JP2017130993A - Control circuit, battery residual amount display unit and vehicle having the control circuit, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a battery residual amount with a relatively small amount of a processing load and with higher accuracy.SOLUTION: A control circuit is mounted on a vehicle having a battery to acquire residual amount information showing the residual amount of energy stored in the battery, and outputs the acquired residual amount information in order to drive a pointer provided in a battery residual amount display unit to continuously move. The control circuit includes an interface for receiving information of an actual voltage value of the battery, and a processing circuit for setting the upper limit value of voltage in each of three or more sections defined in accordance with an energy amount stored in the battery, setting the upper limit value as a pointer voltage value in the case that the received actual voltage value is equal to or more than the upper limit value, and using the pointer voltage value to acquire residual amount information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for displaying a battery remaining amount in a pointer-type battery remaining amount display unit.

  In recent years, electric vehicles have been widely used. An electric vehicle is a vehicle amount that obtains propulsive force by converting electricity stored in a battery into driving force.

  Some electric vehicles have a pointer-type battery remaining amount display unit in the meter unit. The pointer-type battery remaining amount display unit displays the battery remaining amount using a continuously changing pointer. The rider can know the remaining battery level from the position of the pointer, in other words, the operable time of the electric vehicle.

  As the simplest battery remaining amount display method, a method of displaying the measured value of the voltmeter can be considered. However, with this method, even if the remaining battery level is the same, the position of the indicator of the battery level gauge can vary greatly. For example, depending on whether the battery temperature is high or low or there is a road load condition, the position of the pointer may vary greatly even if the remaining battery level is the same. Further improvement of the remaining amount display accuracy is required.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a pointer-type battery remaining amount display device. In Patent Document 1, an estimated power amount is obtained based on an actual voltage and an estimated current value calculated from a discharge current map and a remaining capacity map, and the remaining battery level is obtained by subtracting the estimated power amount from a full charge amount. Is calculated. When the remaining battery level is 80% or more, the pointer is controlled to indicate the full zone, and when it is 20% or less, the pointer is controlled to indicate the red zone.

JP 2012-239290 A

  In Patent Document 1, it is necessary to first obtain an estimated current value and further calculate an estimated power amount using the estimated current value. Furthermore, various information (discharge amount, etc.) is necessary for determining the remaining amount of the battery. That is, in Patent Document 1, complicated processing is required to obtain the remaining battery capacity.

  One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a method for displaying the remaining battery level with a relatively low processing load and higher accuracy.

  A control circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle having a battery, acquires remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of energy stored in the battery, and the acquired remaining amount information is stored in the battery. A control circuit provided in the remaining amount display unit for outputting a continuously moving pointer, an interface for receiving information on an actual voltage value of the battery, and an energy amount stored in the battery An upper limit value of voltage is set for each of the three or more categories defined accordingly, and when the received actual voltage value is greater than or equal to the upper limit value, the upper limit value is set as a guide voltage value. And a processing circuit that acquires the remaining amount information using a voltage value.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit specifies a current category using the actual voltage value of the battery, and the received actual voltage value is less than the upper limit value set for the current category. Alternatively, the actual voltage value may be set as the pointer voltage value.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit may set an upper limit value of a voltage that changes according to the actual current value in each of the three or more sections.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit may set an upper limit value of a voltage that is relatively small as the actual current value is relatively large in each of the three or more sections.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit uses the table or function indicating the relationship between the actual current value and the upper limit value of the voltage provided for each of the three or more sections. You may set the upper limit of the said voltage which changes according to an electric current value.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit specifies a current segment using the actual voltage value, and the same current segment value is not described in the table for the identified current segment. Is obtained from the upper limit value of at least two voltages corresponding to the at least two current values to the current current value using the relationship between the at least two current values described in the table and the actual current value. The upper limit value of the corresponding voltage may be calculated.

