Vehicle power supply control system, vehicle, and method

Abstract

To provide a power supply control system for vehicles and the like capable of efficiently performing power supply from solar panels to a drive battery.SOLUTION: The power supply control system for vehicles includes a plurality of solar panels; a drive battery; an auxiliary battery; and an auxiliary system that is supplied the power from the solar panel and the auxiliary battery. The power supply control system includes an acquisition unit that acquires the power generated by the solar panels and power consumption of the auxiliary system; and a control unit that controls the power supply from the solar panels to the drive battery based on the power generated by the solar panels and the power consumption of the auxiliary system in a state where the power can be supplied from the solar panels to the drive battery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle power supply control system that controls the supply of power generated by a solar panel mounted on a vehicle, a vehicle equipped with this system, and a power supply control method performed by this system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a vehicle power supply control system that controls the proportion of power supplied from a solar panel, solar battery, or auxiliary battery to a drive battery and auxiliary system when the power consumption of the auxiliary system is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, so that the amount of power supplied to the auxiliary system is greater than when the power consumption of the auxiliary system is less than the predetermined value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-065021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The power consumption of the auxiliary system increases or decreases depending on factors such as the type of actuator actually in operation and the temperature environment the vehicle is in. For this reason, depending on the vehicle's condition, there is a risk that the power generated by the solar panels may not be efficiently supplied to the drive battery, and there is a demand for further efficiency in power supply control.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle power supply control system and the like that can efficiently supply power from a solar panel to a drive battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the disclosed technology is a vehicle power supply control system comprising a solar panel, a drive battery, an auxiliary battery, and an auxiliary system to which power is supplied from the solar panel and the auxiliary battery, the vehicle power supply control system comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires power generated by the solar panel and power consumption of the auxiliary system; and a control unit that controls power supply from the solar panel to the drive battery based on the power generated by the solar panel and the power consumption of the auxiliary system when power can be supplied from the solar panel to the drive battery. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the vehicle power supply control system and the like of the present disclosure, power can be efficiently supplied from the solar panel to the drive battery. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle power supply control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2A] Processing flowchart of charging control executed by the solar ECU [Figure 2B] Processing flowchart of charging control executed by the solar ECU [Diagram 3] A diagram explaining an example of control for charging the drive battery with power generated by a solar panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The vehicle power supply control system using a solar panel according to the present disclosure controls charging of the drive battery while the vehicle is parked, and starts or stops charging the drive battery using the power generated by the solar panel only when the power generated by the solar panel satisfies a predetermined condition based on the power consumption of the auxiliary system. This makes it possible to avoid losing the opportunity to charge the drive battery with the power generated by the solar panel and to improve the life of the on-board device. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Embodiment> [composition] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle power supply control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle power supply control system 1 illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a solar panel 10, a solar ECU 20, a drive battery 30, an auxiliary battery 40, and an auxiliary system 50. In Fig. 1, wiring that transmits electric power is indicated by a thick solid line, and wiring that transmits control signals other than electric power is indicated by a thin arrow line. The vehicle power supply control system 1 is mounted on vehicles such as hybrid vehicles (HV), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV), and electric vehicles (EV).

[0011] The solar panel 10 is a power generation device that generates power by receiving irradiation of sunlight, and is typically a solar cell module that is an assembly of solar cells. The amount of power generated by the solar panel 10 depends on the intensity of solar radiation. The power generated by the solar panel 10 is output to a solar ECU 20. This solar panel 10 can be installed, for example, on the roof of a vehicle.

[0012] The solar ECU 20 is an electronic control unit that is connected to the solar panel 10, the drive battery 30, the auxiliary battery 40, and the auxiliary system 50, respectively, and can control the supply of the electric power generated by the solar panel 10 to the drive battery 30, the auxiliary battery 40, and the auxiliary system 50. As an example, when the vehicle is in a state where it can run (IG-ON, etc.), the solar ECU 20 performs control to supply the electric power generated by the solar panel 10 to the auxiliary battery 40 and the auxiliary system 50 (auxiliary system power supply mode), and when the vehicle is in a state where it cannot run (IG-OFF, etc.), the solar ECU 20 performs control to supply the electric power generated by the solar panel 10 to the drive battery 30 (drive battery charging mode). The solar ECU 20 can also calculate the electric power generated by the solar panel 10. The electric power generated by the solar panel 10 can be calculated from the measured values ​​of a current sensor and a voltage sensor provided in the solar panel 10 and the solar ECU 20. In the solar ECU 20 of this embodiment, in the drive battery charging mode, characteristic charging control of the drive battery 30 is performed based on the power consumption of the auxiliary system 50 and the state of the power generated by the solar panel 10, which are fed back from a monitoring ECU 51, which will be described later. This charging control will be described later.

