High-voltage auxiliary systems and electronic control units
The system addresses ripple interference in high-voltage auxiliary machines by using an electronic control device to manage voltage and current fluctuations, preventing component failure and ensuring efficient battery heating in high-voltage auxiliary systems.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022093840
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-06-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-06-09
AI Technical Summary
Existing high-voltage auxiliary machine systems in vehicles experience component failures and shortened lifetimes due to ripple interference from warming devices used to heat high-voltage batteries, which affects connected high-voltage auxiliary machines.
A system that includes an electronic control device to suppress the operation of high-voltage auxiliary equipment when voltage and current fluctuations exceed permissible values, using a heating device to heat the high-voltage battery while maintaining fluctuations within acceptable limits, and a battery temperature control device to adjust the battery temperature.
Prevents component failure and extends the lifespan of high-voltage auxiliary machines by ensuring voltage and current fluctuations remain below permissible levels, allowing efficient and rapid heating of the high-voltage battery.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a high-voltage auxiliary machine system mounted on a vehicle.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, a high-voltage auxiliary machine system mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a plug-in hybrid vehicle is known. The high-voltage auxiliary machine system includes a high-voltage auxiliary machine, a high-voltage battery, and the like.
[0003] The system described in Patent Document 1 is configured to warm up a high-voltage battery at low outside air temperature by a warming device connected to the high-voltage battery. Specifically, the warming device is a resonance circuit in which an inductor, a capacitor, and an AC power source are connected in series to the high-voltage battery. The warming device generates an AC voltage of the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit by the AC power source, and causes the ripple current generated thereby to flow through the cells in the high-voltage battery to warm up the high-voltage battery.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, when a ripple is generated by the warming device, the ripple also interferes with other high-voltage auxiliary machines electrically connected to the electric circuit connecting the warming device and the high-voltage battery. This ripple interference may cause component failures and shortened lifetimes of the high-voltage auxiliary machines.
[0006] In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a high-voltage auxiliary machine system and an electronic control device capable of preventing component failures and shortened lifetimes of high-voltage auxiliary machines. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] To achieve the above objective, the invention according to claim 1 is: In a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system installed in a vehicle, High-voltage battery (10), A heating device (21) is connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and heats the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current. A high-voltage auxiliary unit (30) is an electric compressor that is electrically connected to the aforementioned electrical circuit and driven by power supplied from the high-voltage battery, A refrigeration cycle device (51) driven by the operation of the electric compressor, and a battery temperature control device (50) that adjusts the temperature of the high-voltage battery, Voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. superimposed The operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary device is such that the value is less than the permissible value of the high-voltage auxiliary device. The system includes an electronic control device (35) configured to suppress the operation of the heating device while simultaneously raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery by the operation of the heating device, and to raise the temperature of the same high-voltage battery as the one heated by the operation of the heating device by the battery temperature control device. The invention according to claim 2 is, In a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system installed in a vehicle, High-voltage battery (10), A heating device (21) is connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and heats the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current. A high-voltage auxiliary device (30) having a drive circuit (37) electrically connected to the aforementioned electrical circuit and controlling the power supplied from the high-voltage battery, and a high-voltage heater (38) for water heating that is powered and driven by the power supplied from the drive circuit, The battery temperature control device (50) is configured with a cooling water circuit (52) through which cooling water heated by the aforementioned high-voltage heater for water heating circulates, and which adjusts the temperature of the high-voltage battery, Voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. superimposed The operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary device is such that the value is less than the permissible value of the high-voltage auxiliary device. The system includes an electronic control device (35) configured to suppress the operation of the heating device while simultaneously raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery by the operation of the heating device, and to raise the temperature of the same high-voltage battery as the one heated by the operation of the heating device by the battery temperature control device.
[0008] According to this, when the heating device heats up the high-voltage battery, fluctuations in voltage and current (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "ripple") may enter the high-voltage auxiliary equipment electrically connected to the electrical circuit. Ripple can also be generated by the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. In such cases, the electronic control unit performs at least one of the following actions: suppressing the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment and disconnecting the electrical connection between the high-voltage auxiliary equipment and the electrical circuit, so that the ripple caused by the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment falls below the permissible value for the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. As a result, the ripple entering the high-voltage auxiliary equipment falls below the permissible value, thus preventing component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment.
[0009] The invention described in claim 6 comprises a high-voltage battery (10), a heating device (21) connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and which raises the temperature of the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current, a high-voltage auxiliary device (30) which is an electric compressor electrically connected to the electrical circuit and driven by power supplied from the high-voltage battery, and a battery temperature control device (50) which has a refrigeration cycle device (51) driven by the operation of the electric compressor and which adjusts the temperature of the high-voltage battery. El In an electronic control device used in a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system, Voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. superimposed The operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary device is such that the value is less than the permissible value of the high-voltage auxiliary device. The system is configured to suppress the above-mentioned noise while simultaneously raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery by operating the heating device, and at the same time, raising the temperature of the same high-voltage battery that is being heated by the heating device by operating the heating device is also being raised by the battery temperature control device. The invention described in claim 7 comprises a high-voltage battery (10), a heating device (21) connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and which raises the temperature of the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current, a high-voltage auxiliary device (30) having a drive circuit (37) electrically connected to the electrical circuit and which controls the power supplied from the high-voltage battery, and a high-voltage heater (38) for water heating that is powered and driven by the drive circuit, and a battery temperature control device (50) which is composed of a cooling water circuit (52) through which cooling water heated by the high-voltage heater for water heating circulates and which adjusts the temperature of the high-voltage battery. El In an electronic control device used in a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system, Voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the temperature increase device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary machine superimposed The operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary machine is such that the voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the temperature increase device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary machine are less than the allowable values of the high-voltage auxiliary machine The system is configured to suppress the above-mentioned noise while simultaneously raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery by operating the heating device, and at the same time, raising the temperature of the same high-voltage battery that is being heated by the heating device by operating the heating device is also being raised by the battery temperature control device.
[0010] According to this, the invention described in claim 8 also has the same effects as the invention according to claim 1. In the following description, the electronic control unit is referred to as an ECU. ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit.
