JP2013184678A - Charging apparatus of electric vehicle and method of controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging apparatus of an electric vehicle that can decrease temporal deterioration of in-vehicle fuel and a control method of a charging apparatus in the electric vehicle.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle 1 includes: a motor generator 4 that drives driving wheels 3FR, 3FL; a high voltage battery 6 that supplies electric power to the motor generator 4; an electric generator 10 that charges the high voltage battery 6; an engine 11 that drives the electric generator 10; and a fuel tank 13 that supplies the fuel to the engine 11. At a point of time when the prescribed operation necessary time has passed from refueling to the fuel tank 13, a consumption necessary remaining amount that is the quantity of the fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 at the point of time when the prescribed fuel consumption time that is longer than the operation necessary time from the refueling point of time has passed is presumed by the fuel initial quantity at the refueling point of time and consumption speed from the refueling, and when the consumption necessary remaining amount is not less than the prescribed fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold, the charge threshold that is the remaining amount value SOC of the high voltage battery 6 that needs charging is raised.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging device for an electric vehicle that generates power using in-vehicle fuel and a method for controlling the charging device in the electric vehicle.

  There has been a conventional technique related to an electric vehicle that drives wheels by an electric motor supplied with electric power from a battery (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This is also referred to as a plug-in hybrid vehicle, which supplies power to the electric motor from a charged battery connected to an external power source when traveling at short distances, and generates a generator with an engine during long distance traveling. To charge the battery and supply power to the electric motor. Thereby, regardless of the traveling method, it is possible to prevent the remaining amount of the battery from being depleted and always allow traveling.

JP2011-148445A

By the way, in the electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the engine operates only to drive the generator and does not drive the wheels. Accordingly, since the engine is hardly driven depending on the traveling method of the vehicle, gasoline, which is onboard fuel supplied to the engine, may be left without being consumed for a long time.
In particular, when the vehicle is repeatedly driven at a short distance every day and the battery is charged at home after returning home, the engine is not operated to generate electricity, and the gasoline in the fuel tank is hardly used. The gasoline that is left is gradually oxidized, and for example, when it is left for more than 6 months, the deterioration proceeds considerably. The deteriorated gasoline may corrode the stored tank and clog fuel pipes and the like.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a charging device for an electric vehicle and a method for controlling the charging device in the electric vehicle that can reduce deterioration with time of in-vehicle fuel.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an electric vehicle charging device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an electric motor for driving a wheel, a battery for supplying electric power to the electric motor, and a charger for connecting the battery to an external power source. A generator for charging the battery, an engine for driving the generator, a fuel tank for storing fuel supplied to the engine, and a fuel sensor for detecting the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank The amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank detected at the time when a predetermined calculation required time has passed since the most recent fuel supply time when fuel was supplied to the fuel tank, and the fuel consumption state from the fuel supply time Based on the above, the required consumption remaining amount which is the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank at the time when a predetermined fuel consumption time longer than the calculation required time has elapsed from the time of refueling is estimated and consumed. If the Yozanryou exceeds the predetermined fuel threshold or more or the fuel threshold is that comprising a controller for facilitating the operation of the engine, a.

