Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a control device of a vehicle which is capable of charging a battery while restraining precision of abnormality diagnosis of the control device from being deteriorated.SOLUTION: In a control device of a vehicle which is installed on the vehicle including an engine and a battery and controls charging of the battery, it comprises an internal temperature acquisition part which acquires internal temperature of the control device, an intake temperature acquisition part which acquires intake temperature of the engine, a diagnosis part which executes abnormal diagnostic process of the control device on the basis of the internal temperature and the intake temperature by switching the control device from off-state to on-state in condition of ignition-on and a charging part which executes charge processing of the battery by switching the control device from off-state to on-state in condition of ignition-off. The charging part interrupts the charge processing by turning off the control device if the internal temperature becomes threshold value or more during the charge processing and before the execution of diagnostic process. The diagnosis part executes the diagnostic process after interruption of the charge processing. The charging part resumes the charge processing after execution of the diagnostic process if the charge processing is interrupted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a technique for executing predetermined control based on the internal temperature of a control device of a vehicle having an engine (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 117969 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is conceivable that a diagnostic process for an abnormality in the control device is executed based on the internal temperature of the control device and the intake air temperature of the engine. Furthermore, the control device may control the charging of a battery mounted on a vehicle. While the battery is being charged, the internal temperature of the control device rises. If the diagnostic process is executed when the internal temperature of the control device is high, the accuracy of the abnormality diagnosis may be reduced.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control device that is capable of charging a battery while suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of abnormality diagnosis of the control device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object can be achieved by a vehicle control device that is mounted on a vehicle having an engine and a battery and controls charging of the battery, the vehicle control device comprising: an internal temperature acquisition unit that acquires the internal temperature of the control device; an intake temperature acquisition unit that acquires the intake temperature of the engine; a diagnostic unit that switches the control device from off to on when the ignition is off and performs a diagnostic process for an abnormality in the control device based on the internal temperature and the intake temperature; and a charging unit that switches the control device from off to on when the ignition is off and performs a charging process for the battery, wherein if the internal temperature becomes equal to or higher than a threshold during the charging process and before the diagnostic process is performed, the charging unit turns off the control device and interrupts the charging process, the diagnostic unit performs the diagnostic process after the charging process is interrupted, and if the charging process is interrupted, the charging unit resumes the charging process after the diagnostic process is performed.

[0007] After the diagnostic process is completed, the charging unit may resume the charging process regardless of a diagnosis result of the diagnostic process.

[0008] The charging unit may resume the charging process when the diagnostic result of the diagnostic process is normal, and may not resume the charging process when the diagnostic result of the diagnostic process is abnormal.

[0009] The vehicle may have a motor as a driving power source, a motor control device that controls the motor, and a battery control device that controls the battery, and the control device may control the engine and the motor control device, and perform the charging process by controlling the battery control device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can charge a battery while suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of abnormality diagnosis of the control device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hybrid vehicle. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating charging control. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating diagnostic charging resumption control. [Figure 4] 10 is a timing chart illustrating charging control and diagnostic charging resumption control. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of a modified example of diagnostic charging resumption control. [Figure 6] 10 is a timing chart of a modified example of charging control and diagnostic charging resumption control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] [Hybrid vehicle configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a hybrid vehicle 1. The hybrid vehicle 1 is a plug-in hybrid vehicle that can charge a battery 40 using an external power source (hereinafter referred to as external charging). The hybrid vehicle 1 includes an engine 10, a motor 20, drive wheels 30, a battery 40, a DC-DC converter 45, an auxiliary battery 50, accessories 55, a charger 60, and a plug 65. The engine 10 and the motor 20 function as a driving power source. The driving force generated by the engine 10 or the motor 20 is transmitted to the drive wheels 30, causing the hybrid vehicle 1 to travel. The engine 10 is a gasoline engine, but may also be a diesel engine.

