Battery Temperature Control Device

Abstract

To provide a battery temperature control device capable of curbing a reduction in drive force by a motor of a vehicle when the vehicle travel in a specific area where use of an engine is restricted.SOLUTION: A device to control temperature of a battery 120d in a vehicle 100 comprising an engine 120a, the battery 120d, and motors 120b and 120c driving the vehicle 100 by getting electric power supply from the battery 120d. The device has: a temperature range acquisition section 162b which acquires a temperature range of the battery 120d where the battery 120d can output predetermined power to enable drive force of only the motors 120b and 120c to drive the vehicle 100; and a temperature control section 162c which controls temperature of the battery 120d so that the temperature thereof is within the temperature range by the time when the vehicle 100 reaches a specific area where use of the engine 120a is restricted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery temperature control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when a vehicle is predicted to pass through a specific area (road pricing area) and it is predicted that the amount of energy required to pass through the specific area is insufficient, it is known to set the minimum charge level required to pass through the specific area using EV driving as the target charge level for external charging, or to provide guidance to urge the occupants to charge (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-241804 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in the above Patent Document 1 is intended to resolve the energy shortage by charging when the amount of energy required to pass through a specific area is insufficient.

[0005] However, in certain areas where the use of engines is restricted, when a vehicle is driven only by the driving force of the motor, if the battery temperature is low or the battery is overheated, the battery output decreases and the driving force of the vehicle may be insufficient. The technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the reduction in driving force caused by the battery temperature, so there is a problem of insufficient driving force when the vehicle travels in certain areas.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery temperature control device that can suppress a decrease in the driving force of a vehicle by a motor when the vehicle is traveling in specific areas where the use of the engine is restricted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0008] 1. A device for controlling a temperature of a battery in a vehicle including an engine, a battery, and a motor that receives power from the battery to drive the vehicle, comprising: a temperature range acquisition unit that acquires a temperature range of the battery within which the battery can output a predetermined output for driving the vehicle using only the driving force of the motor; a temperature control unit that controls a temperature of the battery so that the temperature of the battery is within the temperature range before the vehicle reaches a specific area where the use of the engine is restricted; A battery temperature control device comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, a battery temperature control device is provided that is capable of suppressing a decrease in the driving force of a vehicle by a motor when the vehicle is traveling in a specific area where the use of the engine is restricted. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control system mounted on a vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the detailed configuration of a vehicle control device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of a processor of an ECU provided in a vehicle. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the temperature of a battery and the output of the battery. [Figure 6] 4 is a characteristic diagram showing a map for calculating a correction coefficient by which a correction unit corrects the amount of heat generation or the amount of cooling. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a processor of the ECU. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of a processor of an ECU provided in a vehicle in a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 5 is a characteristic diagram for explaining a process flow in which an estimation unit estimates a battery temperature Tbe based on a planned traveling route. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for estimating the time when a vehicle will enter a specific area inside a boundary line. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for estimating the time when a vehicle will enter a specific area inside a boundary line. [Figure 12] 4 is a characteristic diagram showing a map for calculating a correction coefficient by which a correction unit corrects the amount of heat generation or the amount of cooling. FIG. [Figure 13] 4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a processor of the ECU. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of a processor of an ECU provided in a vehicle in a third embodiment. [Figure 15] 4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a processor of the ECU. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of a processor of an ECU provided in a vehicle in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 17] 4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a processor of the ECU. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, these descriptions are intended to merely exemplify preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to such specific embodiments. In the following description, similar components are given the same reference numerals.

[0012] (First embodiment) 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control system 1000 according to one embodiment. In this control system 1000, an area is defined by a virtual geographical boundary (hereinafter simply referred to as a boundary) 10, and a vehicle 100 performs different controls in a specific area inside the boundary 10 and an area outside the boundary 10. The vehicle 100 is a manually-driven vehicle that is manually driven by a driver, or an autonomously-driven vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and more specifically, a PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle).

[0013] The boundary line 10 separates, for example, an urban area from the surrounding area. In the urban area inside the boundary line 10, the density of the vehicles 100 is high, and the population density is also high, so consideration must be given to people and the environment, such as by suppressing exhaust gas emitted from the vehicles 100. For this reason, use of the engine of the vehicle 100 is restricted in the specific area (urban area) inside the boundary line 10. As an example, in this embodiment, in the urban area inside the boundary line 10, it is required by law, government ordinance, etc. that the engine of the vehicle 100 be stopped. In the urban area inside the boundary line 10, the vehicle 100 stops the engine and runs in EV mode using the motor as a drive source.

