vehicle

Abstract

A temperature control unit (22A) is configured so as to, when a vehicle (10) travels on a composite travel route from a first road that must be travelled below a first prescribed speed (V1) to a second road that can be travelled at the first prescribed speed (V1) or more and when a required time (ta) represents the time required for reaching the junction of the first road and the second road, control a heating unit (18) on the basis of a heating output (Pn) of the heating unit (18) calculated by using a control map (22B) in which the heating output (Pn) is defined in advance in accordance with the battery temperature (TB) and the required time (ta).

Description

vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle using a motor as a drive source.

[0002] Electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and other electrically powered vehicles using a motor as a drive source are equipped with a battery pack that supplies power to the motor. The battery pack includes a battery (battery assembly) consisting of multiple battery modules and an electrical component for controlling the battery. However, the lower the temperature, the lower the battery's output, which reduces the vehicle's power performance. Therefore, a technology has been disclosed for suppressing the decrease in battery output by using a heating unit such as a heater to warm the battery, particularly in low-temperature environments where the outside air temperature is between 0°C and −25°C or lower, such as in cold winter regions (see Patent Document 1). However, because the heating unit requires power from the battery or power generated by a generator to operate, there is a concern that excessively increasing the heating output of the heating unit may result in a deterioration in power consumption.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 5821310

