JP2009005450A - Controller for battery of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller for battery of a vehicle, which can prevent the progress of deterioration of battery performance, avoiding its being let alone for a long time at high SOC, without discharging power wastefully. <P>SOLUTION: The controller for the battery of a vehicle supplies power to a motor 2 that outputs driving force for running of the vehicle and also can be charged with power by being connected with an external power source 20 via a plug 10. It is equipped with a connection detecting sensor 81c which detects the plug 10 being connected, a prediction means (battery controller 81) which predicts whether the vehicle 1 is stopped for a long period or not, and a charge control means (battery controller 81) which controls the charge of the battery 7 by the external power source 20, based on the results of prediction. The charge control means inhibits the charge of the battery 7 by the external power source 20 for a specified period (Ta), when the connection detecting means detects the connection of the plug 10 to the external power source 20 and besides the prediction means predicts the long-term stoppage of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle battery control device, and more particularly to a vehicle battery control device that supplies electric power to a motor that outputs a driving force for vehicle travel and can be charged by a vehicle external power source.

  If the battery is left in a fully charged state or nearly full charged state, that is, in a state where the amount of electricity stored in the battery is large (high SOC) for a long period of time, the capacity of the battery is likely to deteriorate and the battery life is shortened. It is known to shrink. Therefore, in order to suppress the progress of such deterioration in battery performance, a technique has been proposed in which the battery is forcibly discharged to a predetermined charged amount when a predetermined time elapses after the battery is charged ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

  By the way, in a hybrid vehicle using both an engine and a motor, a high voltage battery is mounted in order to supply electric power to a motor that outputs driving force for traveling the vehicle. And in such a hybrid vehicle, what is called a plug-in type which can charge a high voltage battery with an external power supply is known (for example, refer patent document 2).

Therefore, even in this high-voltage battery, if the battery is left for a long time after being charged by the external power source, there arises a problem that the deterioration of the battery performance is accelerated.
In order to solve this problem, if the method described in Patent Document 1 is applied to the high-voltage battery, even in the high-voltage battery, the high-voltage battery is forcibly discharged to a predetermined amount of charge when the vehicle is stopped for a long period of time. It is possible to reduce performance degradation at the time.

JP 2005-245056 A JP 2007-62642 A

  However, since the high voltage battery has a large capacity, a large amount of electric power must be discharged in order to reduce it to a predetermined charged amount. For this reason, when the method described in Patent Document 1 is applied to the high-voltage battery, a large amount of power is wasted.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and avoids leaving the battery at a high SOC for a long time without wasteful discharge of power, thereby suppressing the deterioration of battery performance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle battery control device that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention controls a vehicle battery that can be charged by supplying electric power to a motor that outputs a driving force for running the vehicle and connecting to an external power source via a plug. A connection detection means for detecting that the plug is connected to an external power source, a prediction means for predicting whether or not the vehicle will be stopped for a long time when the vehicle is stopped, and a prediction result by the prediction means Charging control means for controlling the charging of the vehicle battery by an external power source, wherein the charging control means detects the connection of the plug to the external power source, and the prediction means stops the vehicle for a long period of time. When predicted, charging of the vehicle battery by an external power source is prohibited for a predetermined period.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, when the prediction unit predicts a long-term stop of the vehicle, the charge control unit prohibits charging of the vehicle battery for a predetermined period and starts charging after the predetermined period. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the vehicle battery from being left at a high SOC during a long-term stoppage. Thereby, the deterioration progress degree of the battery performance of the vehicle battery can be significantly reduced.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the storage control unit further includes a storage amount detection unit that detects a storage amount of the vehicle battery, and an external storage unit that can store the electric power discharged from the vehicle battery. When the connection detection unit detects the connection of the plug to the external power source and the prediction unit predicts that the vehicle will be stopped for a long period of time, the storage amount of the vehicle battery detected by the storage amount detection unit is equal to or greater than the first storage amount. In this case, the vehicle battery is discharged to a second power storage amount that is equal to or less than the first power storage amount, the discharged power is stored in the external power storage means, and the vehicle uses the power stored in the external power storage means after a predetermined period of time. Charge the battery.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, when the vehicle battery has a high SOC equal to or higher than the first charged amount when the plug and the external power source are connected, the charged amount is reduced to the second charged amount. By lowering, it is possible to prevent the vehicle battery from being left for a long time at a high SOC. In addition, it is possible to waste power consumption by temporarily storing the discharge power when reducing the amount of power stored in the vehicle battery in the external power storage unit and returning the power from the external power storage unit to the vehicle battery after a predetermined period. Can be prevented.

