JP2013013248A - Charging controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve charging efficiency.SOLUTION: A charging controller is applied to a charging system for boosting incoming power Win supplied from a power source in a charger 12 and inputting it to a battery 11, and includes a cooler 15 (charger loss reduction means) for reducing heat loss (charger loss Wcl) generated in the charger 12 by blowing air to the charger 12 and lowering a charger temperature T, and an ECU 13 (loss reduction amount control means) for controlling a reduction amount of the charger loss Wcl by the cooler 15 corresponding to the charging efficiency which is a ratio of battery power storage energy Wb to the total amount of the incoming power Win until the end of charging. Thus, a failure that cooling consumption energy Wcc increases as a result of excessively accelerating reduction of the charger loss Wcl by cooling causing deterioration of the charging efficiency on the contrary is avoided, and the charging efficiency is effectively improved.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging control apparatus applied to a charging system in which received power supplied from a power source is boosted by a charger and input to a battery.

  For example, in an electric vehicle that runs on a battery while being charged by an external power source such as 100V or 200V, it is common to boost received power supplied from the external power source with a charger and input it to the battery. And the booster circuit, the rectifier circuit, etc. which comprise such a charger generate | occur | produce heat at the time of charge operation. For this reason, in the charging control device described in Patent Document 1 and the like, the received power is limited as the temperature of the charger increases, and the charger is protected from thermal damage.

  However, in recent years, there has been a demand for charge control devices to further improve such protection functions and improve charging efficiency. That is, it is required to increase the ratio (charging efficiency) of the battery stored energy with respect to the total amount of received power until the end of charging.

JP 2004-208349 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a charging control device that improves charging efficiency.

  Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the operation and effects thereof will be described.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging system that is applied to a charging system that boosts received power supplied from a power source by a charger and inputs the boosted power to a battery, and a charger loss reducing unit that reduces heat loss generated in the charger; Loss reduction amount control means for controlling a reduction amount of the heat loss by the charger loss reduction means according to charging efficiency which is a ratio of battery stored energy to the total amount of received power until the end. And

  When the present inventors examined improving the charging efficiency by reducing the heat loss generated in the charger, the charging efficiency is improved only by reducing the heat loss (charger loss) generated in the charger. However, it has been found that there is an optimum range for the reduction amount of the charger loss, and that charging efficiency may deteriorate if the reduction of the charger loss is advanced beyond this optimum range.

  For example, when the charger loss reducing means is a cooling means for reducing the heat loss in the charger by cooling the charger, the charger loss can be reduced by driving the cooling means, but the degree of cooling is increased. The power consumption required for driving the cooling means increases. Therefore, the charging efficiency cannot be improved as the degree of cooling is increased.

  Further, for example, when the charger loss reduction means is a means for reducing the heat loss in the charger by lowering the received power, although the charger loss can be reduced by such a reduction in the received power, the received power The longer the charging time, the longer the charging time. For this reason, the amount of power consumed for operating the charging system increases. Therefore, the charging efficiency cannot be improved as the received power is reduced.

  Based on the study by the present inventors based on the above, in the above invention, the amount of heat loss in the charger is controlled based on the ratio (charge efficiency) of the battery stored energy to the total amount of received power until the end of charging. It is possible to effectively improve the charging efficiency by controlling the reduction amount of the charger loss to be within the optimum range.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the charger loss reduction means has a cooling means for reducing the heat loss by cooling the charger, and the loss reduction amount control means is the heat loss due to the cooling. It has a cooling control means for controlling the degree of cooling by the cooling means so that the amount of reduction becomes greater than the energy consumed by driving the cooling means.

  According to the above invention, the degree of cooling by the cooling means is controlled so that the amount of reduction in the heat loss of the charger due to the cooling of the cooling means is greater than the energy consumed by driving the cooling means. Therefore, as a result of excessively promoting the reduction of the heat loss of the charger due to cooling, it is possible to effectively avoid the inconvenience that the energy consumed by driving the cooling means is increased and the charging efficiency is worsened, and the charging efficiency is effectively improved. Can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the cooling control means changes the cooling energy consumption according to a temperature difference between the cooling air by the cooling means and the charger.

