Energy consumption control device and energy consumption control system for vehicle

Abstract

To suppress energy consumption when cooling a cooling object while maintaining a degree of freedom in design of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle air conditioner includes a compressor 3 for compressing a refrigerant for cooling a battery module 70, a heat exchanger 2 for a battery for heat-exchanging the refrigerant with cooling air, an inflow device for making the cooling air flow into a vehicle, and a controller for controlling the compressor 3 and the inflow device. A controller calculates a combination of a compressor rotation speed and an air volume parameter related to an air volume of cooling air on the basis of a required cooling capacity and consumption energy when achieving the required cooling capacity during traveling of a vehicle 100, and calculates the air volume parameter to be higher as the compressor rotation speed is lower with respect to the same required cooling capacity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein belongs to the technical field of a vehicle energy consumption control device and an energy consumption control system. [Background technology]

[0002] It is being studied to reduce the amount of wind that flows into the vehicle while it is running, thereby lowering the air resistance of the vehicle and thereby reducing the energy consumption while the vehicle is running.

[0003] For example, the refrigeration cycle device described in Patent Document 1 includes an outside air heat absorption section that causes the refrigerant to absorb heat from the outside air, a waste heat absorption section that causes the refrigerant to absorb waste heat from a waste heat device, a shutter that opens and closes to adjust the opening of the passage for outside air introduced into the outside air heat absorption section, and a control section that closes the shutter when it is determined that the amount of waste heat from the waste heat device is greater than the amount of heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the outside air heat absorption section and the waste heat absorption section.

[0004] In addition, the cooling device for a vehicle engine described in Patent Document 2 includes a radiator that is provided in the engine compartment and releases heat into air introduced from outside the vehicle, an exhaust passage in the engine compartment through which exhaust gas discharged from the engine passes, a first air inlet that introduces the air introduced from outside the vehicle into the radiator, and a second air inlet that introduces the air introduced from outside the vehicle into the exhaust passage in the engine compartment, and the first air inlet is provided with an opening adjustment mechanism that adjusts the opening of the first air inlet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-10766 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-143507 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When using wind generated by vehicle travel to cool a battery or other object to be cooled, it is preferable to have a large volume of wind flowing into the vehicle from the viewpoint of cooling efficiency. On the other hand, if the wind speed of the wind is high (large volume of wind), the air resistance of the vehicle increases, resulting in increased energy consumption. In other words, there is a trade-off between cooling efficiency and energy consumption due to air resistance.

[0007] In the case of heating control, it is possible to reduce the volume of wind flowing into the vehicle while the vehicle is running by absorbing heat from a heat-removing device as in Patent Document 1. However, in situations where an object to be cooled needs to be cooled, control such as that in Patent Document 1 cannot be applied.

[0008] As in Patent Document 2, by dividing the inflow path of the running wind, it is possible to reduce the air resistance of the vehicle by introducing a large amount of running wind into one inflow path while reducing the amount of running wind introduced into the other inflow path. However, the layout of the object to be cooled must be designed according to the inflow path of the running wind, which reduces the degree of freedom in vehicle design.

[0009] The technology disclosed herein has been developed in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to reduce the energy consumption when cooling an object to be cooled while maintaining the design freedom of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To solve the above problems, a first aspect of the technology disclosed herein is directed to a vehicle energy consumption control device, which includes a compressor that compresses a refrigerant for cooling an object to be cooled mounted on the vehicle, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and cooling air, an inflow device that introduces the cooling air into the vehicle, and a controller that controls the compressor and the inflow device, and the controller calculates a combination of a compressor rotation speed, which is the rotation speed of the compressor, and an air volume parameter related to the air volume of the cooling air to be introduced into the vehicle based on a required cooling capacity of the object to be cooled and energy consumption required to achieve the required cooling capacity while the vehicle is traveling, and calculates a higher air volume parameter as the compressor rotation speed is lower for the same required cooling capacity.

[0011] The present inventors conducted extensive research from a different perspective than conventional methods, namely, reducing the amount of cooling air flowing into a vehicle while still reducing the overall vehicle energy consumption, rather than reducing the air resistance itself by reducing the amount of cooling air flowing into the vehicle. As a result of their research, in a first aspect, the compressor rotation speed and air volume parameter that achieve the required cooling performance are calculated based on the energy consumption, and the lower the compressor rotation speed, the higher the calculated air volume parameter. As a result, the lower the compressor rotation speed, the lower the energy consumption required to operate the compressor. Even if air resistance occurs when the vehicle's running wind is flowed into the vehicle as cooling air, the overall vehicle energy consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, because there is no need to design the vehicle body to reduce the air resistance itself, the vehicle design flexibility can be maintained. Therefore, the energy consumption control device can reduce the energy consumption when cooling an object to be cooled while maintaining the vehicle design flexibility.

[0012] A second aspect of the technology disclosed herein is the first aspect, wherein the controller calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter that minimizes energy consumption when achieving the required cooling capacity.

[0013] In the second aspect, the energy consumption control device can effectively reduce the energy consumption required to achieve the required cooling capacity.

[0014] A third aspect of the technology disclosed herein is the first aspect, wherein the controller calculates candidate combinations of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter that can achieve the required cooling capacity, including a first cooling control candidate, a second cooling control candidate in which the compressor rotation speed is higher and the air volume parameter is lower than that of the first cooling control candidate, and a third cooling control candidate in which the compressor rotation speed is lower and the air volume parameter is higher than that of the first cooling control candidate, and selects the combination with the lowest energy consumption from among the first cooling control candidate, the second cooling control candidate, and the third cooling control candidate.

[0015] In the third aspect, the amount of calculation by the controller when calculating the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter can be reduced, thereby enabling the energy consumption control device to also reduce the energy consumption related to the calculations by the controller.

[0016] A fourth aspect of the technology disclosed herein is any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the controller calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter based on a first control map that indicates the cooling capacity and energy consumption achieved by a combination of any of the compressor rotation speeds and any of the air volume parameters, with the compressor rotation speed being one of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis and the air volume parameter being the other of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.

[0017] In the fourth aspect, the energy consumption control device can responsively calculate the compressor rotation speed and air volume parameter that can suppress energy consumption by using the first control map.

[0018] A fifth aspect of the technology disclosed herein is the fourth aspect, further comprising an outside air temperature detection unit that detects an outside air temperature, wherein the controller stores a plurality of first control maps that differ for each outside air temperature, and the controller also selects the first control map based on the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit, and calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter based on the selected first control map.

[0019] In the fifth aspect, by taking the outside air temperature into consideration, it is possible to more appropriately calculate the air volume parameter that realizes the required cooling capacity and reduces energy consumption, thereby enabling the energy consumption control device to effectively reduce energy consumption.

[0020] A sixth aspect of the technology disclosed herein is any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the inflow device has a shutter that adjusts the air volume of the running wind used as the cooling air by adjusting its opening, and a fan that adjusts the air volume of the cooling air by adjusting its rotation speed, and the controller calculates a combination of the shutter opening, which is the opening of the shutter, and the fan rotation speed, which is the rotation speed of the fan, based on the energy consumed when realizing the calculated air volume parameter, and for the same air volume parameter, the smaller the shutter opening, the higher the calculated fan rotation speed.

[0021] After careful consideration, the inventors of the present application found that by appropriately combining the shutter opening degree and the fan rotation speed, it is possible to reduce energy consumption even when the same airflow parameter is realized. In the sixth aspect, the shutter opening degree and the fan rotation speed are calculated based on the energy consumption required to realize the airflow parameter, so that energy consumption throughout the vehicle can be reduced while still allowing wind from the vehicle's movement to be taken in as cooling air. Therefore, the energy consumption control device can effectively reduce energy consumption.