In the present invention, it is preferable that learning means for learning the time when the vehicle is started and calculating the expected start time of the vehicle is provided, and the charging control means is within the expected start time of the vehicle calculated by the learning means. The predetermined period is set so that the charging of the vehicle battery is completed.
According to the present invention configured as described above, the predetermined period is set so that the charging of the vehicle battery is completed in accordance with the expected start time of the vehicle learned by the learning means. In addition, the deterioration of the vehicle battery can be delayed by shortening the period during which the SOC is high.

  Preferably, in the present invention, the predicting unit is configured to determine whether the vehicle is based on the difference between the time when the connection detecting unit detects the connection of the plug to the external power supply and the predicted start time of the vehicle learned by the learning unit. Predict long-term stops. According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to reliably determine whether the vehicle has stopped for a long period of time according to the difference between the plug connection time and the learning start time.

  According to the vehicle battery control apparatus of the present invention, the vehicle performance can be prevented from being left for a long time at a high SOC without wasteful discharge of electric power, and the deterioration of battery performance can be suppressed. A battery control device can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a vehicle battery control apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle including a vehicle battery control device, FIG. 2 is an electric block diagram of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a graph showing a change in SOC of the vehicle battery before and after stopping the vehicle before setting the learning start time. 4 is a flowchart of the start time learning process, FIG. 5 is a graph showing the change in the SOC of the vehicle battery before and after the vehicle stops after the learning start time is set, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the charge start time setting process, and FIG. It is a flowchart of a start process.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the vehicle battery control device of the present invention is applied to a series hybrid type hybrid vehicle will be described. The vehicle battery control apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the series hybrid system, but can be applied to other systems such as a parallel hybrid system and a series / parallel hybrid system.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle 1 includes an engine 2, a generator 3 coupled to a crankshaft of the engine 2, a motor 4 connected to the generator 3, and a power transmission mechanism on an output shaft of the motor 4. The inverter 5 connected to the generator 3 and the motor 4, the high voltage battery 7 (hereinafter referred to as “battery 7”) connected to the inverter converter 6, A connected battery charger 9 and a controller 8 for controlling them are provided.

The engine 2 is actuated by a control signal from the controller 8 and drives the generator 3 via the crankshaft. As a result, the generator 3 generates AC power and supplies the AC power to the motor 4 and the inverter / converter 6.
The inverter / converter 6 converts the AC power from the generator 3 into DC power and supplies the DC power to the battery 7. Thereby, the battery 7 can be charged. Further, the inverter / converter 6 can convert the DC power of the battery 7 into AC power and supply it to the motor 4.

The motor 4 is driven by AC power from the generator 3 and the inverter / converter 6, and outputs driving force for traveling the vehicle to the wheels 5 through a power transmission mechanism.
Further, the vehicle 1 drives the motor 4 with the power from the wheels 5 during braking, thereby generating the braking force of the vehicle 1, and the regenerative power generated by driving the motor 4 through the inverter / converter 6. The battery 7 can be charged.

  With such a configuration, in the vehicle 1, the power of the battery 7 is supplied to the motor 4 via the inverter / converter 6 when the vehicle is started and the torque is low, thereby driving the motor 4. Further, when the torque is medium, the generator 3 is driven by starting the engine 2, and the electric power generated by the generator 3 is supplied to the motor 4 to drive the motor 4. Further, at the time of high torque, both the power generated by the generator 3 by the operation of the engine 2 and the power of the battery 7 are supplied to the motor 4 to drive the motor 4. As described above, the vehicle 1 is driven by the electric power supplied from the engine 2 and the battery 7 and is driven by the driving force of the motor 4.

  The battery charger 9 can be connected to the external power source 20 and the external battery 21 via the plug 10 when the vehicle is stopped. The plug 10 has a configuration in which a vehicle-side plug 10a and an external plug 10b are detachable. The vehicle-side plug 10a is connected to the battery charger 9 via a wire, and the external plug 10b is connected to an external power source 20 via the wire. And an external battery 21. The external power source 20 is an external power source facility such as a commercial power source, and the external battery 21 is a chargeable / dischargeable battery. The external battery 21 corresponds to the external power storage means of the present invention.

The battery charger 9 converts the power of the external power source 20 into DC power based on a charge command signal from a battery controller 81 described later, and charges the battery 7 with this DC power. Further, the battery charger 9 charges the battery 7 with the DC power of the external battery 21 based on the charging command signal from the battery controller 81. The battery charger 9 prioritizes the external battery 21 over the external power supply 20 according to the storage state of the external battery 21 and performs the charging process for the battery 7.
Further, the battery charger 9 can discharge the battery 7 on the basis of the discharge command signal from the battery controller 81 and can charge the external battery 21 with this discharge power.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 8 has a battery controller 81 and an HEV controller 82. The function of the battery controller 81 may be incorporated in the HEV controller 82 and the controller 8 may be integrated only in the HEV controller 82. Further, the sharing of the functions of the battery controller 81 and the HEV controller 82 described below may be changed in the controller 8. The controller 8 includes a sensor and a battery charger 9 which will be described later, and constitutes a vehicle battery control device of the present invention.