  Here, even if the cooling energy consumption is the same, the cooling amount (temperature decrease amount) of the charger increases as the temperature difference between the cooling air and the charger increases. For this reason, the larger the temperature difference is, the larger the cooling consumption energy at which the charging efficiency is maximized (see FIG. 2D). In the above invention in view of this point, since the cooling energy consumption is changed according to the temperature difference between the cooling air and the charger, it is highly accurate to control the charging efficiency to the target value by controlling the cooling energy consumption. Can be realized.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to switch between an efficiency priority mode that prioritizes the improvement of the charging efficiency over a reduction of the charging time and a time priority mode that prioritizes the shortening of the charging time over the improvement of the charging efficiency. The cooling control means is configured so that, when the time priority mode is set, the cooling power input to the battery is increased as compared with the case where the efficiency priority mode is set. It is characterized by setting energy consumption.

  Here, if the cooling energy consumption is excessively increased to promote the reduction of the charger loss, the charging power input to the battery is reduced correspondingly, and the charging time is increased. On the other hand, if the cooling energy consumption is excessively reduced, the charging power is reduced as the charger loss is increased, and consequently the charging time is extended. Therefore, in order to shorten the charging time, it is necessary to set the cooling energy consumption to an appropriate value that can increase the charging power. In the above invention in view of this point, when the time priority mode is set, the cooling energy consumption is set so that the charging power is increased as compared with the case where the efficiency priority mode is set. The balance between improvement and shortening the charging time can be adjusted according to the driver's request.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the charger loss reduction means includes received power reduction means for reducing the heat loss by reducing the received power, and the loss reduction amount control means is configured to reduce the received power. The charging efficiency becomes a predetermined value or more based on a balance between an increase in operating energy consumption of the charging system due to an increase in charging time due to a decrease and a decrease in heat loss due to a decrease in the received power. Thus, it has a reduction amount control means for controlling the amount of reduction in received power by the received power reduction means.

  Here, if the received power is reduced, the heat loss in the charger can be reduced, but the charging time becomes longer. Then, the operating energy consumption of the charging system until the end of charging (for example, energy consumed by auxiliary devices other than the charger, such as an electronic control device, an inverter circuit, a DC-DC converter) increases. In the above invention in view of this point, charging is performed based on the balance between the increase in the operating energy consumption of the charging system due to the increase in the charging time as the received power decreases and the reduced heat loss due to the decrease in the received power. The amount of received power reduction is controlled so that the efficiency is not less than a predetermined value. As a result, excessive reduction of heat loss in the charger due to a decrease in received power results in an increase in operating energy consumption of the charging system, which avoids problems such as poor charging efficiency and effectively improves charging efficiency. Can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the decrease amount control means changes the amount of decrease in received power according to at least one of a temperature of the charger and an ambient temperature.

  Here, the balance described above, that is, the balance between the increase in operating energy consumption and the reduction in heat loss of the charging system varies depending on the temperature of the charger and the ambient temperature (see FIG. 5D). In the above invention in view of this point, since the amount of decrease in received power is changed according to at least one of the charger temperature and the ambient temperature, it is possible to control the charging efficiency to the target value by controlling the amount of decrease in received power. Can be realized with high accuracy.

  In the invention according to claim 7, it is possible to switch between an efficiency priority mode that prioritizes the improvement of the charging efficiency over a reduction of the charging time and a time priority mode that prioritizes the shortening of the charging time over the improvement of the charging efficiency. The reduction amount control means is configured such that when the time priority mode is set, the received power reduction amount is reduced as compared with the case where the efficiency priority mode is set.

  Here, as the received power reduction amount is increased in order to promote the reduction of the charger loss, the charging power input to the battery is correspondingly reduced, and the charging time is lengthened. Therefore, it can be said that the charging time can be shortened as the received power reduction amount is reduced. In the above invention in view of this point, when the time priority mode is set, the amount of decrease in received power is reduced compared to the case where the efficiency priority mode is set, so that charging efficiency is improved and charging time is shortened. The balance can be adjusted to the driver's requirements.

  In the invention according to claim 8, it is possible to switch between an efficiency priority mode that prioritizes improvement of the charging efficiency over shortening of charging time and a life priority mode that prioritizes suppression of deterioration of the battery over improvement of the charging efficiency. The reduction amount control means is configured to increase the received power reduction amount when set in the life priority mode compared to when set in the efficiency priority mode.

  Here, as the value of the charging current input to the battery is higher, the deterioration of the battery is promoted. However, if the received power is reduced to suppress battery deterioration, the charging system operation energy consumption is increased due to the longer charging time, which in turn may lower the charging efficiency. In the above invention in view of this point, when the life priority mode is set, the amount of decrease in received power is increased compared to the case where the efficiency priority mode is set, so that charging efficiency is improved and battery deterioration is suppressed. The balance can be adjusted to the driver's requirements.

