CONTROL DEVICE, PROGRAM, AND METHOD FOR OPERATION OF CONTROL DEVICE

Abstract

To improve performance of switching between power sources in a vehicle that travels using both a fuel cell and a battery as the power sources.MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM: A control device comprises: a storage section that stores information representing a first travel distance using a fuel cell and a second travel distance using a battery for a vehicle that uses both the fuel cell and the battery as power sources; and a control section that regulates usage of the fuel cell and the battery to increase the proportion of the second travel distance in the total travel distance, which combines the first and second travel distances, upon the occurrence of an event indicating an overload of the fuel cell.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a program, and an operation method of the control device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a fuel cell vehicle that runs on a fuel cell as a power source, deterioration of the fuel cell leads to a decrease in output, which hinders good running. Therefore, various technologies for managing the state of the fuel cell have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle that appropriately switches between a fuel cell and a battery. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-143037 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a vehicle that runs on a fuel cell and a battery as its power source, there is room for improvement in the method of switching between the power sources.

[0005] The following describes a control device and the like that allows for improved power source switching in a vehicle that runs on a fuel cell and a battery as its power sources. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The control device of the present disclosure includes a memory unit that stores information indicating a first running amount by the fuel cell and a second running amount by the battery of a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as a power source, and a control unit that, when an event indicating an overload of the fuel cell occurs, controls the use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase the proportion of the second running amount in the total of the first and second running amounts.

[0007] The program of the control device in the present disclosure causes the control device to execute the steps of deriving a first running amount by the fuel cell and a second running amount by the battery for a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as power sources, and, when an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell occurs, controlling the use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase the proportion of the second running amount in the total of the first and second running amounts.

[0008] The method of operating the control device in the present disclosure includes the steps of deriving a first running amount by the fuel cell and a second running amount by the battery for a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as power sources, and, when an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell occurs, controlling use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase the proportion of the second running amount in the total of the first and second running amounts. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The control device and the like in the present disclosure enables improved power source switching in a vehicle that runs on a fuel cell and a battery as its power source. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The following describes the embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle in one embodiment. The control device 10 is an information processing device mounted on the vehicle 12 and controls the operation of the vehicle 12. The vehicle 12 is a passenger car, a bus, a truck, a work vehicle, or the like, which runs using a fuel cell 13 and a battery 14 as a power source. The fuel cell 13 generates water and electricity from hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen station or the like and oxygen in the air. The generated electricity is used to drive the vehicle 12. The battery 14 is, for example, a lithium-ion battery. The vehicle 12 is manually driven, but part of the driving may be automated.

[0013] The control device 10 stores a driving history of the vehicle 12, which runs using the fuel cell 13 and the battery 14 as power sources, including a first driving amount by the fuel cell 13 (hereinafter referred to as fuel cell driving amount) and a driving amount by the battery 14 (hereinafter referred to as battery driving amount). Here, the driving amount is the driving distance or driving time of the vehicle 12. When an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell 13 occurs, the control device 10 controls the use of the fuel cell 13 or the battery 14 so as to increase the proportion of the battery driving amount in the total of the fuel cell driving amount and the battery driving amount. In this way, the control device 10 reduces the use of the fuel cell 13 when an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell 13 occurs, thereby improving power source switching and slowing down deterioration of the fuel cell 13.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the control device 10. The control device 10 has a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, a control unit 23, a positioning unit 24, an input unit 25, an output unit 26, and a detection unit 28. These units may be configured as one control device, or may be configured by two or more control devices, or may be configured by a control device and other devices such as a communication device. The control device 10 includes, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and the like. The communication device includes, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module) and the like. The control device 10 may also be configured to include a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone terminal, a navigation device, and the like. The units are connected to each other or to various ECUs and other devices of the vehicle 12 so as to be able to communicate information with each other or to various ECUs and other devices of the vehicle 12 through an in-vehicle network conforming to a standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network). The various ECUs of the vehicle 12 include ECUs that control the fuel cell 13 and the battery 14, respectively.