As described above, the battery controller 81 outputs a charge command signal and a discharge command signal to the battery charger 9, thereby performing charge / discharge control of the battery 7. The battery controller 81 and the battery charger 9 correspond to the charge control means of the present invention.
Further, the battery controller 81 performs a long-term stop prediction process. That is, when the external power source 20 is connected to the battery charger 9 via the plug 10 when the vehicle 1 is stopped, the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the stop is a long-term stop. The battery controller 81 corresponds to the prediction means of the present invention.

  Further, the battery controller 81 performs a charging start time setting process. That is, when the battery controller 81 determines that the vehicle has stopped for a long time in the prediction process, the battery controller 81 does not immediately perform the charging process of the battery 7 but sets the charging prohibition period based on the learning start time received from the HEV controller 82. The charging process is started after the charging prohibition period has elapsed.

The HEV controller 82 controls the engine 2, the generator 3, the motor 4, the inverter / converter 6 and the like so as to output the requested driving force from the motor 4 to the wheels 5.
The HEV controller 82 receives an SOC signal representing the current SOC of the battery 7 from the battery controller 81, and is defined by an upper limit value C1 (for example, 90%) and a lower limit value C2 (for example, 20%) of the SOC based on the SOC signal. The charge / discharge control of the battery 7 is performed so that the battery 7 is used within the SOC usage range. In addition, SOC represents the amount of electricity charged with respect to the electric capacity of the battery as a ratio.

  Specifically, when the current SOC of the battery 7 is larger than the upper limit value of the use range, the HEV controller 82 reduces the output power of the engine 2 to suppress the power generation amount of the generator 3 and the shortage when the request is a medium torque or higher. Minutes are supplied from the battery 7 and control is performed so as to lower the SOC of the battery 7. Further, when the current SOC of the battery 7 is smaller than the lower limit value of the use range, the HEV controller 82 drives the engine 2 so as to obtain a power generation amount more than that required for driving the motor 4 to generate the generator 3. Is controlled so that the surplus is supplied to the battery 7 and charged.

  The HEV controller 82 performs a start time learning process. That is, the HEV controller 82 calculates and updates the learning start time that is the expected start time of the vehicle 1 by learning the initial start time of the engine 2 after charging the battery 7 by the external power source 20. The learning start time is output to the battery controller 81. The HEV controller 82 corresponds to learning means of the present invention.

The battery controller 81 is connected to a battery voltage sensor 81a, a battery current sensor 81b, a connection detection sensor 81c, an engine water temperature sensor 81d, and the like.
The battery voltage sensor 81a and the battery current sensor 81b detect the voltage and current of the battery 7 and output them to the battery controller 81, respectively. The battery controller 81 calculates the SOC of the battery 7 based on these voltage, current detection value, etc., and outputs this to the HEV controller 82. Specifically, the battery controller 81 integrates the current detection values, calculates the SOC variation from the sum of the current input and output, and further stores internal data indicating the correspondence between the voltage detection value and the SOC. The current SOC is calculated by making corrections with consideration. The battery controller 81, the battery voltage sensor 81a, and the battery current sensor 81b correspond to the storage amount detection means of the present invention.

  The connection detection sensor 81c detects the connection of the plugs 10a and 10b, and sends a connection detection signal to the battery controller 81 when the connection is detected. The battery controller 81 detects that the plug 10 is connected based on the connection detection signal. The connection detection sensor 81c is a proximity switch that magnetically detects connection. Further, the connection detection sensor 81c may be one that mechanically detects connection. The connection detection sensor 81c corresponds to the connection detection means of the present invention.

  The engine water temperature sensor 81 d detects the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 2 and sends a temperature detection signal to the battery controller 81. Based on this temperature detection signal, the battery controller 81 calculates the cooling water lowering temperature of the engine 2 after stopping.

Next, the time change of the SOC when the learning start time is not set will be described based on FIG.
FIG. 3 shows the time change of the SOC of the battery 7 before and after the vehicle 1 stops. In the example of FIG. 3, the HEV controller 82 has not output the learning start time to the battery controller 81, and the battery controller 81 has not yet set the learning start time.

