Battery cooling control device for electric vehicles

Abstract

To provide a battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle that can suppress occurrence of current leakage or failure of a power supply device due to drainage from the electric vehicle.SOLUTION: A battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention is a battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle that controls a cooling operation of a battery charged by a power receiving device provided below the electric vehicle, the battery cooling control device being characterized by including a control unit that limits cooling operation of the battery when the battery is charged by the power receiving device. As a result, when the battery is charged by the power receiving device, the cooling operation of the battery is restricted and drainage from the electric vehicle is suppressed, thereby suppressing the occurrence of current leakage or failure of the power supply device due to the drainage from the electric vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a contact-type power supply device that, when it detects that a vehicle is approaching, raises the contact body, opens an insulator door, and exposes the contact body, and supplies power to the vehicle when it detects that the contact body is in complete contact with the vehicle's power receiving body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-255144 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the contact-type power supply device described in Patent Document 1, an insulating door can prevent rain and dust from entering the device. However, if drainage is present from the vehicle, water droplets may enter the device during power supply, which could cause a short circuit or breakdown in the device.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle that can prevent leakage or malfunction of a power supply device caused by drainage from the electric vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle of the present invention is a battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle that controls the cooling operation of a battery that is charged by a power receiving device provided below the electric vehicle, and is characterized by having a control unit that limits the cooling operation of the battery when the battery is charged by the power receiving device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle of the present invention, when the battery is charged by the power receiving device, the battery cooling operation is limited and water discharge from the electric vehicle is suppressed, thereby suppressing leakage or malfunction of the power supply device caused by water discharge from the electric vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a flowchart showing the flow of a charge control process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a flowchart showing the flow of the charge control process according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a modified example of the charge control process shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, the configuration of an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the electric vehicle 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured as an electric vehicle such as an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) that can be charged by a ground-mounted charger 2 such as a contactless charger or a flap-type charger. In this embodiment, the electric vehicle 1 and the ground-mounted charger 2 are configured to be able to communicate information with a server 3, which is an information processing device such as a workstation, via a telecommunications line NW such as the Internet network or a mobile phone network.

[0011] The electric vehicle 1 includes a power receiving device 11, a battery 12, a cooling device 13, a drain outlet 14, and a control device 15. The power receiving device 11 is disposed below the electric vehicle 1 in a position facing the ground. The power receiving device 11 receives power supplied from the ground-mounted charger 2 and charges the battery 12 with the received power. The cooling device 13 cools the battery 12 while the power receiving device 11 is charging the battery 12 in order to suppress a decrease in the charging efficiency of the battery 12. The drain outlet 14 is disposed below the electric vehicle 1 and discharges wastewater from the air conditioner, battery 12, etc. to the ground. The control device 15 is constituted by an information processing device such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and controls the overall operation of the electric vehicle 1. The control device 15 functions as a battery cooling control device for the electric vehicle according to the present invention.

[0012] The electric vehicle 1 having such a configuration executes the charge control process described below to prevent leakage or breakdown of the ground-mounted charger 2 caused by drainage from the electric vehicle 1. The operation of the electric vehicle 1 when executing the charge control process will be described below with reference to Figures 2A and 2B.

[0013] [Charging control process] 2A and 2B are flowcharts showing the flow of a charge control process according to one embodiment of the present invention. The flowcharts shown in Fig. 2A and 2B start when an instruction to execute the charge control process is given to the control device 15, and the charge control process proceeds to step S1.

[0014] In the process of step S1, the control device 15 transmits information on the operating status of the air conditioner, fuel cell, etc. and the SoC of the battery 12, etc. as driving information to the server 3 via the telecommunications line NW. This completes the process of step S1, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S2.

[0015] In the process of step S2, the server 3 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the electric vehicle 1 will run out of power, based on the traveling information transmitted from the control device 15. If the result of the determination is that there is a possibility that the electric vehicle 1 will run out of power (step S2: Yes), the server 3 proceeds with the charge control process to the process of step S4. On the other hand, if there is no possibility that the electric vehicle 1 will run out of power (step S2: No), the server 3 proceeds with the charge control process to the process of step S21.

