Control device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a control device for a vehicle capable of discharging water accumulated in a cooling fan.SOLUTION: A cooling fan motor ECU 20 includes: a radiator 16; a cooling fan 17 for blowing air to the radiator 16; and a cooling fan motor 18 for rotating the cooling fan 17. In the cooling fan motor ECU 20 which controls the drive of the cooling fan motor 18 of a vehicle 10, inside a hood 11, the cooling fan 17 and a cooling fan motor 18 are arranged in an inclined manner, an upper surface of the hood 11 is covered by a hood roof 12, an upper surface opening part 12A is formed at the hood roof 12, a recessed part 17A is formed at the cooling fan 17, and at least part of the cooling fan motor 18 is arranged in the recessed part 17A. After the travel finish of the vehicle 10, the cooling fan motor 18 is driven only for a fixed time, and the cooling fan 17 is made to rotate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device that controls driving of a cooling fan motor of a cooling fan that blows air to a radiator. [Background technology]

[0002] Some vehicles are equipped with a radiator. The radiator is a heat exchanger that cools coolant by dissipating heat. The coolant cools heat-generating components in the vehicle, such as the engine, motor, battery, and inverter. Some vehicles are also equipped with a cooling fan that blows air into the radiator. The cooling fan improves the cooling performance of the radiator by blowing air into the radiator. The cooling fan is rotated by a cooling fan motor. The radiator, cooling fan, and cooling fan motor are arranged, for example, on the hood of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In some vehicles, the hood is designed to be low to improve design and aerodynamic performance. In some vehicles, the radiator, cooling fan, and cooling fan motor are enlarged to improve the cooling performance of heat-generating components. In some vehicles, the radiator, cooling fan, and cooling fan motor are arranged at an angle inside the hood to accommodate the enlarged radiator, cooling fan, and cooling fan motor in the low-designed hood. In some vehicles, an opening is formed in the top of the hood to improve the cooling performance of heat-generating components. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-339299 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, in a vehicle in which an opening is formed at the top of the hood and the radiator, cooling fan, and cooling fan motor are arranged at an angle inside the hood, water (rainwater) will enter the inside of the hood when the car is washed or when it rains.

[0006] For example, if a cooling fan has a recess, water will accumulate in the inclined recess. If a cooling fan motor is placed in the recess, the accumulated water may cause part of the cooling fan motor to become submerged and damage the cooling fan motor.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control device that can drain water accumulated in a cooling fan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The vehicle control device of the present invention is a vehicle control device that controls the driving of the cooling fan motor of a vehicle that has a radiator, a cooling fan that blows air to the radiator, and a cooling fan motor that rotates the cooling fan, wherein the cooling fan and cooling fan motor are arranged at an angle inside the hood, the top surface of the hood is covered by a bonnet roof, an opening is formed in the bonnet roof, a recess is formed in the cooling fan, and at least a portion of the cooling fan motor is arranged in the recess, and is characterized in that after the vehicle has stopped driving, the cooling fan motor is driven for a certain period of time to rotate the cooling fan. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, water accumulated in the cooling fan can be drained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a ventilation configuration inside a hood of a vehicle according to an embodiment; [Figure 2]1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle control device that is an example of an embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a flow of drive control of a cooling fan motor according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. In the following description, specific shapes, materials, directions, numerical values, etc. are examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and can be appropriately changed according to the application, purpose, specifications, etc.

[0012] [vehicle] A vehicle 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0013] Vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle having two power sources, an engine (not shown) and a motor (not shown), a PCU (Power Control Unit) (not shown) that controls the motor, a battery that supplies power to the motor, a coolant circuit (not shown) that circulates coolant to cool the motor and PCU, a radiator 16 that is provided in the coolant circuit and dissipates heat from the coolant, a cooling fan 17 that blows air to radiator 16, a cooling fan motor 18 that rotates the cooling fan 17, and a cooling fan motor ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 20 that serves as a vehicle control device that controls the operation of cooling fan motor 18.

[0014] The vehicle of the present invention is not limited to a hybrid vehicle, but may be an electric vehicle powered by a motor, an engine vehicle powered by an engine, or the like.

[0015] A hood 11 is configured at the front of the vehicle 10. A hood roof 12 is provided on top of the hood 11. A radiator 16, a cooling fan 17, and a cooling fan motor 18 are arranged at an angle inside the hood 11. An engine, a motor, a PCU, etc. may also be arranged inside the hood 11.

[0016] A front opening 11A is formed in the front of the hood 11. A front grille may be provided in the front opening 11A. The hood roof 12 is also formed with an upper opening 12A as an opening. With this configuration, when the vehicle 10 is traveling, wind entering through the front opening 11A passes through the inside of the hood 11 and is discharged from the upper opening 12A. This allows the radiator 16 to be cooled by the wind.

[0017] The engine is a water-cooled engine and is cooled by engine coolant. The engine coolant circulates through an engine coolant circuit that passes through a water jacket formed in the engine. The engine coolant circuit may be provided with a radiator that dissipates heat from the engine coolant.