[0011] The reference numerals with parentheses attached to each component etc. show an example of the correspondence relationship between the component etc. and the specific components etc. described in the embodiments described later.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0012] [Figure 1] It is a schematic configuration diagram of a high-voltage auxiliary machine system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a conceptual diagram showing an example of communication between a plurality of ECUs included in the high-voltage auxiliary machine system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a graph showing an example of the ripple generated in the auxiliary machine side smoothing capacitor in the high-voltage auxiliary machine system of the comparative example. [Figure 4] It is a graph showing an example of the ripple generated in the auxiliary machine side smoothing capacitor in the high-voltage auxiliary machine system of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing an example of the control process executed by the auxiliary machine ECU in the high-voltage auxiliary machine system of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a schematic configuration diagram of a high-voltage auxiliary machine system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a conceptual diagram showing an example of communication between a plurality of ECUs included in the high-voltage auxiliary machine system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing an example of the control process executed by the auxiliary machine ECU in the high-voltage auxiliary machine system of the second embodiment. [Figure 9]This is a schematic diagram of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows an example of a control process performed by the auxiliary ECU in the high-voltage auxiliary system of the third embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to the fourth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, parts that are the same or equivalent to each other are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted.
[0014] (First Embodiment) The first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The high-voltage auxiliary system of this embodiment is installed in electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, or plug-in hybrid vehicles, etc.
[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system includes a high-voltage battery 10, a main unit 20, and high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, etc. Although Figure 1 shows one high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system is not limited to this and may include multiple high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30.
[0016] The high-voltage battery 10 is a rechargeable secondary battery, and is composed of, for example, a lithium-ion battery. Generally, high-voltage batteries 10 have issues with performance degradation and deterioration at low temperatures, but these can be improved by raising the temperature during use. The high-voltage battery 10, the main unit 20, and the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30 are connected by electrical circuits 40 and 41. Electrical circuits 40 and 41 are made up of high-voltage cables. The high-voltage battery 10 supplies power to the main unit 20 via electrical circuit 40, and also supplies power to the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30 via another electrical circuit 41 connected in parallel to electrical circuit 40. In the following description, the electrical circuit 40 connecting the high-voltage battery 10 and the main unit INV21 will be referred to as the "main unit side electrical circuit 40". The electrical circuit 41 connecting the main unit side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30 will be referred to as the "auxiliary unit side electrical circuit 41".
[0017] The high-voltage battery 10 is equipped with a battery ECU 11. The battery ECU 11 includes a processor, a microcomputer including memory such as ROM and RAM, and peripheral circuits. The battery ECU 11 controls the charging and discharging of the high-voltage battery 10, and detects the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10, etc., by having the processor execute a program stored in memory.
[0018] The main unit 20 includes a main unit inverter 21, a main unit-side smoothing capacitor 22, and a drive motor (not shown). Hereinafter, the inverter will be referred to as "INV". The main unit INV 21 converts the DC current supplied from the high-voltage battery 10 into AC current (specifically, three-phase AC current), supplies power to the drive motor, and drives the drive motor. Also, when the drive motor functions as a generator, the main unit INV 21 converts the AC current supplied from the drive motor (i.e., the generator) into DC current and charges the high-voltage battery 10. The main unit-side smoothing capacitor 22 smooths the voltage supplied from the high-voltage battery 10 to the main unit INV 21.
[0019] Furthermore, the main unit INV21 of this embodiment has a heating function that heats the high-voltage battery 10 using fluctuations in voltage and current. The main unit INV21 of this embodiment is an example of the "heating device" described in the claims. The main unit side electrical circuit 40 connecting the main unit side smoothing capacitor 22 and the high-voltage battery 10 has a predetermined inductance. Therefore, the main unit side smoothing capacitor 22, the high-voltage battery 10, and the main unit side electrical circuit 40 connecting them constitute a resonant circuit. Consequently, when the main unit INV21 is operated at a predetermined resonant frequency, resonance occurs in the resonant circuit, and the ripple current generated thereby makes it possible to heat the high-voltage battery 10 by self-heating. In this embodiment, the heating device is configured as the main unit INV21, but it is not limited to this, and the heating device may be configured as, for example, a different INV or a different resonant circuit from the main unit INV21.
[0020] The main unit INV21 is equipped with the main unit ECU23. The main unit ECU23 has a processor, a microcomputer including memory such as ROM and RAM, and its peripheral circuits. The main unit ECU23 controls the operation of the main unit INV21 by having the processor execute a program stored in memory.
[0021] The high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is an on-board electric device driven by power supplied from the high-voltage battery 10. In this embodiment, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is, for example, an electric compressor having an auxiliary INV 31, an auxiliary motor 32, a compression unit 33, an auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34, etc. The auxiliary INV 31 is connected to an auxiliary-side electrical circuit 41 which is connected in parallel to the main-side electrical circuit 40. The auxiliary INV 31 converts the DC current supplied from the high-voltage battery 10 into AC current (specifically, three-phase AC current) and supplies power to the auxiliary motor 32, driving the auxiliary motor 32. The auxiliary motor 32 drives the compression unit 33 of the electric compressor. The auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 smooths the voltage supplied from the high-voltage battery 10 to the auxiliary INV 31.
[0022] The auxiliary INV31 is equipped with an auxiliary ECU35. The auxiliary ECU35 has a processor, a microcomputer including memory such as ROM and RAM, and peripheral circuits. The auxiliary ECU35 controls the operation of the auxiliary INV31 by having the processor execute a program stored in memory. Note that the auxiliary ECU35 in this embodiment is an example of the "electronic control device" described in the claims.
[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the battery ECU 11, main ECU 23, and auxiliary ECU 35 are connected via an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) using, for example, CAN (Controller Area Network) communication, or via a wire harness. Figure 2 schematically shows an example of communication between the battery ECU 11, main ECU 23, and auxiliary ECU 35.