The figure which shows the charge control apparatus which shows one Embodiment of this invention, and the charging system with which the apparatus is applied. The figure explaining the optimal value of cooling consumption energy Wcc. The figure which shows the Wcc calculation map set based on FIG. The figure explaining the effect by controlling a cooler based on the map of Drawing 3. The figure explaining the optimal value of the received power Win. The figure which shows the Win calculation map set based on FIG. The figure explaining the effect by controlling received electric power Win based on the map of FIG. The characteristic view which shows the relationship between battery input current Ib and a battery degradation progress degree. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the process charged while controlling the cooling energy consumption Wcc and the received power Win based on the map of FIG. 3 and the map of FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a charging control device according to the present invention is applied to a charging system for a vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings.

  A vehicle 10 indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 1 is an electric vehicle that travels by a motor using a battery 11 as a travel drive source. The battery 11 is charged by a charger 12 with received power supplied from an external power source 20. Another example of the vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle having both a system for charging a battery from an external power source 20 and an internal combustion engine.

  The external power source 20 is commercial AC power of 100 V or 200 V, and the charger 12 includes a rectifier circuit that converts AC power into DC, a booster circuit that boosts the rectified power, and the like. The battery 11 supplies power to a travel motor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10.

  The charging system shown in FIG. 1 includes an electronic control unit (ECU 13), an auxiliary device 14 such as an inverter and a DC-DC converter, and a cooler 15 that cools the battery 11. The auxiliary machine operates using a part of the power output from the charger 12 as a power source, and the cooler 15 operates using a part of the received power as a power source. Therefore, if the energy consumed by the auxiliary machine 14 (auxiliary machine consumed energy) and the energy consumed by the cooler 15 (cooling consumed energy) are increased, the charging energy stored in the battery 11 is reduced accordingly.

  The cooler 15 shown in the figure blows air to the battery 11 by a blower fan, but a cooler 15 configured to blow cool air cooled by a heat exchanger to the battery 11 may be adopted. . In the following description, the temperature of the cooling air by the cooler 15 is described as Tx, but in the present embodiment that does not have a heat exchanger, the cooling air temperature Tx is the same as the outside air temperature Ta.

  The ECU 13 controls the amount of power supplied from the battery 11 to the traveling motor. Further, the ECU 13 (received power reduction means, charger loss reduction means) that also functions as a charge control device receives received power (specifically, the received power that is the current value of the received power from the external power supply 20 to the charger 12). The current Iin (t)) is controlled, and the operation of the cooler 15 (specifically, the rotational speed of the blower fan) is controlled.

  Here, the ratio of the battery stored energy to the total amount (received energy) of the received power Win from the start of charging to the end of charging is referred to as charging efficiency. A value obtained by adding various losses Wcc, Wcl, and Wsc exemplified below to the battery stored energy Wb corresponds to the total amount of received power (received energy). Wcc is a loss corresponding to the energy consumed by the cooler 15 (cooling consumption energy Wcc). Wcl is a heat loss (charger loss Wcl) due to heat generated by the charger 12. Wsc is a loss corresponding to the energy consumed by the auxiliary machine 14 (auxiliary machine energy consumption Wsc).

  And control of the cooler 15 mentioned above and control of received electric power Win are controlled so that charging efficiency becomes more than predetermined value, and these control methods are demonstrated below.

  First, the balance relationship of the received power Win, various losses Wcc, Wcl, Wsc, and battery stored energy Wb will be described using FIG. 1 as follows: Win = Wcc + Wcl + Wsc + Wb. Wb / Win is the charging efficiency. That is, reducing the total value of the various losses Wcc, Wcl, and Wsc leads to an improvement in charging efficiency.

  Note that, when these balance relationships are described as current values assuming that the voltage is constant, a part of the received current Iin flows to the cooler 15, so that the current (cooling consumption current Ia1) used in the cooler 15 is converted into the received current Iin. The value obtained by subtracting from is the current of the received power Win supplied to the charger 12 (charger input current Ic). Then, the current conversion value (charger loss current Icl) of the charger loss Wcl and the current conversion value (auxiliary consumption current Ia2) consumed by the auxiliary machine energy consumption auxiliary machine 14 are subtracted from the charger input current Ic. The value is the current value (battery input current Ib) input to the battery 11.

