JP2000125407A - Charge controller for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charge controller for a vehicle which can suppress the charging by an engine to the minimum necessary value. SOLUTION: Weather information from the current position to the destination input by means of an input device 30 is requested from an information center 36 via a portable telephone 26 to receive weather information. Based on the received weather information, the duration of sunshine from the current position to the destination is estimated. Then, based on the estimated duration of sunshine, quantities of charging by a solar battery 46, a motor 48, and an engine 52 are determined. Due to this mechanism, a quantity of charging by the engine 52 can be suppressed to the minimum necessary value and thereby the consumption of gasoline can be suppressed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle charge control device, and more particularly, to a vehicle charge control device capable of charging a battery with a solar cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been proposed a hybrid vehicle in which, in addition to an engine that obtains a driving force by burning fuel such as gasoline, an electric motor that obtains a driving force by electric power is provided, and the driving force can be appropriately switched. I have. This hybrid vehicle can run by driving an electric motor with electric power supplied from a battery even when the engine is stopped.

[0003] A battery mounted on a hybrid vehicle is charged by, for example, a household power source, charged by so-called regenerative power generated during braking by an electric motor during driving, or a generator that generates power by an engine driving force. Or the battery can be charged by the electric power generated by the battery. As described above, the battery needs to be charged, but when traveling by the electric motor, it is necessary to switch to the engine as appropriate and travel with the electric power generated by the generator in order to compensate for the lack of battery capacity during traveling. is there.

[0004] For this reason, in order to prevent a shortage of battery capacity, a battery device for a hybrid vehicle that charges a battery with a solar cell has been proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-251711).

[0005]

However, in the above-described battery device, the charging current from the solar cell varies depending on the sunshine state, and thus it is difficult to set a minimum required charging target value by the engine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object to provide a vehicle charge control device capable of minimizing engine charging.

[0007]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle charging control apparatus, comprising: a motor for generating a driving force of a vehicle by electric power supplied from a battery; A solar cell that generates power corresponding to the vehicle and charges the battery, information input means for inputting travel route information including at least weather information from the current location to the destination, and travel input by the information input means. Prediction means for predicting the sunshine state of the travel route based on the route information; anddetermination means for determining the amount of charge of the battery by the solar cell based on the sunshine state predicted by the prediction means. It is characterized by that.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving force of the vehicle is generated by the motor. The motor is powered by a battery. A solar cell can be connected to this battery, and the solar cell generates electric power according to irradiation light, and the generated electric power is charged to the battery.

[0009] The information input means is for inputting travel route information. The traveling route information includes at least weather information from the current location to the destination, and further includes, for example, the current location, the destination, a route on the way, a required time from the current location to the destination, a distribution of vehicle speed and an average vehicle speed of the route on the way, and an average speed of the road. Information such as traffic congestion information and terrain can be included.

The predicting means predicts the sunshine state of the vehicle based on the travel route information input by the information input means. The sunshine state includes sunshine time, sunshine time, and sunshine amount. In the prediction of the sunshine state of the vehicle, for example, if the current location, the destination, and the route on the way are obtained, it is possible to determine through which route the vehicle will travel, and if the weather in the route can be specified, The amount of sunlight of a running vehicle can be predicted. In such a case, the amount of sunlight can be predicted, so that the generated power of the solar cell can be predicted. Therefore, the determining means determines the amount of charge of the battery by the solar cell based on the sunshine state predicted by the predicting means. Therefore, the amount of charge by the solar cell can be accurately grasped.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an engine for generating driving power for a vehicle, a generator for generating electric power in accordance with the driving power of the engine to charge the battery, and electric power supplied from the battery. A motor for generating a driving force of the vehicle, a solar cell for generating electric power according to irradiation light to charge the battery, and inputting travel route information including weather information from at least a current position to a destination. An information input unit, a prediction unit that predicts a sunshine state of the travel route based on the travel route information input by the information input unit, and a solar cell based on the sunshine state predicted by the prediction unit. Determining means for determining the amount of charge of the battery; and a small amount of the engine and the motor based on the amount of charge determined by the determining means. It is characterized by comprising a selecting means for selecting as a drive source of the vehicle in the traveling path one also.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an engine and a motor are provided for generating a driving force for the vehicle. The motor is supplied with power from a battery. A solar cell can be connected to the battery, and the solar cell generates electric power according to irradiation light, and the generated electric power is charged to the battery.

