JP2014033506A - Electric vehicle control device and electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a reduction in transportation capacity to be suppressed while achieving a reduction in operation power of an electric vehicle.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle control device comprises: number of units in operation determination means 2 for determining a number of units in operation of a plurality of driving units driving an electric vehicle within a range satisfying a power reduction command corresponding to a speed of the electric vehicle indicated by speed information on the basis of the power reduction command instructing to reduce power associated with driving of the electric vehicle and the speed information of the electric vehicle input; and control command output means 3 for outputting a control command for driving the plurality of driving units according to the number of units in operation determined.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an electric vehicle control device and an electric vehicle.

  Conventionally, in an electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a vehicle) that runs on electric power supplied from an overhead line through a pantograph, when there is a shortage of power supply in the event of a disaster, when resuming operation after scheduled operation, during overcrowded operation, Since power supply for power demand is insufficient when simultaneous power running of many vehicles occurs, the notch used during vehicle operation is limited to reduce operating power.

JP-A-8-34267

  When the use notch is limited, the maximum value of the operating power can be reduced. However, there are cases where the acceleration performance during power running is significantly reduced due to the limitation of the notch used, and the traveling time is prolonged, leading to a reduction in transportation power. Moreover, although the maximum value of operating electric power falls, electric energy may increase conversely because acceleration time becomes long.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the electric vehicle control device according to the embodiment is based on the input power reduction instruction that instructs to reduce the electric power required for driving the electric vehicle and the speed information of the electric vehicle. Corresponding to the speed of the electric vehicle indicated by the speed information, the operating number determining means for determining the operating number of a plurality of driving devices that drive the electric vehicle within a range satisfying the power reduction command, and the determined operating Control command output means for outputting a control command for driving the plurality of drive devices in accordance with the number of units.

  The electric vehicle according to the embodiment includes a plurality of driving devices, an input receiving unit that receives an input of a power reduction command that instructs to reduce the power required to drive the host vehicle, the input power reduction command, Based on the vehicle speed information, the number of operating units determining means for determining the number of operating units of the plurality of drive devices within a range satisfying the power reduction command corresponding to the speed of the host vehicle indicated by the speed information, and the determination Control command output means for outputting a control command for driving the plurality of drive devices according to the number of operating units.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a data table. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a data table. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of tensile force characteristics during vehicle power running. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of characteristics during vehicle power running in relation to speed and power. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of power characteristics for each operating number. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of power characteristics for each operating number. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a simulation result in the case of notch limitation (2N). FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a simulation result when normal running and the number of operating machines are reduced. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a simulation result when the normal traveling and the number of operating machines are reduced.

  Hereinafter, an electric car control device and an electric car according to embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle T1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle T1 includes a vehicle travel control device 1, a drive device 10 including an inverter, a control command transmission network 20, a display device 30, an input device 31, and a master controller 40. Prepare.

  The vehicle travel control device 1 receives the notch command (control command) from the master controller 40, the vehicle speed of the vehicle T1 detected by a speed sensor (not shown) such as a tachometer linked to the wheels 14, and the input from the input device 31. Based on the received power reduction command, a control command is output to the drive device 10. The driving device 10 includes an electric motor control device 11 and an electric motor 12. The electric motor control device 11 controls the drive of the electric motor 12 in accordance with a control command output from the vehicle travel control device 1. The electric motor 12 drives the wheels 14 of the carriage 13 for traveling on the track with electric power supplied from an overhead wire (not shown) under the control of the electric motor control device 11.

  Here, in this embodiment, the combination of the motor control device 11 and the four motors 12 is counted as one drive device 10. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 1, the vehicle T <b> 1 includes one drive device 10. The combination of the motor control device 11 and the motor 12 is not limited to the example of FIG. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, the vehicle T <b> 1 has a configuration in which the drive of four motors 12 is controlled by one motor control device 11, but each of the four motors 12 is controlled by four motor control devices 11. It goes without saying that the configuration may be adopted.