  In the example of FIG. 3, the vehicle 1 travels from time t0 to time t1, stops for a long time with the engine off from time t1 to time t4, starts the engine 2 at time t4, and starts traveling. During traveling, the battery 7 is controlled by the HEV controller 82 such that its SOC fluctuates between the upper limit value C1 and the lower limit value C2.

  When the learning start time is not set, as shown in FIG. 3, when the plug 10 is attached to the vehicle 1 at time t2, the battery controller 81 immediately starts charging the battery 7. The battery 7 maintains the SOC at the upper limit C1 for a long period from the completion of charging (time t3) to the start time of the engine 2 (time t4).

Next, the start time learning process will be described with reference to FIG.
In general, when the vehicle 1 is used for commuting or business, the use start time and use end time of the vehicle 1 are substantially fixed, and the battery 7 is charged by attaching the plug 10 to the vehicle 1 at the end of use. For example, the vehicle 1 repeats a steady cycle in which it is used every day from 8 am to 7 pm and then charged. In this embodiment, the expected start time after charging is calculated by learning based on such a use cycle.
In the present embodiment, based on the expected start time calculated by this learning, as will be described later, the battery 7 has a high SOC over a specific long period (for example, from the start of charging at 7:00 to 8:00 the next morning). And the degree of deterioration of the battery performance of the battery 7 is reduced.

The starting time learning process is repeatedly performed every predetermined time. First, the HEV controller 82 determines whether or not the engine 2 is stopped (step S1).
When the engine 2 is not stopped (step S1; No), the process is ended as it is. On the other hand, when the engine 2 is stopped (step S1; Yes), the HEV controller 82 determines whether or not the first engine 2 is started after the battery 7 is charged (step S2).

  When the battery controller 81 outputs a charge command signal to the battery charger 9 and charges the battery 7, the battery controller 81 also outputs a charge command signal to the HEV controller 82 to notify that it is in a charged state. Thus, the HEV controller 82 can determine that the engine 2 is started for the first time after charging when the engine 2 is started for the first time after receiving the charge command signal.

If the first engine 2 after charging is not started (step S2; No), the process is terminated. On the other hand, when the first engine 2 after charging is started (step S2; Yes), the HEV controller 82 acquires the current time from the internal timer as the start time (step S3).
Then, the HEV controller 82 additionally stores the acquired start time as start time learning data in the internal memory in time series, and updates the start time learning data. Further, the HEV controller 82 calculates and updates the learning start time (predicted start time) of the vehicle 1 based on the updated start time learning data including a plurality of start times (step S4), and ends the process. .
Note that the HEV controller 82 calculates the learning start time when the start time is acquired by a predetermined number or more.

In the present embodiment, the HEV controller 82 calculates the learning start time by a simple average of the manual time learning data.
As described above, the HEV controller 82 updates the starting time learning data and the learning starting time based on the actual starting time every time the engine 2 is started for the first time after charging, and therefore corresponds to the use cycle of the user of the vehicle 1. Learning start time can be set.
The method for calculating the learning start time is not limited to the above method, and the learning start time may be calculated by statistically processing the start time learning data. Further, the start time may be input by the user using an input unit (not shown), and the input start time may be stored in the HEV controller 82 as the learning start time.

Next, the time change of the SOC after the learning start time is set will be described with reference to FIG.
In the example of FIG. 5, the vehicle 1 travels from time t10 to time t11, stops for a long time with the engine off from time t11 to time t15, starts the engine 2 at time t15, and starts traveling.

  During the stop, the vehicle 1 is connected to the plug 10 at time t12, and at this time, the current stop is expected to be stopped for a long time. Further, a charging prohibition period Ta is calculated based on this long-term stoppage prediction, and charging of the battery 7 is prohibited until the charging prohibition period Ta elapses. Further, at this time, it is determined whether or not the electric power of the battery 7 is moved to the external battery 21.

  The prescribed discharge value C3 (for example, 40%) shown in FIG. 5 is a threshold value for determining whether or not to move the electric power of the battery 7 to the external battery 21 when the vehicle is stopped for a long time. The battery controller 81 discharges the battery 7 when the SOC of the battery 7 when the vehicle is stopped is equal to or greater than the specified discharge value C3. The specified discharge value C3 and the lower limit value C2 correspond to the first charged amount and the second charged amount of the present invention, respectively.

  In the example of FIG. 5, since it is determined that the SOC of the battery 7 when the vehicle is stopped is a value equal to or greater than the specified discharge value C3, the battery 7 is discharged once. By this determination, the battery controller 81 discharges the battery 7 from the battery 7 through the battery charger 9 from time t12 to time t13, and charges the external battery 21 with the discharged power. As a result, the SOC of the battery 7 decreases from the SOC at the time of stopping to the lower limit value C2.

