Charging control device and charging control method

Abstract

To appropriately set an amount of charge of a secondary battery at the start of use of a vehicle to suppress deterioration of the secondary battery due to an overcharge.SOLUTION: A charging control device 1 is mounted on a vehicle 100 having a secondary battery 35 charged by an output power of a power generator 34 driven by an engine 30, and includes: an engine operation time measuring part 11 that measures an operation time of an engine 30 in a use period from a start of use of the vehicle 100 to an end of use; an initial charge amount setting part 12 that sets an initial charge amount for supplementing a decrease in the amount of a stored power of the secondary battery from the last use end of the vehicle 100, based on the last engine operation time which is the operation time of the engine 30 measured in the last use period of the vehicle 100 by the engine operation time measuring unit 11, at the start of use of the vehicle 100; and a charge control part 14 that executes an initial charge control for charging the secondary battery 35 by the amount of the initial charge amount at the start of use of the vehicle 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charge control device and a charge control method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development has been conducted on secondary batteries that contribute to energy efficiency in order to ensure that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and advanced energy. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a charge control device that increases the target charge amount of a storage battery set at engine start as the time elapsed since the storage battery was installed in a vehicle increases. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4959511 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In technologies related to secondary batteries, it is necessary to appropriately set the charge amount of a secondary battery when starting to use a vehicle, depending on the amount of loss of stored power in the secondary battery due to natural discharge and dark current while the vehicle is not in use. The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows the charge amount to be set taking into account the aging deterioration of the secondary battery, but the amount of loss of stored power in the secondary battery also varies depending on the usage conditions of the vehicle. Therefore, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the secondary battery may be overcharged when starting to use the vehicle, accelerating the deterioration of the secondary battery. In order to solve the above problems, the present application aims to appropriately set the charge amount of a secondary battery at the start of use of a vehicle, thereby suppressing deterioration of the secondary battery due to overcharging, and ultimately contributing to energy efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A first aspect for achieving the above object is a charge control device that is mounted on a vehicle having an engine, a generator driven by the engine, and a secondary battery charged by the generator, and controls charging of the secondary battery by the generator, and includes an engine operation time measurement unit that measures the operation time of the engine during a usage period from the start of use of the vehicle to the end of use, an initial charge amount setting unit that sets, at the start of use of the vehicle, an initial charge amount for replenishing the reduced amount of stored electricity in the secondary battery since the last time use of the vehicle ended, based on the previous engine operation time, which is the operation time of the engine measured during the last period of use of the vehicle by the engine operation time measurement unit, and a charge control unit that executes initial charge control to charge the secondary battery by the initial charge amount when use of the vehicle is started.

[0006] In the charge control device, the initial charge amount setting unit may be configured to decrease the initial charge amount as the previous engine operation time is longer.

[0007] In the charge control device, the initial charge amount setting unit may be configured to set the initial charge amount to a first initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is shorter than a first threshold, and to set the initial charge amount to a second initial charge amount less than the first initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is longer than the first threshold.

[0008] In the charge control device, the initial charge amount setting unit may be configured to gradually decrease the initial charge amount from the first initial charge amount to the second initial charge amount as the previous engine operation time becomes longer, when the previous engine operation time is between the first threshold value and the second threshold value.

[0009] The charging control device may be configured to include a secondary battery temperature recognition unit that recognizes the temperature of the secondary battery, and the initial charge amount setting unit may set the initial charge amount according to the temperature of the secondary battery recognized by the secondary battery temperature recognition unit when use of the vehicle begins.

[0010] In the charge control device, the charge control unit may be configured to forcibly terminate the initial charge control if the initial charge control is not completed within a predetermined time period from the start of the initial charge control.

[0011] In the above-described charge control device, the predetermined time may be a fixed time regardless of the previous engine operation time.