[0014] On the other hand, in the area outside the boundary line 10, the density of vehicles 100 is low, and the population density is also low, so less consideration needs to be given to people and the environment compared to the urban area inside the boundary line 10. For this reason, in the area outside the boundary line 10, the vehicle 100 runs with the engine running, in a mode using both the engine and the motor as drive sources, or in a mode using only the engine as a drive source.

[0015] As a result, exhaust gas emitted from engines is suppressed in the specific area inside the boundary line 10, so that the air is kept clean even if there are many vehicles 100 in the specific area inside the boundary line 10.

[0016] However, when vehicle 100 is traveling in EV mode using a motor as a power source in a specific area inside boundary line 10, if the battery of vehicle 100 is cold or overheated, the battery output will decrease and driving force may be insufficient.

[0017] In this embodiment, a temperature range in which the battery 120d can output a target battery output is acquired. Then, before the vehicle 100 reaches the specific area inside the boundary line 10, the temperature of the battery 120d is controlled to be within the temperature range. This prevents the vehicle 100 from becoming insufficient in driving force when the vehicle 100 runs in the specific area inside the boundary line 10 in an EV mode using the motor as a driving source, and ensures the power performance of the vehicle 100 appropriately.

[0018] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control system mounted on a vehicle 100. The vehicle control system includes a positioning information receiver 110, a vehicle control device 120, a wireless terminal 130, one or more sensors 140, a navigation device 150, an electronic control unit (ECU, hereinafter referred to as ECU) 160, a heating / cooling device 170, and a display device 180. The positioning information receiver 110, the vehicle control device 120, the wireless terminal 130, the one or more sensors 140, the navigation device 150, the ECU 160, the heating / cooling device 170, and the display device 180 are each connected to be able to communicate with each other via an in-vehicle network that complies with standards such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) and Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0019] The positioning information receiver 110 acquires positioning information indicating the current position and attitude of the vehicle 100. For example, the positioning information receiver 110 may be a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. Every time the positioning information receiver 110 receives positioning information, the positioning information receiver 110 outputs the acquired positioning information to the ECU 160 via the in-vehicle network.

[0020] The vehicle control devices 120 are various devices related to vehicle control, and include an engine 120a and motors 120b and 120c as drive sources for propelling the vehicle 100, and a battery 120d for storing electric power.

[0021] The wireless terminal 130 is a communication interface with a communication network such as the Internet, and includes, for example, an antenna and a signal processing circuit that executes various processes related to wireless communication, such as modulation and demodulation of wireless signals. For example, the wireless terminal 130 receives downlink wireless signals from a wireless base station connected to the communication network, and transmits uplink wireless signals to the wireless base station. The wireless terminal 130 extracts a signal to be transmitted from an external server to the vehicle 100 from the received downlink wireless signals, and passes the signal to the ECU 160. The wireless terminal 130 also generates an uplink wireless signal including a signal to be transmitted to an external server received from the ECU 160, and transmits the wireless signal.

[0022] The one or more sensors 140 include a sensor that detects the temperature of the battery 120d, and a voltage sensor that detects a terminal current and a terminal voltage of the battery 120d.

[0023] The navigation device 150 determines a planned route from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination according to a predetermined route search method such as the Dijkstra algorithm. For this purpose, the navigation device 150 includes a memory for storing map information. The map information may be stored in the memory 164 of the ECU 160.

[0024] The ECU 160 includes a processor 162, a memory 164, and a communication interface 166. The processor 162 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 162 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logic arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. The memory 164 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 164 stores various information such as position information of the boundary line 10 and output characteristics of the battery 120d according to temperature. The communication interface 166 includes an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 160 to an in-vehicle network.

[0025] The heating / cooling device 170 is a device for heating or cooling the battery 120d, and is composed of, for example, a heater for heating the battery 120d, a fan for blowing air to the battery 120d to cool it, etc. Note that the battery 120d may be heated or cooled depending on the amount of heat it generates, in which case the vehicle control system does not need to include the heating / cooling device 170.

[0026] The display device 180 is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display (LCD), and is provided near the meter panel or dashboard, etc., to display various information.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle control device 120. Specifically, the vehicle control device 120 includes an engine 120a, a power generation motor 120b, a drive motor 120c, a battery 120d, and inverters 120e and 120f. The power generation motor 120b rotates by the driving force of the engine 120a to generate electricity. The generated electricity is charged to the battery 120d via the inverter 120e. The output of the battery 120d is supplied to the drive motor 120c via the inverter 120f, and the wheels are driven by the driving force of the drive motor 120c. Note that the drive shafts of the engine 120a, the power generation motor 120b, and the drive motor 120c may be connected by planetary gears, and the wheels may be driven by the driving force of at least one of the engine 120a, the power generation motor 120b, and the drive motor 120c. In the EV mode, the engine 120a is stopped, and the wheels are driven only by the driving force of the motor.