  Of the “control of the cooler 15” and “control of the received current Iin” described above, first, the contents of the control of the cooler 15 (control of the blower fan rotation speed) and the effects of the control will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, as the temperature of the charger 12 (charger temperature T) increases, the amount of heat generated in the charger 12 increases and the charger loss Wcl increases. Therefore, if the cooler 15 is operated to lower the charger temperature T, the charger loss Wcl can be reduced. Moreover, the fall of the charger temperature T is accelerated | stimulated, so that the rotational speed of the ventilation fan of the cooler 15 is raised. However, if the rotational speed is increased, the cooling energy consumption Wcc increases accordingly.

  FIG. 2B shows the cooling consumption required to decrease the charger temperature T by the target temperature decrease amount dT as the difference between the charger temperature T and the outside air temperature Ta (the outside air temperature difference ΔT of the charger) increases. It shows that the energy Wcc becomes smaller. In addition, the larger the target temperature decrease amount dT, the greater the required cooling energy consumption Wcc.

  FIG.2 (c) is a graph which shows the relationship between the fan rotational speed of the cooler 15, charger loss Wcl, and cooling consumption energy Wcc, if the condition is that the initial charger temperature T is constant. From the contents of FIGS. 2A and 2B, it can be seen that the result of FIG. 2C is obtained. That is, the graph shows that the higher the fan rotation speed, the larger the reduction amount ΔWcl of the charger loss Wcl, and the larger the reduction amount ΔWcl becomes, the larger the outside air temperature difference ΔT of the charger. Further, the higher the fan rotation speed, the larger the increase amount ΔWcc of the cooling energy consumption Wcc. Incidentally, the alternate long and short dash line on the horizontal axis in the figure indicates the maximum value of the fan rotation speed (the limit point of the fan capacity).

  FIG. 2D is a graph derived from FIG. 2C, in which the vertical axis is a value (ΔWcl−ΔWcc) obtained by subtracting the increase amount ΔWcc of the cooling energy consumption Wcc from the reduction amount ΔWcl of the charger loss Wcl. The value of the cooling energy consumption Wcc is taken as the horizontal axis. This graph shows that when the cooling energy consumption Wcc is set to a predetermined value, ΔWcl−ΔWcc becomes a peak value and the charging efficiency is maximized. Further, the larger the outside air temperature difference ΔT of the charger 12, the higher the peak value of ΔWcl−ΔWcc, indicating that the charging efficiency is improved. A one-dot chain line L1 in the figure indicates the peak value that changes in accordance with the outside air temperature difference ΔT of the charger.

  As described above, reducing the combined value of the various losses Wcc, Wcl, and Wsc leads to improvement in charging efficiency. However, in FIG. 2 (d), if the amount of air blown by the cooler 15 is increased, Wcl is reduced. Although it can be reduced, the Wcc increases, so that the charging efficiency does not improve as the cooling air is increased, but it indicates that there is an optimum range (or peak value) of the air flow rate. And the optimal range represents changing according to the outside temperature difference (DELTA) T of the charger 12. FIG.

  FIG. 2 (e) is an equation showing the charger temperature rise amount dT / dt per unit time, in which C is the heat capacity of the charger 12, R is the internal resistance of the charger 12, and T is Charger temperature, Tx is cooling air temperature, Ta is outside air temperature (Tx = Ta in this embodiment), Ic is charger input current, α is heat transfer coefficient between cooling air and charger 12, and S is charger 12. The cooling area is shown. The term A in the formula indicates the amount of heat generated by the charger 12, the term B indicates the amount of heat released by the cooling air blown by the blower fan, and the term C indicates the amount of heat released by the outside air.

  FIG. 3 is a map in which the optimum value of the cooling consumption energy Wcc (supply energy to the cooler 15) is stored. In view of the above-described knowledge explained with reference to FIG. 2, the outside air temperature difference ΔT and the outside air of the charger It is stored in association with the temperature Ta. That is, the optimum value is a value on the alternate long and short dash line L1 in FIG. 2D, and is set to the value of the cooling energy consumption Wcc that maximizes the charging efficiency. Specifically, the larger the outside air temperature difference ΔT of the charger, the larger the peak value Wcc (see FIG. 3D). Therefore, the larger the ΔT in the map of FIG. It is set.

