Vehicle temperature adjustment apparatus

Abstract

To provide a vehicle temperature adjustment apparatus that can cool an automatic driving ECU in the vehicle with priority.SOLUTION: A processor 102 of a valve opening-closing control ECU 100 includes: a temperature acquisition unit 102a for acquiring, at starting a vehicle 10, a temperature of automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 incorporated in the vehicle; and a ventilation control unit 102b which blows air at a temperature adjusted by an air-conditioner 30 to the automated driving ECUs with priority over the inside of a cabin 12 when the temperature of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 is equal to or higher than a predefined value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a temperature control device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, it has been known to attach a heat-receiving member to an electronic device installed in an engine compartment, fix one end of a heat-transfer member to the heat-receiving member, and fix the other end of the heat-transfer member to a heat sink installed in the air passage of an air-conditioner blower unit inside a vehicle interior separated from the engine compartment by a partition wall (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-130980 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the technology described in the above patent document, the cooling air from the air conditioner is transferred to the electronic device via a heat transfer member, which has the problem that it is not possible to rapidly cool electronic devices that are already at a high temperature.

[0005] In particular, with the recent advancement of autonomous vehicles, there is an increasing demand for efficient cooling of the autonomous driving ECUs (Electronic Control Units) installed in autonomous vehicles. Although autonomous driving ECUs have higher processing performance than standard vehicle ECUs, some have a narrower usable temperature range. For example, ECUs that were not developed for automotive use may be used as autonomous driving ECUs. In such cases, the usable temperature range of the autonomous driving ECU is narrower than that of standard vehicle ECUs. As a result, in high-temperature environments, such as when a vehicle is parked in the blazing sun, the autonomous driving system may not be able to start when the vehicle is started.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a temperature control device for a vehicle that is capable of cooling an automatic driving ECU of the vehicle with priority. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows. (1) a temperature acquisition unit that acquires the temperature of an autonomous driving ECU installed in a vehicle when the vehicle is started; an air blowing control unit that, when the temperature of the automatic driving ECU is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, blows air whose temperature has been adjusted by the air conditioning device to the automatic driving ECU with priority over the interior of the vehicle; A vehicle temperature control device comprising: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a temperature control device for a vehicle is provided that is capable of preferentially cooling an automatic driving ECU of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an on-off valve control ECU and its peripherals. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of a processor of an on-off valve control ECU. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a processor of an on-off valve control ECU. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, these descriptions are intended to be merely examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to such specific embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 10 according to one embodiment. The vehicle 10 has an automatic driving ECU storage space 20 in a passenger compartment 12. The automatic driving ECU storage space 20 is provided with a first automatic driving ECU 22, a second automatic driving ECU 26, a thermometer 24, and a thermometer 28. The first automatic driving ECU 22 and the second automatic driving ECU 26 are both ECUs for automatic driving. The thermometer 24 measures the temperature of the housing of the first automatic driving ECU 22. The thermometer 28 measures the temperature of the housing of the second automatic driving ECU 26.

[0012] Temperature-adjusted air blown from a vehicle air conditioner (vehicle air conditioner) 30 is introduced into the passenger compartment 12 through a pipe (duct) 40. The temperature-adjusted air is specifically cool air.

[0013] The air blown from the air conditioner 30 is also introduced into the autonomous driving ECU storage space 20. For this reason, a branch section 40a is provided in the piping 40. Furthermore, an opening / closing valve 50 is provided at the location where the piping 40 is connected to the vehicle interior 12.

[0014] The on-off valve 50 is composed of a solenoid valve, and the open / close state of the on-off valve 50 is controlled by a control signal from the on-off valve control ECU 100. When the on-off valve 50 is set to an open state, the air blown from the air conditioner 30 is diverted at the branching portion 40a of the piping 40 and supplied to both the vehicle interior 12 and the automatic driving ECU storage space 20. On the other hand, when the on-off valve 50 is set to a closed state, the air blown from the air conditioner 30 flows from the branching portion 40a of the piping 40 to the automatic driving ECU storage space 20 and is supplied only to the automatic driving ECU storage space 20.

[0015] As described above, the usable temperature range of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 may be narrower than that of a normal vehicle ECU, and the automatic driving system may not be able to start in a high temperature environment. In such a case, it would be inconvenient to wait until the temperature in the entire passenger compartment 12 drops and falls within the usable temperature range of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26.

[0016] In this embodiment, an automatic driving ECU storage space 20 is provided for the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26, which have a relatively narrow usable temperature range, and the structure is such that cool air whose temperature has been adjusted by the air conditioning unit 30 can be introduced into the automatic driving ECU storage space 20.

[0017] In this embodiment, the air conditioning unit 30 introduces cooled air, the temperature of which has been adjusted, into the automatic driving ECU storage space 20, thereby enabling the cooling of the multiple automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 on a system-by-system basis. Because the automatic driving ECU storage space 20, which stores the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26, is separated from the vehicle interior 12, the automatic driving ECU storage space 20 can be efficiently cooled, thereby improving the cooling rate of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26. Furthermore, because the cooling air directly cools the ECUs, the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 can be efficiently cooled. Furthermore, by controlling the volume of cooling air supplied to the automatic driving ECU storage space 20 according to the housing temperatures of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26, the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 can be more efficiently cooled. This shortens the cooling time for the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26, speeding up the startup of the automatic driving system and improving convenience.