  In one embodiment, the interface further receives a temperature value corresponding to a current temperature of the battery, and the processing circuit is responsive to the temperature value and the actual current value for each of the three or more segments. An upper limit value of the voltage that changes may be set.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit may set an upper limit value of a relatively small voltage for each of the three or more sections as the temperature value is relatively low.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit includes a table or function indicating a relationship between the actual current value, the current temperature value, and the upper limit value of the voltage provided for each of the three or more sections. The upper limit value of the voltage obtained from the current current value and the current temperature value may be set.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit uses the voltage value to identify a current segment, and for the identified current segment, the table has the same value as the current temperature value and the actual current value in the table. When the same value is not described, the interpolation information indicating the relationship between the current value and the upper limit value of the voltage corresponding to at least two temperature values described in the table is calculated, and Using the relationship between at least two current values obtained from interpolation information and the current current value, the upper limit value of at least two voltages corresponding to the at least two current values corresponds to the current current value. The upper limit value of the voltage may be interpolated.

  In one embodiment, the interface receives information on the actual voltage value and the actual current value of the battery again after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the processing circuit uses the received actual voltage value again. When the current section is updated and the section changes, an upper limit value of the voltage corresponding to the section after the change may be set.

  In one embodiment, the processing circuit may gradually decrease the upper limit value of the voltage every time the energy consumption of the battery exceeds a predetermined reference.

  In one embodiment, the energy consumption is determined by using an integrated value of any one of the travel distance, travel time, and current consumption of the battery.

  In one embodiment, when the division changes, a change to the previous division may be prohibited unless a predetermined condition is satisfied.

  In one embodiment, the predetermined condition may be that a main switch of the vehicle is once turned off.

  According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the battery remaining amount display unit receives the remaining amount information from the control circuit, the pointer, and the control circuit described above, and outputs the remaining amount information to the remaining amount information. And a driving mechanism for continuously moving the pointer based on the driving mechanism.

  According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle includes any one of the control circuits described above, and a battery remaining amount display unit having a pointer and a drive mechanism. In the battery remaining amount display unit, the drive mechanism receives the remaining amount information from the control circuit, and continuously moves the pointer based on the remaining amount information.

  In one embodiment, a vehicle includes the above-described battery remaining amount display unit, the battery, and a motor driven by electric power supplied from the battery.

  In one embodiment, the battery may be a lead acid battery.

  In one embodiment, the battery may have a plurality of battery blocks each capable of storing electricity.

  According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a computer program executed by a processing circuit provided in a control circuit, the control circuit being mounted on a vehicle having a battery and stored in the battery A computer program for acquiring remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of energy and outputting the acquired remaining amount information for driving a continuously exercising pointer provided in a battery remaining amount display unit. Sets the upper voltage limit for each of the three or more categories defined according to the process for causing the processing circuit to receive information on the actual voltage value of the battery and the amount of energy stored in the battery. Processing, when the received actual voltage value is greater than or equal to the upper limit value, processing for setting the upper limit value as a guide voltage value, and using the guide voltage value To execute a process of acquiring the amount information.

  According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a voltage upper limit value is set for each of the three or more categories defined according to the amount of energy stored in the battery, and the received actual voltage value is the upper limit value. In the above case, the upper limit value is set as the current voltage value, and the remaining amount information is acquired using the current voltage value. When the actual voltage value of the battery indicates a value greater than or equal to the electrical energy stored in the battery, the upper limit value is set as the current voltage value instead of the actual voltage value, and the remaining amount information is acquired. As a result, the pointer does not indicate the remaining amount with a fluctuation width equal to or larger than the electric energy accumulated in the battery. Since the upper limit value of the voltage only needs to be set for each of the three or more categories, the processing load is relatively small and the remaining amount can be displayed with high accuracy.