The electric vehicle according to the present invention does not mean only a narrowly-defined electric vehicle in which the battery is charged by the generator in an emergency in which the remaining battery level is reduced during traveling. A so-called hybrid vehicle is also included, which is assumed to be used in combination with charging by an external power source and charging by an external power source. The same applies to the following claims.
In addition, the “amount of fuel stored in the detected fuel tank” used to estimate the required remaining amount at the time when the above-described calculation required time has elapsed is the amount of fuel at the time of refueling. Alternatively, it may be the amount of fuel at the time when the necessary calculation time has elapsed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the charging device for an electric vehicle according to the first aspect, the controller increases the operating frequency of the engine when the estimated remaining required consumption amount is equal to or greater than the fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold. That is.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the charging device for an electric vehicle according to the first or second aspect, the controller needs to be charged when the estimated remaining required consumption exceeds the fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold. Increasing the charging threshold, which is the remaining battery level.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the charging device for an electric vehicle according to the third aspect, the controller is detected every time the calculation required time elapses from the most recent refueling time until the fuel consumption time elapses. When the required remaining amount is estimated based on the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank and the fuel consumption state from the previous estimation, and the required remaining amount is greater than or equal to the fuel threshold The charging threshold is raised.
It should be noted that every time the above calculation required time elapses, the “amount of fuel stored in the detected fuel tank” used to estimate the required consumption remaining amount is the amount of fuel at the previous estimation time. Even the amount may be the amount of fuel at the time when the current computation required time has elapsed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the charging device for an electric vehicle according to the first or second aspect, the controller is configured such that the estimated remaining required consumption is equal to or greater than a fuel threshold at the time when the computation required time has elapsed from the most recent fueling time When the fuel threshold value is exceeded, the charge threshold value, which is the remaining amount of the battery that needs to be charged, is increased, and when the fuel threshold value is less than or less than the fuel threshold value, a warning is issued to the occupant.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the charging device for the electric vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the occupant includes an operation member capable of changing the charging threshold.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the charging device for an electric vehicle according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, the controller increases the charging threshold in accordance with a difference between the remaining consumption amount and the fuel threshold. It is.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the electric vehicle charging device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, a lid member that is opened when fuel is supplied to the fuel tank is provided. When it is detected that the fuel tank is in an open state and an increase in the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank is detected, it is detected that fuel has been supplied to the fuel tank.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle control method for an electric vehicle comprising: an electric motor for driving a wheel; a battery for supplying electric power to the electric motor; and a charger for connecting the battery to an external power source. A generator for charging the battery, an engine for driving the generator, a fuel tank for storing fuel supplied to the engine, a fuel sensor for detecting the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank, The amount of fuel stored in the detected fuel tank and the amount of fuel from the time of refueling when the predetermined calculation time has elapsed since the most recent refueling time when fuel was supplied to the fuel tank. Based on the consumption state, the required consumption remaining amount that is the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank at the time when a predetermined fuel consumption time that is longer than the calculation required time has elapsed since the time of refueling It estimated, when the consumer requires the remaining amount is greater than a predetermined fuel threshold or more or the fuel threshold is to facilitate the operation of the engine.
It should be noted that the “amount of fuel stored in the detected fuel tank” used to estimate the required remaining amount at the time when the computation required time has elapsed is the amount of fuel at the time of refueling. Alternatively, it may be the amount of fuel at the time when the necessary calculation time has elapsed.

  According to the first aspect of the charging device for an electric vehicle according to the first aspect of the invention, when a predetermined calculation required time has elapsed from the most recent fuel supply time at which fuel was supplied to the fuel tank, the calculation required time is longer than the fuel supply time. When the required consumption remaining amount that is the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank at the time when the predetermined fuel consumption time has elapsed is estimated, and the required consumption remaining amount is greater than or equal to the predetermined fuel threshold, By accelerating the operation of the engine, it is possible to reduce the amount of fuel that is left until the fuel consumption time for which deterioration is a concern after refueling has elapsed, and to suppress deterioration of the fuel over time.

  According to the invention of the charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 2, when the estimated required remaining amount is equal to or higher than the fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold, the operating frequency of the engine is increased, thereby The remaining amount of fuel can be reduced.

  According to the invention of the charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 3, when the estimated required remaining amount is equal to or higher than the fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold, charging is a remaining amount value of the battery that needs to be charged. By raising the threshold value, the frequency of operation of the engine for driving the generator can be increased, and the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank can be reduced.

  According to the invention of the charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 4, every time the calculation required time elapses from the most recent refueling time until the fuel consumption time elapses, the charging is stored in the detected fuel tank. Estimate the required remaining amount based on the amount of fuel that has been consumed and the fuel consumption state since the previous estimation, and increase the charging threshold when the required remaining amount is greater than or equal to the fuel threshold By doing so, the charging threshold value can be adjusted each time the computation required time elapses, and the fuel in the fuel tank can be appropriately consumed.

According to the invention of the electric vehicle charging device according to claim 5, if the estimated required remaining amount is less than the fuel threshold or less than the fuel threshold at the time when the calculation required time has elapsed since the most recent refueling time, By issuing a warning to this, it is possible to notify that the passage of the fuel consumption time for which fuel deterioration is a concern is approaching.
In addition, when the required calculation time has elapsed, the engine operating frequency for driving the generator is increased by increasing the charging threshold when the estimated remaining required consumption exceeds the fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold. And the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank can be reduced.

  According to the invention of the charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 6, when the occupant is provided with the operation member that can change the charging threshold value, the estimated consumption required at the time when the computation required time has elapsed from the time of refueling. Even when the remaining amount is less than the fuel threshold value or less than the fuel threshold value, the occupant can operate the operation member to increase the charging threshold value and reduce the remaining fuel amount in the fuel tank.

  According to the invention of the charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 7, the charging threshold value is appropriately adjusted by increasing the charging threshold value according to the difference between the estimated remaining required consumption amount and the fuel threshold value. Can do.

According to the invention of the charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 8, when it is detected that the lid member of the fuel tank is in an open state, and an increase in the fuel stored in the fuel tank is detected. By detecting that fuel has been supplied to the fuel tank, there is no false detection of fuel supply when the lid member is accidentally opened. It can be detected accurately.

