Agricultural machinery

Abstract

To reduce charging time for an agricultural machine or to use the agricultural machine promptly after charging.SOLUTION: A work vehicle (1) includes an information acquiring unit (110) that acquires temperatures before charging battery packs (100A, 100B) and before using the battery packs (100A, 100B), a charging and discharging management unit (120) that determines an order for charging or using the battery packs (100A, 100B) on the basis of the temperatures acquired, and a switching instruction unit (130) that connects a target battery pack to a charger or to a target device on the basis of the determined order.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle equipped with a plurality of battery packs. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the electrification of automobiles has progressed. Electrification is not limited to passenger cars, but is also progressing in large vehicles such as buses and trucks, and work vehicles such as construction machinery and agricultural machinery. When electrifying such large vehicles and work vehicles, the battery capacity to be installed becomes larger compared to passenger cars, and the size of the battery pack also becomes larger.

[0003] Battery packs generate heat when charging and discharging, and the larger the battery pack, the greater the amount of heat generated. For this reason, in some cases, the battery pack is divided into multiple parts or has a built-in cooling device to prevent battery use from being restricted due to heat generation.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which, when the temperature of the secondary cell in the battery is within an appropriate range, the battery pack is charged or discharged according to the state of SOC (State of Charge). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-119573 A (Published June 25, 2015) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, the battery pack generates heat during charging and discharging. In particular, a large battery pack generates a large amount of heat, so that after the battery is used, the temperature of the battery pack is high and it may not be possible to charge it immediately or it may take a long time to charge it. Similarly, if the battery temperature is high due to heat generation during charging, the amount of discharge may be limited, and the battery pack may not be able to be used for a desired task immediately after charging is completed.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to realize a work vehicle that can shorten the charging time or can be used quickly after charging. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a work vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention is a work vehicle equipped with multiple battery packs, and is equipped with a temperature acquisition unit that acquires the temperature of each of the multiple battery packs before charging the multiple battery packs or before using the multiple battery packs, a battery pack management unit that determines the order in which the multiple battery packs are charged or used based on the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit, and a connection control unit that, when charging the battery pack, connects the target battery pack to a charger based on the order determined by the battery pack management unit, and, when using the battery pack, connects the target battery pack to a target device that is to be operated by using the battery pack based on the order determined by the battery pack management unit.

[0009] When the temperature of a battery pack is high, it may not be possible to charge or use the battery pack immediately, or even if it is charged or used, the battery pack itself may not be able to fully exhibit its inherent performance. According to the above configuration, the battery packs are charged or used in an order determined based on the temperature of each battery pack, so that the battery pack that can be charged or used immediately can be charged or used with priority. Therefore, when charging the battery packs, the charging time can be shortened compared to when charging the battery packs without determining the order. Furthermore, when using the battery packs, they can be used promptly after charging.

[0010] In a work vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention, the battery pack management unit may be configured to charge or use the multiple battery packs in order from the lowest temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit.

[0011] According to the above configuration, the battery packs can be charged or used in ascending order of temperature.

[0012] In a work vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery pack management unit may determine the order in which to charge or use the multiple battery packs that have the same temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit, based on the date of manufacture or the number of times they have been used.

[0013] According to the above configuration, the order in which a plurality of battery packs are charged or used can be determined for battery packs having the same temperature, based on the age of the battery packs or the number of times the battery packs have been used.

[0014] A work vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention may further include a cooling unit that cools a battery pack that is being charged or in use, among the plurality of battery packs.

[0015] According to the above-described configuration, the battery pack is cooled while it is being charged or in use, so that the battery pack can be cooled efficiently with little power.

[0016] In the work vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention, when charging is performed using a quick charger capable of charging in a shorter time than normal charging, the cooling unit may cool all of the plurality of battery packs.

[0017] When a quick charger is used, the amount of heat generated by the battery pack increases compared to normal charging. According to the above configuration, the battery packs that are not being charged are also cooled, so that each battery pack is cooled before and after charging. As a result, before charging, the temperature of the battery pack is lowered in advance to suppress the effects of heat generation due to charging, and after charging, the battery packs that generate more heat than during normal charging can be cooled even after charging.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, a work vehicle is provided with a selection switch that allows a user to select a battery pack to be charged or used, and the connection control unit may prioritize the selection made by the selection switch in an order determined by the battery pack management unit.