[0004] Furthermore, when traveling on roads that allow high-speed travel, such as expressways and trunk roads, high vehicle power performance is required. Therefore, when merging from an urban road (general road) that has a lower speed limit than an expressway or trunk road onto an expressway or trunk road, it is important to sufficiently warm the battery before merging, and the heating output of the heating unit needs to be sufficiently increased. In this case, if the driving distance to the merging point is short (the driving time is short), the heating output of the heating unit needs to be further increased. On the other hand, when traveling only on urban roads, the vehicle power performance is not as required. Therefore, the battery does not need to be heated very much, and the heating output of the heating unit does not need to be very high. In this case, if a certain driving distance on urban roads is ensured, it is expected that the battery will self-heat due to the battery discharging operation during driving, causing the battery temperature to rise, and therefore there is little need to increase the heating output of the heating unit. Thus, the heating output required by the heating unit varies depending on the conditions of the route the vehicle is traveling on, in other words, the vehicle speed (power performance) required of the vehicle, the time the vehicle continues traveling at that speed, etc. The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle that is advantageous in improving power consumption and ensuring the power performance of the vehicle by appropriately controlling the heating output of the heating unit in a low-temperature environment.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle comprising a temperature sensor that detects a battery temperature TB of a battery mounted on the vehicle, a heating unit that heats the battery, and a temperature control unit that heats the battery using the heating unit when the battery temperature is below a first temperature T1, wherein when the vehicle travels on a combined travel route from a first road on which it must travel at a speed less than a first predetermined speed V1 to a second road on which it can travel at a speed greater than or equal to the first predetermined speed V1, and the time required for the vehicle to reach a junction between the first road and the second road is taken as a required time ta, the temperature control unit controls the heating unit based on a heating output Pn calculated using a control map in which the heating output of the heating unit is predetermined in accordance with the battery temperature TB and the required time ta. Another embodiment of the present invention includes a navigation device capable of setting a travel route including the combined travel route and a single travel route consisting only of the first road, and when the single travel route is set as the travel route, the temperature control unit controls the heating unit by setting the heating output Pn of the heating unit to a first heating output Pmid less than an upper limit value Pmax. Another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that, after the combined travel route is set, the temperature control unit re-calculates the heating output Pn using the control map every time a predetermined unit time elapses. Another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the navigation device calculates the required time ta based on the set combined travel route, and when the required time ta is equal to or greater than a first predetermined time t1, the temperature control unit sets the heating output Pn to the first heating output Pmid until the travel time of the vehicle reaches the first predetermined time t1, and calculates the heating output Pn using the control map after the travel time of the vehicle reaches the first predetermined time t1.Another embodiment of the present invention includes an SOC detection unit that detects the SOC of the battery and an SOC estimation unit that estimates the SOC value after traveling the set combined traveling route as an estimated value SL, and the temperature control unit re-calculates the heating output Pn using the control map when an absolute value of an SOC change amount ΔSOC, which is the difference between the estimated value SL and the SOC detected by the SOC detection unit, is expected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value St. Another embodiment of the present invention includes an internal resistance detection unit that detects an internal resistance Ri of the battery and a map correction unit that corrects the control map based on the detected internal resistance Ri to calculate a corrected map, and the temperature control unit calculates the heating output Pn using the corrected control map. Another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that, when the required time ta is less than a predetermined shortest time tmin at the time the combined traveling route is set, the temperature control unit sets the heating output Pn of the heating unit to the upper limit value Pmax.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when a vehicle travels along a composite travel route from a first road to a second road, where the required time ta is the time required to reach a junction of the first road and the second road, the temperature control unit controls the heating unit based on a heating output Pn calculated using a control map in which the heating output of the heating unit is predefined corresponding to the battery temperature TB and the required time ta. Therefore, even in a low-temperature environment where the battery temperature becomes low and there is a concern that the vehicle's power performance will be reduced due to insufficient battery output, appropriately controlling the heating output Pn of the heating unit is advantageous in improving power consumption and in avoiding insufficient battery output to ensure the vehicle's power performance. Furthermore, when the travel route set by the navigation device is a single travel route consisting only of the first road, controlling the heating unit by setting the heating output Pn of the heating unit to a first heating output Pmid that is less than the upper limit value Pmax can suppress the heating output Pn, which is advantageous in improving power consumption. Furthermore, if the temperature control unit recalculates the heating output Pn using the control map every time a predetermined unit time Δt has elapsed after the composite driving route has been set, the heating output Pn can be controlled more precisely, which is more advantageous for suppressing the heating output Pn and improving power consumption. Furthermore, if the temperature control unit sets the heating output Pn to a first heating output Pmid less than the upper limit value Pmax when the required time ta calculated by the navigation device is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time t1, and then calculates the heating output Pn using the control map after the vehicle's driving time reaches the first predetermined time t1, self-heating due to power consumption by the battery while traveling on the first road is expected, so a decrease in battery output can be avoided even if the heating output Pn is suppressed to the first heating output Pmid less than the upper limit value Pmax until the first predetermined time t1, which is more advantageous for improving power consumption.Furthermore, if the temperature control unit re-calculates the heating output Pn using the control map when the absolute value of the SOC change amount ΔSOC, which is the difference between the estimated value SL estimated by the SOC estimation unit C and the SOC detected by the SOC detection unit, is predicted to be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value St, the heating output Pn can be suppressed by the amount of self-heating of the battery when self-heating of the battery becomes significant as the current flowing in and out of the battery increases, which is more advantageous in improving power consumption. Furthermore, if a map correction unit is provided that corrects the control map based on the internal resistance Ri detected by the internal resistance detection unit and the temperature control unit calculates the heating output Pn using the corrected control map, the heating output can be suppressed by the amount of self-heating of the battery, which is more advantageous in improving power consumption. Furthermore, if, at the time when the combined driving route is set, the required time ta is less than the predetermined shortest time tmin, the temperature control unit sets the heating output Pn of the heating unit to the upper limit value Pmax. This is advantageous for ensuring battery output by appropriately heating the battery to the maximum possible value even when, for example, the driving time to the junction of the first road and the second road is extremely short and it is necessary to heat the battery early, and therefore is advantageous for ensuring the vehicle's power performance when traveling at high speed on the second road.

[0007] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle relating to an embodiment. It is an explanatory diagram showing a control map relating to an embodiment. It is an operation flowchart of a vehicle relating to an embodiment. It is an explanatory diagram showing a control map after correction.

[0008] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is applicable to an electric vehicle using only a motor as a drive source, a hybrid vehicle, or an electric vehicle using a motor as a drive source, such as a plug-in hybrid vehicle that can be externally charged or externally powered. In this embodiment, a plug-in hybrid vehicle will be described.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1 , a vehicle 10 includes a navigation device 12 , a battery 14 , a battery temperature sensor 16 , a heating unit 18 , a BMU (Battery Monitoring Unit) 20 , and a host ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 22 .

[0010] The navigation device 12 displays map information about the area around the vehicle on a monitor, searches for a route from a starting point to a destination set by the user, and provides guidance along the route. The navigation device 12 includes a GPS unit that receives positioning signals from positioning satellites such as GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites to calculate the current position of the vehicle, map data that stores information on road shapes and surrounding facilities, etc. The navigation device 12 is configured to set (acquire) a route from the starting point to the destination, and to calculate the driving speed (speed limit) of the roads that make up the route, the driving distance from the starting point to the destination, the driving time, etc., and supplies the calculated driving distance, driving time, and information related to the driving speed for each road to a host ECU 22 (described later).