  According to the invention of the method for controlling a charging device in an electric vehicle according to claim 9, when the predetermined computation required time has elapsed from the most recent fuel supply time at which fuel was supplied to the fuel tank, the calculation required time from the fuel supply time. Estimate the required remaining amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank when a predetermined fuel consumption time that is longer than the predetermined time has elapsed, and the required remaining amount is greater than or equal to the predetermined fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold In this case, by accelerating the operation of the engine, it is possible to reduce the amount of fuel that is left until the fuel consumption time for which deterioration is a concern after fueling has elapsed, and to suppress deterioration of the fuel over time.

The block diagram which showed simply the traveling system of the electric vehicle carrying the charging device by Embodiment 1 of this invention In the charging device shown in FIG. 1, a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time from the time of refueling and the remaining fuel amount when the estimated required remaining fuel amount is less than the fuel threshold value In the charging device shown in FIG. 1, the elapsed time from the refueling time when the required consumption remaining amount estimated one month after the refueling time is equal to or greater than the fuel threshold and the required consumption remaining amount estimated two months later is less than the fuel threshold. A graph showing the relationship between time and fuel level In the charging device shown in FIG. 1, a graph showing the relationship between the travel distance of the electric vehicle and the remaining battery level before raising the charging threshold The figure showing the graph which showed the relation between the travel distance of the electric vehicle when the charge threshold is raised and the remaining battery level The figure showing the first half of the flowchart regarding the control method of the charging device by Embodiment 1. Diagram showing the continuation of the flowchart shown in FIG. The figure showing the graph which showed the relationship between the elapsed time from the refueling time in the charging device by Embodiment 2, and fuel residual amount. A graph showing the relationship between the difference between the required consumption remaining amount and the fuel threshold and the charging threshold to be raised The figure showing the first half of the flowchart regarding the control method of the charging device by Embodiment 2. Diagram showing the continuation of the flowchart shown in FIG.

<Embodiment 1>
Based on FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 7, the charging device of the electric vehicle by Embodiment 1 of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a power train of an electric vehicle 1 equipped with a charging device 2 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, unless otherwise specified, a solid line connecting the components represents a power supply line, and a broken line represents a signal line. Furthermore, the bold line between each structure represents the mechanical connection. Moreover, the electric vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a front wheel drive vehicle, and the left side of the figure corresponds to the front of the vehicle. However, the application vehicle of the present invention should not be limited only to the front wheel drive vehicle, but can be applied to a rear wheel drive vehicle or a four wheel drive vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle 1 includes a right drive wheel 3FR and a left drive wheel 3FL (both correspond to wheels of the present invention). Hereinafter, the right driving wheel 3FR and the left driving wheel 3FL are collectively referred to as driving wheels 3FR, 3FL. A motor generator 4 (corresponding to an electric motor) of the electric vehicle 1 is a synchronous machine, and drives the driving wheels 3FR to drive the driving wheels 3FR and 3FL.
3FL is mechanically connected.

  An inverter 5 is electrically connected to the motor generator 4, and a high voltage battery 6 (corresponding to a battery) formed of a lithium ion battery or the like is connected to the inverter 5. The electric power from the high voltage battery 6 is converted into a three-phase alternating current by the inverter 5 and supplied to the motor generator 4. A drive controller 7 is connected to the motor generator 4, the inverter 5, and the high voltage battery 6 described above. The drive controller 7 supplies electric power from the high voltage battery 6 to the motor generator 4 according to the running state of the electric vehicle 1, and controls the rotation of the motor generator 4. Further, regeneration may be performed in the motor generator 4 to charge the high voltage battery 6.

A charger 8 is connected to the high voltage battery 6. The charger 8 is an AC-DC converter and is provided with a vehicle connector 8a. The vehicle connector 8a is connected to an external power source 50 that is a single-phase AC power source. The charger 8 connected to the external power supply 50 converts the power from the external power supply 50 into direct current and charges the high voltage battery 6. The external power supply 50 may be a three-phase AC power supply.
An AC-DC converter 9 is connected to the high-voltage battery 6, and a generator 10 is connected to the AC-DC converter 9. The generator 10 is formed by a synchronous machine or the like, and the electric power generated thereby is converted into direct current and charged to the high voltage battery 6.

  An engine 11 is mechanically coupled to the generator 10. The engine 11 is provided to drive the generator 10, and a normal internal combustion engine that generates an output from a hydrocarbon fuel is used. As shown in FIG. 1, a range extender 12 is formed by the AC-DC converter 9, the generator 10 and the engine 11 described above. The range extender 12 operates mainly when the electric vehicle 1 travels a long distance, and charges the high-voltage battery 6.