The information input means is for inputting travel route information. The traveling route information includes at least weather information from the current location to the destination, and further includes, for example, the current location, the destination, a route on the way, a required time from the current location to the destination, a distribution of vehicle speed and an average vehicle speed of the route on the way, and an average speed of the road. Information such as traffic congestion information and terrain can be included.

The predicting means predicts the sunshine state of the vehicle based on the travel route information input by the information input means. The sunshine state includes sunshine time, sunshine time, and sunshine amount. In the prediction of the sunshine state of the vehicle, for example, if the current location, the destination, and the route on the way are obtained, it is possible to determine through which route the vehicle will travel, and if the weather in the route can be specified, The amount of sunlight of a running vehicle can be predicted. In such a case, the amount of sunlight can be predicted, so that the generated power of the solar cell can be predicted. Therefore, the determining means determines the amount of charge of the battery by the solar cell based on the sunshine state predicted by the predicting means. Then, based on the determined charge amount, the selection means selects either the engine or the motor as the driving source of the vehicle. For example, when the battery is sufficient to reach the destination with the amount of charge of the battery by the solar cell, the vehicle is driven by the motor. If the battery is not enough, the vehicle is driven by the engine and the shortage is charged by the generator. Since the amount of charge by the solar cell can be predicted in this way, it is sufficient to charge the battery with the minimum necessary amount of charge. Therefore, the load on the engine can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle charge control device according to the first or second aspect, a detecting means for detecting electric power generated by the solar cell and a detecting means for detecting the electric power generated by the solar cell. Correction means for correcting the charge amount of the battery based on the electric power.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detecting means for detecting the electric power generated by the solar cell,
The charge amount of the battery is corrected by the correction unit based on the electric power detected by the detection unit. For example, when the detected power, that is, the actually generated power amount is less than the charging amount determined by the determining means, the engine is driven and the shortage is charged by the generator.
Thereby, an optimal state of charge can be obtained.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a hybrid vehicle using any one of an engine and a motor as a driving source.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle charge control device 10. The vehicle charge control device 10 has a microcomputer 12. The microcomputer 12 includes a CPU 14, a RAM 16, a ROM 18, and an input / output (I / O) port 20, each of which is connected by a bus 22 so that commands and data can be given. The ROM 18 stores a processing routine described later.

The input / output port 20 has a GPS receiver 2
4. Mobile phone 26, monitor 28, input device 30, and CD
-The ROM drive 32 is connected.

The GPS receiver 24 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite (not shown). The microcomputer 12 calculates the current position (latitude / longitude) based on the received GPS signal. The calculated current position is a CD-R
It is displayed on the monitor 28 together with a map image read from a CD-ROM 34 set in the OM drive 32 and storing map data and the like. CD-ROM3
4 includes not only map data for display, but also terrain data (data on the presence or absence of a tunnel, presence or absence of shade due to mountains and buildings) and road data (data on intersections, data on uphills, downhills, etc.). Has been recorded. The recording medium on which the map data and the like are recorded is not limited to the CD-ROM,
A recording medium such as a DVD-ROM may be used.
A DVD-ROM drive may be used instead of the D-ROM drive 32. The data may be recorded using not only the optical disk but also a semiconductor element such as a memory card or a magnetic storage medium such as a hard disk or a floppy disk and a driver corresponding to each.

The input device 30 is, for example, a remote control provided with operation buttons for performing various operations and a joystick for scrolling a map image. The input device 30 performs a predetermined operation using the operation buttons to set a destination. , Or set a route from the current position to the input destination. Note that the input device 30 may be a touch panel instead of the remote controller, and the operation may be performed by touching the monitor 28 with a finger or the like.

Further, telephone line communication with the information center 36 via the portable telephone 26 can be performed. The information center 36 includes a microcomputer (not shown) and the like. The information center 36 includes a required time from the designated current position to the destination, a distribution of vehicle speeds and average vehicle speeds on intermediate routes, various types of information such as road congestion information, terrain and weather information. Information can be provided.
The weather information is, for example, information such as sunny, cloudy, or rain according to a time zone, sunshine time, sunshine time, and the like. The microcomputer 12 can receive the information sent from the information center 36 via the mobile phone 26.

