In this case, the expansion of the battery output realizes sporty driving. When the regeneration mode is selected as the driving mode, the battery input is expanded more than when the driving mode is the normal mode, and the regenerative power is increased, and the increased amount of regenerative power compared to the normal mode is assigned to the excess capacity. In this case, the expansion of the battery input and the increase in regenerative power realizes energy-saving driving. Thus, according to the first aspect, the driving mode of the vehicle can be changed at any timing via the input device. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The present disclosure has an effect of being able to change the driving mode of a vehicle at any timing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an in-vehicle system installed in an electric vehicle according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2](A) is a schematic diagram showing the control of dividing the capacity of an electric vehicle battery into normal capacity and surplus capacity, (B) is a schematic diagram showing the input / output of the battery in normal mode, (C) is a schematic diagram showing the input / output in Attack mode, and (D) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display of an output device in Attack mode. [Diagram 3] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the battery input / output in normal mode, (B) is a schematic diagram showing the input / output in regenerative mode, and (C) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display of an output device in regenerative mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. An electric vehicle (BEV) 10 shown in Fig. 1 is equipped with an on-board system 14. The on-board system 14 includes a motor generator (hereinafter referred to as "MG") 16 that operates as a motor for driving the electric vehicle 10 by rotating the drive wheels 12 of the electric vehicle 10, and operates as a generator when the electric vehicle 10 decelerates.

[0011] The MG 16 is connected to a power control unit (hereinafter referred to as "PCU") 18, and a battery 20 is connected to the PCU 18. The PCU 18 includes an inverter capable of converting AC power to DC power and DC power to AC power. When the MG 16 operates as a motor, power is supplied to the MG 16 from the battery 20 via the PCU 18. When the MG 16 operates as a generator, power generated by the MG 16 is supplied to the battery 20 via the PCU 18, thereby charging the battery 20. The PCU 18 is connected to an output regulation ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 30, and its operation is controlled by the output regulation ECU 30.

[0012] The battery 20 is a so-called secondary battery that can be charged and discharged, such as a lead-acid battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a lithium-ion battery. The battery 20 is provided with a battery sensor 22 that measures the terminal voltage of the battery 20 and the temperature of the battery 20. The battery sensor 22 is connected to the output regulation ECU 30, and the terminal voltage measured by the battery sensor 22 is used to estimate the SOC (State Of Charge) indicating the charging rate of the battery 20, and the temperature of the battery 20 measured by the battery sensor 22 is used to estimate the SOH (State of Health) indicating the deterioration state of the battery 20.

[0013] The output adjustment ECU 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 32 and a memory 34 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The output adjustment ECU 30 also includes a non-volatile storage unit 36 ​​such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and an interface (I / F) unit 40. The CPU 32, the memory 34, the storage unit 36, and the I / F unit 40 are connected to each other via a bus 42 so as to be able to communicate with each other. An output adjustment program 38 is stored in the storage unit 36.

[0014] The output adjustment ECU 30 is connected to an input device 24 and an output device 26. The input device 24 is provided near the driver's seat of the electric vehicle 10, and allows a user to select an Attack mode (an example of a battery output expansion mode in this disclosure) or a regeneration mode as the driving mode of the electric vehicle 10 by pressing a predetermined button or other user operation. When the Attack mode or the regeneration mode is selected as the driving mode, the input device 24 outputs a signal indicating the selected driving mode to the output adjustment ECU 30. The output device 26 is composed of a display provided on an instrument panel, for example, and displays the battery capacity divided into a normal capacity and an excess capacity by the output adjustment ECU 30, as well as the degree of deterioration of the battery 20.

[0015] In addition, the output adjustment ECU 30 functions as an example of a control unit in the present disclosure by reading an output adjustment program 38 from the storage unit 36 ​​and expanding it into the memory 34, and the output adjustment program 38 expanded into the memory 34 being executed by the CPU 32.

[0016] That is, the output adjustment ECU 30 manages the capacity of the battery 20 of the electric vehicle 10 by dividing it into a normal capacity and an excess capacity. As an example, in FIG. 2(A), the capacity of the battery 20 is indicated as "actual SOC", the normal capacity is indicated as "user displayed SOC (normal)", and the excess capacity is indicated as "user displayed SOC (extra)". When the Attack mode is selected as the driving mode of the electric vehicle 10, the output adjustment ECU 30 increases the output of the battery 20 more than when the driving mode is the normal mode within the range of the remaining amount of the excess capacity. When the regeneration mode is selected as the driving mode of the electric vehicle 10, the output adjustment ECU 30 increases the input of the battery 20 more than when the driving mode is the normal mode to increase the regenerative power, and allocates the increased amount of regenerative power compared to the normal mode to the excess capacity.

[0017] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. While the ignition switch of the electric vehicle 10 is on, the output adjustment ECU 30 determines the current driving mode based on a signal from the input device 24. If the input device 24 is not operated by the user, the output adjustment ECU 30 determines that the current driving mode is the normal mode, and performs normal mode control.

[0018] 2(B) and 3(A) show a comparison between the output (Wout) 60, which is the amount of discharge of the battery 20 during powering in normal mode control, and the input (Win) 62, which is the amount of charge of the battery 20 due to regenerative braking. The horizontal axis of the figure shows the temperature of the battery 20 detected by the battery sensor 22. The battery 20 has an optimal temperature range for charging and discharging, and when the temperature is too low or too high, the output adjustment ECU 30 stops charging and discharging the battery 20. In normal mode, the output 60 is slightly higher than the input 62, but the output 60 and the input 62 are approximately balanced.

