JP2017093066A - vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a SOC indicator which reduces unpleasantness being given to a user, while allowing the user to confirm the power storage amount of an on-vehicle battery from outside the car.SOLUTION: A vehicle 1 includes a charging lid 5 for covering an inlet 30 receiving power supplied from an external power supply 500, a SOC indicator 80 indicating the power storage amount of a battery placed at a position visible from outside the vehicle, and an ECU100 capable of executing SOC display control for indicating the power storage amount of an on-vehicle battery 10 on a SOC indicator. When the user approaches the vehicle, and the charging lid is open, the ECU executes SOC display control. However, when the user does not approach the vehicle, or the charging lid is closed, the ECU does not execute SOC display control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle capable of charging an in-vehicle power storage device using electric power supplied from a power source outside the vehicle.

  Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2012-25248 (Patent Document 1) discloses a vehicle capable of performing external charging for charging an in-vehicle battery using electric power supplied from a power source outside the vehicle. This vehicle has a display unit that displays a remaining battery level (amount of charge) on an upper surface of a dashboard that is visible from outside the vehicle. When the vehicle receives a signal from an electronic key possessed by the user when the user approaches the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, the remaining battery level is displayed on the display unit. Thereby, the person outside the vehicle can check the remaining battery level from the outside of the vehicle.

JP 2012-25248 A JP 2000-102104 A JP 2009-77558 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-285022

  However, if the user needs to check the remaining battery level from the outside of the vehicle and the remaining battery level is displayed outside the vehicle, the user may feel uncomfortable.

  That is, during external charging or in a standby state before and after external charging (in vehicles that can be powered from the on-board battery, including external power supply or standby states before and after external power feeding), the user must exit the vehicle. Since a long time has passed since the last time the user checked the remaining battery level in the car, the user often needs to check the remaining battery level from outside the car. It is done.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle is running and the user can check the remaining battery level in the vehicle, or when the user is only temporarily parked (not much time since the user last checked the remaining battery level in the vehicle). In the case where the battery has not elapsed), it is considered that the user needs to check the remaining battery level from the outside of the vehicle. In such a case, if the remaining battery level is displayed outside the vehicle, the user may not be able to check the remaining battery level, but the remaining battery level may be seen by someone other than the user. Yes, the user may feel uncomfortable.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its object is to reduce discomfort given to the user while allowing the user to check the amount of power stored in the in-vehicle power storage device from outside the vehicle. It is.

  A vehicle according to the present invention is a vehicle that can charge an in-vehicle power storage device using electric power supplied from a power source outside the vehicle, and includes an inlet that receives electric power supplied from the power source, and a charging lid that covers the inlet And an output device that can output information that can be confirmed from outside the vehicle, and a control device that controls the output device. The information output from the output device is information indicating the amount of power stored in the power storage device. The control device controls the output device to output information indicating the charged amount when the user approaches the vehicle and the charging lid is opened. When the user is not approaching the vehicle or when the charging lid is closed, the control device controls the output device so as not to output information indicating the charged amount.

  According to the above configuration, when the user approaches the vehicle and the charging lid is opened, the user is in a standby state during external charging or before and after external charging, and the user needs to check the remaining battery level from outside the vehicle. Since it is considered to be high, the output device is controlled so as to output information indicating the charged amount. On the other hand, even if the user approaches the vehicle, if the charging lid is closed, it is considered that there is a low need for the user to check the amount of stored electricity from outside the vehicle rather than during external charging or in a standby state before and after external charging. The output device is controlled so as not to output the information indicating the storage amount. Thereby, it is avoided that the amount of stored electricity is confirmed by someone other than the user. As a result, discomfort given to the user can be reduced while allowing the user to check the amount of power stored in the in-vehicle power storage device from outside the vehicle.

It is a figure which shows typically the whole structure of the charging system containing a vehicle. It is a figure which illustrates the lighting state of a SOC indicator. It is a flowchart (the 1) which shows the process sequence of ECU. It is a figure which shows an example of the timing when SOC display control is performed and stopped. It is a flowchart (the 2) which shows the process sequence of ECU.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

<Configuration of charging system including vehicle>
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a charging system including a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The charging system includes a vehicle 1, a power supply device (hereinafter referred to as “external power supply device”) 500 provided outside the vehicle 1, and a charging cable 400.