[0019] According to the above configuration, the user can select a battery pack to be charged or used by giving priority to the order determined by the battery pack management unit, so that the battery pack desired by the user can be the target for charging or use. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, the charging or use of a plurality of battery packs is performed in an order determined based on the temperature of each battery pack, so that a battery pack that can be charged or used immediately can be charged or used with priority. Therefore, when charging the battery packs, the charging time can be shortened compared to when charging the plurality of battery packs without determining the order. Furthermore, when using the battery packs, they can be used promptly after charging. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a functional block diagram showing an overview of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a charging process for a battery pack in a work vehicle. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process for using a battery pack in a work vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing an overview of a work vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the work vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] [Embodiment 1] [Overview of Work Vehicle 1] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. First, a work vehicle 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of the work vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the functions of the work vehicle 1 as a work vehicle and functions related to traveling can be realized using known technology, so they will not be described here. Examples of the work vehicle 1 include agricultural machinery such as tractors, construction machinery used in construction and building works, and large vehicles such as buses and trucks.

[0023] 1, the work vehicle 1 includes an electronic control unit (ECU) 10, a switch 20, a charging port 30, a selection switch 40, battery packs (100A, 100B), sensors (101A, 101B), and various devices (target devices) 200. The battery packs and sensors may be collectively referred to as battery pack 100 and sensor 101, respectively.

[0024] The electronic control unit 10 is a unit that manages electronic control in the work vehicle 1, and includes an information acquisition section (temperature acquisition section) 110, a charge / discharge management section (battery pack management section) 120, and a switching instruction section (connection control section) .

[0025] The information acquisition unit 110 acquires information for each battery pack 100 from a sensor 101 that detects the temperature of the battery pack 100 (to be described later), and notifies the charge / discharge management unit 120 of the information.

[0026] The information acquisition unit 110 may acquire the temperature of the battery pack 100 from the sensor 101 when the work vehicle 1 is started (for example, when the engine is started or the key switch is turned ON) both during charging and during use. During charging, the temperature may be acquired when the cord of the charger 2 is connected to the charging port 30. The information acquisition unit 110 may also periodically acquire the temperature of the battery pack 100 after the above timing.

[0027] The charge / discharge management unit 120 determines the order of charging and discharging the battery packs 100 based on the temperatures of the battery packs 100 (100A, 100B) notified by the information acquisition unit 110. More specifically, the charge / discharge management unit 120 determines that the battery pack 100A or the battery pack 100B, whichever has the lower temperature, is to be charged or discharged first. Then, based on the determined result, the charge / discharge management unit 120 transmits an instruction to the switching instruction unit 130 to control the switch 20. Specifically, when charging, the charge / discharge management unit 120 transmits an instruction to switch the switch 20 so that the desired battery pack 100 and the charging port 30 are connected, and when discharging, the charge / discharge management unit 120 transmits an instruction to switch the switch 20 so that the desired battery pack 100 and the various devices 200 are connected.

[0028] The switching instruction unit switches the switch 20 based on an instruction from the charge / discharge management unit 120. The switch 20 switches the battery pack 100 to be connected based on an instruction from the switching instruction unit .

[0029] The charging port 30 is a connection part that connects the external charger 2 and the work vehicle 1.

[0030] The selection switch 40 is a switch that is operated by a user, and by operating the selection switch 40, it is possible to switch the selector 20. In other words, it is possible to switch the battery pack 100 to be connected. By providing the selection switch 40, regardless of the charging or discharging sequence determined by the charge / discharge management unit 120, the battery pack 100 to be charged or discharged can be selected as desired by the user.

[0031] The battery packs 100 (100A, 100B) are batteries capable of charging and discharging. The sensors 101 (101A, 101B) are sensors that measure the temperature of the battery packs 100. The sensor 101A measures the temperature of the battery pack 100A, and the sensor 101B measures the temperature of the battery pack 100B.

[0032] The various devices 200 are a collective term for motors, various devices, electrical equipment, and the like that are driven by power supplied from the battery pack 100.

[0033] [Processing in work vehicle 1] Next, the flow of processing in the work vehicle 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the battery pack 100 is charged in the work vehicle 1. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing when the battery pack 100 is used (discharged) in the work vehicle 1. Note that in Figs. 2 and 3, the battery pack 100A is represented as "battery A" and the battery pack 100B is represented as "battery B".

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, when charging the battery pack 100, first, the charge / discharge management unit 120 acquires information (temperature) of each battery pack 100 (S101). Next, the charge / discharge management unit 120 compares the temperatures of the battery pack 100A and the battery pack 100B. If the temperature of the battery pack 100A is lower than the temperature of the battery pack 100B (YES in S102), the charge / discharge management unit 120 determines that the battery packs 100 will be charged in the order of the battery pack 100A and then the battery pack 100B. Then, the charge / discharge management unit 120 instructs the switching instruction unit 130 to connect the battery pack 100A to the charging port 30 (S103). This causes the battery pack 100A to be charged (S104). Then, when charging of battery pack 100A is completed (YES in S105), charge / discharge management unit 120 instructs switching instruction unit 130 to connect battery pack 100B to charging port 30 (S106). This causes battery pack 100B to be charged (S107). When charging of battery pack 100B is completed (YES in S108), the charging process is completed.

