Vehicle Control Device Battery Capacity Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems restrict automatic driving based solely on battery temperature, leading to excessive limitations and reduced battery charge due to frequent performance tests, which impair user convenience.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control device with a processor that determines battery capacity through discharge tests, temperature changes, and charge amount, allowing for nuanced restriction of automatic driving based on actual battery performance, thereby minimizing charge reduction and enhancing user convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automatic driving is restricted based solely on battery temperature, then battery performance can be protected, but automatic driving is excessively restricted and user convenience is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the determination parameter from solely temperature-based to a multi-parameter system including charge amount (SOC) and actual discharge performance. This allows the system to distinguish between temporary temperature effects and genuine battery capacity issues, reducing unnecessary restrictions on automatic driving while still protecting battery performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs actual discharge tests to obtain feedback on real battery output capacity. This feedback mechanism allows the control unit to make informed decisions about whether to restrict automatic driving, rather than relying on temperature alone. The feedback loop ensures that restrictions are applied only when genuinely necessary.
2Reliability
If performance tests are frequently performed during automatic driving, then battery performance can be monitored, but charge amount is reduced and automatic driving becomes difficult to continue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs discharge tests with carefully controlled current values and durations that are sufficient to assess battery performance but minimal enough to preserve charge amount. The test current is set to a value that provides meaningful performance data while consuming the least necessary energy, allowing automatic driving to continue.
Solution Approach 2:
The system determines charge amount (SOC) before performing discharge tests and uses this preliminary information to decide whether testing is appropriate. This preliminary assessment prevents unnecessary tests that would consume valuable charge, ensuring automatic driving can continue for the required duration.
3Measurement precision
If discharge tests are performed to determine actual battery output, then accurate performance assessment is achieved, but charge amount decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes discharge test parameters including current value, duration, and timing to achieve the minimum necessary measurement precision while minimizing charge consumption. By adjusting these parameters dynamically based on battery state and driving conditions, the system obtains sufficient performance data with minimal impact on charge amount.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic driving executability determination unit restricts automatic driving when a charge amount determination unit (third determination unit) determines that a battery is in a low capacity state, and decides whether to restrict the automatic driving according to a determination result of a discharge performance determination unit (first determination unit) when a temperature determination unit (second determination unit) determines that the battery is in the low capacity state but a charge amount determination unit determines that the battery is not in the low capacity state.