[0016] In the process of step S4, the server 3 searches for available ground chargers 2 near the current location of the electric vehicle 1 or on the route to the destination, using the operation information (information indicating availability / unavailability) of the ground chargers 2 transmitted from the ground chargers 2 via the telecommunications line NW in the process of step S3. Then, the server 3 transmits route information to the searched available ground chargers 2 to the electric vehicle 1 via the telecommunications line NW. This completes the process of step S4, and the charging control process proceeds to the processes of steps S5 and S7.

[0017] In the process of step S5, the control device 15 changes the route along which the electric vehicle 1 will travel, based on the route information transmitted from the server 3 in the process of step S4. This completes the process of step S5, and the charging control process proceeds to the process of step S6.

[0018] In the process of step S6, the control device 15 drives the electric vehicle 1 manually or automatically along the route changed in the process of step S5, causing the electric vehicle 1 to arrive at the position of the ground-mounted charger 2. This completes the process of step S6, and the charging control process proceeds to the process of step S10.

[0019] In the process of step S7, the server 3 determines whether or not a ground-based charger 2 is available as a result of the search process of step S4. If the determination result shows that a ground-based charger 2 is available (step S7: Yes), the server 3 proceeds with the charging control process to the process of step S8. On the other hand, if a ground-based charger 2 is not available (step S7: No), the server 3 proceeds with the charging control process to the process of step S21.

[0020] In the process of step S8, the server 3 predicts whether or not water will be discharged from the electric vehicle 1 during charging, based on the driving information transmitted from the electric vehicle 1. For example, if the air conditioning operating time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time or if the FCEV driving time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the server 3 predicts that water will be discharged from the electric vehicle 1 during charging. If water is predicted to be discharged from the electric vehicle 1 during charging (step S8: Yes), the server 3 proceeds with the charge control process to the process of step S9. On the other hand, if water is not predicted to be discharged from the electric vehicle 1 during charging (step S8: No), the server 3 proceeds with the charge control process to the process of step S21.

[0021] In the process of step S9, the server 3 transmits a battery cooling disable instruction to the electric vehicle 1 via the telecommunications line NW to charge the battery 12 without cooling the battery 12 by the cooling device 13. This completes the process of step S9, and the charging control process proceeds to the processes of steps S10 and S12.

[0022] In the process of step S10, the control device 15 determines whether or not a battery cooling disable instruction has been received from the server 3. If the result of the determination is that a battery cooling disable instruction has been received (step S10: Yes), the control device 15 advances the charge control process to the process of step S11. On the other hand, if a battery cooling disable instruction has not been received (step S10: No), the control device 15 advances the charge control process to the process of step S34.

[0023] In the process of step S11, the control device 15 controls the power receiving device 11 without operating the cooling device 13, thereby charging the battery 12 with the power supplied from the ground-based charger 2. The ground-based charger 2 charges the connected battery 12 in accordance with a control signal from the control device 15 (step S16). This completes the process of step S11, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S14. Proceed to step 4.

[0024] In the process of step S12, the server 3 determines whether the SoC of the battery 12 of the electric vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than an arbitrary lower limit (for example, 10%) based on the travel information transmitted from the electric vehicle 1. If the determination results in the SoC being equal to or greater than the arbitrary lower limit (step S12: Yes), the server 3 proceeds with the charge control process to the process of step S13. On the other hand, if the SoC is less than the arbitrary lower limit (step S12: No), the server 3 receives travel information from the electric vehicle 1 again after a predetermined time has elapsed, and executes the process of step S12 again.

[0025] In the process of step S13, the server 3 transmits a charge stop instruction to the electric vehicle 1 and the ground-mounted charger 2 via the telecommunications line NW to stop charging of the battery 12 and disconnect the connection with the ground-mounted charger 2. This completes the process of step S13, and the charge control process proceeds to the processes of steps S14, S17, and S21.

[0026] In the process of step S14, the control device 15 determines whether or not a charging stop instruction has been received from the server 3. If the result of the determination is that a charging stop instruction has been received (step S14: Yes), the control device 15 advances the charging control process to the process of step S15. On the other hand, if a charging stop instruction has not been received (step S14: No), the control device 15 advances the charging control process to the process of step S35.