[0024] The battery ECU 11 detects the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 and notifies the main unit ECU 23 of this information. The main unit ECU 23 calculates the required heating capacity (hereinafter referred to as "required heating capacity") based on the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 obtained from the battery ECU 11. The main unit ECU 23 then executes the heating operation by the main unit INV 21 based on the required heating capacity and notifies the auxiliary unit ECU 35 of the information regarding the required heating capacity. As described above, the heating operation by the main unit INV 21 operates the main unit INV 21 at a predetermined resonant frequency, thereby causing voltage and current fluctuations between the main unit-side smoothing capacitor 22 and the high-voltage battery 10, and raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 through self-heating.
[0025] At that time, voltage and current fluctuations caused by the temperature rise operation of the main unit INV21 are also input to the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 of the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30, which is connected to the auxiliary electrical circuit 41 connected in parallel to the main unit electrical circuit 40. In addition, when the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30 is operating, voltage and current fluctuations caused by the operation of the auxiliary unit INV31 are also input to the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34. If the voltage and current fluctuations (i.e., ripple) input to the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 exceed the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34, there is a risk of component failure or reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30.
[0026] Therefore, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 based on the required temperature rise capacity obtained from the main ECU 23. In the first embodiment, the auxiliary ECU 35 suppresses the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 so that the voltage and current fluctuations caused by the operation of the main INV 21 and the auxiliary INV 31 are less than the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. The allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 is a value that changes depending on the component specifications of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, and is set in advance through experiments, etc., and stored in the memory of the auxiliary ECU 35. Note that suppressing the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 includes stopping the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30. As a result, the ripple input from the auxiliary INV 31 to the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 is reduced, and the ripple generated in the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 becomes less than the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. Therefore, component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 can be prevented.
[0027] Here, in order to compare it with the high-voltage auxiliary system of the first embodiment, a comparative high-voltage auxiliary system will be described.
[0028] The comparative high-voltage auxiliary system is the same as the high-voltage auxiliary system of the first embodiment described above, except that the auxiliary ECU 35 of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 does not control the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 in response to the operation of the main engine INV 21 and the ripple generated in the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34.
[0029] The graph in Figure 3 shows an example of ripple that occurs in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 when the main unit INV21 performs a temperature-raising operation on the high-voltage battery 10 in the comparative high-voltage auxiliary system. In the graph in Figure 3, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents voltage or current. The solid line Cr indicates the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34.
[0030] In the comparative example, the ripple generated in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 is a superposition of the ripple caused by the temperature rise operation of the main unit INV21 and the ripple caused by the operation of the auxiliary unit INV31. In the comparative example, the auxiliary ECU 35 does not suppress the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30. Therefore, the ripple generated in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 is greater than the allowable value. In the comparative example, the value is shown as large in absolute terms, but calculated values or other methods that allow comparison with the allowable value may be used.
[0031] In contrast, the graph in Figure 4 shows an example of ripple that occurs in the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 when the main unit INV21 performs a temperature-raising operation of the high-voltage battery 10 in the high-voltage auxiliary system of the first embodiment. In the graph in Figure 4, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents voltage or current. The solid line Cr represents the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34.
[0032] In the first embodiment as well, the ripple generated in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 is a superposition of the ripple caused by the temperature rise operation of the main unit INV21 and the ripple caused by the operation of the auxiliary unit INV31. However, in the first embodiment, the auxiliary ECU 35 can reduce the ripple generated in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 by suppressing the operation state of the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30, and it can be seen that the ripple generated in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 can be kept below the allowable value.
[0033] Next, an example of the control processing performed by the auxiliary ECU 35 in the high-voltage auxiliary system of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 5.
[0034] The control process shown in Figure 5 is part of a larger control flow that is executed periodically and repeatedly. Therefore, the control process shown in Figure 5 is executed periodically and repeatedly along with that larger control flow.
[0035] First, in step S10, the auxiliary ECU 35 receives a temperature rise status flag from the main ECU 23. The temperature rise status flag indicates whether or not the main INV 21 is currently performing the temperature rise operation of the high-voltage battery 10 (i.e., "heating up").
[0036] Next, in step S20, the auxiliary ECU 35 receives an operating state change flag. The operating state change flag indicates whether the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 is suppressed (i.e., "changing") or in the normal operating state.
[0037] Next, in step S30, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the temperature rise status flag received in step S10 is "heating up". If it is determined in step S30 that the temperature rise status flag is not "heating up", the process proceeds to step S100. In step S100, the auxiliary ECU 35 clears the setting of the operating status change flag (i.e., if the operating status change flag is "changing", it clears the flag) and proceeds to step S70. In step S70, the auxiliary ECU 35 operates the high-voltage auxiliary 30 in its normal operating state.
[0038] On the other hand, if the temperature rising status flag is determined to be "heating up" in step S30, the process proceeds to step S40. In step S40, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the operating status change flag received in step S20 is "changing". If the operating status change flag is determined to be "changing" in step S40 (i.e., the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is suppressed), the process proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the auxiliary ECU 35 maintains the operating status change flag as "changing" and maintains the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 in a suppressed state.
[0039] On the other hand, if the temperature rising status flag is determined to be "heating up" in step S30, and the operating status change flag is determined not to be "changing" in the next step S40 (i.e., the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is in a normal operating state), the process proceeds to step S50.
[0040] In step S50, the auxiliary ECU 35 obtains the voltage or current fluctuations occurring in the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 from, for example, the voltage detection circuit or current detection circuit of the auxiliary INV 31. Then, in step S60, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the voltage or current fluctuations obtained in step S50 are below the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. If it is determined that the voltage or current fluctuations are below the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34, the process proceeds to step S70. In step S70, the auxiliary ECU 35 operates the high-voltage auxiliary 30 in its normal operating state.
[0041] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S60 that the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation is not below the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 (i.e., it is above the allowable value), the process proceeds to step S80. In step S80, the auxiliary ECU 35 changes the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 to a suppressed state. Suppressing the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 includes not only changing the operating conditions of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 in a direction that lowers the output, but also stopping the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary 30. As a result, the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation generated in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 decreases. Next, the process proceeds to step S90, where the auxiliary ECU 35 sets the operating state change flag to "Changing".
[0042] Subsequently, the auxiliary ECU35 temporarily terminates its processing and periodically repeats the control processing described above along with the larger control flow.