[0013] Furthermore, as one of its various control functions, the solar ECU 20 has a power saving function for when the vehicle cannot run, such as when the vehicle is parked, and can switch between a state (wake-up) in which all functions of the solar ECU 20 are activated and operated, and a state (sleep) in which at least some of the functions of the solar ECU 20 are operated and the remaining functions are stopped. Operation in the sleep state consumes less power than operation in the wake-up state, because some functions are stopped.

[0014] The driving battery 30 is a secondary battery configured to be chargeable and dischargeable, such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery. The driving battery 30 is connected to the solar ECU 20 so as to be chargeable by the power generated by the solar panel 10. The driving battery 30 is connected to a main device for driving the vehicle (not shown), and can supply the power required for the operation of the main device. Examples of the main device include a starter motor and an electric motor for running.

[0015] The auxiliary battery 40 is a secondary battery configured to be chargeable and dischargeable, such as a lithium ion battery or a lead storage battery. The auxiliary battery 40 is connected to the solar ECU 20 so as to be chargeable by the power generated by the solar panel 10. The auxiliary battery 40 can supply the power required for the operation of devices (not shown) included in the auxiliary system 50.

[0016] The auxiliary system 50 is configured to include various auxiliary devices and systems mounted on the vehicle. The auxiliary devices and systems included in the auxiliary system 50 operate by receiving power generated by the solar panel 10 and power stored in the auxiliary battery 40. Examples of the auxiliary devices and systems include lighting devices such as headlamps and interior lights, air conditioning devices such as heaters and air conditioners, and systems for automatic driving and advanced driving assistance. The auxiliary devices and systems also include devices and systems such as the monitoring ECU 51 that are driven by the solar ECU 20 to execute charging control.

[0017] The monitoring ECU 51 is an electronic control device that can monitor the state of the auxiliary devices and systems included in the auxiliary system 50 and the auxiliary battery 40. For example, an HV-ECU that controls hybrid driving of a vehicle can be used as the monitoring ECU 51. The monitoring ECU 51 acquires the current (input current) flowing into the auxiliary battery 40 and the current (output current) flowing out of the auxiliary battery 40 as the state of the auxiliary battery 40. The monitoring ECU 51 also acquires the voltage (terminal voltage) of the auxiliary battery 40 as the state of the auxiliary battery 40. A current sensor and a voltage sensor provided in the auxiliary battery 40 can be used to acquire the input / output current and voltage of the auxiliary battery 40. The monitoring ECU 51 then calculates the power actually consumed in the auxiliary system 50 based on the acquired input / output current and voltage of the auxiliary battery 40 and the power supplied from the solar panel 10, and outputs information regarding the calculated power consumption of the auxiliary system 50 to the solar ECU 20.

[0018] The solar ECU 20 and monitoring ECU 51 described above are typically configured as part or all of a device including a processor, memory, an input / output interface, etc., and each function is realized by the processor reading and executing a program stored in the memory.

[0019] [control] Next, the control performed in the vehicle power supply control system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with further reference to Figures 2A and 2B. Figures 2A and 2B are flowcharts explaining the processing procedure of the charging control executed by the solar ECU 20 of the vehicle power supply control system 1. The processing in Figure 2A and the processing in Figure 2B are connected by connectors X and Y.

[0020] The charging control illustrated in FIG. 2 is started when the solar ECU 20, some of whose functions have been suspended (sleep), starts up (wakes up) in a state in which the vehicle cannot run, such as when the vehicle is parked.

[0021] (Step S201) The solar ECU 20 starts a drive battery charging mode for controlling the supply of power generated by the solar panel 10 to the drive battery 30. In this drive battery charging mode, it becomes possible to charge the drive battery 30 with power generated by the solar panel 10. When the drive battery charging mode is started, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0022] (Step S202) The solar ECU 20 judges whether the start-up time, which is the time that has elapsed since the solar ECU 20 started up (wake-up), is less than a predetermined first time T1. This judgment is made in order to prevent the confirmation of whether the solar panel 10 can generate enough power to perform efficient charging control from being performed indefinitely. Therefore, the first time T1 can be set arbitrarily based on at least the time required to confirm the power generated by the solar panel 10 and the power consumed by the solar ECU 20 during this confirmation. If the start-up time of the solar ECU 20 is less than the first time T1 (step S202, Yes), the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if the start-up time of the solar ECU 20 reaches the first time T1 (step S202, No), the process proceeds to step S214.