  The vehicle 1 includes a plurality of door portions (left front door 2L, right front door 2R, left rear door 3L, right rear door 3R, and back door 4), a charging lid 5, a dashboard 7, a battery 10, and a charger. 20, an inlet 30, antennas 51 to 55, open / close detection sensors 61 to 66, door lock mechanisms 71 to 75, an SOC indicator (output device) 80, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 100.

  External power supply device 500 is provided, for example, in a parking space at the user's home. One end of charging cable 400 is connected to external power supply device 500. A charging connector 410 that can be attached to and detached from the inlet 30 of the vehicle 1 is provided at the other end of the charging cable 400.

  The vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle (such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle) that travels by driving a travel motor (not shown) using electric power stored in the battery 10. The vehicle 1 executes control (hereinafter also referred to as “external charging”) for charging the vehicle-mounted battery 10 using power (hereinafter also referred to as “external power”) supplied from the external power supply device 500 via the charging cable 400. Configured to be possible.

  The left front door 2L, the right front door 2R, the left rear door 3L, and the right rear door 3R are opened and closed by a user's manual operation mainly when the user gets on and off the vehicle 1. The back door 4 is opened and closed by a user's manual operation mainly when the user loads and unloads a package.

  The inlet 30 of the vehicle 1 is configured to be connectable to the charging connector 410. In the present embodiment, the inlet 30 is disposed on the rear side surface of the vehicle body.

  The battery 10 is a secondary battery that stores electric power to be supplied to a travel motor (not shown). Note that a large-capacity capacitor may be employed instead of the battery 10.

  The charger 20 converts the external power received by the inlet 30 into power that can be charged in the battery 10 and outputs the power to the battery 10.

  The inlet 30 is normally covered with the charging lid 5. The charging lid 5 is configured to be opened and closed by a user operation. When the charging lid 5 is opened by a user operation, the user can connect the charging connector 410 to the inlet 30.

  The antennas 51 to 55 are provided inside the left front door 2L, the right front door 2R, the left rear door 3L, the right rear door 3R, and the back door 4, and communicate with an electronic key (smart key) 90 that can be carried by the user. Configured to be possible. Communication range AFL by antenna 51, communication range AFR by antenna 52, communication range ARL by antenna 53, communication range ARR by antenna 54, and communication range AB by antenna 55 (hereinafter referred to as “collation range”) When the electronic key 90 is present in the electronic key 90, the ECU 100 can communicate with the electronic key 90 through the antennas 51 to 55. On the other hand, when there is no electronic key 90 within the collation range, the ECU 100 cannot communicate with the electronic key 90.

  The open / close detection sensors 61 to 65 detect whether the left front door 2L, the right front door 2R, the left rear door 3L, the right rear door 3R, and the back door 4 are open or closed, and output the detection results to the ECU 100. . The open / close detection sensor 66 detects whether the charging lid 5 is open or closed, and outputs the detection result to the ECU 100.

  The door lock mechanisms 71 to 75 lock the left front door 2L, the right front door 2R, the left rear door 3L, the right rear door 3R, and the back door 4 in a locked state and an unlocked state based on a control signal from the ECU 100, respectively. Switch to one of the states. The locked state is a state in which each door is fixed in a closed state and the user cannot open each door. The unlocked state is a state in which the locked state is released, and the user can open each door.

  The SOC indicator 80 is disposed on the upper surface of the dashboard 7 (a position visible from the outside of the vehicle). The SOC indicator 80 displays an SOC indicating the amount of power stored in the battery 10 based on a control signal from the ECU 100. While the vehicle system is in operation (ignition power is on), the SOC is displayed in a combination meter in the vehicle (not shown), but the display in the combination meter is difficult to see from outside the vehicle. On the other hand, the SOC indicator 80 is disposed at a position where it can be seen from the outside of the dashboard 7 through the upper surface of the dashboard 7, that is, through the window (windshield). Note that the position where the SOC indicator 80 is provided is not limited to the upper surface of the dashboard 7 as long as the SOC indicator 80 is visible from the outside of the vehicle regardless of the open / closed state of the charging lid 5.