[0012] A second aspect for achieving the above object is a charge control method that is mounted on a vehicle having an engine, a generator driven by the engine, and a secondary battery charged by the generator, and is executed by a charge control device that controls charging of the secondary battery by the generator, the charge control method including: an engine operation time measurement step that measures the operation time of the engine from the start of use of the vehicle to the end of use; an initial charge amount setting step that, at the start of use of the vehicle, sets an initial charge amount for replenishing the reduced amount of stored electricity in the secondary battery since the last time use of the vehicle ended, based on the previous engine operation time, which is the operation time of the engine measured during the last period of use of the vehicle by the engine operation time measurement step; and a charge control step that, at the start of use of the vehicle, performs initial charge control to charge the secondary battery by the initial charge amount. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the charge control device and charge control method, the charge amount of the secondary battery at the start of use of the vehicle can be appropriately set, thereby suppressing deterioration of the secondary battery due to overcharging. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle equipped with a charge control device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a first map for setting the initial charge amount. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a second map for setting the initial charge amount. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the process related to the initial charging of the battery. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a first technology related to the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a second technology related to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a third technique related to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] [1. Configuration of the charging control device] The configuration of the charging control device of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The charging control device of this embodiment is configured as part of the functions of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 1 mounted on a vehicle 100.

[0016] The vehicle 100 includes an engine 30, which serves as the power source of the vehicle 100 and drives drive wheels 32a, 32b, a generator 34 that generates electricity by rotating using driving force transmitted from the engine 30 via a driving force transmission unit 33, converts the generated AC power into DC power, and outputs the DC power, and a battery 35 that is charged with the DC power output from the generator 34. The battery 35 is, for example, a lead-acid battery and corresponds to the secondary battery of the present disclosure. The battery 35 may also be another type of secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery.

[0017] Various loads 60 provided in the vehicle 100 are operated by the DC power output from the battery 35. The loads 60 are, for example, lamps, an air conditioning compressor, etc. The vehicle 100 also includes an IG switch 40 for turning the ignition of the vehicle 100 on and off, a charging current sensor 50 for detecting the current (charging current) supplied from the generator 34 to the battery 35, a temperature sensor 51 for detecting the temperature of the battery 35, a voltage sensor 52 for detecting the voltage between the terminals of the battery 35, and an output current sensor 53 for detecting the current output from the battery 35 to the load 60.

[0018] The ECU 1 is connected to the IG switch 40, the charging current sensor 50, the temperature sensor 51, the voltage sensor 52, the output current sensor 53, and the generator 34. The ECU 1 receives an operation signal from the IG switch 40 and detection signals from the charging current sensor 50, the temperature sensor 51, the voltage sensor 52, and the output current sensor 53. The power generated by the generator 34 is controlled by a control signal output from the ECU 1.

[0019] The ECU 1 is a control device having a processor 10, a memory 20, an interface circuit (not shown), etc. The memory 20 stores a program 21 for controlling the ECU 1, initial charge amount setting data 22 used to set the initial charge amount (described later), etc. The processor 10 reads and executes the program 21 to function as an engine operating time measurement unit 11, an initial charge amount setting unit 12, a secondary battery temperature recognition unit 13, and a charge control unit 14.

[0020] The process executed by the engine operation time measurement unit 11 corresponds to the engine operation time measurement step in the charge control method of the present disclosure, the process executed by the initial charge amount setting unit 12 corresponds to the initial charge amount setting step in the charge control method of the present disclosure, and the process executed by the charge control unit 14 corresponds to the charge control step in the charge control method of the present disclosure.

[0021] The engine operating time measurement unit 11 measures the operating time of the engine 30 during the period in which the vehicle 100 is in use. The period in which the vehicle 100 is in use is the period from when the IG switch 40 is turned on by the user of the vehicle 100 until the IG switch 40 is turned off. The initial charge amount setting unit 12 sets an initial charge amount, which is the amount of charge to be performed when the vehicle 100 starts to be used, to replenish the amount of stored electricity in the battery 35 that has decreased during the period in which the vehicle 100 is not in use, based on the engine operating time during the previous period in which the vehicle 100 was in use measured by the engine operating time measurement unit 11.

[0022] The initial charge amount setting unit 12 sets the initial charge amount when the vehicle 100 is first used, based on a map M1 shown in FIG. 2, which associates the subtraction rate with the operating time of the engine 30 during the previous use of the vehicle 100 (the previous engine operating time). In the map M1 of FIG. 3, the vertical axis represents the subtraction rate with respect to the reference amount of initial forward charge, and the horizontal axis represents the previous engine operating time, thereby associating the subtraction rate with the engine operating time. The map M1 is created based on experimental data from the vehicle itself, computer simulations, etc. The data of the correspondence map M1 of FIG. 3 is included in the initial charge amount setting data 22.