1 is a side view showing an external configuration of a scooter type electric motorcycle 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an electric circuit provided in the electric motorcycle 1. It is a figure which shows typically the external appearance of the meter unit 55. FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the flow of the information from the battery 30 to the meter unit 55 mainly. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware structure of a meter unit 55. FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the residual amount of a battery and the battery voltage value in the pointer | guide control operation performed conventionally. It is a figure which shows typically the deflection width of the pointer | guide 82 in residual amount = L1, L2, L3. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the residual amount of a battery, and a pointer voltage value when six divisions are set to the remaining amount and an upper limit value is set for each division. It is a figure which shows typically the deflection width of the pointer | guide 82 in residual amount = L1, L2, L3. It is a figure which shows the table 100 of the conditions which prescribe | regulate the six divisions determined at the time of power activation of a vehicle, and each division. It is a figure which shows typically the relationship between a division | segmentation and residual amount. It is a figure which shows the table 101-1 for the division switching process at the time of vehicle travel. It is a figure which shows the table 101-2 for the division switching process at the time of vehicle travel by another example. It is a figure which shows the function group 102 utilized for the division switching process at the time of vehicle travel. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a battery remaining amount display process. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed procedure of the determination process of a pointer voltage value. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed procedure of the determination process of the pointer voltage value Vm accompanying a transition of a division. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a remaining battery level and a position of a pointer according to the second embodiment. It is an enlarged view of the part enclosed with the circle of the dashed-two dotted line shown in FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed procedure of a process for determining a pointer voltage value Vm according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other example of the pointer voltage value Vm shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating voltage curves that vary depending on the temperature conditions of the battery 30. It is a figure which shows 202 A of function groups utilized for the division switching process when the temperature of the battery 30 is 0 degreeC. It is a figure which shows the function group 202B utilized for the division switching process when the temperature of the battery 30 is 25 degreeC. It is a figure which shows the concept of the method for producing | generating the function of arbitrary temperature from the function regarding two temperatures. It is a figure which shows the structural example for the battery remaining amount display process concerning a 1st modification. It is a figure which shows the structural example for the battery remaining amount display process concerning a 2nd modification.

  Hereinafter, a battery remaining amount display technique for an electric vehicle will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the present specification, a scooter type electric motorcycle will be described as an embodiment of the electric vehicle. However, this is only an example. It may be an electric motorcycle other than a scooter type, or an electric vehicle having three or more wheels such as an electric tricycle. The following embodiments are illustrative, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

  A number of embodiments are described herein. All of the embodiments are scooter-type electric motorcycles. Therefore, prior to describing each embodiment, the configuration of the electric motorcycle will be described. Details of each battery remaining amount display process will be described as specific contents of each embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing an external configuration of a scooter type electric motorcycle 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

  In the following description, unless otherwise specified, “front” and “rear” mean front and rear as viewed from the occupant of the electric motorcycle, respectively. Reference numerals F and Re attached to the drawings represent front and rear, respectively. In the description of the embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description thereof will be omitted when they are duplicated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electric motorcycle 1 includes a vehicle body 10, a steering handle 12, a front wheel 14, a rear wheel 16, an electric motor 20, and a seat 26.

  The vehicle body 10 has a structure including a vehicle body frame and a vehicle body cover. A front fork 22 is supported on the vehicle body 10. A steering handle 12 is attached to the top of the front fork 22. A front wheel 14 is supported at the lower end of the front fork 22.

  The rear wheel 16 and the electric motor 20 are swingably supported by the vehicle body 10 by a swing arm 24. In this example, the driving wheel is the rear wheel 16 and the driven wheel is the front wheel 14. As the rotation of the electric motor 20 is transmitted to the rear wheel 16, the electric motorcycle 1 travels.