[0018] The motor is driven by battery power and can also function as a generator to charge the battery by driving the engine. The motor is cooled by cooling water circulating through a cooling water circuit.

[0019] As mentioned above, the PCU controls the motor. The PCU includes a boost converter, an inverter that drives or regenerates the motor, and an intelligent power module. The PCU converts the voltage supplied from the battery into a voltage for driving the motor. The PCU also converts the power generated by the motor (generator) into a DC current for charging the battery. Furthermore, the PCU efficiently regenerates power by using the motor (generator) to generate electricity during deceleration. The PCU is cooled by the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit.

[0020] The battery supplies power to the motor, the cooling fan motor 18, etc. A lithium ion battery or the like is preferably used as the battery.

[0021] The coolant circuit circulates coolant that cools the motor and the PCU. The coolant circuit is provided with a radiator 16 that dissipates heat from the coolant. The coolant circuit may also be provided with a reservoir tank, a water pump for circulating the coolant, and the like.

[0022] The radiator 16 is a heat exchanger that allows coolant to flow inside and dissipates heat by utilizing thermal conduction. A cooling fan 17 that blows air onto the radiator 16 is provided near the radiator 16. The radiator 16 is cooled by the airflow from the vehicle while traveling or by the air blown by the cooling fan 17. The radiator of the present invention may also be a radiator that dissipates heat from coolant that cools a battery, or a radiator that dissipates heat from coolant that cools an engine. The radiator of the present invention may also be an air conditioner condenser. The refrigerant cooled by the air conditioner condenser may be used not only for air conditioning but also to cool the coolant that cools the battery.

[0023] Radiator 16 is disposed at an incline inside hood 11. This allows a large radiator 16 to be disposed even when hood 11 is low. The angle of inclination of radiator 16 is not particularly limited.

[0024] The cooling fan 17 blows air to the radiator 16 to cool the radiator 16. The cooling fan 17 may be rotated when the vehicle 10 is stopped and the radiator 16 is not cooled by wind generated by the vehicle's movement. The cooling fan 17 may also be rotated when the temperature of the coolant circulating through the coolant circuit is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

[0025] The cooling fan 17 is disposed at an angle inside the hood 11. This allows a large cooling fan 17 to be disposed even when the hood 11 is low. The angle of inclination of the cooling fan 17 is approximately the same as the angle of inclination of the radiator 16.

[0026] A recess 17A is formed in the cooling fan 17. A front end of a cooling fan motor 18 is disposed in the recess 17A. When water (rainwater) enters the inside of the hood 11 through the upper opening 12A of the hood roof 12 during a car wash or rainfall of the vehicle 10, the water may accumulate in the recess 17A.

[0027] Cooling fan motor 18 rotates cooling fan 17. Cooling fan motor 18 is connected to cooling fan motor ECU 20. Cooling fan motor 18 is disposed at an angle inside hood 11. This allows a large cooling fan motor 18 to be disposed even when hood 11 is low. The angle of inclination of cooling fan motor 18 is approximately the same as the angles of inclination of radiator 16 and cooling fan 17.

[0028] The front end of cooling fan motor 18 is disposed in recess 17A formed in cooling fan 17. When vehicle 10 is washed or during rainfall, if water (rainwater) seeps into hood 11 through top opening 12A of hood roof 12 and accumulates in recess 17A, the front end of cooling fan motor 18 may be submerged in the accumulated water, potentially damaging cooling fan motor 18. Therefore, by cooling fan motor drive control, the details of which will be described later, the water accumulated in recess 17A of cooling fan 17 is drained by the centrifugal force of cooling fan 17.

[0029] The cooling fan motor ECU 20 controls the driving of the cooling fan motor 18. The cooling fan motor ECU 20 also controls the driving of the cooling fan motor 18. The cooling fan motor ECU 20 will be described in detail later.

[0030] [Vehicle control device] A cooling fan motor ECU 20 as a vehicle control device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0031] The cooling fan motor ECU 20 controls the driving of the cooling fan motor 18. The cooling fan motor ECU 20 can drain water accumulated in the recess 17A of the cooling fan 17, as will be described in detail later.

[0032] The cooling fan motor ECU 20 is a computer including a CPU 21 as a processor, a memory 22, and an in-vehicle communication interface 23. The CPU 21, the memory 22, and the in-vehicle communication interface 23 are connected by an internal bus 25.

[0033] The CPU 21 is a processor that processes information. The memory 22 stores a control program 26 and control program data 27 for executing the control program 26. The CPU 21 executes the control program 26 stored in the memory 22 to realize various control operations.

[0034] The in-vehicle communication interface 23 is connected to an in-vehicle bus 28 of the vehicle 10, and is connected to other ECUs of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle bus 28 using the CAN protocol. The other ECUs include a system ECU 30, a driving ECU 40, an auxiliary ECU 50, and the like.

