Battery Charging Power Control for Quiet Cooling Operation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charging control systems for vehicles face challenges in minimizing the noise of cooling devices during external charging, especially when the vehicle is stopped, as there is no noise from traveling or on-board devices to influence the operation level of the battery cooling fan.
Innovation Solution
A charging control device that adjusts the power level of the battery and cooling device to charge the battery at a high power level until a predetermined charge amount is reached, then switches to a low power level to maintain an appropriate temperature range, thereby minimizing the noise of the cooling device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the battery cooling fan is driven at a high cooling level to maintain appropriate temperature range during quick charging, then the cooling performance is improved, but the driving noise of the cooling device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculation to determine the minimum necessary charge amount before charging begins. Based on this pre-calculated value, the charging control device can plan the charging strategy in advance, switching to low power level when the charge amount reaches this predetermined threshold, thereby avoiding the need for high cooling levels and reducing cooling device noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging control device dynamically adjusts the charging power level based on the charge amount. The system transitions from high power level to low power level when the charge amount reaches the predetermined minimum necessary charge amount. This dynamic adjustment allows the cooling device to operate at lower levels, reducing noise while maintaining adequate cooling performance.
2Productivity
If the battery is charged at a high power level to reduce charging time, then the productivity is improved, but the cooling device must operate at high drive level increasing noise
Solution Approach 1:
The charging process is segmented into two distinct phases: a first charging period at high power level to quickly reach the minimum necessary charge amount, and a second charging period at low power level to complete the remaining charge. This segmentation allows the system to maximize productivity during the first phase while minimizing cooling device noise during the second phase when high power is no longer needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial high power charging rather than continuous high power charging. By charging at high power level only until the minimum necessary charge amount is reached, the system achieves sufficient productivity improvement while avoiding the sustained high cooling performance and associated noise that would result from maintaining high power charging throughout the entire process.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the charging is performed at low power level to reduce cooling device noise, then the driving noise of cooling device is reduced, but the charging time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates the minimum necessary charge amount in advance based on travel schedules and power consumption patterns. This preliminary determination enables the system to charge at high power level for the minimum necessary duration to reach this threshold, after which low power level charging can proceed. This approach minimizes the time spent at high power level while ensuring adequate charging is achieved.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the charging power level parameter from high to low when the charge amount reaches the predetermined minimum necessary charge amount. This parameter change optimizes the balance between charging time and cooling device noise by utilizing high power level only when necessary to meet the minimum charging requirement, then transitioning to low power level for the remainder of the charging process.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A device includes one or more processors (61, 241) configured to: specify a necessary charge amount of the power storage device (21); and control the conversion device (42) such that the power storage device (21) is charged at a high power level up to a predetermined charge amount reachable to the specified necessary charge amount, and such that the power storage device (21) is charged at a low power level after the predetermined charge amount has been reached, the low power level being a level of charging power at which an appropriate temperature range is maintained by cooling control at a low drive level of the cooling device (25, 45), the high power level being a level of charging power at which the appropriate temperature range is maintained by cooling control at a high drive level at which cooling performance is higher than cooling performance of the low drive level.