[0043] The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the first embodiment described above provides the following effects. (1) In the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the first embodiment, when the main unit INV21, which functions as a heating device, heats the high-voltage battery 10 by fluctuations in voltage and current, the auxiliary ECU35 suppresses the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 so that the ripple caused by the operation of the main unit INV21 and the auxiliary equipment INV31 is less than the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. As a result, the ripple generated by the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is reduced, and the ripple entering the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 is less than the allowable value. Therefore, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 can be used at a level below the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. Consequently, component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 can be prevented.
[0044] (2) In the first embodiment, the suppression of the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 performed by the auxiliary equipment ECU 35 includes stopping the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30. According to this, by stopping the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, the ripple input to the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 can be reduced, preventing component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30. In addition, by prioritizing the heating operation of the high-voltage battery 10 by the main unit 20, it becomes possible to heat up the high-voltage battery 10 in a short time.
[0045] (3) The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the first embodiment may include a plurality of high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30. In that case, the suppression of the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 performed by the auxiliary equipment ECU 35 is to suppress the operation of one or more high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30. According to this, it is possible to prevent component failure and reduced lifespan of one or more of the multiple high-voltage auxiliary devices 30 in which the ripple entering the smoothing capacitor exceeds the allowable value. In addition, by prioritizing the heating of the high-voltage battery 10 by the main unit 20, it becomes possible to heat up the high-voltage battery 10 in a short time.
[0046] (Second Embodiment) A second embodiment will now be described. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that some of the configuration of the high-voltage auxiliary system and some of the control processing of the auxiliary ECU35 are modified, but other aspects are the same as the first embodiment, so only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.
[0047] As shown in Figure 6, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the second embodiment includes a high-voltage battery 10, a main unit 20, and high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, as well as a battery temperature control device 50 for adjusting the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10. In other words, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the second embodiment is configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 by combining two means: raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 by the heating operation of the main unit INV21 and adjusting the battery temperature by the battery temperature control device 50.
[0048] The battery temperature control device 50 illustrated in Figure 6 consists of a refrigeration cycle device 51 including an electric compressor and a cooling water circuit 52 through which cooling water circulates.
[0049] The refrigeration cycle device 51 is a vapor compression type refrigeration cycle in which the compression section 33 of an electric compressor (an example of a high-voltage auxiliary device 30), a water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53, an expansion valve 54, and an air-refrigerant heat exchanger 55 are connected by refrigerant piping 56. As the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle device 51, for example, an HFC-based refrigerant (e.g., R134a) or an HFO-based refrigerant (e.g., R1234yf) is used. Alternatively, a natural refrigerant (e.g., carbon dioxide) may be used as the refrigerant.
[0050] Various types of compression units 33 can be used as the compression unit 33 of the electric compressor. The compression unit 33 has a first opening 331 and a second opening 332 for drawing in and discharging refrigerant. The compression unit 33 is capable of drawing in gaseous refrigerant through the first opening 331, compressing it, and discharging it through the second opening 332.
[0051] The high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the second opening 332 of the compression section 33 flows into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53. The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle device 51 and the cooling water flowing in the cooling water circuit 52. The refrigerant flowing through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53 condenses by releasing heat into the cooling water. On the other hand, the cooling water flowing through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53 is heated by absorbing heat from the refrigerant.
[0052] The expansion valve 54 is either a fixed or variable throttle. The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53 expands under reduced pressure as it passes through the expansion valve 54, becoming a gas-liquid two-phase state before flowing into the air-refrigerant heat exchanger 55.
[0053] The air-refrigerant heat exchanger 55 functions as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant through heat exchange between air and the refrigerant. That is, the refrigerant flowing through the air-refrigerant heat exchanger 55 absorbs heat from the air passing through the air-refrigerant heat exchanger 55, evaporates, and becomes a gaseous refrigerant which is then drawn into the first opening 331 of the compression section 33.
[0054] In addition to the above configuration, the refrigeration cycle device 51 may also include various other components, such as a condenser and a liquid reservoir for heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air.
[0055] On the other hand, the cooling water circuit 52 consists of a cooling water pump 57, a water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53, and a battery heat exchanger 58, all connected by cooling water piping 59. For example, LLC (short for long life coolant) is used as the cooling water circulating in the cooling water circuit 52.
[0056] The cooling water pump 57 is an electric pump that circulates cooling water in the cooling water circuit 52. As described above, the cooling water circulating in the cooling water circuit 52 is heated by absorbing heat from the refrigerant in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53. When this heated cooling water passes through the battery heat exchanger 58 provided in the high-voltage battery 10, it releases heat to the high-voltage battery 10, thereby raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10.
[0057] The battery temperature control device 50 is equipped with a temperature control ECU 60. The temperature control ECU 60 has a processor, a microcomputer including memory such as ROM and RAM, and peripheral circuits. The temperature control ECU 60 controls the operation of the refrigeration cycle device 51 and the cooling water circuit 52, and detects the water temperature of the cooling water circulating in the cooling water circuit 52, etc., by having the processor execute a program stored in memory.
[0058] As shown in Figure 7, the battery ECU 11, main ECU 23, auxiliary ECU 35, and temperature control ECU 60 are connected via an in-vehicle LAN such as CAN communication, or via a wire harness. Figure 7 schematically shows an example of communication between the battery ECU 11, main ECU 23, auxiliary ECU 35, and temperature control ECU 60.
[0059] The battery ECU 11 detects the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 and notifies the main unit ECU 23 of this information. The main unit ECU 23 calculates the required heating capacity based on the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 obtained from the battery ECU 11. The main unit ECU 23 then executes the heating operation by the main unit INV 21 based on this required heating capacity and notifies the auxiliary unit ECU 35 of the information regarding this required heating capacity. In parallel, the temperature control ECU 60 detects the water temperature of the coolant circulating in the coolant circuit 52 and notifies the auxiliary unit ECU 35 of this information.
