Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device that can suppress condensed water from excessively accumulating in an exhaust pipe when supplying electric power to the outside.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 10, which drives an engine 12 to control supply of electric power to the outside, comprises a control part that drives the engine 12 in accordance with an electric power supply request to control supply of electric power to the outside, an obtaining part that obtains information concerning a drive status of the engine 12, and an estimating part that estimates amounts of condensed water generated by driving the engine 12, on the basis of the information concerning the drive status of the engine 12. The control part executes stop control of stopping the engine 12 after increasing a rotation speed of the engine 12, when the amounts of condensed water are over a predetermined threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device for controlling driving to an external device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle control device that, when the ignition switch is turned off and conditions are met that would cause condensed water in the exhaust pipe to freeze, causes the engine to drive a motor generator to charge the battery, and then stops the engine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-095036 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the engine is running to supply power to an external device, excessive condensation may build up in the exhaust pipe.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that prevents excessive accumulation of condensed water in an exhaust pipe when power is supplied to an external device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is to drive an engine. The motor generates electricity in response to the drive. A vehicle control device that controls power supply to an external device in response to a power supply request. , from the battery or Run the engine From the motor A control unit that controls the power supply to the outside and acquires information on the engine's operating status , get the battery charge rate, and get the motor temperatureThe engine control system includes an acquisition unit and an estimation unit that estimates an amount of condensed water generated by the operation of the engine based on information about the operating state of the engine. When the amount of condensed water exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit executes stop control to stop the engine after increasing the engine speed. The control unit controls the engine to be driven to supply power from the motor to the outside and to charge the battery when the battery charging rate is equal to or lower than a first remaining charge and the temperature of the motor is equal to or lower than a predetermined first temperature during a power supply request. The control unit does not drive the engine when the temperature of the motor is higher than the first temperature during a power supply request. The control unit monitors the temperature of the motor during external power supply by driving the engine, and controls to end external power supply by driving the engine when the temperature of the motor becomes higher than a predetermined second temperature higher than the first temperature. The control unit executes stop control to stop the engine after increasing the engine speed to a predetermined number when an estimated amount of condensed water exceeds a predetermined threshold during external power supply by driving the engine. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that prevents excessive accumulation of condensed water in an exhaust pipe when power is supplied to the outside. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a power supply system provided in a vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a vehicle control device. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart of an external power supply process when there is a power supply request. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a power supply system 2 provided in a vehicle 1. The power supply system 2 can supply power to external devices during disasters, camping, and the like. The power supply system 2 includes a vehicle control device 10, an engine 12, a motor 14, an on-board sensor 16, a power supply button 17, a PCU 18, a battery 20, and an exhaust pipe 22. The vehicle 1 is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that includes the engine 12 and the battery 20.

[0010] The engine 12 is controlled by the vehicle control device 10 and is normally driven to rotate the wheels, but may be driven while disconnected from the wheels when external power is supplied. The engine 12 and the motor 14 are connected by a belt, and the driving force generated by the engine 12 is input to the motor 14 via the belt to generate AC power.

[0011] The motor 14 generates power in response to the drive of the engine 12, and the AC power generated by the motor 14 is used to supply power to the outside and to supply power to the battery 20. In the case of external power supply, part of the AC power generated by the motor 14 is also used to charge the battery 20.

[0012] PCU (Power Control Unit) 18 converts AC power supplied from motor 14 into DC power and charges battery 20. PCU 18 also converts DC power supplied from battery 20 into AC power and supplies it to the outside. Vehicle 1 is provided with an outlet (not shown) for supplying power to the outside, and motor 14 and PCU 18 are electrically connected to the outlet and supply power to an external device via the outlet.