  The SOC indicator 80 according to the present embodiment has a total of three lamps, and displays the SOC by causing each lamp to be normally lit, blinking, and extinguished. Thus, the user can check the SOC (the amount of electricity stored in the battery 10) from the outside of the vehicle by looking at the SOC indicator 80 through the window.

  The ECU 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (not shown), executes predetermined arithmetic processing based on the map and program stored in the memory and the detection results of each sensor, and the result of the arithmetic processing Each device of the vehicle 1 is controlled so that the vehicle 1 is in a desired state.

  The ECU 100 determines whether or not a collation condition that the electronic key 90 existing in the collation range is that of a legitimate user is satisfied based on information received by any of the antennas 51 to 55. (Hereinafter also referred to as “collation processing”).

  Specifically, ECU 100 transmits a request signal from antennas 51 to 55 at a predetermined timing. When the request signal is received by the electronic key 90 within the verification range, the electronic key 90 returns a response signal that can specify its own ID code stored in advance.

  If the ECU 100 does not receive a response signal from the electronic key 90 within a predetermined period after transmitting the request signal, the ECU 100 determines that “collation is not established”. On the other hand, when the ECU 100 receives the response signal from the electronic key 90 within a predetermined period after transmitting the request signal, the ECU 100 collates the ID code specified by the response signal with the ID code registered in advance. If they match, it is determined that “collation is established” (being a regular user), and if they do not match, it is determined that “collation is not established”.

  The electronic key 90 has an operation unit for inputting a request for switching between a locked state and an unlocked state of each door. When the user operates the operation unit of the electronic key 90, a door lock request signal or a door unlock request signal is transmitted to the vehicle 1. When the ECU 100 receives a door lock request signal from the electronic key 90 through any one of the antennas 51 to 55, all the doors (the left front door 2L, the right front door 2R, the left rear door 3L, the right rear door 3R, and the back door 4). The door lock mechanisms 71 to 75 are controlled so as to be locked. When the ECU 100 receives a door unlock request signal from the electronic key 90 through any of the antennas 51 to 55, the ECU 100 controls the door lock mechanisms 71 to 75 so that all the doors are unlocked. The range in which the door lock request signal or the door unlock request signal can be transmitted from the electronic key 90 is wider than the above-described verification range. That is, even if the user operates the operation part of the electronic key 90 from a range farther from the vehicle 1 than the above-described verification range, the user can switch between locking and unlocking all doors.

  ECU 100 calculates an SOC indicating the amount of power stored in battery 10. In general, the SOC is expressed as a ratio of the actual charged amount to the full charge capacity. As a calculation method of the SOC, various known methods such as a method of calculating using the relationship between the output voltage of the battery 10 and the SOC, a method of calculating using an integrated value of the current flowing through the battery 10, and the like are used. it can.

  Further, ECU 100 performs control to display the SOC on SOC indicator 80 that can be viewed from outside the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “SOC display control”).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lighting state of the SOC indicator 80 by the SOC display control. As described above, the SOC indicator 80 according to the present embodiment has a total of three lamps. When the SOC display control is stopped, all three lamps are turned off.

  When the SOC display control is being executed, the lighting states of all three lamps are changed according to the SOC. When the SOC is less than a predetermined value S1 (for example, 30%), the left lamp is blinked and the center lamp and the right lamp are turned off. When the SOC is equal to or greater than a predetermined value S1 and less than a predetermined value S2 (for example, 60%), the left lamp is always lit, the center lamp is blinked, and the right lamp is turned off. When the SOC is equal to or greater than a predetermined value S2 and less than a target value (for example, 80%), the left lamp and the center lamp are always lit, and the right lamp is blinked. When the SOC is equal to or higher than the target value, all three lamps are always lit.

  In this way, by executing the SOC display control, the user can check the SOC indicator 80 from outside the vehicle by observing the SOC indicator 80 through the window without starting the vehicle system and checking the in-vehicle combination meter. (The amount of power stored in the battery 10) can be confirmed.

<Executing and stopping SOC display control>
As described above, by executing the SOC display control, the user can confirm the SOC (the amount of power stored in the battery 10) from outside the vehicle. However, if the SOC display control is executed until the user has a low need for confirming the SOC from outside the vehicle, the user may feel uncomfortable.