[0060] The auxiliary ECU 35 mediates and determines the operating mode of the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30 based on information regarding the required temperature rise capacity obtained from the main unit ECU 23 and information regarding the water temperature of the cooling water circulating in the cooling water circuit 52 obtained from the temperature control ECU 60. Therefore, in the second embodiment, even if the required temperature rise capacity obtained from the main unit ECU 23 is the same, the auxiliary ECU 35 performs control processing to change the operating mode of the high-voltage auxiliary unit 30 depending on the water temperature of the cooling water. The control processing performed by this auxiliary ECU 35 will be described in detail below.
[0061] An example of the control processing performed by the auxiliary ECU 35 in the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the second embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 8.
[0062] The control process shown in Figure 8 is part of a larger control flow that is executed periodically and repeatedly. Therefore, the control process shown in Figure 8 is executed periodically and repeatedly along with that larger control flow.
[0063] First, in step S110, the auxiliary ECU 35 receives a temperature rise status flag from the main ECU 23. The temperature rise status flag indicates whether or not the main INV 21 is "heating up" the high-voltage battery 10.
[0064] Next, in step S120, the auxiliary ECU 35 receives the Operation C status flag. The Operation C status flag indicates whether the high-voltage auxiliary 30 is in Operation C mode. Operation C mode is an operating mode in which the operating conditions of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 are changed in the direction of decreasing output (i.e., suppressed) so that the voltage fluctuations and current fluctuations (i.e., ripple) input to the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 are less than the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. As will be described later, Operation C mode is implemented to prevent the voltage fluctuations and current fluctuations (i.e., ripple) input to the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 from exceeding the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 when the required temperature rise capacity of the main engine INV21 is above a predetermined value.
[0065] Next, in step S130, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the temperature rise status flag received in step S110 is "heating up". If it is determined that the temperature rise status flag is not "heating up", the process proceeds to step S220. In step S220, the auxiliary ECU 35 clears the operation C status flag (i.e., if the operation C status flag is ON, it is turned OFF) and proceeds to step S230. In step S230, the auxiliary ECU 35 sets the high-voltage auxiliary 30 to operation D mode. Operation D mode is a mode in which there are no operating restrictions on the high-voltage auxiliary 30.
[0066] On the other hand, if the heating status flag is determined to be "heating in progress" in step S130, the process proceeds to step S140. In step S140, the auxiliary ECU 35 obtains the required heating capacity from the main ECU 23. Then, in step S150, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the required heating capacity is less than a predetermined value. This predetermined value is the value at which the high-voltage auxiliary 30 can operate with a narrowed output range even when the main INV21 performs heating operation based on the required heating capacity, and is set in advance through experiments and stored in the auxiliary ECU 35. If it is determined in step S150 that the required heating capacity is less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S240. In step S240, the auxiliary ECU 35 sets the high-voltage auxiliary 30 to operation mode A. Operation mode A is an operation mode in which the high-voltage auxiliary 30 can operate within the output range under the condition that the required heating capacity is less than the predetermined value. This means that the output range is narrower in operation mode A than in operation mode D, which has no operating restrictions on the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30.
[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S150 that the required heating capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S160. In step S160, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the operation C status flag received in step S120 is ON or not. If it is determined that the operation C status flag is ON, the process proceeds to step S250. In step S250, the auxiliary ECU 35 maintains the operation C mode.
[0068] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S160 that the operation C state flag is not ON (i.e., OFF), the process proceeds to step S170. In step S170, the auxiliary ECU 35 obtains the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation occurring in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 from, for example, the voltage detection circuit or current detection circuit of the auxiliary INV 31.
[0069] Next, in step S180, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation obtained in step S170 is less than the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34. If it is determined that the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation is less than the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34, the process proceeds to step S190. In step S190, the auxiliary ECU 35 sets the high-voltage auxiliary 30 to operation mode B. Operation mode B is an operating mode in which the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 is maintained without changing the operating state because the required temperature rise capacity is above a predetermined value, but the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation occurring in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 does not exceed the allowable value.
[0070] On the other hand, if in step S180 it is determined that the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation is not below the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 (i.e., it is above the allowable value), the process proceeds to step S200. In step S200, the auxiliary ECU 35 sets the high-voltage auxiliary 30 to operation C mode. After that, the process proceeds to step S210, where the auxiliary ECU 35 sets the operation C status flag to ON.
[0071] Subsequently, the auxiliary ECU35 temporarily terminates its processing and periodically repeats the control processing described above along with the larger control flow.
[0072] The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the second embodiment described above provides the following effects. (1) The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the second embodiment includes a battery temperature control device 50 that is driven by the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 to adjust the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10. The system is configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 by both the heating by the operation of the main unit INV21 as a heating device and the temperature adjustment by the battery temperature control device 50. This prevents component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, and by using both the battery temperature control device 50 and the main unit INV21, which are driven by the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, the high-voltage battery 10 can be heated up efficiently in a short time, even at low ambient temperatures.
[0073] More specifically, as explained with reference to Figures 6 to 8 above, when the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is operating, the battery temperature control device 50 is also operating. Therefore, changing the operating mode of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is equivalent to performing battery temperature control. In other words, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the second embodiment has two high-voltage battery 10 heating functions: heating of the high-voltage battery 10 by the main unit INV21 and battery temperature control by the battery temperature control device 50. By coordinating and utilizing these functions, efficient operation is achieved.
[0074] (2) The auxiliary ECU 35 suppresses the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 to prevent the following conditions: when the required temperature rise capacity obtained from the main ECU 23 is above a predetermined value, and the voltage and current fluctuations due to the temperature rise operation of the main INV 21 and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 may exceed the allowable value of the high-voltage auxiliary 30. According to this, when the required heating capacity is high, the performance of the high-voltage battery 10 is degraded due to the low ambient temperature. In this case, the auxiliary ECU 35 suppresses the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary 30 to prevent the ripple generated in the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 from exceeding the allowable value. This prevents component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary 30, while prioritizing the heating of the high-voltage battery 10 by the heating device, thereby heating the high-voltage battery 10 in a short time and improving the performance of the entire high-voltage auxiliary system in a short time.
[0075] (Third embodiment) A third embodiment will now be described. The third embodiment is a modification of the configuration of the high-voltage auxiliary system and the control processing of the auxiliary ECU35 compared to the first embodiment, etc., but is otherwise the same as the first embodiment, etc. Therefore, only the parts that differ from the first embodiment, etc. will be described.