  The fuel tank 13 stores fuel (for example, gasoline, light oil, etc.) supplied to the engine 11. The fuel tank 13 is connected to the engine 11 by a fuel tube 13 a and is configured to be able to supply fuel to the engine 11. A fuel cap 13b is provided in the fuel tank 13, and a fuel lid 13c is attached to the vehicle body of the electric vehicle 1 so as to cover the fuel cap 13b. Fuel supply to the fuel tank 13 is performed by removing the fuel cap 13b after opening the fuel lid 13c. The fuel cap 13b and the fuel lid 13c correspond to lid members.

The fuel tank 13 is provided with a lid opening switch 14 for detecting that the fuel lid 13c has been opened from the closed state. For example, a limit switch or the like can be used as the lid opening switch 14. Instead of the lid opening switch 14, a member for detecting the open state of the fuel cap 13b may be provided.
A fuel tank sensor 15 (corresponding to a fuel sensor) is provided in the fuel tank 13. The fuel tank sensor 15 detects the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 by detecting the liquid level of the fuel in the fuel tank 13 using a float (not shown).

A charge controller 16 (corresponding to the controller) is connected to the high-voltage battery 6, the engine 11, the lid opening switch 14, and the fuel tank sensor 15 described above. The charge controller 16 is connected with a fuel consumption warning lamp 17 and a charge threshold variable lever 18 (corresponding to an operation member). The fuel consumption warning lamp 17 is turned on when a warning is issued to the occupant so that the fuel in the fuel tank 13 is consumed. The charging threshold variable lever 18 can change the charging threshold BS of the high-voltage battery 6 when operated by an occupant.
The charging threshold BS is a value of the remaining battery charge SOC that requires charging in the high-voltage battery 6. The charge controller 16 may be connected to a generator start switch (not shown) that can drive the generator 10 when operated by an occupant.
The high voltage battery 6, the charger 8, the range extender 12, the fuel tank 13, the lid open switch 14, the fuel tank sensor 15, the charge controller 16, the fuel consumption warning lamp 17, and the charge threshold variable lever 18 described so far The charging device 2 of the embodiment is formed.

Next, an operation method of the charging device 2 according to the present embodiment will be described. The charge controller 16 detects the voltage and input / output current of the high voltage battery 6 and detects the remaining battery charge SOC of the high voltage battery 6. The charge controller 16 displays the detected remaining battery level SOC of the high voltage battery 6 on an instrument panel (not shown) of the electric vehicle 1.
If the occupant of the electric vehicle 1 determines that it is necessary by looking at the display of the battery remaining amount SOC, the vehicle connector 8a of the charger 8 is connected to the external power source 50 and the high voltage battery 6 is charged. The occupant can also operate the charging threshold variable lever 18 to increase the charging threshold BS. The charge controller 16 operates the engine 11 to drive the generator 10 and charge the high voltage battery 6 when the remaining battery SOC of the high voltage battery 6 is lower than the charge threshold value BS.

  When the charge controller 16 detects that fuel has been supplied to the fuel tank 13, the initial fuel amount fs1 that is the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 at that time (indicated by P1 in FIG. 2). Is detected. Thereafter, the fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 again at a time (indicated by P2 in FIG. 2) when a predetermined calculation required time (1 month in the present embodiment) has elapsed since the most recent refueling time (P1). The remaining fuel amount fc1 is detected.

  The charge controller 16 calculates a fuel consumption amount (fs1-fc1) from the refueling time based on the initial fuel amount fs1 at the refueling time and the remaining fuel amount fc1 at the time when one month has elapsed from the refueling time. Next, the fuel consumption rate ((fs1-fc1) / 1 month) is calculated from the fuel consumption and the period of one month. The fuel consumption rate ((fs1-fc1) / 1 month) corresponds to the fuel consumption state from the time of refueling, and is represented by the slope of the solid line L1 in the graph shown in FIG.

  The charge controller 16 estimates the required remaining fuel amount ε1 based on the initial fuel amount fs1 or the remaining fuel amount fc1 and the fuel consumption rate ((fs1-fc1) / 1 month) when one month has elapsed since the refueling time. To do. The required consumption remaining amount ε1 is stored in the fuel tank 13 when a predetermined fuel consumption time (in this embodiment, 6 months) longer than the calculation required time has elapsed from the time of refueling (indicated by P3 in FIG. 2). It is the amount of fuel that seems to have been.