[0022] A seventh aspect of the technology disclosed herein is the sixth aspect, wherein the controller calculates a combination of the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed that results in the lowest energy consumption when realizing the calculated air volume parameter.

[0023] In the seventh aspect, the energy consumption control device can effectively suppress the energy consumption required to achieve the required cooling capacity.

[0024] In an eighth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, in the sixth aspect, the controller calculates the following candidate combinations of the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed that can achieve the selected airflow parameter: a first wind control candidate, a second wind control candidate that has a larger shutter opening and a lower fan rotation speed than the first wind control candidate, and a third wind control candidate that has a smaller shutter opening and a higher fan rotation speed than the first wind control candidate, and selects the combination with the lowest energy consumption from among the first wind control candidate, the second wind control candidate, and the third wind control candidate.

[0025] In the eighth aspect, the amount of calculation by the controller when calculating the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed can be reduced, thereby enabling the energy consumption control device to also reduce energy consumption related to the calculations by the controller.

[0026] A ninth aspect of the technology disclosed herein is any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, wherein the controller calculates a combination of the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed based on a second control map showing the airflow parameter and energy consumption achieved by a combination of any of the shutter opening and any of the fan rotation speeds, with the shutter opening being one of the vertical and horizontal axes and the fan rotation speed being the other of the vertical and horizontal axes.

[0027] In the ninth aspect, the energy consumption control device can responsively calculate the shutter opening and fan rotation speed that can suppress energy consumption by using the second control map.

[0028] A tenth aspect of the technology disclosed herein is directed to a vehicle energy consumption control system, the energy consumption control system including: a compressor that compresses a refrigerant for cooling an object to be cooled mounted on the vehicle; a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and cooling air; a shutter that adjusts the volume of airflow from running as the cooling air by adjusting its opening; a fan that adjusts the volume of the cooling air by adjusting its rotation speed; a controller that controls the compressor, the shutter, and the fan; and a control amount calculation unit that calculates control amounts for the compressor, the shutter, and the fan, wherein the control amount calculation unit calculates cooling capacity and energy consumption realized by a combination of an arbitrary compressor rotation speed and an arbitrary air volume parameter, with a compressor rotation speed that is the rotation speed of the compressor as one of the vertical and horizontal axes and an air volume parameter related to the volume of the cooling air as the other vertical and horizontal axes. and calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the airflow parameter based on the required cooling capacity of the object to be cooled based on a first control map shown in FIG. 1, and calculates a combination of the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed based on the calculated airflow parameter based on a second control map showing the airflow parameter and energy consumption realized by a combination of an arbitrary shutter opening and an arbitrary fan rotation speed, with the shutter opening being one of the vertical and horizontal axes and the fan rotation speed being the rotation speed of the fan being the other of the vertical and horizontal axes, and the controller controls the compressor at the compressor rotation speed calculated by the control amount calculation unit, controls the shutter at the shutter opening calculated by the control amount calculation unit, and controls the fan at the fan rotation speed calculated by the control amount calculation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] As described above, the technology disclosed herein makes it possible to reduce energy consumption when cooling an object to be cooled while maintaining the degree of freedom in vehicle design. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle equipped with an energy consumption control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the energy consumption control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the energy consumption control device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cooling control map showing the relationship between the combination of compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed, and the cooling capacity and energy consumption when the outside air temperature is relatively low. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cooling control map showing the relationship between the combination of compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed, and the cooling capacity and energy consumption when the outside air temperature is relatively high. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the wind speed of the cooling air and the energy consumption. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a wind speed control map showing the relationship between the combination of the shutter angle and the fan rotation speed, the wind speed of the cooling air, and the energy consumption. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a graph showing the energy consumption when the same cooling capacity is realized. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the cooling system ECM when calculating the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air velocity. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the cooling system ECM when calculating the shutter angle and the fan rotation speed in the energy consumption control device according to the modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a method for calculating the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air velocity in the energy consumption control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing a method for calculating the shutter angle and the fan rotation speed in the energy consumption control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a part of a flowchart showing the processing operation of the cooling system ECM of the energy consumption control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is the remaining part of the flowchart showing the processing operation of the cooling system ECM of the energy consumption control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an energy consumption control system according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0032] (1) Overall vehicle configuration 1 shows a vehicle 100 having an energy consumption control device 1 according to the first embodiment. The vehicle 100 is an electrically driven vehicle that can run mainly using a drive motor 101 that rotates using electricity. The vehicle 100 is, for example, an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

[0033] The vehicle 100 has a drive motor 101. The rotation of the drive motor 101 is reduced by a reducer 102 and transmitted to a drive shaft 106 of a front wheel 105. The front wheel 105 rotates due to the rotation of the drive shaft 106. This causes the vehicle 100 to move (travel). The drive motor 101 is a motor generator, and operates as a generator when the vehicle 100 is decelerating (regenerating).

[0034] The drive motor 101 is connected to the battery module 70 via an inverter 103 and a converter 104 .

[0035] The battery module 70 is configured by stacking a plurality of rectangular box-shaped battery cells (not shown). The battery module 70 is disposed below the floor panel of the vehicle 100. The battery cells are configured by, for example, lithium ion batteries or nickel-metal hydride batteries.

[0036] The inverter 103 converts DC power to AC power. When the vehicle 100 is running, the inverter 103 converts the DC power supplied via the converter 104 into three-phase AC current with different phases and supplies it to the traction motor 101. When the vehicle 100 is regenerating, the inverter 103 converts the AC power generated by the traction motor 101 into DC power and supplies it to the converter 104.

[0037] When the vehicle 100 is running, the converter 104 steps down the DC power output from the battery module 70 to a drive voltage for the drive motor 101 and supplies the DC power to the inverter 103. When the vehicle 100 is regenerating, the converter 104 steps up the DC power from the inverter 103 and charges the battery module 70.

[0038] The drive motor 101, the inverter 103, the converter 104, and the battery module 70 are examples of objects to be cooled that are mounted on the vehicle 100.

[0039] (2) Overall configuration of the energy consumption control device FIG. 2 shows an energy consumption control device 1 mounted on a vehicle 100. The energy consumption control device 1 includes a cooling circuit 10 for cooling an object to be cooled. The cooling circuit 10 can directly cool the battery module 70, for example, by an endothermic reaction that occurs when a liquid refrigerant changes phase to a gas. The cooling circuit 10 can indirectly cool the drive motor 101, inverter 103, and converter 104 with the refrigerant via a coolant cooling mechanism 21, which will be described later. The refrigerant is, for example, an HFO (hydrofluoroolefin) refrigerant, specifically, R1234yf, R134a, R744, R290, or the like.

[0040] The cooling circuit 10 has a battery heat exchanger 2 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the battery module 70, a compressor 3 that pressurizes the refrigerant that flows out from the battery heat exchanger 2, and a condenser 4 that cools and condenses the refrigerant pressurized by the compressor 3. The cooling circuit 10 has a coolant cooling mechanism 21 that cools the coolant that cools the drive motor 101, and an air conditioner 22 that is used to air-condition the vehicle interior.

[0041] The cooling circuit 10 has a main path 11 that passes the refrigerant flowing out from the compressor 3 through the condenser 4 and the battery heat exchanger 2 and returns it to the compressor 3. The cooling circuit 10 also has a first branch path 11a that branches off from the main path 11 and heads toward the coolant cooling mechanism 21, and a second branch path 11b that branches off from the main path 11 and heads toward the air conditioner 22.