  The control command transmission network 20 is a local area network (LAN) trunk line that is arranged in the electric vehicle and between the electric vehicles to be connected, and the other vehicle connected to the vehicle T1 and the vehicle T1. Data transmission between devices connected to the vehicle T2 is performed. Specifically, the control command transmission network 20 transmits the control command output from the vehicle travel control device 1 to the vehicle T1 and the driving device 10 of each electric vehicle connected to the vehicle T1.

  The display device 30 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and has a monitor screen for displaying information to the driver. The input device 31 inputs a power reduction command for instructing a reduction in power required for driving the electric vehicle to the vehicle travel control device 1. Specifically, the input device 31 may be a console that receives an operation instruction from a driver. The power reduction command may be input to the vehicle travel control device 1 by operating the console of the input device 31 by a driver who has received a communication from the transport command when, for example, an excessive power demand is predicted. Further, the input device 31 may receive a power reduction command notified from the transportation command via radio or the like, and may input the received power reduction command to the vehicle travel control device 1.

  The input device 31 detects the voltage supplied from the overhead wire, creates a power reduction command when the detected voltage is reduced to a predetermined value or less, and uses the created power reduction command as the vehicle travel control device 1. May be entered. In this case, for example, when a threshold for determining whether or not to generate a power reduction command based on the lowest overhead line voltage assumed during normal operation is set in advance, and the overhead line voltage falls below that threshold Create a power reduction command. Therefore, it is possible to input a power reduction command to the vehicle travel control device 1 in accordance with a situation where the voltage of the overhead wire is lowered, that is, a situation where it is necessary to reduce the power required for driving.

  The vehicle travel control device 1 includes a drive device operating number determination unit 2 and a drive device control command determination unit 3. Based on the power reduction command input from the input device 31 and the vehicle speed of the vehicle T1, the drive device operation number determination unit 2 determines the number of drive devices 10 to be operated according to the vehicle speed.

  The drive device control command determination unit 3 connects each vehicle (vehicles T1, T2,...) Based on the notch command from the master controller 40 and the number of drive devices 10 determined by the drive device operation number determination unit 2. Control commands (notch commands) and operation / stop commands are created. The operation / stop command is generated for the total number of drive devices 10 of the vehicles to be connected, and the operation command for the number of drive devices 10 determined by the drive device operation number determination unit 2 is created. Stop commands are created for the number of units minus the number of units. Here, it is assumed that the total number of drive devices 10 of vehicles to be connected is collected in advance by communication via the control command transmission network 20. Next, the drive device control command determination unit 3 transmits an operation command and a notch command to the drive device 10 to be operated, and a stop command to the drive device 10 to be stopped. The drive device control command determination unit 3 is operated in such a manner that, for example, the number of operating devices is selected in order from the drive device 10 with the smallest integrated operation time so that the load is not concentrated on some of the drive devices 10. 10 and the drive device 10 to be stopped may be distributed. In addition, the said operation time can hold | maintain and use the total of the operation time since the drive device 10 was operate | used, or the total of the operation time in predetermined periods, such as one day or one month.

  Each drive device 10 receives a control command and an operation / stop command transmitted from the drive device control command determination unit 3 via the control command transmission network 20, and operates or stops the motor 12 based on the received command. Let As a result, the entire vehicle organization of the vehicles T1, T2,... Is operated with the number of drive devices 10 operating according to the power reduction command, so that it is possible to reduce the power peak for driving.

  Here, since the situation where the number of drive devices 10 is changed in accordance with the power reduction command is a special driving situation, it is important that the driver can recognize the special driving situation. Therefore, the drive device operation number determination unit 2 displays on the monitor screen of the display device 30 that control (change of the operation number) according to the power reduction command is being executed. In addition, the vehicle travel control device 1 includes a voice output device that informs the driver by voice, and when the vehicle travel control device 1 receives a power reduction command, the vehicle travel control device 1 also informs the driver using a sound such as an alarm. May be. In operation with a reduced number of operating units, the maximum speed that can be achieved in the traveling section decreases and the traveling time increases, so how much speed decreases for each operating unit and how much traveling It is evaluated in advance whether or not the time increase occurs by simulation, and the decrease in speed and the increase in travel time are displayed on the monitor screen of the display device 30 as support information. May be.

