Automatic charging control device

Abstract

To provide an automatic charging control device that can improve the convenience for a user.SOLUTION: An automatic charging control device 10 comprises: a drive housing 2 that includes at least an axle lubricated with oil W1; a charging inlet 3 that is disposed under the floor of a vehicle 1 and has an opening that opens in the outer surface of the vehicle body; and a heat pipe 5 that has one end connected to the drive housing 2 and the other end connected to the charging inlet 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic charging control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology to prevent a decrease in charging efficiency when a change in dielectric constant occurs due to ice and snow adhering to the power receiving coil. According to this technology, when a foreign object is detected between the power transmitting unit and the power receiving unit, and the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the ice and snow adhering to the power receiving unit is melted with hot water heated by a PTC heater. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-208301 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, since it takes time for the water to become warm after the PTC heater is driven, there is a risk that user convenience will decrease.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an automatic charging control device that can improve user convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the automatic charging control device of the present disclosure comprises a drive housing including at least an axle lubricated with oil inside, a charging inlet arranged under the floor of the vehicle and having an opening that opens to the outer surface of the vehicle body, and a heat pipe having one end connected to the drive housing and the other end connected to the charging inlet. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an effect of improving user convenience is achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of a main part of an automatic charging control device provided in a vehicle according to an embodiment during traveling. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic view of a main part of an automatic charging control device that is provided in a vehicle according to one embodiment during charging. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of a process executed by an ECU including an automatic charging control device according to an embodiment when starting charging of a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A vehicle equipped with an automatic charging control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the components in the following embodiments include those that are replaceable and easy for a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same. Also, each figure referred to in the following description merely shows the shape, size, and positional relationship in a schematic manner to the extent that the contents of the present disclosure can be understood. In other words, the present disclosure is not limited to only the shape, size, and positional relationship exemplified in each figure.

[0010] [Configuration of the automatic charging control device] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an automatic charging control device provided in a vehicle according to an embodiment during running. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an automatic charging control device provided in a vehicle according to an embodiment during charging. The vehicle 1 shown in Fig. 1 is assumed to be a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) or the like.

[0011] The vehicle 1 includes a drive housing 2 that houses a T / A (transaxle) case and the like, a charging inlet 3 that is disposed under the floor of the vehicle 1, a protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4, a heat pipe 5, a rotation mechanism 6, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 7. In one embodiment, the drive housing 2, the charging inlet 3, the protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4, the heat pipe 5, the rotation mechanism 6, and the ECU 7 function as an automatic charging control device 10.

[0012] Drive housing 2 is a power transmission mechanism including an axle, gears, and a rotating shaft, the interior of which is lubricated with oil W1, and transmits power output from a motor (not shown) to wheels (not shown).

[0013] The charging inlet 3 is disposed under the floor of the vehicle 1, and has an opening (not shown) in the vehicle body screen of the vehicle 1. The charging inlet 3 is configured using a power receiving coil, an AC / DC converter, a rectifier unit, etc. The charging inlet 3 receives power from a charging device 100 (see FIG. 2) having a power transmitting coil disposed on the ground side by contact power feeding or non-contact power feeding using an electromagnetic induction method or a magnetic field resonance method, and supplies the received power to a drive battery (not shown).

[0014] Protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4 is provided to be movable in the fore-and-aft direction of vehicle 1, and opens and closes the opening of charging inlet 3. Specifically, under the control of ECU 7, protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4 moves in the fore-and-aft direction of vehicle 1 to change charging inlet 3 from an open state to a closed state or from the closed state to an open state.

[0015] One end of the heat pipe 5 is connected to the drive housing 2, and the other end is connected to the charging inlet 3. The heat pipe 5 is bent such that the other end forms a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the one end toward the upper side of the vehicle 1, and rotates around the rotation mechanism 6.

[0016] The rotation mechanism 6 operates in conjunction with the protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4 to adjust the angle of the heat pipe 5. The rotation mechanism 6 is provided at the center of the heat pipe 5, and moves one end of the heat pipe 5 by rotating it up and down within the drive housing 2.

[0017] The ECU 7 is realized by using a processor having a memory and hardware. The hardware is, for example, a memory, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and a graphics processing unit (GPU). The ECU 7 controls each part of the vehicle 1. The ECU 7 controls the opening and closing of the protective cover opening and closing mechanism 4. Specifically, when the vehicle 1 is running, the ECU 7 closes the opening of the charging inlet 3, whereas when the vehicle 1 is charging, the ECU 7 opens the opening of the charging inlet 3.

