Vehicle power supply control system

Abstract

To provide a vehicular power supply control system which can suitably control suppression of overcharging of an auxiliary battery.SOLUTION: A vehicular power supply control system comprises: a solar panel; an auxiliary battery which is charged with power generated by the solar panel; and an auxiliary system which is supplied with power from the solar panel and the auxiliary battery. It controls supply of power generated by the solar panel to the auxiliary system and the auxiliary battery on the basis of power consumption of the auxiliary system and a condition of the auxiliary 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 electric power generated by a solar panel mounted on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle power supply control system that controls the ratio of electric power supplied from a solar panel, a solar battery, or an auxiliary battery to a drive battery and an auxiliary system so that when the power consumption of the auxiliary system is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, 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

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1 above, when the drive battery cannot be charged even though the power consumption of the auxiliary system is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the auxiliary battery may be overcharged (excessive power supply). Therefore, there is room for further improvement in power supply control so that the auxiliary battery is not overcharged.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle power supply control system that can suitably control suppression of overcharging of an auxiliary battery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the disclosed technology is a vehicle power supply control system including a solar panel, an auxiliary battery that charges the power generated by the solar panel, and an auxiliary equipment system supplied with power from the solar panel and the auxiliary battery, the vehicle power supply control system being configured to control the supply of the power generated by the solar panel to the auxiliary equipment system and the auxiliary battery based on the power consumption of the auxiliary equipment system and the state of the auxiliary battery.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the vehicle power supply control system of the present disclosure, overcharging of the auxiliary battery can be preferably controlled.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The vehicle power supply control system according to the present disclosure controls the supply of the power generated by the solar panel to the auxiliary equipment system and the auxiliary battery based on the power consumption of the auxiliary equipment system and the state of the auxiliary battery. Thereby, overcharging of the auxiliary battery can be preferably controlled. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Embodiment> [Configuration] 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 driving battery 30, an auxiliary battery 40, and an auxiliary system 50. In FIG. 1, the wiring through which power is transmitted is indicated by a thick solid line, and the wiring through which control signals other than power are transmitted is indicated by a thin arrow line. This vehicle power supply control system 1 is mounted on vehicles such as, for example, a hybrid vehicle (HV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), and an electric vehicle (EV).

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

[0012] The solar ECU 20 is connected to the solar panel 10, the driving battery 30, the auxiliary battery 40, and the auxiliary system 50, respectively, and is an electronic control unit (Electronic Control Unit) that can control the supply of the power generated by the solar panel 10 to the driving battery 30, the auxiliary battery 40, and the auxiliary system 50. The solar ECU 20 of the present embodiment performs charge control for controlling the power supply power, which is the power supplied to the auxiliary system 50, based on the information on the power consumption of the auxiliary system 50 and the state of the auxiliary battery 40 fed back from a monitoring ECU 51 described later. This charge control will be described later.

[0013] The drive battery 30 is a secondary battery configured to be chargeable and dischargeable, such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. This drive battery 30 is connected to the solar ECU 20 so as to be chargeable by the electric power generated by the solar panel 10. The drive battery 30 is connected to a main device for driving a vehicle (not shown) and can supply electric power necessary for the operation of this main device. Examples of the main device include a starter motor and a driving electric motor.

[0014] The auxiliary battery 40 is a secondary battery configured to be chargeable and dischargeable, such as a lithium-ion battery or a lead-acid battery. This auxiliary battery 40 is connected to the solar ECU 20 so as to be chargeable by the electric power generated by the solar panel 10. The auxiliary battery 40 can supply electric power necessary for the operation of devices (not shown) included in the auxiliary system 50.

[0015] 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 the supply of electric power generated by the solar panel 10 or stored in the auxiliary battery 40. Examples of such 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 autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance. Further, this auxiliary system 50 includes a monitoring ECU 51.