[0019] In addition, in normal mode control, the output adjustment ECU 30 causes the output device 26 to display, as an example, the remaining amount of normal capacity shown as “user display SOC (normal)” in FIG. 2(A) and the remaining amount of surplus capacity shown as “user display SOC (extra).”

[0020] On the other hand, for example, when entering a main line of a highway or when performing sport driving, the user performs an operation to transition the driving mode to the Attack mode via the input device 24 at any timing. When this operation is performed, the output adjustment ECU 30 determines that the Attack mode has been selected as the driving mode based on an input signal from the input device 24, and performs Attack mode control. Note that the user can freely select the timing to transition the driving mode to the Attack mode when performing sport driving, for example, while checking the remaining amount of surplus capacity displayed on the output device 26. This provides the user with the tactics (driving pleasure) of sport driving.

[0021] Fig. 2(C) shows a comparison between the input 62 and output 66 of the battery 20 in the Attack mode control. As shown in Fig. 2(C), in the Attack mode control, the output 66 of the battery 20 is expanded as indicated by the arrow 68 within the range of the remaining surplus capacity, compared to when the driving mode is the normal mode. In this way, in the Attack mode control, the output of the battery 20 is expanded, thereby achieving stronger acceleration than in the normal mode control.

[0022] In addition, in the Attack mode control, the output adjustment ECU 30 displays the remaining normal capacity and the remaining surplus capacity on the output device 26, as shown in Fig. 2(D) for example. This allows the user to understand how much the remaining available surplus capacity has decreased in the Attack mode control.

[0023] Furthermore, in the Attack mode control, the output adjustment ECU 30 also displays the degree of deterioration of the battery 20 on the output device 26. The degree of deterioration of the battery 20 can be found, for example, by integrating how many seconds the output of the battery 20 was expanded at which temperature range, and calculating the impact on the lifespan of the battery 20. The degree of deterioration of the battery 20 displayed on the output device 26 is, for example, what percentage the battery capacity of the battery 20 is compared to when it was new, or what percentage the battery capacity of the battery 20 has decreased compared to when it was new.

[0024] Furthermore, prior to selecting the Attack mode as the driving mode, if the user determines that the remaining surplus capacity is insufficient to execute the Attack mode, for example, the user performs an operation to transition the driving mode to the regeneration mode via the input device 24. When this operation is performed, the output adjustment ECU 30 determines that the regeneration mode has been selected as the driving mode based on an input signal from the input device 24, and performs regeneration mode control.

[0025] 3(B) shows a comparison between the input 70 and output 60 of the battery 20 in the regenerative mode control. In the regenerative mode control, the output 60 is the same as in the normal mode control, but the input 70 is enlarged as indicated by the arrow 72 compared to the input 62 in the normal mode control. This increases the regenerative power when the electric vehicle 10 decelerates. In this way, the user can also prepare for using the surplus capacity in the Attack mode (securing the remaining amount of surplus capacity by actively performing regeneration in the regenerative mode) at any time.

[0026] In addition, in the regeneration mode control, the output adjustment ECU 30 allocates the regenerative power, which is increased from that in the normal mode, to the surplus capacity. That is, the output adjustment ECU 30 preferentially allocates the regenerative power to the surplus capacity, and when the remaining amount of the surplus capacity reaches 100%, starts allocating the regenerative power to the normal capacity. Furthermore, in the regeneration mode control, the output adjustment ECU 30 causes the output device 26 to display the remaining amount of the normal capacity and the remaining amount of the surplus capacity, as shown in FIG. 3(C) as an example. This allows the user to know how much of the remaining amount of the available surplus capacity has been recovered in the regeneration mode control.

[0027] In this embodiment, the user can change and set the surplus capacity via the input device 24 within a range smaller than the normal capacity. For example, when the surplus capacity is increased, the output of the battery 20 in the Attack mode is increased, and stronger acceleration can be achieved. In addition, the capacity of the battery 20 in an electric vehicle (BEV) is larger than that of a hybrid vehicle (HV), and in order to avoid the output expansion being available almost without limit in the Attack mode, in this embodiment, the surplus capacity is set smaller than the normal capacity.

[0028] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the Attack mode is selected as the driving mode, the surplus capacity (extraSOC) of the battery 20 can be used to achieve stronger acceleration than when the driving mode is the normal mode, at a timing of the user's choice. In addition, the surplus capacity (extraSOC) used when the driving mode is the Attack mode can be secured in the regeneration mode. The user can switch the driving mode to the regeneration mode at a timing of the user's choice by operating the input device 24.

[0029] In this embodiment, when the driving mode is the Attack mode, the battery 20 is treated as a consumable item, but stronger acceleration is obtained than when the driving mode is the normal mode. In this embodiment, the degree of deterioration of the battery 20 is displayed on the output device 26, so that the user can select whether to prioritize the output of the battery 20 or the lifespan of the battery 20 with a satisfactory understanding.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the output adjustment program 38 is described as being pre-stored (installed) in the memory unit 36, but the output adjustment program 38 can also be provided in a form in which it is recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as an HDD, SSD, or DVD. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10. Electric Vehicles 14 In-vehicle systems 20 Battery 22 Battery Sensor 24 Input Devices 26 Output Devices 30 Output adjustment ECU

Claims

[Claim 1] An output adjustment device including a control unit that divides the battery capacity of an electric vehicle into a normal capacity and a surplus capacity, and when a battery output expansion mode is selected as the driving mode via an input device, expands the battery output more than when the driving mode is in the normal mode within the range of the remaining surplus capacity, and when a regeneration mode is selected as the driving mode via the input device, expands the battery input more than when the driving mode is in the normal mode to increase regenerative power, and allocates the increased regenerative power compared to the normal mode to the surplus capacity.

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