The battery 7 maintains the SOC at the lower limit C2 from the time t13 after discharge until the charge start time (time t14) (that is, until the charge inhibition period Ta elapses).
In general, it is estimated that the deterioration during storage of the performance deterioration of the vehicle battery is about several times the deterioration due to the charge / discharge cycle. For this reason, as in the present embodiment, by maintaining the SOC of the battery 7 at the lower limit C2 while the vehicle 1 is stopped for a long period of time, the degree of deterioration of battery performance can be significantly suppressed.
Note that the lower limit C2 of the SOC of the battery 7 is set to a value that at least supplies electric power that can start the engine 2, so that the engine 1 is started during the time t12 to the time t13 and the vehicle 1 Can be run.

The battery 7 is charged to the upper limit value C1 of the SOC by the external battery 21 and the external power source 20 during the charging time Tc from time t14 to time t15 (learning start time).
The vehicle 1 is started at time t15 which is a learning start time. Thereafter, the battery 7 is charged and discharged by the HEV controller 82 between the upper limit value C1 and the lower limit value C2 of the SOC.

Next, the charge control process of this embodiment will be described based on FIG.
The charging control process is repeatedly performed every predetermined time. First, the battery controller 81 receives an engine operation signal from the HEV controller 82 and determines whether or not the engine 2 is stopped (step S11).
When the engine 2 is not stopped (step S11; No), the processing is ended as it is. On the other hand, when the engine 2 is stopped (step S11; Yes), the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the plug 10 is connected based on the connection detection signal from the connection detection sensor 81c (step S12). .

When the plug 10 is not connected (step S12; No), the process ends. On the other hand, when the plug 10 is connected (step S12; Yes), the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the processing flag F is “0” (step S13). This processing flag F is a flag that is set to “0” when the charging control processing after step S14 is not performed. Note that a flag such as a processing flag is reset when the engine of the vehicle 1 is started.
If the processing flag F is not “0” (step S13; No), the processing is terminated. On the other hand, when the processing flag F is “0” (step S13; Yes), the battery controller 81 determines whether or not a learning start time is set (step S14).

  When the learning start time is not set (step S14; No), the battery controller 81 sets the charging flag to ON (step S15), changes the processing flag F to “3” (step S22), and performs processing. Exit. This process is performed when the start time learning process has not been performed a specified number of times and the learning start time has not been calculated (see FIG. 3).

  When the charge flag is set to ON in step S15, the battery controller 81 performs a charging process while the charge flag is ON. That is, the battery controller 81 outputs a charge command signal to the battery charger 9, charges the battery 7 to a predetermined amount (for example, the upper limit value C1 of the SOC) by the external power source 20, and holds the amount of charge (FIG. 3). Time t2—see time t4).

On the other hand, when the learning start time is set (step S14; Yes), the battery controller 81 performs a prediction process for determining whether or not the current stop is for a long time (step S16, time of FIG. 5). t12).
In the prediction process, the battery controller 81 reads and stores the current time from the internal timer, determines whether or not the current stop is a long-term stop based on the current time and the learning start time, When judged, the long-term stop flag is turned ON. The “current time” at this time is the time when the connection detection signal is received from the connection detection sensor 81c, that is, the time when the plug 10 is substantially connected.

In the present embodiment, if the time from the current time to the learning start time is longer than the time required to charge the battery 7 from the lower limit value C2 of the SOC to the upper limit value C1, the battery controller 81 indicates that the current stop is long. It is determined that the vehicle has stopped for a period.
In addition, you may comprise so that it may determine that it is stopping for a long period of time when the length from present time to learning start time is longer than predetermined fixed time (for example, 3 hours).

  When it is determined by the prediction process that the current stop is not a long-term stop and the long-term stop flag is not turned on (step S17; No), the battery controller 81 sets the charge flag to on (step S15). Then, the processing flag F is set to “3” (step S22), and the processing is terminated. This process is performed when the time from the stop time of the vehicle 1 to the learning start time is short. In this case, the battery controller 81 immediately outputs a charge command signal to the battery charger 9 and charges the battery 7 to a predetermined amount by the external power source 20.

On the other hand, when the long-term stop flag is ON (step S17; Yes), the battery controller 81 detects based on the voltage detection value and the current detection value from the battery voltage sensor 81a and the battery current sensor 81b, and stores them in the internal memory. The stored SOC of the battery 7 is read (step S18).
Then, the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the read current SOC of the battery 7 is equal to or greater than the specified discharge value C3 (step S19).