[0015] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interfaces are interfaces compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation). The communication unit 21 receives information used in the operation of the control unit 33, and transmits information obtained by the operation of the control unit 23. The control unit 23 can communicate information with other devices through the communication unit 21 via a mobile communication base station.

[0016] The storage unit 22 includes, for example, one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of them, that function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The RAM is, for example, a static RAM (SRAM) or a dynamic RAM (DRAM). The ROM is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). The storage unit 22 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 23 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 23. The storage unit 22 stores a driving history 27. The driving history 27 includes a fuel cell driving amount and a battery driving amount of the vehicle 12.

[0017] The control unit 23 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination of these. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) specialized for specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 23 executes information processing related to the operation of the control unit 10 while controlling each part of the control unit 10. The control unit 23 receives information indicating the charging and discharging states of the fuel cell 13 and the battery from the control ECU of the fuel cell 13 and the battery 14, sends instructions for controlling,

[0018] The positioning unit 24 includes one or more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. The GNSS includes at least one of the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), BeiDou, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), and Galileo. The positioning unit 24 acquires position information of the vehicle 12 and transmits it to the control unit 23.

[0019] The input unit 25 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, or a microphone that accepts voice input. The input unit 25 accepts an operation to input information used in the operation of the control device 10, and sends the input information to the control unit 23.

[0020] The output unit 26 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, a display or a speaker. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 26 outputs information obtained by the operation of the control device 10.

[0021] The detection unit 28 has one or more sensors that detect the state or operation of each part of the vehicle 12, or an interface with the sensors, and sends information indicating the detection results by the sensors to the control unit 23. The sensors detect the vehicle speed, acceleration, inclination of the vehicle body, weight of the vehicle body including cargo, current and voltage of the fuel cell 13 and the battery 14, etc.

[0022] The functions of control unit 23 are realized by executing a control program on a processor included in control unit 23. The control program is a program for making a computer execute processing of steps included in the operation of control unit 23, thereby making the computer realize functions corresponding to the processing of those steps. In other words, the control program is a program for making a computer function as control unit 33. In addition, some or all of the functions of control unit 23 may be realized by a dedicated circuit included in control unit 33.

[0023] The control unit 23 generates information for controlling various mechanisms and devices of the vehicle 12, and controls the various mechanisms and devices by sending the control information to their control circuits. The control unit 23 may provide assistance for driving operations by controlling mechanisms that accept driving operations.

[0024] 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation procedure of the control unit 23 of the control device 10 in this embodiment. The procedure in FIG. 3 is executed at any period of, for example, several milliseconds to several tens of seconds.

[0025] In step S300, the control unit 23 generates a driving history 27 of the vehicle 12. The driving history 27 includes a driving route and a driving time. The control unit 23 derives the driving route and the driving time of the vehicle 12 using map information stored in advance in the memory unit 22 and a time change in the position information acquired by the positioning unit 24. The control unit 23 derives the driving route and the driving time when the fuel cell 13 is used and when the battery 14 is used. If the driving history 27 has already been generated, the difference information is added and the driving history 27 is updated.

[0026] In step S302, the control unit 23 derives the travel amount of the vehicle 12. The travel amount is a travel distance, a travel time, or a value obtained by scoring these using an arbitrary algorithm. For example, the control unit 23 may weight the travel distance by the travel time to obtain a score indicating the travel amount. Furthermore, the control unit 23 may weight the travel amount according to the amount of acceleration / deceleration during travel, the angle of ascent / descent, the weight of passengers or cargo, and the like. For example, the travel amount is multiplied by a larger weighting coefficient as the amount of acceleration / deceleration, the angle of ascent / descent, or the weight is larger. The weight according to the amount of acceleration / deceleration, the angle of ascent / descent, or the weight is normalized by an arbitrary scale. The control unit 23 derives the amount of acceleration / deceleration, the angle of ascent / descent, the weight of the vehicle, and the like from information from the detection unit 28. The control unit 23 derives the fuel cell travel amount when the fuel cell 13 is used and the battery travel amount when the battery 14 is used. The derived travel amount is stored in the memory unit 22 as a part of the travel history 27.