The required consumption remaining amount ε1 is the fuel tank 13 when the fuel is consumed at the consumption speed using the initial fuel amount fs1 and the fuel consumption speed ((fs1-fc1) / 1 month) in FIG. This is obtained by forming a diagram (broken line L2) showing the remaining amount of fuel in the inside and reading the remaining amount of fuel when 6 months have passed since the refueling time on the diagram. When the broken line L2 indicating the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 13 is formed, the remaining fuel amount fc1 and the fuel consumption speed ((fs1-fc1) / 1 month) may be used.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the estimated required remaining amount ε1 is less than the predetermined fuel threshold δ or less than the fuel threshold δ, it is determined that the remaining amount of fuel after six months from the refueling time is small. The charging threshold BS is not changed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when one month has elapsed from the refueling time (indicated by P4 in FIG. 3), the initial fuel amount fs2 at the time of refueling and the remaining fuel at the time when one month has elapsed from the refueling time. Based on the amount fc2, the fuel consumption rate from the refueling time ((fs2-fc2) / 1 month) is calculated, and when 6 months have elapsed from the refueling time estimated based on this (indicated by P5 in FIG. 3) ) Is required to be greater than or equal to the fuel threshold δ described above or exceeds the fuel threshold δ, the operation of the engine 11 and the generator 10 is promoted.
Specifically, when the estimated required remaining amount ε2 is greater than or equal to the fuel threshold δ or exceeds the fuel threshold δ, the charging threshold BS is increased to increase the operating frequency of the engine 11. The consumption speed ((fs2-fc2) / 1 month) corresponds to the fuel consumption state from the time of refueling, and is represented by the slope of the solid line L3 in the graph shown in FIG.

When the electric vehicle 1 travels while driving the motor generator 4, the remaining battery charge SOC of the high-voltage battery 6 decreases. For example, when the normal charging threshold BS is 50%, the charge controller 16 drives the engine 11 to generate power by the generator 10 when the remaining battery level drops to 50%. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, the decreasing tendency of the battery remaining amount SOC after power generation is slowed down.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the charging threshold BS is increased to, for example, 70%, the charge controller 16 executes power generation when the remaining battery level of the high-voltage battery 6 decreases to 70% due to traveling of the electric vehicle 1. .

  Returning to FIG. 3, after raising the charging threshold value BS, the charging controller 16 also checks that one month from the refueling point in time (indicated by P <b> 6 in FIG. 3) when one month (two months from the refueling point) has elapsed. The fuel consumption rate ((fc2-fc3) / 1 month) is calculated based on the remaining fuel amount fc2 at the time when elapses and the remaining fuel amount fc3 at the time when one month elapses. The consumption speed ((fc2-fc3) / 1 month) corresponds to the fuel consumption state from the previous estimated time, and is represented by the slope of the solid line L4 in the graph shown in FIG.

Next, based on the calculated fuel consumption rate ((fc2-fc3) / 1 month), the remaining consumption required amount ε3 at the time when 6 months have elapsed from the time of refueling (indicated by P7 in FIG. 3) is newly estimated. To do. If the estimated required remaining amount ε3 is less than the fuel threshold δ or less than or equal to the fuel threshold δ, the charging threshold BS is not changed. If the estimated required remaining amount ε3 is greater than or equal to the fuel threshold value δ or exceeds the fuel threshold value δ, the charging threshold value BS is increased in the same manner as described above.
In this way, the charge controller 16 determines the initial fuel amount fs2 or the remaining fuel amount fc2, fc3, the refueling time or the previous estimated time from the most recent refueling time until 6 months have passed. The required consumption remaining amount ε is estimated based on the fuel consumption speed, and when the required consumption remaining amount ε is equal to or greater than the fuel threshold δ or exceeds the fuel threshold δ, the charging threshold BS is increased each time.

  Next, based on FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the flowchart regarding the control method of the charging device 2 by the charge controller 16 is demonstrated. In the middle of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the power switch (not shown) of the electric vehicle 1 is turned off and then the power switch is started again, the control of the charging device 2 starts from the continuation of each flowchart. Shall be started. In the following description, the initial fuel amounts fs1 and fs2 described above are comprehensively expressed as fs, the remaining fuel amounts fc1, fc2, and fc3 are comprehensively expressed as fc, and the required remaining consumption amounts ε1, ε2, and ε3 are comprehensively included. And expressed as ε.

As shown in FIG. 6, it is first determined whether or not the fuel lid 13c is opened by the lid opening switch 14 (step S101). When the fuel lid 13c remains closed, it returns to the initial state. When the open state of the fuel lid 13c is detected, it is determined by the fuel tank sensor 15 whether or not the amount of fuel has increased in the fuel tank 13 (step S102). When there is no increase in fuel in the fuel tank 13, the initial state is restored.

When there is an increase in the amount of fuel in the fuel tank 13, the fuel threshold sensor BS is set to a predetermined initial value in step S103, and then the fuel initial amount fs is detected by the fuel tank sensor 15 (step S104). That is, in the present embodiment, when the open state of the fuel lid 13c is detected and an increase in the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 is detected, fuel supply (fuel supply) to the fuel tank 13 is performed. Judge that there was.
Then, after resetting and operating the timer (step S105), it is determined whether or not one month has elapsed from the time of fuel supply to the fuel tank 13 (step S106). When one month has elapsed from the time of refueling, the routine proceeds to step S109 (shown in FIG. 7), and the fuel tank sensor 15 detects the fuel remaining amount fc described above.