  The halftone dot in FIG. 2 (d) represents a region where the charger loss reduction amount is larger than the cooling energy consumption Wcc, and an optimum value of the cooling energy consumption Wcc is set within this region. Yes. Therefore, in the map of FIG. 3, the cooling energy consumption Wcc is set to zero in the region where the outside temperature difference ΔT of the charger is smaller than the predetermined value, that is, the region on the left side of the dotted line L2, and the operation of the cooler 15 is performed. Stop.

  Incidentally, the region indicated by the halftone dots in FIG. 3 is a region in which the cooler 15 functions to protect the charger 12 from thermal damage. On the other hand, the hatched area in FIG. 3 is an area where the cooler 15 functions to improve the charging efficiency. In the area of thermal damage protection, the higher the outside air temperature Ta is, the larger the value of Wcc is to ensure protection from thermal damage.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the effect of reducing the total loss and shortening the charging time when the operation of the cooler 15 is controlled so that the cooling energy consumption Wcc set based on the map of FIG. 3 is obtained.

  By controlling the operation of the cooler 15 in accordance with the map of FIG. 3, the total loss for charging can be reduced as shown by the arrow on the vertical axis of FIG. Here, “loss” refers to each of cooling energy consumption Wcc, charger loss Wcl and auxiliary machine energy consumption Wsc per unit time. The “total loss” is a value obtained by adding up the losses Wcc, Wcl, and Wsc per unit time, and corresponds to the height of the triangle shown in FIG.

  That is, according to the map of FIG. 3, if the cooling energy consumption Wcc is set so as to maximize the charging efficiency and the cooler 15 is controlled, the cooling energy consumption Wcc as shown on the vertical axis of FIG. However, the charger loss Wcl is reduced. Since there is more reduction in Wcl than in the increase in Wcc, as a result, the total loss (the height of the triangle) is reduced, and as a result, the charging efficiency is improved.

  Further, as a result of improving the charging efficiency in this way, the charging time can be shortened as shown by the arrow on the horizontal axis of FIG. The loss amount is calculated by integrating the loss per unit time with the charging time (see FIG. 4B). Therefore, the amount of loss (the height of the triangle shown in FIG. 4A) increases as the charging time increases.

  Next, of the above-described “control of the cooler 15” and “control of the received current Iin”, the contents of the control of the received current Iin and the effects of the control will be described below with reference to FIGS. .

  As shown in FIG. 5A, under the condition that the received power Win is constant, the auxiliary machine energy consumption Wsc can be reduced as the charging time is shortened. Then, the charging time can be shortened by increasing the received current Iin to increase the received power Win (see FIG. 5B). In short, it can be said that if the received power Win is increased, the charging time can be shortened, and consequently the auxiliary machine energy consumption Wsc can be reduced. However, if the received power Win is increased in this way, the charger loss Wcl increases (see FIG. 5C).

  FIG.5 (d) is a graph which shows the relationship between the received electric power Win and charging efficiency, and it turns out that the result of FIG.5 (d) is obtained from the content of Fig.5 (a)-(c). That is, the graph represents that the charging efficiency becomes a peak value (maximum) when the received power Win is set to a predetermined value. Moreover, the lower the charger temperature T, the higher the peak value of the charging efficiency, indicating that the charging efficiency is improved. An alternate long and short dash line L3 in the figure indicates the peak value that changes according to the charger temperature T.

  As described above, reducing the combined value of the various losses Wcc, Wcl, and Wsc leads to improvement of the charging efficiency. However, in FIG. 5D, in short, the region where the received power Win is less than the peak value L3. , The reduction amount of the auxiliary machine energy consumption Wsc due to the increase in the received power Win is larger than the increase amount of the charger loss Wcl due to the increase in the received power Win. For this reason, the charging efficiency increases as the received power Win increases. On the other hand, in the region where the received power Win is larger than the peak value L3, the reduction amount of the auxiliary machine energy consumption Wsc due to the increase in the received power Win is smaller than the increase amount of the charger loss Wcl due to the increase in the received power Win. Therefore, the charging efficiency decreases as the received power Win increases.

  FIG. 6 is a map in which the optimum value of the received power cooling consumption energy Wcc is stored, and is stored in association with the outside temperature difference ΔT and the outside temperature Ta of the charger in view of the above-described knowledge described with reference to FIG. ing. That is, the optimum value is a value on the alternate long and short dash line L3 in FIG. 5D, and is the received power that maximizes the charging efficiency.