[0042] The compressor 3 pressurizes the refrigerant. The compressor 3 is, for example, a scroll compressor, and can adjust the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out by adjusting its rotation speed (hereinafter referred to as the compressor rotation speed). Specifically, the pressure of the refrigerant flowing out from the compressor 3 increases as the compressor rotation speed increases. In other words, the higher the compressor rotation speed, the greater the amount of refrigerant flowing out from the compressor 3. When the refrigerant is pressurized by the compressor 3, the temperature of the refrigerant increases due to adiabatic compression.

[0043] Condenser 4 is disposed in the front portion of vehicle 100. A fan 41 is provided behind condenser 4, and a grille shutter 43 is provided in front of condenser 4. Condenser 4 cools the refrigerant compressed by compressor 3 by exchanging heat with cooling air. The cooling air is airflow flowing into vehicle 100 through grille shutter 43 and air drawn in by fan 41. When vehicle 100 is moving, condenser 4 cools the refrigerant using the airflow flowing into vehicle 100 through grille shutter 43, or the airflow drawn into vehicle 100 through grille shutter 43 and drawn in by fan 41, or the airflow drawn in by fan 41. When vehicle 100 is stopped, the refrigerant is cooled by air drawn in by the rotation of fan 41. In condenser 4, the refrigerant condenses and liquefies as its temperature drops without a drop in pressure.

[0044] In the first embodiment, the fan 41 is electrically driven. The fan 41 has a small electric motor (not shown) and rotates when the electric motor rotates. The fan 41 adjusts the volume of cooling air by adjusting its rotation speed (hereinafter referred to as the fan rotation speed). Specifically, the fan 41 draws in more air as the fan rotation speed increases. The volume of cooling air is directly proportional to the fan rotation speed. The fan 41 is an example of an inlet device.

[0045] The grill shutter 43 adjusts the amount of wind flowing into the vehicle 100 by adjusting its opening angle (hereinafter referred to as the shutter opening angle). The grill shutter 43 is a shutter device whose opening angle can be continuously adjusted. The grill shutter 43 is fully closed when it is at 0° and fully open when it is at 90°. When the fan 41 is stopped, the amount of wind flowing into the vehicle 100 increases as the shutter opening angle approaches 90°. Even when the shutter opening angle is 0°, a small amount of wind flows into the vehicle 100. Even when the shutter opening angle is small, the amount of wind flowing into the vehicle 100 can be increased by operating the fan 41. The grill shutter 43 is an example of an air inlet device.

[0046] A receiver tank 42 is provided downstream of the condenser 4. The receiver tank 42 temporarily stores the refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 4. The receiver tank 42 is connected to the main path 11. When the refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 4 flows into the receiver tank 42, an amount of refrigerant equivalent to the amount of the inflowing refrigerant flows out from the receiver tank 42 to the main path 11.

[0047] The expansion valve 5 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant in the main path 11 and causes the refrigerant to flow into the battery heat exchanger 2. The refrigerant that passes through the expansion valve 5 drops in temperature due to adiabatic expansion. Furthermore, the pressure reduction by the expansion valve 5 lowers the saturation temperature (equivalent to the boiling point). Furthermore, the pressure reduction by the expansion valve 5 slows the flow of refrigerant in the battery heat exchanger 2, so that the refrigerant in the battery heat exchanger 2 exchanges heat evenly with the battery modules 70.

[0048] The coolant cooling mechanism 21 has an expansion valve 21a and a chiller 21b. The expansion valve 21a is provided in the first branch path 11a. The chiller 21b lowers the temperature of the coolant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the coolant. The coolant is introduced, for example, into a water jacket of the drive motor 101 to cool the drive motor 101. The chiller 21b is an example of an object to be cooled.

[0049] The air conditioner 22 has an expansion valve 22a, an indoor heat exchanger 22b, and a blower 22c. The expansion valve 22a is provided in the second branch path 11b. When cooling is required, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air for air conditioning by the indoor heat exchanger 22b. The blower 22c transports the air for air conditioning from which the heat has been absorbed into the vehicle cabin. This introduces cooled air into the vehicle cabin. The rotation speed of the blower 22c is set based on the target temperature in the vehicle cabin. The indoor heat exchanger 22b is an example of an object to be cooled.

[0050] (3) Control system for energy consumption control device Next, the control system of the energy consumption control device 1 will be described.

[0051] 3, the energy consumption control device 1 includes a cooling system ECM (Electric Control Module) 81, which is a controller that controls the elements that make up the cooling circuit 10. The energy consumption control device 1 also includes a PCM (Powertrain Control Module) 82, which is a controller that controls the entire power system of the vehicle 100, and a BECM (Battery Energy Control Module) 83, which is a controller that controls the charging and discharging of the battery module 70.

[0052] (3-1) Cooling system ECM The cooling system ECM 81 has one or more processors 81a with a CPU, and a memory 81b with ROM and RAM and storing various programs. The memory 81b is, for example, a non-volatile memory. Programs related to the controls executed by the cooling system ECM 81 are stored in the memory 81b. The cooling system ECM 81 is executed when the processor 81a reads the programs stored in the memory 81b. Although not shown in the figures, the PCM 82 and the BECM 83 each have a processor and a memory, just like the cooling system ECM 81.

[0053] The cooling system ECM 81 receives signals from a battery temperature sensor SW1 that detects the temperature of the battery cells, a first refrigerant pressure sensor SW2 that detects the pressure of the refrigerant flowing into the compressor 3, a second refrigerant pressure sensor SW3 that detects the pressure of the refrigerant pressurized by the compressor 3 and before flowing into the condenser 4, an outside air temperature sensor SW4 that detects the outside air temperature, a motor water temperature sensor SW5 that detects the temperature of the coolant for the drive motor 101, an interior temperature sensor SW6 that detects the temperature inside the vehicle cabin, and an air conditioning control panel SW7 that controls the air conditioning inside the vehicle cabin. The cooling system ECM 81 also receives signals from the PCM 82 and the BECM 83. The PCM 82 also receives a signal from a vehicle speed sensor.

[0054] The battery temperature sensor SW1 is disposed, for example, near a refrigerant outlet of the battery module 70. The first refrigerant pressure sensor SW2 is disposed in a position upstream of the compressor 3 in the main path 11. The second refrigerant pressure sensor SW3 is disposed downstream of the compressor 3 and upstream of the condenser 4. The outside air temperature sensor SW4 is disposed on the vehicle front side of the condenser 4. The motor water temperature sensor SW5 faces the coolant passage of the drive motor 101. The water temperature detected by the motor water temperature sensor SW5 is regarded as the temperature of the drive motor 101. The air conditioning control panel SW7 is a panel operated by an occupant of the vehicle 100, and is provided with a switch for controlling air conditioning on and off, a switch for setting the air volume, a switch for setting a target temperature for the vehicle cabin, and the like. Note that multiple battery temperature sensors SW1 may be provided. For example, in addition to being disposed near the refrigerant outlet of the battery module 70, the battery temperature sensor SW1 may also be disposed in the center of the battery module 70 in a plan view.

[0055] The cooling system ECM 81 controls the fan 41, the grille shutter 43, the compressor 3, the expansion valve 5, the coolant cooling mechanism 21, and the air conditioner 22 based on signals from the sensors SW1 to SW7, a signal from the PCM 82, and a signal from the BECM 83. Specifically, the cooling system ECM 81 obtains information about the vehicle speed from the PCM 82, information about the target temperatures of the objects to be cooled (the drive motor 101 and the battery module 70) from the BECM 83, and information about the target temperature inside the vehicle cabin from the air conditioning control panel SW7.

