Battery monitoring system for vehicle

Abstract

To suppress battery exhaustion by allowing a driver to grasp information about such travel that power required for the next engine startup is charged.SOLUTION: There is provided a battery monitoring system for a vehicle comprising: a control unit which can acquire a charging rate of a battery; and a notification unit which can notify information regarding the charging rate, wherein the control unit calculates, when a first charging rate acquired during running of an engine has a value lower than a first threshold determined as the charging rate of the battery required for the next engine startup, at least either of first travel distance or first travel time required for the first charging rate to become a predetermined threshold determined within a range of the first threshold or higher, and the notification unit notifies a driver of the first charging rate and at least either of the calculated first travel distance or the first travel time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle battery monitoring system. [Background technology]

[0002] The battery installed in a vehicle is used to start the engine and as a power source for on-board equipment. This battery is charged while the engine is running, but gradually discharges naturally when the engine is stopped. Therefore, if the battery was not fully charged the previous time it was driven, the charge rate may drop due to natural discharge to a level where it is no longer able to supply the power needed to start the engine (to operate the starter motor), resulting in the battery running out.

[0003] In the past, in order to prevent this battery from running out, a technology has been devised that automatically starts the engine and charges the battery when the charging rate falls below a predetermined value, thereby preventing the battery from running out (see Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-190021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] On the other hand, it is possible to prevent the battery from running down by sufficiently charging the battery while driving, without using the technology described in Patent Document 1. However, with conventional vehicles, it is not possible to know how far the battery will be charged with the power required for the next engine start.

[0006] This can lead to the vehicle being stopped without driving enough to charge the battery, and if the battery is not charged with the power needed to start the engine the next time, the charge rate will decrease due to natural discharge, resulting in a dead battery.

[0007] The present invention has been proposed to address such circumstances, and aims to prevent the battery from running out by allowing the driver to grasp information about driving that will charge the power required for the next engine start. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve such problems, the vehicle battery monitoring system of the present invention includes a control unit capable of acquiring the battery charging rate and an alarm unit capable of reporting information related to the charging rate, and when a first charging rate acquired while the engine is running is lower than a first threshold value defined as the battery charging rate required for the next start of the engine, the control unit calculates a first driving distance and / or a first driving time required for the first charging rate to reach a predetermined threshold value defined in a range equal to or greater than the first threshold value, and the alarm unit reports the first charging rate and the calculated first driving distance and / or first driving time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] Such a vehicle battery monitoring system makes it possible to prevent the battery from running out by allowing the driver to grasp information about driving that will charge the power necessary to start the engine next time, even if the charging rate is such that the battery will run out the next time the engine is started. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle battery monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a threshold value of a battery charging rate according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram of the vehicle battery monitoring system according to the embodiment of the present invention when the vehicle is being driven. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram of the vehicle battery monitoring system according to the embodiment of the present invention when the vehicle is stopped. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram of the vehicle battery monitoring system according to the embodiment of the present invention when the vehicle is parked. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram of the vehicle battery monitoring system according to the embodiment of the present invention when the vehicle is parked. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals denote parts having the same functions, and duplicated descriptions in the drawings will be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] As shown in the overall configuration diagram of Figure 1, vehicle 1 is equipped with an engine 11 as a driving power source, an engine ECU 10 that controls valve timing, fuel injection amount, etc., and a motor 20 that can also generate electricity, such as a permanent magnet synchronous motor (e.g., an alternator). Also provided is an inverter 30 that controls power between motor 20 and battery 41 for powering control and regeneration control of motor 20. The power charged in battery 41 is used to rotate motor 20 (starter motor) when engine 11 starts, and to operate on-board devices that are equipped in vehicle 1 and use electric power as a power source.

[0013] The vehicle 1 is equipped with multiple on-board devices such as a battery 41, a speaker 51, a display unit 61, an air conditioning unit 71, and a communication unit 81, and is also provided with ECUs (Electronic Control Units) such as a battery ECU 40, a speaker ECU 50, a display ECU 60, an air conditioning ECU 70, a communication ECU 80, and a driving learning ECU 90 as control units that control these on-board devices.

[0014] Each ECU may be configured to include, for example, a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU), electrical circuits, and storage elements such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM). In addition, some or all of the operations performed by the ECU may be realized by hardware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a graphics processing unit (GPU).

[0015] The ECUs are interconnected via an in-vehicle network 101 such as a controller area network (CAN) or a local interconnect network (LIN) so that they can communicate with each other, and are also connected to a central gateway (CGW) 100 as a relay device.

[0016] 1, the on-board devices such as speaker 51, display unit 61, air conditioner 71, and communication unit 81 are powered by electricity and receive power to operate from battery 41. For example, when air conditioning the interior of the vehicle using air conditioner 71, air conditioning ECU 70 outputs the power required for air conditioning to battery ECU 40 based on information input by the occupant, battery ECU 40 controls battery 41 based on the input information, and air conditioner 71 obtains the power required for air conditioning from battery 41.

[0017] The vehicle 1 is provided with a battery sensor 42 that detects the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 41. The battery sensor 42 outputs the state of charge (SOC) detected from the battery 41 to the battery ECU 40.