[0018] In the vehicle 1 configured in this manner, the heat pipe 5 transfers the heat of the oil W1 in the drive housing 2 to the protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4 including the charging inlet 3, thereby preventing the protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4 from freezing at low temperatures.

[0019] Furthermore, when the heat generating portion (high temperature side) of the heat pipe 5 is set at a lower position relative to the heat dissipation portion (low temperature side), the heat conduction efficiency improves, whereas when the heat generating portion is set at a higher position, the heat conduction efficiency decreases. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 1 is prone to freezing. For example, in cold regions and regions with heavy snowfall, the shape of the heat pipe 5 is inclined upward from one end to the other end so that the charging inlet 3 side is at a higher position, and the heat pipe 5 is disposed so that the other end is higher than the one end.

[0020] 2, while the vehicle 1 is being charged, the ECU 7 controls the driving of the rotation mechanism 6 to rotate the heat pipe 5 on the floor surface of the vehicle 1 so that one end of the heat pipe 5 is positioned higher than the other end of the heat pipe 5. As a result, the heat pipe 5 conducts heat on the charging inlet 3 side to the drive housing 2 while the vehicle 1 is being charged, thereby warming the oil W1 in the drive housing 2 and reducing friction at the time of starting.

[0021] Furthermore, the ECU 7 can adjust the charging efficiency between the charging inlet 3 and the charging device 100 to increase the amount of heat generated by the charging inlet 3 and promote the heating of the drive housing 2 by the heat pipe 5 .

[0022] [Processing when charging starts] Next, a description will be given of the process executed by the ECU 7 when starting charging the vehicle 1. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of the process executed by the ECU 7 when starting charging the vehicle 1.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the ECU 7 acquires a scheduled departure time ts (charging completion time) based on the operation contents input by the user using a navigation system (not shown) or the like at the start of charging (step S101).

[0024] Next, the ECU 7 communicates with the charging device 100 and instructs the charging inlet 3 and the charging device 100 to start charging (step S102).

[0025] After that, the ECU 7 detects whether the temperature (T / A temperature) in the drive housing 2 is equal to or lower than the threshold value (T_ 0 ) or less (step S103), and the temperature (T / A temperature) in the drive housing 2 is determined to be equal to or lower than the threshold value (T_ 0 If the temperature (T / A temperature) in the drive housing 2 is equal to or lower than the threshold value (T_ 0 ) (step S103: No), the ECU 7 returns to step S102.

[0026] In step S104, the ECU 7 judges whether or not the required charging time tf based on the SOC (State of Charge) of the battery (not shown) is shorter than the time obtained by subtracting the current time t from the scheduled departure time ts (scheduled departure time ts-current time t). That is, the ECU 7 judges whether or not the charging of the battery of the vehicle 1 is completed by the required charging time tf based on the current time t and the scheduled departure time ts, and if it is judged that the charging of the battery of the vehicle 1 is completed by the required charging time tf, it judges that the required charging time tf is shorter than the time obtained by subtracting the current time t from the scheduled departure time ts (step S104: Yes), the ECU 7 proceeds to step S105 described later. On the other hand, if the required charging time tf is not shorter than the time obtained by subtracting the current time t from the scheduled departure time ts (step S104: No), the ECU 7 returns to step S102. In this case, the ECU 7 determines that charging will not be completed by the scheduled departure time ts, and adjusts the charging efficiency immediately before the charging is completed to increase the amount of heat generated.

[0027] In step S105, the ECU 7 performs control to reduce the charging efficiency by temporarily stopping charging or by starting charging just before the scheduled departure time ts, thereby reducing the friction of the oil W1 in the drive housing 2 at startup.

[0028] Next, if the scheduled travel start time has arrived (step S106: Yes), the ECU 7 ends this process. On the other hand, if the scheduled travel start time has not arrived (step S106: No), the ECU 7 returns to step S105.

[0029] According to the embodiment described above, the heat pipe 5 conducts the heat of the oil W1 in the drive housing 2 to the protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4 including the charging inlet 3, thereby preventing the protective cover opening / closing mechanism 4 from freezing at low temperatures.

[0030] Further advantages and modifications may readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Thus, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

[0031] Although some of the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be embodied in other forms that incorporate various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the forms described in the disclosure of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 vehicle 2 Drive housing 3 Charging inlet 4. Protective cover opening / closing mechanism 5 Heat Pipes 6 Rotation mechanism 7 ECU

Claims

[Claim 1] a drive housing including at least an internally oil lubricated axle; a charging inlet that is disposed under a floor of the vehicle and has an opening that opens to an outer surface of the vehicle body; a heat pipe having one end connected to the drive housing and the other end connected to the charging inlet; Equipped with Automatic charging control device.

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