Heating device

Abstract

To provide a heating apparatus which improves energy efficiency.SOLUTION: A heating apparatus 10 provided in a vehicle comprises: a shield member 11 which covers a power transmission cable 7 for connecting a charging inlet 5 to which a charging plug is attached with a charger 6 which charges a battery (drive battery 13); and a switch (relay 13) which is connected between the shield member and a body ground 16. A plurality of switches may be provided. The shield member is provided in the vicinity of the battery and may further comprise a control unit 15 which controls the switch on the basis of temperature of a cell provided in the battery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of heating devices installed in vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a vehicle is proposed in which a shielding section is provided between a circuit section on which electronic components are mounted and an energy storage element to block noise generated from the circuit section and external noise. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-127748 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there has been a demand for greater energy efficiency. However, the above-described vehicle only blocks noise with the shielding portion, and therefore cannot be said to be energy efficient.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to improve energy efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A heating device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a shielding member that covers a power transmission cable that connects a charging port into which a charging plug is attached and a charger that charges a battery, and a switch that is connected between the shielding member and a body earth. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, energy efficiency can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a driving battery, a heater, and a shielding member. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a heating device. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a heating process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a heat treatment according to another embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a heating device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <1. Vehicle Overview> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that Fig. 1 shows only the main components of the vehicle 1 that are relevant to the present invention.

[0010] Vehicle 1 of this embodiment is a plug-in electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid vehicle that can be charged externally. As shown in Fig. 1, vehicle 1 includes a motor 2, a drive battery 3, an inverter 4, a charging port 5, a charger 6, a power transmission cable 7, a heater 8, and an auxiliary battery 9. Vehicle 1 also includes a heating device 10 (see Fig. 3), which will be described later.

[0011] The motor 2 is a power source, such as a three-phase AC motor, that drives the vehicle 1. The motor 2 generates driving force using power supplied from a drive battery 3 via an inverter 4, and transmits the driving force to the drive wheels to drive the vehicle 1. If the vehicle 1 is a plug-in hybrid vehicle, it will also be equipped with an engine as a power source.

[0012] The motor 2 also generates electricity (power) by performing regenerative operation. The electricity generated by the regenerative operation of the motor 2 is supplied to the drive battery 3 via the inverter 4.

[0013] The drive battery 3 is a so-called high-voltage battery, and is capable of storing electricity to be supplied to the motor 2.

[0014] The inverter 4 converts the direct current supplied from the drive battery 3 into three-phase alternating current and supplies it to the motor 2. When the motor 2 performs regenerative operation, the inverter 4 converts the alternating current supplied from the motor 2 into direct current and supplies it to the drive battery 3.

[0015] Charging port 5 is provided on vehicle 1 so that a charging plug can be attached. The charging plug is connected to an external charging device. The charging device is, for example, a charging stand installed in a commercial facility, parking lot, etc., and supplies alternating current to vehicle 1 via the charging plug.

[0016] The charger 6 is connected to the charging port 5 via a power transmission cable 7, and is also connected to the drive battery 3 via a predetermined power transmission cable. The charger 6 is configured to include, for example, an AD / DC converter, and is equipped with multiple electronic components. The charger 6 converts AC current supplied from an external device via the charging port 5 into DC current, and supplies the converted DC current to the drive battery 3, thereby charging the drive battery 3.

[0017] Therefore, the drive battery 3 can be charged by regenerative operation using the motor 2 and by electricity supplied from an external device.

[0018] The heater 8 is provided near the drive battery 3 and generates heat using power supplied from the auxiliary battery 9 to heat the drive battery 3. The drive battery 3 heated by the heater 8 increases in temperature.

[0019] 2. Example of arrangement of the drive battery 3, heater 8, and shield member 11 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the drive battery 3, heater 8, and shield member 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the drive battery 3 is mounted in the lower part of the trunk located at the rear of the vehicle 1, or under the rear seats. The charger 6 is also mounted in the same case as the drive battery 3. However, the charger 6 does not have to be mounted in the same case as the drive battery 3.