[0028] 4 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of the processor 162 of the ECU 160 provided in the vehicle 100. The processor 162 has a vehicle information acquisition unit 162a, a temperature range acquisition unit 162b, a temperature control unit 162c, and a correction unit 162d. Each of these units of the processor 162 is a functional module realized by, for example, a computer program that runs on the processor 162. That is, each of these units of the processor 162 is composed of the processor 162 and a program (software) for making the processor 162 function. The program may be recorded in the memory 164 of the ECU 160 or a recording medium connected from the outside. Alternatively, each of these units of the processor 162 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 162.

[0029] The vehicle information acquisition unit 162a of the processor 162 acquires various information such as the current temperature Tb of the battery 120d, the current SOC of the battery 120d, and the distance from the current position of the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10. The vehicle information acquisition unit 162a acquires the temperature Tb of the battery 120d detected by the sensor 140. The vehicle information acquisition unit 162a also acquires the current SOC from the terminal current and terminal voltage of the battery 120d detected by the sensor 140. The vehicle information acquisition unit 162a acquires the SOC, for example, by integrating the charge / discharge current of the battery 120d. The vehicle information acquisition unit 162a also acquires the distance from the current position of the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 based on the positioning information acquired by the positioning information receiver 110 and the position information of the boundary line 10 stored in the memory 164. The vehicle information acquisition unit 162a may acquire the distance from the current position of the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 based on information received by the wireless terminal 130 from an external server or the like.

[0030] The temperature range acquisition unit 162b of the processor 162 acquires the temperature range TbA-TbB of the battery 120d in which the battery 120d can output a target battery output for driving the vehicle 100 only with the driving forces of the motors 120b and 120c. Fig. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the temperature of the battery 120d and the output of the battery 120d, where the horizontal axis indicates the temperature of the battery 120d and the vertical axis indicates the output of the battery 120d.

[0031] 5 indicates the output characteristic of the battery 120d according to the temperature of the battery 120d. As shown in the characteristic c1, the output of the battery 120d reaches a maximum value at a certain temperature, and decreases as the temperature decreases below that temperature, and also decreases as the temperature increases above that temperature.

[0032] 5 is the output of battery 120d that can drive vehicle 100 only with the outputs of motors 120b and 120c, and is set to a fixed value or a learned value. When the target battery output is a fixed value, the target battery output is determined based on the vehicle weight, the specifications of the drive motor, etc. When the target battery output is a fixed value, the target battery output may be set to a value that allows the vehicle to travel in a driving pattern determined by, for example, WLTP (World Harmonized Light Duty Test Procedure).

[0033] When the target battery output is a learned value, the target battery output is learned, for example, from the output of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 runs in a specific area inside the boundary line 10 in EV mode. When the target battery output is a learned value, for example, the usual driving manner (driving characteristics) of each driver in EV mode is collected, and an upper limit value in the range of ±2σ or ±3σ, where σ is the standard deviation, is learned as the target battery output. By learning the target battery output, heating control or cooling control, which will be described later, is not performed more than necessary, and energy efficiency such as electricity consumption is improved.

[0034] The temperature range acquisition unit 162b acquires a temperature range TbA-TbB of the battery 120d in which the battery 120d can output the target battery output based on the output characteristic (characteristic C1) of the battery 120d according to the temperature stored in the memory 164 and the target battery output based on the characteristic shown in Fig. 5. Note that the temperature range TbA-TbB may be a predetermined fixed value and may be stored in the memory 164 in advance, for example. In this case, the temperature range acquisition unit 162b acquires the temperature range TbA-TbB which is a fixed value stored in the memory 164.

[0035] A characteristic C2 indicated by a dashed line in Fig. 5 indicates the output characteristic of the battery 120d when the SOC of the battery 120d is higher than that of the characteristic C1. Also, a characteristic C3 indicated by a dashed line in Fig. 5 indicates the output characteristic of the battery 120d when the SOC of the battery 120d is higher than that of the characteristic C2. As shown by the characteristics C2 and C3, the output characteristic of the battery 120d according to the temperature of the battery 120d changes according to the SOC of the battery 120d, and even if the temperature of the battery 120d is the same, the higher the SOC, the larger the output of the battery 120d. Therefore, the temperature range TbA-TbB of the battery 120d in which the battery 120d can output the target battery output becomes larger as the SOC becomes higher.

[0036] Therefore, the temperature range acquisition unit 162b may acquire the temperature range TbA-TbB according to the current SOC of the battery 120d acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 162a. In this case, a plurality of output characteristics of the battery 120d according to the SOC, such as the characteristics C1-C3, are stored in advance in the memory 164. The temperature range acquisition unit 162b selects an output characteristic corresponding to the current SOC acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 162a from the plurality of output characteristics stored in the memory 164, and acquires the temperature range TbA-TbB of the battery 120d within which the battery 120d can output the target battery output, based on the selected output characteristic and the target battery output.