  A footrest portion 28 on which a passenger puts his / her foot is provided at the lower portion of the vehicle body 10 between the front wheel 14 and the rear wheel 16. A battery 30 is mounted below the footrest portion 28. The battery 30 is, for example, a lead storage battery. The output voltage of the battery 30 is, for example, 60V. The output voltage of the battery is an example and may be another value. For example, 36V, 48V, 72V, etc. may be used. The output voltage of the battery can be adjusted, for example, by connecting a plurality of battery blocks each having 12V in series. The electric motor 20 is driven according to the electric power supplied from the battery 30.

  Around the steering handle 12, a headlight 53, an electronic throttle 54, and a meter unit 55 are disposed as electrical components. The headlight 53 emits light that illuminates the front of the electric motorcycle 1. The occupant adjusts the rotation speed of the electric motor 20 by operating the electronic throttle 54. The meter unit 55 displays various types of information such as travel speed, remaining battery level, and operation mode. A taillight 56 is disposed at the rear of the vehicle body 10 to notify the following vehicle of its presence.

  The electric power supplied from the battery 30 is supplied to, for example, a motor control unit (hereinafter referred to as “MCU”) 42, a breaker 43, a DC / DC converter 44, and an alarm 46 via the harness 32 and the terminal block 41. . The battery 30 is charged by connecting a charging connector to the charging port 45.

  Next, an electric circuit inside the electric motorcycle 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an electric circuit provided in the electric motorcycle 1. Note that the terminal block 41 is omitted in FIG. 2 for easy understanding.

  The main switch 49 switches the power of the electric motorcycle 1 on and off according to the operation of the occupant. The electric power output from the battery 30 is supplied to the MCU 42 via the breaker 43. The breaker 43 cuts off the power supply from the battery 30 when an abnormal overcurrent flows in the circuit due to an overload or a short circuit. Further, the breaker 43 is provided with a switch that can be operated by a passenger. When the electric motorcycle 1 is not used for a long period of time, the power supply from the battery 30 is turned off by turning off the switch. can do.

  The MCU 42 controls the operation of the electric motor 20 and the operation of each part of the electric motorcycle 1. The MCU 42 includes a microcomputer and a memory that stores a computer program that defines a procedure for controlling the operation of each part of the electric motorcycle 1. Further, the MCU 42 includes electronic components for controlling the operation of each part of the electric motorcycle 1.

  The MCU 42 includes a terminal group 40 for receiving information from the outside. The terminal group 40 is sometimes called an interface. The MCU 42 acquires voltage value, current value, and temperature information from the voltmeter 60, ammeter 61, and temperature sensor 62 via the terminal group 40. The voltmeter 60 measures the value (voltage value) of the voltage across the battery 30. The ammeter 61 measures the value of current flowing from the battery 30 (current value). The temperature sensor 62 measures the temperature of the battery 30.

  The DC / DC converter 44 is located between the battery 30 and the above-described electrical components on the circuit, and steps down the output voltage of the battery 30 and outputs it. For example, the DC / DC converter 44 reduces the output voltage 60V of the battery 30 to 12V and outputs it to the electrical component. The MCU 42 monitors the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 44. If the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 44 becomes an abnormal value due to a failure of the DC / DC converter 44, the MCU 42 turns off the relay switch 48 and turns off the battery. The output voltage of 30 is not supplied to the DC / DC converter 44. By shutting off the power supply to the electrical component when the DC / DC converter 44 fails, it is possible to prevent a high voltage current from flowing through the electrical component operating at a low voltage (for example, 12 V).

  The charging port 45 is used for charging the battery 30. When the connector of the external charger is connected to the charging port 45, the battery 30 is supplied with electric power and charged. The charging port 45 may be provided with a cover for preventing rain and dust from entering and leakage. In this example, the MCU 42 controls the charging of the battery 30. A diode 47 is provided between the battery 30 and the charging port 45, and this diode 47 prevents current from flowing backward during charging or prevents leakage from the charging port to the outside. Can do.

