Heat management device for vehicle, heat management method for vehicle and program

Abstract

To provide a heat management device for a vehicle, etc., capable of further optimally performing heat dissipation control of a control unit which is loaded on a vehicle.SOLUTION: A heat management device 1 for a vehicle comprises: an acquisition section which acquires driver action information indicating an action of a driver relating to a driving operation of a vehicle and at least one of vehicle information indicating a state of the vehicle and periphery information on a periphery of the vehicle; an identification section 22 which identifies a scene in which power consumption of a control unit loaded on the vehicle corresponding to the driver action information increases more than ideal power consumption on the basis of the driver action information and at least one of the vehicle information and the periphery information; and a control section 23 which executes power increase suppression control for suppressing the increase of the power consumption of the control unit in the scene, in which the power consumption of the control unit increases more than the ideal power consumption, identified by the identification section 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle thermal management device mounted on a vehicle, a vehicle thermal management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a method and apparatus for predicting the expected load state of an engine cooling system based on a model that takes into account the thermal inertia of the engine cooling system and ambient conditions that are important to the expected engine load in the detected driving direction, and for performing open-loop control / closed-loop control of the heat flow of an engine cooling system in a motor vehicle, taking into account the expected operating state and ambient conditions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2003-514184 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology of Patent Document 1, predictions are made regarding the load state of the engine cooling system, but this prediction is sometimes insufficient, resulting in a problem that heat dissipation control of the control unit mounted on the vehicle cannot be performed sufficiently.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a vehicle thermal management device and the like that can more optimally control heat dissipation of a control unit mounted on a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle thermal management device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires driver behavior information indicating the driver's behavior regarding vehicle driving operations, and at least one of vehicle information indicating the state of the vehicle driven by the driver and peripheral information about the area around the vehicle; an identification unit that identifies, based on the driver behavior information and at least one of the vehicle information and peripheral information, a scene in which the power consumption of a control unit installed in the vehicle corresponding to the driver behavior information increases above ideal power consumption; and a control unit that performs power increase suppression control to suppress the increase in power consumption of the control unit in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit identified by the identification unit increases above the ideal power consumption. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to a vehicle thermal management device and the like according to one aspect of the present disclosure, heat dissipation control of a control unit mounted on a vehicle can be performed more optimally. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle thermal management device according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing vehicle information and surrounding information for each scene. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a diagram showing driver behavior information for each scene. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the behavioral history. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between scenes in which a vehicle is traveling, the driver's actions, and the power consumption of the control unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the power consumption, heat dissipation capacity, and heat source temperature of the comparative example and the power consumption, heat dissipation capacity, and heat source temperature of the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the vehicle thermal management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims are described as optional components.

[0011] In addition, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. In addition, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals in each drawing.

[0012] (Embodiment) <Configuration and Function> Hereinafter, the configuration of a vehicle thermal management device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3B.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle thermal management device 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing vehicle information and surrounding information for each scene. Fig. 3A is a diagram showing driver behavior information for each scene. Fig. 3B is a diagram showing behavior history.

[0014] 1, the vehicle thermal management device 1 can optimize the heat dissipation control of a control unit mounted on the vehicle by taking into account the behavior of the driver in the vehicle. The control unit is an integrated circuit and a processor that constitute the vehicle's ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The heat dissipation control includes control of the power consumption of the control unit and control of the heat dissipation capacity of the control unit.

[0015] The vehicle thermal management device 1 includes a surrounding environment detection unit 11, an in-vehicle situation detection unit 12, an ECU information acquisition unit 13, a thermal control information acquisition unit 14, a driver information acquisition unit 16, a communication unit 15, a processing unit 20, an alarm unit, a memory unit 31, and a power battery 32.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the surrounding environment detection unit 11 is a temperature sensor or the like mounted on the vehicle, and can acquire environmental temperature information. The surrounding environment detection unit 11 may be able to detect detection targets present around the vehicle. The detection targets are moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles, and obstacles such as installed objects. Information indicating the detection targets may be included in the surrounding information. The environmental temperature information is information indicating the temperature (air temperature) around the vehicle. The environmental temperature information is included in the surrounding information around the vehicle. The surrounding environment detection unit 11 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0017] The interior situation detection unit 12 is an interior sensor mounted in the cabin of the vehicle, and can acquire interior sensor information from the interior of the vehicle. The interior sensor information includes information on the number of occupants in the vehicle, etc. The interior sensor information is included in vehicle information related to the vehicle driven by the driver. The interior situation detection unit 12 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0018] The ECU information acquisition unit 13 can acquire ECU information from the in-vehicle ECU. The ECU information includes current location information indicating the current location of the vehicle based on map information about the area where the vehicle is located, route information indicating the destination and driving route of the vehicle, information indicating the ambient temperature of the control unit, information indicating driving control, etc. The information indicating driving control includes acceleration control based on accelerator operation, deceleration control based on brake operation, and steering angle control such as lane changes and right / left turns based on steering wheel operation. The ECU information is included in vehicle information related to the vehicle. The ECU information acquisition unit 13 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0019] The thermal control information acquisition unit 14 can acquire thermal control information indicating the thermal control of the control unit. The thermal control information includes the power consumption of the control unit and the heat dissipation capacity of the control unit. The thermal control information of the control unit is included in vehicle information related to the vehicle. The thermal control information acquisition unit 14 is an example of an acquisition unit. The thermal control of the control unit is performed by the control unit 23 controlling the cooling capacity of at least one of the cooling fan, water-cooled cooler, water-cooled pump, and Peltier element for cooling the control unit.