[0016] The monitoring ECU 51 is an electronic control unit that can monitor the auxiliary devices and systems included in the auxiliary system 50 and the state of the auxiliary battery 40. For this monitoring ECU 51, for example, an HV-ECU that controls the hybrid driving of the vehicle can be used. The monitoring ECU 51 acquires the current flowing into the auxiliary battery 40 (input current) and the current flowing out of the auxiliary battery 40 (output current) as the state of the auxiliary battery 40. Further, the monitoring ECU 51 acquires the voltage of the auxiliary battery 40 (terminal voltage) as the state of the auxiliary battery 40. For the acquisition of the input / output current and voltage of the auxiliary battery 40, a current sensor, a voltage sensor, etc. provided in the auxiliary battery 40 can be used. Also, the monitoring ECU 51 can acquire the power supplied to the auxiliary system 50 by the solar ECU 20 (power supply power) as the state of the auxiliary devices. Then, the monitoring ECU 51 calculates the power actually consumed in the auxiliary system 50 based on the acquired input / output current, voltage of the auxiliary battery 40, and the power supply power from the solar ECU 20 to the auxiliary system 50, and outputs information regarding the calculated power consumption of the auxiliary system 50 to the solar ECU 20.

[0017] Note that the above-described solar ECU 20 and monitoring ECU 51 are typically configured by part or all of a device including a processor, a memory, an input / output interface, etc., and the processor reads and executes a program stored in the memory to realize their respective functions.

[0018] [Control] Next, with further reference to FIG. 2, the control performed in the vehicle power supply control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure of the charging control executed by the solar ECU 20 and the monitoring ECU 51 of the vehicle power supply control system 1.

[0019] The charging control illustrated in FIG. 2 is executed when the power supply to the auxiliary system 50 by the solar ECU 20 is started, for example, during the running of the vehicle, which is an example of a situation where charging of the driving battery 30 is not possible.

[0020] (Step S201) The solar ECU 20 calculates the generable power Wgen, which is the electric power that can be supplied by the solar panel 10. The generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 can be calculated based on the closed-circuit voltage and the outflow current of the solar panel 10 obtained by supplying power to the auxiliary machine system 50. When the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is calculated, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0021] (Step S202) The solar ECU 20 determines whether the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 exceeds a predetermined threshold power Wlim. This determination is made to determine whether the solar panel 10 can generate enough power to perform efficient charge control. For example, if the generated power of the solar panel 10 is lower than the power consumption required for the operation of the charge control process in the solar ECU 20, even if the solar ECU 20 starts the charge control process, power will be drawn from a battery (not shown) serving as a power source, which is not desirable. Therefore, the threshold power Wlim can be set to a predetermined power that is equal to or higher than the power required for the implementation of the charge control process by the solar ECU 20.

[0022] If the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 exceeds the threshold power Wlim (step S202, yes), the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 does not exceed the threshold power Wlim (step S202, no), the process proceeds to step S204.

[0023] (Step S203) The solar ECU 20 continues to supply power to the auxiliary machine system 50. Then, the process proceeds to step S205.

[0024] (Step S204) The solar ECU 20 ends the power supply to the auxiliary machine system 50. Thereby, this charge control ends.

[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 consumed power Waux, which is the power actually consumed by the auxiliary equipment system 50. For the consumed power Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50, the consumed power calculated by the monitoring ECU 51 based on the input / output current value, voltage value of the auxiliary battery 40, and the power supplied from the solar ECU 20 to the auxiliary equipment system 50 is used. Note that since the power supplied from the solar ECU 20 to the auxiliary equipment system 50 is actually calculated in step S209 described later, it is advisable to use a predetermined initial value when making the determination in the first step S205.

[0026] If the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is equal to or greater than the consumed power Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50 (step S205, yes), the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, if the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is less than the consumed power Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50 (step S205, no), the process proceeds to step S207.