[0018] Specifically, an on-off valve 50 of a pipe 40 of the air conditioner 30 is controlled by the temperature of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26. When the vehicle is started, if the housing temperature of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 is higher than the usable temperature of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26, cool air from the air conditioner 30 is supplied preferentially to the automatic driving ECU storage space 20, quickly cooling the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26. Furthermore, if the housing temperature of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 falls below the usable temperature of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26, the supply of cool air from the air conditioner 30 to the automatic driving ECU storage space 20 is stopped.

[0019] 1 shows an example in which the autonomous driving ECU storage space 20 is provided inside the vehicle interior 12, the autonomous driving ECU storage space 20 may also be located outside the vehicle interior 12, such as in the engine compartment or luggage compartment. A normal vehicle ECU with a wide usable temperature range may be mounted in a space inside or outside the vehicle.

[0020] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the on-off valve control ECU 100 and its surroundings. The on-off valve control ECU 100, the on-off valve 50, the thermometer 24, and the thermometer 28 are communicably connected to each other via an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as a Controller Area Network (CAN).

[0021] The on-off valve control ECU 100 is one aspect of a vehicle temperature control device according to the present disclosure. The on-off valve control ECU 100 includes a processor 102, a memory 104, and a communication interface 106. The processor 102 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 102 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logic operation unit, a numerical operation unit, or a graphics processing unit. The memory 104 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and stores data related to the processing according to this embodiment. The communication interface 106 includes an interface circuit for connecting the on-off valve control ECU 100 to an in-vehicle network.

[0022] 3 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of the processor 102 of the on-off valve control ECU 100 for performing the above-described processing. The processor 102 of the on-off valve control ECU 100 has a temperature acquisition unit 102a and an air supply control unit 102b. These units of the processor 102 are functional modules realized by, for example, a computer program running on the processor 102. That is, the functional blocks of the processor 102 are configured by the processor 102 and a program (software) for causing the processor 102 to function. The program may be recorded in the memory 104 included in the on-off valve control ECU 100 or in a recording medium connected from the outside. Alternatively, these units of the processor 102 may be dedicated arithmetic circuits provided in the processor 102.

[0023] The temperature acquisition unit 102a acquires the temperatures of the autonomous driving ECUs 22 and 26 provided in the vehicle 10 when the vehicle is started. Specifically, the temperature acquisition unit 102a acquires the temperatures measured by the thermometers 24 and 28.

[0024] When the temperature of the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the air blowing control unit 102b blows air whose temperature has been adjusted by the air conditioner 30 preferentially to the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 rather than to the vehicle interior 12. Specifically, the air blowing control unit 102b outputs a control signal for controlling the open / close state of the on-off valve 50 based on the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 102a, and controls the open / close state of the on-off valve 50. When the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 102a is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the air blowing control unit 102b controls the on-off valve 50 to a closed state, and blows air whose temperature has been adjusted by the air conditioner 30 preferentially to the automatic driving ECU storage space 20 rather than to the vehicle interior 12. In addition, when the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 102a is less than a predetermined value, the air supply control unit 102b controls the on-off valve 50 to an open state, and supplies air whose temperature has been adjusted by the air conditioning unit 30 to both the vehicle interior 12 and the automatic driving ECU storage space 20.

[0025] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the processor 102 of the on-off valve control ECU 100. First, the vehicle 10 is started (step S10). When the vehicle 10 is started, the temperature acquisition unit 102a acquires the temperature T measured by the thermometers 24, 28 (step S12). The temperature T may be either one of the temperatures measured by the thermometers 24, 28, or the average value of the temperatures measured by the thermometers 24, 28.

[0026] Next, it is determined whether the temperature T is equal to or greater than the threshold value TTH (step S14), and if the temperature T is equal to or greater than the threshold value TTH, the air blow control unit 102b performs control to close the on-off valve 50 (step S16). As a result, air whose temperature has been adjusted by the air conditioner 30 is blown preferentially to the automatic driving ECU storage space 20 rather than to the vehicle interior 12, and the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 are cooled.

[0027] On the other hand, if the temperature T is less than the threshold value TTH in step S14, the air blow control unit 102b controls the on-off valve 50 to open (step S18). As a result, air whose temperature has been adjusted by the air conditioner 30 is also supplied to the passenger compartment 12, cooling the interior of the passenger compartment 12. After steps S16 and S18, the process returns to step S14. Note that after the on-off valve 50 is controlled to open in step S18, the on-off valve 50 may be kept open thereafter without returning to step S14.

[0028] As described above, according to this embodiment, the automatic driving ECUs 22, 26 can be effectively cooled when the vehicle 10 is started, and therefore the automatic driving system can be started up early. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 10 vehicles 12 Cabin 20. Storage space for autonomous driving ECU 22,26 ECU for autonomous driving 24,28 thermometer 30 Air conditioning unit (vehicle air conditioner) 40 Piping 40a Branch 50 On-off valve 100 Opening and closing valve control ECU 102 processors 102a Temperature acquisition section 102b Air flow control unit 104 memory 106 Communication Interface

Claims

[Claim 1] a temperature acquisition unit that acquires the temperature of an automatic driving ECU provided in the vehicle when the vehicle is started; an air blowing control unit that, when the temperature of the automatic driving ECU is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, blows air whose temperature has been adjusted by the air conditioning device to the automatic driving ECU with priority over the interior of the vehicle; A vehicle temperature control device comprising:

Images