[0018] The speaker 51 is an in-vehicle device that can provide the driver of the vehicle 1 with audio information about the battery 41 and the state of charge SOC, and audio information about navigation.

[0019] The display unit 61 may be a combination meter placed facing the driver or a display device capable of displaying various types of data. A combination meter displays, for example, various meters such as a speedometer, engine tachometer, fuel gauge, and water temperature gauge, as well as various indicator lights, and also displays information related to the battery 41 and the state of charge (SOC). A display device displays, for example, information related to the battery 41 and the state of charge (SOC) in addition to navigation information including the date, time, and map information.

[0020] The speaker 51 and the display unit 61 function as a notification unit 56 that notifies the driver of information relating to the state of the battery 41 and the state of charge SOC of the battery 41 under the control of a vehicle battery monitoring system M, which will be described later with reference to FIGS.

[0021] As described above, the air conditioner 71 is a device that operates on power from the battery 41 and that conditions the air inside the vehicle 1. The specific structure is not directly related to the present invention, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0022] The communication unit 81 is a device for communicating with the outside of the vehicle 1. For example, the communication unit 81 can notify a terminal registered with the vehicle 1 of information such as the state of the battery 41 and the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 41. The notification to the terminal may be performed, for example, via a DCM (Data Communication Module). The communication unit 81 can also acquire current position information of the vehicle 1 using, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), which identifies the current position by receiving radio waves from an artificial satellite at predetermined intervals. The communication unit 81 can also receive information necessary for navigation. The information necessary for navigation refers to map information, traffic information such as congestion and traffic regulations, as well as weather information, legal and designated speed limits for roads, and the like.

[0023] The driving learning ECU 90 can accumulate and learn usage information of on-board devices and the like during past driving of the vehicle 1, predict driving of the vehicle 1, and calculate the amount of power generated by the battery 41 during the predicted driving. Specifically, the driving learning ECU 90 acquires information from a navigation device (not shown) that stores driving history when the vehicle 1 is being driven, a communication unit 81 that can identify the current location of the vehicle 1 using GPS, the engine 11 that acquires information about driving speed and acceleration, the battery 41 that acquires power consumption due to use of on-board devices while driving, and the control units (ECUs) for these, and accumulates and learns the acquired information to predict driving of the vehicle 1 and calculate the amount of charge of the battery 41 during the predicted driving.

[0024] Specific examples of information stored by the driving learning ECU 90 include information on the location where the vehicle 1 started and ended its journey, the route (distance traveled), the travel time, the travel speed, the acceleration, the date and time, and the power consumption of on-board equipment.

[0025] For example, if the vehicle 1 frequently drives from home to work on weekday mornings, the driving learning ECU 90 can accumulate and learn information about such driving, and when the engine 11 is turned on at home on a weekday morning, it can predict the driving from home to work and calculate the amount of charge for the predicted driving.

[0026] As an example, we will explain how to predict the driving route, driving speed, and acceleration when the engine 11 is turned on at home on a weekday morning and driving from home to work is expected, and how to calculate the amount of charge based on the predicted information.

[0027] The driving learning ECU 90 predicts the driving route, driving speed, and acceleration during driving based on the accumulated information on the driving route (distance), driving speed, and acceleration in the driving history from home to work, and calculates the amount of power generation of the battery 41 based on the predicted information. The amount of power generation can be calculated based on the driving speed (number of revolutions of the engine 11) and acceleration over the driving distance or driving time. Then, the amount of charge to the battery 41 during the predicted driving can be calculated based on the calculated amount of power generation and information on power consumption of on-board devices accumulated by the driving learning ECU 90.

[0028] When a trip from home to work is expected, the route is predicted to be the most frequently traveled route among the accumulated routes from home to work.

[0029] The driving speed for the driving route is predicted using the average speed of the accumulated driving speed for the route from home to work. It is desirable to be able to predict the average speed by taking the average for each road. When a driving route is predicted that includes both low-speed roads and relatively high-speed roads, the amount of power generated is calculated from the average speed for each road accumulated in the driving learning ECU 90. For example, if a 15-km driving route is predicted, the amount of power generated would be calculated by predicting 5 km at 25 km / h and 10 km at 50 km / h, based on the distance and speed of each road, and the total amount of power generated would be different from the amount of power generated by predicting 15 km at an average of 37.5 km / h. The former calculated value is more accurate. Therefore, when a driving route is predicted that includes multiple roads with different driving speeds, it is desirable to be able to calculate the amount of power generated based on the predicted average speed for each road.

[0030] The acceleration along the travel route is predicted using the average acceleration of the accumulated travel from home to work. It is assumed that the vehicle 1 will often accelerate from a stopped or decelerated state along the predicted travel route, such as when departing, stopping at traffic lights, or making temporary stops when turning right or left. The amount of power generated by the motor 20 changes depending on the acceleration at these times, so the predicted acceleration is also used to calculate the amount of power generated.

