Power consumption forecasting device

Abstract

The present invention provides a power consumption prediction device that can minimize the amount of power supplied from the drive battery to the auxiliary system while the vehicle is parked. [Solution] A power consumption prediction device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a prediction unit that predicts the amount of power consumed while the vehicle is in standby mode based on vehicle information; a determination unit that determines whether the amount of power consumed while the vehicle is in standby mode exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery; and a control unit that, if the amount of power consumed while the vehicle is in standby mode exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery, supplies power from the drive battery to the auxiliary system including the auxiliary battery for a predetermined period of time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power consumption prediction device mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a management device that suppresses the increase of an auxiliary battery (sub-battery) while suppressing the consumption of a driving battery (main battery) of a vehicle. In this management device, it is described that the remaining amount reduction of the auxiliary battery during parking is predicted, and the timing for supplying power (recharging) from the driving battery to the auxiliary battery is set based on this prediction and the temperature forecast.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the management device described in Patent Document 1 above, the power consumption of the vehicle depending on the vehicle type, vehicle class, and presence or absence of equipment is not considered. For this reason, it is not possible to accurately predict the reduction in the remaining amount of the auxiliary battery during the running standby of the vehicle such as during parking, and there is a possibility that the power supply from the driving battery to the auxiliary battery system including the auxiliary battery and the auxiliary load is excessively performed.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a power consumption prediction device capable of minimizing the amount of power supplied from a driving battery to an auxiliary system during the running standby of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the disclosed technology is a power consumption prediction device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a prediction unit that predicts the amount of power consumed while the vehicle is in standby mode based on vehicle information; a determination unit that determines whether the amount of power consumed while the vehicle is in standby mode exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery; and a control unit that, if the amount of power consumed while the vehicle is in standby mode exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery, supplies power from the drive battery to the auxiliary system including the auxiliary battery for a predetermined period of time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the power consumption prediction device of this disclosure, the amount of power consumed by a vehicle while it is waiting to drive can be predicted with high accuracy, thereby minimizing the amount of power supplied from the drive battery to the auxiliary system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with a power consumption forecasting device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Flowchart of the process for setting the scope of auxiliary power supply performed by the power consumption forecasting device. [Figure 3] An illustrative diagram of auxiliary power supply based on the scope of auxiliary power supply implementation (during boarding and alighting). [Figure 4] An illustrative diagram of auxiliary power supply based on the scope of implementation (during entry / exit + 1 hour after parking) [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The power consumption prediction device described in this disclosure supplies power from the drive battery to the auxiliary system (auxiliary battery, auxiliary load) when the predicted power consumption during parking, etc., which is determined by the vehicle's destination and powertrain type, exceeds the discharge rate that accelerates the deterioration of the auxiliary battery. Hereinafter, one embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Embodiment> [composition] Figure 1 shows an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle 100 equipped with a power consumption prediction device 130 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle 100 shown in Figure 1 comprises a power supply system 110, a main load 121, an auxiliary load 122, and a power consumption prediction device 130. This vehicle 100 is communicated with a remote center 200 located outside the vehicle.

[0011] The power supply system 110 is a power source for supplying power to the main load 121 and the auxiliary load 122. This power supply system 110 includes a drive battery 111, a DC-DC converter 112, and an auxiliary battery 113.

[0012] The drive battery 111 is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. This drive battery 111 is a high-voltage battery for supplying power to the main load 121 and the auxiliary load 122. The drive battery 111 is connected to the main load 121 so as to be able to supply power, and is also connected to the auxiliary battery 113 and the auxiliary load 122 via a DC-DC converter 112 so as to be able to charge the auxiliary battery 113 and supply power to the auxiliary load 122.

[0013] The DC-DC converter 112 is a power converter that can convert input power into power of a predetermined voltage and output it. One end of the DC-DC converter 112 is connected to the drive battery 111 and the main load 121, and the other end is connected to the auxiliary battery 113 and the auxiliary load 122. For example, a lift-up type bidirectional DC-DC converter can be used for this DC-DC converter 112.