  If one month has not elapsed since the time of refueling, it is determined again in step S107 and step S108 whether or not the fuel lid 13c has been opened and the amount of fuel has increased in the fuel tank 13. When the fuel lid 13c is opened and there is an increase in fuel in the fuel tank 13, the process returns to step S103, and after setting the charging threshold BS to the initial value, the initial fuel quantity fs is detected in step S104. The Otherwise, the process returns to step S106.

When the remaining fuel amount fc is detected in step S109, the required consumption remaining amount ε is estimated based on the initial fuel amount fs and the remaining fuel amount fc (step S110). Thereafter, the estimated required remaining amount ε is compared with the fuel threshold δ (step S111), and if the fuel threshold δ is greater than (or exceeds the fuel threshold δ), the charging threshold BS is raised (step S112). When the estimated required remaining amount ε is less than the fuel threshold δ (or less than the fuel threshold δ), the process proceeds to step S113 without changing the charging threshold BS.
If it is determined in step S113 that six months have elapsed since the refueling time, the initial state is restored. If six months have not elapsed since the time of refueling, the process returns to step S105 to detect the next one month.

  According to the present embodiment, at the time when one month has passed since the most recent refueling time at which it was detected that fuel was supplied to the fuel tank 13, the initial fuel amount fs at the refueling time or one month has elapsed from the refueling time. On the basis of the remaining fuel amount fc at the time of fueling and the consumption speed of fuel from the refueling time point, the required consumption remaining amount ε, which is the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 when 6 months have elapsed from the refueling time point, is obtained. Assuming that the required remaining fuel consumption ε is greater than or equal to the predetermined fuel threshold value δ or exceeds the fuel threshold value δ, the operation of the engine 11 and the generator 10 is promoted, so that the fuel tank 13 is refueled and then deteriorated. It is possible to reduce the amount of fuel that is left unattended until six months, and to suppress deterioration of the fuel over time.

Further, when the estimated required remaining amount ε is greater than or equal to the fuel threshold δ or exceeds the fuel threshold δ, the operating frequency of the engine 11 for driving the generator 10 is increased by increasing the charging threshold BS. The remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 13 can be reduced.
In addition, the estimated consumption remaining amount ε is estimated each time one month elapses from the most recent refueling time until 6 months elapse, and the necessary consumption remaining amount ε exceeds the fuel threshold δ or exceeds the fuel threshold δ. If the charging threshold value BS is increased, the charging threshold value BS can be adjusted every month, and the fuel in the fuel tank 13 can be appropriately consumed.

Further, when it is detected that the fuel lid 13c is in an open state and an increase in the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 is detected, it is detected that fuel has been supplied to the fuel tank 13. By doing so, it is possible to accurately detect that fuel has been supplied to the fuel tank 13 without erroneously detecting refueling when the fuel lid 13c is accidentally opened.

<Embodiment 2>
Based on FIG. 8 thru | or FIG. 9, the operation | movement method of the charging device 2 by Embodiment 2 is demonstrated centering on a different point from the case by Embodiment 1. FIG. When the charge controller 16 detects that fuel has been supplied to the fuel tank 13, the fuel initial amount fs3, which is the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 at that time (indicated by P8 in FIG. 8). Is detected. Thereafter, the fuel that is the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 13 again at a time (indicated by P9 in FIG. 8) when a predetermined calculation required time (four months in the present embodiment) has elapsed since the time of refueling. The remaining amount fc4 is detected.

  The charge controller 16 calculates the fuel consumption (fs3-fc4) from the fueling time based on the initial fuel amount fs3 at the fueling time and the remaining fuel amount fc4 when four months have passed since the fueling time. Next, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, after calculating the fuel consumption rate ((fs3-fc4) / 4 months), at the time when 6 months have elapsed from the time of refueling (indicated by P10 in FIG. 8). The required consumption remaining amount ε4 is estimated. The fuel consumption rate ((fs3-fc4) / 4 months) corresponds to the fuel consumption state from the time of refueling, and is represented by the slope of the solid line L5 in the graph of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the estimated required remaining amount ε4 is equal to or greater than the fuel threshold δ or exceeds the fuel threshold δ, the charging threshold BS is increased. In the present embodiment, when increasing the charging threshold BS, as shown in FIG. 9, an amount to increase the charging threshold BS is set according to the difference between the estimated required remaining consumption ε4 and the fuel threshold δ. Yes. The graph for determining the charging threshold BS shown in FIG. 9 is set empirically by monitoring the detected past required remaining amount ε and the charging threshold BS.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 8, when the fuel consumption state until four months have passed since the refueling time is indicated by a solid line L6, the required consumption remaining amount ε5 estimated based on the slope of the solid line L6 is less than the fuel threshold δ or The fuel threshold value δ or less. At this time, only the fuel consumption warning lamp 17 is lit to inform the occupant that four months have elapsed since the time of refueling, and the charging threshold value BS is not changed. An occupant who confirms that the fuel consumption warning lamp 17 is turned on can increase the charging threshold value BS by operating the charging threshold value variable lever 18 to promote the operation of the generator 10. A passenger who confirms that the fuel consumption warning lamp 17 is turned on can also supply fuel to the fuel tank 13. The occupant may directly operate the engine 11 that drives the generator 10 by operating the generator start switch.