[0031] Furthermore, since acceleration can be expected to vary depending on the acceleration situation, just as with driving speed, it is desirable to be able to predict the average acceleration for each situation as acceleration. For example, the acceleration from a stopped state when departing from home, the acceleration when a traffic light display changes, and the acceleration from a decelerated state when turning right or left will all be different. If the driving route can be predicted, the locations of traffic lights and turns can be identified from the driving route, so the average acceleration for each situation can be predicted as the acceleration at each location and used to calculate the power generation amount.

[0032] Furthermore, it may be possible to predict the driving behavior of each driver by utilizing facial recognition using an in-vehicle camera (not shown) that can capture images inside the vehicle. In particular, since acceleration is expected to differ depending on the characteristics of each driver, predicting the driving behavior of each driver using facial recognition makes it possible to calculate the amount of power generation more accurately.

[0033] In this way, the amount of power generated during the predicted driving is calculated using the predicted driving route, driving speed, and acceleration. Then, the power consumption of the on-board devices during the predicted driving is predicted from information on the power consumption of the on-board devices during driving stored in the driving learning ECU 90, and by subtracting the power consumption from the calculated amount of power generation, it is possible to calculate how much the battery 41 will be charged during the predicted driving.

[0034] The power consumption value of the in-vehicle equipment used in the calculation may be the average power consumption during the predicted driving that has been accumulated. Furthermore, it is expected that the power consumption of in-vehicle equipment such as the air conditioner 71 will vary depending on the season, etc., due to differences in the set temperature, etc. Therefore, the power consumption of the in-vehicle equipment may be predicted, for example, as the average power consumption for a specific number of recent trips on the predicted driving route. This allows for a highly accurate power consumption value to be predicted and used to calculate the charge amount.

[0035] The battery ECU 40 is a battery control unit that controls the battery 41 and controls the power supply to each in-vehicle device. The battery ECU 40 also stores first to third thresholds, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 2, acquires the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 41 detected by the battery sensor 42, determines whether the acquired state of charge SOC value is larger or smaller than the first to third thresholds, and executes various controls in the control flow, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, based on the determination result. The battery ECU 40 can also calculate at least one of a first traveling distance and a first traveling time, at least one of a second traveling distance and a second traveling time, and at least one of a third traveling distance and a third traveling time, which will be described in detail later.

[0036] The threshold value of the state of charge SOC of the battery 41 in the vehicle battery monitoring system M will be described with reference to FIG.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 2, in the vehicle battery monitoring system M, first to third thresholds are defined within the range of 0% to 100% of the state of charge SOC of the battery 41. First, the second threshold will be described. The second threshold is a starting limit value of the engine 11, which is defined as the minimum state of charge SOC at which the battery 41 can rotate the motor 20 (starter motor) to start the engine 11. If the state of charge SOC falls below the second threshold, the battery 41 cannot start the engine 11, and the battery enters a so-called dead battery state.

[0038] The first threshold value is set as the value of the state of charge SOC of the battery 41 required to start the engine 11 the next time the vehicle 1 is driven. Specifically, the first threshold value is set to a value that will prevent the state of charge of the battery 41 from reaching the second threshold value due to natural discharge even if the vehicle 1 is left standing without starting the engine 11 (without charging the battery 41) for, for example, about seven days.

[0039] The above-described first threshold value is merely an example, and the first threshold value does not necessarily have to be set as a specific period. Specifically, for example, the first threshold value may be set to a value that prevents the SOC of the battery 41 from reaching the second threshold value due to natural discharge during the calculated period from the engine-off state to the engine-on state during past use of the vehicle 1. By setting the first threshold value to such a value, the first threshold value can be set as the SOC of the battery 41 required to start the engine 11 the next time the vehicle 1 is driven. Furthermore, if the calculated average period is three days, the first threshold value may be set to a value that prevents the SOC of the battery 41 from reaching the second threshold value due to natural discharge even if the vehicle 1 is left unused for five days, allowing for some leeway.

[0040] The third threshold is set to a value higher than the first threshold described above and is set to a value sufficient as the state of charge SOC of the battery 41. Specifically, it is desirable that the value is such that the state of charge of the battery 41 does not reach the second threshold due to natural discharge even if the vehicle 1 is left standing for about 14 days without starting the engine 11 (without charging the battery 41). The third threshold is not limited to this example either, and the value of the third threshold may be a value that is set as appropriate within a range of values higher than the first threshold described above.

[0041] The vehicle battery monitoring system M calculates a first driving distance and a first driving time, and a second driving distance and a second driving time required for charging the vehicle 1, based on the magnitude relationship between the state of charge SOC acquired when the vehicle 1 is running, stopped, or parked and the first to third thresholds, and notifies or notifies the driver. In the following description, the state of charge SOC acquired when the vehicle 1 is running will be referred to as the first state of charge SOC1, the state of charge SOC acquired when the vehicle 1 is stopped will be referred to as the second state of charge SOC2, and the state of charge SOC acquired when the vehicle 1 is parked will be referred to as the third state of charge SOC3.

[0042] 3 to 6, a method for calculating the first traveling distance and first traveling time and the second traveling distance and second traveling time in the control of the vehicle battery monitoring system M, which will be described later, will be described. The first traveling distance and first traveling time are calculated while the vehicle 1 is traveling, and are the traveling distance and traveling time required for the acquired first state of charge SOC1 to reach a predetermined threshold value set in a range equal to or greater than the first threshold value when the acquired first state of charge SOC1 while the vehicle 1 is traveling is lower than the first threshold value.