  Specifically, the lower the charger temperature T, the higher the received power at the peak value (see FIG. 5 (d)). Therefore, the lower the charger temperature T in the map of FIG. Is set high. In view of the fact that the amount of heat released from the charger 12 increases as the outside air temperature Ta decreases, the value of the received power is set higher as the outside air temperature Ta decreases.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the effect of reducing the total loss when the operation of the charger 12 is controlled so that the received power (received current Iin) set based on the map of FIG. 6 is obtained.

  By controlling the operation of the cooler 15 according to the map of FIG. 6, the total loss for charging can be reduced as shown by the arrow on the vertical axis of FIG. The definition of “total loss” is the same as in FIG. That is, if the received power (received current Iin) is controlled so as to maximize the charging efficiency according to the map of FIG. 6, as shown on the vertical axis of FIG. Wcl is reduced. Therefore, the total loss (the height of the triangle) is reduced and the charging efficiency is improved.

  However, as a contradiction to the improvement of the charging efficiency in this way, the charging time increases as shown by the arrow on the horizontal axis in FIG. Therefore, the loss amount shown in FIG. 7B, that is, a value obtained by integrating the loss per unit time in the charging period, the height of the triangle shown in FIG. 7A is proportional to the increase in the charging time. And get bigger. However, the amount of increase in loss caused by the increase in charging time (see symbol ΔW in FIG. 7A) is smaller than the amount of loss loss caused by the total loss reduction. Therefore, a value obtained by integrating the total loss per unit time in the charging period, and a value corresponding to the height of the triangle shown in FIG.

  Next, the difference in operation principle between two methods for reducing the total loss, that is, “control of the cooler 15” and “control of the received current Iin” will be described with reference to FIGS. 4C and 7C. To do. These drawings show the relationship between the received current Iin and the charger loss Wcl. The charger loss Wcl increases as the received current Iin increases, and the charger loss Wcl increases as the charger temperature T increases. It represents an increase.

  Then, according to “control of the cooler 15”, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 4C, the charger temperature T is lowered by the cooler 15, thereby reducing the charger loss Wcl. Improves efficiency. On the other hand, according to the “control of the power receiving current Iin”, as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 7C, the power receiving current Iin is decreased to reduce the charger loss Wcl, thereby improving the charging efficiency. Yes.

  By the way, as the battery input current Ib increases, the deterioration of the battery 11 is promoted (see FIG. 8). Further, when the battery input current Ib exceeds a predetermined threshold value Ibth, the progress of deterioration is rapidly promoted. Therefore, restricting the battery input current Ib so as not to exceed the threshold value Ibth is effective in suppressing deterioration of the battery 11. Therefore, for example, the battery deterioration may be suppressed by limiting the received power set based on the map of FIG. 6 so as not to exceed a predetermined value.

  In addition, some vehicle users may want to give priority to completing charging in a shorter time than improving charging efficiency. Thus, when it is desired to shorten the charging time, the battery input current Ib may be increased by correcting the received power set based on the map of FIG. Alternatively, the battery input current Ib may be increased by correcting the cooling consumption energy (energy supplied to the cooler 15) set based on the map of FIG.

  In short, it is desirable to change the energy supplied to the cooler 15 and the received power depending on whether priority is given to improving charging efficiency, shortening charging time, or suppressing battery deterioration. However, it is desirable to shorten the charging time and suppress battery deterioration while maintaining the charging efficiency at a predetermined level or higher. Specifically, for example, the cooling energy consumption Wcc may be set to a value obtained by correcting the peak value L1 while limiting within the range of the dotted lines L1a and L1b in FIG. Moreover, what is necessary is just to set received power to the value which correct | amended the peak value L3, restrict | limiting within the range of the dotted lines L3a and L3b in FIG.5 (d).

  In carrying out the correction, the Wcc and the received power set from the maps of FIGS. 3 and 6 may be corrected, or a plurality of maps in which corrected values are stored are prepared in advance. You may make it switch the map to be used according to the content.

  The vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with a mode switch 16 (see FIG. 1) that is operated by a vehicle driver. The mode changeover switch 16 is a switch that selects an efficiency priority mode that prioritizes improvement of charging efficiency, a time priority mode that prioritizes shortening of charging time, and a life priority mode that prioritizes suppression of battery deterioration.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure for controlling the cooler 15 and the received current Iin according to the mode selection by the microcomputer of the ECU 13, and this processing is performed at a predetermined cycle (for example, the calculation cycle performed by the CPU described above). It is executed repeatedly.