When the SOC of the battery 7 is not equal to or greater than the specified discharge value C3 (step S19; No), the process proceeds to step S21.
On the other hand, when the SOC of the battery 7 is equal to or greater than the specified discharge value C3 (step S19; Yes), the battery controller 81 turns on the discharge flag (step S20), and then proceeds to the process of step S21. When the discharge flag is turned ON, the battery controller 81 performs a discharge process. That is, the battery controller 81 outputs a discharge command signal to the battery charger 9, discharges the battery 7 to the lower limit C2 of the SOC, and charges the external battery 21 with the discharged power (see time t12-time t13 in FIG. 5). ). When the discharge is completed or the charge flag is turned ON, the discharge flag is turned OFF.

The battery controller 81 sets the charging start time so that the charging is completed by the learning start time in step S21. The time required for charging the battery 7 can be determined in advance according to the electric capacity to be charged, the charging capability of the battery charger 9 and the like.
When the battery 7 is discharged (step S20), the battery controller 81 determines the time required for charging the battery 7 from the lower limit value C2 to the upper limit value C1 of the SOC from the learning start time (see time t15 in FIG. 5). The time calculated by subtracting the time Tc) (see time t14 in FIG. 5) is set as the charge start time, and the charge inhibition period is extended until the charge start time.
If the battery 7 is not discharged, the battery controller 81 calculates the charging time required to charge the battery 7 to the upper limit value C1 of the SOC based on the SOC of the battery 7, and this charge is calculated from the learning start time. The time calculated by subtracting the time is set as the charging start time.
Note that the charging start time may be offset so that the charging is completed a predetermined period before the learning start time (for example, 30 minutes before).

  After setting the charging start time, the battery controller 81 changes the processing flag F to “3” and ends the processing (step S22). By setting the processing flag F to “3”, the processing from step S13 to step S22 is not performed during the current stop.

Next, based on FIG. 7, the charge start process of this embodiment is demonstrated.
The charging start process is repeatedly performed every predetermined time. First, the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the processing flag F is “3” (step S31).
If the process flag F is not “3” (step S31; No), the process is terminated. On the other hand, when the processing flag F is “3” (step S31; Yes), the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the charging start time is set (step S32).

When the charging start time is not set (step S32; No), the process is terminated. This process is performed when the learning start time is not set, when the vehicle is not stopped for a long time, or when charging is already started.
On the other hand, when the charge start time is set (step S32; Yes), the current time is compared with the charge start time to determine whether or not the charge start time has been reached (step S33).

If the charging start time has not been reached (step S33; No), the process is terminated and the apparatus waits. On the other hand, when the charge start time has been reached (step S33; Yes), the battery controller 81 clears the charge start time (step S35) after turning on the charge flag (step S34), and ends the process. .
When the charge flag is turned ON, the battery controller 81 outputs a charge command signal to the battery charger 9 and charges the battery 7 with the external power source 20 and the external battery 21 until the SOC reaches the upper limit value C1.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when charging the battery 7 using the external power source 20 when the vehicle is stopped, if it is determined that the current stop is a long-term stop, the charging process is prohibited to a predetermined charge. It is configured to be prohibited until the period has elapsed. Thereby, in this embodiment, since it can avoid that the battery 7 is hold | maintained to high SOC during a long-term stop, it is possible to reduce the deterioration progress degree of the battery performance of the battery 7. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the power of the battery 7 is moved to the external battery 21 when it is predicted that the vehicle will stop for a long time. Thereby, since the battery 7 can be held at a low SOC during a long-term stop, the degree of deterioration of battery performance can be further reduced.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the start time after charge is learned according to the use state of the user's vehicle 1, and the charge prohibition period during a long-term stop is determined based on the learned start time obtained by learning. It is configured to be able to. Thereby, since the charging prohibition period can be ensured as long as possible, the degree of deterioration of the battery performance of the battery 7 can be further reduced.

Next, based on FIG. 8 thru | or FIG. 12, 2nd Embodiment of this invention is described.
8 is a graph showing the change in the SOC of the vehicle battery before and after the vehicle stops, FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts of the charging start time setting process, FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the second prediction process, and FIG. 12 is a second modified example. It is a flowchart of a prediction process.
In the present embodiment, in the long-term stop prediction process, the same long-term stop prediction process (first prediction process) as in the first embodiment based on the comparison between the learning start time and the current time, and the predetermined engine cooling water A long-term stop prediction process (second prediction process) based on a temperature drop or long-term non-use of the battery 7 is performed. Other processing steps are the same as those in the first embodiment, and in the following, redundant description will be omitted, and only different processing will be mainly described.