[0043] For example, if the predetermined threshold is set as the first threshold, the first traveling distance and the first traveling time are the traveling distance and the traveling time required for the acquired first state of charge SOC1 to reach the first threshold, and if the predetermined threshold is set as the third threshold, the first traveling distance and the first traveling time are the traveling distance and the traveling time required for the acquired first state of charge SOC1 to reach the third threshold. Alternatively, a threshold not shown in FIG. 2 may be set, and a threshold set in a range equal to or greater than the first threshold may be set as the predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold may be set by the vehicle or may be changeable by the driver of the vehicle 1.

[0044] As described above, the amount of power generation can be calculated based on the driving speed (the rotation speed of the engine 11) and acceleration during the driving distance or driving time. When calculating the first driving distance and the first driving time, it is assumed that the in-vehicle devices operating at the time of calculation will continue to operate until the first driving distance or the first driving time is completed. That is, the rotation speed of the engine 11 during driving is predicted, and, assuming that the vehicle will drive at the predicted rotation speed of the engine 11, at least one of the driving distance and driving time required for the state of charge (SOC) to reach a predetermined threshold is calculated if the in-vehicle devices currently operating continue to operate.

[0045] The rotation speed of engine 11 used in calculating the first traveling distance and the first traveling time is determined based on the legal speed or designated speed of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Information about the designated speed is obtained by communication unit 81 as information necessary for navigation. The current location of vehicle 1 is identified by communication unit 81, and the legal speed or designated speed of the road at the current location is assumed to be the traveling speed of vehicle 1. The rotation speed of engine 11 is basically determined based on the designated speed of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and it is desirable that the rotation speed be determined based on the legal speed for roads on which no designated speed is specified. Then, the first traveling distance and first traveling time required for the state of charge (SOC) to reach a predetermined threshold are calculated based on the amount of power generated during traveling and the power consumption of on-board devices.

[0046] Furthermore, the first traveling distance and the first traveling time are calculated using information on the designated speed and the legal speed, as well as acceleration information accumulated in the driving learning ECU 90. Since the amount of power generated by the battery 41 differs depending on the driver's characteristics, such as whether the driver presses the accelerator hard to rapidly increase the rotation speed of the engine 11, or whether the driver increases the rotation speed of the engine 11 gradually, calculations based on the driver's characteristics enable more accurate calculation of the amount of power generated.

[0047] Furthermore, the communication unit 81 may use traffic congestion information acquired as information necessary for navigation in the calculation. When the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is congested, it is difficult for the vehicle 1 to travel at the legal speed limit or a designated speed. Therefore, when traffic congestion information is detected, the possible travel speed may be predicted from the traffic congestion information, and the predicted travel speed may be used to calculate the first travel distance and the first travel time. Specifically, the calculation may be performed assuming that the vehicle travels at 20 km / h in a so-called moving traffic jam, and that the vehicle travels at 10 km / h in a so-called stationary traffic jam.

[0048] The first travel distance and the first travel time are calculated at predetermined intervals. If the road on which the vehicle is traveling changes and the designated speed changes, the travel speed used for the calculation also changes according to the change in the designated speed. Furthermore, when the first travel distance and the first travel time are calculated at predetermined intervals, the power consumption of the in-vehicle devices that are operating at the time of calculation is used for the calculation.

[0049] Next, the second traveling distance and second traveling time are calculated when the second state of charge SOC2 obtained when the vehicle 1 is stopped is lower than the third threshold, and are the traveling distance and traveling time required for the second state of charge SOC2 to reach the third threshold. Alternatively, the second traveling distance and second traveling time may be calculated by obtaining an average of the period from the OFF state of the engine 11 until it turns ON from past information about the vehicle 1 stored in the driving learning ECU 90, and subtracting the power estimated to be lost due to natural discharge during that period from the second state of charge SOC2 obtained when the vehicle 1 is stopped, and the resulting SOC may reach the third threshold.

[0050] The rotation speed of the engine 11 in calculating the second traveling distance and the second traveling time is determined based on the legal speed. That is, the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is assumed to be the legal speed, and the traveling distance and traveling time required for the state of charge (SOC) to reach the third threshold are calculated.

[0051] The power consumption of the on-board equipment used in calculating the second mileage and the second driving time is predicted from past information about the vehicle 1 stored in the driving learning ECU 90. It is expected that the power consumption of on-board equipment such as the air conditioning unit 71 will vary depending on the season, etc., due to differences in the set temperature, etc. Therefore, the power consumption of the on-board equipment is predicted, for example, from the operation information of the on-board equipment for the most recent specific number of drives stored in the driving learning ECU 90, and it is assumed that the predicted on-board equipment will continue to operate until the second mileage or second driving time is completed.