[0013] The on-board sensor 16 includes a plurality of sensors mounted on the vehicle 1. For example, the on-board sensor 16 includes a temperature sensor attached to the case of the motor 14 as shown in FIG. 1 and detecting the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14. The on-board sensor 16 may be a charging rate detection sensor that detects the voltage of the battery 20 to calculate the charging rate (SOC). The on-board sensor 16 also includes an intake air amount sensor that detects the amount of intake air of the engine 12, a flow rate sensor that detects the amount of engine fuel supplied, and an oxygen detection sensor that detects the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas. The air-fuel ratio can be calculated based on the amount of intake air, the amount of fuel supplied, and the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas. The on-board sensor 16 may be a temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature.

[0014] The power supply button 17 accepts a power supply request from the user. The power supply button 17 may be a mechanical switch or a button area formed on a touch panel. The power supply button 17 accepts the power supply request from the user and sends it to the vehicle control device 10. The power supply request from the user may be accepted by voice.

[0015] The vehicle control device 10 controls the driving of the engine 12 and the operation of the PCU 18, and controls the supply of power to the outside. Power generated by the motor 14 when the engine 12 is driven is supplied to the outside and the battery 20. By operating the PCU 18, the DC power of the battery 20 can be converted to AC power and supplied to the outside.

[0016] The exhaust pipe 22 is connected to the engine 12, extends from the front to the rear of the vehicle, and opens to the rear of the vehicle. The exhaust pipe 22 discharges exhaust gas generated by combustion in the engine 12. When water vapor contained in the exhaust gas is cooled, it becomes condensed water and remains in the exhaust pipe 22. Condensed water that accumulates in the exhaust pipe 22 may freeze and expand, so it is preferable to discharge it to prevent excessive accumulation.

[0017] Fig. 2 shows the functional configuration of the vehicle control device 10. In Fig. 2, each element described as a functional block performing various processes can be configured in terms of hardware with a circuit block, memory, or other LSI, and in terms of software, is realized by a program loaded into memory, etc. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by only hardware, only software, or a combination thereof, and are not limited to any one of them.

[0018] The vehicle control device 10 includes an acquisition unit 24, an estimation unit 26, a determination unit 28, and a control unit 30. The acquisition unit 24 acquires the detection results of the multiple on-board sensors 16 and the detection result of the power supply button 17. The intake air amount, the fuel supply amount, and the oxygen amount of the exhaust gas contained in the detection results of the multiple on-board sensors 16 are information related to the driving state of the engine 12. The detection result of the power supply button 17 includes a user's request for power supply or a request to stop power supply. In this way, the acquisition unit 24 acquires information related to the driving state of the engine 12, the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14, the charging rate (SOC) of the battery 20, and the user's request for power supply.

[0019] The estimation unit 26 estimates the amount of condensed water generated by the operation of the engine 12 during external power supply, based on information related to the operating state of the engine 12 and the outside air temperature. The amount of condensed water tends to increase according to the operating time of the engine 12, and can be estimated based on the amount of intake air of the engine 12, the amount of fuel supplied to the engine 12, the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas, the outside air temperature, etc. The estimation unit 26 may use a function or a two-dimensional map that outputs the amount of condensed water when information related to the operating state of the engine 12, the outside air temperature, and the operating time of the engine 12 are input.

[0020] When the estimated amount of condensed water exceeds a predetermined threshold, the decision unit 28 decides to stop the external power feeding by driving the engine 12. The predetermined threshold is determined by an experiment or the like, and is determined, for example, based on the ratio of condensed water accumulated in the exhaust pipe 22. In other words, the predetermined threshold may be determined based on the size of the exhaust pipe 22. If the charging rate of the battery 20 has been restored by driving the engine 12, external power feeding from the battery 20 is started after driving of the engine 12 is stopped.

[0021] The control unit 30 can execute external power feeding by driving the engine 12 in response to a power feeding request. The control unit 30 can receive external power feeding from the battery 20 in addition to external power feeding by driving the engine 12.

[0022] When the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined first remaining capacity W1, the control unit 30 prioritizes the battery 20 and supplies power from the battery 20 to the outside without driving the engine 12. On the other hand, when the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 is lower than the first remaining capacity W1, the control unit 30 drives the engine 12 to supply power to the outside.