[0037] The temperature control unit 162c of the processor 162 controls the temperature of the battery 120d so that the temperature of the battery 120d falls within the temperature range TbA to TbB by the time the vehicle 100 reaches a specific area where the use of the engine is restricted, based on the current temperature Tb of the battery 120d and the temperature range TbA to TbB. Specifically, the temperature control unit 162c performs temperature control when the temperature Tb is outside the temperature range TbA to TbB, that is, when Tb < TbA or Tb > TbB. When Tb < TbA, the temperature control unit 162c performs heating control so that the amount of heat generation increases as the difference (TbA - Tb) increases. Further, when Tb > TbB, the temperature control unit 162c performs cooling control so that the amount of cooling increases as the difference (Tb - TbB) increases.

[0038] For example, the temperature control unit 162c controls the heater of the heating / cooling device 170 to perform heating control. Also, for example, the temperature control unit 162c controls the fan of the heating / cooling device 170 to perform cooling control. Since the heat generation of the battery 120d increases as the output of the battery 120d increases, the temperature control unit 162c may perform heating control by increasing the driving amount of the power generation motor 120b or the driving motor 120c to increase the output of the battery 120d. Similarly, the temperature control unit 162c may perform cooling control by decreasing the driving amount of the power generation motor 120b or the driving motor 120c to decrease the output of the battery 120d. Basically, the driving amount of the engine 120a relatively decreases as the driving amount of the motor for driving the vehicle 100 increases.

[0039] The correction unit 162d of the processor 162 corrects the heat generation amount or the cooling amount according to the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10, and increases the heat generation amount or the cooling amount as the distance to the boundary line 10 becomes closer. FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing a map for calculating a correction coefficient for correcting the heat generation amount or the cooling amount by the correction unit 162d. The horizontal axis represents the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10, and the vertical axis represents the correction coefficient. As shown in FIG. 6, the correction coefficient has a larger value as the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 becomes shorter. When the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 is d1 or more, the correction coefficient is set to 0.

[0040] When Tb < TbA, the correction unit 162d corrects the heat generation amount by multiplying the heat generation amount corresponding to the difference (TbA - Tb) between TbA and Tb by the correction coefficient. Therefore, the shorter the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10, the larger the value to which the heat generation amount is corrected. Also, when Tb > TbB, the correction unit 162d corrects the heat generation amount by multiplying the cooling amount corresponding to the difference (Tb - TbB) between Tb and TbB by the correction coefficient. Therefore, the shorter the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10, the larger the value to which the cooling amount is corrected. When the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 is d1 or more, the correction coefficient becomes 0, and the heat generation amount or the cooling amount is set to 0. Therefore, in this case, the temperature increase control or the cooling control is not performed.

[0041] Note that in FIG. 6, the heat generation amount or the cooling amount is corrected by multiplying a correction coefficient having a linear relationship with the distance to the boundary line 10, but the heat generation amount or the cooling amount may be corrected using a map or the like according to the distance to the boundary line 10.

[0042] When the heat generation amount or the cooling amount is corrected by the correction unit 162d, the temperature control unit 162c performs temperature control based on the corrected heat generation amount or cooling amount.

[0043] The shorter the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10, the more likely the vehicle 100 is to enter the specific area inside the boundary line 10 earlier, and it becomes necessary to warm up the battery 120d to the appropriate temperature earlier. By increasing the amount of heat generation or cooling as the distance to the boundary line 10 is shorter, the temperature of the battery 120d is surely controlled within the temperature range TbA to TbB by the time the vehicle 100 reaches the specific area.

[0044] Also, the closer the distance to the boundary line 10, the higher the probability that the vehicle 100 will enter the specific area inside the boundary line 10. By correcting the amount of heat generation or cooling to increase as the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 is shorter, stronger temperature control is implemented as the probability that the vehicle 100 will enter the specific area inside the boundary line 10 is higher. Therefore, control according to the probability of entering the specific area inside the boundary line 10 becomes possible, and temperature control is realized considering the balance between ensuring the battery output when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area and reducing the energy efficiency such as electricity costs due to heating control or cooling control.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the processor 162 of the ECU 160. The processing shown in FIG. 7 is performed by the processor 162 at each predetermined control cycle. First, the vehicle information acquisition unit 162a of the processor 162 acquires the current temperature Tb of the battery 120d, the current SOC of the battery 120d, and the distance from the current position of the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 (step S10).