[0023] (Step S203) The solar ECU 20 acquires the previous power consumption Waux', which is the power actually consumed by the auxiliary system 50 in the previous charging control. This previous power consumption Waux' of the auxiliary system 50 is the power consumption of the auxiliary system 50 that was stored in a memory or the like (not shown) in step S213, which will be described later, in the previous charging control. Note that when charging control is performed for the first time, the previous power consumption Waux' of the auxiliary system 50 cannot be acquired (is not stored), so it is advisable to use a predetermined initial value. Once the previous power consumption Waux' of the auxiliary system 50 has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0024] (Step S204) The solar ECU 20 calculates the generable power Wgen, which is the power that the solar panel 10 can currently supply by power generation. The generable power Wgen of this solar panel 10 can be calculated based on, for example, the closed-circuit voltage and the outflow current of the solar panel 10. When the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is calculated, the process proceeds to step S205.

[0025] (Step S205) The solar ECU 20 determines whether the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is equal to or greater than the power obtained by adding a predetermined first power α to the previous power consumption Waux' of the auxiliary machine system 50. That is, the solar ECU 20 determines whether the "first condition" of Wgen ≧ Waux' + α is satisfied. This determination is made to determine whether the solar panel 10 can generate sufficient power to implement efficient charge control. For example, if the remaining generated power of the solar panel 10 excluding the power consumption of the solar ECU 20 required for the operation of the charge control process is too small, efficient charging of the drive battery 30 cannot be performed. Therefore, the first power α can be set to a value equal to or higher than the minimum power at which efficient charging of the drive battery 30 is possible. If the first condition is satisfied (Wgen ≧ Waux' + α) (step S205, yes), the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, if the first condition is not satisfied (Wgen < Waux' + α) (step S205, no), the process proceeds to step S202.

[0026] (Step S206) The solar ECU 20 judges whether the state satisfying the first condition (Wgen≧Waux'+α) has been continuously maintained for a predetermined second time T2. This judgment is made to prevent a hunting phenomenon in which the judgment in the above step S205 frequently switches due to repeated increases and decreases in the power that can be generated by the solar panel 10 due to unstable solar radiation, etc. If the state satisfying the first condition has been continuously maintained for the second time T2 (step S206, Yes), the process proceeds to step S207. On the other hand, if the state satisfying the first condition has not been continuously maintained for the second time T2 (step S206, No), the process proceeds to step S205.

[0027] (Step S207) The solar ECU 20 executes a process for charging the drive battery 30 using the generable electric power Wgen of the solar panel 10. When the process for charging the drive battery 30 has been executed, the process proceeds to step S208.

[0028] The processes from step S201 to step S207 above constitute the drive battery charging start logic.

[0029] (Step S208) The solar ECU 20 acquires actual power consumption Waux, which is power actually consumed by the auxiliary system 50 in the current charging control. This actual power consumption Waux of the auxiliary system 50 can be acquired from the monitoring ECU 51. Alternatively, the solar ECU 20 may acquire the output current and voltage of the auxiliary battery 40 from the monitoring ECU 51, and calculate the actual power consumption Waux of the auxiliary system 50 on the basis of the output current and voltage. When the actual power consumption Waux of the auxiliary system 50 is acquired, the process proceeds to step S209.

[0030] (Step S209) The solar ECU 20 calculates the generable power Wgen, which is the power that the solar panel 10 can currently supply by power generation. The generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 can be calculated, for example, based on the open-circuit voltage and the outflow current of the solar panel 10. When the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is calculated, the process proceeds to step S210.

