Vehicle temperature management device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle temperature control device which precisely identifies a specific area.SOLUTION: A vehicle temperature control device 10 comprises a communication device 12 and a processing device 14. The processing device 14 communicates with a plurality of vehicles 100 respectively so as to acquire temperature information representing temperatures of motor-related components in association with position information on the vehicles 100, calculates, for each of a plurality of areas into which an object region is divided, predetermined statistics as to temperature information acquired from vehicles 100 located in the area, and identifies a specific area whose statistics meet predetermined conditions among the plurality of areas. The plurality of vehicles 100 each perform a predetermined temperature control operation when located within a predetermined range from the specific area. The processing device 14 corrects, in the process of calculating the statistics, the temperature information acquired from the plurality of vehicles 100 respectively based upon ambient temperatures of the vehicles 100 and also according to whether the vehicles 100 execute the temperature control operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle temperature management device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle temperature management device. This vehicle temperature management device includes a communication device that is communicably connected to a plurality of vehicles, and a processing device connected to the communication device. The processing device is capable of executing a process of acquiring the temperature of motor-related components mounted on the vehicle in association with the position information of the vehicle, a process of creating a temperature distribution map of the acquired temperature of the motor-related components, and a process of identifying a specific area where overheating of the motor-related components is expected based on the temperature distribution map. And each of the plurality of vehicles is configured to execute a predetermined temperature control operation for suppressing an increase in the temperature of the motor-related components when it is located within a predetermined range from the specific area.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The temperature of motor-related components (such as motors and inverters) mounted on a vehicle changes not only according to their operating states but also according to the outside air temperature of the vehicle. Therefore, as described above, when a specific area is specified simply based on the temperature of the motor-related components, there is a risk that the specific area may not be accurately specified. Also, the temperature of the motor-related components obtained from a vehicle that is performing the above-described temperature control operation is assumed to be significantly lower than the temperature of the motor-related components obtained from a vehicle that is not performing the temperature control operation. Therefore, whether or not the vehicle is performing the temperature control operation, there is also a risk that the specific area may not be accurately specified when the specific area is specified based on the temperature of the motor-related components obtained from the vehicle. As a result, there is a risk that the temperature control operation may be performed on a vehicle located within a predetermined range from an area that is not actually the specific area.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, this specification provides a technique for accurately specifying a specific area where overheating of motor-related components is expected.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The technology disclosed in this specification is embodied in a vehicle temperature management device that manages a plurality of vehicles traveling in a target area. This vehicle temperature management device includes a communication device communicably connected to the plurality of vehicles, and a processing device connected to the communication device and configured to process data transmitted and received between the plurality of vehicles. The processing device is configured to communicate with each of the plurality of vehicles to obtain temperature information indicating the temperature of motor-related components mounted on the vehicle, in association with the position information of the vehicle, and to calculate a predetermined statistical value for the temperature information obtained from the vehicles located in each area, after dividing the target area into a plurality of areas, and to identify a specific area in which the statistical value satisfies a predetermined condition, from among the plurality of areas. Each of the plurality of vehicles is configured to perform a predetermined temperature control operation for suppressing an increase in the temperature of the motor-related components when located within a predetermined range from the specific area. In the process of calculating the statistical value, the processing device corrects the temperature information obtained from each of the plurality of vehicles based on the outside air temperature of the vehicle and also corrects it according to whether or not the vehicle is performing the temperature control operation.