[0056] The cooling system ECM 81 compares the detection results of the battery temperature sensor SW1, the motor water temperature sensor SW5, and the passenger compartment temperature sensor SW6 with the respective target temperatures to calculate a required cooling capacity required to cool the battery module 70. Based on the required cooling capacity, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the compressor rotation speed and the wind speed of the cooling air for cooling the condenser 4 (hereinafter referred to as the cooling wind speed). Based on the calculated cooling wind speed, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed. The cooling system ECM 81 then rotates the compressor 3 at the calculated compressor rotation speed, sets the opening of the grille shutter 43 to the calculated shutter opening, and rotates the fan 41 at the calculated fan rotation speed. The cooling system ECM 81 also adjusts the openings of the expansion valve 5, the expansion valve 21a of the coolant cooling mechanism 21, and the expansion valve 22a of the air conditioner 22 so that a required flow rate of refrigerant flows into the object to be cooled. Furthermore, the rotation speed of the blower 22c of the air conditioner 22 is adjusted according to the target temperature inside the vehicle cabin. The cooling air speed is an example of an air volume parameter that indicates the volume of cooling air. The volume of cooling air increases in proportion to the cooling air speed. The cooling capacity is, for example, the amount of heat that the refrigerant can absorb per unit time.

[0057] Furthermore, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the shutter opening degree and the fan rotation speed in consideration of the information relating to the vehicle speed acquired from the PCM 82.

[0058] (3-2) Cooling control map The cooling system ECM 81 calculates the compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed based on a cooling control map 400. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cooling control maps 400 and 500 are maps showing the cooling capacity and energy consumption achieved by a combination of an arbitrary compressor rotation speed and an arbitrary cooling air speed, with the horizontal axis representing the compressor rotation speed and the vertical axis representing the cooling air speed. This energy consumption is the total energy consumption of the vehicle 100, calculated by summing up the power consumption required to achieve the compressor rotation speed and the energy loss due to air resistance when the cooling air speed is achieved (excess power consumption of the drive motor 101) obtained through simulation or experiment. Note that, as will be described in detail later, the energy consumption based on the cooling air speed varies depending on the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed. Here, the energy consumption when the shutter is fully opened and the fan 41 is stopped and the airflow is increased is shown. The cooling control maps 400 and 500 are an example of a first control map.

[0059] As described above, the cooling air is the air drawn in by the fan 41 and the wind generated by the vehicle running. Both of these are supplied from the outside air. Therefore, the cooling capacity of the cooling circuit 10 depends on the outside air temperature. FIG. 4 shows a low-temperature cooling control map 400 when the outside air temperature is relatively low, and FIG. 5 shows a high-temperature cooling control map 500 when the outside air temperature is relatively high. The low-temperature cooling control map 400 and the high-temperature cooling control map 500 are each stored in the memory 81b. Although only two cooling control maps are shown here as an example, in reality, three or more cooling control maps for each outside air temperature are stored in the memory 81b.

[0060] 4 and 5, the contour lines shown by dashed lines indicate the cooling capacity of the cooling circuit 10, and the contour lines shown by solid lines indicate energy consumption. The dashed cooling contour lines C1 to C11 are lines of equal cooling capacity. The solid energy contour lines E1 to E10 are lines of equal energy consumption.

[0061] Basically, the cooling capacity increases as the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air velocity increase. In Figures 4 and 5, the cooling capacity decreases toward the lower left of the map and increases toward the upper right of the map. In other words, the area below and to the left of the cooling contour line C1 is the area with the lowest cooling capacity, and the area above and to the right of the cooling contour line C11 is the area with the highest cooling capacity. For a given compressor rotation speed, the higher the cooling air velocity, the higher the cooling capacity. For a given cooling capacity, the lower the compressor rotation speed, the higher the cooling air velocity.

[0062] Basically, the higher the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air velocity, the higher the energy consumption. In Figures 4 and 5, the lower the energy consumption is toward the left of the map and the higher the energy consumption is toward the right of the map. When the compressor rotation speed is the same, the higher the cooling air velocity, the higher the energy consumption. When the cooling air velocity is the same, the higher the compressor rotation speed, the higher the energy consumption is.

[0063] Comparing the low-temperature cooling control map 400 and the high-temperature cooling control map 500, the cooling contour lines C1 to C11 in the high-temperature cooling control map 500 are shifted to the upper right compared to the low-temperature cooling control map 400, and the high-temperature cooling control map 500 does not have the cooling contour line C11. This means that when the outside temperature is high, the cooling capacity that can be achieved with the same compressor rotation speed and the same cooling air velocity is lower compared to when the outside temperature is low. Furthermore, the energy contour lines E1 to E9 in the high-temperature cooling control map 500 are shifted to the lower left compared to the low-temperature cooling control map 400, and the high-temperature cooling control map 500 has the energy contour line E10. This means that when the outside temperature is high, the energy consumption is higher at the same compressor rotation speed and the same cooling air velocity compared to when the outside temperature is low. Furthermore, from these facts, it can be said that when the outside temperature is high, the energy consumption to achieve the same cooling capacity is higher compared to when the outside temperature is low.

[0064] (3-3) Wind speed control map The energy consumption control device 1 calculates the shutter opening and fan rotation speed based on a wind speed control map 700 (see FIG. 7). To explain the wind speed control map 700, we will first explain the relationship between the cooling wind speed, energy consumption, and the combination of the shutter opening and fan rotation speed. The wind speed control map 700 is an example of a second control map.

[0065] FIG. 6 shows the results of a simulation of the relationship between cooling air speed and energy consumption. The horizontal axis represents cooling air speed, and the vertical axis represents energy consumption. In the simulation, the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 is assumed to be constant. This energy consumption is calculated by simulation, taking into account the energy loss due to air resistance of the traveling air that flows in when the grille shutter 43 is open (excessive power consumption of the drive motor 101) and the power consumption required to achieve the desired fan rotation speed. The solid lines in FIG. 6 show the changes in cooling air speed and energy consumption when the shutter opening is changed while the fan 41 is stopped. Points A1 to A6 represent points with different shutter openings, with point A1 representing the case where the shutter opening is 0° and fully closed, and point A6 representing the case where the shutter opening is 90° and fully open. Points A2, A3, A4, and A5 represent points with increasing shutter opening, in that order. Here, point A2 indicates a shutter opening angle of 6°, point A3 indicates a shutter opening angle of 12°, point A4 indicates a shutter opening angle of 24°, and point A5 indicates a shutter opening angle of 42°. The dashed lines in FIG. 6 show the changes in cooling air speed and energy consumption when fan 41 is operated with the shutter opening angle fixed. For example, the dashed line extending from point A1 shows the changes in cooling air speed and energy consumption when the fan rotation speed is gradually increased with the shutter opening angle set to 0°. The cooling air speed increases as the rotation speed of fan 41 increases, so the fan rotation speed increases toward the right of the dashed line. Note that when fan 41 is rotated, the fan 41 further draws the traveling wind flowing in through grille shutter 43 into vehicle 100. Therefore, the cooling air speed indicated by the dashed lines extending from points A1 to A6 can be considered the wind speed of the traveling wind flowing into vehicle 100.

[0066] As shown in Figure 6, when the shutter opening is increased from 0°, the achievable cooling air velocity increases. On the other hand, when the shutter opening is increased from 0°, the energy consumption increases sharply and then gradually increases. This is because increasing the shutter opening increases the cooling air velocity and increases air resistance. In the range where the shutter opening is greater than the opening of point A3, the increase in energy consumption is smaller than in the range where the shutter opening is smaller than the opening of point A3. This means that when the shutter opening increases to a certain extent, the increase in energy consumption due to air resistance becomes smaller.