  The alarm 46 is an anti-theft alarm and is activated while the electric motorcycle 1 is parked. When detecting an abnormality such as vibration, the alarm 46 emits sound and / or light to notify the surroundings of the abnormality.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the appearance of the meter unit 55. The meter unit 55 can be roughly divided into two parts. That is, the meter unit 55 has a speed display unit 70 and a battery remaining amount display unit 80.

  The speed display unit 70 receives the speed information, and can display the current vehicle speed by moving the pointer 72 to a position corresponding to the speed indicated by the speed information.

  The battery remaining amount display unit 80 receives the remaining amount information generated by the MCU 42, and moves the pointer 82 to a position corresponding to the speed indicated by the remaining amount information, whereby the remaining amount of electricity stored in the battery 30 or The degree can be displayed. Generally, when the pointer 82 points to the “H” position, the remaining amount is 100%, and when the pointer 82 points to the “L” position, the remaining amount is 0%. When the pointer 82 points to the position of the middle point of ¼ yen from “H” to “L”, the remaining amount is 50%.

  FIG. 4 schematically mainly shows the flow of information from the battery 30 to the meter unit 55. The MCU 42 includes an interface 40, an arithmetic processing circuit 68, and a memory 69.

  The MCU 42 acquires the voltage value, current value, and temperature value of the battery 30 via the interface 40. The MCU 42 generates remaining amount information from the acquired values by a process described later. All the processes described below, typically a series of processes described by flowcharts, can be described as a computer program. Such a computer program is stored in the memory 69 and executed by the arithmetic processing circuit 68. Further, the MCU 42 receives a pulse signal proportional to the rotational speed of the front wheel 14 via another interface, and generates speed information from the pulse signal.

  FIG. 5 shows a hardware structure of the meter unit 55. The meter unit 55 includes the speed display unit 70 and the battery remaining amount display unit 80 described above, a motor control circuit 84, a motor drive circuit 86, and motors 78 and 88.

  The motor control circuit 84 receives the remaining amount information and the speed information from the MCU 42 and sends a pulse signal corresponding to each information to the motor drive circuit 86. The motor drive circuit 86 controls the magnitude, phase, and the like of the current that flows to drive the motors 78 and 88. The hands 72 and 82 operate the motors 78 and 88 based on the current supplied from the motor drive circuit 86 to drive the hands 72 and 82.

  In this embodiment, the motor control circuit 84 and the motor drive circuit 86 for driving the motor 78 of the speed display unit 70 and the motor 88 of the battery remaining amount display unit 80 are shared, but this is an example. is there. A motor control circuit and a motor drive circuit may be provided independently for each of the motor 78 of the speed display unit 70 and the remaining battery level display unit 80. Furthermore, it is not essential to use a motor, and other methods may be adopted.

  Next, the pointer control operation of the battery remaining amount display unit 80 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, a general pointer control operation so far will be described, and then a pointer control operation according to the present embodiment will be described. The pointer control operation is typically an operation of the MCU 42. For convenience of explanation, reference is made to the pointer 82 of the battery remaining amount display unit 80 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the remaining battery level and the battery voltage value in a conventional pointer control operation. The horizontal axis indicates the remaining amount, and the vertical axis indicates the battery voltage value.

  “1.0” of the remaining amount of the battery indicates a state where the charging is completed (battery full state), and “0.0” indicates a state where the charged electric energy can be considered exhausted (battery empty state). . Between “1.0” and “0.0” represents the ratio of the current amount of electricity to the amount of electricity at the completion of charging. The remaining amount is calculated, for example, by obtaining a ratio between the current voltage value of the battery and the voltage value of the battery when it is determined that charging has been completed. However, this calculation method is an example, and other calculation methods may be used.

  “1.0” and “0.0” of the position of the pointer 82 respectively correspond to the “H” position and the “L” position of the battery remaining amount display unit 80 (FIG. 3). Between “1.0” and “0.0”, the pointer 82 corresponds to a position on a quarter circle from “H” to “L” with respect to the position of “H”.