[0027] Next, the control unit 23 determines whether an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell 13 has occurred.

[0028] In step S304, the control unit 23 judges whether the ratio of the fuel cell traveling amount to the total amount of the fuel cell traveling amount and the battery traveling amount is equal to or greater than a ratio standard. The ratio is preset to an arbitrary value of, for example, 40 to 50% or more. If the ratio is equal to or greater than the ratio standard (Yes), the control unit 23 proceeds to step S308, and if it is less than the ratio standard (No), the control unit 23 proceeds to step S306.

[0029] In step S306, control unit 23 determines degradation of fuel cell 13. Control unit 23 derives the current-voltage characteristics of fuel cell 13 from information from detection unit 28, and determines that fuel cell 13 is degraded if the current-voltage characteristics are lower than an arbitrarily set standard. If degradation is determined (Yes), control unit 23 proceeds to step S308, and if degradation is not determined (No), control unit 23 proceeds to step S310.

[0030] If the percentage of fuel cell traveling distance is equal to or greater than a reference value or if the fuel cell 13 is deteriorated, then in step S308, the control unit 23 controls the output of the power source to increase the use of the battery 14. For example, when traveling using the fuel cell 13, the control unit 23 switches to using the battery 14, and when traveling using the battery 14, the control unit 23 maintains the use of the battery 14.

[0031] On the other hand, if the percentage of fuel cell traveling distance is less than the standard and the fuel cell 13 is not deteriorated, in step S310, the control unit 23 controls the output of the power source to increase the use of the fuel cell 13. For example, when the vehicle is traveling using the battery 14, the control unit 23 switches to the use of the fuel cell 13, and when the vehicle is traveling using the fuel cell 13, the control unit 23 maintains the use of the fuel cell 13.

[0032] After step S308 or S310, the control unit 23 ends this cycle. The control unit 23 periodically repeats the procedure of FIG.

[0033] Through the above-mentioned operation, the control device 10 can suppress the deterioration rate of the fuel cell 13 by keeping the fuel cell travel distance constant. Furthermore, when deriving the travel distance, the travel distance can be weighted according to the amount of acceleration and deceleration during travel, the angle of ascent and descent, the weight of passengers or cargo, etc., so that the load on the fuel cell can be more accurately reflected in the travel distance. Through such operation, the control device 10 can improve power source switching and delay the deterioration of the fuel cell 13. Furthermore, by delaying the deterioration of the fuel cell 13, it is possible to maintain a high resale price for the vehicle 12 and extend the lease period for the vehicle 12 or the fuel cell 13.

[0034] In the above description, an example has been described in which the control device 10 is mounted on the vehicle 12. However, for example, the vehicle 12 may communicate with a server device via mobile communication, and the operation of this embodiment may be performed by the server device or in cooperation with the server device and the control device 10 on the vehicle 12 side. In such a case, the server device, or the server device and the control device 10 on the vehicle 12 side, correspond to the control device of this embodiment.

[0035] The program that defines the operation of the control device 10 may be acquired by the control device 10, for example, by downloading it from a server or the like, and stored in the storage unit 22.

[0036] In the above, the embodiment has been described based on the drawings and examples, but it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple means, steps, etc. can be combined into one or divided into one.

