DE102018130361A1 - Method for determining a charging time and / or a charging recommendation for an energy storage device of a vehicle and vehicle with a control unit for carrying out such a method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is based on the object of producing a method for determining a charging time and / or a charging recommendation for an energy store in a vehicle, and a vehicle with a control unit for carrying out such a method, by means of which the user behavior in relation to the service life and performance of the energy store is improved can be. A method according to the invention for determining a charging time and / or a charging recommendation for an energy storage device of a vehicle, the charging time and / or the charging recommendation being predicted, takes into account at least the following general conditions: a) charging power of at least one available charging station, b) possible charging power of the Energy storage of the vehicle, c) at least one actual state of the energy storage and d) at least one parameter for heat dissipation from the energy storage during the planned charging process.

Description

The invention relates to a method for determining a charging time and / or a charging recommendation for an energy store in a vehicle, and a vehicle with a control unit for carrying out such a method.

Out DE 10 2013 218 046 A1 A device and a method for mobility control are known, in which a server arrangement determines market prices for mobility resources. In devices assigned to vehicles, a route recommendation is then calculated based on the market prices and a preference specified by the user of the vehicle.

Out DE 10 2015 203 149 A1 a system is known which is intended for providing a navigation route with charging recommendations, which stochastic charging costs, time costs, travel time costs, waiting time costs and charging time costs should be able to take into account.

Out US 2017/0276503 A1 a system is known which can determine and issue charging recommendations for electric vehicles. For this purpose, information such as the current location of the vehicle, the state of charge of the energy store, the remaining driving time until charging is required, information about charging stations and information about the required charging time are determined and output by a vehicle.

The invention is based on the object of producing a method for determining a charging time and / or a charging recommendation for an energy store in a vehicle, and a vehicle with a control unit for carrying out such a method, by means of which the user behavior in relation to the service life and performance of the energy store is improved can be.

The object is achieved according to the invention with the features of the independent claims. Further practical embodiments and advantages of the invention are described in connection with the dependent claims.

1. a) Ladeleistung mindestens einer zur Verfügung stehenden Ladesäule,
2. b) mögliche Ladeleistung des Energiespeichers des Fahrzeuges,
3. c) mindestens ein Ist-Zustand des Energiespeichers und
4. d) mindestens ein Parameter zur Wärmeabfuhr aus dem Energiespeicher während des geplanten Ladevorgangs.

A method according to the invention for determining a charging time and / or a charging recommendation for an energy store in a vehicle, the charging time and / or the charging recommendation being determined in a prognostic manner, in particular before or after a charging process has been started, takes into account at least the following general conditions:

1. a) charging capacity of at least one available charging station,
2. b) possible charging power of the energy storage of the vehicle,
3. c) at least one actual state of the energy store and
4. d) at least one parameter for heat dissipation from the energy store during the planned charging process.

In this disclosure, vehicles are understood to be any vehicles, in particular those that have an energy store for driving the corresponding vehicle. Such energy stores are also referred to below as drive energy stores. The invention was made in particular for motor vehicles and motorcycles. In the present disclosure, the term “charging recommendation” means both the selection of an available charging station and the possible additional use of external cooling on the charging station side, possibly in addition to cooling on the vehicle side.

The method according to the invention makes it possible on the basis of the above-mentioned framework conditions a) to d) to improve the user behavior of vehicle drivers with regard to the lifespan and performance of the energy store, which is explained in detail below using specific examples. This is all the more important the larger the energy storage device of the vehicle and is of particular relevance if the energy storage device is a drive energy storage device which is provided in whole or in part for driving the vehicle.

In this context, the outside temperature, internal cooling on the vehicle side, external cooling on the charging station side and / or other external cooling are particularly important as parameters for heat dissipation. Internal cooling on the vehicle is understood to mean any system that is permanently activated or can be activated as required and can be used to actively reduce the current temperature of the energy store. External cooling at the charging station is understood to mean any system that enables coolant to be transported from a charging station to the vehicle in order to be able to actively reduce the temperature of the energy store. Other external cooling means any means that is independent of a charging station and that can be used to reduce the temperature of the energy store of the vehicle, for example a mobile fan or a mobile air conditioning system, by means of which a cooling air flow is directly or indirectly directed to the Energy storage of the vehicle can be directed to actively cool the energy storage. It is preferred if the outside temperature and at least one of the above-mentioned cooling systems are taken into account because an energy-efficient recommendation can then be given. In particular, if the outside temperature is sufficiently low, it can be assumed that the temperature of the energy store is so low that additional internal or external cooling is not required.

In a further practical embodiment of the method according to the invention, at least one current temperature within the energy store, a current temperature of at least one charging plug of the energy store and / or at least one temperature of a contact of the energy store is taken into account as an actual state of the energy store. In this case, regardless of the actual outside temperature, the temperature of the energy store is known directly or indirectly. The temperature is indirectly known if a current temperature of at least one charging plug of the energy store and / or at least one temperature of a contact of the energy store are taken into account. For such cases, corresponding concordance tables can be provided which indicate the actual temperature within the energy store as a function of the temperature of at least one charging plug or a contact of the energy store. Whether such an indirect temperature specification can be made with a sufficiently high degree of accuracy can be determined empirically for each vehicle or each energy store by completely eliminating the operating states that usually occur in a vehicle using a means for detecting the temperature within the energy store and the at least one charging plug and / or a contact of the energy store is detected and checked whether a concordance table is suitable as an indirect temperature indication of the energy store.