  Here, a specific operation of the drive device operating number determination unit 2 will be described. In response to the input power reduction command, the drive device operation number determination unit 2 stores a current data table in which the relationship between the operation range and the speed range (threshold) for changing the operation number of the drive device 10 is recorded. With reference to the vehicle speed, the number of drive devices 10 to be operated is determined.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the data table D1. The drive device operation number determination unit 2 stores a data table D1 as shown in FIG. 2 in a ROM (Read Only Memory) in advance, and refers to the data table D1 at the current vehicle speed, so that the vehicle speed is activated. It is determined whether the number change start speed has been reached or not, and the number of operating units is determined. In the example of FIG. 2, if the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the speed V1, nt (total number) is operated. When the vehicle speed exceeds the speed V1, the operating number is changed to n1 (nt> n1), and the operating number is decreased. Further, when the vehicle speed increases and exceeds the speed V2, the operating number is returned to nt (total number). In the above description, “the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the speed V1”, “the vehicle speed exceeds the speed V1”, and “the vehicle speed increases and exceeds the speed V2” are described. It is also possible that “the vehicle speed is less than the speed V1”, “the vehicle speed has become the speed V1 or more”, and “the vehicle speed has increased to become the speed V2 or more”.

  Note that the power reduction command may be classified according to a reduction rate from the maximum power (power reduction rate) or the like according to the degree of necessity of power reduction. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the data table D2. As shown in FIG. 3, when performing level division based on the power reduction rate, the above-described data table is prepared for each power reduction rate (R1 to R3).

  Hereinafter, details of the data tables D1 and D2 that are referred to when the drive device operation number determination unit 2 determines the operation number will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of tensile force characteristics during vehicle power running. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of characteristics during vehicle power running in relation to speed and power. As is clear from FIG. 5, when 4N (notch) is compared with 3N, the power peak is the same. Therefore, even if the use notch is limited to 3N, the power peak does not change. In order to reduce the peak of electric power, it is necessary to limit the notch to be used to 2N. However, as shown in FIG. May extend. Therefore, in the vehicle travel control device 1, instead of performing notch restriction, the peak of electric power is reduced by reducing the number of operating units.

  Here, a specific creation procedure of the data tables D1 and D2 referred to when the drive device operation number determination unit 2 determines the operation number will be described. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating an example of a power running characteristic for each operating number. Each graph of FIGS. 6 and 7 shows the power running characteristics for each operating number (nt: total number, n1, n2, n3) in 4N in relation to speed and power. The magnitude relationship between the numbers is nt> n1> n2> n3. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, when the target power reduction rate is R2, the number of operating units that maximizes the power within a range not exceeding the power limit corresponding to R2 is selected. That is, when the vehicle speed is V1 or less, the total number nt, the vehicle speed exceeds the speed V1, the number n1 when the vehicle speed is less than V2, the number n2 when the vehicle speed exceeds the speed V2 and the speed V3 or less, the vehicle When the speed exceeds the speed V3 and is equal to or less than the speed V4, the number n1 is operated, and when the vehicle speed exceeds the speed V4, all the numbers nt are operated. By determining the number of operating units according to the speed in this way, the maximum power (corresponding to power) can be secured below the predetermined power peak in each speed range, so that the acceleration performance is not significantly reduced, The power peak can be reduced.