[0052] Next, the third mileage and third driving time are calculated when the third state of charge SOC3 obtained while the vehicle 1 is parked is lower than the first threshold, and refer to the mileage and driving time required for the third state of charge SOC3 to reach the first or third threshold. Similar to the calculation of the second mileage and second driving time, the calculation of the third mileage and third driving time is performed assuming that the engine 11 rotation speed is determined based on the legal speed limit, the power consumption of the on-board devices is predicted based on the operation information of the on-board devices for the most recent specific number of driving trips accumulated in the driving learning ECU 90, and that the predicted on-board devices will continue to operate until the third mileage or third driving time is completed.

[0053] Next, the control flow of the vehicle battery monitoring system M when the vehicle 1 is running, stopped, or parked will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0054] First, the control flow of the vehicle battery monitoring system M when the vehicle 1 is running, that is, when the engine 11 is running, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0055] The vehicle battery monitoring system M determines whether the engine 11 of the vehicle 1 is ON (step A01). If it is determined that the engine 11 is ON (step A01=YES), the battery ECU 40 periodically acquires a first storage rate SOC1 detected by the battery sensor 42 (step A02). The battery ECU 40 references the acquired first storage rate SOC1 and determines whether the first storage rate SOC1 is lower than a first threshold (step A03). If it is determined that the acquired first storage rate SOC1 is not lower than the first threshold (step A03=NO), the process returns to step A02.

[0056] If it is determined that the acquired first charging rate SOC1 is lower than the first threshold (step A03=YES), the battery ECU 40 checks the power supplied from the battery 41 to the in-vehicle devices and determines whether the supplied power is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step A04).If it is determined that the supplied power, i.e., the power consumption of the battery 41, is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step A04=YES), the processes of steps A05 and A06 are not executed, and the process proceeds to step A07.

[0057] If it is determined that the power consumption is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value (step A04=NO), the battery ECU determines whether the first storage rate SOC1, which is lower than the first threshold, was acquired within a predetermined number of days from the last time the engine 11 was turned off (step A05). The predetermined number of days here refers to the number of days estimated to be required for the second storage rate SOC2 to reach the first threshold due to natural discharge of the battery 41, calculated based on the second storage rate SOC2 acquired the previous time the vehicle 1 was stopped. In other words, if the acquired first storage rate SOC1 is lower than the first threshold even though the engine 11 was started and the vehicle was traveling within the calculated predetermined number of days (step A05=YES), this means that more power than a normal battery 41 has been lost due to natural discharge, and that the battery 41 is likely to be aging. Therefore, the driver is notified of this fact (step A06). The notification may be made by displaying on the display unit 61, by audio notification through the speaker 51, or both.

[0058] If a predetermined number of days or more have passed since the last time the engine 11 was turned off, the driver is not notified (step A05=NO) because it is not possible to determine whether the battery 41 has deteriorated. Also, if the power consumption of the in-vehicle devices while driving is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the driver is not notified because it is not possible to determine whether the first charging rate SOC1 is lower than the first threshold value due to the amount of power consumption or the deterioration of the battery 41 (step A04=YES).

[0059] Next, the vehicle battery monitoring system M predicts the driving of the vehicle 1 by the driving learning ECU 90 (step A07), and determines whether the predicted driving will cause the state of charge of the battery 41 to reach a predetermined threshold value that is set to a value equal to or greater than a first threshold value (step A08). At this time, the driving learning ECU transmits information about the amount of charge during the predicted driving to the battery ECU 40.

[0060] If the driving learning ECU 90 determines that the predicted driving will cause the charging rate SOC of the battery 41 to reach the predetermined threshold (step A08=NO), the process ends. If the driving learning ECU 90 determines that the predicted driving will not cause the charging rate SOC of the battery 41 to reach the predetermined threshold, or if the driving learning ECU 90 cannot predict the driving (step A08=YES), the battery ECU 40 calculates at least one of a first traveling distance and a first traveling time required for the first charging rate SOC1 of the battery 41 to reach the predetermined threshold (step A09), and the notification unit 56 displays the charging rate SOC and notifies the driver of at least one of the first traveling distance and the first traveling time required for the calculated charging rate SOC of the battery 41 to reach the predetermined threshold (step A10). The notification may be performed by display on the display unit 61, audio notification via the speaker 51, or both, but it is desirable for the notification to include at least a display on the display unit 61. Furthermore, a case where the driving learning ECU 90 cannot predict the driving behavior may be when the vehicle 1 is being driven in a manner that does not accumulate more than a certain amount of data in the driving learning ECU.

[0061] The display of the first traveling distance and the first traveling time by the display unit 61 decreases in accordance with the traveling distance and traveling time of the vehicle 1 until they finally become 0, that is, until the charging rate SOC reaches a predetermined threshold. Also, the charging rate SOC displayed in step A10 continues to be displayed until the charging rate SOC reaches a predetermined threshold.

[0062] Next, the battery ECU 40 checks the power consumption of each in-vehicle device and notifies the driver of the in-vehicle device that is supplied with the most power by the battery 41 (step A11). The in-vehicle device to be notified here may be one whose power consumption exceeds a predetermined value, or one that is operating and has the highest power consumption. Furthermore, the in-vehicle devices to be notified here are limited to those that the driver can operate.