[0013] The motor 20 is driven by power supplied from the battery 40. The motor 20 generates driving force for the vehicle in response to the power supplied from the battery 40. The motor 20 generates electricity using power from the engine 10 and the drive wheels 30. The electricity generated by the motor 20 is charged into the battery 40. As described above, the battery 40 can be externally charged via the charger 60 and the plug 65.

[0014] The auxiliary battery 50 has a lower voltage than the battery 40. The auxiliary battery 50 supplies power to the auxiliary device 55. The auxiliary battery 50 is connected to the battery 40 via a DC-DC converter 45. By controlling the DC-DC converter 45, the auxiliary battery 50 can be charged using the power of the battery 40 (hereinafter referred to as pumping charging). The auxiliary device 55 is, for example, an air conditioning device or a power steering device mounted on the hybrid vehicle 1.

[0015] The hybrid vehicle 1 is equipped with an integrated ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 70, a motor ECU 72, a battery ECU 74, and a power supply ECU 76. The motor ECU 72 controls the operation of the motor 20. The battery ECU 74 controls the charging and discharging of the battery 40 and the DC-DC converter 45. The power supply ECU 76 controls the charger 60. The integrated ECU 70 controls the operation of the engine 10 and also controls the motor ECU 72, the battery ECU 74, and the power supply ECU 76. These ECUs are electronic control units that include an arithmetic processing circuit that performs various types of arithmetic processing and a memory that stores control programs and data. The integrated ECU 70 is an example of a control device for the hybrid vehicle 1. The integrated ECU 70 functionally implements an internal temperature acquisition unit, an intake air temperature acquisition unit, a diagnosis unit, and a charging unit, which will be described later.

[0016] The sensor group S3 is connected to the integrated ECU 70. The sensor group S3 includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, a brake opening sensor, a motor rotation speed sensor, a crank angle sensor, a shift position sensor, a coolant temperature sensor, and a SOC (State Of Charge) sensor.

[0017] The integrated ECU 70 controls the operation of the engine 10 based on the detection values ​​of the above sensors. In other words, the integrated ECU 70 has the function of an engine ECU. The integrated ECU 70 also outputs an operation command for the motor 20 to the motor ECU 72 based on the detection values ​​of these sensors. The motor ECU 72 controls the operation of the motor 20 in accordance with the operation command from the integrated ECU 70. The motor ECU 72 is an example of a motor control device. The integrated ECU 70 also outputs operation commands for the battery 40 and the auxiliary battery 50 to the battery ECU 74 based on the detection values ​​of these sensors. The battery ECU 74 controls the battery 40 and the auxiliary battery 50 in accordance with the operation command from the integrated ECU 70.

[0018] As described above, the integrated ECU 70 has the functions of an engine ECU and the functions of controlling the motor ECU 72 and the battery ECU 74. For example, compared to a case where an engine ECU, a motor ECU 72, a battery ECU 74, and an ECU that controls these are provided separately, the integrated ECU 70 as in this embodiment has the functions of an engine ECU, thereby reducing the number of ECUs, and thereby reducing costs.

[0019] The ignition switch S1 is connected to the power supply ECU 76. When the ignition switch S1 is switched from off to on, the power supply ECU 76 outputs an ignition signal to the integrated ECU 70. This turns on the integrated ECU 70. The integrated ECU 70 turns on the motor ECU 72 and the battery ECU 74. With the ignition on, the integrated ECU 70 controls the operation of the engine 10 and also controls the motor ECU 72 and the battery ECU 74. When the ignition switch S1 is switched from on to off, the power supply ECU 76 issues a command to the integrated ECU 70, causing the integrated ECU 70 to turn off the motor ECU 72 and the battery ECU 74 and also turn off the integrated ECU 70 itself.

[0020] The intake air temperature sensor S2 detects the temperature of the intake air introduced into the engine 10. The intake air temperature sensor S2 is connected to the integrated ECU 70. The integrated ECU 70 obtains the temperature of the intake air based on the detection value of the intake air temperature sensor S2.