[0007] In the above-described vehicle temperature management device, the temperature information indicating the temperature of the motor-related components obtained from the plurality of vehicles is corrected based on the outside air temperature of each vehicle and also corrected according to whether or not each vehicle is performing the temperature control operation. With such a configuration, it is possible to identify a specific area based on the temperature information obtained from each vehicle, after eliminating the influence of the outside air temperature and the presence or absence of the temperature control operation. As a result, the specific area can be accurately identified. Therefore, even when a vehicle located within a predetermined range from the specific area is configured to perform a predetermined temperature control operation for suppressing an increase in the temperature of the motor-related components, it is possible to avoid the temperature control operation being performed more than necessary.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] In one embodiment of the present technology, the temperature information may include at least one of the temperature of the motor, the temperature of the motor coil, the temperature of the battery that supplies power to the motor, and the temperature of the semiconductor element of the inverter that adjusts the power supplied to the motor. However, as another embodiment, in addition to the temperature information indicating the temperature of the motor-related components, the state of charge (SOC) of the battery may be acquired in association with the position information of the vehicle. In this case, for the SOC of the battery acquired from each vehicle, after correcting according to the outside air temperature of the vehicle and the presence or absence of the temperature control operation, a specific area may be specified based on the SOC of the battery.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present technology, the temperature control operation may include at least one of increasing the rotational speed of a pump provided in a cooling unit of a motor, increasing the rotational speed of a radiator fan provided in a cooling unit of the motor, increasing the rotational speed of a fan provided in a cooling unit of a battery, and increasing the rotational speed of a pump provided in a cooling unit of an inverter. Thus, the temperature control operation may include controlling a cooling unit that cools motor-related components.

Example

[0011] With reference to the drawings, the vehicle temperature management device 10 of the embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle temperature management device 10 can manage a plurality of vehicles 100 traveling in the target area TA. The vehicle temperature management device 10 is connected to each of the plurality of vehicles 100 via a communication network NW such as the Internet. Thereby, the vehicle temperature management device 10 and the plurality of vehicles 100 can communicate with each other via the communication network NW. Here, the vehicle 100 is a so-called automobile, which is a vehicle traveling on a road surface. The vehicle 100 is, for example, an engine vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, an electric vehicle, a solar vehicle, or the like. The target area TA may be defined, for example, in units of cities, countries, or continents, or may be defined as an area where vehicles 100 of the same specification travel.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 100 includes a motor 102, a battery 104, and an inverter 106. The motor 102 is a driving motor that drives the wheels of the vehicle 100. Although it is an example, the motor 102 is a three-phase motor generator having U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase. The battery 104 incorporates a plurality of secondary battery cells and is configured to be rechargeable repeatedly by external power or the regenerative power of the motor 102. The inverter 106 can perform power conversion between direct current and alternating current between the motor 102 and the battery 104. The inverter 106 is provided between the motor 102 and the battery 104 and can convert the direct current power from the battery 104 into three-phase alternating current power and supply it to the motor 102. Also, the inverter 106 can convert the three-phase alternating current power from the motor 102 into direct current power and supply it to the battery 104. Note that the motor-related components referred to in this specification include the motor 102, the battery 104 that supplies power to the motor 102, and the inverter 106 that adjusts the power supplied to the motor 102, and also include the components that constitute them (for example, the coil of the motor 102). Although not particularly limited, when the rated voltage of the motor 102 and the rated voltage of the battery 104 are different, a DC-DC converter may be further provided between the motor 102 and the battery 104.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, vehicle 100 further includes a control device (Electronic Control Unit: hereinafter referred to as ECU) 108. ECU 108 is a computer device having a processor, a memory, and the like. ECU 108 is communicably connected to motor 102, battery 104, and inverter 106 via, for example, CAN (Controller Area Network), and can control and monitor their operations. Operation information by a user and vehicle information indicating the state of vehicle 100 are input to ECU 108, for example. ECU 108 can control the operations of each part of vehicle 100 described above according to the input operation information and vehicle information. Further, ECU 108 of the present embodiment can acquire the current position of vehicle 100, that is, the latitude and longitude at which vehicle 100 is located, from GPS (Global Positioning System). Note that ECU 108 may be configured by a single computer device or may be configured by a combination of a plurality of computer devices.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, vehicle 100 further includes a motor cooling unit 110 and a motor temperature sensor 112. Motor cooling unit 110 cools motor 102 by circulating a heat medium such as oil between motor 102 and a radiator (not shown). Motor temperature sensor 112 is provided on motor 102 and detects the temperature TM of motor 102. ECU 108 is configured to be able to acquire the detected temperature of motor temperature sensor 112, that is, the temperature TM of motor 102, and can monitor the temperature TM of motor 102. ECU 108 can control the operation of motor cooling unit 110, such as adjusting the rotation speed of an oil pump (not shown) or adjusting the rotation speed of a radiator fan (not shown), according to the detected temperature of motor temperature sensor 112.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 100 further includes a battery temperature sensor 114, an inverter temperature sensor 116, and a motor coil temperature sensor 118. The battery temperature sensor 114 is provided in the battery 104 and detects the temperature TB of the battery 104. The inverter temperature sensor 116 is provided in the semiconductor element of the inverter 106 and detects the temperature TS of the semiconductor element of the inverter 106. The motor coil temperature sensor 118 is provided in the coil of the motor 102 and detects the temperature TC of the coil of the motor 102. The ECU 108 is configured to be able to acquire the detected temperatures of the respective temperature sensors 114, 116, and 118, and can monitor the temperature TB of the battery 104, the temperature TS of the semiconductor element of the inverter 106, and the temperature TC of the coil of the motor 102. The ECU 108 can control the operations of the cooling unit (not shown) of the battery 104, the cooling unit (not shown) of the inverter 106, and the motor cooling unit 110 according to the detected temperatures of the respective temperature sensors 114, 116, and 118. However, the vehicle 100 does not necessarily need to include all of the motor temperature sensor 112, the battery temperature sensor 114, the inverter temperature sensor 116, and the motor coil temperature sensor 118, and it is sufficient to include at least one temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the motor-related components. Here, detecting the temperature of the motor-related components does not necessarily mean directly detecting the temperature of the motor-related components, and includes indirectly detecting the temperature of the motor-related components, such as detecting the temperature of the heat medium that cools the motor-related components.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 100 further includes a Data Communication Module (hereinafter referred to as DCM) 120. The DCM 120 is a device for mutual communication with the communication device 12 of the vehicle temperature management device 10 described later via the communication network NW. The DCM 120 is communicably connected to the ECU 108 and can acquire vehicle information indicating the state of the vehicle 100, the current position of the vehicle 100, etc. from the ECU 108.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle temperature management device 10 includes a communication device 12 and a processing device 14. The communication device 12 is communicably connected to the DCM 102 of each vehicle 100 via a communication network NW. The processing device 14 is a computer device having a processor, a memory, and the like. The processing device 14 is connected to the communication device 12 and can acquire the data received by the communication device 12 from each vehicle 100. The processing device 14 can process the data acquired from the communication device 12 and transmit it to the communication device 12. The processed data transmitted to the communication device 12 can be transmitted to the DCM 102 of each vehicle 100. Note that the processing device 14 may be configured by a single computer device or a combination of a plurality of computer devices.