[0046] Next, the temperature range acquisition unit 162b of the processor 162 acquires the temperature range TbA to TbB of the battery 120d in which the battery 120d can output the target battery output (step S12). Next, the temperature control unit 162c of the processor 162 determines whether Tb < TbA (step S14), and if Tb < TbA, heating control is implemented (step S16). At this time, the correction unit 162d corrects the amount of heat generation to a larger value as the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 is shorter.

[0047] Further, when Tb < TbA is not satisfied in step S14, the temperature control unit 162c determines whether Tb > TbB (step S18). If Tb > TbB, cooling control is performed (step S19). At this time, the correction unit 162d corrects the cooling amount to a larger value as the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10 becomes shorter. After steps S16 and S19, the processing in this control cycle ends.

[0048] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the temperature of the battery 120d is controlled to be within the temperature range TbA to TbB until the vehicle 100 reaches a specific area where the use of the engine is restricted. Therefore, when the vehicle 100 travels in the EV mode with the motor as the driving source in the specific area inside the boundary line 10, it is possible to suppress a shortage of driving force.

[0049] (Second Embodiment) The second embodiment relates to the case where a travel destination is set in the navigation device 150. When a travel destination is set in the navigation device 150, since the driving state of the vehicle 100 to the travel destination can be predicted, the temperature and SOC of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 reaches a specific area inside the boundary line 10 can be predicted. Therefore, the temperature control of the battery 120d can be realized with higher accuracy. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the vehicle control system mounted on the vehicle 100 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

[0050] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a functional block of the processor 162 of the ECU 160 provided in the vehicle 100 in the second embodiment. The processor 162 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 162a, a temperature range acquisition unit 162b, a temperature control unit 162c, a correction unit 162d, and an estimation unit 162e.

[0051] As in the first embodiment, the vehicle information acquisition unit 162a of the processor 162 acquires various information such as the current temperature Tb of the battery 120d, the current SOC of the battery 120d, and the distance from the current position of the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the vehicle information acquisition unit 162a acquires, from the navigation device 150, various information related to the planned travel route along which the vehicle 100 will travel.

[0052] The estimation unit 162e of the processor 162 estimates the temperature Tbe of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10, and the SOC of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10. FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram for explaining the flow of a process in which the estimation unit 162e estimates the temperature Tbe of the battery 120d based on the planned travel route. The horizontal axis of FIG. 9 indicates time, and the vertical axis of FIG. 9 indicates the vehicle speed (FIG. 9(a)), the gradient of the road surface (FIG. 9(b)), the battery output (FIG. 9(c)), the battery loss (FIG. 9(d)), and the battery temperature (FIG. 9(e)). On the horizontal axis of FIG. 9, time t0 indicates the current time, and time t1 indicates the estimated time when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10.

[0053] First, as shown in FIG. 9(a) and FIG. 9(b), the estimation unit 162e acquires data on the vehicle speed and gradient when the vehicle 100 travels along the planned travel route to the travel destination from the navigation device 150. The vehicle speed may be an average vehicle speed in each section when the planned travel route is divided into a plurality of sections. The vehicle speed may be obtained by taking real-time congestion information into consideration. The gradient is obtained from map information of the navigation device 150. The data on the vehicle speed and gradient may be obtained from history information when the same route was traveled in the past.

[0054] Next, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the estimation unit 162e estimates the transition of the output of the battery 120d based on the data of the vehicle speed and gradient shown in FIG. 9(a) and FIG. 9(b), the running resistance of the vehicle 100, the vehicle weight, and the efficiency of energy transmission from the battery 120d to the tires. The running resistance of the vehicle 100, the vehicle weight, and the efficiency of energy transmission from the battery 120d to the tires are set to predetermined values. Next, as shown in FIG. 9(d), the estimation unit 162e estimates the transition of the battery loss when the battery output shown in FIG. 9(c) is output. If the battery loss can be estimated, the loss becomes heat generation of the battery 120d. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9(e), the estimation unit 162e estimates the transition of the temperature of the battery 120d based on the battery loss shown in FIG. 9(d), and estimates the temperature Tbe of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 enters a specific area inside the boundary line 10.

[0055] 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams for explaining a method of estimating the time (time t1 shown in FIG. 9) when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10. FIG. 10 shows a case where the specific area defined by the boundary line 10 does not change with time. When the specific area defined by the boundary line 10 does not change with time, the estimation unit 162e estimates the time when the vehicle 100 will enter the specific area inside the boundary line 10 when the vehicle 100 travels along the planned travel route (the route indicated by the arrow A1) based on information obtained from the navigation device 150. In the example shown in FIG. 10, it is estimated that the vehicle 100 will enter the specific area inside the boundary line 10 at 7:15 AM, 30 minutes after the current time (6:45 AM).