[0076] As shown in Figure 9, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the third embodiment includes a connection mechanism 36 provided in the middle of the auxiliary-side electrical circuit 41, compared to the system described in the second embodiment. The connection mechanism 36 is configured to change the electrical connection between the main-side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, and is composed of, for example, a semiconductor switch or relay. Specifically, by opening the connection mechanism 36, the electrical connection between the main-side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is disconnected (i.e., the electrical connection is broken). On the other hand, by closing the connection mechanism 36, the electrical connection between the main-side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is restored (i.e., the electrical connection is maintained).
[0077] An example of the control processing performed by the auxiliary ECU 35 in the high-voltage auxiliary system of the third embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 10.
[0078] The control process shown in Figure 10 is part of a larger control flow that is executed periodically and repeatedly. Therefore, the control process shown in Figure 10 is executed periodically and repeatedly along with that larger control flow.
[0079] First, in step S310, the auxiliary ECU 35 receives a temperature rise status flag from the main ECU 23. The temperature rise status flag indicates whether or not the main INV 21 is "heating up" the high-voltage battery 10.
[0080] Next, in step S320, the auxiliary ECU 35 receives a connection status flag. The connection status flag indicates whether the electrical connection between the main engine side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is "disconnected" or "connected" by the connection mechanism 36. In this embodiment, an ON connection status flag indicates that the electrical connection between the main engine side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 is "disconnected" by the connection mechanism 36 (i.e., the connection mechanism 36 is open). An OFF connection status flag indicates that the electrical connection is "connected" by the connection mechanism 36 (i.e., the connection mechanism 36 is closed).
[0081] Next, in step S330, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the temperature rise status flag received in step S310 is "heating up". If it is determined that the temperature rise status flag is not "heating up", the process proceeds to step S420. In step S420, the auxiliary ECU 35 clears the connection status flag setting (i.e., if the connection status flag is ON, it is turned OFF) and proceeds to step S390. In step S390, the auxiliary ECU 35 sets the electrical connection between the main engine side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 to a connected state (i.e., closes the connection mechanism 36) and operates the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 in its normal operating state.
[0082] In contrast, if the heating status flag is determined to be "heating in progress" in step S330, the process proceeds to step S340.
[0083] In step S340, the auxiliary ECU 35 obtains the required heating capacity from the main ECU 23. Then, in step S350, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the required heating capacity is less than a predetermined value. If it is determined in step S350 that the required heating capacity is less than a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S390, where the auxiliary ECU 35 connects the electrical connection between the main electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 (i.e., closes the connection mechanism 36), and operates the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 in its normal operating state.
[0084] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S350 that the required heating capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S360. In step S360, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the connection status flag received in step S320 is ON or not. If it is determined that the connection status flag is ON, the process proceeds to step S430. In step S430, the auxiliary ECU 35 maintains the state in which the connection status flag is ON (i.e., the state in which the electrical connection is disconnected).
[0085] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S360 that the connection status flag is not ON (i.e., the connection status flag is OFF), the process proceeds to step S370. In step S370, the auxiliary ECU 35 obtains the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation occurring in the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 from, for example, the voltage detection circuit or current detection circuit of the auxiliary INV 31.
[0086] Next, in step S380, the auxiliary ECU 35 determines whether the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation obtained in step S370 is less than the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34. If it is determined that the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation is less than the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34, the process proceeds to step S390. In step S390, the auxiliary ECU 35 operates the high-voltage auxiliary 30 in its normal operating state.
[0087] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S380 that the voltage fluctuation or current fluctuation is not below the allowable value of the auxiliary smoothing capacitor 34 (i.e., it is above the allowable value), the process proceeds to step S400. In step S400, the auxiliary ECU 35 opens the connection mechanism 36, disconnecting the electrical connection between the main engine electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary 30. The process then proceeds to step S410, where the auxiliary ECU 35 sets the connection status flag to ON.
[0088] Subsequently, the auxiliary ECU35 temporarily terminates its processing and periodically repeats the control processing described above along with the larger control flow.
[0089] The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the third embodiment described above provides the following effects. (1) The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the third embodiment includes a connection mechanism 36 provided in the middle of the auxiliary-side electrical circuit 41. The auxiliary ECU 35 then performs control to disconnect the electrical connection between the main-side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 by opening the connection mechanism 36 so that the ripple caused by the temperature rise operation of the main-side INV 21 and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment is less than the allowable value of the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. According to this, ripple will not be introduced from the main-side electrical circuit 40 to the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. Therefore, component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 can be prevented.
[0090] (2) In the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the third embodiment, the auxiliary ECU 35 performs control to disconnect the electrical connection between the main engine side electrical circuit 40 and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 in order to prevent voltage and current fluctuations due to the temperature rise operation of the main engine INV 21 from exceeding the allowable value of the auxiliary side smoothing capacitor 34. According to this, ripple will not be introduced from the main-side electrical circuit 40 to the auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34. Therefore, component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 can be prevented.
[0091] (3) The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the third embodiment may also include a plurality of high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30. In that case, the auxiliary equipment ECU 35 disconnects the electrical connection between one or more high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 and the main engine side electrical circuit 40. According to this, ripple is completely prevented from entering the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, which is electrically disconnected from the main unit's electrical circuit 40 that connects the heating device and the high-voltage battery 10. Therefore, it is possible to prioritize heating the high-voltage battery 10 by the main unit INV21 while preventing component failure and reduced lifespan of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30, thereby heating the high-voltage battery 10 in a short time.
[0092] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, we will describe the fourth embodiment. The fourth embodiment is a modification of the configuration of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 and the battery temperature control device 50 compared to the first embodiment, etc., and is otherwise the same as the first embodiment, etc. Therefore, only the parts that differ from the first embodiment, etc. will be described.