[0014] The auxiliary battery 113 is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. This auxiliary battery 113 is a low-voltage battery that supplies power to the auxiliary load 122 when the vehicle 100 is in a standby state, such as when parked. In this embodiment, control is performed to minimize the power supply (auxiliary power supply) from the drive battery 111 to the auxiliary battery 113 and the auxiliary load 122, in order to prevent the auxiliary battery 113 from running out due to power consumption by the auxiliary load 122 while the vehicle is in standby state.

[0015] The main load 121 is a configuration that includes the so-called main components, such as the electric motor for driving the vehicle and other systems and equipment related to vehicle operation. This main load 121 is powered by electricity supplied from the drive battery 111.

[0016] The auxiliary load 122 is a configuration that includes so-called auxiliary equipment such as equipment and devices that are not related to vehicle operation. In this embodiment, the auxiliary load 122 includes loads that operate and consume power while the vehicle 100 is parked (such as a drive recorder and communication devices). This auxiliary load 122 is powered by power supplied from either the drive battery 111 or the auxiliary battery 113. The auxiliary load 122 and the auxiliary battery 113 constitute the auxiliary system.

[0017] The power consumption prediction device 130 is configured to predict the power consumption of the vehicle 100 while it is waiting to travel, and to appropriately set the scope of auxiliary power supply provided by the power supply system 110. This power consumption prediction device 130 comprises a prediction unit 131, a determination unit 132, and a control unit 133.

[0018] The prediction unit 131 acquires information regarding the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle information") from a configuration of the vehicle 100 not shown, and predicts the power consumption amount during the driving standby of the vehicle 100 based on this vehicle information. The states (scenes) during the driving standby of the vehicle 100 include not only the parked state, but also behaviors during boarding / alighting and communication behaviors with the remote center 200. Examples of the vehicle information include vehicle type / grade (sedan, SUV, etc.), type of power train (BEV, HEV, etc.), and the discharge amount allowed by the accessory battery 113. Further, the prediction unit 131 acquires information regarding the power consumption in various behaviors during the driving standby and in equipment of the vehicle 100 (during parking, boarding / alighting, center communication one hour after parking, etc.) for each vehicle type and type of power train according to the vehicle information. This information regarding the power consumption may be acquired from a configuration of the vehicle 100 not shown, or may be extracted from a database held in advance by the prediction unit 131. The prediction unit 131 predicts the power consumption amount during the driving standby of the vehicle 100 based on the power consumption of these various behaviors.

[0019] The determination unit 132 determines whether or not the power consumption amount during the driving standby of the vehicle 100 predicted by the prediction unit 131 exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the accessory battery 113. The allowable discharge amount of the accessory battery 113 is determined in advance based on the capacity and performance of the accessory battery 113. The determination process performed by this determination unit 132 will be described later.

[0020] The control unit 133 appropriately sets the range (conditions) in which the power supply system 110 should perform accessory power supply based on the content determined by the determination unit 132. The setting control performed by this control unit 133 will be described later.

[0021] Part or all of the above-described power consumption prediction device 13 have typically configured as an electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) including a processor, a memory, an input / output interface, and the like. This electronic control unit realizes all or part of the functions of the prediction unit 131, the determination unit 132, and the control unit 133 by the processor reading and executing a program stored in the memory.

[0022] [Control] Next, referring further to FIG. 2, the control performed by the power consumption prediction device 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure of the auxiliary power supply execution range setting control executed by each component of the power consumption prediction device 130. The auxiliary power supply execution range setting control illustrated in FIG. 2 is started when the vehicle 100 is in a parked state.

[0023] (Step S201) The prediction unit 131 of the power consumption prediction device 130 acquires the vehicle information of the vehicle 100. A specific example of this vehicle information is "type of power train: BEV, equipment: center communication available after a certain time (such as 1 hour) from parking, allowable discharge amount: 2 Ah (ampere-hour)". When the vehicle information of the vehicle 100 is acquired by the prediction unit 131, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0024] (Step S202) The prediction unit 131 of the power consumption prediction device 130 acquires the power consumption of the vehicle 1 corresponding to the vehicle information. Specific examples of the power consumption when the power train type of the vehicle 100 is BEV are "when boarding and alighting: 1 Ah, during parking: 0.02 Ah, when data is transmitted: 0.5 Ah". When the power consumption of the vehicle 100 corresponding to the vehicle information is acquired by the prediction unit 131, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0025] (Step S203) The determination unit 132 of the power consumption prediction device 130 determines whether or not the function of center communication is implemented 1 hour after parking as equipment of the vehicle 100 based on the vehicle information acquired by the prediction unit 131. When the determination unit 132 determines that the function of center communication is implemented 1 hour after parking (step S203, yes), the process proceeds to step S204. On the other hand, when the determination unit 132 determines that the function of center communication is not implemented 1 hour after parking (step S203, no), the process proceeds to step S205.

