Vehicle ECU Priority Control for External Charging and Discharging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle systems do not prioritize between external power receiving and external power supply modes effectively, leading to potential conflicts and inefficient energy management when both modes are contended.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle with a determination unit and control unit that assesses user operations and vehicle states to prioritize between external power receiving and external power supply modes based on battery charge, fuel level, temperature, and travel distance, and informs the user of the determined priority.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If external charging and external discharging are automatically carried out based on operation mode and electricity price without priority determination, then the vehicle can respond to user operations quickly, but conflicting operations may cause system errors or unsafe states
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit determines priority between external charging and external discharging modes in advance, before conflicting operations are executed. By evaluating vehicle state (battery charge level, fuel level, temperature, travel distance) beforehand, the system prevents conflicting operations from causing unsafe states, thus resolving the contradiction between quick response and system safety.
2Quantity of substance
If the vehicle always prioritizes external power receiving to maintain battery charge, then battery state of charge is maintained, but user demand for power supply may not be met timely
Solution Approach 1:
The priority between external charging and external discharging is not fixed but dynamically determined based on real-time vehicle state including battery charge level, fuel level, temperature, and travel distance. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to varying user demands while maintaining battery charge when appropriate, resolving the contradiction between maintaining battery charge and responding to user power supply demand.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle always prioritizes external power supply to meet user demand, then user power supply demand is met timely, but battery may be depleted below safe levels
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically evaluates battery charge level and other vehicle states to determine priority. When battery charge is sufficient, external discharging is prioritized to meet user demand. When battery charge drops below safe levels, external charging is prioritized to maintain battery health. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between meeting user power supply demand and maintaining battery charge above safe levels.
4Productivity
If priority determination is based on multiple vehicle state parameters, then energy management is optimized, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit segments the priority determination process into distinct evaluation steps: first evaluating battery charge level, then fuel level, then temperature, and finally travel distance. This segmentation of the control logic simplifies the overall system structure while still considering multiple parameters for optimized energy management, resolving the contradiction between energy management efficiency and control system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An ECU is mounted on a vehicle that is able to carry out external charging for charging an in-vehicle battery with electric power from an outside of the vehicle and external discharging for discharging electric power inside the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle. The ECU sets a control mode of the vehicle to any one of a charging mode for carrying out the external charging, a discharging mode for carrying out the external discharging, and a traveling mode for propelling the vehicle. The ECU determines which one of the charging mode and the discharging mode is given a higher priority in accordance with a state of the vehicle when a user has carried out operation to require the external discharging during the charging mode or when the user has carried out operation to require the external charging during the discharging mode.