  Next, based on FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the flowchart of the control method by the charge controller 16 in this embodiment is demonstrated. 10 and 11 also, when the power switch is activated again after the power switch of the electric vehicle 1 is turned off during the process, the control of the charging device 2 starts from the continuation of each flowchart. Shall be started. In the following description, the initial amount of fuel described above is comprehensively expressed as fs, the remaining fuel amount is comprehensively expressed as fc, and the required remaining amount is comprehensively expressed as ε.

As shown in FIG. 10, when it is detected in step S201 that the fuel lid 13c has been opened, and in step S202, it is detected that the amount of fuel in the fuel tank 13 has increased, the fuel tank 13 is entered. After the fuel consumption warning lamp 17 is turned off (step S203), the charging threshold BS is set to a predetermined initial value (step S204). When it is not detected that the fuel lid 13c is opened, or when it is not detected that the amount of fuel in the fuel tank 13 is increased, the initial state is restored.

  After the charging threshold BS is set to a predetermined initial value, the fuel initial amount fs is detected by the fuel tank sensor 15 (step S205). Then, after resetting and operating the timer (step S206), it is determined whether or not four months have elapsed from the time of fuel supply to the fuel tank 13 (step S207). When four months have elapsed since the refueling time, the routine proceeds to step S210 (shown in FIG. 11), and the fuel tank sensor 15 detects the remaining fuel amount fc.

  If four months have not elapsed since the time of refueling, it is determined again in step S208 and step S209 whether the fuel lid 13c is opened and the amount of fuel has increased in the fuel tank 13. When the fuel lid 13c is opened and there is an increase in fuel in the fuel tank 13, the process returns to step S205, and the initial fuel quantity fs is detected again. Otherwise, the process returns to step S207.

  When the remaining fuel amount fc is detected in step S210, the required consumption remaining amount ε is estimated based on the initial fuel amount fs and the remaining fuel amount fc (step S211). It is compared with δ (step S212). When the required consumption remaining amount ε is equal to or greater than the fuel threshold δ (or exceeds the fuel threshold δ), the difference between the estimated required remaining amount ε and the fuel threshold δ is calculated as shown in FIG. In response, the charging threshold BS is raised (step S213), and then the initial state is restored. If the estimated required consumption remaining amount ε is less than the fuel threshold δ (or less than the fuel threshold δ), the fuel consumption warning lamp 17 is turned on without changing the charging threshold BS (step S214).

According to the present embodiment, when the estimated required remaining amount ε is less than the fuel threshold δ or less than or equal to the fuel threshold δ at the time when the calculation required time of 4 months has passed since the most recent refueling time, By issuing a warning by the fuel consumption warning lamp 17, it is possible to notify that the elapse of 6 months, which is the fuel consumption time for which fuel deterioration is a concern, is approaching.
Further, an engine for driving the generator 10 by raising the charging threshold value BS when the estimated required remaining consumption amount ε is equal to or more than the fuel threshold value δ or exceeds the fuel threshold value δ when four months have passed. 11 can be increased, and the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 13 can be reduced.

In addition, the charging threshold BS can be appropriately adjusted by raising the charging threshold BS according to the difference between the estimated required remaining consumption ε and the fuel threshold δ.
In addition, by providing the charging threshold variable lever 18 that allows the occupant to change the charging threshold BS, the estimated required consumption remaining amount ε is less than the fuel threshold δ or the fuel threshold at the time when four months have elapsed from the time of refueling. Even in the case of δ or less, the occupant can operate the charging threshold variable lever 18 to increase the charging threshold BS and reduce the fuel remaining in the fuel tank 13.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified or expanded as follows.
If the estimated required consumption remaining amount ε is equal to or greater than the fuel threshold value δ or exceeds the fuel threshold value δ, the charging controller 16 drives the generator 10 if the high voltage battery 6 can be charged at that time. May be.
Further, when the estimated required consumption remaining amount ε is less than a predetermined fuel threshold value δmin smaller than the fuel threshold value δ or less than or equal to the fuel threshold value δmin, the charging threshold value BS may be decreased.