[0026] (Step S204) The determination unit 132 of the power consumption prediction device 130 determines, based on the vehicle information and power consumption acquired by the prediction unit 131, whether the total power consumption, which is the sum of the power consumption when getting in / out of the vehicle 100, the power consumption when the vehicle 100 is parked, and the power consumption when transmitting data from the vehicle 100 to the remote center 200, exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113. In this specific example, the power consumption during getting in / out + parking + data transmission is 1.52 Ah (= 1 + 0.02 + 0.5). If the determination unit 132 determines that the power consumption during boarding / alighting, parking, and data transmission exceeds the allowable discharge amount (step S204, yes), the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, if the determination unit 132 determines that the power consumption during boarding / alighting, parking, and data transmission does not exceed the allowable discharge amount (step S204, no), the process proceeds to step S209.

[0027] (Step S205) The determination unit 132 of the power consumption prediction device 130 determines, based on the vehicle information and power consumption acquired by the prediction unit 131, whether the total power consumption, which is the power consumption when getting in / out of the vehicle 100 and the power consumption when the vehicle 100 is parked, exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113. In this specific example, the power consumption when getting in / out + when parked is 1.02 Ah (= 1 + 0.02). If the determination unit 132 determines that the amount of power consumed during boarding / alighting plus parking exceeds the allowable discharge amount (step S205, yes), the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, if the determination unit 132 determines that the amount of power consumed during boarding / alighting plus parking does not exceed the allowable discharge amount (step S205, no), the process proceeds to step S209.

[0028] (Step S206) The determination unit 132 of the power consumption prediction device 130 determines, based on the vehicle information and power consumption acquired by the prediction unit 131, whether the total power consumption, which is the power consumption when getting in / out of the vehicle 100 and the power consumption when the vehicle 100 is parked, exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113. In this specific example, the power consumption when getting in / out + when parked is 1.02 Ah (= 1 + 0.02). If the determination unit 132 determines that the amount of power consumed during boarding / alighting plus parking exceeds the allowable discharge amount (step S206, yes), the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, if the determination unit 132 determines that the amount of power consumed during boarding / alighting plus parking does not exceed the allowable discharge amount (step S206, no), the process proceeds to step S207.

[0029] (Step S207) The control unit 133 of the power consumption prediction device 130 sets the scope of auxiliary power supply during standby to include when getting in / out of the vehicle 100 and for one hour after parking the vehicle 100 (including the act of transmitting data to the remote center 200). When the control unit 133 sets the range of auxiliary power supply to "during entry / exit + 1 hour after parking," the control of setting the range of auxiliary power supply ends.

[0030] (Step S208) The control unit 133 of the power consumption prediction device 130 sets the range of auxiliary power supply during standby when the vehicle 100 is boarded or alighted. When the control unit 133 sets the range of auxiliary power supply to "during boarding and alighting," the control for setting the range of auxiliary power supply ends.

[0031] (Step S209) The control unit 133 of the power consumption prediction device 130 does not specifically set the range for supplying auxiliary power while the vehicle is in standby mode. When the control unit 133 sets the range of auxiliary power supply to "none," the control for setting the range of auxiliary power supply ends.

[0032] Once the scope of auxiliary power supply is set by the processing in steps S201 to S209 described above, auxiliary power supply is performed thereafter, supplying power from the drive battery 111 to the auxiliary system (auxiliary battery 113 and auxiliary load 122) within this set scope.

[0033] [Specific example] Figures 3 and 4 show an example of auxiliary power supply performed based on the implementation range set by the auxiliary power supply implementation range setting control.