Note that information may be transmitted from the information center 36 by media such as FM multiplex broadcasting and satellite broadcasting instead of telephone line communication. In this case, information from the information center 36 may be received via a receiver such as FM multiplex broadcasting or satellite broadcasting instead of the mobile phone 26.

The sensor 38 is connected to the input / output port 20.
, A battery 40 is connected thereto, and a power converter 42 is further connected thereto. The sensor 38 is for detecting the remaining battery level of the battery 40.
Further, various loads 44 such as a car audio system and an air conditioner are connected to the battery 40.

The power converter 42 is connected to a solar cell 46, a motor 48, and a generator 50, and the generator 50 is connected to an engine 52. The solar battery 46 generates electric power according to the amount of irradiation of sunlight, and the generated electric power is charged in the battery 40 via the power conversion unit 42.

The motor 48 is driven by the electric power supplied from the battery 40. When the vehicle is braked, it operates as a generator to generate so-called regenerative electric power. Charged to 40.

The generator 50 generates electric power by transmitting the driving force of the engine 52, and the generated electric power is charged into the battery 40 via the electric power converter 42. The power conversion unit 42 is configured by an inverter or the like, and
6. The battery 40 is converted by converting the electric power generated from each of the motor 48 and the generator 50 from AC to DC, to a predetermined voltage, and switching the charging by each.
To control charging. The battery 40 is charged
As shown in FIG. 5, the battery voltage value is close to a predetermined target voltage value, that is, the battery voltage control lower limit value V _0.
It is controlled to be within a range up to the battery voltage upper control limit V ₁ from.

In the power converter 42, the solar cell 36,
The amount of power generated by each of the motor 38 and the generator 40 can be detected.
2 can be monitored.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the operation of the vehicle charge control device 10.

In step 100 shown in FIG. 2, the user performs a predetermined operation using the input device 30 to set a route to the destination. In step 102, the battery voltage value V of the battery 40 detected by the sensor 38 is fetched, and based on the battery voltage value V fetched in step 104, the battery voltage reaches the target voltage value shown in FIG. A target charge amount T that maintains the vicinity is obtained.

Next, at step 106, a telephone line connection is made to the information center 36 via the mobile phone 26. And G
A route from the current position to the destination calculated based on the GPS signal received by the PS receiver is designated, and weather information from the designated current position to the destination is requested.

The information center 36 sends out weather information from the requested current location to the destination. Then, the in-vehicle device receives the weather information transmitted from the information center 36 in step 108.

In the next step 110, the state of sunshine until arrival at the destination is predicted from the received weather information. The prediction of the sunshine time is performed by, for example, obtaining the required time from the distance from the current position to the destination or a predetermined average speed of the vehicle, and predicting the sunshine time based on the weather along the route from the current position to the destination.

In the next step 112, step 110
The amount of charge (power generation) A by the solar cell 46 is calculated from the sunshine time until the vehicle arrives at the destination predicted in the above. And
In the next step 114, the amount of charge B by the motor 48 is calculated. The amount of charge by the motor 48 is calculated, for example, from the road data recorded in the CD-ROM 34, how much braking is applied in consideration of intersections, downhills, and the like existing in the travel route, that is, how much regenerative power It is performed by predicting whether or not will occur.

Next, at step 116, the solar cell 4
Then, it is determined whether or not the sum of the charge amount A by 6 and the charge amount B by the motor 48 is smaller than the target charge amount T. Step 1
If a negative determination is made in step 16, the process proceeds to step 122,
If the determination is affirmative, the engine 5
2, that is, the amount of charge C by the generator 50 is calculated.
In this way, the amount of charge by the solar battery 46 and the motor 48 is calculated, and the necessary minimum amount of charge by the engine 52 is calculated.

Then, in step 120, charge control as shown in FIG. 3 is performed. In step 200 shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not it is the drive timing by the engine. If the determination is affirmative, the engine 52 is driven in step 202. As a result, electric power corresponding to the driving force of the engine 52 is generated by the generator 50, and the battery 40 is charged via the electric power converter 42. If a negative determination is made in step 200, the motor is driven in step 204.

