Vehicle, cooling method, and program

Abstract

To provide a vehicle capable of cooling a mounted solar panel with a simple structure. A vehicle (1) includes solar panels (13, 14) provided on the upper part of the vehicle body, and protrusions (15, 16) provided on the vehicle body on the front side of the solar panels (13, 14). The protrusions (15, 16) have a tapered shape toward the front of the vehicle body.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle, a cooling method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for cooling a vehicle equipped with a solar panel by circulating cooling water under the solar panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-003603 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the vehicle described in Patent Document 1 requires the installation of cooling piping, which tends to complicate the vehicle structure. Therefore, there is a need to develop a technology for cooling solar panels with a simple structure for vehicles equipped with solar panels.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and provides a vehicle, a cooling method, and a program that are capable of cooling a mounted solar panel with a simple structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle of the present disclosure comprises a solar panel provided on the top of the vehicle body and a convex portion provided on the front side of the solar panel on the vehicle body, the convex portion having a tapered shape on the front side of the vehicle body.

[0007] The cooling method disclosed herein is a vehicle equipped with a solar panel mounted on the top of a vehicle body, a convex portion mounted on the front side of the solar panel on the vehicle body and having a tapered shape toward the front side of the vehicle body, and a moving mechanism for moving the convex portion, wherein when the solar panel is generating electricity and the temperature of the solar panel is above a predetermined temperature, the solar panel is cooled by using the moving mechanism to position the convex portion on the top of the vehicle body.

[0008] The program disclosed herein is a program that causes a control computer in a vehicle equipped with a solar panel mounted on the top of a vehicle body, a convex portion mounted on the front side of the solar panel on the vehicle body and having a tapered shape toward the front side of the vehicle body, a movement mechanism for moving the convex portion, and a control computer to execute a process to cool the solar panel by using the movement mechanism to position the convex portion on the top of the vehicle body when the solar panel is generating electricity and the temperature of the solar panel is above a predetermined temperature. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle, a cooling method, and a program that are capable of cooling an installed solar panel with a simple structure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the cross-sectional shape of a solar panel and a protrusion in the vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a list of convex portion shapes including examples of various shapes of convex portions that can be attached to the vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a charging device mounted on a vehicle according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a convex portion moving process in the charging device of FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of the apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) An example of a vehicle according to the present embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle according to the present embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the cross-sectional shape of a solar panel and a convex portion in the vehicle of Figure 1.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, vehicle 1 is equipped with solar panels 13, 14 provided on the upper part of the vehicle body. Here, the vehicle body can refer to the entire outer shape of vehicle 1. In other words, the upper part of the vehicle body can refer to the upper part of vehicle 1. The upper part of the vehicle body can also be referred to as the top surface of the vehicle body.

[0014] Solar panel 13 is a solar panel provided on roof 11 of vehicle 1. Solar panel 14 is a solar panel provided on hood 12 of vehicle 1. Of course, the shape of vehicle 1, including the shapes of roof 11 and hood 12, is not important. Solar panels 13 and 14 may also be installed by being embedded in the surfaces of roof 11 and hood 12, respectively.

[0015] The number of solar panels provided on the upper part of the vehicle body is not limited to this, and may be either solar panel 13 or 14, or three or more solar panels. For example, vehicle 1 may be provided with solar panels embedded in glass such as the windshield. The solar panels may also be provided on the trunk lid or back door.

[0016] 1, vehicle 1 further includes a protrusion 15 provided on the vehicle body in front of solar panel 13, and a protrusion 16 provided on the vehicle body in front of solar panel 14. Protrusions 15 and 16 can also be referred to as projections or protrusions.

[0017] Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which four protrusions 15 and four protrusions 16 are provided, the number is not limited to four, and the numbers of protrusions 15 and 16 provided on solar panels 13 and 14 may be different from each other.