In the example of FIG. 8, the vehicle 1 travels from time t20 to time t21, stops for a long time with the engine off from time t21 to time t26, starts the engine 2 at time t26, and starts traveling.
While the vehicle is stopped, the plug 10 is connected to the vehicle 1 at time t22. At this time t23, the current stop is expected to be stopped for a long time, and the battery 7 is discharged from time t22 to time t23. Further, based on the prediction of the long-term stoppage, the charge prohibition period Ta is calculated including the period from the plug installation (time t22) to the long-term stoppage prediction time (time t23), and the charge prohibition period Ta has elapsed. Until the battery 7 is charged, charging of the battery 7 is prohibited.

The processing shown in FIGS. 9 to 12 is repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals. First, in the charging start time setting process shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, steps S41 to S43 are the same as steps S11 to S13 of the first embodiment.
In step S44, the battery controller 81 performs a first prediction process. This first prediction process is the same as step S16 in the first embodiment.

  If the long-term stop flag is not ON in step S45 (step S45; No), the battery controller 81 turns on the charge flag in the same manner as in step S15 of the first embodiment (step S46), and then sets the processing flag F. The value is changed to “4” (step S47), and the process is terminated. Since the processing flag F is set to “4”, steps S43 to S49 are not performed thereafter.

  On the other hand, if the long-term stop flag is ON (step S45; Yes), the battery controller 81 changes the processing flag F to “1” (step S48), and ends the process. When the process flag F is “1”, the battery controller 81 performs the second prediction process shown in FIG.

  In the second prediction process, first, the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the process flag F is “1” (step S60). If the process flag F is not “1” (step S60; No), the process is terminated. On the other hand, when the processing flag F is “1” (step S60; Yes), the battery controller 81 counts up the internal timer (step S61). Then, the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the internal timer has been incremented until a specified time (for example, 1 hour) (step S62).

  When the internal timer has reached the specified time (step S62; Yes), the battery controller 81 resets the internal timer (step S63), turns on the charge flag (step S64), and sets the processing flag F to “4”. After the change (step S65), the process is terminated. This process is performed when the condition for stopping for a long time is not satisfied even after the specified time has elapsed since the plug 10 is connected. In this case, the charging process is started after the specified time has elapsed.

  On the other hand, if the internal timer has not reached the specified time (step S62; No), the battery controller 81 determines the engine coolant from the time when the plug 10 is connected to the present time based on the temperature detection signal from the engine water temperature sensor 81d. A decrease temperature ΔT is calculated (step S66).

  Next, the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the decrease temperature ΔT is equal to or higher than a specified value (step S67). If the decrease temperature ΔT is not equal to or higher than the specified value (step S67; No), the process is terminated. In this case, the temperature of the engine 2 is not sufficiently lowered, and it cannot be determined yet whether or not the vehicle will be stopped for a long period of time. Therefore, the processing of steps S60 to S67 is repeated until the specified time has elapsed.

  On the other hand, if the decrease temperature ΔT is equal to or higher than the specified value (step S67; Yes), the processing flag F is changed to “2” (step S68), and the processing is terminated. In this case, since the engine temperature has decreased by a specified value within a specified time, the battery controller 81 determines that the vehicle has stopped for a long time. When the processing flag F is changed to “2”, the battery controller 81 performs a charging start time setting process shown in FIG.

  In the charging start time setting process shown in FIG. 10, the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the process flag F is “2” (step S50). If the processing flag F is not “2” (step S50; No), the processing is terminated. On the other hand, when the process flag F is “2” (step S50; Yes), a substantial charge start time setting process in steps S51 to S54 is performed. Steps S51 to S54 are the same as steps S18 to S22 of the first embodiment. When the processing flag F is changed to “3” in step S55, the battery controller 81 performs the charging start process of FIG.

Moreover, based on FIG. 12, the 2nd prediction process which concerns on a modification is demonstrated.
In the second prediction process according to the modification, first, the battery controller 81 determines whether or not the process flag F is “1” (step S70). If the processing flag F is not “1” (step S70; No), the processing is terminated. On the other hand, when the processing flag F is “1” (step S70; Yes), the battery controller 81 acquires a current detection value by the battery current sensor 81b (step S71). Then, the battery controller 81 determines whether the battery current is flowing or not (step S72).

  When the battery current is flowing (step S72; No), the battery controller 81 resets the internal timer (step S73), turns on the charge flag (step S74), and changes the processing flag F to “4”. (Step S75), the process ends. This process is performed when the battery 7 is used and the battery current flows before the specified time (for example, 30 minutes) elapses after the plug 10 is connected. In this case, when the battery current is detected. The charging process is started.

  On the other hand, when the battery current is not flowing (step S72; Yes), the battery controller 81 counts up the internal timer (step S76), and determines whether the specified time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped (step S77). If the specified time has not elapsed (step S77; No), the process ends. In this case, the specified time has not yet elapsed in a state where the battery current does not flow, and it cannot be determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped for a long period of time. Therefore, the processes of steps S70 to S77 are repeated until the specified time elapses. .