  In addition, when the vehicle is running at an almost constant speed with a balanced notch corresponding to the slope, and when running near the speed range where the number of units to be operated is switched, the number of units in operation is frequently switched. May occur. In order to prevent this frequent switching, it is desirable to suppress frequent switching of the number of operating units, for example, by making a difference in switching conditions when the number of operating units increases or decreases. Specifically, the speed for determining the change in the number of operating units is set to have a certain width between when the vehicle speed increases and when the vehicle speed decreases.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the vehicle speed increases, if the speed V1 is exceeded, the total number nt is changed to the number n1. Further, when the vehicle speed decreases, the number n1 is changed to the total number nt when the vehicle speed falls below the speed V1a. Similarly, when the speed V2 is exceeded, the number n1 is changed to the total number nt. Further, when the vehicle speed decreases, if the vehicle speed falls below the speed V2a, the total number nt is changed to the number n1. The separation between the speed V1 and the speed V1a and the separation between the speed V2 and the speed V2a are set in consideration of speed variation when traveling while maintaining a constant speed.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, the case of manual operation of the driver by the master controller 40 has been exemplified, but automatic operation by an automatic train operation device or the like can similarly realize power reduction. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle T1a according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle T <b> 1 a is a driving device for the point that the command from the master controller 40 is replaced with the command from the automatic train operation device 50, and to the automatic train operation device 50 from the vehicle travel control device 1. The configuration is the same as that of the vehicle T1 in FIG. 1 except that the operating number determined by the operating number determination unit 2 is transmitted.

  In the automatic train driving device 50, the behavior of the vehicle is predicted assuming the control command, and the control command may be determined based on the predicted result. Since the behavior of the vehicle with respect to the control command varies depending on the number of operating driving devices 10, when performing control based on the prediction, it is necessary to grasp the change in the operating number of the vehicle traveling control device 1 on the driving device 10 side. There is. Therefore, when the vehicle travel control device 1 performs control according to the power limit command, the drive device operation number determination unit 2 transmits the determined operation number to the automatic train operation device 50, and the automatic train operation device. At 50, the vehicle behavior corresponding to the number of operating vehicles can be predicted.

  The control command from the automatic train operation device 50 is transmitted to the drive device control command determination unit 3 as in the case of FIG. The drive device control command determination unit 3 controls each vehicle (vehicles T1a, T2,...) To be connected based on the control command from the automatic train operation device 50 and the number of operation units determined by the drive device operation number determination unit 2. A command (notch command) and an operation / stop command are created. Next, the drive device control command determination unit 3 transmits an operation command and a notch command to the drive device 10 to be operated, and a stop command to the drive device 10 to be stopped.

  Each drive device 10 receives a control command and an operation / stop command transmitted from the drive device control command determination unit 3 via the control command transmission network 20, and operates or stops the motor 12 based on the received command. Let As a result, since the entire vehicle organization of the vehicles T1a, T2,... Is operated with the number of operating drive units 10 according to the power reduction command, similarly, in the case of automatic driving, the peak of power applied to driving is reduced. be able to.

  Note that the relationship between the speed range and the number of operating units (the data tables D1 and D2 described above), which is a condition for determining the number of operating units, is also maintained on the automatic train operating device 50 side, and only a power reduction command is issued from the vehicle travel control device 1. May be transmitted. Further, in the vehicle T1a, the configuration in which the automatic train driving device 50 is a separate device from the vehicle travel control device 1 is exemplified, but the vehicle travel control device 1 has a function as the automatic train operation device 50. Also good.

  Next, simulation results according to the above-described embodiment will be described. This simulation was performed assuming a vehicle having the power running characteristics shown in FIGS.

  First, a simulation result in the case of notch restriction (2N) which is a conventional method will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a simulation result in the case of notch limitation (2N). In addition, when normal driving | running | working and notch restriction | limiting (2N) were performed, the speed of power running OFF was made the same in any case. As shown in FIG. 9, when the notch restriction was performed, the power peak was reduced by 23% compared to the normal running without the notch restriction, but it took a long time to accelerate because the tensile force in the medium and high speed range was small. The driving time increased by 8%. In addition, the amount of power increased by 9% due to acceleration over a long period of time.

  Next, a simulation result of power reduction by changing the number of operating drive units 10 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a simulation result when normal running and the number of operating machines are reduced. In addition, when carrying out normal driving | running | working and operation number change (reduction), the speed of the power running off was made the same in any case. As shown in FIG. 10, when the number of operating units was reduced, the power peak was reduced by 25%, and the increase in travel time was about 3%. The increase in power consumption was about 3%. Compared with the case where the notch restriction of FIG. 9 is performed, the reduction rate of the power peak is about the same, but the travel time is increased and the amount of power increase is small. That is, it can be seen that the peak of electric power can be reduced while suppressing an increase in travel time.