Next, at step 206, it is determined whether or not the actual charge (power generation) by the generator 50 has reached the charge C calculated at step 118 shown in FIG. Loops until the charge amount C is reached. If the determination is affirmative, the motor 48 is switched to drive in step 208. The drive timing may be such that the motor is first driven by the motor 48 and finally driven by the engine 52,
In the route from the departure point to the destination, for example, the engine 52 may be driven in any section where it is considered to be able to run smoothly such as an expressway or a plateau, avoiding a section where fuel efficiency is considered to be poor such as an urban area. Good.

During the execution of the above routine, an interruption routine as shown in FIG. 4 is executed at predetermined intervals. In step 400 shown in FIG. 4, it is determined whether the actual charge amount D (power generation amount) by the solar cell 46 has reached the charge amount A calculated in step 112 shown in FIG. If the determination is negative, it is determined in step 402 whether all the sunshine areas to the destination have been completed, that is, whether charging by the solar cell 46 cannot be expected, and a negative determination is made. If the determination is affirmative, the process returns to step 404. At step 404, the charge amount corresponding to the shortage of charge by the solar cell 46, that is, the charge amount E obtained by subtracting the actual charge amount D from the calculated charge amount A is calculated. Ask.

Next, at step 406, the engine 52 is switched and driven. As a result, the electric power generated by the generator 50 is charged into the battery 40 via the electric power converter 42. Then, in step 408, it is determined whether or not the actual charge amount has reached the calculated charge amount E. If the determination is negative, the process loops until the charge amount E is reached, and if the determination is affirmative, step 410 To switch to the motor 48 for driving. Thus, once the solar cell 46 or the engine 5
Even when the charge amount is determined by 2, the charge amount is corrected based on the actual charge amount, so that an optimal charge state can be obtained.

Next, in step 122 shown in FIG. 2, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has arrived at the destination. If the determination is affirmative, the routine is terminated. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 102. And the same processing as above is repeated. Thereby, even when the weather changes and the sunshine state changes, an optimal charging state can be obtained.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a change in the battery voltage value. The solid line (1) indicates the case where the amount of charge by the solar cell 46 of the present invention is predicted. The dotted line (2) indicates the case where the amount of charge by the solar cell 46 is not predicted. Each case is shown below. As shown in FIG. 5, when the vehicle is driven by the motor 48 to run and the battery voltage value gradually decreases, in (3), when the battery voltage decreases to a predetermined control lower limit value V ₀ , switching to the engine 52 is performed. However, since the solar battery is not charged, the driving time by the engine increases. On the other hand, in (2), since the battery is charged by the solar cell, the decrease in the battery becomes slightly slower in the daylight hours, and the time required for the battery voltage to reach the control lower limit value V ₀ is longer than the time in (3). Because of the delay, the driving time by the engine can be shortened, so that gasoline consumption can be suppressed. However,
In (2), the charge amount by the solar cell cannot be predicted, and therefore, the charge amount by the engine cannot be predicted. On the other hand, in (1), the required amount of charge by the engine 52 can be determined by predicting the amount of charge by the solar cell 46, and therefore, at any point in time, for example, in (1), the engine 52, and the motor 48
Can be driven.

In (3), when the voltage reaches the destination, the voltage value exceeds the target voltage value. However, assuming that the voltage is controlled to reach the target voltage value when the vehicle arrives at the destination (2 in the figure). The target charge amount T calculated in step 104 of FIG. 2 is indicated by a hatched area of R ₀ + R ₁ . Among them, R ₀ represents the charge amount by the engine 52 in (2), so that R ₁ corresponds to the charge amount A by the solar battery 46 calculated in step 112 of FIG. For simplicity of description).