[0063] The notification may be made by displaying on the display unit 61, by using the speaker 51, or by both. The notification may not only be a simple notification about in-vehicle devices that consume a lot of power, but may also be a notification recommending that the in-vehicle devices that consume a lot of power be stopped. When the driver stops the operation of the in-vehicle devices that the driver has been notified about, the power consumption by the in-vehicle devices of the vehicle 1 decreases, and the charging rate SOC can be quickly charged to a predetermined threshold.

[0064] Each in-vehicle device monitors whether or not an operation to stop the in-vehicle device that has notified has been performed (step A12), and if the in-vehicle device has been stopped (step A12=YES), the system is stopped (step A13).

[0065] Thereafter, the battery ECU 40 continues to acquire the first storage rate SOC1 and monitors it until it reaches a predetermined threshold (step A14). Until the first storage rate SOC1 reaches the predetermined threshold (step A14=NO), the battery ECU 40 periodically calculates at least one of the first traveling distance and the first traveling time and updates the information to be reported (step A15). When the acquired first storage rate SOC1 reaches the predetermined threshold (step A14=YES), the series of processes of the vehicle battery monitoring system M while the vehicle 1 is traveling is terminated.

[0066] In this way, by having the vehicle battery monitoring system M execute control related to the notification of the charging rate SOC of the battery 41 while the vehicle 1 is running, the driver can appropriately grasp the charging rate SOC of the battery 41, and by driving the vehicle 1 and charging the battery 41 based on the notified first traveling distance and first traveling time, the battery 41 can be sufficiently charged and battery discharge can be prevented.

[0067] As described above, in the processing of the vehicle battery monitoring system M, the predetermined threshold value of the SOC is set to a range equal to or greater than the first threshold value. That is, when the threshold values shown in FIG. 2 are used, the process proceeds to step A04 based on whether the first SOC1 acquired in step A03 is lower than the first threshold value. In step A14, the process is executed until the SOC reaches the first threshold value or the third threshold value. When the process is executed until the first threshold value is reached, the battery 41 can be charged to a value required to start the engine 11 the next time the vehicle 1 is driven, thereby preventing the battery from running out. When the process is executed until the third threshold value is reached, the value is set higher than the first threshold value, and the battery 41 can be charged to a value sufficient as the SOC of the battery 41, thereby preventing the battery from running out if the battery 41 is not charged for a longer period of time.

[0068] In the description of FIG. 3 , the process proceeds to step A04 based on whether the first SOC1 obtained in step A03 is lower than the first threshold, and the process in step A14 is executed until the SOC reaches a predetermined threshold. However, control may be performed based on a third threshold instead of the first threshold. Specifically, in step A03, the process proceeds to step A04 based on whether the first SOC1 obtained is lower than the third threshold, and the process in step A14 is executed until the SOC reaches the predetermined threshold. By controlling the process based on the third threshold, which is higher than the first threshold, the range of SOCs for which the process from step A04 onward in FIG. 3 is executed is broadened, and a more sufficient amount of charging is performed during driving, thereby further preventing battery drain. In this case, the predetermined threshold is set to a range equal to or greater than the third threshold.

[0069] Next, the control flow of the vehicle battery monitoring system M when the vehicle 1 is stopped, that is, when the engine 11 is stopped, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0070] The vehicle battery monitoring system M monitors whether the engine 11 of the vehicle 1 has changed from an ON state to an OFF state (step B01). If it determines that the engine 11 has changed to an OFF state (step B01=YES), it stores the date and time when the engine 11 changed to an OFF state (step B02), acquires the second charging rate SOC2 of the battery 41 when the vehicle 1 is stopped, which is detected by the battery sensor 42 (step B03), and notifies the driver of the acquired second charging rate SOC2 by displaying it on the display unit 61 or by an audio notification from the speaker 51 (step B04).

[0071] Then, the battery ECU 40 determines whether the acquired second storage rate SOC2 is lower than the third threshold (step B05). If it is determined that the acquired second storage rate SOC2 is higher than the third threshold (step B05=NO), the series of processes ends.

[0072] When it is determined that the acquired second charging rate SOC2 is lower than the third threshold (step B05=YES), the battery ECU 40 calculates the number of days that the vehicle 1 can be left unattended and at least one of a second traveling distance and a second traveling time required for charging the vehicle 1 the next time it is driven, based on the acquired second charging rate SOC2 (step B06), and notifies the user of the calculated number of days that the vehicle 1 can be left unattended and at least one of the second traveling distance and the second traveling time required for charging the vehicle 1 the next time it is driven (step B07). The notification may be made by display on the display unit 61, by audio notification through the speaker 51, or by both.

[0073] Here, the number of days that vehicle 1 can be left unattended is the number of days until the charging rate SOC of battery 41 reaches the second threshold due to natural discharge, calculated from the second charging rate SOC2 obtained when vehicle 1 is parked, i.e., the number of days until the charging rate SOC of engine 11 reaches the starting limit value and the battery is estimated to run out.

[0074] In this way, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, the vehicle battery monitoring system M notifies the driver of the number of days until the charging rate SOC of the battery 41 reaches the second threshold, i.e., the number of days until the battery runs out, calculated from the date and time the engine 11 is turned off, so that the driver can know the day when the battery of the vehicle 1 will run out and can prevent the battery from running out.