[0011] In this embodiment, roads are defined as follows: 1) Roads on which vehicles must travel at a speed less than a first predetermined speed V1, such as urban roads (general roads), are called first roads. 2) Roads on which vehicles can travel at a speed greater than or equal to the first predetermined speed V1, such as expressways, main roads without traffic lights, or autobahns overseas, are called second roads.

[0012] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the driving routes that can be set by the navigation device 12 are defined as follows: 1) Composite driving route: A driving route that includes a first road, which is the starting point, a junction point where this first road and a second road meet, and the second road, i.e., a driving route that is made up of a combination of multiple roads with different driving speeds. 2) Single driving route: A driving route that is made up of only the first road.

[0013] In addition, the time required to reach the junction of the first road and the second road from the starting point of the composite travel route is defined as the required time ta, and the required time ta is calculated by the navigation device 12.

[0014] The battery 14 supplies power to a vehicle drive motor (not shown), and in this embodiment, can be externally charged or externally powered. The battery temperature sensor 16 detects a battery temperature TB, which is the temperature of the battery 14, and supplies the battery temperature TB to a BMU 20 (described later). The heating unit 18 generates heat when supplied with power from the battery 14 or a generator (not shown), thereby warming the battery 14, and is configured as a heater in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the output of the heating unit 18 is referred to as a heating output Pn. The upper limit and lower limit of the heating output Pn are Pmax and Pmin, respectively. The heating unit 18 may be any heating element that generates heat when supplied with power and warms the battery 14, and various conventional heating elements, such as a Peltier heater (Peltier element), may be used.

[0015] The BMU 20 detects various pieces of information related to the battery 14, including the output voltage, output current, and internal resistance Ri of the battery 14, and supplies these detection results to the host ECU 22. In this embodiment, the BMU 20 constitutes an internal resistance detection unit 20A that calculates the internal resistance Ri based on the output voltage and output current and supplies the internal resistance Ri to the host ECU 22, and also constitutes an SOC detection unit 20B that calculates the SOC (state of charge) of the battery 14 based on an integrated value of the output current; in other words, detects the SOC and supplies the SOC to the host ECU 22. The BMU 20 also supplies the battery temperature, received from the battery temperature sensor 16, to the host ECU 22.

[0016] The host ECU 22 controls the vehicle 10 and is configured to be able to communicate with the BMU 20. The host ECU 22 includes a ROM for storing and storing control programs and the like, a RAM as an operating area for the control programs, a storage unit such as an EEPROM for rewritably storing various data, an interface unit for interfacing with peripheral circuits, and the like, all of which are not shown. The host ECU 22 executes the control programs to function as a temperature control unit 22A, a control map 22B, an SOC estimation unit 22C, and a map correction unit 22D.

[0017] The temperature control unit 22A heats the battery 14 using the heating unit 18 when the battery temperature TB is equal to or lower than a first temperature T1 (TB≦T1). The first temperature T1 is set to a low temperature, for example, around 0° C., at which a drop in the output of the battery 14 significantly reduces the power performance of the vehicle 10. The temperature control unit 22A controls the heating unit 18 based on the heating output Pn calculated using a control map 22B (described later) in which the heating output Pn of the heating unit 18 is predefined in accordance with the battery temperature TB and the required time ta. When a single driving route is set as the driving route, in other words, when only a first road exists on the set driving route, the temperature control unit 22A controls the heating unit 18 by setting the heating output Pn of the heating unit 18 to a first heating output Pmid that is less than an upper limit value Pmax. Furthermore, after the composite driving route is set, the temperature control unit 22A recalculates the heating output Pn using a control map 22B described later every time a predetermined unit time Δt elapses. Furthermore, when the required time ta is equal to or greater than a first predetermined time t1, the temperature control unit 22A sets the heating output Pn to a first heating output Pmid less than an upper limit value Pmax until the driving time of the vehicle 10 reaches the first predetermined time t1, and after the driving time of the vehicle 10 reaches the first predetermined time t1, calculates the heating output Pn using the control map 22B described later. Furthermore, when the absolute value of the SOC change amount ΔSOC, which is the difference between the estimated value SL and the SOC detected by the SOC detection unit 20B, is expected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value St, the temperature control unit 22A recalculates the heating output Pn using the control map 22B. Furthermore, when the combined travel route is set, if the required time ta is less than a predetermined shortest time tmin, the temperature control unit 22A sets the heating output Pn of the heating unit 18 to the upper limit value Pmax. Furthermore, as will be described later, the temperature control unit 22A calculates the heating output Pn using the control map 22B corrected by the map correction unit 22D.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2 , the control map 22B predetermines the heating output Pn of the heater 18 in correspondence with the battery temperature TB shown on the vertical axis and the required time ta shown on the horizontal axis. In this embodiment, the battery temperature TB on the vertical axis is defined as a range of 0° C. to −25° C., and the required time ta on the horizontal axis is defined as a range of 5 minutes to 30 minutes. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the heating output Pn is defined as one of 10 levels, from P1 to P10. Specifically, the upper limit Pmax of the heating output Pn is P1, and the lower limit Pmin of the heating output Pn is P10. If P1 to P10 are expressed as a percentage (%) of the upper limit Pmax, P1 is 100% of the upper limit Pmax, P10 is 0% of the upper limit Pmax, and the intermediate levels P2 to P9 are assigned to the range from 90% to 10% of the upper limit Pmax. The ranges of the battery temperature TB and the required time ta are not limited to those shown in FIG. 2, and the heating output Pn may be set in steps other than 10 or may be set continuously.