[0056] FIG. 11 also shows a case where the specific area defined by the boundary line 10 changes depending on the time. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the boundary line 10 is changed to a boundary line 10' after 7:00 AM, and the specific area is expanded. The estimation unit 162e estimates the time at which the vehicle 100 will enter the specific area inside the boundary line 10' when the vehicle 100 travels along the planned travel route (the route indicated by the arrow A1) based on information obtained from the navigation device 150, taking into consideration that the boundary line 10 will be changed to a boundary line 10' after 7:00 AM. In the example shown in FIG. 11, it is estimated that the vehicle 100 will enter the specific area inside the boundary line 10' at 7:00 AM, 15 minutes after the current time (6:45 AM).

[0057] When the estimation unit 162e estimates the time t1 when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10, the estimation unit 162e estimates the battery temperature at time t1, i.e., the temperature Tbe when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10, based on the battery temperature trend shown in Figure 9(d).

[0058] Furthermore, the estimation unit 162e estimates the SOC of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10 based on the current SOC of the battery 120d and the transition of the output of the battery 120d shown in FIG. 9(c), etc.

[0059] The functions of the temperature range acquisition unit 162b, temperature control unit 162c, and correction unit 162d of the processor 162 are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. However, regarding acquisition of the temperature range TbA-TbB based on the SOC of the battery 120d, the temperature range acquisition unit 162b of the first embodiment acquires the temperature range TbA-TbB based on the current SOC of the battery 120d, whereas the temperature range acquisition unit 162b of the second embodiment acquires the temperature range TbA-TbB based on the SOC of the battery 120d when entering the specific area estimated by the estimation unit 162e. Note that, if the SOC of the battery 120d cannot be estimated accurately, the temperature range TbA-TbB may be acquired using the current SOC as in the first embodiment.

[0060] Also, while the temperature control unit 162c in the first embodiment controls the temperature of the battery 120d based on the current temperature Tb of the battery 120d and the temperature range TbA to TbB, the temperature control unit 162c in the second embodiment controls the temperature of the battery 120d based on the temperature Tbe at the time of entering the specific area estimated by the estimation unit 162e and the temperature range TbA to TbB. Note that, if the temperature Tbe of the battery 120d cannot be estimated with high accuracy, the temperature may be controlled using the current temperature Tb of the battery 120d as in the first embodiment.

[0061] In addition, whereas the correction unit 162d of the first embodiment corrects the amount of heat generation or the amount of cooling according to the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10, the correction unit 162d of the second embodiment corrects the amount of heat generation or the amount of cooling according to the time it takes for the vehicle 100 to reach the boundary line 10 estimated by the estimation unit 162e, and increases the amount of heat generation or the amount of cooling as the time it takes to reach the boundary line 10 becomes shorter.

[0062] Fig. 12 is a characteristics diagram showing a map for calculating a correction coefficient by which correction unit 162d corrects the amount of heat generation or the amount of cooling, in which the horizontal axis indicates the time until vehicle 100 reaches boundary line 10 and the vertical axis indicates the correction coefficient. As shown in Fig. 12, the correction coefficient is set to a larger value as the time until vehicle 100 reaches boundary line 10 is shorter. If the time until vehicle 100 reaches boundary line 10 is T or more, the correction coefficient is set to 0.

[0063] As described above, since the specific area defined by the boundary line 10 may change depending on the time, by correcting the amount of heat generation or cooling taking into account the time (time taking into account the current time) until reaching the boundary line 10, the temperature of the battery 120d is precisely controlled to be within the temperature range TbA to TbB by the time the vehicle 100 reaches the specific area, particularly when the specific area has changed.

[0064] Note that, also in the second embodiment, the correction unit 162d may correct the heat generation amount or the cooling amount according to the distance from the vehicle 100 to the boundary line 10. In this case, in the second embodiment, since the distance that the vehicle 100 actually travels is obtained based on the planned travel route, the heat generation amount or the cooling amount may be corrected according to the distance that the vehicle 100 actually travels to the boundary line 10.

[0065] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the processor 162 of the ECU 160. First, the vehicle information acquisition unit 162a of the processor 162 acquires the current temperature Tb of the battery 120d, the current SOC of the battery 120d, and the planned travel route (path) along which the vehicle 100 travels (step S20).

[0066] Next, the estimation unit 162e of the processor 162 estimates the temperature Tbe of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10, and the SOC when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10 (step S22).

[0067] Next, the temperature range acquisition unit 162b of the processor 162 acquires the temperature range TbA to TbB in which the target battery output can be output (step S24). The process of step S24 is performed in the same manner as step S12 in FIG. 7. However, when the temperature range acquisition unit 162b acquires the temperature range TbA to TbB in consideration of the SOC, the temperature range TbA to TbB is acquired based on the SOC of the battery 120d when entering the specific area estimated by the estimation unit 162e.