[0093] As shown in Figure 11, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 of the fourth embodiment of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system includes a drive circuit 37, a high-voltage heater for water heating 38, an auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34, and the like. Power is supplied to the drive circuit 37 from an auxiliary-side electrical circuit 41 connected in parallel to the main-side electrical circuit 40. The drive circuit 37 controls the power supplied from the high-voltage battery 10 and supplies it to the high-voltage heater for water heating 38, driving the high-voltage heater for water heating 38. The high-voltage heater for water heating 38 heats the cooling water flowing through the heater-side heat exchanger 39. The auxiliary-side smoothing capacitor 34 smooths the voltage supplied from the high-voltage battery 10 to the drive circuit 37.
[0094] The drive circuit 37 includes an auxiliary ECU 35. The auxiliary ECU 35 of the fourth embodiment is also an example of an "electronic control device" as described in the claims.
[0095] The battery temperature control device 50 in the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the fourth embodiment is composed of a cooling water circuit 52. The cooling water circuit 52 consists of a cooling water pump 57, a heater-side heat exchanger 39, and a battery heat exchanger 58, all connected by cooling water piping 59.
[0096] The cooling water pump 57 is an electric pump that circulates cooling water in the cooling water circuit 52. The cooling water circulating in the cooling water circuit 52 is heated by the high-voltage heater 38 for water heating as it flows through the heater-side heat exchanger 39. The heated cooling water then dissipates heat to the high-voltage battery 10 as it passes through the battery heat exchanger 58 installed in the high-voltage battery 10, thereby raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10.
[0097] The battery temperature control device 50 is equipped with a temperature control ECU 60. The battery ECU 11, the main unit ECU 23, the auxiliary unit ECU 35, and the temperature control ECU 60 are connected, for example, via an in-vehicle LAN using CAN communication or a wire harness. The control processing performed by the auxiliary unit ECU 35 in the fourth embodiment is substantially the same as the control processing described in the first to third embodiments above.
[0098] The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the fourth embodiment described above is also configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 by combining two means: raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 by the temperature-raising operation of the main unit INV21 and controlling the battery temperature by the battery temperature control device 50. Furthermore, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment system of the fourth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as the first to third embodiments described above.
[0099] (Other embodiments) (1) In the above embodiments, the main unit INV21 was used as an example of a heating device, but the heating device is not limited to this, and may be composed of, for example, an INV other than the main unit INV21, or another resonant circuit, etc.
[0100] (2) In the above embodiments, the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 was an electric compressor and a high-voltage heater 38 for water heating, but it is not limited to these, and the high-voltage auxiliary equipment 30 may be various on-board electric devices such as a high-voltage heater for air heating.
[0101] (3) In the above embodiments, the battery temperature control device 50 is shown as an example consisting of a refrigeration cycle device 51 and a cooling water circuit 52, and as an example consisting of a cooling water circuit 52 including a high-voltage heater 38 for water heating, but it is not limited to these. The battery temperature control device 50 can be in any form as long as it is a mechanism that controls the battery temperature using the refrigeration cycle device 51 and the high-voltage heater 38 for water heating.
[0102] (4) In each of the above embodiments, the auxiliary ECU 35 was used as an example of an electronic control device, but the electronic control device is not limited to this, and may be composed of an ECU other than the auxiliary ECU 35.
[0103] (5) In the second embodiment described above, the battery temperature control device 50 was configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery 10 when the high-voltage battery 10 is at a low temperature. However, the battery temperature control device 50 is not limited to this configuration, and for example, the battery temperature control device 50 may be configured to cool the high-voltage battery 10 when the high-voltage battery 10 is at a high temperature. For example, the high-voltage battery 10 can be cooled by reversing the direction of the refrigerant flow through the refrigerant piping 56 of the refrigeration cycle device 51 described in the second embodiment. Specifically, if a bidirectional rotating type such as a rotary vane type or a rolling piston type is used as the electric compressor, it is possible to compress the refrigerant sucked in from the second opening 332 and discharge it from the first opening 331. In that case, the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the first opening 331 condenses as it flows through the air-refrigerant heat exchanger 55, releasing heat into the air passing through the air-refrigerant heat exchanger 55. The liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the air-refrigerant heat exchanger 55 expands under reduced pressure as it passes through the expansion valve 54, becoming a gas-liquid two-phase state and flowing into the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53. The refrigerant flowing through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53 absorbs heat from the cooling water and evaporates, becoming a gaseous refrigerant that is drawn into the second opening 332 of the compression section 33. Meanwhile, the cooling water circulating in the cooling water circuit 52 is cooled by releasing heat to the refrigerant as it flows through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 53. This cooled cooling water absorbs heat from the high-voltage battery 10 as it passes through the heat exchanger installed in the high-voltage battery 10, thereby cooling the high-voltage battery 10.
[0104] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the embodiments and parts thereof are not unrelated to each other, and can be combined as appropriate, except in cases where the combination is clearly impossible. In addition, it goes without saying that the elements constituting the embodiments are not necessarily essential, except in cases where they are explicitly stated to be particularly essential or where they are clearly considered essential in principle. Furthermore, in the embodiments, when numerical values such as the number, numerical values, quantities, or ranges of the components of the embodiments are mentioned, the invention is not limited to those specific numbers, except in cases where they are explicitly stated to be particularly essential or where they are clearly limited to a specific number in principle. Furthermore, when the shapes, positional relationships, etc., of the components, etc., are mentioned in the embodiments, the invention is not limited to those shapes, positional relationships, etc., except in cases where they are explicitly stated to be particularly essential or where they are clearly limited to a specific shape, positional relationship, etc., in principle.
[0105] The electronic control device and method described in the present invention may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the electronic control device and method described in the present invention may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor by one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the electronic control device and method described in the present invention may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by the computer on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium.