[0018] With reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, a series of processing operations executed by the processing device 14 will be described. Here, the processing device 14 repeatedly executes the series of processing operations shown in FIG. 3 for a plurality of vehicles 100 traveling in the target area TA (see FIG. 4).

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, in step S10, the processing device 14 communicates with each of the plurality of vehicles 100 to obtain temperature information TD indicating the temperature of the motor-related components mounted on each vehicle 100, in association with the position information PD of that vehicle 100. The temperature information TD indicating the temperature of the motor-related components includes at least one of the temperature TM of the motor 102, the temperature TC of the coil of the motor 102, the temperature TB of the battery 104 that supplies power to the motor 102, and the temperature TS of the semiconductor element of the inverter 106 that adjusts the power supplied to the motor 102. The temperature information TD indicating the temperature of the motor-related components in each vehicle 100 is detected by the temperature sensors 112, 114, 116, 118 corresponding to the respective motor-related components as described above, and the temperature information TD is obtained by the ECU 108. Also, the position information PD of each vehicle 100 is obtained from the GPS by the ECU 108 mounted on the vehicle 100. Therefore, in each vehicle 100, the DCM 120 can obtain the temperature information TD indicating the temperature of the motor-related components associated with the position information PD of the vehicle 100 from the ECU 108. This temperature information TD and position information PD are transmitted from the DCM 120 of each vehicle 100 to the communication device 12 via the communication network NW, and then transmitted to the processing device 14. Note that in this step S10, the processing device 14 can also obtain the outside air temperature of each vehicle 100 required in the processing of step S14 and information regarding whether each vehicle 100 is performing the predetermined temperature control operation of step S22.