[0023] In map M1 in Fig. 2, the subtraction rate is 1.0 when the previous engine operation time is in the range from 0 hour to less than 0.6 hours, the subtraction rate gradually decreases when the previous engine operation time is in the range from 0.6 hours to 1.1 hours, and the subtraction rate is 1.1 when the previous engine operation time is in the range longer than 1.1 hours. 0.6 hours in Fig. 3 corresponds to the first threshold value of the present disclosure, and 1.1 hours corresponds to the second threshold value of the present disclosure.

[0024] The initial charge amount setting unit 12 sets the initial charge amount according to the following formula (1). Chi = Chb × Sr (1) where Chi: initial charge amount, Chb: reference amount of initial charge amount, Sr: subtraction rate. The initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is in the range of 0 hours to less than 0.6 hours corresponds to the first initial charge amount of the present disclosure, and the initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is in the range of more than 1.1 hours corresponds to the second initial charge amount of the present disclosure.

[0025] The secondary battery temperature recognition unit 13 recognizes the temperature of the battery 35 based on the temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor 51. Fig. 3 shows a map M2 that determines a subtraction rate for the reference amount in consideration of the temperature of the battery 35 recognized by the secondary battery temperature recognition unit 13. The initial charge amount setting unit 12 may set the initial charge amount using the map M2 shown in Fig. 3.

[0026] 3, the vertical axis represents the subtraction rate and the horizontal axis represents the temperature of the battery 35. Map M2 illustrates maps for three conditions: C1, which corresponds to a range in which the previous engine operation time is less than 0.6 hours, C2, which corresponds to a case in which the previous engine operation time is 0.8 hours, and C3, which corresponds to a case in which the previous engine operation time is 1.1 hours. Map M2 in FIG. 3 is set so that, in a range in which the previous engine operation time is relatively short, the initial charge amount increases as the temperature of the battery 35 increases.

[0027] The charging control unit 14 controls the amount of power generated by the generator 34, adjusts the amount of charging current supplied to the battery 35, and performs initial charging control to charge the battery 35 by the initial charging amount set by the initial charging amount setting unit 12 when the vehicle 100 starts to be used.

[0028] [2. Initial battery charging] The process for initial charging of the battery 35 executed by the ECU 1 when starting to use the vehicle 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. When the IG switch 40 is turned on in step S1 of Figure 4, the engine operating time measurement unit 11 proceeds to step S2 and starts measuring the engine operating time during the current use period of the vehicle 100. As shown in Figure 1, if the vehicle 100 is a gasoline or diesel vehicle that is powered only by an engine, the engine 30 starts in response to the IG switch 40 being turned on.

[0029] In the next step S3, the initial charge amount setting unit 12 obtains a subtraction rate corresponding to the previous engine operation time using the map shown in FIG. 2 or 3 described above, and calculates the initial charge amount using the above formula (1). In the next step S4, the charge control unit 14 starts the initial charge control. In the next step S5, the charge control unit 14 starts a timer for monitoring the elapsed time since the start of the initial charge control. The timer setting time corresponds to the predetermined time in the present disclosure. The timer setting time may be a fixed time, or may be set according to the previous engine operation time; for example, the longer the previous engine operation time, the longer the timer setting time.

[0030] In the subsequent loop processing of steps S6 and S10, the charge control unit 14 determines whether the initial charge control has been completed in step S6, and determines whether the timer has timed out in step S10. When the initial charge control has been completed in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7, where the process according to the flowchart of Fig. 4 ends. When the timer has timed out in step S10, the charge control unit 14 proceeds to step S11, where the initial charge control is forcibly terminated, thereby preventing overcharging of the battery 35, and the process proceeds to step S7.

[0031] 3. Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, a vehicle 100 is shown that uses only the engine 30 as a power source and is equipped with a generator 34 driven by the engine 30, but the vehicle of the present disclosure may also be a hybrid vehicle that uses an engine and an electric motor as power sources and is equipped with a generator driven by the engine.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the processing of steps S10 and S11 in FIG. 4 is performed to forcibly terminate the initial charging control when the elapsed time from the start of the initial charging control becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined time, but this processing may be omitted.