  First, in step S10 shown in FIG. 9, the mode selected by the mode switch 16 is acquired, and the map of FIG. 3 (Wcc calculation map) and the map of FIG. 6 (Iin calculation map) corresponding to the mode are selected. . That is, in the efficiency priority mode, the Wcc calculation map and the Iin calculation map that have the peak values L1 and L3 (see FIGS. 2 and 5) are selected. In the time priority mode, a Wcc calculation map in which the cooling energy consumption Wcc is lower than the peak value L1 and an Iin calculation map in which the received power is increased from the peak value L3 are selected. In the life priority mode, the Wcc calculation map that is the peak value L1 and the Iin calculation map in which the received power is reduced from the peak value L3 are selected.

  In subsequent step S20 (decrease amount control means (loss reduction amount control means)), the received power (received current Iin) is determined based on the charger temperature T and the outside air temperature Ta with reference to the Iin calculation map selected in step S10. To do. Since the voltage of the received power is determined to be a specific value such as 100V or 200V, the received current Iin is substantially determined. Moreover, when the cooler 15 has a heat exchanger, the received power is determined based on the temperature Tx of the cooling air whose temperature is lowered by the heat exchanger.

  In subsequent step S30 (cooling control means (loss reduction amount control means)), referring to the Wcc calculation map selected in step S10, cooling energy consumption Wcc (cooler supply energy) based on charger temperature T and outside air temperature Ta. To decide. When the cooler 15 has a heat exchanger, the cooling energy consumption Wcc is determined based also on the temperature Tx of the cooling air whose temperature is lowered by the heat exchanger.

  In the subsequent step S40, the charger temperature T is calculated based on the power reception current Iin, the cooling current consumption Ia1, the outside air temperature Ta, and the previous value T (t) of the charger temperature. Specifically, first, the charger input current Ic is calculated by subtracting the cooling consumption current Ia1 from the power reception current Iin. Next, Ic and Ta, T (t) calculated in this way are substituted into the calculation formula of FIG. 2 (e) to calculate the charger temperature increase dT / dt. Then, dT / dt calculated in this way is added to the previous value T (t) of the charger temperature to calculate the charger temperature T.

  In the subsequent step S50, the charger loss Wcl is calculated based on the charger temperature T calculated in step S40 and the charger input current Ic. Specifically, the internal resistance R of the charger 12 is calculated based on the charger temperature T, and the internal resistance R is multiplied by the square of Ic to calculate Wcl.

  In the following step S60, the battery input current Ib is calculated based on the charger loss current Icl, the charger input current Ic, and the auxiliary machine consumption current Ia2 corresponding to the charger loss Wcl calculated in step S50. Specifically, Icl and Ia2 are subtracted from Ic to calculate Wcl.

  In subsequent step S70, based on the battery input current Ib calculated in step S60, it is determined whether or not the current battery storage energy has reached the target value Wb. If the target value Wb has not been reached, the processing of steps S20 to S60 is repeated to continue charging. If it is determined that the target value Wb has been reached, the processing of FIG.

  According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) When the charger 12 is cooled by the cooler 15 to reduce the charger loss Wcl, the cooling consumption is reduced so that the reduction amount ΔWcl of the charger loss Wcl is larger than the increase amount ΔWcc of the cooling energy consumption Wcc. The energy Wcc (cooler supply energy) is controlled. Therefore, it is possible to effectively improve the charging efficiency by avoiding the problem that the charging efficiency is worsened due to the increase of the cooling energy consumption Wcc as a result of the excessive operation of the cooler 15.

  (2) The increase in the total amount (integrated value) of the auxiliary machine energy consumption Wsc (operational energy consumption of the charging system) due to the increase in the charging time accompanying the decrease in the received power reduces the cooling energy consumption Wcc due to the decrease in the received power. The received power is controlled so that the total amount (integrated value) of the charger loss Wcl is reduced. As a result, the charging efficiency is effectively avoided by avoiding the problem that the charging efficiency becomes worse due to an increase in the total amount of auxiliary machine power consumption Wsc as a result of excessively reducing the receiving power (the amount of decrease in the receiving power is excessive). Can be improved.

  (3) Since the cooling consumption energy Wcc is controlled to be changed according to the difference ΔT between the charger temperature T and the outside air temperature Ta, it can be controlled with high accuracy so as to achieve a desired charging efficiency. Moreover, since it controls to change received electric power according to charger temperature T and outside temperature Ta, it can control with high precision so that it may become desired charging efficiency.