[0019] The SOC estimation unit 22C estimates the SOC value after traveling along the set composite driving route as an estimated value SL. More specifically, the SOC is calculated by subtracting an estimated value of the amount of SOC decrease that occurs when traveling along the set composite driving route at the set driving speed from the current SOC detected by the SOC detection unit 20B.

[0020] The map corrector 22D calculates a corrected map by correcting the control map 22B based on the detected internal resistance Ri. Specifically, the higher the SOC, the lower the internal resistance Ri and the lower the SOC. Furthermore, the lower the SOH (State of Health) of the battery 14 (the more deteriorated it is), the higher the internal resistance Ri. Furthermore, the higher the battery temperature TB, the lower the internal resistance Ri and the lower the battery temperature TB. Thus, the internal resistance Ri varies based on factors such as the SOC, SOH, and battery temperature TB. Meanwhile, the higher the internal resistance Ri, the more likely the battery 14 is to self-heat. Therefore, increasing the internal resistance Ri can suppress the heater output Pn. Compared to the uncorrected control map 22B shown in FIG. 2, the corrected control map 22B shown in FIG. 4 illustrates a case where the internal resistance Ri increases. Therefore, compared to the uncorrected control map 22B shown in FIG. 2, the corrected control map 22B shown in FIG. 4 corrects the heating output Pn in a direction that decreases the battery temperature TB. Therefore, the correction of the control map 22B by the map corrector 22D is made so that the heating output Pn is shifted in the negative direction of the battery temperature TB as the internal resistance Ri increases.

[0021] Next, the basic operation of the vehicle 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 . Note that FIG. 3 omits the description of the operations of the internal resistance detection unit 20A, SOC detection unit 20B, SOC estimation unit 22C, and map correction unit 22D; the operation of each unit will be described later. The vehicle 10 starts traveling on a first road. First, the temperature control unit 22A determines whether the battery temperature TB is equal to or lower than a first temperature T1 (TB≦T1) (step S10). If step S10 is negative, step S10 is repeated. If step S10 is positive, the temperature control unit 22A determines whether a travel route (a combined travel route or a single travel route) has been set (acquired) by the navigation device 12 (step S12). If step S12 is negative, the temperature control unit 22A sets the heating output Pn to an upper limit value Pmax and causes the heater 18 to heat the battery 14 (step S14). In other words, if step S12 is negative, the possibility of merging from the first road to the second road cannot be denied, so by setting the heating output Pn to the upper limit value Pmax and maximizing the heating of the battery 14 by the heating unit 18, avoiding a decrease in the output of the battery 14 is given priority over reducing electricity consumption.

[0022] Next, it is determined whether the battery temperature TB has reached or exceeded the heating end temperature TE (TB≧TE) (step S16). The heating end temperature TE is set to a temperature sufficient to eliminate the decrease in battery 14 output. Note that, since the lower the SOH of the battery 14 (the greater the degree of degradation of the battery 14), the more the battery 14 tends to heat itself, the more the heating end temperature TE may be corrected in a positive direction as the SOH decreases, thereby making the determination in step S16 more accurate. If the result in step S16 is negative, the process returns to step S16 to continue heating by the heating unit 18. If the result in step S16 is positive, the heating by the heating unit 18 is stopped (step S18), and the operation is terminated.

