Vehicle device

Abstract

To provide a technique suppressing costs while appropriately heating a catalyst device.SOLUTION: A vehicle device 10 includes: an electric heating type catalyst device 16 disposed in an engine compartment of a vehicle; and an on-vehicle charger 12 disposed in the engine compartment, and supplying power to the catalyst device. The on-vehicle charger 12 includes: a current sensor 18 for detecting a current of power supplied to the catalyst device 16; a voltage sensor 20 for detecting a voltage of power supplied to the catalyst device 16; a calculation part 22 for calculating a value of resistance of the catalyst device 16 based on detection results of the current sensor 18 and the voltage sensor 20; a determination part 24 for determining a range of power to be supplied to the catalyst device 16 based on the calculated value of resistance; and a supply part 26 for supplying power within the determined range of power to the catalyst device 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for supplying power to an electrically heated catalytic converter from an on-board charger. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle including a catalytic converter configured to be electrically heated and for purifying exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, a first temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the catalytic converter, an electric storage device, a second temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the electric storage device, a catalytic converter power supply unit that receives electric power from the electric storage device and supplies heating electric power to the catalytic converter, and a control device for controlling the catalytic converter power supply unit. The control device calculates a first electric power that can be supplied from the electric storage device based on the state of charge of the electric storage device and the output of the second temperature detector, and determines whether to supply the first electric power from the catalytic converter power supply unit to the catalytic converter according to the output of the first temperature detector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011-111176 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is desirable to neither overheat nor underheat the catalytic converter. Therefore, if one attempts to accurately detect the power supplied from the catalytic converter power supply to the catalytic converter, the cost of the current sensor and voltage sensor that detect the power is high.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can appropriately heat a catalytic converter while suppressing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle system including an electrically heated catalytic converter disposed in an engine compartment of a vehicle, and an on-board charger disposed in the engine compartment and supplying power to the catalytic converter. The on-board charger includes a current sensor for detecting the current of the power supplied to the catalytic converter, a voltage sensor for detecting the voltage of the power supplied to the catalytic converter, a calculation unit for calculating the resistance of the catalytic converter based on the detection results of the current sensor and the voltage sensor, a determination unit for determining a range of power to be supplied to the catalytic converter based on the calculated resistance, and a supply unit for supplying power to the catalytic converter that falls within the determined power range. When the calculated resistance is greater than a predetermined value, the determination unit widens the power range compared to when the calculated resistance is less than the predetermined value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a technology can be provided that appropriately heats a catalytic device while suppressing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a vehicle device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the range of electric power supplied to the catalytic converter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a vehicle device 10 according to an embodiment. A vehicle equipped with the vehicle device 10 may be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), or a battery electric vehicle (BEV), and may have an automatic driving control function that enables the vehicle to travel autonomously.

[0010] The vehicle device 10 includes an on-board charger 12, a temperature sensor 14, and a catalytic converter 16, and is located in the engine compartment of the vehicle. The vehicle device 10 calculates the state of the catalytic converter 16 on the on-board charger 12 side and determines the power to supply. Therefore, appropriate power can be supplied without providing a sensor on the catalytic converter 16, and the number of parts in the vehicle device 10 can be reduced to make the vehicle device 10 more compact, thereby ensuring space in the engine compartment.

[0011] The temperature sensor 14 is provided in the engine compartment at a position separate from the catalytic converter 16 and detects the temperature. The temperature sensor 14 does not have to be provided in the engine compartment, and may instead detect the temperature of another device or the temperature of the driving environment. The temperature sensor 14 transmits the detection result to the on-board charger 12.

[0012] The catalytic converter 16 is an electrically heated type, and purifies the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine by heating the catalyst with power supplied from the on-board charger 12. The resistance value of the catalytic converter 16 changes depending on the temperature of the catalyst, and the power or current that can be supplied changes as the temperature rises.

[0013] The on-board charger 12 is capable of bidirectional charging and supplies power to devices other than the catalytic converter 16. For example, the on-board charger 12 may supply power to an on-board high-voltage battery, or may supply power to devices outside the vehicle.

[0014] The on-board charger 12 has a current sensor 18, a voltage sensor 20, a calculation unit 22, a determination unit 24, and a supply unit 26. The current sensor 18 is provided in the output path of the on-board charger 12 and detects the current of the power supplied to the catalytic device 16. The voltage sensor 20 is provided in the output path of the on-board charger 12 and detects the voltage of the power supplied to the catalytic device 16. If the on-board charger 12 and the catalytic device 16 are provided in close locations, when the catalytic device 16 heats up, the detection accuracy of the current sensor 18 and the voltage sensor 20 will change due to the influence of the catalytic device 16.

[0015] The calculation unit 22 calculates the resistance value of the catalytic converter 16 based on the detection results of the temperature sensor 14, the current sensor 18, and the voltage sensor 20. The calculation unit 22 calculates the power supply to the catalytic converter 16 based on the detection results of the current sensor 18 and the voltage sensor 20, and calculates the resistance value of the catalytic converter 16 based on the series of power supplies to the catalytic converter 16.