[0020] The driver information acquisition unit 16 acquires driver behavior information indicating the behavior of the driver in the vehicle. The driver information acquisition unit 16 is an in-vehicle camera such as a driver's camera installed in the vehicle's cabin, an input terminal that allows the driver to manually input their own behavior, etc. The driver behavior information is the driver's behavior related to the driving operation of the vehicle. The driver's behavior includes, for example, accelerator operation, braking operation, steering operation, and lane change operation. The driver information acquisition unit 16 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0021] The communication unit 15 is a communication module mounted on the vehicle and can acquire environmental information and driving environment information indicating the driving environment around the vehicle. The environmental information is information indicating the weather and climate of the area where the vehicle is located. The weather and climate of the area where the vehicle is located can be acquired, for example, from the Japan Meteorological Agency's AMeDAS. The driving environment information is road information such as the congestion situation in the area where the vehicle is located, locations of traffic restrictions, and road types, which is determined based on the vehicle's GPS (Global Positioning System) information. The driving environment information can be acquired in real time from, for example, a server at a road traffic information and communication system center. Road types include expressways, general roads, tunnels, etc. The environmental information and driving environment information are included in the surrounding information around the vehicle. The communication unit 15 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0022] In this embodiment, the surrounding environment detection unit 11, the in-vehicle situation detection unit 12, the ECU information acquisition unit 13, the thermal control information acquisition unit 14, the communication unit 15, and the driver information acquisition unit 16 may be collectively referred to simply as the acquisition unit.

[0023] The processing unit 20 includes a specification unit 22 and a control unit 23.

[0024] The identification unit 22 acquires driver behavior information, vehicle information, and surrounding information from acquisition units such as the surrounding environment detection unit 11, the in-vehicle situation detection unit 12, the ECU information acquisition unit 13, the thermal control information acquisition unit 14, the communication unit 15, and the driver information acquisition unit 16.

[0025] The identification unit 22 identifies a scene in which the power consumption of a control unit installed in a vehicle corresponding to the driver behavior information increases above ideal power consumption, based on the driver behavior information and at least one of vehicle information and peripheral information. That is, the identification unit 22 analyzes the correlation between the driver's behavior and the power consumption of the control unit, based on the driver behavior information and at least one of vehicle information and peripheral information, and identifies a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit increases above ideal power consumption due to the driver's behavior. In this way, the identification unit 22 associates the driver's behavior indicated by the driver behavior information with the power consumption of the control unit indicated by the vehicle information, and a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit increases above ideal power consumption.

[0026] The scene indicates the state the vehicle is in. For example, the scene includes at least one of the following: interior sensor information included in the vehicle information, current location information indicating the current location, route information, information indicating the ambient temperature of the control unit, information indicating driving control, thermal control information, environmental temperature information included in the surrounding information, environmental information, and driving environment information.

[0027] Fig. 2 illustrates scenes 1 to 4. Each of scenes 1 to 4 illustrates the interior sensor information, ECU information, and thermal control information (power consumption of the control unit) included in the vehicle information, and the driving environment information, environmental information, and environmental temperature information included in the peripheral information. Fig. 2 is merely an example of a scene, and is not limited to Fig. 2.

[0028] The ideal power consumption is the ideal power consumption of the control unit assumed for each scene. For example, if the driver performs actions such as excessive accelerator operation, braking operation, steering operation, and lane change operation in a particular scene, the power consumption of the control unit is expected to increase more than the ideal power consumption. In this case, the power consumption of the control unit in the particular scene will increase more than the ideal power consumption.

[0029] Furthermore, it is believed that the more passengers in the vehicle, the more frequently the on-board equipment is used, and the greater the power consumption of the control unit. For this reason, the power consumption and ideal power consumption of the control unit take into account in-vehicle sensor information (number of passengers). The on-board equipment includes, for example, an on-board camera, an air conditioning system, a sound system, a navigation system, etc. The navigation system may have an infotainment function for passengers to use for entertainment.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3A, the identification unit 22 associates the identified scene in which the power consumption of the control unit has increased above the ideal power consumption with the driver's behavior, and outputs the result to the control unit 23.

[0031] The control unit 23 executes power increase suppression control for suppressing an increase in the power consumption of the control unit in a scene where the power consumption of the identified control unit increases more than the ideal power consumption.