  That is, when the charging lid 5 is open during external charging or in a standby state before and after external charging, a long time has passed since the user got off the vehicle 1, and the user finally confirmed the SOC in the vehicle. Since many hours have passed since then, it is considered that the user needs to confirm the SOC from outside the vehicle.

  On the other hand, when the charging lid 5 is not closed during external charging or before or after external charging, the vehicle 1 is basically running and the user can check the SOC in the vehicle or temporarily. In many cases, since the user has only parked and the user has not checked the SOC for the last time in the vehicle, the user needs to check the SOC from the outside of the vehicle. If the SOC display control is executed up to such a case, the user may not be able to check the SOC, but the other person other than the user may see the SOC, and the user may feel uncomfortable. There is.

  Therefore, when the user approaches the vehicle 1 (moves from a position away from the vehicle 1 to a position close to the vehicle 1) and the charging lid 5 is open, the ECU 100 according to the present embodiment performs the above-described SOC display control. Execute. On the other hand, when the user is not approaching the vehicle 1 or when the charging lid 5 is closed, the above-described SOC display control is not executed. Thereby, in a situation where the user needs to confirm the SOC from the outside of the vehicle, even if the user approaches the vehicle 1, the display of the SOC toward the outside of the vehicle is suppressed. Therefore, it is avoided that the SOC is seen by other people than the user. As a result, it is possible to reduce discomfort given to the user while allowing the user to check the amount of electricity stored in the battery 10 from outside the vehicle.

  In addition, that a user approaches the vehicle 1 means that the user moves from a position away from the vehicle 1 to a position close to the vehicle 1. In the present embodiment, whether or not the user has approached the vehicle 1 is determined based on the result of the collation process described above, as will be described later.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure performed by the ECU 100. This flowchart is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

  In step (hereinafter, step is abbreviated as “S”) 10, ECU 100 determines whether or not external charging is in progress. When external charging is in progress (YES in S10), ECU 100 executes SOC display control in S20.

  If external charging is not being performed (NO in S10), ECU 100 determines in S11 whether the result of the above-described verification process has changed from verification failure to verification verification. This determination is performed to determine whether a legitimate user has approached the vehicle 1 or not. That is, when a legitimate user who possesses the electronic key 90 moves from outside the verification range (position away from the vehicle 1) to within the verification range (position close to the vehicle 1), the result of the above-described verification processing is It is determined that the verification has been changed, that is, the user has approached the vehicle 1.

  If there is no change from collation failure to collation success (NO in S11), ECU 100 stops SOC display control in S15. When the SOC display control is already stopped, the state where the SOC display control is stopped is continued.

  When the verification is not successful and the verification is successful (YES in S11), ECU 100 determines whether or not charging lid 5 is open in S12. If charging lid 5 is not open (NO in S12), ECU 100 stops the SOC display control in S15. When the SOC display control is already stopped, the state where the SOC display control is stopped is continued.

  When charging lid 5 is open (YES in S12), ECU 100 executes SOC display control in S13. Thereby, the user can confirm SOC from the outside of the vehicle by looking at the SOC indicator 80 through the window.

  After the process of S13, the ECU 100 determines in S14 whether or not the extinction condition is satisfied. For example, it is determined that the turn-off condition is satisfied when at least one of the following conditions (A) to (D) is satisfied.

(A) Condition that all doors are locked by user operation (B) Condition that any door is opened (C) Condition that accessory power supply or ignition power supply is turned on (D) User If the turn-off condition is not satisfied (NO in S14), ECU 100 returns the process to S13 and continues the execution of the SOC display control. If the turn-off condition is satisfied (YES in S14), ECU 100 stops the SOC display control in S15.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of timing at which the SOC display control is executed and stopped. When the result of the verification process changes from verification failure to verification verification at time t1 (the user approaches the vehicle 1), the charging lid 5 is closed, and the user needs less to check the SOC from outside the vehicle. Because of the situation, the SOC display control is maintained in a stopped state.

  When the result of the verification process changes again from verification failure to verification verification at time t2, the charging lid 5 is open, and there is a high need for the user to check the SOC from outside the vehicle. The execution of is started. Therefore, the user can confirm the SOC by looking at the SOC indicator 80 from outside the vehicle.

  When external charging is started at time t3 thereafter, the execution of the SOC display control is continued. If the extinction condition is satisfied at time t4 when the external charging is completed, the SOC display control is stopped.