[0016] The series of power supplied to the catalytic converter 16 may be, for example, an integrated value since the start of supply. The calculation unit 22 calculates the amount of heat generated by the catalytic converter 16 based on the detection results of the current sensor 18 and the voltage sensor 20, estimates the temperature of the catalytic converter 16, and calculates the resistance value of the catalytic converter 16 according to the temperature of the catalytic converter 16. The temperature sensor 14 also determines an initial value for the temperature of the catalytic converter 16. Note that the initial value for the temperature of the catalytic converter 16 is not limited to the detection result of the temperature sensor 14, and may also be obtained from weather information via a network.

[0017] The calculation unit 22 may use a map for calculating the resistance value of the catalytic converter 16. This map inputs the initial temperature and the detection results of the series of current sensors 18 and voltage sensors 20 to the map, and outputs the resistance value of the catalytic converter 16.

[0018] The determination unit 24 determines the range of power to be supplied to the catalytic converter 16 according to the resistance value calculated by the calculation unit 22. The supply unit 26 supplies the catalytic converter 16 with power that falls within the range of power determined by the determination unit 24. Here, the range of power to be supplied to the catalytic converter 16 determined by the determination unit 24 will be described with reference to a new drawing.

[0019] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the range of power supplied to the catalytic converter 16. The vertical axis of Fig. 2 represents power, and the horizontal axis represents time. Fig. 2(a) shows the range of power determined by the determination unit 24 of the embodiment, and Fig. 2(b) shows the range of power in the comparative technique.

[0020] 2(a) shows an upper limit 30 and a lower limit 32 of power that can be supplied when the catalytic device 16 is being subjected to a heat treatment. The supply unit 26 supplies power to the catalytic device 16 so that the power falls within a first range 34 from time t0 to time t1.

[0021] The upper power limit 30 is calculated by adding a predetermined percentage corresponding to the resistance value to the power (current or voltage), and the lower power limit 32 is calculated by subtracting a predetermined percentage corresponding to the resistance value from the power (current or voltage). The upper power limit 30 and the lower power limit 32 may be calculated by increasing or decreasing the power by a predetermined percentage. The predetermined percentage is set in advance according to the resistance value of the catalytic converter 16.

[0022] From time t0 when heating starts until time t1, the supplyable power is maintained within a first range 34. The first range 34 may be corrected according to the resistance value. At time t1, the resistance value calculated by the calculation unit 22 becomes smaller than a predetermined value, and the upper power limit value 30 and the lower power limit value 32 are changed to a second range 36 that is narrower than the first range 34. The first upper limit value U1 is greater than the second upper limit value U2, and the first lower limit value L1 is less than the second upper limit value L2. When the calculated resistance value is greater than the predetermined value, the determination unit 24 widens the power range compared to when the calculated resistance value is smaller than the predetermined value.

[0023] The detection accuracy of the current sensor 18 and the voltage sensor 20 increases as the temperature rises. Because the first range 34 is initially set wide, the detection accuracy of the current sensor 18 and the voltage sensor 20 may be low. By narrowing the second range 36 midway, even if there is variation in the detection results of the current sensor 18 and the voltage sensor 20, the integrated value of the power ultimately supplied can be controlled to fall within a predetermined range. This prevents insufficient heating of the catalytic converter 16 or excessive power supply. Furthermore, because the detection accuracy of the current sensor 18 and the voltage sensor 20 may be low initially, it is possible to use inexpensive, lightweight sensors.

[0024] In the comparative technology shown in Figure 2(b), the range 42 between the upper power limit 38 and the lower power limit 40 from time t0 to time t1 is narrower than the first range 34, so the on-board charger supplies power within the narrow range. To achieve power control within a narrow range, the current and voltage sensors provided in the on-board charger must have high detection accuracy, which can make the current and voltage sensors expensive and heavy. After time t1, control is performed within the second range 36 shown in Figure 2(a).

[0025] The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. The present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications such as design changes may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 10 vehicle device, 12 on-board charger, 14 temperature sensor, 16 catalytic converter, 18 current sensor, 20 voltage sensor, 22 calculation unit, 24 determination unit, 26 supply unit, 30 power upper limit value, 32 power lower limit value.

Claims

[Claim 1] an electrically heated catalytic converter disposed within an engine compartment of the vehicle; an on-board charger disposed within the engine compartment and configured to supply power to the catalytic converter; The on-board charger is a current sensor for detecting the current of the power supplied to the catalytic converter; a voltage sensor for detecting the voltage of the power supplied to the catalytic converter; a calculation unit that calculates a resistance value of the catalytic converter based on detection results of the current sensor and the voltage sensor; a determination unit that determines a range of power to be supplied to the catalytic converter based on the calculated resistance value; a supply unit that supplies the catalytic converter with power within the determined power range; The vehicle device, wherein the determination unit, when the calculated resistance value is greater than a predetermined value, increases the range of power compared to when the calculated resistance value is smaller than the predetermined value.

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