[0020] In step S12, the processing device 14 divides the target area TA into a plurality of areas AR11, AR12, AR13, ···, AR21, ···, AR31, ··· (hereinafter referred to as ARmn, where m, n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, ···). Although it is an example, as shown in FIG. 4, the processing device 14 defines a plurality of areas ARmn by dividing the target area TA into square shapes with equal side lengths. At this time, although not particularly limited, the side length of each of the plurality of areas ARmn obtained by dividing the target area TA is, for example, 10 kilometers, 1 kilometer, etc. Note that each area ARmn defined by the processing device 14 dividing the target area TA does not necessarily have to be square. For example, as another embodiment, the processing device 14 may define each of the plurality of areas ARmn by dividing the target area TA into rectangular shapes.

[0021] In step S14, the processing device 14 corrects the temperature information TD acquired from each of the plurality of vehicles 100 based on the outside air temperature of the vehicle 100, and also corrects it according to whether the vehicle 100 is performing a predetermined temperature control operation by the process of step S22. Although it is an example, the processing device 14 corrects the temperature information TD acquired from each vehicle 100 assuming that the outside air temperature of the vehicle 100 is uniformly 30 degrees. As shown in FIG. 5, for example, when the outside air temperature of the vehicle 100 is 11 degrees, 19 degrees, which is the difference from the reference temperature (i.e., 30 degrees), is added to the temperature information TD. Similarly, when the outside air temperature of the vehicle 100 is 35 degrees, 5 degrees, which is the difference from the reference temperature (i.e., 30 degrees), is subtracted from the temperature information TD. Note that the outside air temperature of each vehicle 100 may be determined monthly as the highest temperature of each month (see FIG. 5), or may be determined as the outside air temperature when the temperature information TD detected from the vehicle 100 is acquired. Also, the outside air temperature of each vehicle 100 may be acquired for each vehicle 100 by a temperature sensor provided in each vehicle 100, or may be acquired for each area ARmn using a computer device that provides data related to the air temperature, such as a computer device of the Japan Meteorological Agency.

[0022] In addition to the above, when the vehicle 100 is executing a predetermined temperature control operation, the processing device 14 adds a temperature rise suppression amount corresponding to the suppression amount of the temperature rise of the motor-related components to the temperature information TD. That is, the temperature information TD obtained from the vehicle 100 that is not executing the temperature control operation is directly used for calculating the statistical value in step S16, while the temperature information TD obtained from the vehicle 100 that is executing the temperature control operation is used for calculating the statistical value in step S16 after adding the temperature rise suppression amount. In this case, the temperature rise suppression amount may be calculated experimentally or by simulation or the like. Although not particularly limited, the temperature rise suppression amount is, for example, 10 degrees.

[0023] In step S16, the processing device 14 calculates a predetermined statistical value for the temperature information TD obtained from the vehicles 100 located in each area ARmn. Although it is an example, as shown in FIG. 6, the processing device 14 calculates the average value AV ± 3σ for the temperature information TD obtained from each of the vehicles 100 located in the same area ARmn. However, the predetermined statistical value does not necessarily have to be the average value AV ± 3σ. As another embodiment, the predetermined statistical value may be the maximum value or the like of the temperature information TD obtained from each of the vehicles 100 located in the same area ARmn.