[0020] A heater 8 is provided below the driving battery 3. In other words, the driving battery 3 is mounted on top of the heater 8.

[0021] The power transmission cable 7 connects the charging port 5 and the charger 6. Specifically, the power transmission cable 7 is arranged from the charger 6, for example, above the drive battery 3, along the longitudinal direction (the width direction of the vehicle 1).

[0022] Here, in the charger 6, noise may be generated from various electronic components when AC current is converted to DC current. Furthermore, the noise generated in the electronic components may be transmitted to the power transmission cable 7 as conducted noise. As a result, noise is generated from the power transmission cable 7 to the outside.

[0023] Therefore, the power transmission cable 7 is wrapped with a shielding member 11. In other words, the shielding member 11 is provided so as to cover the power transmission cable 7.

[0024] The shielding member 11 is made of, for example, a conductive metal material, and blocks noise generated from the power transmission cable 7 and external noise, and heats the driving battery 3 with the heat generated from this noise, as will be described in detail later. Note that the shielding member 11 is preferably made of iron, which has a higher electrical resistance than copper or aluminum, but copper, aluminum, etc. may also be used. The shielding member 11 does not have to be made of a metal material as long as it is a conductive material.

[0025] Similar to the power transmission cable 7, the shielding member 11 is positioned above the drive battery 3 along the longitudinal direction of the drive battery 3. Therefore, the drive battery 3 is mounted sandwiched between the heater 8 and the shielding member 11, and the heater 8 is positioned on the opposite side of the drive battery 3 from the shielding member 11.

[0026] 3. Configuration of Heating Device 10 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the heating device 10. The heating device 10 includes a heater 8, a shielding member 11, a relay 13, a temperature sensor 14, and a control unit 15, and heats the driving battery 3 during charging.

[0027] The drive battery 3 is charged by a chemical reaction using electricity supplied from the motor 2 or an external device. At low temperatures, the driving battery 3's charging chemical reaction slows down, reducing charging efficiency and lengthening charging times.

[0028] Therefore, the heating device 10 heats the driving battery 3 when the temperature is low during charging, thereby preventing the charging time of the driving battery 3 from becoming too long.

[0029] The shield member 11 is connected to the body earth 16 via a plurality of relays 13. The relays 13 connect between the shield member 11 and the body earth 16. In this embodiment, two relays 13 are provided, but the number of relays 13 is not limited. That is, the number of relays 13 may be one, or three or more.

[0030] The relays 13 are connected, for example, near both ends of the shield member 11. When the two relays 13 are to be distinguished from one another, they are referred to as a first relay 13a and a second relay 13b.

[0031] The relay 13 is switchable, under the control of the control unit 15, between an ON state (closed state) that connects the shield member 11 and the body earth 16 and an OFF state (open state) that disconnects the shield member 11 and the body earth 16.

[0032] In the heating device 10, an eddy current is generated on the shield member 11 due to a change in the magnetic flux density penetrating the shield member 11 caused by the magnetic field generated in the power transmission cable 7. When the relay 13 is turned on, the eddy current generated on the shield member 11 flows to the body earth 16. At this time, the shield member 11 generates heat as the generated eddy current flows to the body earth 16. On the other hand, when the relay 13 is off, the eddy current generated on the shield member 11 does not flow to the body earth 16. Therefore, the shield member 11 does not generate heat easily when the relay 13 is off.

[0033] Furthermore, when one relay 13 is on and the other relay 13 is off, for example when the first relay 13a is on and the second relay 13b is off, the impedance (resistance) of the shield member 11 is larger than when both relays 13 are on. Furthermore, when one relay 13 is on and the other relay 13 is off, the impedance of the shield member 11 is smaller than when both relays 13 are off.

[0034] Therefore, in the heating device 10, the more relays 13 that are turned on, the more the impedance in the shield member 11 decreases and the more current (the larger the current value) flows from the shield member 11 to the body earth 16. Therefore, in the heating device 10, the more relays 13 that are turned on, the more the noise reduction effect increases and the amount of heat generated by the shield member 11 also increases.

