JP2010252420A - Method of informing the charge state of battery, and electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the occurrence of nonconformity due to the short charge state of a battery in an electric vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The electric vehicle certifies a key at the start of operation and makes a starting sound when determined that it is regular. A battery charge state checker checks the charge state of the battery and sends its value to a starting sound changer. The starting sound changer changes the starting sound according to the quantity of charge of the battery. Hereby, a driver becomes aware of the nonconformity of the quantity of charge of the battery by the starting sound made before the start of operation, and prevents the occurrence of nonconformity due to insufficient charge of the battery. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a notification method for notifying a driver of a charge amount of a battery when starting driving, and an electric vehicle provided with a battery charge amount notification function.

  Some types of electric vehicles include a traveling motor and a traveling battery that drives the traveling motor, and the traveling battery is charged from an external power source to the traveling battery. In such an electric vehicle, for example, a vehicle and a charging device are connected with a charging cord at night, and a battery is charged by the next morning.

  When the internal combustion engine is activated, the vehicle having the internal combustion engine normally makes an operation sound of the internal combustion engine, and the driver can confirm that the vehicle can be driven from the operation sound. However, the electric vehicle does not generate an operation corresponding to the idling state of the internal combustion engine. For this reason, even if the key is authenticated as being legitimate by turning the key or the like, no operating sound is generated, and therefore it is not possible to confirm whether or not the vehicle can travel when starting driving.

  Therefore, in some electric vehicles, after authenticating the key, for example, a startup sound is emitted from a speaker to inform the driver that the vehicle can run. Specifically, for example, when the key is inserted into the key slot and turned, or when the authentication transmitter is brought close to the receiver and the start button is pressed, it is verified whether or not the key or the like is authorized. The control device confirms whether each functional part of the vehicle functions normally. Then, when it is confirmed that the keys and the like are correct and each functional part is functioning normally, for example, a startup sound such as a beep is issued to inform the driver that the vehicle is ready to travel. We are reporting.

  Further, a remaining amount notification device that notifies the amount of charge of a battery by voice is known.

Japanese Patent No. 3759588

  For example, even if you intend to connect the vehicle and charging device with a charging cord at night and charge the battery, forgetting to turn on the main power of the charging device, the charging cord is disconnected, or the charging cord is It is possible that the connection is not normal. Then, even if the charging time has elapsed, the battery remains uncharged.

  Then, when the vehicle is to be driven the next morning, the vehicle authenticates the key held by the driver as a proper one, and generates a start-up sound if each function of the vehicle is normal. In addition, since the driver connects the vehicle and the charging device with the charging cord as usual, the driver assumes that the battery is sufficiently charged, and should continue to drive without paying particular attention to the vehicle charge meter. And However, since the amount of charge of the battery is actually insufficient, there is a possibility that a message indicating that charging is necessary is given just by traveling a short distance from the start of traveling or there is a shortage of power during traveling.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a battery charge amount notification method capable of reliably recognizing the amount of charge of a battery before traveling.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is configured to perform notification corresponding to the amount of charge of a battery when a conventionally used startup sound is generated. The notification is performed using, for example, the startup sound itself. That is, the startup sound is changed according to the amount of charge of the battery. As the change of the startup sound, it is preferable to change the frequency in terms of easily recognizing the amount of charge, but not limited to the frequency, the volume, melody, sound quality, pitch, etc. may be changed.

  In addition, the display content such as a display is changed according to the amount of charge together with the start sound or instead of the start sound. For example, the backlight color of the entire display is changed or blinked according to the amount of charge of the battery. Also, the battery charge amount is notified by voice.

  Furthermore, vibration generating means is attached to the seat, steering handle, etc., and the vibration generated by the vibration generating means is changed according to the amount of charge of the battery.

  In the present invention, when the start-up sound is generated, the battery charge amount is notified, so that the charge amount is surely noticed before the vehicle travels. For example, if the start-up sound changes according to the amount of charge of the battery, the driver may have a low start-up sound due to an unusual start-up sound, or it may be different from usual. I notice that there is. As a result, it is possible to recognize the inconvenience of the battery, and to prevent an unexpected situation such as noticing that the battery is insufficiently charged after the start of traveling or insufficient power during traveling.

  In addition, the color of the display that displays the speedometer changes, so even if you can't hear the startup sound due to noise, or if you are distracted by other sounds, the battery will The driver can recognize the occurrence of problems such as insufficient charging. Further, the seat and the steering wheel are vibrated by the vibration generating means, so that the driver can recognize the inconvenience of the battery while sitting on the driver's seat.

It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the vehicle provided with the alerting | reporting method concerning this invention. It is a graph which shows the charge amount of a battery, and the relationship of a frequency. It is a graph which shows the charge amount of a battery, and the relationship of a brightness. It is a graph which shows the charge amount of a battery, and the relationship of a frequency.