[0024] In step S18, the processing device 14 identifies a specific area SA among the plurality of areas ARmn, where the statistical value satisfies a predetermined condition. For example, when the average value AV ± 3σ calculated in step S14 exceeds the upper limit value UT, the processing device 14 identifies the area ARmn as the specific area SA (see FIG. 6). Although it is an example, the upper limit value UT for the temperature TM of the motor 102 is 160 degrees, the upper limit value UT for the temperature TC of the coil of the motor 102 is 168 degrees, the upper limit value UT for the temperature TB of the battery 104 is 40 degrees, and the upper limit value UT for the temperature TS of the semiconductor element of the inverter 106 is 120 degrees. Note that although not particularly limited, the processing device 14 may periodically update the specific area SA by repeating the processing from step S10 to step S14 every predetermined period (for example, in units of several months).

[0025] In step S20, the processing device 14 determines, for each of the plurality of vehicles 100, whether it is located within a predetermined range from the specific area SA. Here, the predetermined range is, for example, a range of 1, 5, or 10 kilometers. If the result in step S20 is NO, the processing device 14 ends the series of processing operations shown in FIG. 3.

[0026] If the result in step S20 is YES, the processing device 14 issues a notification instructing the vehicles 100 located within the predetermined range from the specific area SA to execute a predetermined temperature control operation for suppressing the temperature rise of the motor-related components. The notification is transmitted from the processing device 14 of the vehicle temperature management device 10 to the ECU 108 via the communication device 12 and the DCM 120 of the vehicle 100 in sequence. Thereby, in the vehicle 100 that has received the notification, the ECU 108 controls each part of the vehicle 100 to execute a predetermined temperature control operation (step S22). Here, the predetermined temperature control operation includes at least one of increasing the rotational speed of the pump provided in the cooling unit 110 of the motor 102, increasing the rotational speed of the radiator fan provided in the cooling unit 110 of the motor 102, increasing the rotational speed of the fan provided in the cooling unit of the battery 104, and increasing the rotational speed of the pump provided in the cooling unit of the inverter 106. Also, the rotational speed of the pump provided in the cooling unit 110 of the motor 102 includes the rotational speed of the motor for driving the pump provided in the cooling unit 110 of the motor 102. The vehicle 100 that has received the notification from the processing device 14 and is executing the predetermined temperature control operation notifies the processing device 14 in step S10 described above that it is executing the predetermined temperature control operation, together with the temperature information TD and the position information PD.

[0027] In step S24, the processing device 14 determines whether the temperature information TD of the vehicle 100 that is executing the temperature control operation is within the allowable range. As described above, the processing device 14 acquires the temperature information TD of each vehicle 100 from the ECU 108. Also, in the above-described temperature control operation, since the temperature rise of the motor-related components is suppressed, the temperature information TD acquired from the vehicle 100 that is executing the temperature control operation is considered to decrease over time. Therefore, when the temperature information TD of the vehicle 100 that is executing the temperature control operation reaches within the allowable range (YES in step S24), the processing device 14 issues a notification instructing the vehicle 100 to stop executing the predetermined temperature control operation. As a result, the vehicle 100 stops the limiting operation and returns to the normal driving mode (step S26). On the other hand, if NO in step S24, the processing device 14 returns to step S20.

[0028] In the above-described vehicle temperature management device 10, the temperature information TD indicating the temperature of the motor-related components acquired from a plurality of vehicles 100 is corrected based on the outside air temperature of each vehicle 100 and is also corrected according to whether each vehicle 100 is executing the temperature control operation (step S14). According to such a configuration, it is possible to specify the specific area SA based on the temperature information TD acquired from each vehicle 100 after eliminating the influence of the outside air temperature and the presence or absence of the temperature control operation (step S18). As a result, the specific area SA can be specified with high accuracy. Therefore, even when the vehicle 100 located within a predetermined range from the specific area SA is configured to execute a predetermined temperature control operation to suppress the temperature rise of the motor-related components, it is possible to avoid the temperature control operation being executed more than necessary.