[0023] When the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 becomes equal to or lower than a second remaining amount W2 during external power supply from the battery 20, the control unit 30 stops the external power supply from the battery 20. The second remaining amount W2 is smaller than the first remaining amount W1 and is set to a few percent.

[0024] When the charging rate (SOC) of the battery 20 is equal to or lower than a first remaining capacity W1 and the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is equal to or lower than a first temperature T1, the control unit 30 drives the engine 12 to supply power to the outside and charge the battery 20. When the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is higher than the first temperature T1, the control unit 30 does not drive the engine 12 and stops the power supply from the motor 14.

[0025] When the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is higher than a predetermined first temperature T1, the control unit 30 does not drive the engine 12 and does not execute external power feeding. In addition, the control unit 30 monitors the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 during external power feeding from the motor 14, and ends external power feeding from the engine 12 when the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 becomes higher than a predetermined second temperature T2. The second temperature T2 is set to a value higher than the first temperature T1. When driving the engine 12 to feed power during camping or a disaster, it is difficult to air-cool the engine 12 because the vehicle 1 is stopped, and there is a risk that the temperature of the engine 12 will become excessively high. Therefore, the temperature of the motor 14 is monitored, and when it becomes excessively high, driving is stopped.

[0026] During external power supply from the motor 14, when the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 becomes higher than a predetermined second temperature T2 and the amount of condensed water estimated by the estimation unit 26 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit 30 executes a stop control to stop the engine 12 after increasing the rotation speed of the engine 12 to a predetermined number. In other words, when condensed water excessively accumulates in the exhaust pipe 22 due to the operation of the engine 12, the rotation speed of the engine 12 is increased, the condensed water is discharged by the pressure of the exhaust gas, and the engine 12 is stopped. The rotation speed of the engine 12 for discharging the condensed water and the driving time at that rotation speed are set in advance by experiments, etc. After the operation of discharging the condensed water is executed, the engine 12 is immediately stopped. This allows the condensed water to be discharged before excessive condensed water accumulates. In addition, since it is only necessary to increase the rotation speed while the engine 12 is running, the condensed water can be quickly discharged.

[0027] Note that, during external power supply from the motor 14, if the amount of condensed water estimated by the estimating unit 26 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control unit 30 may execute stop control to stop the engine 12 after increasing the rotation speed of the engine 12 to a predetermined number. In other words, even if the temperature condition that the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is higher than the predetermined second temperature T2 is not satisfied, the engine 12 may be stopped by executing a process to drain the condensed water. When the external power supply from the motor 14 is stopped, if the battery 20 has been charged during that time, external power supply from the battery 20 is performed.

[0028] Fig. 3 is a flowchart of the external power supply process when there is a power supply request. The external power supply process shown in Fig. 3 starts in response to a power supply request from a user, and ends when the user requests to stop power supply. That is, Fig. 3 shows a flow in a state where a power supply request has been made.

[0029] Upon receiving the power supply request, the decision unit 28 determines whether the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than the first remaining capacity (S10). If the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than the first remaining capacity (Y in S10), the decision unit 28 decides to supply power from the battery 20, and the control unit 30 controls the PCU 18 to supply power from the battery 20 in accordance with the decision of the decision unit 28 (S12).

[0030] The decision unit 28 monitors the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 while power is being supplied from the battery 20, and determines whether the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 is equal to or less than the second remaining capacity W2 (S14). If the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 is equal to or less than the second remaining capacity W2 (Y in S14), the decision unit 28 decides to stop the power supply, and the control unit 30 stops the power supply from the battery 20 and ends this process (S16). If the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 20 is not equal to or less than the second remaining capacity W2 (N in S14), the process returns to step S10.