[0031] (Step S210) The solar ECU 20 determines whether the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is less than the power obtained by adding a predetermined second power β to the actual power consumption Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50. That is, the solar ECU 20 determines whether the "second condition" of Wgen < Waux + β is satisfied. This determination is made to determine whether the solar panel 10 can no longer generate enough power to perform efficient charge control. For example, when the remaining generated power of the solar panel 10 excluding the power consumption of the solar ECU 20 required for the operation of the charge control process decreases, efficient charging of the drive battery 30 cannot be performed. Therefore, the second power β can be set to a value equal to or higher than the minimum power at which efficient charging of the drive battery 30 is possible. This second power β may be the same value as the above-described first power α or a different value. When the second condition is satisfied (Wgen < Waux + β) (step S210, yes), the process proceeds to step S211. On the other hand, when the second condition is not satisfied (Wgen ≧ Waux + β) (step S210, no), the process proceeds to step S208.

[0032] (Step S211) The solar ECU 20 determines whether the state satisfying the second condition (Wgen < Waux + β) is continuously maintained for a predetermined third time T3. This determination is made to prevent a hunting phenomenon in which the determination in step S210 frequently switches due to, for example, repeated increases and decreases in the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 caused by unstable solar radiation. This third time T3 may be the same value as the above-described second time T2 or a different value. If the state satisfying the second condition is continuously maintained for the third time T3 (step S211, Yes), the process proceeds to step S212. On the other hand, if the state satisfying the second condition is not continuously maintained for the third time T3 (step S211, No), the process proceeds to step S210.

[0033] (Step S212) The solar ECU 20 stops the charging process of the drive battery 30 using the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10. When the charging process of the drive battery 30 is stopped, the process proceeds to step S213.

[0034] (Step S213) The solar ECU 20 holds the current actual power consumption Waux of the auxiliary machine system 50 as the previous power consumption Waux' of the auxiliary machine system 50. More specifically, the solar ECU 20 stores the power consumption of the auxiliary machine system 50 immediately before the charging of the drive battery 30 stops as the previous power consumption Waux'. When the previous power consumption Waux' of the auxiliary machine system 50 is held, the process proceeds to step S214.

[0035] (Step S214) The solar ECU 20 ends the drive battery charging mode for controlling the supply of the power generated by the solar panel 10 to the drive battery 30. When the drive battery charging mode ends, the solar ECU 20 switches to the standby (sleep) state, and this charging control ends.

[0036] The processes from step S208 to step S214 described above are charging end logic for the driving battery.

[0037] [Specific Example] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 3, an example of control for charging the driving battery 30 with the electric power generated by the solar panel 10 will be described. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the generable electric power Wgen of the solar panel 10 changes in a quadratic function with time.

[0038] As can be understood by the example shown in this FIG. 3, in the vehicle power supply control system 1, the generable electric power Wgen (solid line) of the solar panel 10 first satisfies the first condition (dashed-dotted line), which is a static condition, continuously for the second time T2 (Wgen≧Waux'+α), and then satisfies the second condition (dashed line), which is a dynamic condition, continuously for the third time T3 (Wgen<Waux+β). During the charging period (thick solid line part), charging control of the driving battery 30 using the generated electric power of the solar panel 10 is executed.

[0039] [Operation and Effect] As described above, in the vehicle power supply control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the driving battery charging mode, when the state (first condition) where the generable electric power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is equal to or greater than the power obtained by adding the first power α to the previous power consumption Waux' of the auxiliary machine system 50 continues for the second time T2, the solar ECU 20 executes charging control of the driving battery 30 using the generated electric power of the solar panel 10.

[0040] By this control, even when the generated electric power of the solar panel 10 is small, if it is in a state where efficient charging of the driving battery 30 is possible (because the previous power consumption Waux' was small and the generable electric power Wgen satisfies the first condition), charging control of the driving battery 30 is executed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid losing the opportunity to charge the driving battery 30 with the generated electric power of the solar panel 10. Thus, the efficiency of the vehicle power supply control system 1 can be improved.

[0041] Furthermore, in the vehicle power supply control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, after the solar ECU 20 executes charging control of the drive battery 30 using the power generated by the solar panel 10, if the state (second condition) in which the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is less than the actual power consumption Waux of the auxiliary system 50 plus a second power β continues for a third time T3, the solar ECU 20 stops charging control of the drive battery 30 using the power generated by the solar panel 10.

[0042] By this control, even if the power generated by the solar panel 10 is large, if the efficient charging of the drive battery 30 is impossible (the actual power consumption Waux is large and the generable power Wgen satisfies the second condition), the ongoing charging control of the drive battery 30 is stopped. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the power generated by the solar panel 10 is diverted to charge the drive battery 30 and the power that makes up for the power shortage of the auxiliary system 50 is taken from the auxiliary battery 40. As a result, it is possible to suppress an unnecessary increase in the number of times the drive battery 30 is charged and to reduce the number of times the devices and systems of the auxiliary system 50 are started due to the charge control of the drive battery 30, which leads to an improvement in the life of the on-board devices including these devices and systems.