[0067] 6, less energy is consumed to achieve the same cooling air speed when fan 41 is rotated from a shutter opening angle of point A1 or point A2 than when grille shutter 43 is opened and traveling wind is allowed to flow into vehicle 100. In particular, even when the shutter opening angle reaches point A3 or more, less energy is consumed when fan 41 is rotated than when fan 41 is stopped. From this, it can be said that even when traveling wind is allowed to flow into vehicle 100 at a high wind speed, energy consumption can be reduced by using fan 41 to introduce traveling wind.

[0068] The shutter opening and fan rotation speed that minimize energy consumption when achieving the same cooling air speed vary depending on the cooling air speed. For example, when the cooling air speed is equal to or greater than air speed U1 and less than air speed U2, the energy consumption is minimized by opening the shutter to point A3 and rotating fan 41. On the other hand, when the cooling air speed is equal to or greater than air speed U2 and less than air speed U3, the energy consumption is minimized by opening the shutter to point A4 and rotating fan 41.

[0069] Fig. 7 shows an airflow control map 700 created based on the combinations of cooling airflow speed, energy consumption, shutter opening, and fan rotation speed shown in Fig. 6. In Fig. 7, the contour map shown by dashed lines indicates cooling airflow speed, and the contour map shown by solid lines indicates energy consumption. The dashed airflow speed contour lines V1 to V5 are lines of equal airflow speed. The solid energy contour lines EW1 to EW5 are lines of equal energy consumption.

[0070] Basically, the cooling air speed increases as the shutter opening increases and as the fan rotation speed increases. In FIG. 7, the cooling air speed decreases toward the lower left of the map and increases toward the upper right of the map. In other words, the area below and to the left of the wind speed contour line V1 is the area with the lowest cooling air speed, and the area above and to the right of the cooling contour line V5 is the area with the highest cooling air speed. For a given shutter opening, the higher the fan rotation speed, the higher the cooling air speed. For a given fan rotation speed, the smaller the shutter opening, the higher the fan rotation speed.

[0071] Basically, the greater the shutter opening and the higher the fan rotation speed, the higher the energy consumption. In Figure 7, the lower the energy consumption is toward the left of the map and the higher the energy consumption is toward the right of the map. For the same shutter opening, the higher the fan rotation speed, the higher the energy consumption. For the same fan rotation speed, the greater the shutter opening, the higher the energy consumption.

[0072] The speed of the traveling wind flowing into the vehicle 100 is affected by the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100. For example, for the same shutter opening, the cooling wind speed increases as the vehicle speed increases. Although only one wind speed control map 700 is shown here as an example, in reality, multiple wind speed control maps for each vehicle speed are stored in the memory 81b.

[0073] (4) Processing operation of the energy consumption control device Here, in the past, when setting the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed, one of the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed was set first, and then the other of the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed was set. For example, the required cooling capacity was determined based on the difference between the battery temperature sensor SW1 and the target temperature of the battery module 70, and then the compressor rotation speed was set based on the required cooling capacity. The higher the required cooling capacity, the higher the compressor rotation speed is set. Once the compressor rotation speed is set, the cooling air speed is set accordingly.

[0074] In such conventional control, the compressor rotation speed and cooling air velocity are set corresponding to the operating points P1 and P2 shown in Fig. 4. However, from the viewpoint of energy consumption, the conventional control is not necessarily optimal.

[0075] 8 shows the energy consumption when the cooling capacity of cooling contour line C10 in low-temperature cooling control map 400 is achieved. The horizontal axis represents the operating points located on cooling contour line C10, i.e., the combinations of compressor rotation speed and cooling air velocity. The leftmost side of the horizontal axis is the operating point at the upper left end of cooling contour line C10, and the rightmost side of the horizontal axis is the operating point at the lower right end of cooling contour line C10. In other words, the compressor rotation speed is lower and the cooling air velocity is higher toward the left of the horizontal axis, and the compressor rotation speed is higher and the cooling air velocity is lower toward the right of the horizontal axis.

[0076] Operating point P1 in FIG. 8 indicates the energy consumption at the same operating point as operating point P1 shown in low-temperature cooling control map 400 in FIG. 4, and operating point P2 in FIG. 8 indicates the energy consumption at the same operating point as operating point P2 shown in low-temperature cooling control map 400 in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 8, the energy consumption at operating points P1 and P2 is not the lowest, but is higher than the lowest point BP at which the energy consumption is lowest. In other words, when realizing the same cooling capacity, even if the compressor rotation speed is higher than that at operating point P1 or the cooling air speed is higher than that at operating point P2, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption by appropriately combining the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the energy consumption control device 1 calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed based on the required cooling capacity and the energy consumption required to achieve the required cooling capacity.

[0077] Furthermore, in conventional control, the air volume is first controlled by the shutter opening, and if the air volume is insufficient, the cooling air velocity is adjusted by using the fan 41. However, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, even when the same cooling air velocity is to be achieved, it is possible to reduce energy consumption by appropriately combining the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed. Therefore, the energy consumption control device 1 calculates a combination of the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed based on the calculated cooling air velocity and the energy consumption required to achieve the calculated cooling air velocity.

[0078] 9 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the cooling system ECM 81. This flowchart is executed at predetermined intervals.

[0079] First, in step S101, the cooling system ECM 81 receives and reads signals from the various sensors SW1 to SW7, the PCM 82, and the BECM 83.

[0080] Next, in step S102, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the required cooling capacity. The cooling system ECM 81 compares the detection results of the battery temperature sensor SW1, the motor water temperature sensor SW5, and the passenger compartment temperature sensor SW6 with the respective target temperatures to calculate the required cooling capacity required to cool the battery module 70.

[0081] Next, in step S103, the cooling system ECU 81 selects a cooling control map based on the detection result of the outside air temperature sensor SW4.

[0082] Next, in step S104, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed based on the cooling control map. The cooling system ECM 81 calculates, from the cooling control map, the combination of the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed that will result in the lowest energy consumption when achieving the required cooling capacity. Note that when there are multiple combinations of the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed that will result in the lowest energy consumption, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the combination with the lowest compressor rotation speed.

[0083] Next, in step S105, the cooling system ECM 81 selects a wind speed control map based on the vehicle speed information acquired from the PCM 82.

[0084] Next, in step S106, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the shutter opening and fan rotation speed based on the wind speed control map. The cooling system ECM 81 uses the wind speed control map to calculate the combination of the shutter opening and fan rotation speed that will minimize the energy consumption when achieving the cooling wind speed calculated in step S104. Note that when there are multiple combinations of the shutter opening and fan rotation speed that will minimize the energy consumption, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the combination with the largest shutter opening.

[0085] Then, in step S107, the cooling system ECM 81 controls the compressor 3, the grill shutter 43, and the fan 41 so that the calculated compressor rotation speed, shutter opening, and fan rotation speed are achieved. After step S107, the process returns.

[0086] (5) Effects of the First Embodiment Therefore, in the first embodiment, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed based on the required cooling capacity of the object to be cooled (such as the battery module 70) and the energy consumption required to achieve the required cooling capacity while the vehicle 100 is traveling. For the same required cooling capacity, the lower the compressor rotation speed, the higher the calculated cooling air speed. Conventionally, the compressor rotation speed was set based on the required cooling capacity and then the cooling air speed was set, or the lowest possible cooling air speed was set to reduce air resistance before the compressor rotation speed was set. In the first embodiment, the combination of the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed is calculated based on the energy consumption of the entire vehicle 100. Therefore, the energy consumption of the entire vehicle 100 can be reduced compared to the conventional method while keeping the cooling air speed as high as possible. Furthermore, because it is not necessary to design the vehicle body to reduce air resistance, the design flexibility of the vehicle can be maintained. Therefore, the first embodiment can reduce the energy consumption required to cool the object to be cooled while maintaining the design flexibility of the vehicle 100.