[0035] The driving battery 3 is provided with a plurality of cells 12. The plurality of cells 12 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the heater 8 and the shield member 11. The plurality of cells 12 are also stacked between the heater 8 and the shield member 11. In the following, the cell 12 closest to the heater 8 may be referred to as the heater-side cell 12a, and the cell 12 closest to the shield member 11 may be referred to as the shield-side cell 12b.

[0036] A temperature sensor 14 is attached to each cell 12. The temperature sensor 14 measures the temperature of each cell 12 and outputs the measurement result to a control unit 15.

[0037] The control unit 15 is a processor including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 15 controls the entire heating device 10 by expanding a program stored in the ROM or a storage unit (not shown) onto the RAM and executing the program.

[0038] The control unit 15 is connected to the heater 8, the relay 13, and the temperature sensor 14. The control unit 15 controls the on / off of the heater 8 and the relay 13 based on the temperature of each cell 12 input from the temperature sensor 14, thereby appropriately heating the driving battery 3 (cells 12).

[0039] <4. Heat treatment flow> 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the heating process. The heating process shown in FIG. 4 is carried out when the driving battery 3 is being charged.

[0040] 4 is started, in step S1, the control unit 15 determines whether the highest temperature among the temperatures of the cells 12 input from the temperature sensor 14 (the temperature of the cell 12 with the highest temperature: hereinafter referred to as the maximum all-cell temperature) is equal to or higher than a preset threshold temperature T1. Note that the threshold temperature T1 is set to a temperature (e.g., 0°C) at which all the cells 12 of the driving battery 3 are generally at low temperatures and all the cells 12 need to be heated.

[0041] Then, if the maximum temperature of all cells is lower than the threshold temperature T1 (No in step S1), that is, if all cells 12 of the driving battery 3 need to be heated as a whole, in step S2 the control unit 15 turns on the heater 8 and turns on the first relay 13a and the second relay 13b. As a result, the heater 8 generates heat, and the two relays 13 are turned on, causing the shield member 11 to generate maximum heat. Therefore, in step S2, the heater 8 and the shield member 11 heat the driving battery 3 to the maximum extent possible.

[0042] If the maximum all-cell temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature T1 (Yes in step S1), in step S3 the control unit 15 determines whether the maximum all-cell temperature is equal to or lower than the threshold temperature T2. The threshold temperature T2 is set to a temperature (e.g., 20°C) at which the cells 12 of the driving battery 3 are generally hot and there is no need to heat all of the cells 12.

[0043] If the maximum temperature of all cells is higher than the threshold temperature T2 (No in step S3), that is, if there is no need to heat all of the cells 12 of the driving battery 3, in step S4 the control unit 15 turns off the heater 8 and turns off the first relay 13a and the second relay 13b. As a result, the heater 8 stops and no current flows through the shield member 11, so the shield member 11 does not generate heat. Therefore, in step S4, the driving battery 3 is not heated. However, the shielding member 11 blocks noise generated from the power transmission cable 7 and external noise.

[0044] If the maximum temperature of all cells is equal to or lower than the threshold temperature T2 (Yes in step S3), in step S5 the control unit 15 determines whether the value obtained by subtracting the temperature of the heater-side cell 12a (hereinafter referred to as the heater-side cell temperature) from the temperature of the shield-side cell 12b (hereinafter referred to as the shield-side cell temperature) is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature T3. Note that the threshold temperature T3 is set to a temperature difference (e.g., 2°C) at which it is not necessary to heat the entire driving battery 3, but the heater-side cell temperature is lower than the shield-side cell temperature and the heater-side cell 12a needs to be heated.