[0035] On the other hand, if the temperature of battery pack 100A is not less than the temperature of battery pack 100B in step S102 (NO in S102), charge / discharge management unit 120 determines that the charging order is battery pack 100B, followed by battery pack 100A. Then, it instructs switching instruction unit 130 to connect battery pack 100B to charging port 30 (S201). This causes battery pack 100B to be charged (S202). Then, when charging of battery pack 100B is completed (YES in S203), charge / discharge management unit 120 instructs switching instruction unit 130 to connect battery pack 100A to charging port 30 (S204). This causes battery pack 100A to be charged (S205). When charging of battery pack 100A is completed (YES in S206), the charging process is completed.

[0036] According to the above process, of the battery packs 100A and 100B, the battery pack 100 with the higher temperature is charged later. For example, if the temperature of the battery pack 100A is lower than the temperature of the battery pack 100B, the battery pack 100B with the higher temperature is charged after the battery pack 100A. Since the battery pack 100B naturally dissipates heat while the battery pack 100A is being charged, the temperature of the battery pack 100B will have dropped when charging of the battery pack 100B starts. This makes it possible to prevent charging from being started while the temperature of the battery pack 100 is still high, and allows the battery pack 100 to be charged efficiently.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, when the battery pack 100 is used, the charge / discharge management unit 120 first acquires information (temperature) of each battery pack 100 (S301). Next, the charge / discharge management unit 120 compares the temperatures of the battery pack 100A and the battery pack 100B. If the temperature of the battery pack 100A is lower than the temperature of the battery pack 100B (YES in S302), the charge / discharge management unit 120 determines that the battery packs 100 are to be used in the order of the battery pack 100A and the battery pack 100B. Then, the charge / discharge management unit 120 instructs the switching instruction unit 130 to connect the battery pack 100A to the various devices 200 (S303). As a result, the battery pack 100A is used first (S304). Then, when the remaining charge of the battery pack 100A becomes equal to or less than the threshold (YES in S305), the charge / discharge management unit 120 instructs the switching instruction unit 130 to connect the battery pack 100B to the various devices 200 (S306). As a result, the battery pack 100B is used (S307). As a result, the battery packs 100 are used in the order of the battery pack 100A and then the battery pack 100B.

[0038] On the other hand, if the temperature of battery pack 100A is not less than the temperature of battery pack 100B in step S302 (NO in S302), the charge / discharge management unit 120 determines that the battery packs 100 are to be used in the order of battery pack 100B and then battery pack 100A. Then, the charge / discharge management unit 120 instructs the switching instruction unit 130 to connect battery pack 100B to various devices 200 (S401). As a result, battery pack 100B is used first (S402).

[0039] Then, when the remaining charge of the battery pack 100B becomes equal to or less than the threshold (YES in S403), the charge / discharge management unit 120 instructs the switching instruction unit 130 to connect the battery pack 100A to the various devices 200 (S404). As a result, the battery pack 100A is used (S405). As a result, the battery packs 100 are used in the order of the battery pack 100B and then the battery pack 100A.

[0040] According to the above process, when the use of the battery packs 100A and 100B ends, a considerable time has passed since the last use of either of the battery packs. For example, if the battery packs 100A and 100B are used in that order, when the use of the battery pack 100B ends, a considerable time has passed since the last use of the battery pack 100A. In this case, the battery pack 100A naturally dissipates heat during the use of the battery pack 100B, and the temperature drops. Therefore, charging of the battery pack 100A can be started immediately after the use of the battery packs 100A and 100B, and there is no need to wait for charging until the temperature of the battery pack 100 drops. This allows the charging time of the battery pack 100 to be shortened.

[0041] Moreover, when the battery packs are used in the order of 100B, 100A, the opposite is true.

[0042] [Application example] For example, if the capacity of the battery packs 100 is set to a level sufficient to cover the amount of work done in one day on the work vehicle 1 and charging is performed after one day's work, charging can be performed efficiently after work and before work starts the next day. This is because charging of one battery pack 100 can start immediately after work, and then charging of the other battery pack 100 can be performed thereafter.

[0043] In addition, when there are periods of time when work is not being performed, such as during a lunch break, charging can be performed supplementarily.

[0044] [Processing when temperature is the same] When the temperatures of the battery packs 100A and 100B are the same, the charge / discharge management unit 120 may acquire information other than the temperature and determine the order of charging and discharging the battery packs 100. For example, the charge / discharge management unit 120 may determine the order of charging and discharging using the age of the battery packs 100, the number of times the battery packs 100 are charged and discharged, and the SOC.

[0045] For example, the charge / discharge management unit 120 may give priority to charging / discharging new battery packs 100, or to charging / discharging battery packs that have been charged / discharged a smaller number of times. In this case, it is assumed that the date of manufacture and the number of times of use are recorded for each battery pack 100.