[0018] If a solar panel other than solar panels 13 and 14 is provided on the upper part of the vehicle body, a corresponding protrusion similar to protrusions 15 and 16 may be provided on the front side. For example, if a solar panel is embedded in the windshield, the corresponding protrusion may be located near the windshield on the hood, for example.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the protrusions 15 and 16 have a tapered shape toward the front side of the vehicle body, that is, the front side of the vehicle 1.

[0020] As described above, vehicle 1 according to this embodiment has at least one or more tapered protrusions, such as protrusions 15 and 16, disposed in the forward direction of the vehicle relative to the solar panel provided on the top of vehicle 1. By disposing these protrusions, the airflow caused by vehicle travel becomes turbulent. Therefore, in vehicle 1, turbulence is generated by protrusions 15 and 16 while vehicle 1 is traveling, enabling efficient cooling of solar panels 13 and 14, respectively.

[0021] To explain the effects of this embodiment, a comparative example will be presented. In the comparative vehicle, a cooling pipe or water pump for circulating cooling water is installed behind a solar panel, such as on the vehicle roof. The comparative vehicle not only requires a complex structure, such as a cooling pipe or water pump, but also increases installation costs and may leak into the interior if the liquid leaks. Furthermore, if a water pump is installed in the comparative vehicle, electricity must be used to operate it, resulting in a loss of power generated by the solar panel. Furthermore, vehicles generally have flat or streamlined body surfaces to reduce air resistance while driving. Therefore, even in the comparative vehicle, cooling can be achieved by the airflow flowing over the vehicle body surface while driving, but the airflow is laminar, resulting in low cooling efficiency for the solar panel.

[0022] In contrast, the vehicle 1 of this embodiment does not adopt a complex structure like the comparative example, and solves the problems of the vehicle of the comparative example, allowing the solar panel to be cooled with a simple structure.

[0023] In this way, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to cool a solar panel mounted on a vehicle with a simple structure. Furthermore, since the solar panel can be cooled efficiently in the vehicle, the charging efficiency of the solar panel can be improved.

[0024] 2, the protrusion 15 is preferably configured so that its height Ha is greater than the height Hs of the solar panel 13. Note that both the height Ha and the height Hs are based on the same reference, such as the surface of the roof 11 or the ground. The height Hs can be defined as the height of the portion close to the protrusion 15, but it may also be defined as the height of the highest portion of the solar panel 13. Similarly, the protrusion 16 is preferably configured so that its height is greater than the height of the solar panel 14.

[0025] In this way, by making the heights of the protrusions 15, 16 higher than the heights of the solar panels 13, 14, respectively, the turbulent airflows generated by the protrusions 15, 16 while the vehicle 1 is running flow along the solar panels 13, 14, respectively. Therefore, by adopting such a configuration, the vehicle 1 can cool the solar panels 13, 14 more efficiently.

[0026] Next, various examples of the shapes of the protrusions 15, 16 will be given using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a list of protrusion shapes including examples of various shapes of protrusions that can be attached to the vehicle 1 of Figure 1. In the list of protrusion shapes 30 shown in Figure 3, various shapes of protrusions as seen from above and from the side are depicted, with the left side of the drawing representing the front of the vehicle and the right side representing the rear of the vehicle. In the list of protrusion shapes 30, a set of the shape as seen from above and the shape as seen from the side is shown for each protrusion.

[0027] As exemplified in the convex portion shape list 30, the convex portions 15, 16 only need to be tapered toward the front of the vehicle when viewed from at least one of the top and side surfaces. As in the example in which the convex portions 15, 16 have a circular shape when viewed from the top surface, they may also be tapered from the center toward the rear of the vehicle as long as they are tapered toward the front of the vehicle.

[0028] (Embodiment 2) 4 and 5, the second embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment, but the various examples described in the first embodiment can be similarly applied. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a charging device mounted on a vehicle according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for explaining an example of a convex portion moving process in the charging device of FIG. 4.