  On the other hand, when the specified time has elapsed with no battery current flowing (step S77; Yes), the processing flag F is changed to “2” (step S78), and the processing is terminated. In this case, since the specified time has elapsed with no battery current flowing, the battery controller 81 determines that the vehicle has stopped for a long time. When the processing flag F is changed to “2”, the battery controller 81 performs a charging start time setting process shown in FIG.

The above embodiment may be modified as follows.
In the above embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 has been stopped for a long period of time, charging is performed after the elapse of a predetermined charging prohibition period. The charging may be started immediately. For example, an operation switch for immediately starting charging may be provided in the plug 10 or in the vehicle. In this case, the battery controller 81 can be configured to immediately start the charging process regardless of whether or not the operation is stopped for a long time by receiving the operation signal from the operation switch.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it is the structure by which the battery charger 9 was mounted in the inside of a vehicle, not only this but the structure by which the battery charger 9 is arrange | positioned outside a vehicle may be sufficient. In this case, for example, the battery charger 9 and the battery 7 can be connected via a plug, and a connection detection sensor for detecting the connection status of the plug can be provided. With this configuration, the vehicle 1 can be reduced in weight.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the charge prohibition period was calculated based on the learning start time and the time at the time of a stop, it is not restricted to this, You may set a charge prohibition period to fixed length. Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which can select a charge prohibition period automatically or manually from several fixed length.

  In the above embodiment, the engine stop is treated as a stop of the vehicle 1, but this is not limiting, and when the speed is “0”, the parking brake is activated when the shift lever is in the parking position. Time may be treated as the stop of the vehicle 1.

  In the second embodiment, in the long-term stop prediction process, the first prediction process based on the comparison between the learning start time and the current time, the predetermined temperature drop of the engine coolant, or the long-term non-use of the battery 7 However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only the second prediction process may be performed. In this case, in the charge start time setting process, the charge prohibition period can be set as a specified value, and the charge start time can be set after the specified charge prohibition period has elapsed. Further, in the charging start time setting process, the start time set by the user can be used.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle including a vehicle battery control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an electrical block diagram of FIG. It is a graph which shows the change of SOC of the vehicle battery before and behind the vehicle stop before the learning start time setting by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the starting time learning process by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the change of SOC of the vehicle battery over the vehicle stop before and after the learning start time setting by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the charge start time setting process by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the charge start process by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the change of SOC of the battery for vehicles over the vehicle stop by before 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the charge start time setting process by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the charge start time setting process by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the 2nd prediction process by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the 2nd prediction process which concerns on the modification by 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Engine 3 Generator 4 Motor 5 Wheel 6 Inverter / converter 7 High voltage battery 8 Controller 9 Battery charger 10 Plug 20 External power supply 21 External battery 55 Step 81 Battery controller 81a Battery voltage sensor 81b Battery current sensor 81c Connection detection sensor 81d Engine Water temperature sensor 82 HEV controller

Claims (4)

A control device for a vehicle battery that can be charged by supplying electric power to a motor that outputs driving force for vehicle travel and being connected to an external power source via a plug,
Connection detecting means for detecting that the plug is connected to an external power source;
A predicting means for predicting whether or not the vehicle is stopped for a long time when the vehicle is stopped;
Charging control means for controlling charging of the vehicle battery by an external power source based on a prediction result by the prediction means,
The charging control means detects the connection of the plug to the external power source and the prediction means predicts that the vehicle will be stopped for a long period of time. A vehicle battery control device that is prohibited. And a storage amount detecting means for detecting a storage amount of the vehicle battery;
An external power storage means capable of storing power discharged from the vehicle battery,
The charge control means is for the vehicle detected by the storage amount detection means when the connection detection means detects the connection of the plug to an external power source and the prediction means predicts a long-term stoppage of the vehicle. When the storage amount of the battery is greater than or equal to the first storage amount, the vehicle battery is discharged to a second storage amount that is less than or equal to the first storage amount, and the discharged power is stored in the external storage unit, The vehicle battery control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle battery is charged with the electric power stored by the external power storage unit after the period has elapsed. Further, the learning means for learning the time when the vehicle is started and calculating the expected start time of the vehicle,
The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein the charging control unit sets the predetermined period so that charging of the vehicle battery is completed within an expected start time of the vehicle calculated by the learning unit. Battery control device.   The predicting means may stop the vehicle for a long period of time based on the difference between the time when the connection detecting means detects the connection of the plug to the external power supply and the predicted start time of the vehicle learned by the learning means. The vehicle battery control device according to claim 3, wherein prediction is performed.

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