[0027] In addition, a map (consumed power map) regarding the power consumed by each device and system included in the auxiliary equipment system 50 under conditions such as temperature, humidity, and years of service, which are factors expected to cause fluctuations in the consumed power, may be created in advance. The solar ECU 20 may calculate the consumed power Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50 based on this consumed power map, the devices and systems of the actually operating auxiliary equipment system 50, and the current temperature, humidity, and years of service. Regarding the devices and systems of the actually operating auxiliary equipment system 50, it is possible for the solar ECU 20 to obtain information from the monitoring ECU 51.

[0028] (Step S206) The solar ECU 20 sets the consumed power Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50 as the target power Wtgt, which is the target value of the power supplied to the auxiliary equipment system 50. When the consumed power Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50 is set as the target power Wtgt, the process proceeds to step S208.

[0029] (Step S207) The solar ECU 20 sets the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 as the target power Wtgt which is the target value of the power supplied to the auxiliary machine system 50. When the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10 is set to the target power Wtgt, the process proceeds to step S208.

[0030] (Step S208) The solar ECU 20 supplies power to the auxiliary machine system 50 according to the set target power Wtgt. When the supply of the target power Wtgt to the auxiliary machine system 50 is performed, the process proceeds to step S209.

[0031] (Step S209) The monitoring ECU 51 calculates the power consumption Waux of the auxiliary machine system 50 from the power supply power Wsend that the solar panel 10 actually supplies to the auxiliary machine system 50 based on the input / output current value and voltage value of the auxiliary battery 40. When the power consumption Waux of the auxiliary machine system 50 is calculated, the process proceeds to step S201.

[0032] <Function and Effect> As described above, according to the vehicle power supply control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the solar ECU 20 can generate power equal to or more than the power consumption Waux of the auxiliary machine system 50 in the solar panel 10, the solar ECU 20 sets the target power Wtgt supplied to the auxiliary machine system 50 to the power consumption Waux of the auxiliary machine system 50 and performs power supply. By this control, it is possible to prevent the surplus power that the devices and systems of the auxiliary machine system 50 cannot consume from being distributed to the auxiliary battery 40 and causing the auxiliary battery 40 to be overcharged (oversupply of power). Therefore, it becomes possible to control the auxiliary battery 40 at an arbitrary voltage. Thus, deterioration of the auxiliary battery 40 can be suppressed, and the life of the auxiliary battery 40 can be improved.

[0033] Further, according to the vehicle power supply control system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the solar ECU 20 can perform efficient charging control in the solar panel 10 but can only generate power less than the power consumption Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50, the target power Wtgt supplied to the auxiliary equipment system 50 is set to the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10, and power supply is performed to supplement the insufficient power with the power of the auxiliary battery 40 using the generable power Wgen of the solar panel 10. By this control, power supply can be performed according to the power consumption Waux of the auxiliary equipment system 50.

[0034] As described above, although one embodiment of the disclosed technology has been described, 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, a vehicle equipped with the vehicle power supply control system, and the like.

Industrial Applicability

[0035] The vehicle power supply control system of the present disclosure can be used in vehicles equipped with solar panels.

Explanation of Signs

[0036] 1 Vehicle power supply control system 10 Solar panel 20 Solar ECU 30 Driving battery 40 Auxiliary battery 50 Auxiliary equipment system 51 Monitoring ECU

Claims

1. A solar panel, An auxiliary battery that charges the power generated by the solar panel, An auxiliary system supplied with power from the solar panel and the auxiliary battery, A vehicle power supply control system comprising: A calculation unit that calculates the power generation capacity of the solar panel, A determination unit that determines whether the power generation capacity exceeds a predetermined threshold power and is equal to or greater than the power consumption of the auxiliary system, When the power generation capacity exceeds the threshold power and is equal to or greater than the power consumption, the consumption power is set as the power supplied from the solar panel to the auxiliary system, and when the power generation capacity exceeds the threshold power and is less than the power consumption, the power generation capacity is set as the power supplied from the solar panel to the auxiliary system. A setting unit, A vehicle power supply control system.

2. The threshold power is set to be equal to or greater than the power required for the charge control process of the power generated by the solar panel. The vehicle power supply control system according to claim 1.

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