Further, only when the open state of the fuel lid 13c is detected, or the fuel tank 1
It may be determined that fuel has been supplied to the fuel tank 13 only by detecting an increase in the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank 13.
In addition, the calculation required time is not limited to one month from the refueling time or the previous estimated time, or four months from the refueling time, and can be set to any time from the refueling time or the previous estimated time. .
Further, the fuel consumption time is not limited to 6 months from the refueling time, and can be set to any time from the refueling time.

In the second embodiment, in addition to the case where the estimated required remaining amount ε is less than the fuel threshold δ or less than or equal to the fuel threshold δ, the required remaining amount ε is greater than or equal to the fuel threshold δ or exceeds the fuel threshold δ. Alternatively, the fuel consumption warning lamp 17 may be turned on.
Further, in the first embodiment, when the estimated required remaining amount ε is greater than or equal to the fuel threshold δ or exceeds the fuel threshold δ, according to the difference between the estimated required remaining amount ε and the fuel threshold δ. Thus, the charging threshold BS may be raised.

  In the drawings, 1 is an electric vehicle, 2 is a charging device, 3FR is a right drive wheel (wheel), 3FL is a left drive wheel (wheel), 4 is a motor generator (electric motor), 6 is a high voltage battery (battery), 8 is Charger, 10 is a generator, 11 is an engine, 13 is a fuel tank, 13b is a fuel cap (lid member), 13c is a fuel lid (lid member), 15 is a fuel tank sensor (fuel sensor), 16 is a charge controller (controller) ), 17 is a fuel consumption warning lamp, 18 is a charging threshold variable lever (operation member), and 50 is an external power source.

Claims (9)

A battery for supplying electric power to the electric motor for driving the wheel;
A charger for connecting the battery to an external power source;
A generator for charging the battery;
An engine for driving the generator;
A fuel tank for storing fuel supplied to the engine;
A fuel sensor for detecting the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank;
The amount of fuel stored in the detected fuel tank and the consumption of fuel from the refueling point in time when a predetermined calculation required time has passed since the most recent refueling point in time when fuel was supplied to the fuel tank. On the basis of the state of the fuel, a required consumption remaining amount that is an amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank at a time when a predetermined fuel consumption time longer than the calculation required time has elapsed from the time of refueling is estimated. A controller that facilitates the operation of the engine when the required remaining amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold;
Electric vehicle charging device equipped with The controller is
The charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the operation frequency of the engine is increased when the estimated remaining required consumption amount is equal to or more than the fuel threshold value or exceeds the fuel threshold value. The controller is
3. The charging threshold, which is a remaining amount of the battery that needs to be charged, is increased when the estimated remaining required consumption exceeds the fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold. Electric vehicle charging device. The controller is
Every time the calculation required time elapses from the most recent refueling time until the fuel consumption time elapses, the detected amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank and the previous estimated time 4. The electricity according to claim 3, wherein the required consumption remaining amount is estimated based on a fuel consumption state, and the charging threshold is increased when the required consumption remaining amount is equal to or greater than the fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold. Car charging device. The controller is
The remaining amount of the battery that needs to be charged when the estimated required consumption remaining amount is equal to or more than the fuel threshold or exceeds the fuel threshold at the time when the calculation required time has elapsed since the most recent refueling time The charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a charging threshold that is a value is increased, and a warning is issued to an occupant when the fuel threshold is less than or less than the fuel threshold.   The charging device for an electric vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising an operation member that allows an occupant to change the charging threshold. The controller is
The charging device for an electric vehicle according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the charging threshold value is increased in accordance with a difference between the required consumption remaining amount and the fuel threshold value. A lid member that is opened when fuel is supplied to the fuel tank;
The controller is
The detection of fuel supply to the fuel tank is detected when it is detected that the lid member is in an open state and an increase in the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank is detected. The charging device of the electric vehicle as described in any one of 1 thru | or 7. For electric cars,
An electric motor for driving the wheel;
A battery for supplying power to the electric motor;
A charger for connecting the battery to an external power source;
A generator for charging the battery;
An engine for driving the generator;
A fuel tank for storing fuel supplied to the engine;
A fuel sensor for detecting the amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank;
Is provided,
The amount of fuel stored in the detected fuel tank and the consumption of fuel from the refueling point in time when a predetermined calculation required time has passed since the most recent refueling point in time when fuel was supplied to the fuel tank. On the basis of the state of the fuel, a required consumption remaining amount that is an amount of fuel stored in the fuel tank at a time when a predetermined fuel consumption time longer than the calculation required time has elapsed from the time of refueling is estimated. A method for controlling a charging device in an electric vehicle that promotes the operation of the engine when a necessary remaining amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined fuel threshold value or exceeds the fuel threshold value.

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