[0075] In rare cases, when the engine 11 is idling or otherwise operating at a low speed and generating little power, and the on-board devices consume a lot of power, and the engine 11 is then stopped, the second state of charge SOC2 acquired while the vehicle 1 is stopped may become lower than the second threshold. In such cases, the number of days the vehicle 1 can be left unattended is 0, so the number of days the vehicle 1 can be left unattended may not be calculated or notified. However, since the battery was already dead when the engine 11 was stopped, the driver may be notified that the battery has run out instead of calculating and notifying the number of days the vehicle 1 can be left unattended.

[0076] In addition, in the control described in FIG. 4, if the second state of charge SOC2 obtained when the engine 11 is turned off is lower than the third threshold in step B05, an alert is issued in step B07 regarding the number of days the vehicle 1 can be left unattended and at least one of the second driving distance and the second driving time, but the alert in step B07 may be issued regardless of the value of the second state of charge SOC2 obtained.

[0077] Next, the control flow of the vehicle battery monitoring system M while the vehicle 1 is parked, that is, while the engine 11 is stopped, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0078] While the vehicle 1 is parked, the vehicle battery monitoring system M periodically acquires the third storage rate SOC3 of the battery 41 using the battery sensor 42 (step C01). Then, it determines whether the acquired third storage rate SOC3 is lower than the first threshold (step C02). If it is determined that the acquired third storage rate SOC3 is higher than the first threshold (step C02 = NO), the process returns to step C01.

[0079] If it is determined that the acquired third charging rate SOC3 is lower than the first threshold (step C02=YES), it is determined whether the time when the third charging rate SOC3 lower than the first threshold was acquired was within a predetermined number of days from the date and time when the engine 11 was turned off, which was stored in step C02 (step C03). The predetermined number of days here refers to the number of days calculated based on the second charging rate SOC2 acquired when the engine 11 was turned off, during which the charging rate SOC is estimated to reach the first threshold due to natural discharge of the battery 41. In other words, if the charging rate SOC becomes lower than the first threshold within the predetermined number of days from the date and time when the engine 11 was turned off (step C03=YES), this means that more power than a normal battery is being lost due to natural discharge and that the battery 41 is likely to be aging. Therefore, the communication unit 81 notifies the driver's mobile device or the like of this fact (step C04).

[0080] If the third charging rate SOC3, which is lower than the first threshold, is acquired after a predetermined number of days have passed since the engine 11 was last turned off (step C03 = NO), or after notifying the driver's mobile terminal or the like of the possibility of aging of the battery 41 (step C04), the vehicle battery monitoring system M calculates at least one of the third driving distance and third driving time required for charging during the next drive (step C05), and notifies the driver of the acquired third charging rate SOC3 and at least one of the calculated third driving distance and third driving time (step C06).

[0081] In addition, if the second charging rate SOC2 obtained when the engine 11 is turned off is lower than the first threshold value, the calculation of the predetermined number of days may not be performed, and only the processing of steps C01, C05, and C06 may be performed.

[0082] In this way, the vehicle battery monitoring system M notifies the driver's mobile device of the possibility of battery 41 aging and the charging rate SOC while the vehicle 1 is parked, allowing the driver to make a decision to replace the battery 41 and be aware of the charging rate SOC before the battery 41 reaches its aging stage, thereby preventing the battery from running out.

[0083] Next, another control flow of the vehicle battery monitoring system M while the vehicle 1 is parked, that is, while the engine 11 is stopped, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0084] While the vehicle 1 is parked, the vehicle battery monitoring system M periodically acquires the third charging rate SOC3 of the battery 41 using the battery sensor 42 (step C11). Furthermore, the vehicle battery monitoring system M acquires the current location where the vehicle 1 is parked using the communication unit 81, and acquires one week's worth of weather information for the current location (step C12).

[0085] After acquiring the third state of charge SOC3 and the weather information, the vehicle battery monitoring system M determines whether the state of charge SOC of the battery 41 will reach the second threshold within one week (step C13). The power storage capacity of the battery 41 varies depending on the outside temperature. For example, when the outside temperature is low (4°C or below) or high (46°C or above), the power storage capacity of the battery 41 decreases, and the battery may run out in a shorter period of time than usual. The vehicle battery monitoring system M acquires one week's worth of outside temperature information from the weather information, calculates the day on which the state of charge SOC will reach the second threshold based on the acquired outside temperature information, and determines whether the state of charge SOC will reach the second threshold within one week.

[0086] If it is determined that the charging rate SOC will reach the second threshold within one week (step C13=YES), the calculated date on which the charging rate SOC will reach the second threshold, i.e., the date on which the battery will run out, is notified to the driver's mobile device (step C14).If it is not determined that the charging rate SOC will reach the second threshold within one week (step C13=NO), the process returns to step C11 and the third charging rate SOC3 of battery 41 is periodically acquired.

[0087] In this way, by notifying the driver of the battery exhaust date calculated based on weather information using the vehicle battery monitoring system M while the vehicle 1 is parked, it is possible to prevent the battery from unexpectedly exhausting.