[0033] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the charging control device, which is configured as part of the functions of ECU 1, divided by main processing content to facilitate understanding of the present invention, but the charging control device may be configured by other divisions. Furthermore, the processing of each component may be executed by one hardware unit or multiple hardware units. Furthermore, the processing of each component shown in FIG. 4 may be executed by one program or multiple programs.

[0034] 4. Related Technology 5 to 7, a technique related to the present disclosure will be described. First, Fig. 5 illustrates a method for setting an initial charge amount according to a vehicle usage rate, which is the rate of time that the vehicle 100 is used over a predetermined monitoring period (e.g., several weeks). Fig. 5 uses the engine operating time per day (engine operating time hr / day) as the vehicle usage rate, with E1 representing a case where the vehicle usage rate is low (e.g., vehicle usage rate < 1.5 hr / day), E2 representing a case where the vehicle usage rate is medium (e.g., vehicle usage rate = 1.5 to 3 hr / day), and E3 representing a case where the vehicle usage rate is high (e.g., vehicle usage rate < 3 hr / day).

[0035] The lower the vehicle usage rate, the less power the generator 34 generates using the driving force of the engine 30, and therefore it is expected that the amount of charge stored in the battery will decrease by a large amount due to self-discharge (natural discharge) of the battery 35 and dark current flowing through the load 60, etc. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, by setting the initial charge amount to be larger the lower the vehicle usage rate, it is possible to prevent overcharging of the battery 35 and set an appropriate initial charge amount.

[0036] 6 is a graph showing a straight line indicating an increase in the cumulative usage time of vehicle 100 over a period of time elapsed since a predetermined monitoring start point (monitoring period), with the vertical axis representing cumulative usage time and the horizontal axis representing elapsed time. The monitoring start point is, for example, when the user of vehicle 100 purchases vehicle 100 and begins using vehicle 100.

[0037] 6, if the user is a user who uses vehicle 100 frequently (such as a heavy user), the slope of the line will be steep, as shown by L1. On the other hand, if the user is a user who uses vehicle 100 infrequently (such as a user who only takes short trips), the slope of the line will be shallow, as shown by L2.

[0038] Here, if the slope of the straight line is greater than that of the judgment line Lj, ​​it is assumed that the vehicle 100 is used frequently, the generator 34 charges the battery 35 appropriately, and the decrease in the amount of stored electricity in the battery 35 is small during periods when the vehicle 100 is not in use. Therefore, by not performing initial charging of the battery 35 (initial charging off), it is possible to prevent overcharging of the battery 35.

[0039] On the other hand, if the slope of the straight line is smaller than that of the judgment line Lj, ​​it is assumed that the interval between uses of the vehicle 100 will be longer, and the decrease in the amount of stored electricity in the battery 35 will be greater during periods when the vehicle 100 is not in use. In this case, therefore, by performing initial charging of the battery 35, it is possible to prevent overcharging of the battery 35 and perform appropriate initial charging.

[0040] Next, Fig. 7 is a flowchart for executing a process for periodically resetting the elapsed period (monitoring period) described above with reference to Fig. 6. Here, the process will be described assuming that ECU 1 executes the process according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 7. By periodically resetting the monitoring period, the initial charge amount can be appropriately set in response to, for example, a change in the frequency of use of vehicle 100 by the user of vehicle 100.

[0041] When the vehicle 100 is not in use, the ECU 1 continues to measure the elapsed time in step S60 until it recognizes that the IG switch 40 has been turned on in step S50 of Fig. 7, and proceeds to step S51 when it recognizes that the IG switch 40 has been turned on. In step S51, the ECU 1 calculates the percentage Ru of the cumulative usage time using the following equation (2). The cumulative usage time is the cumulative usage time of the vehicle 100 or the cumulative usage time of the engine 30 over the elapsed period. Ru = cumulative usage time / elapsed time (2)

[0042] In the following step S52, the ECU 1 determines whether the elapsed time exceeds the set reset time. The set reset period is set to, for example, 240 hours (10 days). If the elapsed time exceeds the set reset time, the ECU 1 proceeds to step S70 to reset the elapsed time, and then proceeds to step S53. On the other hand, if the elapsed time is equal to or less than the set reset time, the ECU 1 proceeds to step S53, and in this case, the elapsed time is not reset.