[0045] If the value obtained by subtracting the heater-side cell temperature from the shield-side cell temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature T3 (Yes in step S5), that is, if the heater-side cell 12a needs to be heated, the control unit 15 turns on the heater 8 and turns off the first relay 13a and the second relay 13b in step S6. As a result, the heater 8 generates heat, but no current flows through the shield member 11, so the shield member 11 does not generate heat. Therefore, in step S6, the heater-side cell 12a can be mainly heated, and the temperature difference between the cells 12 can be reduced.

[0046] If the value obtained by subtracting the heater-side cell temperature from the shield-side cell temperature is lower than the threshold temperature T3 (No in step S5), in step S7 the control unit 15 determines whether the value obtained by subtracting the shield-side cell temperature from the heater-side cell temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature T4. Note that the threshold temperature T4 is set to a temperature difference (e.g., 2°C) at which it is not necessary to heat the entire driving battery 3, but the shield-side cell temperature is lower than the heater-side cell temperature and it is necessary to actively heat the shield-side cell 12b.

[0047] If the value obtained by subtracting the shield-side cell temperature from the heater-side cell temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature T4 (Yes in step S7), that is, if the shield-side cell 12b is to be actively heated, the control unit 15 turns off the heater 8 and turns on the first relay 13a and the second relay 13b in step S8. As a result, the heater 8 is stopped, while the impedance of the shield member 11 is reduced to the minimum by turning on the two relays 13, and the amount of heat generated by the shield member 11 is maximized. Therefore, in step S8, the shield-side cell 12b can be actively heated, and the temperature difference between the cells 12 can be reduced.

[0048] If the value obtained by subtracting the shield-side cell temperature from the heater-side cell temperature is lower than the threshold temperature T4 (No in step S7), that is, if there is no need to actively heat the shield-side cell 12b, in step S9, the control unit 15 turns off the heater 8, turns on the first relay 13a, and turns off the second relay 13b. As a result, the heater 8 stops and one of the relays 13 is turned on, resulting in a lower amount of heat generated by the shield member 11 than when both relays 13 are turned on. Therefore, in step S8, the shield-side cell 12b can be suitably heated, and the temperature difference between the cells 12 can be reduced.

[0049] <5. Variations> Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific examples described above and can adopt various configurations. For example, the program for executing the above-mentioned heating process can be stored in advance in a recording medium built into a device such as a computer device, or in a ROM or the like in a microcomputer having a CPU.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the relay 13 is provided as a switch for switching on and off the shield member 11 and the body earth 16. However, the switch may be, for example, a switch that can be manually switched.

[0051] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the heating device 10 heats the driving battery 3 using the heater 8 and the shield member 11, but the driving battery 3 may also be heated using only the shield member 11.

[0052] Furthermore, the heating process in the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the heating process may be other processes in which the driving battery 3 is heated by at least the shield member 11.

[0053] For example, if there is only one relay 13 and no heater 8, the heating process may be performed according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 5. In this case, in step S11, the control unit 15 determines whether the maximum temperature of all cells is equal to or greater than the threshold temperature T1. If the maximum temperature of all cells is equal to or greater than the threshold temperature T1 (Yes in step S11), in step S12, the control unit 15 determines whether the value obtained by subtracting the shield-side cell temperature from the temperature of the cell 12 farthest from the shield member 11 is equal to or greater than the threshold temperature T4. If the value obtained by subtracting the shield-side cell temperature from the temperature of the cell 12 farthest from the shield member 11 is lower than the threshold temperature T4 (No in step S12), in step S13, the control unit 15 turns off the relay 13. This prevents the driving battery 3 from being heated. On the other hand, if the maximum temperature of all cells is lower than the threshold temperature T1 (No in step S11), and if the value obtained by subtracting the shield-side cell temperature from the temperature of the cell 12 farthest from the shield member 11 is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature T4 (Yes in step S12), the control unit 15 turns on the relay 13 in step S14. This causes the shield member 11 to heat the driving battery 3.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the heating device 10 heats the driving battery 3 (cells 12) using the heater 8 and the shield member 11. However, the heating device 10 is not limited to heating the driving battery 3, and may also heat any target component of the vehicle 1, such as the engine or transmission. 6, in a heating device 10, a shield member 11 and a target component 100 are disposed so as to be in contact with a refrigerant flow path 101. A refrigerant flows through the refrigerant flow path 101. In the heating device 10, the relay 13 is turned on and off to heat the shield member 11, thereby heating the refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 101. The target component 100 is then heated by the heated refrigerant.