[0023] On the other hand, if the determination in step S12 is affirmative, the process determines whether the set travel route is a composite travel route (in other words, whether the set travel route includes the second road) (step S20). If the determination in step S20 is negative, the set travel route is a single travel route (because it is composed only of the first road), so the temperature control unit 22A heats the battery 14 by the heating unit 18 at a predetermined value of heating output Pn that is less than the upper limit value Pmax (step S22), and then proceeds to step S16 to perform the same processing as above. That is, if the determination in step S20 is negative, there is no possibility of merging from the first road to the second road, so by heating the battery 14 by the heating unit 18 at a predetermined value of heating output Pn that is less than the upper limit value Pmax, both power consumption reduction and battery output securement are achieved.

[0024] If step S20 is positive, temperature control unit 22A calculates heating output Pn based on control map 22B shown in Fig. 2 from the required time ta to the junction of the first road and the second road and battery voltage TB, and causes heating unit 18 to heat battery 14 with this heating output Pn (step S24), and then proceeds to step S16 to perform the same processing as above. That is, if step S20 is positive, it is determined that the vehicle will merge from the first road to the second road, so heating unit 18 heats battery 14 with heating output Pn calculated using control map 22B, thereby reducing electricity consumption and ensuring output from battery 14.

[0025] According to the present embodiment, when vehicle 10 travels on a combined travel route from a first road, on which vehicle 10 must travel at a speed slower than a first predetermined speed V1, to a second road, on which vehicle 10 can travel at a speed equal to or faster than the first predetermined speed V1, where the time required to reach a junction of the first road and the second road is defined as a required time ta, temperature control unit 22A controls heating unit 18 based on heating output Pn calculated using control map 22B in which heating output Pn of heating unit 18 is predefined corresponding to battery temperature TB and required time ta. Therefore, even in a low-temperature environment, for example, in a cold region in winter, when battery 14 is low and there is a concern that insufficient output from battery 14 may cause a decrease in the power performance of vehicle 10, appropriately controlling heating output Pn of heating unit 18 is advantageous in improving power consumption and in avoiding insufficient output from battery 14 to ensure the power performance of vehicle 10.

[0026] In addition, in this embodiment, when the driving route set by the navigation device 12 is a single driving route consisting only of the first road, the temperature control unit 22A controls the heating unit 18 by setting the heating output Pn of the heating unit 18 to the first heating output Pmid which is less than the upper limit value Pmax, so that the heating output Pn can be suppressed, which is advantageous in improving electricity consumption.

[0027] Next, the operation using the SOC detection unit 20B and the SOC estimation unit 22C, which were not described in FIG. 3 , will be described. During travel up to a junction on the combined travel route, i.e., while traveling on the first road, if the driver operates the accelerator pedal more frequently, causing an increase in output from the battery 14, or if the driver operates the brakes more frequently, causing an increase in the amount of regenerative power charged to the battery 14, the self-heating of the battery 14 becomes significant as the current flowing in and out of the battery 14 increases. In this case, if the absolute value of the SOC change amount ΔSOC, which is the difference between the estimated value SL estimated by the SOC estimation unit 22C and the actual SOC detected by the SOC detection unit 20B, is predicted to be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value St, the temperature control unit 22A can recalculate the heating output Pn using the control map 22B. This can suppress the heating output Pn by the amount of self-heating of the battery 14, which is more advantageous in improving power consumption.

[0028] Next, the operation using the internal resistance detection unit 20A and the map correction unit 22D, which were not described in FIG. 3 , will be described. The map correction unit 22D calculates a corrected map as shown in FIG. 4 , which is obtained by correcting the control map 22B based on the internal resistance Ri detected by the internal resistance detection unit 20A, and the temperature control unit 22A may calculate the heating output Pn using the corrected control map 22B. That is, the internal resistance Ri, which affects the self-heating of the battery 14, varies depending on the SOC, SOH, and battery temperature TB, as described above. Therefore, by correcting the control map 22B in consideration of this change in the internal resistance Ri, more specifically, by correcting the control map 22B by the map correction unit 22D so that the heating output Pn decreases as the internal resistance Ri increases, the heating output Pn can be suppressed by the amount of self-heating, which is more advantageous in improving power consumption.