[0032] The power increase suppression control includes control in which the notification unit notifies the driver of a suggestion for improving the driver's behavior in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit identified by the identification unit 22 is higher than the ideal power consumption. The control unit 23 causes the notification unit to notify the driver of the suggestion for improving the driver's behavior in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit is higher than the ideal power consumption. Specifically, the control unit 23 controls the notification unit to notify the identified scene in which the power consumption of the control unit is higher than the ideal power consumption and the driver's behavior corresponding to the scene. The control unit 23 controls the notification unit to determine an improvement method corresponding to the scene in which the power consumption of the control unit is higher than the ideal power consumption from an improvement method table stored in advance in the storage unit 31 for each scene, and notify the notification unit of the determined improvement method.

[0033] For example, if the driver makes a sudden start, the control unit 23 may cause the notification unit to notify the driver of an improvement measure such as gradually depressing the accelerator pedal, or if the driver makes a sudden stop, to notify the driver of an improvement measure such as gradually depressing the brake pedal and depressing it earlier. In another example, if the driver is listening to music and the driver's behavior history includes driving calmly without making sudden starts and stops, the control unit 23 may cause the notification unit to notify the driver to listen to music. For this reason, the control unit 23 not only notifies the driver to stop making sudden starts and stops, but also notifies the notification unit how the driver can improve their behavior.

[0034] The notification unit has an audio unit 33 and a display unit 34. In the present embodiment, the notification unit has the audio unit 33 and the display unit 34, but it may have only the audio unit 33 or the display unit 34.

[0035] The acoustic unit 33 is an in-vehicle speaker mounted on the vehicle. The acoustic unit 33 is controlled by the control unit 23 to output the improvement method by voice.

[0036] The display unit 34 is a monitor mounted on the vehicle. The display unit 34 is controlled by the control unit 23 to output the improvement method as a display image such as characters and pictures.

[0037] The audio unit 33 and the display unit 34 do not necessarily have to be mounted on the vehicle. In this embodiment, the audio unit 33 and the display unit 34 that are installed by being connected to the vehicle are also included in the notification unit.

[0038] The control unit 23 controls the notification unit to determine the timing for notifying the notification unit of the improvement method. Specifically, the control unit 23 causes the notification unit to notify the improvement method at a timing when safety can be sufficiently ensured, a timing when notification of the improvement method is expected to be effective, and a timing suitable for the purpose of increasing the driver's motivation.

[0039] A timing at which safety can be sufficiently ensured is, for example, before the vehicle starts to drive. When the driver changes lanes while driving on a road with heavy traffic, or before or after the vehicle merges onto a main lane of a highway, the driver's driving load is considered to be high. If the driver is notified at such a timing, the driver's attention may be distracted, which may impair safety. For this reason, it is preferable to notify the driver before the vehicle starts to drive so that safety can be sufficiently ensured. Furthermore, by notifying the driver of the improvement method before the vehicle starts to drive, it is expected that the driver will be made aware that the power consumption of the control unit will be higher than the ideal power consumption for the entire vehicle driving route due to the driver's characteristics (habits).

[0040] The timing when notification of the improvement method is expected to be effective is, for example, before entering a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit is predicted to increase more than the ideal power consumption, and while entering the scene (in real time).

[0041] A suitable timing for improving the driver's motivation is, for example, after the driver has finished driving the vehicle. After the driver has finished driving the vehicle, the driver's behavior for the day is scored and the score is notified to the driver, which is expected to improve the driver's motivation.

[0042] Furthermore, in the case of a specific scene that imposes a high driving load on the driver, the control unit 23 can change the timing of the power increase suppression control that the notification unit executes. In the above-described high driving load situation, the control unit 23 does not cause the notification unit to notify the improvement method. When the scene that imposes a high driving load has ended, the control unit 23 can cause the notification unit to notify the improvement method. Furthermore, when it is predicted that the vehicle will enter a scene that imposes a high driving load, the control unit 23 can also cause the notification unit to notify the improvement method in advance before entering the scene.

[0043] Furthermore, after causing the notification unit to notify the proposed improvement method, the control unit 23 may store in the storage unit 31 as the driver's behavior history whether or not the driver's behavior has improved. As shown in FIG. 3B , the behavior history may associate, for each scene, the driver's behavior based on the driver behavior information in which the power consumption of the control unit increased above the ideal power consumption, the proposed improvement method, and the driver's behavior after the proposal. If the driver's behavior improves, it is considered that the improvement method was effective. Therefore, the control unit 23 may store the effective improvement method in an improvement method table and update the improvement method table.

[0044] The control unit 23 may feed back the behavior history to an acquisition unit (for example, the driver information acquisition unit 16). The identification unit 22 may then acquire the behavior history via the acquisition unit (for example, the driver information acquisition unit 16) and, taking the behavior history into consideration, identify a scene in which the driver's behavior after the suggestion will cause the power consumption of the control unit to increase above the ideal power consumption. The identification unit 22 may also take into consideration route information included in the ECU information and the behavior history, and predict a scene in which the driver's behavior will cause the power consumption of the control unit to increase above the ideal power consumption.