In a further practical embodiment of a method according to the invention, forecast temperatures of the energy store during the entire charging process are taken into account as the forecast state of the energy store. This consideration serves to take into account when determining the charging time and / or the charging recommendation that the forecast temperature - at least in part of the energy store - should serve above a defined minimum temperature and / or below a defined maximum temperature and / or that the maximum deviation between the highest forecast temperature and the lowest forecast temperature should not exceed a maximum delta value. For this purpose, the respective temperatures are preferably monitored directly or indirectly at one or more points in the energy store. If one of the cases outlined above occurs according to the forecast, the charging power should be adjusted by means of a suitable control so that damage to the energy store is avoided. As an alternative or in addition, a measure can be proposed to the driver of a vehicle by means of a corresponding recommendation in order to avoid this and thus not unnecessarily affect the lifespan of an energy store, for example by changing from a charging process without active cooling to a charging process with active cooling becomes.

In a further practical embodiment of a method according to the invention, a data output with different charging stations and / or different charging modes takes place as a charging recommendation. In this context, different charging stations mean that not only the different locations of the charging stations are taken into account in order to take into account any additional time and any additional routes for the journey to a specific charging station. In addition, it should also be taken into account whether certain additional features are available at the available charging stations, for example a cooling facility on the charging station side. If this is the case, this cooling option can optionally be used, i.e. It is possible to charge the vehicle's energy storage at this charging station with different charging modes (with cooling on the charging station side or without cooling on the charging station side). The invention has the claim to transparently reproduce the advantages of certain charging stations and / or certain charging modes to a user of a vehicle, for example the possible use of cooling at the charging station in order to reduce the charging time and / or to increase the service life of the energy store. In addition, different prices at different charging stations can also be taken into account, the different prices also including different prices for the use of different charging modes.

In a further practical embodiment of a method according to the invention, current routes, location and / or weather data are taken into account as at least one parameter for heat dissipation from the energy store during the planned charging process. In particular, it can be taken into account that charging is carried out on a route where cooling options are not available or are inefficient where the outside temperature is the lowest in the expected charging period. For example, the route leads over a pass at which the outside temperatures are usually lower than in the vicinity of the corresponding passport, a charging recommendation at the passport height can be given with the method according to the invention. The above-mentioned weather data therefore preferably include not only the outside temperature, but also the current air pressure, air humidity and any other parameters that may be suitable for issuing a suitable charging recommendation.

In a further practical embodiment of the method according to the invention, the current state of charge and / or the current suitability of the energy store for a rapid charging process are taken into account as the actual state of the energy store. The actual state of the energy store in the form of the current state of charge means in particular what capacity of the energy store is still available for further movement of the vehicle. Depending on this, it can in particular be determined which charging stations can still be reached by the vehicle on the current route and which additional travel path may be necessary to reach a charging station lying off the route. The suitability of the energy store for a rapid charging process means in particular whether the energy store can be actively cooled, for example, in order to charge with higher power and thereby shorten the charging time without permanently damaging the energy store during the charging process. This information is particularly useful in connection with other parameters, for example in connection with the fact that the destination should be reached as quickly as possible or whether it is a trip that tolerates longer breaks, for example a vacation trip on which during a break an optional activity and / or an overnight stay is tolerable in a charging station. In such cases, a recommendation against a quick charging process can be given if this reduces the costs for a charging process and / or if the lifespan of the energy storage device is increased by a charging process at normal speed.

In this context, reference is made to the further possibility of a method according to the invention, according to which the charging recommendation comprises a predicted effect of the selection of the charging station and / or the charging mode on the service life of the energy store. This is to be understood in such a way that, in connection with several options for charging the energy store at one or more charging stations in one or different charging modes, it is shown how often the energy store can probably be recharged with the same charging method before it is completely replaced got to. In this way, even people who do not have technical knowledge and appropriate expertise can be given feedback and recommendations to maximize the lifespan of the energy store and thus keep the operating costs of the vehicle low. For example, reference can be made to the fact that in the event of a rapid charging process failing, the energy store can be recharged 300 times, while with a normal charge the energy store can probably be recharged 400 times. Another aspect that may be of interest in this context is the information about the respective outside temperature at the location of a charging station. For example, a charging process that is carried out at a location of a charging station with a significantly lower outside temperature can be ended more quickly than at a location where there is a higher outside temperature and therefore cannot be charged with maximum power over the entire charging process. In addition, if the outside temperature is sufficiently low, rapid charging can be carried out without additional external cooling.