[0046] Alternatively, the battery pack with the higher SOC may be used with priority, and the battery pack with the lower SOC may be charged with priority. In this case, the charge / discharge management unit 120 is assumed to be able to calculate the SOC of each battery pack 100.

[0047] [Embodiment 2] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0048] In the work vehicle 1A according to this embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the work vehicle 1 described above, the electronic control unit 10A includes a cooler control section (cooling section) 140, and is also equipped with a cooler (cooling section) 50. The cooler 50 cools the battery pack 100 under the control of the cooler control section 140.

[0049] In the work vehicle 1A, when the battery pack 100A or the battery pack 100B connected to the charging port 30 or the various devices 200 by the switch 20 exceeds a predetermined temperature, the cooler control unit 140 controls the cooler 50 at the instruction of the charge / discharge management unit 120 to cool either the battery pack 100A or the battery pack 100B.

[0050] In addition, when the charger 2 is a rapid charger, the cooler control unit 140 may cool the target battery pack 100 by the cooler 50 regardless of whether the battery pack 100 being charged exceeds a predetermined temperature.

[0051] Furthermore, if the charger 2 is a rapid charger, it may also cool the battery packs 100 that are not being charged.

[0052] [Modifications] In the above-described embodiment, the battery pack 100 is described as including two battery packs, ie, battery pack 100A and battery pack 100B. The present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 5, the battery packs 100 may include three or more battery packs 100 (battery packs 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, ...).

[0053] Even if there are three or more battery packs 100, the charge / discharge management unit 120 can determine the order of charge / discharge in accordance with the temperature of each battery pack 100.

[0054] Furthermore, the charge / discharge management unit 120 may determine the order using other factors, such as the age of the battery pack 100 and the number of times the battery pack 100 is charged / discharged, in addition to the temperature of the battery pack 100. For example, if there are multiple battery packs 100 with the same temperature, the new battery pack 100 may be given priority for charging / discharging, or the battery pack 100 with the fewest number of times the battery pack 100 has been charged / discharged. In this case, it is assumed that the date of manufacture and the number of times the battery pack 100 has been used are recorded for each battery pack 100.

[0055] [Software implementation example] The control blocks of the work vehicle 1 (particularly the electronic control units 10, 10A (information acquisition unit 110, charge / discharge management unit 120, switching instruction unit 130, and cooler control unit 140)) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

[0056] In the latter case, the work vehicle 1 is equipped with a computer that executes instructions of a program, which is software that realizes each function. This computer is equipped with, for example, at least one processor (control device), and at least one computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. The object of the present invention is achieved by having the processor in the computer read and execute the program from the recording medium. An example of the processor is a CPU (Central Processing The computer may use a programmable unit (Programming Unit). As the recording medium, a "non-transitory tangible medium", for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like may be used. The computer may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) capable of transmitting the program. One aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0057] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in the respective embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 Work vehicle 2 charger 10 Electronic Control Unit 20 Switch 30 charging port 40 Selection switch 50 Cooler (cooling section) 100(100A, 100B) Battery Pack 101(101A, 101B) Sensor 110 Information acquisition section (temperature acquisition section) 120 Charge / discharge management unit (battery pack management unit) 130 Switching instruction unit (connection control unit) 140 Cooling device control unit (cooling unit) 200 Various devices (target devices)

Claims

1. An agricultural machine having a plurality of battery packs, a battery pack management unit that determines an order in which the plurality of battery packs are used; a temperature acquisition unit that acquires a temperature of each of the battery packs before using the battery packs; a connection control unit that, when using the battery pack, connects a target battery pack to a target device that is to be operated by using the battery pack based on the order determined by the battery pack management unit, the battery pack management unit stores the manufacturing date or the number of times of use of each of the plurality of battery packs, the battery pack management unit uses the plurality of battery packs in an order from the lowest temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit, and when a remaining charge of a battery pack that is being used and has a low temperature falls below a threshold, the battery pack management unit uses the next battery pack; the order of use of the battery packs is determined based on the date of manufacture or the number of times the battery packs have been used, for the battery packs having the same temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit among the battery packs.

2. 2. The agricultural machine according to claim 1, further comprising a cooler for cooling the battery pack that is being used among the plurality of battery packs.

3. the temperature acquisition unit acquires a temperature of the battery pack being used when the battery pack is connected to the target device by the connection control unit and is being used; 3. The agricultural machine according to claim 2, wherein the cooler cools at least the battery pack being used when the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit exceeds a predetermined temperature.

4. A selection switch is provided for allowing the user to select the battery pack to be used.

4. The agricultural machine according to claim 1, wherein the connection control unit gives priority to connecting the battery pack selected by the selection switch over an order determined by the battery pack management unit.

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