[0068] Next, the temperature control unit 162c of the processor 162 determines whether Tbe < TbA (step S26). If Tbe < TbA, heating control is performed (step S27). At this time, the correction unit 162d corrects the heat generation amount to a larger value as the time until the vehicle 100 reaches the boundary line 10 is shorter.

[0069] Further, when Tbe < TbA is not satisfied in step S26, the temperature control unit 162c determines whether Tbe > TbB (step S28). If Tbe > TbB, cooling control is performed (step S29). At this time, the correction unit 162d corrects the cooling amount to a larger value as the time until the vehicle 100 reaches the boundary line 10 becomes shorter. After steps S27 and S29, the processing in this control cycle ends.

[0070] As described above, according to the second embodiment, based on the temperature Tbe of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10, the SOC of the battery 120d when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10, and the time until the vehicle 100 reaches the boundary line 10, the temperature of the battery 120d is controlled with higher accuracy.

[0071] (Third Embodiment) The third embodiment relates to an aspect in which, in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, when the SOC of the battery 120d is low, temperature control of the battery 120d is not performed. Performing temperature control of the battery 120d may reduce the electricity cost of the entire vehicle control system. In particular, when the battery 120d is heated in accordance with the heat generation corresponding to the output of the battery 120d, the power consumption increases due to the heating control, and the SOC may decrease. Therefore, when the SOC of the battery 120d is low, suppressing the temperature control of the battery 120d suppresses the decrease in the SOC. As a result, a longer driving distance of the vehicle 100 when traveling in the EV mode is ensured.

[0072] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a functional block of the processor 162 of the ECU 160 provided in the vehicle 100 in the third embodiment. The processor 162 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 162a, a temperature range acquisition unit 162b, a temperature control unit 162c, a correction unit 162d, an estimation unit 162e, and an SOC determination unit 162f.

[0073] The vehicle information acquisition unit 162a, the temperature range acquisition unit 162b, the temperature control unit 162c, the correction unit 162d, and the estimation unit 162e of the processor 162 are configured in the same manner as in the first or second embodiment.

[0074] The SOC determination unit 162f of the processor 162 determines whether the SOC of the battery 120d is a low SOC. When the SOC of the battery 120d is lower than a predetermined threshold, the SOC determination unit 162f determines that the SOC is low. The predetermined threshold is, for example, a value that allows the battery 120d to travel a predetermined distance (for example, 50 km) in EV mode. Note that, as the SOC of the battery 120d, the current SOC or an estimated value of the SOC when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10 may be used. The estimated value of the SOC when the vehicle 100 enters the specific area inside the boundary line 10 is estimated in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

[0075] In addition, the SOC determination unit 162f may determine that the SOC is low when a travel destination is set in the navigation device 150 and the remaining energy amount calculated from the current SOC is smaller than the amount of energy required to reach the destination. In this case, the SOC determination unit 162f calculates the amount of energy required to reach the destination by integrating the transition of the battery output shown in Fig. 9(c) and determines whether the remaining energy amount calculated from the current SOC is smaller than the amount of energy required to reach the destination. Note that, when the destination is within a specific area inside the boundary line 10, the total of the amount of energy required to travel in HV mode to reach the specific area and the amount of energy required to travel in EV mode within the specific area may be regarded as the amount of energy required to reach the destination.

[0076] When the SOC determining unit 162f determines that the SOC is low, the temperature control unit 162c of the processor 162 does not control the temperature of the battery 120d.

[0077] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the processor 162 of the ECU 160, and shows an example in which temperature control according to the SOC of the battery 120d is added to the processing of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 15 differs from Fig. 7 in that processing of step S30 is added to Fig. 7. Therefore, hereinafter, a description of the processing common to Fig. 7 will be omitted.

[0078] After step S12, the SOC determination unit 162f of the processor 162 determines whether the SOC of the battery 120d is low (step S30). If the SOC of the battery 120d is low, the process in this control cycle ends without performing any subsequent processes.

[0079] On the other hand, if the SOC of the battery 120d is not a low SOC in step S30, the process from step S14 onward in FIG. 7 is performed.

[0080] In the process of Fig. 15, an example is shown in which temperature control according to SOC is added to the process of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 7, but temperature control according to SOC may be added to the process of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 13. When temperature control according to SOC is added to the process of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 13, the process of step S30 in Fig. 15 is added after step S24 in Fig. 13.

[0081] As described above, according to the third embodiment, when the SOC of the battery 120d is low, the temperature control is not performed, so that a longer driving distance of the vehicle 100 when traveling in the EV mode is ensured.

[0082] (Fourth embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, a travel destination is set in the navigation device 150, and if the amount of energy required to reach the destination cannot be secured, a process for recovering the SOC is carried out.