[0021] The internal temperature sensor S7 detects the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70. The internal temperature sensor S7 is connected to the integrated ECU 70. The integrated ECU 70 acquires the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70 based on the detected value of the internal temperature sensor S7. The integrated ECU 70 includes a housing and a circuit board housed in the housing. The internal temperature sensor S7 is disposed in the housing and electrically connected to the circuit board.

[0022] The integrated ECU 70 is equipped with a soak timer T7. The soak timer T7 has a counter for measuring the elapsed time after the ignition is turned off. The soak timer T7 is powered by a backup power supply provided in the integrated ECU 70. Therefore, the soak timer T7 continues to measure the elapsed time even when the integrated ECU 70 is turned off.

[0023] When the plug 65 is connected to an external power source with the ignition off, the power supply ECU 76 turns on the integrated ECU 70, which turns on the battery ECU 74. The integrated ECU 70 issues a command to the battery ECU 74 to execute a charging process for externally charging the battery 40. Furthermore, when a predetermined time has elapsed with the ignition off, the power supply ECU 76 turns on the integrated ECU 70, which turns on the battery ECU 74. In this case, the integrated ECU 70 issues a command to the battery ECU 74 to control the DC-DC converter 45, which executes a charging process for pumping and charging the auxiliary battery 50. In this way, the integrated ECU 70 controls the charging of the battery 40 and the auxiliary battery 50.

[0024] After a predetermined time has elapsed with the ignition off, the integrated ECU 70 is switched from off to on, and a diagnostic process for an abnormality of the integrated ECU 70 is executed. The diagnostic process is executed with the integrated ECU 70 turned on with the ignition off, based on the detection value of the internal temperature sensor S7. Specifically, if the difference between the intake air temperature and the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70 is less than a predetermined temperature based on the detection values ​​of the intake air temperature sensor S2 and the internal temperature sensor S7, the integrated ECU 70 is provisionally diagnosed as normal. If the difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature, the integrated ECU 70 is provisionally diagnosed as abnormal. The diagnostic process is executed three times with the ignition off, with a predetermined time interval between each provisional diagnosis. In each provisional diagnosis, the integrated ECU 70 is switched from off to on. Therefore, the integrated ECU 70 is switched from off to on three times with the ignition off. For example, if the provisional diagnosis is made three times as normal, the integrated ECU 70 is finally diagnosed as normal. If the provisional diagnosis is made three times in a row as abnormal, the integrated ECU 70 is finally diagnosed as abnormal. If at least one of the three tests results in a provisional diagnosis of an abnormality, the actual diagnosis is not performed. The execution times (hereinafter referred to as the diagnosis times) of the three provisional diagnoses performed after the ignition is turned off are set in advance. The diagnostic process is an example of a process executed by the diagnosis unit.

[0025] [Charging control, diagnostic charging restart control] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating charging control. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating diagnostic charging restart control. FIG. 4 is a timing chart illustrating charging control and diagnostic charging restart control. FIG. 4 shows the presence or absence of a charging request, the on / off state of the integrated ECU 70, the coolant temperature, the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70, and the changes in intake air temperature. The coolant temperature is the temperature of the coolant for the engine 10.

[0026] First, the charging control will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 4. The power supply ECU 76 determines whether the ignition is off (step S1). If the answer is No in step S1, the charging control ends.

[0027] If the answer is Yes in step S1 (time t1), the coolant temperature begins to drop. The intake air temperature rises once when the engine 10 is stopped, and then begins to drop. The integrated ECU 70 is de-energized when the ignition is turned off. Therefore, the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70 also begins to drop. If the answer is Yes in step S1, the integrated ECU 70 determines whether or not there is a charge request (step S2). If the answer is No in step S2, the charge control ends.

[0028] If the answer to step S2 is Yes (time t2), the integrated ECU 70 switches from OFF to ON (step S3), and the integrated ECU 70 executes a charging process (step S4). The execution of the charging process increases the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70. Note that the coolant temperature and intake air temperature decrease even during the charging process.