[0087] In the first embodiment, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air velocity so as to minimize the energy consumption when realizing the required cooling capacity. As a result, in the first embodiment, the energy consumption for realizing the required cooling capacity can be effectively suppressed.

[0088] In the first embodiment, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a combination of compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed based on cooling control maps 400, 500 that show the cooling capacity and energy consumption achieved by a combination of any compressor rotation speed and any cooling air speed, with the compressor rotation speed on one side of the horizontal axis and the cooling air speed on the vertical axis. By using the cooling control maps 400, 500, the first embodiment can responsively calculate the compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed that can suppress energy consumption.

[0089] In this first embodiment, an outside air temperature sensor SW3 is provided to detect the outside air temperature. The cooling system ECM 81 stores multiple cooling control maps that correspond to different outside air temperatures. The cooling system ECM 81 also selects a cooling control map based on the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor SW3 and calculates a combination of compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed based on the selected cooling control map. By taking the outside air temperature into consideration, the cooling air speed that achieves the required cooling capacity and reduces energy consumption can be more appropriately calculated. This allows the first embodiment to effectively reduce energy consumption.

[0090] In the first embodiment, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a combination of shutter opening and fan rotation speed based on the energy consumption required to achieve the calculated cooling air speed, and calculates a higher fan rotation speed as the shutter opening becomes smaller for the same cooling air speed. By calculating a combination of shutter opening and fan rotation speed that reduces energy consumption to achieve the calculated cooling air speed, it is possible to reduce energy consumption throughout the vehicle 100 while still allowing the airflow from the vehicle while it is traveling to be taken in as cooling air. Therefore, the first embodiment can effectively reduce energy consumption.

[0091] In the first embodiment, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the combination of the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed that minimizes the energy consumption when achieving the calculated cooling air speed. As a result, in the first embodiment, the energy consumption required to achieve the required cooling capacity can be more effectively reduced.

[0092] In the first embodiment, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a combination of the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed based on an airflow control map 700 that shows the cooling airflow speed and energy consumption achieved by a combination of an arbitrary shutter opening and an arbitrary fan rotation speed, with the shutter opening on the vertical axis and the fan rotation speed on the horizontal axis. By using the airflow control map 700, the first embodiment can responsively calculate the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed that can suppress energy consumption.

[0093] In the first embodiment, when there are multiple combinations of compressor rotation speed and cooling air velocity that result in the lowest energy consumption, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the combination with the lowest compressor rotation speed. This allows the first embodiment to suppress noise caused by the rotation of the compressor 3 while suppressing energy consumption.

[0094] In the first embodiment, when there are multiple combinations of shutter opening and fan rotation speed that result in the lowest energy consumption, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the combination with the largest shutter opening. The larger the shutter opening, the smaller the fluctuation in energy consumption when the fan rotation speed fluctuates. Furthermore, the smaller the fan rotation speed, the more effectively the noise generated by the rotation of the fan 41 can be suppressed. The first embodiment can stably suppress energy consumption and noise.

[0095] (6) Modification of the first embodiment In the first embodiment, the grill shutter 43 may be of a stepped type in which the shutter opening degree is selected from a plurality of preset shutter opening degrees, rather than being continuously variable. For example, the grill shutter 43 may be set to any of the shutter opening degrees indicated by points A1 to A6 in FIG. 6.

[0096] 10 shows a flowchart for setting the shutter opening and fan rotation speed in a modified example of the energy consumption control device 1. The cooling air speed U is calculated based on the cooling control maps 400 and 500, and the air speeds U1 to U4 correspond to the air speeds U1 to U4 shown in FIG.

[0097] In step S201, the cooling system ECM 81 determines whether the cooling air velocity U is less than the air velocity U1. If the result is YES, that is, the cooling air velocity U is less than the air velocity U1, the cooling system ECM 81 proceeds to step S205. On the other hand, if the result is NO, that is, the cooling air velocity U is equal to or greater than the air velocity U1, the cooling system ECM 81 proceeds to step S202.

[0098] In step S202, the cooling system ECM 81 determines whether the cooling air speed U is equal to or greater than the air speed U1 and less than the air speed U2. If the answer is YES, that is, the cooling air speed U is equal to or greater than the air speed U1 and less than the air speed U2, the cooling system ECM 81 proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, if the answer is NO, that is, the cooling air speed U is equal to or greater than the air speed U2, the cooling system ECM 81 proceeds to step S203.

[0099] In step S203, the cooling system ECM 81 determines whether the cooling air velocity U is equal to or greater than the air velocity U2 and less than the air velocity U3. If the answer is YES, that is, the cooling air velocity U is equal to or greater than the air velocity U2 and less than the air velocity U3, the cooling system ECM 81 proceeds to step S207. On the other hand, if the answer is NO, that is, the cooling air velocity U is equal to or greater than the air velocity U3, the cooling system ECM 81 proceeds to step S204.

[0100] In step S204, the cooling system ECM 81 determines whether the cooling air velocity U is equal to or greater than the air velocity U3 and less than the air velocity U4. If the answer is YES, that is, the cooling air velocity U is equal to or greater than the air velocity U3 and less than the air velocity U4, the cooling system ECM 81 proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, if the answer is NO, that is, the cooling air velocity U is equal to or greater than the air velocity U4, the cooling system ECM 81 proceeds to step S209.

[0101] In step S205, the cooling system ECM 81 sets the shutter opening to the shutter opening at point A1. As described above, the shutter opening at point A1 is 0° here.

[0102] In step S206, the cooling system ECM 81 sets the shutter opening to the shutter opening at point A3, which is 12° as described above.

[0103] In step S207, the cooling system ECM 81 sets the shutter opening to the shutter opening at point A4. As described above, the shutter opening at point A4 is 24° here.

[0104] In step S208, the cooling system ECM 81 sets the shutter opening to the shutter opening at point A5. As described above, the shutter opening at point A5 is 42° here.

[0105] In step S209, the cooling system ECM 81 sets the shutter opening to the shutter opening at point A6. As described above, the shutter opening at point A6 is 90° here.

[0106] In step S210, which follows steps S205 to S209, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the fan rotation speed that minimizes energy consumption when realizing the cooling air velocity U at the set shutter opening. The cooling system ECM 81 calculates the fan rotation speed, for example, by using the air velocity control map 700. After step S210, the process returns.

[0107] As described above, the shutter opening and fan rotation speed required to achieve the calculated cooling air speed depend on the vehicle speed, and therefore the threshold air speeds U1 to U4 are changed according to the vehicle speed.

[0108] Even in the control according to the modified example, the energy consumption of the entire vehicle 100 can be suppressed while allowing the traveling wind to flow into the vehicle 100 as cooling air.

[0109] Second Embodiment Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, parts common to the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0110] (7) Processing operation of the energy consumption control device FIG. 11 shows an outline of a method for calculating the compressor rotation speed and the cooling air speed in the energy consumption control device 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0111] In the second embodiment, after calculating the required cooling capacity, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates three candidates, a first cooling control candidate B1, a second cooling control candidate B2, and a third cooling control candidate B3, as candidates for combinations of compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed that can achieve the required cooling capacity. Fig. 11 illustrates an example in which the first cooling control candidate B1, the second cooling control candidate B2, and the third cooling control candidate B3 are calculated when the required cooling capacity is the cooling capacity of the cooling contour line C9.