  When the result of the collation process changes again from collation failure to collation success at time t5 after completion of external charging, the SOC display control is executed again because the charge lid 5 remains open. Therefore, the user can confirm that external charging is completed (S0C has reached the target value) by looking at the SOC indicator 80 from outside the vehicle. Thereafter, the SOC display control is stopped at time t7 when the extinction condition is satisfied.

  As described above, when the user approaches the vehicle 1 and the charging lid 5 is open, the ECU 100 according to the present embodiment is in a standby state during external charging or before and after external charging. Since it is considered that there is a high need for confirming, the SOC display control is executed. On the other hand, when the user is not approaching the vehicle 1 or when the charging lid 5 is closed, it is considered that there is a low need for the user to check the SOC from outside the vehicle, not during external charging or in a standby state before and after external charging. Therefore, ECU 100 does not execute the above-described SOC display control. Thereby, it is suppressed that SOC is displayed outside the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to reduce discomfort given to the user while allowing the user to check the amount of electricity stored in the battery 10 from outside the vehicle.

<Modification>
The above-described embodiment can be modified as follows, for example.

  (1) In the above-described embodiment, one of the conditions for executing the SOC display control includes a condition that the user has approached the vehicle 1 (the result of the verification process has changed from verification failure to verification verification). It was.

  However, instead of the condition that the user has approached the vehicle 1, it is also possible to set the condition that at least one of the doors has changed from the locked state to the unlocked state.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the ECU 100 according to the present modification. Of the steps shown in FIG. 5, the steps given the same numbers as the steps shown in FIG. 3 described above have already been described, and detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

  When external charging is not in progress (NO in S10), ECU 100 determines in S11A whether or not at least one of the doors has changed from the locked state to the unlocked state. For example, when all the doors are switched from the locked state to the unlocked state by operating the operation unit of the electronic key 90, YES is determined in S11A, and the process proceeds to S12.

  When at least one of the doors changes from the locked state to the unlocked state (YES in S11A) and charging lid 5 is open (YES in S12), ECU 100 determines the SOC in S13. Execute display control.

  After the process of S13, the ECU 100 determines in S14A whether or not a turn-off condition is satisfied. For example, it is determined that the turn-off condition is satisfied when at least one of the following conditions (A) to (C) is satisfied.

(A) Condition that all doors are locked by user's operation (B) Condition that any door is opened (C) Condition that accessory power supply or ignition power supply is turned on Change in this way Then, for example, the user can execute the SOC display control by operating the operation unit of the electronic key 90 at a position away from the vehicle 1 (a position outside the verification range). However, when the charging lid 5 is closed, even if the user operates the operation unit of the electronic key 90, the SOC display control is not executed, so that discomfort given to the user is reduced.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the SOC information is displayed on the SOC indicator 80 arranged at a position visible from the outside of the vehicle to notify the user outside the vehicle of the SOC.

  However, the method of notifying the user outside the vehicle of the SOC is not limited to this. For example, instead of or in addition to the SOC indicator 80 described above, an audio output device that informs the user outside the vehicle of the SOC by voice may be provided.

  Further, the above-described embodiment and its modification examples can be combined as appropriate.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1 vehicle, 2L left front door, 2R right front door, 3L left rear door, 3R right rear door, 4 back door, 5 charging lid, 7 dashboard, 10 battery, 20 charger, 30 inlet, 51-55 antenna, 61- 66 Open / close detection sensor, 71 to 75 Door lock mechanism, 80 SOC indicator, 90 electronic key, 100 ECU, 400 charging cable, 410 charging connector, 500 external power supply device.

Claims (1)

A vehicle capable of charging an in-vehicle power storage device using electric power supplied from a power source outside the vehicle,
An inlet for receiving power supplied from the power source;
A charging lid for covering the inlet;
An output device capable of outputting information that can be confirmed from outside the vehicle;
A control device for controlling the output device,
The information output by the output device is information indicating the amount of power stored in the power storage device,
The controller is
When the user approaches the vehicle and the charging lid is opened, the output device is controlled to output information indicating the amount of stored electricity,
When the user is not approaching the vehicle or when the charging lid is closed, the vehicle controls the output device so as not to output information indicating the charged amount.

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