vehicle

Abstract

This improves the utilization rate of PV power generated by solar panels mounted on the vehicle when the energy storage device is being charged externally. [Solution] The battery can be charged using external power supplied from the EVSE and PV power generated by solar panels installed on the vehicle body. From the start time t0 of external charging until the time St when external power is stopped, the battery is charged using both external power and PV power. When the time St when external power is stopped arrives, charging with external power stops, and PV power is used to charge the battery until the SOC reaches the target SOC (until time t3).

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-134160 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for increasing the utilization rate of solar power generation when charging an electric vehicle. In Patent Document 1, a charging schedule for electric vehicles in a smart community is created to increase the utilization rate of solar power generation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] <00000^]5]]In electric vehicles such as electric cars, vehicles with solar cells (solar panels) installed on the vehicle body and the like are known. In such vehicles, a power storage device can be charged using electric power generated by the solar cells mounted on the vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as PV power) and external power supplied from an external power source. Patent Document 1 does not describe the utilization rate of PV power of the solar cells mounted on the vehicle.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to improve the utilization rate of PV power generated by solar cells mounted on a vehicle during external charging of a power storage device. [[ID=4l]]

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle described herein is equipped with a solar cell, a battery storage device that can be charged by PV power generated by the solar cell and external power supplied from an external power source, and a control device. When the control device charges the battery storage device with external power, it calculates the amount of charging power required to bring the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery storage device to the target SOC, based on the PV power and external power, and the charging time until the SOC of the battery storage device reaches the target SOC. Based on the charging time, the control device calculates the arrival time when the SOC reaches the target SOC. If the arrival time is before the vehicle's departure time, the control device calculates the amount of PV charging power that can charge the battery storage device by the departure time using PV power. The control device calculates the amount of external charging power by subtracting the amount of PV charging power from the amount of charging power, and calculates the external power stop time based on the amount of external charging power and the external power. The control device charges the battery storage device with PV power and external power until the external power stop time arrives, at which point it stops charging with external power.

[0007] In this configuration, the vehicle is equipped with solar panels and is charged using PV power generated by the solar panels and external power. When the energy storage device is charged by external power, it is charged using both PV power and external power until the external power is stopped. When the external power is stopped, charging by external power is stopped. Charging using PV power continues until the required amount of energy is charged into the energy storage device and the State of Charge (SOC) reaches the target SOC, thus improving the utilization rate of PV power. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, the utilization rate of PV power generated by solar cells mounted on the vehicle can be improved when the energy storage device is being charged externally. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram schematically shows the overall configuration of the vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows an example of external charging control performed by the ECU. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the progression of external charging in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. Referring to Figure 1, vehicle 1 is equipped with a battery 130 for storing power for driving. Battery 130 is composed of a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. Alternatively, other energy storage devices such as an electric double-layer capacitor may be used instead of a secondary battery. Battery 130 is an example of an "energy storage device" in this disclosure.

[0012] Vehicle 1 is equipped with an electronic device (hereinafter referred to as "ECU (Electronic Control Unit)") 150. The ECU 150 is configured to control the charging of the battery 130. Vehicle 1 may be an electric vehicle (EV) capable of running using only the electricity stored in the battery 130, or it may be a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV) equipped with an internal combustion engine. Vehicle 1 may be an ultra-compact mobility vehicle.

[0013] Vehicle 1 further includes a monitoring module 131 that monitors the state of the battery 130. The monitoring module 131 includes various sensors that detect the state of the battery 130 (e.g., voltage VB, current IB, and temperature TB) and outputs the detection results to the ECU 150. The ECU 150 can obtain the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 130 based on the output of the monitoring module 131.

[0014] Vehicle 1 is equipped with an inlet 110 and a charger 120 that correspond to the power supply method of the charging equipment (EVSE: Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) 40. The inlet 110 is configured to receive power supplied from outside the vehicle 1. Although only the inlet 110 and charger 120 are shown in Figure 1, vehicle 1 may be equipped with multiple inlets and chargers for each power supply method to support multiple power supply methods (for example, AC and DC methods). The EVSE 40 supplies power from an external power source 41 to the battery 130 via a charging cable 42 having a connector 43 at its end. By connecting the connector 43 to the inlet 110 of vehicle 1, it becomes possible to supply power from the EVSE 40 to vehicle 1 via the charging cable 42. A monitoring module 121 that monitors the status of the charger 120 detects the status of the charger 120 (for example, charging voltage, charging current, and temperature) and outputs the detection result to the ECU 150.

