vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle which can suppress excessive rise of temperature of a power line used for connection with a battery.SOLUTION: A vehicle 1 comprises: a battery 100 which can be externally charged; a wire harness 10 for connecting an inlet 220 and the battery 100; a suspension device 30 which can adjust a vehicle height; and an ECU 300 for controlling the suspension device 30. The ECU 300 controls the suspension device 30 so that the vehicle height is made higher when the battery 100 is being charged than when the battery 100 is not charged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-48758 (Patent Document 1) discloses a configuration of a cooling system that circulates cooling water to cool a charger or the like in a vehicle equipped with a running battery and a charger.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When charging the battery in the vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, if a large current flows through the power line (wire harness) connecting the charger and the charging inlet or the like, the power line may overheat due to reasons such as the close distance between the power line and the surrounding components.

[0005] In such a case, a large current cannot flow to avoid overheating of the power line, resulting in an increase in charging time. In view of these circumstances, there is still room for improvement in order to prevent excessive heating of the power line used for connection to the battery.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle capable of suppressing excessive temperature rise of a power line used for connection to a battery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The vehicle according to the present disclosure includes an externally chargeable battery, a power line connecting a charging port and the battery, a vehicle height adjustment device capable of adjusting the vehicle height, and a control unit that controls the vehicle height adjustment device. The control unit controls the vehicle height adjustment device so that the vehicle height is higher when the battery is being charged than when the battery is not being charged.

[0008] By increasing the vehicle height of the vehicle during charging of the battery, the space around the power line (around the wheelhouse) connecting the charging port and the battery becomes wider, so that the heat of the power line can be suitably dissipated. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the power line used for connection to the battery from overheating.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the power line used for connection to the battery from overheating.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] 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 denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated. Hereinafter, an electronic control unit will be referred to as an "ECU".

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of vehicle 1. FIG. 2 is a view of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the left side of vehicle 1. Vehicle 1 includes at least an ECU 300, a suspension device 30, an externally rechargeable battery 100, a relay 200, a wire harness 10, an inlet 220, and a charging lid 210.

[0013] The ECU 300 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the "control unit" according to the present disclosure. The suspension device 30 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the "vehicle height adjustment device" according to the present disclosure. The inlet 220 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the "charging port" according to the present disclosure. The wire harness 10 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the "power line" according to the present disclosure.

[0014] Vehicle 1 is configured to be capable of DC charging for charging the battery 100 mounted on vehicle 1 using DC power supplied from an external charging facility (not shown) outside the vehicle. During DC charging, the charging facility and vehicle 1 are connected by a charging cable 400. The charging connector 410 provided in the charging cable 400 is configured to be connectable to the inlet 220 of vehicle 1. Further, vehicle 1 is configured to be capable of AC charging for charging the battery 100 by connecting the charging connector 410 to the inlet 220 and using AC power supplied from the charging facility.

[0015] Vehicle 1 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that runs by driving a traveling motor (not shown) using the power stored in the battery 100. Note that vehicle 1 may be any vehicle configured to be capable of external charging for charging the in-vehicle battery 100 using power supplied from an external charging facility outside the vehicle, for example, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).

[0016] The battery 100 is mounted on vehicle 1 as a driving power source (i.e., a power source). The battery 100 is configured to include a plurality of stacked batteries. The batteries are, for example, secondary batteries such as nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium-ion batteries.

[0017] The ECU 300 includes a processor 301 and a memory 302. The processor 301 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 302 stores programs executed by the processor 301. The ECU 300 outputs control signals to each device such as the suspension device 30 and inputs signals from sensors and the like, and controls each device.

[0018] The inlet 220 is configured such that the charging connector 410 of the charging cable 400 can be connected. The inlet 220 is normally covered by the charging lid 210. When the charging lid 210 is opened, the user can connect the charging connector 410 to the inlet 220. During charging, the charging connector 410 is connected to the inlet 220.

[0019] When the charging cable 400 is connected, the inlet 220 receives DC power supplied from a charging facility (during DC charging). The relay 200 is electrically connected to the wire harness 10. The wire harness 10 is a power line connecting the inlet 220 and the battery 100. The relay 200 switches between supplying and cutting off power between the battery 100 and the inlet 220 according to a control signal from the ECU 300. When externally charging the battery 100 of the vehicle 1 using the power supplied from the inlet 220 (rapid charging), the relay 200 is closed, and at a controller provided in the charging facility, the supply power supplied to the vehicle 1 is controlled.