[0027] In the process of step S15, the control device 15 controls the power receiving device 11 to stop charging of the battery 12. This completes the process of step S15, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S23.

[0028] In the process of step S17, the ground charger 2 determines whether or not a charging stop instruction has been received from the server 3. If the result of the determination is that a charging stop instruction has been received (step S17: Yes), the ground charger 2 proceeds with the charging control process to the process of step S18. On the other hand, if a charging stop instruction has not been received (step S17: No), the ground charger 2 proceeds with the charging control process to the process of step S31.

[0029] In the process of step S18, the ground-mounted charger 2 stops charging the battery 12 and disconnects the connection to the battery 12. This completes the process of step S18, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S19.

[0030] In the process of step S19, the ground charger 2 determines whether or not the connection with the battery 12 has been disconnected. If the result of the determination is that the connection with the battery 12 has been disconnected (step S19: Yes), the ground charger 2 proceeds to the process of step S20 in the charge control process. On the other hand, if the connection with the battery 12 has not been disconnected (step S19: No), the ground charger 2 executes the process of step S19 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0031] In the process of step S20, the ground-mounted charger 2 transmits a charger disconnection notification indicating that the connection with the battery 12 has been disconnected to the server 3 via the telecommunications line NW. This completes the process of step S20, and the charging control process proceeds to the process of step S21.

[0032] In the process of step S21, the server 3 determines whether or not a charger disconnection notification has been received from the ground-mounted charger 2. If the result of the determination is that a charger disconnection notification has been received (step S21: Yes), the server 3 proceeds with the charging control process to the process of step S22. On the other hand, if a charger disconnection notification has not been received (step S21: No), the server 3 executes the process of step S21 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0033] In the process of step S22, the server 3 transmits a drain instruction to the electric vehicle 1 via the telecommunications line NW to instruct the electric vehicle 1 to discharge drainage water from the drain outlet 14. This completes the process of step S22, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S23.

[0034] In the process of step S23, the control device 15 determines whether or not a drainage instruction has been received from the server 3. If the result of the determination is that a drainage instruction has been received (step S23: Yes), the control device 15 advances the charge control process to the process of step S24. On the other hand, if a drainage instruction has not been received (step S23: No), the control device 15 executes the process of step S23 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0035] In the process of step S24, the control device 15 controls the drain outlet 14 to discharge the wastewater from the drain outlet 14. This completes the process of step S24, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S25.

[0036] In the process of step S25, the control device 15 determines whether or not the discharge of wastewater from the drain outlet 14 has been completed. If the result of the determination is that the discharge of wastewater from the drain outlet 14 has been completed (step S25: Yes), the control device 15 proceeds to the process of step S26 in the charge control process. On the other hand, if the discharge of wastewater from the drain outlet 14 has not been completed (step S25: No), the control device 15 executes the process of step S25 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0037] In the process of step S26, the control device 15 transmits a drainage completion notification indicating that the drainage of the wastewater from the drain outlet 14 has been completed to the server 3 via the telecommunications line NW. This completes the process of step S26, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S27.

[0038] In the process of step S27, the server 3 determines whether or not a drainage completion notification has been received from the electric vehicle 1. If the determination result shows that a drainage completion notification has been received (step S27: Yes), the server 3 proceeds with the charge control process to the process of step S28. On the other hand, if a drainage completion notification has not been received (step S27: No), the server 3 executes the process of step S27 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0039] In the process of step S28, the server 3 transmits a charging start instruction to the electric vehicle 1 and the ground-mounted charger 2 via the telecommunications line NW to resume charging of the battery 12. This completes the process of step S28, and the charging control process proceeds to the processes of steps S29 and S33.

[0040] In the process of step S29, the ground charger 2 determines whether or not a charging start instruction has been received from the server 3. If the result of the determination is that a charging start instruction has been received (step S29: Yes), the ground charger 2 proceeds with the charging control process to the process of step S30. On the other hand, if a charging start instruction has not been received (step S29: No), the ground charger 2 ends the series of charging control processes.