[0045] Furthermore, the control unit 23 may take into account the behavior history and make suggestions for improving the driver's behavior in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit increases above the ideal power consumption. For example, in the same or similar scene, the control unit 23 may determine whether or not a previously proposed improvement method has had an effect on improving the driver's behavior. If the previously proposed improvement method does not improve the driver's behavior, the control unit 23 may suggest another improvement method to the driver.

[0046] The power increase suppression control also includes control to optimize the power consumption of the control unit in the scene identified by the identification unit 22. The control unit 23 can execute control to optimize the power consumption. For example, in a scene in which the driver's actions increase the power consumption of the control unit above the ideal power consumption, the control unit 23 optimizes the power consumption of the control unit so as to suppress the predicted increase in power consumption of the control unit. Optimization of the power consumption of the control unit involves, for example, distributing the processing in the control unit or optimizing the heat dissipation capacity of the control unit.

[0047] For example, when multiple processes executed by the control unit overlap in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit increases more than the ideal power consumption, the control unit 23 can prevent the control unit's processes from concentrating in that scene by distributing these processes on the time axis.

[0048] For example, the control unit 23 can optimize the heat dissipation capacity of the control units by assigning high-load processing to control units with high heat dissipation performance. Specifically, the control unit 23 can assign high-load processing to control units with high heat dissipation performance by controlling the cooling capacity of at least one of a cooling fan, a water-cooled cooler, a water-cooled pump, and a Peltier element for cooling the control units. In this case, the control unit 23 controls the cooling capacity of the control units by adjusting the driving power (fan rotation speed) of the cooling fan, adjusting the driving power (fan rotation speed) of a cooling fan provided in a radiator of the water-cooled cooler, adjusting the driving power (rotation speed) of the water-cooled pump, or adjusting the amount of current supplied to the Peltier element.

[0049] The control unit 23 can also optimize the heat dissipation capacity of the control unit based on the information from the sensors inside the vehicle cabin. As the number of passengers in the vehicle increases, the frequency with which the on-board equipment installed in the vehicle is used increases, so the control unit 23 may optimize the heat dissipation capacity of the control unit by taking into account the information from the sensors inside the vehicle cabin.

[0050] Furthermore, the control unit 23 can feed back to the acquisition unit the power consumption of the control unit when the proposal is notified and the current power consumption of the control unit when optimization is performed. That is, the control unit 23 can output the current power consumption of the control unit to the acquisition unit. In this case, the identification unit 22 may acquire the current power consumption of the control unit fed back via the acquisition unit, and further take into account the current power consumption of the control unit to identify a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit corresponding to the driver's behavior increases more than the ideal power consumption. Then, the control unit 23 may execute power increase suppression control.

[0051] The storage unit 31 stores an improvement method table for encouraging the driver to improve their behavior while driving the vehicle. The storage unit 31 may store the driver behavior information, vehicle information, and surrounding information acquired by the acquisition unit in chronological order. The storage unit 31 also stores a behavior history. The storage unit 31 may also store a computer program executed by the processing unit 20. The storage unit 31 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory.

[0052] The power supply battery 32 can supply driving power to the processing unit 20, the above-mentioned acquisition unit, etc. The power supply battery 32 is, for example, a secondary battery, but may also be a capacitor or the like.

[0053] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the prediction of power consumption when a vehicle is traveling on a highway will be described.

[0054] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between vehicle driving scenes, driver behavior, and power consumption of the control unit. In Fig. 4, the power consumption of the control unit in a certain scene when the vehicle is actually driving is shown by a solid line, and the ideal power consumption of the control unit in a certain scene is shown by a dashed line.

[0055] First, in one scenario, a vehicle enters an interchange, merges onto the main lane of a highway, and then, in another scenario, performs normal driving, in which the driver operates the accelerator and brake to change lanes. The interchange and normal driving are each an example of a scenario. In this case, the power consumption of the control unit during actual driving is equivalent to the ideal power consumption of the control unit.

[0056] After that, when the vehicle enters a tunnel, the driver turns on the vehicle's headlights. A tunnel is an example of a scene. When the vehicle enters a tunnel, the headlights of the vehicle are turned on, the resolution of the on-board camera decreases, and image processing increases, resulting in an increase in power consumption of the control unit. However, the power consumption of the control unit during actual driving is equivalent to the ideal power consumption of the control unit.

[0057] Furthermore, when the vehicle is caught in a traffic jam, the driver operates the accelerator and brake to change lanes. A traffic jam is one example of a scenario. In this case, the number of driving control operations increases, the amount of processing by the vehicle's infotainment system increases, and the amount of vehicle communication increases, so the power consumption of the control unit increases. However, the power consumption of the control unit during actual driving is higher than the ideal power consumption of the control unit.

[0058] When the vehicle leaves the traffic jam and starts normal driving, the driver operates the accelerator and brake to change lanes. In this case, the power consumption of the control unit decreases and returns to the power consumption during normal driving, but the power consumption of the control unit during actual driving remains the same as the ideal power consumption of the control unit.