[0043] In step S53, ECU 1 determines whether the percentage Ru of cumulative usage time is less than the determination value. If the percentage Ru of cumulative usage time is less than the determination value, ECU 1 proceeds to step S80 to perform initial charging of battery 35, and then proceeds to step S54. This allows the charge amount of battery 35 to be restored when it is assumed that the vehicle 100 has not been used for a long time and the amount of stored electricity in battery 35 has decreased significantly because the percentage Ru of cumulative usage time is small.

[0044] On the other hand, when the percentage Ru of the cumulative usage time is equal to or greater than the determination value, the ECU 1 proceeds to step S54, and in this case, does not perform initial charging of the battery 35. As a result, when the usage time of the vehicle 100 over the elapsed time is long and it is assumed that the decrease in the amount of stored electricity in the battery 35 during periods when the vehicle 100 is not in use is small, initial charging of the battery 35 is not performed, and overcharging of the battery 35 can be prevented.

[0045] 5. Configurations supported by the above embodiments The above embodiment is a specific example of the following configuration.

[0046] (Configuration 1) A charge control device that is mounted on a vehicle having an engine, a generator driven by the engine, and a secondary battery charged by the generator, and controls charging of the secondary battery by the generator, comprising: an engine operating time measurement unit that measures the operating time of the engine during a period of use from the start of use of the vehicle to the end of use; an initial charge amount setting unit that sets, at the start of use of the vehicle, an initial charge amount for replenishing the reduced amount of stored electricity in the secondary battery since the end of the previous use of the vehicle, based on the previous engine operating time, which is the operating time of the engine measured during the previous period of use of the vehicle by the engine operating time measurement unit; and a charge control unit that executes initial charge control to charge the secondary battery by the initial charge amount when use of the vehicle is started. According to the charge control device of configuration 1, the charge amount of the secondary battery at the start of use of the vehicle can be appropriately set, thereby suppressing deterioration of the secondary battery due to overcharging.

[0047] (Configuration 2) The charge control device according to Configuration 1, wherein the initial charge amount setting unit decreases the initial charge amount as the previous engine operation time is longer. According to the charge control device of configuration 2, it is assumed that the longer the previous engine operation time, the greater the amount of charge to the secondary battery due to the operation of the generator during the previous vehicle use period. Therefore, by reducing the initial charge amount the longer the previous engine operation time, it is possible to prevent overcharging of the secondary battery. (Configuration 3) The charge control device according to Configuration 2, wherein the initial charge amount setting unit sets the initial charge amount to a first initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is shorter than a first threshold, and sets the initial charge amount to a second initial charge amount that is smaller than the first initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is longer than the first threshold. According to the charge control device of configuration 3, the initial charge amount is set to a first initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is short, and when the previous engine operation time is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is longer than the first threshold value, the initial charge amount is set to a second initial charge amount that is less than the first initial charge amount, thereby preventing overcharging of the secondary battery.

[0048] (Configuration 4) The charging control device according to Configuration 3, wherein the initial charge amount setting unit gradually reduces the initial charge amount from the first initial charge amount to the second initial charge amount as the previous engine operation time becomes longer when the previous engine operation time is between the first threshold value and the second threshold value. According to the charge control device of configuration 4, the initial charge amount can be set more appropriately depending on the length of the previous engine operation time.

[0049] (Configuration 5) A charging control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, further comprising a secondary battery temperature recognition unit that recognizes the temperature of the secondary battery, and wherein the initial charge amount setting unit sets the initial charge amount according to the temperature of the secondary battery recognized by the secondary battery temperature recognition unit when use of the vehicle begins. According to the charge control device of configuration 5, the initial charge amount can be set in consideration of the temperature of the secondary battery, which affects the amount of natural discharge of the secondary battery.

[0050] (Configuration 6) A charging control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the charging control unit forcibly terminates the initial charging control if the initial charging control is not completed within a predetermined time from the start of the initial charging control. According to the charge control device of configuration 6, when charging the secondary battery to the initial charge amount, an upper limit is set on the charging time, thereby preventing overcharging of the secondary battery and suppressing deterioration of the secondary battery.