[0029] In the above-described embodiment, the series of processing operations shown in FIG. 3 are mainly executed by the vehicle temperature management device 10. Instead of this, a part of the series of processing operations shown in FIG. 3 may be executed by the ECU 108 of the vehicle 100 or the like. For example, the specific area SA specified in step S18 may be notified to each of the plurality of vehicles 100 traveling in the target area TA, and in each vehicle 100, the processing of steps S20-S26 may be executed. In this case, the ECU 108 of each vehicle 100 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is located within a predetermined range from the specific area SA based on the notified specific area SA (step S20). When the vehicle 100 is located within a predetermined range from the specific area SA (YES in step S20), even without receiving a notification from the processing device 14, the ECU 108 can execute a predetermined temperature control operation (step S22). Then, when the temperature information TD of the vehicle 100 reaches within the allowable range (YES in step S24), the ECU 108 stops executing the temperature control operation and returns to the normal driving mode (step S26).

[0030] Although not particularly limited, as another embodiment, in addition to the temperature information TD indicating the temperature of the motor-related parts of each vehicle 100, the specific area SA may be specified based on the SOC of the battery 104. In this case, the processing device 14 acquires the SOC of the battery 104 in association with the position information of each vehicle 100 (step S10), and after performing correction according to the outside air temperature of the vehicle 100 and the presence or absence of the temperature control operation (step S14), calculates a predetermined statistical value for each of the plurality of areas ARmn (step S16). An area where this statistical value is below a predetermined lower limit value is specified as the specific area SA (step S18). Although not particularly limited, the predetermined temperature control operation also includes increasing the SOC of the battery 104 by increasing the output from the engine of the vehicle 100 or the like.

[0031] Although several specific examples have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical utility either alone or in combination.

Explanation of Signs

[0032] 10: Vehicle temperature management device 12: Communication device 14: Processing device 100: Vehicle 102: Motor 104: Battery 106: Inverter 108: ECU 110: Motor cooling unit 112: Motor temperature sensor 114: Battery temperature sensor 116: Inverter temperature sensor 118: Motor coil temperature sensor ARmn: Area AV: Average value NW: Communication network PD: Position information SA: Specific area TA: Target area TD: Temperature information UT: Upper limit value

Claims

1. A vehicle temperature management device for managing a plurality of vehicles traveling in a target area, comprising: a communication device communicably connected to the plurality of vehicles; a processing device connected to the communication device and configured to process data transmitted and received between the processing device and the plurality of vehicles. The processing device is configured to: communicate with each of the plurality of vehicles to obtain temperature information indicating the temperature of motor-related components mounted on the vehicle, in association with the position information of the vehicle; calculate a predetermined statistical value for the temperature information obtained from the vehicles located in each area, for each area obtained by dividing the target area into a plurality of areas; identify a specific area in which the statistical value satisfies a predetermined condition from among the plurality of areas; and is capable of executing the above. Each of the plurality of vehicles is configured to execute a predetermined temperature control operation for suppressing an increase in the temperature of the motor-related components when the vehicle is located within a predetermined range from the specific area. In the process of calculating the statistical value, the processing device corrects the temperature information obtained from each of the plurality of vehicles based on the outside air temperature of the vehicle, and also corrects the temperature information according to whether or not the vehicle is executing the temperature control operation. Vehicle temperature management device.

2. The vehicle temperature management device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature information includes at least one of the temperature of the motor, the temperature of the coil of the motor, the temperature of the battery that supplies power to the motor, and the temperature of the elements of the inverter that adjusts the power supplied to the motor.

3. The vehicle temperature management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature control operation includes at least one of increasing the rotational speed of a pump provided in a cooling unit of the motor, increasing the rotational speed of a radiator fan provided in the cooling unit of the motor, increasing the rotational speed of a fan provided in a cooling unit of the battery, and increasing the rotational speed of a pump provided in a cooling unit of the inverter.

4. The vehicle temperature management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing device obtains the outside air temperature used for correcting the temperature information in the process of calculating the statistical value, for each of the plurality of areas, based on weather-related data provided from the outside.

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