  In addition to the change in the number of operating units, simulation results when the maximum speed is reduced will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a simulation result when the normal traveling and the number of operating machines are reduced. As shown in FIG. 11, in this simulation, the number of operating units is changed to reduce the power peak, and the power running off speed is lowered by 5 km / h with respect to the normal running. The reduction of the power peak is 25%, which is the same as in the case of FIG. 10, but by reducing the power running off speed, the amount of power is reduced by 11% compared to the normal running. The increase in running time was also about 6%, which was smaller than when notch restriction was performed. In other words, compared with the case where notch restriction is performed, the power peak can be reduced more than equivalently in a shorter travel time, and the power consumption can be greatly reduced.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, the constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle travel control apparatus, 2 ... Drive device operating number determination part, 3 ... Drive apparatus control command determination part, 10 ... Drive apparatus, 11 ... Electric motor control apparatus, 12 ... Electric motor, 13 ... Dolly, 14 ... Wheel, 20 ... Control command transmission network, 30 ... display device, 31 ... input device, 40 ... master controller, 50 ... automatic train operation device, D1, D2 ... data table, R1-R3 ... power reduction rate, T1, T1a, T2 ... vehicle , V1, V1a, V2, V2a, V3, V4 ... speed

Claims (10)

Based on the input electric power reduction command for instructing reduction of electric power for driving the electric vehicle and the speed information of the electric vehicle, the electric vehicle is set in correspondence with the speed of the electric vehicle indicated by the speed information. An operating number determining means for determining the operating number of a plurality of driving devices to be driven within a range satisfying the power reduction command;
Control command output means for outputting a control command for driving the plurality of driving devices according to the determined number of operating units;
An electric vehicle control device comprising: The operating number determination means is based on the speed of the electric vehicle based on a data table in which a relationship between the operating range and the operating number of the plurality of drive devices corresponding to the power reduction command is changed and the operating number. To determine the number of operating units of the plurality of drive devices that drive the electric vehicle,
The electric vehicle control device according to claim 1. The speed range for changing the number of operating units of the plurality of drive devices has a width between when the speed of the electric vehicle increases and when the speed of the electric vehicle decreases.
The electric vehicle control device according to claim 2. It further comprises a creating means for detecting a voltage supplied from the overhead line and creating the power reduction command based on the detected voltage.
The operating number determination means determines the operating number of a plurality of driving devices that drive the electric vehicle in a range that satisfies the power reduction command based on the input of the created power reduction command.
The electric vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A communication means for communicating with another connected electric vehicle;
The control command output means outputs a control command for driving the plurality of driving devices according to the determined number of operating units to the other connected electric vehicles.
The electric vehicle control apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4. A plurality of drive devices;
An input receiving means for receiving an input of a power reduction command for instructing a reduction in power required for driving the host vehicle;
Based on the input power reduction command and the speed information of the host vehicle, a range that satisfies the power reduction command in accordance with the speed of the host vehicle indicated by the speed information. The number of operating units determined in
Control command output means for outputting a control command for driving the plurality of driving devices according to the determined number of operating units;
Electric car with The operating number determination means refers to a data table that records a relationship between a speed range for changing the operating number of the plurality of drive units corresponding to the power reduction command and the operating number based on the speed of the own vehicle. And determining the number of operating units of the plurality of drive units,
The electric vehicle according to claim 6. The speed range for changing the number of operating units of the plurality of drive devices has a width between a case where the speed of the own vehicle increases and a case where the speed of the own vehicle decreases.
The electric vehicle according to claim 7. It further comprises a creating means for detecting a voltage supplied from the overhead line and creating the power reduction command based on the detected voltage.
The operating number determining means determines the operating number of the plurality of drive devices in a range satisfying the power reduction command based on the input of the created power reduction command.
The electric vehicle according to any one of claims 6 to 8. A communication means for communicating with another connected electric vehicle;
The control command output means outputs a control command for driving the plurality of driving devices according to the determined number of operating units to the other connected electric vehicles.
The electric vehicle according to any one of claims 6 to 9.

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