[0051] (Configuration 7) The charge control device according to configuration 6, wherein the predetermined time is a fixed time regardless of the previous engine operation time. According to the charge control device of configuration 7, the upper limit of the charge time is set to a fixed time, thereby simplifying the process of preventing overcharging of the secondary battery.

[0052] (Configuration 8) A charging control method executed by a charging control device mounted on a vehicle having an engine, a generator driven by the engine, and a secondary battery charged by the generator, and controlling the charging of the secondary battery by the generator, the charging control method including: an engine operating time measurement step of measuring the operating time of the engine from the start of use of the vehicle to the end of use; an initial charging amount setting step of setting, at the start of use of the vehicle, an initial charging amount for replenishing the reduced amount of stored electricity in the secondary battery since the end of the previous use of the vehicle based on the previous engine operating time, which is the operating time of the engine measured during the previous period of use of the vehicle by the engine operating time measurement step; and a charging control step of executing initial charging control to charge the secondary battery by the initial charging amount at the start of use of the vehicle. By executing the charge control method of the eighth aspect by the charge control device, the same effects as those of the charge control device of the first aspect can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1...ECU (charging control device), 10...processor, 11...engine operating time measurement unit, 12...initial charge amount setting unit, 13...secondary battery temperature recognition unit, 14...charging control unit, 20...memory, 21...program, 22...data for setting initial charge amount, 30...engine, 34...generator, 35...battery, 40...IG switch, 50...charging current sensor, 51...temperature sensor, 52...voltage sensor, 53...output current sensor, 60...load

Claims

1. 1. A charge control device mounted on a vehicle having an engine, a generator driven by the engine, and a secondary battery charged by the generator, the charge control device controlling charging of the secondary battery by the generator, an engine operation time measurement unit that measures the operation time of the engine during a period of use from the start of use of the vehicle to the end of use; an initial charge amount setting unit that sets, at the start of use of the vehicle, an initial charge amount for replenishing a reduced amount of stored power in the secondary battery since the end of the previous use of the vehicle, based on a previous engine operation time that is the operation time of the engine measured by the engine operation time measurement unit during the previous period of use of the vehicle; a charge control unit that executes initial charge control to charge the secondary battery by the initial charge amount when starting to use the vehicle; A charging control device comprising:

2. The initial charge amount setting unit reduces the initial charge amount as the previous engine operation time is longer. The charge control device according to claim 1 .

3. The initial charge amount setting unit sets the initial charge amount to a first initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is shorter than a first threshold, and sets the initial charge amount to a second initial charge amount that is smaller than the first initial charge amount when the previous engine operation time is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is longer than the first threshold. The charge control device according to claim 2 .

4. When the previous engine operation time is between the first threshold value and the second threshold value, the initial charge amount setting unit gradually decreases the initial charge amount from the first initial charge amount to the second initial charge amount as the previous engine operation time becomes longer. The charge control device according to claim 3 .

5. a secondary battery temperature recognition unit that recognizes the temperature of the secondary battery; The initial charge amount setting unit sets the initial charge amount in accordance with the temperature of the secondary battery recognized by the secondary battery temperature recognition unit when use of the vehicle is started. The charge control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The charge control unit forcibly ends the initial charge control if the initial charge control is not completed within a predetermined time period from the start of the initial charge control. The charge control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The predetermined time is a fixed time regardless of the previous engine operation time. The charge control device according to claim 6.

8. A charge control method executed by a charge control device mounted on a vehicle having an engine, a generator driven by the engine, and a secondary battery charged by the generator, the charge control device controlling charging of the secondary battery by the generator, comprising: an engine operation time measuring step of measuring an operation time of the engine from the start of use of the vehicle to the end of use; an initial charge amount setting step of setting, at the start of use of the vehicle, an initial charge amount for replenishing a decrease in the amount of stored electricity of the secondary battery since the end of the previous use of the vehicle, based on a previous engine operation time, which is the operation time of the engine measured during the previous use period of the vehicle in the engine operation time measurement step; a charge control step of executing initial charge control to charge the secondary battery by the initial charge amount when starting to use the vehicle; A charge control method including:

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