[0034] Figure 3 is an illustrative diagram showing the change in the charge level of the auxiliary battery 113 when the scope of auxiliary power supply is set to only occur when the vehicle 100 is "boarding or alighting" (step S208). In Figure 3, the case where auxiliary power supply is performed when boarding and alighting based on the setting is shown by a solid line, and the case where auxiliary power supply is not performed is shown by a dashed line. As can be seen in Figure 3, conventionally, even if the power consumption of the vehicle 100 falls below the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113 (dashed line), by performing auxiliary power supply as in this embodiment, the charge level of the auxiliary battery 113 can be maintained when boarding and alighting (solid line). Therefore, it is possible to avoid the power consumption of the vehicle 100 falling below the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113, and the amount of power supplied from the drive battery 111 to the auxiliary system can be minimized.

[0035] Figure 4 is an illustrative diagram showing the change in the charge level of the auxiliary battery 113 when the scope of auxiliary power supply is set to "when getting in and out of the vehicle 100" and "1 hour after parking" (step S207). In Figure 4, the case where auxiliary power supply is performed when getting in, getting out, and 1 hour after parking based on the settings is shown with solid lines, and the case where auxiliary power supply is not performed is shown with dashed lines. As can be seen in Figure 4, conventionally, even if the power consumption of the vehicle 100 falls below the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113 (dashed line), by performing auxiliary power supply as in this embodiment, the charge level of the auxiliary battery 113 can be maintained during getting in, getting out, and 1 hour after parking (including the time for transmitting data from the vehicle 100 to the remote center 200) (solid line). Therefore, it is possible to avoid the power consumption of the vehicle 100 falling below the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113, and the amount of power supplied from the drive battery 111 to the auxiliary system can be minimized.

[0036] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the power consumption prediction device 130 of one embodiment of the present disclosure, based on information of the vehicle 100, the amount of power consumed by the vehicle 100 while it is in standby mode is predicted, it is determined whether the amount of power consumed by the vehicle 100 while it is in standby mode exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113, and if the amount of power consumed while it is in standby mode exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery 113, power is supplied from the drive battery 111 to the auxiliary system (auxiliary battery 113 and auxiliary load 122) for a predetermined period of time.

[0037] This control allows for accurate prediction of the power consumption of the vehicle 100 while it is in standby mode, thereby minimizing the amount of power supplied from the drive battery 111 to the auxiliary system (auxiliary battery 113 and auxiliary load 122). Consequently, the frequency of operation of the system relay (not shown) connected to the drive battery 111 is reduced, thereby suppressing wear and tear on the system relay.

[0038] Although one embodiment of the disclosed technology has been described above, the disclosure can be understood not only as a power consumption forecasting device, but also as a method performed by the power consumption forecasting device, a program for the method, a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium storing the program, and a vehicle equipped with the power consumption forecasting device. [Industrial applicability]

[0039] The power consumption forecasting device described herein can be used in vehicles equipped with a power supply system including a drive battery and an auxiliary battery. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 100 vehicles 110 Power System 111 Power Battery 112 DC-DC converter 113 Auxiliary Battery 121 Main engine load 122 Auxiliary load 130 Power Consumption Prediction Device 131 Prediction Section 132 Judgment Department 133 Control Unit 200 Remote Centers

Claims

1. A power consumption prediction device installed in a vehicle, A prediction unit predicts the amount of power consumed by the vehicle while it is waiting to run, based on the information of the vehicle. A determination unit that determines whether the amount of power consumed during standby exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery, The system includes a control unit that, when the amount of power consumed during standby exceeds the allowable discharge amount of the auxiliary battery, supplies power from the drive battery to the auxiliary system including the auxiliary battery for a predetermined period of time. Power consumption forecasting device.

2. The vehicle information includes the vehicle type, powertrain, equipment, and the permissible discharge amount of the auxiliary battery. The power consumption prediction device according to claim 1.

3. The power consumption of the vehicle while it is waiting to drive includes power consumption while parked, power consumption when getting in / out of the vehicle, and power consumption associated with data communication with the center. The power consumption prediction device according to claim 1.

4. The predetermined period includes at least one of the following: when boarding the vehicle, when alighting from the vehicle, and the one hour after parking the vehicle. The power consumption prediction device according to claim 1.

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