[0029] The vehicle 1 described in Fig. 1 may be equipped with a charging device 40 shown in Fig. 4. The charging device 40 may include a control unit 41 that controls the entire device, a secondary battery 42, solar panels 13 and 14, a temperature sensor 43, and a convex portion driving unit 44.

[0030] The control unit 41 can be realized by a computer including, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a working memory, and a non-volatile storage device. A control program to be executed by the processor is stored in this storage device, and the processor reads the control program into the working memory and executes it, thereby fulfilling the functions of the control unit 41. Of course, the control unit 41 may be configured as a dedicated control circuit such as an electronic control unit (ECU) for charging. Furthermore, the control unit 41 can be connected to a main control unit such as an ECU installed to control the entire vehicle 1, or can be provided in the main control unit.

[0031] The secondary battery 42 is a battery that stores the power generated by the solar panels 13 and 14, and is also called a battery or a power storage device. The secondary battery 42 is connected to a load such as a circuit or a motor (not shown) and can supply power to the load.

[0032] The temperature sensor 43 is a sensor that measures the temperature of each of the solar panels 13 and 14, and can also be built into each of them.

[0033] The convex portion driving unit 44 is an example of a movement mechanism that moves each of the convex portions 15 and 16. For example, the convex portion driving unit 44 may include a motor that moves each of the convex portions 15 and 16. Note that the movement mechanism exemplified as the convex portion driving unit 44 may also be built into the convex portions 15 and 16.

[0034] Then, when solar panel 13 is generating power and the temperature of solar panel 13 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, control unit 41 controls convex portion drive unit 44 to position convex portion 15 on the upper part of the vehicle body. Similarly, when solar panel 14 is generating power and the temperature of solar panel 14 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, control unit 41 controls convex portion drive unit 44 to position convex portion 16 on the upper part of the vehicle body. The predetermined temperature that serves as a threshold value for the temperatures of solar panels 13 and 14 may be a common value, but may also be different.

[0035] For such control, the control unit 41 may manage information on whether the solar panels 13, 14 are generating electricity or not, and may acquire the temperatures of the solar panels 13, 14 from the temperature sensor 43 at appropriate times.

[0036] Furthermore, in order to control the placement of such protrusions 15, 16 on the upper part of the vehicle body, the protrusion drive unit 44 can include a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers each of the protrusions 15, 16 to and from the upper part of the vehicle body, and a motor that powers the lifting mechanism. However, the configuration of the protrusion drive unit 44 is not limited to this example. For example, if the protrusions 15, 16 are components that contract when gas is inserted or sucked into them, the protrusion drive unit 44 may be configured to include a mechanism that expands and contracts each of the protrusions 15, 16, and a gas injector that powers the mechanism.

[0037] Next, an example of the convex portion moving process will be described with reference to FIG. First, the control unit 41 determines whether the solar panel 13 is generating power (step S1). If the determination in step S1 is YES, the control unit 41 compares the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43 with a predetermined temperature Ta, and determines whether the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature Ta (step S2).

[0038] If the answer is YES in step S2, the control unit 41 controls the convex portion drive unit 44 to execute a convex portion appearance process to make the convex portion 15 appear as a protrusion from the vehicle body (step S3), and then ends the process. On the other hand, if the answer is NO in step S2, the control unit 41 controls the convex portion drive unit 44 to execute a convex portion storage process to store the convex portion 15 that has appeared as a protrusion into the vehicle body (step S4), and then ends the process.

[0039] The above processing may be similarly performed on the solar panel 14 and the corresponding protrusion 16, independently of the processing on the protrusion 15.

[0040] Alternatively, the process of Fig. 5 may be executed as a common process for the convex portions 15, 16. In this case, for example, the temperature sensor 43 may be provided on only one of the solar panels 13, 14, or may be provided on both, with the higher temperature being used for control by the control unit 41. As a result, the process of Fig. 5 can simultaneously switch between appearing and hiding for both of the convex portions 15, 16 provided corresponding to the solar panels 13, 14, depending on the determination result of step S2. In this case, in step S1, it may be determined whether at least one of the solar panels 13, 14 is generating power, or it may be determined whether both of the solar panels 13, 14 are generating power.