  An embodiment of a battery charge amount notification method according to the present invention will be described by taking a vehicle equipped with a notification method as an example.

  FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle equipped with a traveling electric motor 12, a traveling battery 14, a control device 16, a charge control unit 18, a drive control unit 20, and the like. In the vehicle 10, the drive control unit 20 is actuated by an instruction from the control device 16 to drive the electric motor 12. Then, the driving force of the electric motor 12 is transmitted to the wheels 13 and the vehicle 10 travels.

  A charging cord 22 is provided at the rear portion of the vehicle 10. The charging cord 22 is a charging cord for normal charging having a plug 26 at one end. For example, the plug 26 is connected to a household power source when the battery 14 is charged. Charging using the charging cord 22 is charging performed, for example, for about 8 to 10 hours. Therefore, in charging using the charging cord 22, the night charging cord 22 is connected to a household power source, and the battery 14 is The charging method is such that charging is completed.

  In the above charging method, the charging control unit 18 sets the external power to a predetermined voltage and current, and appropriately controls the amount of current based on the remaining amount of charge of the battery 14 detected by the charge amount detector 28 so as to control the battery 14. Charge the battery.

  The vehicle 10 is provided with a key insertion port 32 into which a key (not shown) is inserted in front of the driver's seat 30, for example, on the side of the steering wheel 31. A key authentication unit 34 is connected to the key insertion port 32, performs key authentication, and sends the result to the control device 16. Note that an authentication system using a wireless communication method may be used instead of a key. A gear shift lever (not shown) is provided on the side of the driver seat 30. An accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and the like (both not shown) are provided below the driver seat 30.

  On the front surface of the driver's seat 30, a speedometer 40 that indicates the vehicle speed, a remaining amount meter 42 that indicates the amount of charge of the battery 14, a READY lamp 44 that notifies that the vehicle can travel, and a gear position lamp (not shown) that displays the drive position. Etc. are provided.

  The control device 16 sends a confirmation signal to each part of the vehicle 10 while the key is inserted into the key insertion slot 32 and key authentication such as turning the key is performed. And the control apparatus 16 receives the return signal of the confirmation signal returned from each part, and confirms whether each part operate | moves normally.

  The control device 16 is connected to a speaker 50 as a startup sound generating means via a startup sound changing means 52. The speaker 50 generates a start-up sound when the key is authenticated and it can be confirmed that each functional part of the vehicle 10 operates normally. Further, the control device 16 sends the charge amount of the battery 14 from the charge amount detector 28 to the startup sound changing means 52.

  The startup sound changing means 52 sets the frequency of the startup sound generated from the speaker 50 according to the amount of charge of the battery 14 sent from the charge level detector 28. As shown in FIG. 2, the startup sound is set to have a high frequency when the charge amount of the battery 14 is large, and to a low frequency when the charge amount of the battery 14 is small. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents the charging ratio of the battery 14, and the vertical axis represents the frequency value generated from the speaker 50. The frequency is higher toward the upper part of the axis.

  The graph is divided into three stages, with the charge ratio between 0% and 100%. It should be noted that the number of stages may be divided into non-stages, or may be set so that the frequency of the startup sound is changed only when the amount of charge is extremely low.

Next, a method for notifying the driver of the amount of charge of the battery 14 by the startup sound will be described with a specific example.
In the morning, the plug 26 is first removed from the charging connection port of the household power supply, and for example, the charging cord 22 is stored in the storage portion, and the charging operation is completed. The driver gets into the vehicle 10 and inserts the key into the key insertion slot 32 and turns it. Then, the key authentication unit 34 authenticates the key and sends it to the control device 16, and the control device 16 checks the operation of each functional part of the entire vehicle. The control device 16 sends a start-up sound generation signal to the start-up sound changing means 52 when the inspection of each part is completed and it is determined that traveling is possible.

  Further, the control device 16 confirms the charge amount of the battery 14 detected by the charge amount detector 28, that is, the remaining charge amount, and sends the result to the startup sound changing means 52 in accordance with the above signal. The start-up sound changing means 52 selects the start-up sound to be generated from the graph shown in FIG. 2 based on the charge amount (remaining amount) of the battery 14 detected by the charge amount detector 28, and generates the selected start-up sound from the speaker 50. Let

  The driver confirms that the vehicle 10 can travel by listening to the startup sound output from the speaker 50. If the battery 14 is insufficiently charged and the amount of charge is small, the speaker 50 emits a startup sound having a frequency different from that of the normal startup sound. As a result, the driver notices that the amount of charge is less than usual before traveling. Even if the driver hears the start-up sound and does not directly notice that the remaining charge of the battery 14 is insufficient, since the start-up sound is different from usual, it is noticed that something has occurred in the vehicle 10 and charging is performed. It is possible to prevent occurrence of problems due to shortage.