[0043] The above describes one embodiment of the disclosed technology. However, the present disclosure can be understood not only as a vehicle power supply control system, but also as a charging control method, a control program for the method, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing the control program, and a vehicle equipped with a vehicle power supply control system. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] The vehicle power supply control system of the present disclosure can be used in vehicles equipped with solar panels, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Vehicle power supply control system 10. Solar Panels 20 Solar ECU 30 Drive battery 40 Auxiliary battery 50 Auxiliary Systems 51 Monitoring ECU

Claims

1. A vehicle power supply control system including a solar panel, a drive battery, an auxiliary battery, and an auxiliary system to which power is supplied from the solar panel and the auxiliary battery, an acquisition unit that acquires the power generated by the solar panel and the power consumption of the auxiliary system; a control unit that controls the supply of power from the solar panel to the driving battery based on the power generated by the solar panel and the power consumption of the auxiliary system in a driving battery charging mode in which power can be supplied from the solar panel to the driving battery; Equipped with the control unit supplies power from the solar panel to the driving battery when power generated by the solar panel becomes equal to or greater than a power obtained by adding a first power to a previous power consumption consumed by the auxiliary system in the previous charging mode for the driving battery until a first time has elapsed since starting up power supply control to the driving battery. Vehicle power supply control system.

2. when the power generated by the solar panel becomes less than a power obtained by adding a second power to an actual power consumption actually consumed by the auxiliary system in the current driving battery charging mode after the control unit has supplied power from the solar panel to the driving battery, the control unit does not supply power from the solar panel to the driving battery. The vehicle power supply control system according to claim 1 .

3. When the power generated by the solar panel becomes equal to or greater than the power obtained by adding the first power to the previous power consumption, the control unit determines that the state has continued for a second time or more before the first time has elapsed, and starts supplying power from the solar panel to the driving battery. The vehicle power supply control system according to claim 1 .

4. When the power generated by the solar panel becomes less than the sum of the actual power consumption and the second power, the control unit determines that the state has continued for a third hour or more and stops the supply of power from the solar panel to the driving battery. The vehicle power supply control system according to claim 2 .

5. A vehicle equipped with a vehicle power supply control system including a solar panel, a drive battery, an auxiliary battery, and an auxiliary system to which power is supplied from the solar panel and the auxiliary battery, The vehicle power supply control system includes: an acquisition unit that acquires the power generated by the solar panel and the power consumption of the auxiliary system; a control unit that controls power supply from the solar panel to the driving battery based on power generated by the solar panel and power consumption of the auxiliary system in a driving battery charging mode in which power can be supplied from the solar panel to the driving battery, the control unit supplies power from the solar panel to the driving battery when power generated by the solar panel becomes equal to or greater than a power obtained by adding a first power to a previous power consumption consumed by the auxiliary system in the previous charging mode for the driving battery until a first time has elapsed since starting up power supply control to the driving battery. vehicle.

6. The control unit of the vehicle power supply control system, after supplying power from the solar panel to the drive battery, does not supply power from the solar panel to the drive battery if the power generated by the solar panel becomes less than the actual power consumption actually consumed by the auxiliary system in the current drive battery charging mode plus a second power.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5.

7. A method executed by a vehicle power supply control system including a solar panel, a drive battery, an auxiliary battery, and an auxiliary system to which power is supplied from the solar panel and the auxiliary battery, comprising: acquiring the power generated by the solar panel and the power consumption of the auxiliary system; determining whether a first time has elapsed since starting power supply control to the driving battery; supplying power from the solar panel to the driving battery when power generated by the solar panel before the first time period has elapsed becomes equal to or greater than a previous power consumption consumed by the auxiliary system in the previous driving battery charging mode plus a first power in a driving battery charging mode in which power can be supplied from the solar panel to the driving battery; A method comprising:

8. The method further includes a step of not supplying power from the solar panel to the drive battery if the power generated by the solar panel becomes less than the actual power consumption actually consumed by the auxiliary system in the current drive battery charging mode plus a second power, The method according to claim 7.

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