[0037] Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below as examples. However, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to these examples. [Appendix 1] a storage unit that stores information indicating a first travel distance by the fuel cell and a second travel distance by the battery of a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as a power source; a control unit that controls use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase a ratio of the second travel distance to the total of the first and second travel distances when an event indicating an overload of the fuel cell occurs; A control device having the above configuration. [Appendix 2] In Appendix 1: The control unit weights the first travel distance according to an acceleration / deceleration amount, an uphill / downhill angle, or a load amount of the vehicle when using the fuel cell. Control device. [Appendix 3] In Appendix 1 or 2, The event includes a case where a ratio of the first travel amount to the total of the first and second travel amounts is equal to or greater than a reference value. Control device. [Appendix 4] In any of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, The event includes a case where the fuel cell exhibits a predetermined deterioration state. Control device. [Appendix 5] A program for a control device, A step of deriving a first travel amount by the fuel cell and a second travel amount by the battery for a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as a power source; When an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell occurs, controlling use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase a ratio of the second traveling amount to an overall ratio of the first and second traveling amounts; A program to execute. [Appendix 6] In Appendix 5: The method further includes weighting the first travel distance according to an acceleration / deceleration amount, an uphill / downhill angle, or a load amount of the vehicle when using the fuel cell. program. [Appendix 7] In Appendix 5 or 6: The event includes a case where a ratio of the first travel amount to the total of the first and second travel amounts is equal to or greater than a reference value. program. [Appendix 8] In any of Supplementary Notes 5 to 7, The event includes a case where the fuel cell exhibits a predetermined deterioration state. program. [Appendix 9] A method of operating a control device, comprising: A step of deriving a first travel amount by the fuel cell and a second travel amount by the battery for a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as a power source; When an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell occurs, controlling use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase a ratio of the second traveling amount to an overall ratio of the first and second traveling amounts; 4. A method of operation comprising: [Appendix 10] In Appendix 9: The method further includes weighting the first travel distance according to an acceleration / deceleration amount, an uphill / downhill angle, or a load amount of the vehicle when using the fuel cell. How it works. [Appendix 11] In Appendix 9 or 10: The event includes a case where a ratio of the first travel amount to the total of the first and second travel amounts is equal to or greater than a reference value. How it works. [Appendix 12] In any of Supplementary Notes 9 to 11, The event includes a case where the fuel cell exhibits a predetermined deterioration state. How it works. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Control device 12 Vehicles 13 Fuel Cell 14 Battery 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Control Unit 24 Positioning unit 25 Input section 26 Output section 27 Driving History 28 Detection unit

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores information indicating a first travel distance by the fuel cell and a second travel distance by the battery of a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as a power source; a control unit that controls use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase a ratio of the second travel distance to an overall total of the first and second travel distances when an event indicating an overload of the fuel cell occurs; A control device having the above configuration.

2. In claim 1, the control unit weights the first travel distance in accordance with an acceleration / deceleration amount, an ascent / descent angle, or a load amount of the vehicle when using the fuel cell. Control device.

3. In claim 1, The event includes a case where a ratio of the first travel amount to the total of the first and second travel amounts is equal to or greater than a reference value. Control device.

4. In claim 1, The event includes a case where the fuel cell exhibits a predetermined deterioration state. Control device.

5. A program for a control device, A step of deriving a first travel amount by the fuel cell and a second travel amount by the battery for a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as a power source; When an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell occurs, controlling use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase a proportion of the second travel amount in the entire first and second travel amounts; A program to execute.

6. In claim 5, weighting the first travel amount according to an amount of acceleration or deceleration, an angle of ascent or descent of the vehicle when using the fuel cell, or a load amount; program.

7. In claim 5, The event includes a case where a ratio of the first travel amount to the total of the first and second travel amounts is equal to or greater than a reference value. program.

8. In claim 5, The event includes a case where the fuel cell exhibits a predetermined deterioration state. program.

9. A method of operating a control device, comprising: A step of deriving a first travel amount by the fuel cell and a second travel amount by the battery for a vehicle that runs using a fuel cell and a battery as a power source; When an event indicating an overload on the fuel cell occurs, controlling use of the fuel cell or the battery so as to increase a proportion of the second travel amount in the entire first and second travel amounts; 4. A method of operation comprising:

10. In claim 9, weighting the first travel amount according to an amount of acceleration / deceleration, an angle of ascending or descending a slope, or a load amount of the vehicle when using the fuel cell; How it works.

11. In claim 9, The event includes a case where a ratio of the first travel amount to the total of the first and second travel amounts is equal to or greater than a reference value. How it works.

12. In claim 9, The event includes a case where the fuel cell exhibits a predetermined deterioration state. How it works.

Images