Vehicle Charging Control Using Altitude Data to Prevent Downhill Energy Waste
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charging control systems for vehicles, such as those disclosed in JP 2001-095105 A, often result in inefficient energy use by releasing stored power as thermal energy when the battery is fully charged before traveling downhill, leading to increased electricity costs and suboptimal charging strategies without a designated travel route.
Innovation Solution
A charging control apparatus for vehicles that includes an information acquisition circuit to gather location and altitude information, a calculation circuit to determine the state of charge (SOC) change from the current location to surrounding points, and a setting circuit to set the charge amount based on this information, ensuring the battery is charged appropriately for future travel routes, thereby optimizing energy use and reducing brake loss during downhill travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery is fully charged before traveling downhill, then the battery charge rate is increased, but the charged power is released as thermal energy leading to increased electricity costs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the travel route before charging to identify downhill sections ahead. Based on this advance knowledge, it adjusts the charging strategy to prevent overcharging before downhill travel, thereby avoiding the waste of charged power as thermal energy during regenerative braking and reducing electricity costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the vehicle's location, route information, and battery state of charge. It uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the target charge rate and charging limits in real-time, ensuring that charging decisions are optimized based on upcoming terrain conditions rather than following a fixed charging schedule.
2Loss of energy
If the battery charge rate is decreased before downhill travel, then electricity cost is reduced, but the battery may not have sufficient charge for the cruising range
Solution Approach 1:
The system analyzes the travel route in advance to identify downhill sections and calculates the optimal charging strategy beforehand. It determines the precise point before the downhill section where charging should be reduced or stopped, ensuring sufficient charge for the cruising range while minimizing energy waste during subsequent downhill travel.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the target charge rate and charging limit parameters based on the analyzed route conditions. It adjusts these parameters in real-time as the vehicle approaches the downhill section, transitioning from normal charging to reduced or stopped charging at the optimal moment to balance cruising range requirements with energy efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If charging control is applied without a designated travel route, then charging flexibility is improved, but the accuracy of charge amount prediction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal charging control method that works for both designated and non-designated routes. It uses terrain analysis and state of charge prediction algorithms that can adapt to any route condition, providing accurate charge amount predictions even when no specific travel route is predetermined, thereby maintaining both flexibility and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-analysis of the current vehicle state, surrounding terrain conditions, and battery characteristics to autonomously determine the optimal charging strategy. It calculates the predicted change in state of charge based on available information without requiring external route input, enabling accurate charge prediction and flexible charging control simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A charging control apparatus: an information acquisition circuit configured to acquire, when a storage battery of a vehicle that is being stopped is charged with the power from the external power supply, location information indicating a current location of the vehicle, and altitude information on surroundings of the current location; a calculation circuit configured to calculate, when a travel route has not been designated, a change amount of a state of charge (SOC) of the storage battery from the current location to at least one predetermined point in the surroundings, based on the location information and the altitude information; and a setting circuit configured to set, based on the calculated change amount of the SOC, a charge amount of the storage battery to be charged with the power from the external power supply.