[0088] In addition, in the explanation of Figure 6, weather information for one week is obtained and it is determined whether the charging rate SOC will reach the second threshold within one week, but weather information for any other appropriately determined period may be obtained and it may be determined whether the charging rate SOC will reach the second threshold within any other appropriately determined period and notified.

[0089] 2, the second threshold value of the SOC is set as the minimum SOC at which the starter motor can be turned to start the engine 11. However, in a low-temperature environment where the outside air temperature is below 0°C, for example, the engine oil may harden, increasing the resistance to rotating the motor 20 (starter motor), and more power may be required to start the engine 11. This causes the second threshold value, which is the limit value for starting the engine 11 (the value of the SOC at which the battery runs out), to fluctuate.

[0090] Therefore, in addition to the calculation based on the weather information described above, the predicted battery dead date may be notified based on the second threshold value that has fluctuated due to hardening of the engine oil from the acquired weather information.

[0091] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to the described embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes and the like within the scope of the present invention that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0092] In the present embodiment, the battery ECU 40 has been described as storing the first to third threshold values and calculating the first to third traveling distances and the first to third traveling times based on the acquired state of charge (SOC) determination. However, a new ECU provided separately may store the first to third threshold values and calculate the first to third traveling distances and the first to third traveling times based on the acquired state of charge (SOC) determination.

[0093] When a new ECU is added, the new ECU communicates with the battery ECU and the like via the in-vehicle network 101 to acquire information such as the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 41 and the power consumption of the in-vehicle devices, calculates the first to third traveling distances and the first to third traveling times, and communicates with the speaker ECU 50, the display ECU 60, and the communication ECU to provide notifications via the notification unit 56 and the communication unit 81. That is, the new ECU may be capable of executing the control described as being executed by the battery ECU 40 in the control of FIGS. 3 to 6 in this embodiment, except for the control of the battery 41 that supplies power to the in-vehicle devices. In this way, the vehicle battery monitoring system M may be realized by modifying the functions of an ECU provided in an existing vehicle, or may be realized by adding a new ECU. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1: Vehicle, 10: Engine ECU, 11: Engine, 20: Motor, 30: Inverter, 40: Battery ECU, 41: Battery, 42: Battery sensor, 50: Speaker ECU, 51: Speaker, 60: Display ECU, 61: Display unit, 56: Notification unit, 70: Air conditioning ECU, 71: Air conditioner, 80: Communication ECU, 81: Communication department, 90: Driving learning ECU, 100: Central Gateway (CGW), 101: In-vehicle network, M: Vehicle battery monitoring system, SOC: Charge rate, SOC1: 1st charging rate, SOC2: 2nd charging rate, SOC3: 3rd charging rate

Claims

1. a control unit capable of acquiring the charging rate of the battery; a notification unit capable of notifying information about the charging rate, The control unit When a first charging rate acquired during the operation of the engine is lower than a first threshold value defined as a charging rate of the battery required for the next start of the engine, calculating at least one of a first traveling distance and a first traveling time required for the first charging rate to reach a predetermined threshold value determined to be equal to or greater than the first threshold value; The notification unit A vehicle battery monitoring system that notifies the user of the first charging rate and at least one of the calculated first traveling distance and first traveling time.

2. The predetermined threshold value is 2. The vehicle battery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold or a third threshold is determined as a battery charge rate that is higher than the first threshold and sufficient for the next start of the engine.

3. The control unit Obtain the power consumption of each in-vehicle device in operation, The notification unit 3. The vehicle battery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein a notification is made to recommend stopping an in-vehicle device that consumes a large amount of power among the in-vehicle devices that are in operation.

4. The control unit If the second charging rate acquired when the engine is stopped is higher than a second threshold value defined as a battery charging rate that is a limit value for starting the engine, calculating the number of days for which the second charge rate reaches the second threshold value due to natural discharge; The notification unit The vehicle battery monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the calculated number of days is notified.

5. The control unit calculating at least one of a second traveling distance and a second traveling time required to charge the battery until the second charging rate obtained when the engine is stopped reaches the third threshold value; The notification unit The vehicle battery monitoring system according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the calculated second travel distance and the calculated second travel time is notified.

6. a communication unit capable of communicating with an external device of the vehicle and notifying the external device of the state of the battery; The control unit obtaining a second charging rate when the engine is stopped; If the second charging rate is higher than the first threshold, calculating the number of days for which the second charge rate will reach the first threshold value due to natural discharge; periodically acquiring a third charging rate while the engine is stopped; If the third charging rate is lower than the first threshold, When the third charging rate, which is lower than the first threshold, is acquired within the number of days from the time the engine is stopped, The communication unit 3. The vehicle battery monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein a notification is given that the battery may be aging.

7. communicating with an external party to the vehicle to notify the state of the battery; and a communication unit capable of communicating with an external device of the vehicle to acquire the current position of the vehicle and weather information; The control unit periodically acquiring a third charge rate while the engine is stopped; Obtaining weather information for the current location of the vehicle; calculating the number of days until the third charging rate reaches a second threshold value, which is a battery charging rate that is a limit value for starting the engine, due to natural discharge, based on the third charging rate and the weather information; The communication unit The vehicle battery monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the calculated number of days is notified.

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