[0029] Next, a modified example will be described. After the combined driving route is set, the temperature control unit 22A may recalculate the heating output Pn using the control map 22B every time a predetermined unit time Δt elapses. For example, if the unit time Δt is five minutes, the heating output Pn can be calculated every five minutes. This allows for fine control of the heating output Pn in response to the road surface condition and the driver's accelerator and brake operation, which affect power consumption. This is more advantageous in suppressing the heating output Pn and improving power consumption.

[0030] Furthermore, when the required time ta calculated by the navigation device 12 is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time t1, the temperature control unit 22A may set the heating output Pn to a first heating output Pmid less than the upper limit value Pmax until the traveling time of the vehicle 10 reaches the first predetermined time t1, and after the traveling time of the vehicle 10 reaches the first predetermined time t1, calculate the heating output Pn using the control map 22B. In this manner, when the required time ta is relatively long, self-heating due to power consumption of the battery 14 while traveling on the first road is expected, and therefore, a decrease in the output of the battery 14 can be avoided even if the heating output Pn is limited to the first heating output Pmid less than the upper limit value Pmax until the first predetermined time t1. Therefore, the heating output Pn can be suppressed, which is more advantageous in improving power consumption.

[0031] Furthermore, when the combined driving route is set by the navigation device 12, if the required time ta to reach the junction where the first road and the second road meet is less than a predetermined shortest time tmin, the temperature control unit 22A may set the heating output Pn of the heating unit 18 to the upper limit value Pmax. This is advantageous for ensuring the output of the battery 14 by heating it to the maximum even when the driving time to the junction is extremely short, for example, about three minutes, and it is necessary to heat the battery 14 early, and therefore advantageous for ensuring the power performance of the vehicle 10 when traveling at high speed on the second road.

[0032] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0033] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2024-5020) filed on January 17, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0034] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Vehicle 12 Navigation device 14 Battery 16 Battery temperature sensor 18 Heating unit 20 BMU 20A Internal resistance detection unit 20B SOC detection unit 22 Host ECU 22A Temperature control unit 22B Control map 22C SOC estimation unit 22D Map correction unit

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the battery temperature TB of a battery mounted on the vehicle, a heating unit for heating the battery, and a temperature control unit for heating the battery by the heating unit when the battery temperature is equal to or lower than a first temperature T1, wherein, when the vehicle travels on a combined driving route from a first road on which the vehicle must travel at a speed lower than a first predetermined speed V1 to a second road on which the vehicle can travel at a speed equal to or higher than the first predetermined speed V1, and when a required time ta required to reach a merging point between the first road and the second road is defined, the temperature control unit controls the heating unit based on a heating output Pn calculated using a control map in which the heating output of the heating unit is defined in advance corresponding to the battery temperature TB and the required time ta. This is a vehicle characterized by the above.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a navigation device capable of setting a driving route including the combined driving route and a single driving route composed only of the first road, wherein when the single driving route is set as the driving route, the temperature control unit controls the heating unit with a first heating output Pmid less than an upper limit value Pmax as the heating output Pn of the heating unit.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the temperature control unit recalculates the heating output Pn using the control map every time a predetermined unit time elapses after the combined driving route is set.

4. The navigation device calculates the required time ta based on the set combined driving route, and when the required time ta is equal to or longer than a first predetermined time t1, the temperature control unit sets the heating output Pn as the first heating output Pmid until the driving time of the vehicle reaches the first predetermined time t1, and after the driving time of the vehicle reaches the first predetermined time t1, calculates the heating output Pn using the control map. This is a vehicle characterized by the above according to claim 2.

5. An SOC detection unit that detects the SOC of the battery, and an SOC estimation unit that estimates, as an estimated value SL, the value of the SOC after traveling on the set composite travel route. When the absolute value of the SOC change amount ΔSOC, which is the difference between the estimated value SL and the SOC detected by the SOC detection unit, is expected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value St, the temperature control unit recalculates the heating output Pn using the control map. The vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that.

6. An internal resistance detection unit that detects the internal resistance Ri of the battery, and a map correction unit that calculates a corrected map obtained by correcting the control map based on the detected internal resistance Ri. The temperature control unit calculates the heating output Pn using the corrected control map. The vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that.

7. When the required time ta is less than a predetermined minimum time tmin at the time when the composite travel route is set, the temperature control unit sets the heating output Pn of the heating unit to the upper limit value Pmax. The vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that.

Images