When predicting the sunshine state, it is also possible to receive the traffic congestion information from the information center 36, determine the required time in consideration of the received traffic congestion information, and predict the sunshine time from the required time. Good. Also, the CD-ROM 34
, The sunshine duration may be predicted in further consideration of information such as the presence / absence of tunnels and the presence / absence of shade due to mountains and buildings. For example, if there is a tunnel on the route from the current location to the destination, the transit time of the tunnel may be obtained and subtracted from the sunshine time. In this way, by considering various information related to the route from the current location to the destination, it is possible to more accurately predict the sunshine state. (Second Embodiment) Hereinafter, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to an electric vehicle driven by a motor.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of the vehicle charge control device 60. The same components as those of the vehicle charge control device 10 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Since the vehicle charge control device 60 is applied to an electric vehicle, it does not have an engine and a generator.
The point that a lamp 70 for warning when the charge amount of the battery 40 is insufficient is connected to the input / output port 20 is different from the power reception control device for a vehicle.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the operation of the vehicle charging control device 60. Step 30 shown in FIG.
Steps 100 to 114 shown in FIG.
The description is omitted because it is the same as above.

In step 316, it is determined whether or not the sum of the charge A by the solar battery 36 and the charge B by the motor 48 is smaller than the target charge T. If an affirmative determination is made in step 316, the lamp 70 is turned on in step 318 to warn that further charging is required, and if a negative determination is made, the lamp 70 is turned off in step 320.

Then, in step 322, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has arrived at the destination. If the determination is affirmative, this routine is ended. If the determination is negative, step 302 is performed.
Then, the same processing as above is repeated.

As described above, the estimation of the amount of charge by the solar cell 46 and the motor 48 can be accurately performed by predicting the sunshine state.

In the above embodiment, the case where the charge amount is determined based on the predicted sunshine state has been described. However, the charge amount is further determined in consideration of the battery consumption due to the usage state of the various loads 44. You may do so.

[0053]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the predicting means predicts the sunshine state of the vehicle based on the travel route information input by the information input means,
Since the determining unit determines the amount of charge of the battery by the solar cell based on the predicted sunshine state, the amount of charge by the solar cell can be accurately grasped.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the predicting means predicts the sunshine state of the vehicle based on the travel route information input by the information input means, and the determining means determines the sunshine state based on the predicted sunshine state. Since the amount of charge of the battery by the solar cell and the generator is determined, the necessary minimum amount of charge by the generator can be determined, so that there is an effect that the battery can be efficiently charged.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided detecting means for detecting the electric power generated by the solar cell, and the amount of charge of the battery is corrected by the correcting means based on the electric power detected by the detecting means. This has the effect that a more optimal state of charge can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle charging control device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a charge control routine according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an interrupt routine according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a charge control subroutine according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between a battery voltage value and time in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle charging control device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a charge control routine according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 vehicle charging control device 12 microcomputer 26 mobile phone 30 input device 36 information center 40 battery 42 power conversion unit 46 solar cell 48 motor 50 generator 52 engine

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5F051 BA05 JA17 5G003 AA06 AA07 BA01 CA11 CB05 CC08 DA07 DA15 FA06 GB06 GC05 5H115 PA12 PG04 PI16 PI17 PI22 PI29 PI30 PO17 PU01 PU25 QA01 QI04 QN03 SL01 SL05 TI02 TI05 TO14 TR19 TU04

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A motor for generating a driving force of a vehicle using electric power supplied from a battery, a solar cell for generating electric power according to irradiation light to charge the battery, and weather information at least from a current position to a destination. Information input means for inputting travel route information including: a prediction means for predicting the sunshine state of the travel route based on the travel route information input by the information input means; Determining means for determining the amount of charge of the battery by the solar cell based on the state of sunshine; 2. An engine that generates a driving force of the vehicle, a generator that generates electric power according to the driving force of the engine to charge the battery, and a driving power of the vehicle that is supplied by the battery. A motor to generate, a solar cell to generate power according to irradiation light to charge the battery, information input means for inputting travel route information including at least weather information from a current location to a destination, and the information Prediction means for predicting the sunshine state of the travel route based on the travel route information input by the input means; and determining the amount of charge of the battery by the solar cell based on the sunshine state predicted by the prediction means. Determining means for running the engine and / or the motor based on the charge amount determined by the determining means. Vehicular charging control device and a selection means for selecting as a drive source of the vehicle in the path. 3. The charging control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a detecting unit that detects electric power generated by the solar cell, and the battery based on the electric power detected by the detecting unit. And a correcting means for correcting the charge amount of the vehicle.