[0015] Vehicle 1 is equipped with, for example, a solar panel (solar cell) 200 on its roof. The electricity generated by the solar cell (PV power) is supplied to the battery 130 via a charger 210 to charge the battery 130. The charger 210 includes, for example, a relay, a DC / DC converter, a diode for preventing reverse current, etc. A monitoring module 211 monitors the status of the charger 210, detects the status of the charger 210 (for example, PV voltage, PV current, temperature, etc.), and outputs the detection results to the ECU 150.

[0016] The ECU 150 consists of a processor 151 and a memory 152. The processor 151 executes programs stored in the memory 152, thereby performing various controls in the ECU 150.

[0017] Vehicle 1 further includes a driving unit 140, an input device 160, a notification device 170, and drive wheels W. The driving unit 140 includes a PCU (Power Control Unit) and an MG (Motor Generator) not shown in the figure. The PCU receives an instruction (control signal) from the ECU 150 and controls the MG to drive the drive wheels W using the electric power stored in the battery 130.

[0018] The input device 160 is a device that receives input from the user. The input device 160 is operated by the user and outputs a signal corresponding to the user's operation to the ECU 150. The notification device 170 is configured to perform a predetermined notification process to the user (for example, a passenger in the vehicle 1) when requested by the ECU 150.

[0019] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of external charging control executed by the ECU 150. This flowchart is executed when the connector 43 is connected to the inlet 110 and external charging by the EVSE 40 is started. In step (hereinafter, step is abbreviated as "S") 10, it is determined whether it is in the external charging priority mode. The external charging priority mode is a mode in which charging is performed using the electric power (external power) supplied from the EVSE 40 (external power source 41) until the SOC of the battery 130 reaches the target SOC. The external charging priority mode is set by the user operating the input device 160. When the external charging priority mode is set, this routine ends. In this case, the battery 130 is charged by the external power and the PV power until the SOC reaches the target SOC. When the external charging priority mode is not set, it is determined by punctuation and proceeds to S11.

[0020] In S11, the external power Ec is acquired. The external power Ec [W] is the charging power by the EVSE 40 and may be acquired from the EVSE 40. It may also be calculated from the charging power and the charging voltage detected by the monitoring module 121.

[0021] In S12, PV power Pc is obtained. The PV power Pc [W] corresponds to the generated power of the solar cell 200. The PV power Pc may be calculated, for example, from the PV voltage and the PV current detected by the monitoring module 211.

[0022] In S13, the charging completion time Tc is calculated. The charging completion time Tc is the charging time until the SCO of the battery 130 reaches the target SOC. For example, it may be calculated by the following equations (1) and (2). Rp = (target SOC - current SOC) × Cb ···· (1) Tc = Rp ÷ (Ec + Pc - loss) ···· (2) Rp is the required charging power amount (required charging power amount [kWh]) to charge up to the target SOC. The target SOC is a value set by the user and may be set, for example, by the input device 160. The current SOC is the current SOC of the battery 130. Cb is the full charge capacity [kWh] of the battery 130. Loss is the power loss during charging.

[0023] In S14, it is determined whether the SOC can reach the target SOC by the departure time of the vehicle 1. The departure time Dt of the vehicle 1 may be set by the user, for example, by operating the input device 160. First, the arrival time Rt when the SOC reaches the target SOC by charging with the PV power Pc and the external power Ec is calculated by adding the charging completion time Tc to the current time Ct (Rt = Ct + Tc). Then, the arrival time Rt and the departure time Dt are compared. If the arrival time Rt is before the departure time Dt, an affirmative determination is made in S14 and the process proceeds to S15. If the arrival time Rt is after the departure time Dt, a negative determination is made and this routine ends. In this case, the battery 130 is charged by the external power and the PV power until the departure time Dt.

[0024] In S15, the stop time of the external power (external power stop time) St is calculated. First, during the period from the current time Ct to the departure time Dt, the PV charging power amount Pp that can charge the battery 130 with the PV power Pc is calculated by the following equation (3). Pp = Pc × (Dt - Ct) ... (3) Then, the external charging energy Ep is calculated by subtracting the PV charging energy Pp from the required charging energy Rp (Ep = Rp - Pp). The external charging time Te is calculated by dividing the external charging energy Ep by the external power Ec (Te = Rp ÷ Ec). The external charging time Te is added to the current time Ct to calculate the external power shutdown time St (St = Ct + Te).