[0059] The vehicle stops at a service area. Stopping at a service area is an example of one scenario. As the number of driving control operations increases, the power consumption of the control unit increases above the ideal power consumption. However, since the vehicle stops at the service area, the power consumption of the control unit becomes zero. In this case, the power consumption of the control unit during actual driving is equivalent to the ideal power consumption of the control unit.

[0060] From the above, in the vehicle thermal management device 1, vehicle thermal management method and program of this embodiment, in the "traffic jam" scene among the multiple scenes of "interchange," "normal driving," "tunnel," "traffic jam," and "stopping at a service area" shown as an example in Figure 4, it can be seen that the driver tends to perform an increased number of sudden accelerator and brake operations, repeatedly start and stop suddenly, and repeatedly change lanes.

[0061] For example, the identification unit 22 analyzes the driver's behavior history stored in the storage unit 31 in comparison with the above-mentioned fact that "the driver tends to perform an increased number of sudden accelerator and brake operations, and to repeatedly start and stop suddenly, and to repeatedly change lanes, when the driver is in a traffic jam." If the past behavior history also includes similar behavior in a similar scene, the identification unit 22 identifies that "the driver tends to perform an increased number of sudden accelerator and brake operations, and to repeatedly start and stop suddenly, and to repeatedly change lanes, when the driver is in a traffic jam."

[0062] In this case, the control unit 23 controls the notification unit to notify the driver that the number of sudden starts and stops, the number of lane changes, or an increase in the number of these will occur if the vehicle is caught in traffic, based on the above-mentioned results identified by the identification unit 22. The control unit 23 also controls the notification unit to use the improvement method table stored in the storage unit 31 to determine a proposal for an improvement method such as gentler operation of the accelerator and brake when the vehicle is caught in traffic, and further to determine a proposal for an improvement method such as reducing the number of lane changes, and to notify the notification unit of these proposals.

[0063] In addition, the control unit 23 causes the notification unit to notify suggestions for improvement methods at times such as before the vehicle starts to operate, before the vehicle enters a scene where an increase in power consumption of the control unit is predicted, and after the vehicle has finished operating.

[0064] The driver will follow the suggestions notified by the notification unit and make efforts to operate the accelerator and brake more gently and reduce the number of lane changes during traffic jams, which is expected to reduce the power consumption of the control unit for the entire vehicle operation.

[0065] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, differences between the power consumption, heat dissipation capacity, and heat source temperature of the control unit of the comparative example and the power consumption, heat dissipation capacity, and heat source temperature of the control unit of this embodiment will be described.

[0066] 5 is a diagram showing the power consumption, heat dissipation capacity, and heat source temperature of a comparative example and the power consumption, heat dissipation capacity, and heat source temperature of an embodiment. The comparative example shows a case where driver behavior information is not taken into account, as in this embodiment. The power consumption of the control unit during actual driving is shown by a solid line. The fluctuation range of the power consumption of the control unit, which is predicted to fluctuate depending on the driver's behavior, is shown by hatching.

[0067] For example, in the power consumption shown in Figure 5, the hatched area (fluctuation in the power consumption of the control unit) tends to be larger than the solid line in the comparative example. This is thought to be because the predicted value fluctuates greatly depending on the driver's behavior.

[0068] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the hatched area (fluctuation in the power consumption of the control unit) tends to be smaller than the solid line compared to the comparative example. This is because the identification unit 22 takes into account the driver's behavior information to identify a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit increases more than the ideal power consumption, and therefore it is thought that the fluctuation in the power consumption of the control unit during actual driving is unlikely to be large.

[0069] For example, the heat dissipation capacity shown in FIG. 5 must be guaranteed against the maximum value of the fluctuation in the power consumption of the control unit. Therefore, in the comparative example, the maximum value of the fluctuation in the power consumption shown in FIG. 5 becomes the heat dissipation capacity. In this case, the heat source temperature of the control unit is below the safety standard parameter, but the heat dissipation capacity of the control unit is excessively increased. Therefore, in the comparative example, the power consumption of the vehicle thermal management device 1 increases, the energy efficiency of the vehicle thermal management device 1 decreases, and sufficient energy conservation of the vehicle cannot be achieved.

[0070] Here, the safety standard parameters include a junction temperature, a maximum ambient temperature, a heat protection reference value, and a maximum heat transfer rate that meet the safety standard of the control unit. The junction temperature is a safety standard that the heat source temperature of the control unit must not exceed a first predetermined temperature.

[0071] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the maximum value of the fluctuation range of power consumption shown in Figure 5 is smaller than in the comparative example, so the heat dissipation capacity of the control unit can be suppressed. Although the heat source temperature of the control unit is below the safety standard parameters, the heat dissipation capacity of the control unit is not excessively increased as in the comparative example. Therefore, in this embodiment, the increase in power consumption of the vehicle thermal management device 1 is suppressed, the energy efficiency of the vehicle thermal management device 1 is improved, and sufficient energy conservation of the vehicle can be achieved.