[0035] The system ECU 30 controls the start or stop of systems (engine, motor, electrical components, etc.) of the vehicle 10. A signal is input to the system ECU 30 when the system is turned off (ignition power is turned off) after driving has finished.

[0036] The travel ECU 40 is connected to the drive wheels etc. The travel ECU 40 records the travel distance of the vehicle 10.

[0037] The accessory ECU 50 controls the operation of various accessories and receives signals from switches and sensors that drive these accessories. The accessory ECU 50 controls the operation of the wipers and receives a signal when the wipers are activated.

[0038] The cooling fan motor ECU 20 can obtain information that the system has been turned off after driving has finished from the system ECU 30 via the in-vehicle bus 28. The cooling fan motor ECU 20 can also obtain information about the driving distance from the driving ECU 40 via the in-vehicle bus 28. The cooling fan motor ECU 20 can also obtain information about the operation of the wipers from the accessory ECU 50 via the in-vehicle bus 28.

[0039] As described above, the control program 26 controls the driving of the cooling fan motor 18. More specifically, when the system is turned off, the control program 26 drives the cooling fan motor 18 for a predetermined time to rotate the cooling fan 17. This allows water accumulated in the recess 17A of the cooling fan 17 to be drained by the centrifugal force of the cooling fan 17. As a result, it is possible to prevent the front end of the cooling fan motor 18 from being submerged in the water accumulated in the recess 17A of the cooling fan 17, which could result in damage to the cooling fan motor 18.

[0040] The predetermined time may be a time long enough to allow water accumulated in recess 17A of cooling fan 17 to be drained by the centrifugal force of cooling fan 17. The predetermined time may be, for example, between 30 and 60 seconds. The predetermined time is recorded in control program data 27.

[0041] Control program 26 may drive cooling fan motor 18 for a predetermined time when the system is turned off and the distance traveled since the system was last turned on is not zero. This allows water accumulated in recess 17A of cooling fan 17 to be drained by the centrifugal force of cooling fan 17 only when vehicle 10 is actually traveling.

[0042] Control program 26 may drive cooling fan motor 18 for a predetermined time when the system is turned off, the mileage since the system was last turned on is not 0, and the wipers are operated. This allows water accumulated in recess 17A of cooling fan 17 to be drained by the centrifugal force of cooling fan 17 only when it is raining when vehicle 10 is actually traveling.

[0043] Control program 26 may drive cooling fan motor 18 for a predetermined time when the system is turned off and the wipers are operated even if the mileage since the system was last turned on is zero. This is intended for the case where water seeps into hood 11 during a car wash and accumulates in recess 17A of cooling fan 17. In this way, if water accumulates in recess 17A of cooling fan 17 during a car wash, the water accumulated in recess 17A of cooling fan 17 can be drained by the centrifugal force of cooling fan 17.

[0044] [Cooling fan motor drive control] The flow of cooling fan motor control, which is an example of an embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0045] The cooling fan motor control is an operation performed by the cooling fan motor ECU 20. In step S101, the CPU 21 determines whether the system has started up. If the CPU 21 determines YES in step S101, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0046] In step S102, the CPU 21 determines whether the mileage since the system was started is 0. If the CPU 21 determines YES in step S102, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S104. If the CPU 21 determines NO in step S102, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S103.

[0047] In step S103, the CPU 21 determines whether the wipers have been operated since the system was started up. If the CPU 21 determines YES in step S103, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0048] In step S104, the CPU 21 determines whether the system has stopped. If the determination in step S104 is YES, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S105.

[0049] In step S105, the CPU 21 drives the cooling fan motor 18. In step S106, the CPU 21 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the cooling fan motor 18 was driven. If the CPU 21 determines YES in step S106, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S107. In step S107, the CPU 21 drives the cooling fan motor 18.

[0050] In addition, if water does not get inside the hood 11 when washing the car, in step S102, the CPU 21 determines whether the mileage since the system started is 0, and if it determines YES in step S102, it may proceed to step S103.

[0051] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and its modifications, and various changes and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims of this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10 vehicle, 11 bonnet, 11A front opening, 12 bonnet roof, 12A top opening, 15 cooling water circuit, 16 radiator, 17 cooling fan, 17A recess, 18 cooling fan motor, 20 cooling fan motor ECU (vehicle control device), 21 CPU, 22 memory, 23 in-vehicle communication interface, 25 internal bus, 26 control program, 27 control program data, 28 in-vehicle bus, 30 system ECU, 40 driving ECU, 50 auxiliary ECU

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle control device for controlling drive of a cooling fan motor of a vehicle including a radiator, a cooling fan that sends air to the radiator, and a cooling fan motor that rotates the cooling fan, wherein the cooling fan and the cooling fan motor are arranged at an angle inside a bonnet, an upper surface of the bonnet is covered by a bonnet roof, an opening is formed in the bonnet roof, a recess is formed in the cooling fan, and at least a portion of the cooling fan motor is arranged in the recess, After the vehicle has finished traveling, the cooling fan motor is driven for a predetermined time to rotate the cooling fan. Vehicle control device.

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