If the charging recommendation includes price information stored in the vehicle and / or current price information about the available charging stations and / or the charging modes, practical help can be given to a person who has to decide on the selection of a charging station and a charging mode in order to follow the to find a charging station for the respective needs, which will make the economic, temporal and life cycle of the energy storage decision. The transparency of the consequences of a charging process is thereby increased significantly with the aid of the method according to the invention.

In a further practical embodiment of the method according to the invention, repetitive processes are recognized by the vehicle on the basis of GPS data and associated stored driving profiles, in order to give suitable charging recommendations for individual driving profiles. For example, a cyclically repeating journey, such as the way to work, as well as the associated travel times and downtimes of a vehicle can be determined, for example, by automatically creating a corresponding travel profile "way to work" after a certain journey has occurred several times in the same time window (e.g. at least three times). In this way, people who use the vehicle can be given useful advice on how to reduce charging costs and / or how to maximize the life of the energy storage device by recommending a suitable charging station and a suitable charging mode.

The invention also relates to a vehicle with a control unit for carrying out a method as described above, in particular a motor vehicle.

• 1 zeigt ein Ablaufdiagramm zur Visualisierung eines Ausführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens.

Further practical embodiments of the invention are described below in connection with the drawings. Show it:

• 1 shows a flow chart for visualizing an embodiment of a method according to the invention.

1. a) Ladeleistung mindestens einer zur Verfügung stehenden Ladesäule,
2. b) mögliche Ladeleistung des Energiespeichers des Fahrzeuges,
3. c) mindestens ein Ist-Zustand des Energiespeichers und
4. d) mindestens ein Parameter zur Wärmeabfuhr aus dem Energiespeicher während des geplanten Ladevorgangs.

The framework conditions are at the top level of the diagram a) , b) , c) and d) of claim 1 reproduced. These are assigned as follows:

1. a) charging capacity of at least one available charging station,
2. b) possible charging power of the energy storage of the vehicle,
3. c) at least one actual state of the energy store and
4. d) at least one parameter for heat dissipation from the energy store during the planned charging process.

Taking these framework conditions into account in a first process step 10th a forecast state is determined. In a second step 12 it is then checked whether the predicted values are within the scope of the process step 10th were determined, are within defined limits.

If the predicted values lie within defined limit values, in a third process step 14 at least one charging recommendation and at least one charging time are issued so that the customer is presented with a selection of sensible recommendations for action with the corresponding consequences.

If the predicted values are not within defined limits, the loop will 16 go through to the process by rechecking the framework a) to d) start over. Whenever the predicted values are within defined limits according to the process step 12 a corresponding charging recommendation including charging time is issued to the operator of the vehicle. An information system in the vehicle is preferably used as the means for output, in particular a display device, such as a screen or a digital display, and / or another visual information system and / or an acoustic information system and / or a haptic information system. For clarification, it is explicitly pointed out that “output of at least one charging recommendation” means that an operator is ideally given several charging recommendations, in particular useful for the energy store, from which he can choose. So the operator in process step 14 as a result, preferably several charging recommendations A), B), C) etc. are offered, from which the operator then selects a desired charging recommendation, which is useful for the energy store.

The features of the invention disclosed in the present description, in the drawings and in the claims can be essential both individually and in any combination for realizing the invention in its various embodiments. The invention can be varied within the scope of the claims and taking into account the knowledge of the person skilled in the art.

Reference symbol list

10th

first process step

12

second process step

14

third step

16

loop

a)

Framework conditions (charging capacity charging station)

b)

Framework conditions (charging power energy storage)

c)

Framework condition (actual state)

d)

Framework conditions (heat dissipation)

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent literature cited

• DE 102013218046 A1 [0002]
• DE 102015203149 A1 [0003]
• US 2017/0276503 A1 [0004]

Claims (10)

. Method for determining a charging time and / or a charging recommendation for an energy storage device of a vehicle, the charging time and / or the charging recommendation being determined in a prognostic manner and taking into account at least the following general conditions: a) charging capacity of at least one available charging station, b) possible charging power of the energy storage of the vehicle, c) at least one actual state of the energy store and d) at least one parameter for heat dissipation from the energy store during the planned charging process. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the outside temperature, vehicle-side internal cooling, charging station-side external cooling and / or other external cooling are taken into account as parameters for heat dissipation. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one current temperature within the energy store, a current temperature of at least one charging plug of the energy store and / or at least one temperature of a contact of the energy store is taken into account as an actual state of the energy store. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, as the forecast state of the energy store, forecast temperatures of the energy store are taken into account during the planned charging process. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charging recommendation is a data output with different charging stations and / or different charging modes. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that current route, location and / or weather data are taken into account as at least one parameter for heat dissipation from the energy store during the planned charging process. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the current state of charge and / or the current suitability of the energy store for a quick charging process is taken into account as the actual state of the energy store. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charging recommendation comprises a predicted effect of the selection of the charging station and / or the charging mode on the service life of the energy store. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charging recommendation comprises price information relating to the available charging stations and / or the charging modes that is stored in the vehicle and / or that is currently being called up. Vehicle with a control unit for performing a method according to one of the Claims 1 to 9 .

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