  Next, another example of charging amount notification will be described.

  In this case, a display changing device 48 for changing the display contents is connected to a display device 46 of the display displaying the speedometer 40 and the like. A signal line is connected to the display changing unit 48 from the control device 16, and a signal indicating the remaining charge of the battery 14 is sent via the signal line. The display changing unit 48 determines the brightness according to the amount of charge of the battery 14 sent from the control device 16 based on the graph shown in FIG. Then, the brightness is sent to the display device 46. The display device 46 performs display with the brightness set by the display changing means 48 when the start-up sound is generated. This also allows the driver to notice a problem with the amount of charge of the battery 14 from the change in brightness of the display before the start of traveling.

  Note that the display contents include changing the color of the entire display (for example, the color of the backlight) from a normal color to another color, or changing the color of the READY lamp 44 that is a display unit indicating completion of activation confirmation. The brightness of the display device 46 is not limited as long as the change is made to the part that is always seen at the start-up, such as blinking the illumination of the entire display or changing the color of the entire display with time.

  Furthermore, the vibration generating mechanism 54 may be incorporated in the seat of the driver's seat 30, and the vibration frequency generated by the vibration generating mechanism 54 may be changed via the vibration changing means 56 according to the charge amount of the battery 14. Based on the graph shown in FIG. 4, the vibration changing unit 56 determines the frequency of the vibration generating mechanism 54 according to the amount of charge of the battery 14 sent from the control device 16. Then, the frequency is sent to the vibration generating mechanism 54. The vibration generating mechanism 54 vibrates the vibration generating mechanism 54 at the frequency set by the vibration changing means 56 when the start-up sound is generated. As a result, the driver can change the frequency generated in the driver's seat 30 before the start of traveling, that is, the low frequency is normally changed to the high frequency. You can notice.

  In addition, as the content of the vibration to be applied, the presence / absence of vibration, strength (amplitude), duration, intermittent state, and the like may be changed according to the amount of charge of the battery 14. Even at this time, when the vehicle 10 starts to travel, the driver notices the inconvenience regarding the amount of charge (remaining amount) of the battery, which is different from normal, depending on the presence or type of vibration transmitted from the driver's seat 30. Can be made.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, not only the numerical value of the charge amount but also the daily usage state, for example, the travel distance traveled in one day, the amount of charge may be judged and notified. That is, even when the charging amount is slightly small, if it is determined that there is a sufficient charging amount in consideration of the normal average travel distance, the amount of electricity used per distance, etc., the normal notification is performed. Etc. Conversely, when the average travel distance of a day is long or when the amount of electricity used per distance is large, a shortage of charging will cause an unexpected situation, so that it will be notified that charging is insufficient.

  It can be used for notification of the amount of battery charge in an electric vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle 12 ... Electric motor 14 ... Battery 16 ... Control device 18 ... Charge control unit 22 ... Charging cord 28 ... Charge amount detector 30 ... Driver's seat 32 ... Key insertion port 34 ... Key authentication unit 48 ... Display change means 50 ... Speaker 52 ... Start-up sound changing means 54 ... Vibration generating mechanism

Claims (7)

A battery for storing electric power for traveling;
An electric motor for driving that is driven by power from the battery and drives the drive wheels;
A charge control unit connected to an external power source and charging the battery with the external power source;
In an electric vehicle comprising a start-up sound generating means for generating a start-up sound and notifying that the vehicle can run after authenticating the key,
A method for notifying a battery charge amount of an electric vehicle, wherein a notification regarding the amount of charge of the battery is performed when the startup sound is generated.   2. The battery charge amount notification method for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification regarding the amount of charge of the battery is performed by changing the startup sound according to the amount of charge of the battery.   The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification regarding the amount of charge of the battery is performed by changing a display content of a display provided in front of the driver's seat according to the amount of charge of the battery. Battery charge amount notification method. A battery for storing electric power for traveling;
An electric motor for driving that is driven by power from the battery and drives the drive wheels;
A charge control unit connected to an external power source and charging the battery with the external power source;
After authenticating the key, it is an electric vehicle comprising a startup sound generating means for generating a startup sound and notifying that the vehicle can travel,
An electric vehicle comprising battery charge amount notifying means for notifying information related to the amount of charge of the battery when the start sound generating means generates a start sound.   5. The electricity according to claim 4, wherein the battery charge amount notification means is a start sound generation means configured to change and generate the start sound according to the amount of charge of the battery. Car.   5. The battery charge amount notifying means comprises a display provided in front of a driver's seat and a display display changing means for changing the display content of the display in accordance with the amount of charge of the battery. The electric vehicle described in 1.   The battery charge amount notification means includes vibration generation means provided in a driver's seat and vibration change means for changing the vibration generated by the vibration generation means according to the amount of charge of the battery. The electric vehicle according to claim 4.

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