[0072] The control unit 23 may predict the fluctuation range in the power consumption of the control unit using a data table showing the correlation between the driver behavior information and the vehicle information and the peripheral information. The control unit 23 may predict the heat dissipation capacity using a learning model that has been trained to be able to predict the fluctuation range in the power consumption of the control unit from the driver behavior information, the vehicle information, and the peripheral information.

[0073] <Example of operation> Next, the operation of the vehicle thermal management device 1, vehicle thermal management method, and program according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0074] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the vehicle thermal management device 1.

[0075] First, the acquisition unit acquires driver behavior information and at least one of vehicle information and surrounding information (S11). For example, the surrounding environment detection unit 11, which is an example of an acquisition unit, can acquire obstacle information and environmental temperature information included in the surrounding information. The interior situation detection unit 12, which is an example of an acquisition unit, can acquire interior sensor information included in the vehicle information. The ECU information acquisition unit 13, which is an example of an acquisition unit, can acquire ECU information included in the vehicle information. The thermal control information acquisition unit 14, which is an example of an acquisition unit, can acquire thermal control information included in the vehicle information. The driver information acquisition unit 16, which is an example of an acquisition unit, can detect the behavior of a driver present in the vehicle cabin and acquire driver behavior information indicating the behavior of the driver in the vehicle. The driver information acquisition unit 16 can also acquire a behavior history from the memory unit 31. The communication unit 15, which is an example of an acquisition unit, can acquire environmental information and driving environment information included in the surrounding information.

[0076] Next, the identification unit 22 identifies a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit mounted on the vehicle corresponding to the driver behavior information increases above the ideal power consumption based on the driver behavior information, at least one of the vehicle information and the surrounding information, and the behavior history (S12). The identification unit 22 outputs the identified scene in which the power consumption of the control unit increases above the ideal power consumption and the driver's behavior to the control unit 23.

[0077] Next, in a scene where the power consumption of the control unit identified by the identification unit 22 increases more than the ideal power consumption, the control unit 23 determines whether to notify the notification unit of an improvement method in order to perform power increase suppression control to suppress the increase in power consumption of the control unit (S13).

[0078] When the driver's behavior based on the driver behavior information causes the power consumption of the control unit to exceed the ideal power consumption, the control unit 23 determines to cause the notification unit to execute power increase suppression control (to cause the notification unit to notify the notification unit of an improvement method) (YES in S13). In this case, the control unit 23 controls the notification unit to notify the notification unit of the identified scene in which the power consumption of the control unit exceeds the ideal power consumption and the driver's behavior corresponding to the scene. The control unit 23 also controls the notification unit to determine an improvement method corresponding to the scene in which the power consumption of the control unit exceeds the ideal power consumption from an improvement method table stored in advance in the storage unit 31 for each scene. The control unit 23 then causes the notification unit to notify the notification unit of the determined improvement method for the scene in which the power consumption of the control unit exceeds the ideal power consumption (S14).

[0079] The driver is notified of scenes in which the power consumption of the control unit will be higher than the ideal power consumption, the driver's actions corresponding to the scenes, and how to improve them, so that the driver can recognize which actions should be improved. As a result, the driver makes an effort in accordance with the improvement methods notified by the notification unit, and is able to improve his or her actions in scenes in which the power consumption of the control unit will be higher than the ideal power consumption.

[0080] The control unit 23 acquires the driver's behavior from the driver information acquisition unit 16, and stores the driver's behavior history, including whether the driver's behavior has improved after the suggestion, in the storage unit 31. The control unit 23 also feeds back the behavior history to the driver information acquisition unit 16.

[0081] Next, in a scene where the driver's actions cause the power consumption of the control unit to increase above the ideal power consumption, the control unit 23 optimizes the power consumption of the control unit so as to suppress the increase in the power consumption of the control unit (S15).

[0082] This optimizes the power consumption of the control unit mounted on the vehicle, thereby preventing the control unit from becoming too hot, and also preventing the heat dissipation capacity from becoming excessively high.

[0083] Then, the vehicle thermal management device 1 returns the process of the flowchart of FIG. 6 to step S11.

[0084] On the other hand, if the power consumption of the control unit is not increased above the ideal power consumption due to the driver's behavior based on the driver behavior information, the control unit 23 determines to optimize the power consumption of the control unit mounted on the vehicle (does not cause the notification unit to notify the improvement method) (NO in S13). In this case, the control unit 23 executes the process of step S15.

[0085] Then, the vehicle thermal management device 1 returns the process of the flowchart of FIG. 6 to step S11.

[0086] The vehicle thermal management device 1 may include a determination unit that determines whether to output a proposal or perform optimization in step S13. For example, the determination unit may determine to perform optimization when the amount of information on the behavior history stored in the storage unit is equal to or less than a predetermined amount of information. Alternatively, the determination unit may determine to notify an improvement method when the amount of information on the behavior history stored in the storage unit is greater than a predetermined amount of information. The processing of the determination unit may be performed by the control unit 23.