[0025] In S16, it is determined whether the current time has exceeded the external power shutdown time St. If the current time is equal to the external power shutdown time Ts, it is determined to be positive and proceeds to S19. If the current time is before the external power shutdown time Ts, it is determined to be negative and proceeds to S17. In S17, the PV power Pc is obtained in the same way as in S12. In S18, it is determined whether the fluctuation of the PV power Pc obtained in S17 is large. If the difference between the PV power Pc obtained in S12, or the PV power Pc obtained previously, and the current PV power Pc is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, it may be determined that the fluctuation of the PV power Pc is large. If it is determined to be positive, it returns to S13 and the external power shutdown time St is calculated again. If it is determined to be negative, it returns to S16.

[0026] In S19, charging by EVSE40 (external charging) is stopped. At this time, the notification device 170 may be used to notify the user that external charging has stopped. In the following S20, it is determined whether the SOC is equal to or greater than the target SOC. If the SOC is equal to or greater than the target SOC, this routine is terminated. In this case, charging of the battery 130 is completed. If the SOC is less than the target SOC, the process proceeds to S21, and the Pv power Pc is obtained in the same way as in S12.

[0027] In S22, it is determined whether the Pv power Pc is less than or equal to a predetermined value α. The predetermined value α is a value smaller than the Pv power Pc (calculation Pv power) used when calculating the PV charging energy Pp in the above formula (3), and may be, for example, "calculation Pv power × 0.8". Alternatively, α = 0. If the determination in S22 is negative (Pc > α), the process returns to S20. If the determination is positive (Pc ≤ α), the process proceeds to S23. In S23, external charging (charging by EVSE40) is resumed, and the process returns to S11.

[0028] Figure 3 illustrates the progression of external charging in this embodiment. In Figure 3, the vertical axis represents charging power, and the horizontal axis represents time. At time t0, when the connector 43 is connected to the inlet 110 and external charging by the EVSE 40 begins, the battery 130 is charged by the external power Ec and PV power Pc. When the time reaches the external power stop time St, external charging stops, and charging continues only by PV power Pc. At time t3, when the SOC reaches the target SOC, charging of the battery 130 is completed. Time t3 and departure time Dt are approximately the same time. In Figure 3, the dashed lines represent the external power Ec and Pc after subtracting the losses during charging (the amount actually charged to the battery 130).

[0029] According to this embodiment, when the external power cutoff time St is reached, charging using external power is stopped. After the external power is cut off, charging using PV power Pc is performed until the SOC reaches the target SOC (until the required amount of charging energy Rp is charged to the battery 130), thus improving the utilization rate of PV power Pc.

[0030] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the description of the embodiments above, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Vehicle, 40 EVSE, 41 External power supply, 42 Charging cable, 43 Connector, 110 Inlet, 120 Charger, 121 Monitoring module, 130 Battery, 131 Monitoring module, 140 Drive unit, 150 ECU, 151 Processor, 152 Memory, 160 Input device, 170 Notification device, 200 Solar panel, 210 Charger, 211 Monitoring module, W Drive wheels.

Claims

[Claim 1] Solar cells and A power storage device that can be charged by PV power generated by the aforementioned solar cell and external power supplied from an external power source, A vehicle equipped with a control device, When the control device charges the energy storage device with the external power, Based on the amount of charging power required to bring the State of Charge (SOC) of the energy storage device to the target SOC, the PV power, and the external power, the charging time until the SOC of the energy storage device reaches the target SOC is calculated. Based on the charging time, the time at which the SOC becomes the target SOC is calculated. When the arrival time is earlier than the departure time of the vehicle, the amount of PV power that can charge the energy storage device by the departure time using the PV power is calculated. The amount of external charging power is calculated by subtracting the amount of PV charging power from the amount of required charging power. Based on the amount of external charging power and the external power, the time when the external power is stopped is calculated. A vehicle that charges the energy storage device using the PV power and the external power until the external power cut-off time, and stops charging with the external power when the external power cut-off time arrives.

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