[0029] The integrated ECU 70 determines whether the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70 is equal to or higher than a threshold value based on the detection value of the internal temperature sensor S7 (step S5). The threshold value is set to a normal value for the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70 that increases during the charging process. Step S5 is an example of processing executed by the internal temperature acquisition unit and the charging unit. If the result of step S5 is No, the integrated ECU 70 determines whether the charging process is completed (step S6). If the result of step S6 is No, step S4 is executed again. If the result of step S6 is Yes, the integrated ECU 70 is turned off (step S9).

[0030] If step S5 returns Yes (time t3), the integrated ECU 70 suspends the charging process (step S7), reserves the time to resume the charging process (step S8), and turns off the integrated ECU 70 (step S9). The resume time is set to a time a predetermined time has elapsed since the time the diagnostic process ends. That is, the charging process resumes after the diagnostic process is executed. When the charging process is suspended, the integrated ECU 70 stores the suspension history in memory. When the integrated ECU 70 is turned off, the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70 drops. Steps S7 and S8 are an example of processing executed by the charging unit.

[0031] Next, the diagnostic charging restart control will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The power supply ECU 76 determines whether the ignition is off (step S11). If the result in step S11 is No, the diagnostic control ends. If the result in step S11 is Yes, the soak timer T7 determines whether the measured time is the diagnostic time (step S12). If the result in step S12 is Yes (time t4), the integrated ECU 70 turns on (step S13), and the integrated ECU 70 executes diagnostic processing based on the detected values ​​of the intake air temperature sensor S2 and the internal temperature sensor S7 (step S14). As described above, because the charging processing is interrupted before the diagnostic processing is executed (time t3), the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70 has decreased by the time the diagnostic processing is executed (time t4). This prevents a decrease in the accuracy of the abnormality diagnosis of the integrated ECU 70. Step S14 is an example of processing executed by the intake air temperature acquisition unit and the diagnosis unit.

[0032] Thereafter, the integrated ECU 70 is switched off (step S15). After step S15, or if step S12 is No, the soak timer T7 determines whether the measured time is the time to resume the charging process (step S16). If step S16 is No, this diagnostic control ends. When this diagnostic control is started again and step S11 is Yes and it is time to perform the diagnosis again (time t5, step S12 is Yes), the integrated ECU 70 is turned on again, the diagnostic process is performed, and then the integrated ECU 70 is turned off (steps S13, S14, S15). The same applies at time t6.

[0033] When the restart time arrives (time t7, Yes in step S16), the integrated ECU 70 turns on (step S17) and determines whether there is a history of interruption of the charging process (step S18). If Yes in step S18, the integrated ECU 70 restarts the charging process (step S19) and determines whether the charging process has been completed (step S20). If No in step S20, the process of step S19 is executed again. If No in step S18 or Yes in step S20, the integrated ECU 70 turns off (step S21). Step S19 is an example of a process executed by the charging unit. Note that if Yes in step S20, the integrated ECU 70 deletes the interruption history from the memory.

[0034] As described above, the charging process is interrupted before the diagnostic process is executed, and then the diagnostic process is executed. Therefore, the influence of the internal temperature of the integrated ECU 70 during the charging process can be suppressed, and an abnormality diagnosis of the integrated ECU 70 can be executed accurately. Furthermore, the charging process is resumed after the diagnostic process is completed, regardless of the diagnostic result. Therefore, the effectiveness of charging can be ensured.

[0035] [Variations] Next, a modified example of the above-mentioned control will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a modified example of the diagnostic charging restart control. FIG. 6 is a timing chart of a modified example of the charging control and the diagnostic charging restart control. FIG. 6 corresponds to FIG. 4. Note that in the charging control of this modified example, the reservation of the restart time of the charging process shown in FIG. 2 (step S8) is not executed. Other than this, the charging control of this modified example is the same as the charging control shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, in this modified example, the charging process is also interrupted before the diagnostic process is executed, and then the diagnostic process is executed. Below, the diagnostic charging restart control of this modified example will be described in detail.