[0087] The determination unit may also acquire from the identification unit 22 the scene in which it has been determined that the power consumption of the control unit will increase above the ideal power consumption and the driver's behavior. For example, the determination unit may determine to perform optimization if the driver has already been notified in a specific scene. The determination unit may determine to notify the driver of an improvement method if the driver has not been notified in another scene. That is, for each scene, the determination unit may initially determine to notify the driver, and may determine to perform optimization when power increase suppression control is next executed. In this way, the determination unit may control the frequency of notifying the driver by executing power increase suppression control that is different from the previous time.

[0088] <Action and effect> Next, the effects of the vehicle thermal management device 1, vehicle thermal management method, and program according to this embodiment will be described.

[0089] As described above, the vehicle thermal management device 1 of technology 1 relating to this embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires driver behavior information indicating the driver's behavior regarding vehicle driving operations, and at least one of vehicle information indicating the state of the vehicle and peripheral information about the vehicle's surroundings, an identification unit 22 that identifies a scene in which the power consumption of a control unit installed in a vehicle corresponding to the driver behavior information increases more than the ideal power consumption based on the driver behavior information and at least one of the vehicle information and peripheral information, and a control unit 23 that executes power increase suppression control to suppress the increase in power consumption of the control unit in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit identified by the identification unit 22 increases more than the ideal power consumption.

[0090] This makes it possible to identify a scene in which the driver's actions cause the power consumption of the control unit to increase above the ideal power consumption, and therefore makes it possible to execute power increase suppression control in the identified scene.

[0091] Therefore, according to this vehicle thermal management device 1, it is possible to more optimally control the heat dissipation of the control unit mounted on the vehicle.

[0092] Furthermore, the vehicle thermal management device 1 of Technology 2 according to this embodiment further includes an alarm unit, and the power increase suppression control includes control for causing the alarm unit to notify the driver of suggestions for improving the driver's behavior in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit identified by the identification unit 22 increases more than the ideal power consumption, and the control unit 23 is the vehicle thermal management device 1 described in Technology 1 that causes the alarm unit to execute the power increase suppression control.

[0093] According to this, in a situation where the driver's behavior causes the power consumption of the control unit to exceed the ideal power consumption, a suggestion for improving the driver's behavior can be notified. The suggestion notified by the notification unit will motivate the driver to try to improve his or her own behavior. Therefore, it is expected that the driver will make an effort to improve his or her behavior in a situation where the power consumption of the control unit exceeds the ideal power consumption. As a result, it is expected that the power consumption of the control unit throughout the entire vehicle operation will be reduced.

[0094] Furthermore, the vehicle thermal management device 1 of Technology 3 according to this embodiment is the vehicle thermal management device 1 described in Technology 1 or 2. In this case, the power increase suppression control includes control to optimize the power consumption of the control unit in the scene identified by the identification unit 22.

[0095] This makes it possible to prevent the control unit from becoming too hot while also preventing excessive heat dissipation, which is expected to reduce the power consumption of the control unit throughout the vehicle's operation.

[0096] Furthermore, the vehicle thermal management device 1 of Technology 4 according to the present embodiment is the vehicle thermal management device 1 described in Technology 2. In this case, when the scene places a high driving load on the driver, the control unit 23 changes the timing of the power increase suppression control that the notification unit is to execute.

[0097] For example, when the driving load is high, the driver is concentrating on driving, and even if the notification unit notifies the driver of a suggestion at this time, there is a possibility that the driver will not be able to recognize the suggestion and safety will not be ensured.

[0098] However, in this embodiment, suggestions are not notified to the driver when the driving load is high, but are notified to the driver at a different time, making it less likely that the driver will not be aware of the content of the suggestion, and the driver will be able to recognize the suggestion.

[0099] Furthermore, by changing the timing of the notification, it is also possible to change the frequency with which the driver is notified. For example, by lowering the frequency of notifications so that the driver does not feel bothered, it is possible to avoid interfering with the driver's focused driving.

[0100] Furthermore, the vehicle thermal management device 1 of Technology 5 according to this embodiment is the vehicle thermal management device 1 described in Technology 2 or 4. In this case, the control unit 23 stores in the storage unit 31 a behavior history in which the driver's behavior based on the driver behavior information in which the power consumption of the control unit has increased more than the ideal power consumption, the proposed improvement method, and the driver's behavior after the proposal are associated with each other.

[0101] This makes it possible to determine whether the suggestion has had an effect of improving the driver's behavior, and therefore to change the content of the suggestion to the driver based on the effect of improvement, thereby encouraging the driver to improve their behavior.

[0102] Furthermore, the vehicle thermal management device 1 of Technique 6 according to the present embodiment is the vehicle thermal management device 1 described in Technique 5. In this case, the identification unit 22 further takes into account the behavior history to identify a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit increases.

[0103] According to this, by further taking into account the driver's past behavior history, the identification unit 22 can more accurately identify scenes in which the driver's behavior increases the power consumption of the control unit.