[0041] In the process of step S30, the ground-mounted charger 2 starts charging the battery 12. This completes the process of step S30, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S31.

[0042] In the process of step S31, the ground-based charger 2 determines whether or not the battery 12 is fully charged. If the result of the determination is that the battery 12 is fully charged (step S31: Yes), the ground-based charger 2 advances the charge control process to the process of step S32. On the other hand, if the battery 12 is not fully charged (step S31: No), the ground-based charger 2 executes the process of step S31 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0043] In the process of step S32, the ground-mounted charger 2 stops charging the battery 12. This completes the process of step S32, and the series of charge control processes ends.

[0044] In the process of step S33, the control device 15 determines whether or not a charging start instruction has been received from the server 3. If the determination result shows that a charging start instruction has been received (step S33: Yes), the control device 15 advances the charging control process to the process of step S34. On the other hand, if a charging start instruction has not been received (step S33: No), the control device 15 executes the process of step S33 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0045] In the process of step S34, the control device 15 controls the power receiving device 11 to resume charging of the battery 12, and controls the cooling device 13 to cool the battery 12. This completes the process of step S34, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S35.

[0046] In the process of step S35, the control device 15 determines whether the battery 12 is fully charged. If the result of the determination is that the battery 12 is fully charged (step S35: Yes), the control device 15 advances the charge control process to the process of step S36. On the other hand, if the battery 12 is not fully charged (step S35: No), the control device 15 executes the process of step S35 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0047] In the process of step S36, the control device 15 controls the power receiving device 11 to stop charging the battery 12. This completes the process of step S36, and the series of charge control processes ends.

[0048] As is clear from the above description, in the electric vehicle 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the control device 15 limits the cooling operation of the battery 12 when the battery 12 is being charged by the power receiving device 11. This limits the amount of water discharged from the electric vehicle 1, thereby preventing leakage or breakdown of the ground-mounted charger 2 due to water discharged from the electric vehicle 1.

[0049] [Modification] In the above embodiment, charging of the battery 12 without cooling is stopped when the SoC of the battery 12 becomes equal to or greater than a given lower limit (processing of steps S9 to S19), but charging of the battery 12 without cooling may be interrupted if the temperature of the battery 12 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature while cooling of the battery 12 without cooling is stopped, and may be resumed if the temperature of the battery 12 becomes equal to or less than the predetermined temperature. The flow of the charging control process in this case will be described below with reference to FIG. 3.

[0050] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the charge control process shown in Fig. 2A and 2B. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 starts when the process of step S9 shown in Fig. 2A is completed, and the charge control process proceeds to step S41.

[0051] In the process of step S41, the server 3 determines whether the SoC of the battery 12 of the electric vehicle 1 is less than an arbitrary lower limit (for example, 10%) based on the traveling information transmitted from the electric vehicle 1. If the determination result shows that the SoC is less than the arbitrary lower limit (step S41: Yes), the server 3 proceeds to the process of step S49 in the charge control process. On the other hand, if the SoC is equal to or greater than the arbitrary lower limit (step S41: No), the server 3 proceeds to the process of step S42 in the charge control process.

[0052] In the process of step S42, the server 3 transmits a charge stop instruction to the electric vehicle 1 and the ground-mounted charger 2 via the telecommunications line NW to stop charging of the battery 12 and disconnect the connection with the ground-mounted charger 2. This completes the process of step S42, and the charge control process proceeds to the processes of steps S44 and S47.

[0053] In the process of step S44, the ground charger 2 determines whether or not a charging stop instruction has been received from the server 3 for the ongoing charging process (step S43) of the battery 12. If the result of the determination is that a charging stop instruction has been received (step S44: Yes), the ground charger 2 advances the charging control process to the process of step S53. On the other hand, if a charging stop instruction has not been received (step S44: No), the ground charger 2 advances the charging control process to the process of step S45.

[0054] In the process of step S45, the ground-mounted charger 2 stops charging the battery 12 and disconnects the connection to the battery 12. This completes the process of step S45, and the series of charge control processes ends.