[0041] The convex portion movement process described above realizes a solar panel cooling method executed by the vehicle 1. This cooling method involves the vehicle 1 cooling the solar panel by using a movement mechanism to position the convex portion on the upper part of the vehicle body when the solar panel is generating power and the temperature of the solar panel is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. Other application examples are as described above. The control program described above is a program that causes the control computer exemplified as the control unit 41 provided in the vehicle 1 to execute the following process. That is, this process involves the vehicle 1 cooling the solar panel by using a movement mechanism to position the convex portion on the upper part of the vehicle body when the solar panel is generating power and the temperature of the solar panel is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, when solar power generation is in operation and the temperature of the solar panel is high, the moving mechanism positions the convex portions on the upper part of the vehicle body. Therefore, according to this embodiment, in addition to the effect of embodiment 1, when the temperature of the solar panel is low, it is possible to suppress an increase in air resistance caused by convex portions 15, 16, and therefore suppress a decrease in fuel efficiency.

[0043] (Other embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in each embodiment, the functions of the vehicle and charging device have been described. However, the vehicle and charging device are not limited to the illustrated configuration examples, and it is sufficient that the vehicle and charging device can realize these functions, and additional functions may also be provided. For example, although the vehicle 1 has been described as being a hybrid vehicle, a gasoline vehicle, an electric vehicle, or the like, the vehicle of the present invention may also be other types of vehicles, such as a train or a ship.

[0044] The device such as the charging device built into the vehicle described in each embodiment may have the following hardware configuration: Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device.

[0045] The device 100 shown in FIG. 6 may have a processor 101, a memory 102, and an interface (I / F) 103. The processor 101 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or a CPU. The processor 101 may include multiple processors. The memory 102 is configured, for example, by a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The functions of each device described in each embodiment are realized by the processor 101 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 102. In this case, information can be sent and received with other devices via the I / F 103, which serves as a communication interface or an input / output interface.

[0046] Furthermore, the above-mentioned program includes a set of instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 vehicle, 11 roof, 12 hood, 13, 14 solar panel, 15, 16 convex part, 30 convex part shape list, 40 charging device, 41 control unit, 42 secondary battery, 43 temperature sensor, 44 convex part drive unit, 100 device, 101 processor, 102 memory, 103 I / F

Claims

1. Solar panels installed on top of the vehicle body, a protrusion provided on the vehicle body on a front side of the solar panel; Equipped with The convex portion has a tapered shape toward the front side of the vehicle body. vehicle.

2. The height of the convex portion is greater than the height of the solar panel. The vehicle of claim 1 .

3. Further provided is a moving mechanism for moving the convex portion, When the solar panel is generating electricity and the temperature of the solar panel is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the moving mechanism positions the convex portion on the upper part of the vehicle body.

3. A vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A vehicle comprising: a solar panel provided on an upper portion of a vehicle body; a convex portion provided on the vehicle body forward of the solar panel and having a tapered shape toward the front of the vehicle body; and a movement mechanism for moving the convex portion, When the solar panel is generating electricity and the temperature of the solar panel is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the moving mechanism moves the convex portion to an upper portion of the vehicle body, thereby cooling the solar panel. Cooling method.

5. A vehicle including a solar panel provided on an upper portion of a vehicle body, a convex portion provided on a front side of the solar panel on the vehicle body and having a tapered shape on the front side of the vehicle body, a movement mechanism for moving the convex portion, and a control computer, When the solar panel is generating electricity and the temperature of the solar panel is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the moving mechanism moves the convex portion to an upper portion of the vehicle body, thereby cooling the solar panel. A program that executes a process.

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