[0112] The first cooling control candidate B1 is calculated, as in the conventional method, by calculating the compressor rotation speed based on the required cooling capacity and then calculating the cooling air speed based on the calculated compressor rotation speed. The second cooling control candidate B2 is a combination of a higher compressor rotation speed and a lower cooling air speed than the first cooling control candidate B1. The third cooling control candidate B3 is a combination of a lower compressor rotation speed and a higher cooling air speed than the first cooling control candidate B1. The difference between the compressor rotation speed of the first cooling control candidate B1 and the compressor rotation speed of the second cooling control candidate B2 is the same as the difference between the compressor rotation speed of the first cooling control candidate B1 and the compressor rotation speed of the third cooling control candidate B3.

[0113] The cooling system ECM 81 calculates the energy consumption of each of the first cooling control candidate B1, the second cooling control candidate B2, and the third cooling control candidate B3. The cooling system ECM 81 calculates the energy consumption using, for example, a cooling control map (low-temperature cooling control map 400 in FIG. 11). The cooling system ECM 81 then selects the combination with the lowest energy consumption from the first cooling control candidate B1, the second cooling control candidate B2, and the third cooling control candidate B3. Note that when the energy consumption of two or all of the first cooling control candidate B1, the second cooling control candidate B2, and the third cooling control candidate B3 is the same, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the combination with the lowest compressor rotation speed.

[0114] FIG. 12 shows an outline of a method for calculating the shutter opening degree and the fan rotation speed in the energy consumption control device 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0115] In the second embodiment, after calculating the cooling air speed, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates three candidates, namely, a first air control candidate D1, a second air control candidate D2, and a third air control candidate D3, as candidates for combinations of shutter openings and fan rotation speeds that can achieve the cooling air speed. Fig. 12 illustrates an example in which the first air control candidate D1, the second air control candidate D2, and the third air control candidate D3 are calculated when the cooling air speed is on air speed contour line V2.

[0116] The first wind control candidate D1 sets the shutter opening as the current shutter opening, and calculates the fan rotation speed based on the current shutter opening. The second wind control candidate D2 has a larger shutter opening and a lower fan rotation speed than the first wind control candidate D1. The third wind control candidate D3 has a smaller shutter opening and a higher fan rotation speed than the first wind control candidate D1. The difference between the shutter opening of the first wind control candidate D1 and the shutter opening of the second wind control candidate D2 is the same as the difference between the shutter opening of the first wind control candidate D1 and the shutter opening of the third wind control candidate D3.

[0117] The cooling system ECM 81 calculates the energy consumption of each of the first wind control candidate D1, the second wind control candidate D2, and the third wind control candidate D3. The cooling system ECM 81 calculates the energy consumption using, for example, the wind speed control map 700. Then, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the combination with the lowest energy consumption from among the first wind control candidate D1, the second wind control candidate D2, and the third wind control candidate D3. When the energy consumption of two or all of the first wind control candidate D1, the second wind control candidate D2, and the third wind control candidate D3 is the same, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the combination with the largest shutter opening.

[0118] The cooling system ECM 81 controls the compressor 3, the grill shutter 43, and the fan 41 at the selected compressor rotation speed, shutter opening, and fan rotation speed.

[0119] 13 and 14 are flowcharts showing the processing operation of the cooling system ECM 81. This flowchart is executed at predetermined intervals.

[0120] First, in step S301, the cooling system ECM 81 receives and reads signals from the various sensors SW1 to SW7, the PCM 82, and the BECM 83.

[0121] Next, in step S302, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the required cooling capacity. The cooling system ECM 81 compares the detection results of the battery temperature sensor SW1, the motor water temperature sensor SW5, and the passenger compartment temperature sensor SW6 with the respective target temperatures to calculate the required cooling capacity required to cool the battery module 70.

[0122] Next, in step S303, the cooling system ECU 81 selects a cooling control map based on the detection result of the outside air temperature sensor SW4.

[0123] Next, in step S304, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a first cooling control candidate based on the cooling control map.

[0124] Next, in step S305, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a second cooling control candidate based on the first cooling control candidate.

[0125] Next, in step S306, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a third cooling control candidate based on the first cooling control candidate.

[0126] Next, in step S307, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the energy consumption of each of the first cooling control candidate, the second cooling control candidate, and the third cooling control candidate.

[0127] Next, in step S308, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the cooling control candidate with the lowest energy consumption, and determines the compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed.

[0128] Next, in step S309, the cooling system ECM 81 selects a wind speed control map based on the vehicle speed information acquired from the PCM 82.

[0129] Next, in step S310, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a first wind control candidate based on the wind speed control map.

[0130] Next, in step S311, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a second wind control candidate based on the first wind control candidate.

[0131] Next, in step S312, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates a third air flow control candidate based on the first air flow control candidate.

[0132] Next, in step S313, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates the energy consumption of each of the first wind control candidate, the second wind control candidate, and the third wind control candidate.

[0133] Next, in step S314, the cooling system ECM 81 selects the cooling control candidate with the lowest energy consumption and determines the shutter opening and fan rotation speed.

[0134] Then, in step S315, the cooling system ECM 81 controls the compressor 3, the grill shutter 43, and the fan 41 so that the determined compressor rotation speed, shutter opening, and fan rotation speed are achieved. After step S315, the process returns.

[0135] (8) Effects of the second embodiment In the second embodiment, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates candidate combinations of compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed that can achieve the required cooling capacity, including a first cooling control candidate, a second cooling control candidate that has a higher compressor rotation speed and a lower cooling air speed than the first cooling control candidate, and a third cooling control candidate that has a lower compressor rotation speed and a higher cooling air speed than the first cooling control candidate, and selects the combination that consumes the least energy from the first, second, and third cooling control candidates. This reduces the amount of calculation performed by the cooling system ECM 81 when calculating the compressor rotation speed and cooling air speed. This also reduces the energy consumed by the calculations performed by the cooling system ECM 81 in the second embodiment.

[0136] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the cooling system ECM 81 calculates candidate combinations of shutter opening and fan rotation speed that can achieve the selected cooling air speed, including a first wind control candidate, a second wind control candidate with a larger shutter opening and a lower fan rotation speed than the first wind control candidate, and a third wind control candidate with a lower shutter opening and a higher fan rotation speed than the first wind control candidate, and selects the combination with the lowest energy consumption from the first, second, and third wind control candidates. This reduces the amount of calculations performed by the cooling system ECM 81 when calculating the shutter opening and fan rotation speed. This also reduces the energy consumption associated with the calculations performed by the cooling system ECM 81 in the second embodiment.

[0137] Third Embodiment Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, parts common to the first and second embodiments will be given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0138] (9) Energy consumption control system 15 shows a schematic configuration of an energy consumption control system 201 according to the third embodiment. In the energy consumption control system 201, a control amount calculation unit 202 independent of the cooling system ECM 81 has a function of calculating control amounts, that is, the compressor rotation speed, the cooling air velocity, the shutter opening, and the fan rotation speed.

[0139] The control amount calculation unit 202 has one or more processors 202a having a CPU, and a memory 202b having a ROM and RAM and storing various programs. The memory 202b is, for example, a non-volatile memory. Programs related to the control executed by the control amount calculation unit 202 are stored in the memory 202b. The control amount calculation unit 202 is executed when the processor 202a reads the programs stored in the memory 202b.

[0140] The control amount calculation unit 202 receives signals from the sensors SW1 to SW7, a signal from the PCM 82, and a signal from the BECM 83. Based on the received signals, the control amount calculation unit 202 calculates the compressor rotation speed, cooling air speed, shutter opening, and fan rotation speed.

[0141] The memory 202b stores a plurality of cooling control maps and a plurality of wind speed control maps. The processor 202a reads the cooling control maps 400, 500 and the wind speed control map 700 stored in the memory 202b and calculates the compressor rotation speed, cooling wind speed, shutter opening, and fan rotation speed. The calculation method can be the method described in the first or second embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0142] The control amount calculation unit 202 transmits information on the calculated compressor rotation speed, cooling air velocity, shutter opening, and fan rotation speed to the cooling system ECM 81. The cooling system ECM 81 controls the compressor 3, the grill shutter 43, and the fan 41 based on the received information.