[0020] The inlet 220 receives the AC power supplied from the charging facility (during AC charging) when the charging cable 400 is connected. A charger (not shown) is provided between the battery 100 and the inlet 220. The charger and the inlet 220 are connected via a wire harness (power line). The charger includes, for example, an AC / DC conversion unit, a DC / AC conversion unit, and an isolation transformer, etc. The charger converts the power received from the charging facility via the inlet 220 into the power for charging the battery 100 and supplies the power to the battery 100. The charger is controlled by the ECU 300.

[0021] The suspension device 30 is configured to absorb the impact from the road surface between the wheels and the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 and stabilize the vehicle body of the vehicle 1. The suspension device 30 is capable of adjusting the vehicle height. The vehicle 1 is equipped with a vehicle height sensor 94. The vehicle height sensor 94 is configured to detect the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 and output it to the ECU 300. The vehicle height sensor 94 includes vehicle height sensors 94a to 94d.

[0022] The vehicle body 2 corresponds to the vehicle body of the vehicle 1. The wheels FL, FR, RL, and RR respectively correspond to the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear wheels of the vehicle 1. The ECU 300 is configured to adjust the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 by controlling the suspension device 30.

[0023] The suspension device 30 includes suspension bodies 31 to 34, a suspension actuator 35, a first pressure adjustment unit 36, and a second pressure adjustment unit 37. The suspension bodies 31, 32, 33, and 34 are respectively provided between the wheels FL, FR, RL, and RR and the vehicle body 2. The first pressure adjustment unit 36 includes valves for controlling the suspension bodies 31 and 32. The second pressure adjustment unit 37 includes valves for controlling the suspension bodies 33 and 34. The first pressure adjustment unit 36 and the second pressure adjustment unit 37 are driven by the suspension actuator 35. The suspension actuator 35, the first pressure adjustment unit 36, and the second pressure adjustment unit 37 are controlled by the ECU 300.

[0024] The vehicle height sensors 94a, 94b, 94c, and 94d are each configured to detect the displacement amount (sinking amount) of the suspension bodies 31, 32, 33, and 34. As each of the vehicle height sensors 94a to 94d, a known non-contact height sensor can be adopted.

[0025] The vehicle height of the vehicle 1 corresponds to the height from the ground surface F1 (wheel contact surface) to the lower surface of the vehicle body 2 (see FIG. 2). The vehicle height sensors 94a, 94b, 94c, and 94d can separately detect the vehicle height of the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear of the vehicle 1. The ECU 300 can adjust the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 to a desired height while keeping the angle of the vehicle body 2 constant (for example, while keeping the lower surface of the vehicle body 2 substantially horizontal) by controlling the vehicle height of each of the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear of the vehicle 1. The ECU 300 can acquire the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 based on the outputs of the vehicle height sensors 94a to 94d.

[0026] The suspension bodies 31, 32, 33, and 34 are each configured to suspend the wheels FL, FR, RL, and RR. In this embodiment, an air suspension device is adopted as the suspension device. That is, each of the suspension bodies 31 to 34 is configured to absorb the impact received by the vehicle body 2 from the road surface by utilizing the elasticity (compressibility) of air. The suspension bodies 31, 32, 33, and 34 each include an air spring and a shock absorber. The air spring is provided on the outer periphery of the shock absorber. The air spring includes, for example, a diaphragm and an air chamber, and is configured to elastically support the weight of the vehicle body 2. Each shock absorber is configured to generate a damping force with respect to the vertical vibration of the air spring.

[0027] The ECU 300 can adjust the height of the vehicle body 2 (the vehicle height of the vehicle 1) by controlling the suspension actuator 35, the first pressure regulator 36, and the second pressure regulator 37.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 is controlled to be the vehicle height H1 before starting DC charging (normal time). The ECU 300 controls the ECU 300 so that the vehicle height is higher when the battery 100 is being charged than when the battery 100 is not being charged. Specifically, during DC charging, the ECU 300 controls the suspension device 30 so that the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 becomes the vehicle height H2 which is higher than the vehicle height H1.

[0029] Before starting DC charging, the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 is controlled to be the vehicle height H1. In this state, the wire harness 10 connected to the inlet 220 is designed to have a specified size, and due to the mounting constraints of the vehicle 1, the diameter cannot be increased. Due to the configuration of the vehicle 1, the wire harness 10 connected to the inlet 220 is close to peripheral components and has high sealing performance, so the temperature tends to rise. Under such circumstances, in order to avoid the high temperature of the wire harness 10, a large current cannot flow, and as a result of such thermal constraints, the charging time becomes long.