[0106] The features of this invention are as follows: [Claim 1] In a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system installed in a vehicle, High-voltage battery (10), A heating device (21) is connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and heats the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current. A high-voltage auxiliary device (30) is electrically connected to the aforementioned electrical circuit and driven by power supplied from the high-voltage battery, A high-voltage auxiliary equipment system comprising an electronic control device (35) that performs at least one of the following: suppressing the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment and disconnecting the electrical connection between the high-voltage auxiliary equipment and the electrical circuit, so that the voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment remain below the permissible value of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. [Claim 2] The system further includes a battery temperature control device (50) that is driven by the operation of the aforementioned high-voltage auxiliary equipment to adjust the temperature of the high-voltage battery, The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to claim 1, configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery by both raising the temperature through the operation of the heating device and adjusting the temperature by the battery temperature control device. [Claim 3] The high-voltage auxiliary system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electronic control unit acquires a required heating capacity as the heating capacity required for the heating device, and, under conditions where the required heating capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary device may exceed the allowable value of the high-voltage auxiliary device, it performs at least one of the following to prevent this: suppressing the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary device and disconnecting the electrical connection between the high-voltage auxiliary device and the electrical circuit. [Claim 4] The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suppression of the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment performed by the electronic control unit includes stopping the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. [Claim 5] Equipped with multiple high-voltage auxiliary devices, The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the suppression of the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment performed by the electronic control device is to suppress the operation of one or more of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. [Claim 6] The system further includes a connection mechanism (36) provided in the middle of another electrical circuit (41) which is connected in parallel to the electrical circuit (40) connecting the high-voltage battery and the high-voltage battery, The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the electronic control device disconnects the electrical connection between the high-voltage auxiliary equipment and the electrical circuit by opening the connection mechanism so that the voltage and current fluctuations caused by the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment are less than the allowable values of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment. [Claim 7] Equipped with multiple high-voltage auxiliary devices, The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 6, wherein the electronic control unit disconnects the electrical connection between one or more of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment and the electrical circuit. [Claim 8] An electronic control device used in a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system comprising a high-voltage battery (10), a heating device (21) connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and which raises the temperature of the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current, and a high-voltage auxiliary equipment (30) electrically connected to the electrical circuit and driven by power supplied from the high-voltage battery, An electronic control device configured to suppress the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary device and to disconnect the electrical connection between the high-voltage auxiliary device and the electrical circuit, so that the voltage and current fluctuations caused by the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary device remain below the permissible value of the high-voltage auxiliary device. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0107] 10 High-voltage batteries 21. Main Inverter (Example of a heating device) 30 High-voltage auxiliary equipment 35. Auxiliary ECU (An example of an electronic control unit) 40. Electrical Circuits (Main Unit Electrical Circuits)
Claims
1. In a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system installed in a vehicle, A high-voltage battery (10) and A heating device (21) is connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and heats the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current. A high-voltage auxiliary unit (30) is an electric compressor that is electrically connected to the aforementioned electrical circuit and driven by power supplied from the high-voltage battery, A refrigeration cycle device (51) driven by the operation of the electric compressor, and a battery temperature control device (50) that adjusts the temperature of the high-voltage battery, A high-voltage auxiliary equipment system comprising: an electronic control device (35) configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery by operating the heating device, while suppressing the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment so that the superimposed voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment are less than the allowable value of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment, and simultaneously raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery by operating the heating device, and raising the temperature of the same high-voltage battery as the high-voltage battery that is raised by the operation of the heating device by the battery temperature control device.
2. In a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system installed in a vehicle, A high-voltage battery (10) and A heating device (21) is connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and heats the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current. A high-voltage auxiliary device (30) having a drive circuit (37) electrically connected to the aforementioned electrical circuit and controlling the power supplied from the high-voltage battery, and a high-voltage heater (38) for water heating that is powered and driven by the power supplied from the drive circuit, A battery temperature control device (50) is configured with a cooling water circuit (52) through which cooling water heated by the aforementioned high-voltage heater for water heating circulates, and which adjusts the temperature of the high-voltage battery, A high-voltage auxiliary equipment system comprising: an electronic control device (35) configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery by operating the heating device, while suppressing the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment so that the superimposed voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment are less than the allowable value of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment, and simultaneously raising the temperature of the high-voltage battery by operating the heating device, and raising the temperature of the same high-voltage battery as the high-voltage battery that is raised by the operation of the heating device by the battery temperature control device.
3. The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electronic control unit acquires a required heating capacity as the heating capacity required for the heating device, and suppresses the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment to prevent the superimposed voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment from exceeding the allowable value of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment when the required heating capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
4. The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the suppression of the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment performed by the electronic control device includes stopping the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment.
5. Equipped with multiple high-voltage auxiliary devices, The high-voltage auxiliary equipment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the suppression of the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment performed by the electronic control unit is to suppress the operation of one or more of the high-voltage auxiliary equipment.
6. An electronic control device used in a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system comprising: a high-voltage battery (10); a heating device (21) connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and which raises the temperature of the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current; a high-voltage auxiliary equipment (30) which is an electric compressor electrically connected to the electrical circuit and driven by power supplied from the high-voltage battery; and a battery temperature control device (50) which has a refrigeration cycle device (51) driven by the operation of the electric compressor and which adjusts the temperature of the high-voltage battery, wherein An electronic control device configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery by operating the heating device, while suppressing the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary device so that the superimposed voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary device are less than the allowable value of the high-voltage auxiliary device, and simultaneously raising the temperature of the same high-voltage battery as the one raised by the heating device by the battery temperature control device.
7. An electronic control device used in a high-voltage auxiliary equipment system comprising: a high-voltage battery (10); a heating device (21) connected to the high-voltage battery via an electrical circuit (40) and which raises the temperature of the high-voltage battery using fluctuations in voltage and current; a high-voltage auxiliary equipment (30) having a drive circuit (37) electrically connected to the electrical circuit and which controls the power supplied from the high-voltage battery, and a high-voltage heater (38) for water heating that is powered and driven by the drive circuit; and a battery temperature control device (50) which adjusts the temperature of the high-voltage battery and is composed of a cooling water circuit (52) through which cooling water heated by the high-voltage heater for water heating circulates. An electronic control device configured to raise the temperature of the high-voltage battery by operating the heating device, while suppressing the operating state of the high-voltage auxiliary device so that the superimposed voltage and current fluctuations due to the operation of the heating device and the operation of the high-voltage auxiliary device are less than the allowable value of the high-voltage auxiliary device, and simultaneously raising the temperature of the same high-voltage battery as the one raised by the heating device by the battery temperature control device.
Citation Information
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