[0055] In the process of step S47, the control device 15 determines whether or not a charge stop instruction has been received from the server 3 for the ongoing charging process of the battery 12 without cooling (step S46). If the result of the determination is that a charge stop instruction has been received (step S47: Yes), the control device 15 ends the series of charge control processes. On the other hand, if a charge stop instruction has not been received (step S47: No), the control device 15 advances the charge control process to the process of step S48.

[0056] In the process of step S48, the control device 15 detects the temperature of the battery 12 and notifies the server 3 of information about the detected temperature of the battery 12 via the telecommunications line NW. This completes the process of step S48, and the charge control process proceeds to the processes of steps S46 and S49.

[0057] In the process of step S49, the server 3 determines whether or not the temperature of the battery 12 is higher than an arbitrary upper limit temperature, based on the temperature of the battery 12 detected by the control device 15 in the process of step S48. If the result of the determination is that the temperature of the battery 12 is higher than the arbitrary upper limit temperature (e.g., 70°C) (step S49: Yes), the server 3 proceeds with the charge control process to the process of step S50. On the other hand, if the temperature of the battery 12 is equal to or lower than the arbitrary upper limit temperature (step S49: No), the server 3 executes the process of step S49 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0058] In the process of step S50, the server 3 transmits a charge interruption instruction to interrupt charging of the battery 12 to the ground-mounted charger 2 via the telecommunications line NW. This completes the process of step S50, and the charge control process proceeds to the processes of steps S51 and S53.

[0059] In the process of step S51, the server 3 determines whether or not the temperature of the battery 12 is lower than an arbitrary lower limit temperature (for example, 50°C) based on the temperature of the battery 12 detected by the control device 15 in the process of step S48. If the result of the determination is that the temperature of the battery 12 is lower than the arbitrary lower limit temperature (step S51: Yes), the server 3 proceeds with the charge control process to the process of step S52. On the other hand, if the temperature of the battery 12 is equal to or higher than the arbitrary lower limit temperature (step S51: No), the server 3 executes the process of step S51 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0060] In the process of step S52, the server 3 transmits a charge restart instruction to the ground-mounted charger 2 via the telecommunications line NW to instruct the ground-mounted charger 2 to restart charging of the battery 12. This completes the process of step S52, and the charge control process returns to the process of step S41.

[0061] In the process of step S53, the ground charger 2 determines whether or not a charging suspension instruction has been received from the server 3. If the determination result shows that a charging suspension instruction has been received (step S53: Yes), the ground charger 2 proceeds with the charging control process to the process of step S54. On the other hand, if a charging suspension instruction has not been received (step S53: No), the ground charger 2 returns the charging control process to the process of step S43.

[0062] In the process of step S54, the ground-mounted charger 2 stops charging the battery 12. This completes the process of step S54, and the charge control process proceeds to the process of step S55.

[0063] In the process of step S55, the ground charger 2 determines whether or not a charging restart instruction has been received from the server 3. If the result of the determination is that a charging restart instruction has been received (step S55: Yes), the ground charger 2 advances the charging control process to the process of step S56. On the other hand, if a charging restart instruction has not been received (step S55: No), the ground charger 2 executes the process of step S55 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0064] In the process of step S56, the ground-mounted charger 2 resumes charging of the battery 12. This completes the process of step S56, and the charge control process returns to the process of step S43.

[0065] The above describes an embodiment applying the invention made by the present inventors, but the present invention is not limited to the description and drawings that form part of the disclosure of the present invention according to this embodiment. For example, the processing on the server 3 side may be executed on the electric vehicle 1 side. In this way, all other embodiments, examples, operating techniques, etc. made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Electric vehicles 2 Ground-mounted charger 3 Server 11 Power receiving device 12 Battery 13 Cooling device 14 Drain 15 Control device NW telecommunications lines

Claims

[Claim 1] A battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle that controls a cooling operation of a battery that is charged by a power receiving device provided below the electric vehicle, A battery cooling control device for an electric vehicle, characterized in that it is provided with a control unit that limits the cooling operation of the battery if it is expected that water will be discharged from the electric vehicle when the battery is charged by the power receiving device.

Images