[0036] If the answer is No in step S11 or S12, this control ends. If the answer is Yes in steps S11 and S12 and steps S13 and S14 are executed (time t4), the integrated ECU 70 determines whether the result of the provisional diagnosis is normal (step S15a). If the answer is Yes in step S15a, the integrated ECU 70 determines whether there is an interruption history (step S16a). If the answer is No in step S15a or S16a, the integrated ECU 70 is turned off (step S23a).

[0037] If the results of steps S15a and S16a are Yes, the charging process is resumed (step S17a). That is, if the result of the provisional diagnosis is normal, the charging process is resumed without switching off the integrated ECU 70. Step S17a is an example of a process executed by the charging unit.

[0038] Next, the integrated ECU 70 determines whether the diagnosis time has arrived during the execution of the charging process (step S18a). If the answer is Yes in step S18a (time t5), the integrated ECU 70 executes the diagnosis process (step S19a). Next, the integrated ECU 70 determines whether the result of the provisional diagnosis is abnormal (step S20a). If the answer is No in step S18a or S20a, the integrated ECU 70 determines whether the charging process has been completed (step S21a). If the answer is No in step S21a, step S17a is executed again. That is, as long as the result of the provisional diagnosis is normal, the charging process continues (time t6). If the answer is Yes in step S21a, the integrated ECU 70 is turned off (step S23a).

[0039] If the result of step S20a is Yes, the integrated ECU 70 suspends the charging process (step S22a) and turns off (step S23a). That is, if the provisional diagnosis result indicates an abnormality, the charging process is suspended. Step S22a is an example of a process executed by the charging unit.

[0040] As described above, the charging process is resumed when the diagnostic process is executed, so the charging process can be completed quickly. Furthermore, if the result of the provisional diagnosis indicates an abnormality, the charging process is not resumed or is interrupted, and the integrated ECU 70 is turned off. This prevents the integrated ECU 70 from overheating.

[0041] In the above diagnostic process, an example has been described in which the provisional diagnosis is performed three times, but the number of times the diagnosis is performed is not limited to this, and the diagnosis may be performed only once.

[0042] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10 Engine 20 Motor 40 Battery 50 Auxiliary battery 70 Integrated ECU (controller, internal temperature acquisition unit, intake temperature acquisition unit, charging unit, diagnostic unit) 72 Motor ECU (Motor Control Unit) 74 Battery ECU (Battery Control Unit) S2 Intake air temperature sensor S7 Internal Temperature Sensor

Claims

1. A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle having an engine and a battery, the vehicle control device controlling charging of the battery, an internal temperature acquisition unit that acquires an internal temperature of the control device; an intake temperature acquisition unit that acquires an intake temperature of the engine; a diagnosis unit that switches the control device from off to on while the ignition is off and executes a diagnosis process for an abnormality of the control device based on the internal temperature and the intake air temperature; a charging unit that switches the control device from off to on when the ignition is off to execute a charging process for the battery, the charging unit turns off the control device and interrupts the charging process when the internal temperature becomes equal to or higher than a threshold value during the charging process and before the diagnostic process is executed; the diagnostic unit executes the diagnostic process after the charging process is interrupted, The vehicle control device, wherein, when the charging process is interrupted, the charging unit resumes the charging process after the diagnostic process is performed.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the charging unit restarts the charging process after the diagnostic process is completed, regardless of a diagnosis result of the diagnostic process.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the charging unit resumes the charging process when a diagnosis result of the diagnostic process is normal, and does not resume the charging process when a diagnosis result of the diagnostic process is abnormal.

4. The vehicle includes a motor that is a driving power source, a motor control device that controls the motor, and a battery control device that controls the battery, 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the engine and the motor control device, and controls the battery control device to execute the charging process.

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