[0143] (10) Effects of the Third Embodiment In the third embodiment, the control amount calculation unit 202 can be configured as an independent IC (Integrated Circuit) chip. It is preferable to adopt cooling control maps 400, 500 and wind speed control map 700 that are optimized for each vehicle 100. If the control amount calculation unit 202 is independent, the control amount calculation unit 202 can be replaced for each vehicle 100 while the cooling system ECM 81 remains common to various vehicles 100. Furthermore, the cooling control maps 400, 500 and wind speed control map 700 can be easily replaced with the latest maps.

[0144] (Other embodiments) The technology disclosed herein is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be substituted within the scope of the claims.

[0145] For example, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the consumed energy is calculated using the cooling control maps 400, 500 and the wind speed control map 700. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the consumed energy may be calculated using an arithmetic expression without using the control maps.

[0146] In the above-described first to third embodiments, the air volume parameter is the cooling air velocity, but it may be the air volume itself. In this case, the second control map may be a map showing the cooling air volume and energy consumption realized by a combination of an arbitrary shutter opening and an arbitrary fan rotation speed.

[0147] In the second embodiment described above, only three cooling control candidates are calculated. However, this is not limiting, and four or more cooling control candidates may be calculated. Similarly, four or more wind control candidates may also be calculated.

[0148] In the above-described third embodiment, the control amount calculation unit 202 is mounted on the vehicle 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control amount calculation unit 202 may be stored in a cloud server connected to the cooling system ECM 81 via a network.

[0149] In the above-described first to third embodiments, the battery module 70 is cooled by circulating a refrigerant through the battery heat exchanger 2. However, the battery heat exchanger may be a heat exchanger through which coolant that has exchanged heat with the refrigerant flows. In this case, the cooling circuit 10 further includes a chiller for exchanging heat between the coolant circulating through the battery heat exchanger and the refrigerant. The chiller can be an example of an object to be cooled.

[0150] The above-described embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, and all modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the claims equivalents are within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0151] The technology disclosed herein is useful as a vehicle energy consumption control device and energy consumption control system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0152] 1 Energy consumption device 2 Battery heat exchanger 3. Compressor 41 Fan 43 Grill Shutter 70 Battery module (object to be cooled) 81 Cooling system ECM81 (controller) 100 vehicles 202 Control amount calculation unit 400 Low temperature cooling control map (first control map) 500 High temperature cooling control map (first control map) 700 Wind Speed ​​Control Map (Second Control Map)

Claims

1. A vehicle energy consumption control device, a compressor that compresses a refrigerant for cooling an object to be cooled mounted on the vehicle; a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and cooling air; an inlet device for injecting the cooling air into the vehicle; a controller for controlling the compressor and the inlet device; The controller calculating a combination of a compressor rotation speed, which is the rotation speed of the compressor, and an air volume parameter related to the air volume of the cooling air to be introduced into the vehicle, based on a required cooling capacity of the object to be cooled and energy consumption required to achieve the required cooling capacity while the vehicle is traveling; A vehicle energy consumption control device that calculates a higher air volume parameter as the compressor rotation speed decreases for the same required cooling capacity.

2. The vehicle energy consumption control device according to claim 1, The controller calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter that minimizes energy consumption when realizing the required cooling capacity.

3. The vehicle energy consumption control device according to claim 1, The controller calculating, as candidates for a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter that can realize the required cooling capacity, a first cooling control candidate, a second cooling control candidate in which the compressor rotation speed is higher and the air volume parameter is lower than those of the first cooling control candidate, and a third cooling control candidate in which the compressor rotation speed is lower and the air volume parameter is higher than those of the first cooling control candidate; an energy consumption control device for a vehicle that selects a combination with the lowest energy consumption from among the first cooling control candidate, the second cooling control candidate, and the third cooling control candidate;

4. The vehicle energy consumption control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The controller calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter based on a first control map that indicates cooling capacity and energy consumption achieved by a combination of any one of the compressor rotation speed and any one of the air volume parameters, with the compressor rotation speed being one of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis and the air volume parameter being the other of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis.

5. 5. The vehicle energy consumption control device according to claim 4, Further provided is an outside air temperature detection unit that detects an outside air temperature, the controller stores a plurality of first control maps that differ for each of the outside air temperatures, The controller also selects the first control map based on the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detection unit, and calculates a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter based on the selected first control map.

6. The vehicle energy consumption control device according to claim 1, The inlet device is a shutter that adjusts the amount of airflow of the cooling air by adjusting the degree of opening; a fan that adjusts the rotation speed to adjust the volume of the cooling air; and The controller calculating a combination of a shutter opening degree, which is an opening degree of the shutter, and a fan rotation speed, which is a rotation speed of the fan, based on the energy consumption required to achieve the calculated air volume parameter; A vehicle energy consumption control device that calculates a higher fan rotation speed for the same air volume parameter as the shutter opening degree becomes smaller.

7. 7. The vehicle energy consumption control device according to claim 6, The controller calculates a combination of the shutter opening degree and the fan rotation speed that results in the lowest energy consumption when the calculated air volume parameter is achieved.

8. 7. The vehicle energy consumption control device according to claim 6, The controller As candidates for combinations of the shutter opening and the fan rotation speed that can realize the selected airflow parameter, a first wind control candidate, a second wind control candidate in which the shutter opening is larger and the fan rotation speed is lower than the first wind control candidate, and a third wind control candidate in which the shutter opening is smaller and the fan rotation speed is higher than the first wind control candidate are calculated; an energy consumption control device for a vehicle that selects a combination with the lowest energy consumption from among the first wind control candidate, the second wind control candidate, and the third wind control candidate;

9. The vehicle energy consumption control device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, The controller calculates a combination of the shutter opening degree and the fan rotation speed based on a second control map that indicates the air volume parameter and energy consumption achieved by a combination of any of the shutter opening degrees and any of the fan rotation speeds, with the shutter opening degree being one of the vertical and horizontal axes and the fan rotation speed being the other of the vertical and horizontal axes.

10. A vehicle energy consumption control system, a compressor that compresses a refrigerant for cooling an object to be cooled mounted on the vehicle; a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and cooling air; a shutter that adjusts the amount of airflow of the cooling air by adjusting the degree of opening; a fan that adjusts the rotation speed to adjust the volume of the cooling air; a controller that controls the compressor, the shutter, and the fan; a control amount calculation unit that calculates control amounts of the compressor, the shutter, and the fan, The control amount calculation unit a compressor rotation speed, which is the rotation speed of the compressor, is represented as one of a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, and an air volume parameter related to the air volume of the cooling air is represented as the other of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis, and a combination of the compressor rotation speed and the air volume parameter based on a required cooling capacity of the object to be cooled is calculated based on a first control map that shows cooling capacities and energy consumption achieved by combinations of any of the compressor rotation speeds and any of the air volume parameters; calculating a combination of the shutter opening degree and the fan rotation speed based on the calculated airflow parameter based on a second control map that indicates the airflow parameter and energy consumption realized by a combination of any of the shutter opening degrees and any of the fan rotation speeds, with the shutter opening degree being one of the vertical and horizontal axes and the fan rotation speed being the other of the vertical and horizontal axes; The controller The compressor is controlled at the compressor rotation speed calculated by the control amount calculation unit, controlling the shutter with the shutter opening calculated by the control amount calculation unit; A vehicle energy consumption control system that controls the fan at the fan rotation speed calculated by the control amount calculation unit.

Images