[0083] 16 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of a processor 162 of an ECU 160 provided in a vehicle 100 in the fourth embodiment. The processor 162 has a vehicle information acquisition unit 162a, a temperature range acquisition unit 162b, a temperature control unit 162c, a correction unit 162d, an estimation unit 162e, a SOC determination unit 162f, and a SOC recovery unit 162g.

[0084] The vehicle information acquisition unit 162a, the temperature range acquisition unit 162b, the temperature control unit 162c, the correction unit 162d, and the estimation unit 162e of the processor 162 are configured in the same manner as in the first or second embodiment.

[0085] In the fourth embodiment, the SOC determination unit 162f of the processor 162 determines whether the SOC of the battery 120d is low based on a first threshold. Furthermore, the SOC determination unit 162f determines whether the SOC of the battery 120d is at a level that allows the vehicle to travel to the destination in EV mode based on a second threshold. Here, the second threshold is an SOC that can ensure the amount of energy required to reach the destination. On the other hand, the first threshold is an SOC obtained by adding a margin to the second threshold. Therefore, the relationship of first threshold>second threshold is established.

[0086] The SOC recovery unit 162g of the processor 162 performs a process to recover the SOC when the SOC of the battery 120d is low and the SOC of the battery 120d is not at a level that allows the battery 120d to travel to the destination in the EV mode. Specifically, the SOC recovery unit 162g performs a process to display a suggestion for recovering the SOC on the display device 180. For example, the SOC recovery unit 162g performs a process to display on the display device 180 a suggestion to pass through a charging station on the planned travel route to be traveled from now on and charge at the charging station, or a suggestion to change the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to a charging mode that charges the battery 120d. Alternatively, the SOC recovery unit 162g performs a process to recover the SOC of the battery 120d by starting the engine 120a and causing the generator motor 120b to generate electricity.

[0087] Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the processor 162 of the ECU 160, and shows an example in which temperature control according to the SOC of the battery 120d is added to the processing of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 17 differs from Fig. 13 in that processing of steps S30, S40, and S42 are added to Fig. 13. Therefore, hereinafter, a description of the processing common to Fig. 13 will be omitted.

[0088] After step S24, the SOC determination unit 162f of the processor 162 determines whether the SOC of the battery 120d is low SOC or not (step S30). In step S30, the SOC determination unit 162f determines that the SOC of the battery 120d is low SOC if the SOC of the battery 120d is lower than the second threshold. If the SOC of the battery 120d is determined to be low SOC in step S30, the SOC determination unit 162f determines whether or not it is possible to travel in EV mode to the destination (step S40). In step S40, the SOC determination unit 162f determines that it is not possible to travel in EV mode to the destination if the SOC of the battery 120d is lower than the second threshold.

[0089] If it is determined in step S40 that EV driving to the destination is not possible, the SOC recovery unit 162g of the processor 162 performs processing to recover the SOC (step S42). The SOC recovery unit 162g performs processing to display a suggestion for recovering the SOC on the display device 180, or to recover the SOC by starting the engine 120a and causing the generator motor 120b to generate electricity.

[0090] On the other hand, if the SOC of the battery 120d is not a low SOC in step S30, the process from step S26 onward in Fig. 13 is performed. Also, if it is determined in step S40 that EV driving to the destination is possible, the process in this control cycle ends without performing the process in step S42.

[0091] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when the SOC of the battery 120d is low, the temperature control is not performed, so that the driving distance of the vehicle 100 when traveling in the EV mode is secured to be longer. Also, when the SOC of the battery 120d is low, the process for recovering the SOC is performed, so that the SOC of the battery 120d is recovered. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 10. Boundaries 10' Boundary 100 vehicles 110 Positioning information receiver 120 Vehicle control equipment 120a Engine 120b Generator motor 120c drive motor 120d Battery 130 Wireless terminal 140 Sensors 150 Navigation equipment 160 Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 162 processors 162a Vehicle information acquisition unit 162b Temperature range acquisition unit 162c Temperature control unit 162d Correction section 162e Estimation part 162f SOC judgment section 162g SOC recovery section 164 Memory 166 Communication Interface 170 Heating and cooling equipment 180 Display device 1000 Control System

Claims

[Claim 1] 1. A device for controlling a temperature of a battery in a vehicle including an engine, a battery, and a motor that receives power from the battery to drive the vehicle, comprising: a temperature range acquisition unit that acquires a temperature range of the battery in which the battery can output a predetermined output for driving the vehicle only by a driving force of the motor, the temperature range corresponding to an SOC of the battery; a temperature control unit that controls a temperature of the battery so that the temperature of the battery is within the temperature range before the vehicle reaches a specific area where the use of the engine is restricted; A battery temperature control device comprising:

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