[0104] Moreover, the vehicle thermal management device 1 of Technique 7 according to the present embodiment is the vehicle thermal management device 1 described in Technique 6. In this case, the control unit 23 further takes into account the behavior history and executes power increase suppression control to suppress an increase in power consumption of the control unit.

[0105] This allows the control unit 23 to accurately calculate the increase in power consumption of the control unit by further taking into account the behavioral history, thereby enabling the control unit 23 to accurately predict the power consumption of the control unit so that the fluctuation in power consumption of the control unit is reduced.

[0106] Furthermore, the thermal management method for a vehicle of Technology 8 relating to this embodiment includes an acquisition unit acquiring driver behavior information indicating the behavior of the driver regarding the driving operation of the vehicle, and at least one of vehicle information indicating the state of the vehicle and peripheral information around the vehicle; an identification unit 22 identifying a scene in which the power consumption of a control unit installed in a vehicle corresponding to the driver behavior information increases more than the ideal power consumption based on the driver behavior information and at least one of the vehicle information and peripheral information; and a control unit 23 executing power increase suppression control to suppress the increase in power consumption of the control unit in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit identified by the identification unit 22 increases more than the ideal power consumption.

[0107] This vehicle thermal management method also provides the same effects as those described above.

[0108] Further, in the program of the ninth aspect of the present embodiment, the program is a program for causing a computer to execute the vehicle thermal management method described in the eighth aspect.

[0109] This program also provides the same effects as those described above.

[0110] (others) While the vehicle thermal management device and the like according to the present disclosure have been described based on the above-described embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. As long as the modifications do not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art may also be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0111] For example, in the above-described vehicle thermal management device, all or some of the components such as the processing unit may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or semiconductor memory.

[0112] The division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be moved to another functional block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0113] The order in which the steps in the flowchart are executed is merely an example for specifically explaining the present disclosure, and an order other than the above may be used. Also, some of the steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps.

[0114] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by making various modifications to the above embodiments that a person skilled in the art would think of, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions in the embodiments within the scope that does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0115] The vehicle thermal management device and the like according to the present disclosure can be mounted on a vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1. Vehicle thermal management device 11 Surrounding environment detection unit (acquisition unit) 13 ECU information acquisition section (acquisition section) 14. Thermal control information acquisition unit (acquisition unit) 15. Communications Department (Acquisition Department) 16 Driver information acquisition unit (acquisition unit) 22 Specific section 23 Control Unit 33 Sound unit (alarm unit) 34 Display unit (alert unit)

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires at least one of driver behavior information indicating a driver's behavior related to a driving operation of a vehicle, vehicle information indicating a state of the vehicle driven by the driver, and surrounding information of the surroundings of the vehicle; an identification unit that identifies a scene in which power consumption of a control unit mounted on the vehicle corresponding to the driver behavior information increases above ideal power consumption based on the driver behavior information and at least one of the vehicle information and the surrounding information; a control unit that executes power increase suppression control to suppress an increase in power consumption of the control unit in a scene where the power consumption of the control unit identified by the identification unit increases above the ideal power consumption. Vehicle thermal management devices.

2. Furthermore, a notification unit is provided, the power increase suppression control includes control of causing the notification unit to notify the driver of a suggestion for improving the driver's behavior in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit identified by the identification unit increases more than the ideal power consumption, and The control unit causes the notification unit to execute the power increase suppression control. The vehicle thermal management system of claim 1 .

3. the power increase suppression control includes control to optimize power consumption of the control unit in the scene identified by the identification unit.

3. The vehicle thermal management device of claim 1 or 2.

4. When the scene is a scene that requires a high driving load on the driver, the control unit changes the timing of the power increase suppression control that the notification unit is to execute.

3. The vehicle thermal management system of claim 2.

5. The control unit stores in a storage unit a behavior history in which the driver's behavior based on the driver behavior information in which the power consumption of the control unit has increased more than the ideal power consumption, the proposed improvement method, and the driver's behavior after the proposal are associated with each other.

5. The vehicle thermal management device of claim 2 or 4.

6. The identification unit further takes into consideration the behavior history to identify the scene in which the power consumption of the control unit increases above the ideal power consumption.

6. The vehicle thermal management system of claim 5.

7. The control unit further takes into account the behavior history and executes the power increase suppression control for suppressing an increase in power consumption of the control unit.

7. The vehicle thermal management system of claim 6.

8. an acquisition unit acquires at least one of driver behavior information indicating driver behavior related to vehicle driving operation, vehicle information indicating a state of the vehicle, and surrounding information of the surroundings of the vehicle; an identification unit identifies a scene in which power consumption of a control unit mounted on the vehicle corresponding to the driver behavior information increases above ideal power consumption based on the driver behavior information, the vehicle information, and / or the surrounding information; and a control unit executing power increase suppression control for suppressing an increase in power consumption of the control unit in a scene in which the power consumption of the control unit specified by the specifying unit increases more than the ideal power consumption. Thermal management method for a vehicle.

9. A computer-implemented method for vehicle thermal management according to claim 8. program.

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