  (4) Since the settings of the cooling energy consumption Wcc and the received power are changed according to the efficiency priority mode, the time priority mode, and the life priority mode, the balance between the charging efficiency improvement, the charging time reduction, and the battery deterioration suppression is Can be adjusted on demand.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the description of the above embodiment, and may be modified as follows. Moreover, you may make it combine the characteristic structure of each embodiment arbitrarily, respectively.

  In the above embodiment, both control of “control of cooler 15” and “control of power receiving current Iin” are performed, but only one of them may be performed.

  In the cooler 15 according to the above-described embodiment, air at an outside temperature is blown to the charger 12 by the blower fan. You may make it make it.

  In the above embodiment, the settings of the cooling energy consumption Wcc and the received power are changed according to the three modes of the efficiency priority mode, the time priority mode, and the life priority mode. The settings of the cooling energy consumption Wcc and the received power may be changed according to the priority mode and the time priority mode.

  In the above embodiment, both the cooling energy consumption Wcc and the received power are changed according to each mode, but only one of them may be changed according to each mode.

  In the above-described embodiment, power supply to the cooler 15 is received power from the external power supply 20, but power may be supplied from the charger 12 or may be supplied from the battery 11, for example. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the electric power supply to the auxiliary machine 14 is performed from the charger 12, you may implement the electric power supply from the battery 11 to the auxiliary machine 14, for example.

  In the above embodiment, commercial AC power of 100 V or 200 V is adopted as the external power source 20, but the power source according to the present invention is not limited to such commercial voltage.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Battery, 12 ... Charger, 13 ... ECU (Received electric power reduction means, Charger loss reduction means), 15 ... Cooler (cooling means (charger loss reduction means)), 20 ... External power supply (power supply), S20 ... reduction amount control means (loss reduction amount control means), S30 ... cooling control means (loss reduction amount control means), Wb ... battery stored energy, Win ... received power.

Claims (8)

Applied to a charging system that boosts received power supplied from a power source with a charger and inputs it to a battery,
Charger loss reduction means for reducing heat loss generated in the charger;
Loss reduction amount control means for controlling the reduction amount of the heat loss by the charger loss reduction means according to the charging efficiency, which is the ratio of the battery stored energy to the total amount of the received power until the end of charging,
A charge control device comprising: The charger loss reduction means has a cooling means for reducing the heat loss by cooling the charger,
The loss reduction amount control means has cooling control means for controlling the cooling energy consumption in the cooling means so that the reduction amount of the heat loss due to the cooling is larger than the energy consumed by driving the cooling means. The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein   The charging control device according to claim 2, wherein the cooling control unit changes the cooling energy consumption according to a temperature difference between cooling air by the cooling unit and the charger. An efficiency priority mode that prioritizes improvement of the charging efficiency over reduction of charging time and a time priority mode that prioritizes reduction of the charging time over improvement of the charging efficiency are configured to be switchable,
When the time priority mode is set, the cooling control means reduces the cooling energy consumption so that the charging power input to the battery is increased as compared with the case where the efficiency priority mode is set. The charge control device according to claim 2, wherein the charge control device is set. The charger loss reduction means has a received power reduction means for reducing the heat loss by reducing the received power,
The loss reduction amount control means balances an increase in operating energy consumption of the charging system due to a longer charging time with a decrease in the received power and a decrease in the heat loss due to a decrease in the received power. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reduction amount control unit configured to control a reduction amount of received power by the received power reduction unit so that the charging efficiency is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The charging control device described.   6. The charging control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the reduction amount control means changes the amount of reduction in received power according to at least one of a temperature of the charger and an ambient temperature. An efficiency priority mode that prioritizes improvement of the charging efficiency over reduction of charging time and a time priority mode that prioritizes reduction of the charging time over improvement of the charging efficiency are configured to be switchable,
6. The reduction amount control means, when set in the time priority mode, reduces the received power reduction amount as compared with the case where the efficiency priority mode is set. 6. The charge control device according to 6. An efficiency priority mode that prioritizes the improvement of the charging efficiency over a reduction in charging time and a life priority mode that prioritizes the suppression of deterioration of the battery over the improvement of the charging efficiency are configured to be switchable,
6. The reduction amount control means increases the amount of received power reduction when set in the life priority mode compared to when set in the efficiency priority mode. 8. The charge control device according to claim 1.

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