[0030] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ECU 300 controls the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 to be the vehicle height H2 during DC charging. Thereby, the distance between the wire harness 10 connected to the inlet 220 and the ground surface F1 becomes longer, and also the distance between the wire harness 10 and other components (such as tires) becomes longer, so it becomes easier to release the heat from the wire harness 10 during DC charging.

[0031] By doing so, the problem of thermal constraints of the wire harness 10 during DC charging can be avoided, so the charging time can be shortened. In the present embodiment, the wire harness 10 connected to the inlet 220 and the tire (wheel RL) are arranged at a close position. By controlling the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 to be the vehicle height H2, these distances become longer.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the processing executed by the ECU 300. The processing shown in this flowchart may be periodically called and executed from, for example, a main routine (not shown). Hereinafter, steps will also be simply denoted as "S".

[0033] In S10, the ECU 300 determines whether it is in a state before the start of DC charging. The "state before the start of DC charging" here refers to a state where the charging cable 400 is connected to the inlet 220 and DC charging is about to start. If the ECU 300 is in a state before the start of DC charging (YES in S10), the process proceeds to S11. On the other hand, if the ECU 300 is not in a state before the start of DC charging (NO in S10), the process returns to S10 and waits until it is in a state before the start of DC charging.

[0034] When it becomes a state before the start of DC charging, the ECU 300 performs control to change the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle height H1 to the vehicle height H2 in S11. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 becomes the vehicle height H2.

[0035] In S12, the ECU 300 starts DC charging. In S13, the ECU 300 determines whether DC charging has been completed. If DC charging has been completed (YES in S13), the process proceeds to S14. On the other hand, if DC charging has not been completed (NO in S13), the process returns to S13 and waits until DC charging is completed.

[0036] When DC charging is completed, the ECU 300 performs control to return the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle height H2 to the vehicle height H1 in S14. As a result, the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 returns to the original vehicle height H1 (see FIG. 2).

[0037] As described above, the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment includes an externally chargeable battery 100, a wire harness 10 connecting the inlet 220 and the battery 100, a suspension device 30 capable of adjusting the vehicle height, and an ECU 300 that controls the suspension device 30. The ECU 300 controls the ECU 300 so that the vehicle height is higher when the battery 100 is being charged than when the battery 100 is not being charged.

[0038] By increasing the vehicle height of the vehicle 1 during charging of the battery 100, the space around the wire harness 10 (around the wheelhouse) that connects the inlet 220 and the battery 100 becomes wider, so that the heat of the wire harness 10 can be suitably dissipated. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the wire harness 10 used for connection to the battery 100 from overheating.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the ECU 300 controls the suspension device 30 so that the vehicle height becomes higher during charging of the battery 100, whereby the heat from the wire harness 10 can easily escape during charging. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and during charging of the battery 100, the system may be configured to create a space for dissipating heat around the wire harness 10 by removing the tire (wheel RL). Alternatively, during charging of the battery 100, the system may be configured such that the wheelhouse portion of the tire is opened so that the heat of the wire harness 10 can escape. Even with the above configuration, it is possible to suppress the wire harness 10 from overheating.

[0040] Also, in the present embodiment, the ECU 300 is controlled so that the vehicle height is higher during DC charging than when not in DC charging. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ECU 300 may be controlled so that the vehicle height is higher during AC charging than when not in AC charging.

[0041] The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is shown not by the description of the above embodiments but by the claims, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims be included.

Description of Signs

[0042] 1 Vehicle, 2 Vehicle body, 10 Wire harness, 30 Suspension device, 31, 32, 33, 34 Suspension body, 35 Suspension actuator, 36 First pressure adjustment unit, 37 Second pressure adjustment unit, 94, 94a, 94b, 94c, 94d Vehicle height sensor, 100 Battery, 200 Relay, 210 Charging lid, 220 Inlet, 300 ECU, 301 Processor, 302 Memory, 400 Charging cable, 410 Charging connector.

Claims

【Claim 1】 An externally rechargeable battery, A power line connecting a charging port and the battery, A vehicle height adjustment device capable of adjusting the vehicle height, And a control unit for controlling the vehicle height adjustment device, The control unit controls the vehicle height adjustment device so that the vehicle height is higher when the battery is being charged than when the battery is not being charged. A vehicle.

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