[0055] <6. Summary of embodiments> As described above, the heating device 10 of the embodiment includes a charging port 5 to which a charging plug is attached, a shielding member 11 that covers the power transmission cable 7 that connects the charger 6 that charges the battery (driving battery 3), and a switch (relay 13) connected between the shielding member 11 and the body earth 16.

[0056] As a result, the heating device 10 generates heat in the shielding member 11 due to noise generated from the power transmission cable 7 and eddy currents generated in the shielding member 11 due to external noise. The heating device 10 can then heat, for example, the driving battery 3 by using the heated shielding member 11. Therefore, the heating device 10 can reduce noise generated from the power transmission cable 7 and external noise with the shielding member 11. Furthermore, the heating device 10 can improve energy efficiency by not using the heater 8 when heating the driving battery 3 during charging, or by using the heater 8 in combination.

[0057] Furthermore, the heating device 10 is provided with a plurality of switches (relays 13). As a result, in the heating device 10, the impedance of the shield member 11 can be made variable, and the amount of heat generated by the shield member 11 can be adjusted. Therefore, the heating device 10 can heat the driving battery 3 efficiently.

[0058] The shield member 11 is provided near the battery (driving battery 3) and includes a control unit 15 that controls a switch (relay 13) based on the temperature of a cell 12 provided in the battery (driving battery 3). This allows the heating device 10 to efficiently heat the driving battery 3, for example by reducing the temperature difference between the cells 12 based on the temperature of each cell 12.

[0059] The heating device 10 also includes a heater 8 that is provided on the opposite side of the battery (driving battery 3) from the shield member 11, and the control unit 15 controls the heater 8 and the switch (relay 13) based on the temperature of the cell 12. This allows the heating device 10 to heat the driving battery 3 more efficiently through the heater 8 and the shield member 11 based on the temperature of each cell 12.

[0060] In addition, the battery (driving battery 3) has multiple cells 12 stacked between a heater 8 and a shielding member 11, and the control unit 15 controls the heater 8 and the switch (relay 13) based on the temperature of the cell 12 among the multiple cells 12 that is closest to the heater 8 and the temperature of the cell 12 among the multiple cells 12 that is closest to the shielding member 11. This allows the heating device 10 to heat the driving battery 3 more efficiently, for example, by primarily heating the cell 12 closest to the heater 8 or the cell 12 closest to the shield member 11, based on the temperature of the cell 12 closest to the heater 8 and the temperature of the cell 12 closest to the shield member 11. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 vehicle 2 motors 3 Battery Module 4 inverters 5 Charging port 6 charger 7 Power Transmission Cables 8 Heater 10 Heating device 11 Shielding material 12 cells 13 Relay 14 Temperature Sensor 15 Control Unit

Claims

1. a shielding member that covers a power transmission cable that connects a charging port into which a charging plug is attached and a charger that charges the battery; a switch connected between the shield member and a body earth; A heating device comprising:

2. A plurality of the switches are provided. The heating device according to claim 1 .

3. the shield member is provided in the vicinity of the battery, a control unit that controls the switch based on the temperature of a cell provided in the battery; The heating device according to claim 1 .

4. a heater provided on the opposite side of the battery from the shielding member, The control unit controls the heater and the switch based on the temperature of the cell. The heating device according to claim 3 .

5. the battery has a plurality of the cells stacked between the heater and the shield member, The control unit controls the heater and the switch based on a temperature of a cell closest to the heater among the plurality of cells and a temperature of a cell closest to the shield member among the plurality of cells. The heating device according to claim 4.

Images