[0031] If the charging rate (SOC) of the battery 20 is not equal to or higher than the first remaining capacity (N in S10), the decision unit 28 determines whether the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is equal to or lower than the first temperature T1 (S18). If the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is not equal to or lower than the first temperature T1 (N in S18), the decision unit 28 decides to stop the power supply and ends this process. In this way, if the charging rate of the battery 20 is low and the temperature of the motor 14 is high, the external power supply is not performed.

[0032] If the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is equal to or lower than the first temperature T1 (Y in S18), the decision unit 28 decides to supply power from the motor 14, and the control unit 30 drives the engine 12 in accordance with the decision of the decision unit 28 (S20). While the engine 12 is running, the decision unit 28 determines whether the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is equal to or higher than the second temperature T2 (S22).

[0033] The decision unit 28 monitors whether the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is equal to or higher than the second temperature T2 (N in S22), and if the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is equal to or higher than the second temperature T2 (Y in S22), decides to stop driving the engine 12. This allows the engine 12 to be driven to supply external power until the temperature (TMG) of the motor 14 is equal to or higher than the second temperature T2, i.e., until the motor 14 becomes hot. Before stopping the driving of the engine 12, the decision unit 28 determines whether the amount of condensed water estimated by the estimation unit 26 exceeds a predetermined threshold (S24).

[0034] If the estimated amount of condensed water does not exceed the predetermined threshold (N in S24), the control unit 30 stops the engine 12 (S28) and returns to step S10. As a result, if the charging rate of the battery 20 is restored by driving the engine 12, external power supply from the battery 20 can be continued. Also, if no condensed water has accumulated, the engine 12 can be stopped immediately.

[0035] If the estimated amount of condensed water exceeds a predetermined threshold (Y in S24), the control unit 30 executes a process of increasing the rotation speed of the engine 12 to drain the condensed water (S26). After executing the drainage process, the control unit 30 stops the engine 12 (S28) and returns to step S10. In this way, by increasing the rotation speed of the engine 12 before stopping the engine 12, the condensed water can be drained smoothly in a short time.

[0036] It should be understood that the embodiments are merely illustrative, that various modifications are possible in the combination of the components, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle, 2 power supply system, 10 vehicle control device, 12 engine, 14 motor, 16 on-board sensor, 17 power supply button, 18 PCU, 20 battery, 22 exhaust pipe, 24 acquisition unit, 26 estimation unit, 28 determination unit, 30 control unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that drives an engine and controls power supply from a motor that generates power in response to the engine's drive to an outside, a control unit that controls power supply from a battery or from the motor to an outside by driving the engine in response to a power supply request; an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a driving state of the engine, acquires a charging rate of the battery, and acquires a temperature of the motor; an estimation unit that estimates an amount of condensed water generated by the operation of the engine based on information about a driving state of the engine, the control unit executes a stop control to stop the engine after increasing a rotation speed of the engine when the estimated amount of condensed water exceeds a predetermined threshold value; the control unit, when a charging rate of the battery is equal to or lower than a first remaining amount and a temperature of the motor is equal to or lower than a predetermined first temperature during a power supply request, controls the engine to drive the motor to supply power to an outside device and to charge the battery; The control unit does not drive the engine when a temperature of the motor is higher than the first temperature during a power supply request, the control unit monitors a temperature of the motor during external power supply by driving the engine, and when the temperature of the motor becomes higher than a predetermined second temperature that is higher than the first temperature, controls to terminate the external power supply by driving the engine; The control unit executes stop control to increase the engine speed to a predetermined number and then stop the engine when an estimated amount of condensed water exceeds a predetermined threshold during external power supply by driving the engine.

2. The acquisition unit acquires, as information regarding the driving state of the engine, an intake air amount of the engine, an amount of fuel supplied to the engine, and an oxygen amount of exhaust gas, 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates the amount of condensed water using an intake air amount of the engine, an amount of fuel supplied to the engine, an amount of oxygen in exhaust gas, and an outside air temperature.

Images