  As shown in FIG. 6, it is understood that the pointer 82 swings greatly even under a situation where the remaining amount has decreased. This is because the battery voltage value fluctuates due to the temperature of the battery, the road surface load condition during traveling, and the like.

  Now, as an example, the fluctuation of the pointer 82 when the remaining amounts are L1, L2, and L3 will be considered. The remaining amounts = L1, L2, and L3 are approximately L1 = 0.48, L2 = 0.3, and L3 = 0.08 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 schematically shows the swing width of the pointer 82 when the remaining amount is L1, L2, and L3.

  When the remaining amount = L1, the pointer 82 fluctuates approximately between 0.5 and 1.0. Further, when the remaining amount = L2, the pointer 82 fluctuates approximately between 0.26 and 1.0. Regardless of L1 = 0.48 and L2 = 0.3, in any example, the pointer 82 may indicate a battery full state. That is, even if the remaining amount is less than half, the pointer 82 may indicate a battery full state.

  When the remaining amount = L3, the pointer 82 varies approximately between 0.0 and 0.7. Since L3 = 0.08, the fact that the position of the pointer 82 is 0.7 indicates that the pointer 82 indicates a larger charge amount than the actual amount.

  In the conventional example, since the pointer swings according to the battery actual voltage value, the remaining battery level can be displayed with a simple configuration. However, as understood from the above example, since the movement of the pointer is large, the rider cannot know the approximate remaining amount unless he / she gets on for a certain amount of time and grasps the center position of the movement of the pointer. . Furthermore, since the movement of the pointer is large, the rider feels that the remaining amount of the battery 30 has changed suddenly. Therefore, there is room for improving the operation accuracy of the pointer.

(Embodiment 1)
In the pointer control of this embodiment, a plurality of categories are set for the remaining amount, and an upper limit value of the voltage is set for each category. When the current voltage value (actual voltage value) of the battery 30 is lower than the upper limit value, the motor control circuit controls the motor drive circuit using the actual voltage value. On the other hand, when the current voltage value (actual voltage value) of the battery 30 is higher than the upper limit value, the motor control circuit controls the motor drive circuit using the upper limit value. In other words, if the actual voltage value exceeds the upper limit for some reason, the motor control circuit controls the motor drive circuit using the upper limit value without using the actual voltage value. The pointer 82 is not driven as described above.

  FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the remaining battery level and the pointer voltage value when six categories are set for the remaining amount and an upper limit value is set for each category. For reference, the boundaries of the sections are indicated by broken lines, and the section numbers are also shown at the top.

  The “pointer voltage value” is a voltage value that directly corresponds to the position of the pointer 82, which is obtained by a process described later. “Guide voltage value” does not simply indicate the actual voltage value of the battery 30 as shown in FIG. 6, but is clipped by the upper limit value when the actual voltage value of each section exceeds the upper limit value. Value. For this reason, the position of the pointer 82 does not move more than the position corresponding to the upper limit value. As the remaining amount decreases, the classification is changed, and an upper limit value corresponding to the changed classification is set.

  Similar to FIG. 6, the shake of the pointer 82 at the remaining amount = L1, L2, and L3 is examined. FIG. 9 schematically shows the swing width of the pointer 82 when the remaining amount = L1, L2, and L3. Compared with FIG. 7, the deflection width of the pointer 82 is within a predetermined width. For example, in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, when comparing the swing width when the remaining amount = L2, the swing width is smaller in FIG. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the indicator display that the remaining amount is nearly 100% even though the remaining amount is actually reduced to about half.

  Note that, for example, regarding the section 5 in FIG. When approaching the boundary portion, the waveform in the section 5 has more opportunities to take a value lower than the upper limit value. Therefore, not only the deflection of the pointer 82 is clipped by the upper limit value, but also there are many opportunities for the pointer 82 to indicate a position indicating a low remaining amount. A situation in which vibration occurs between such a position corresponding to the upper limit value and a position indicating a low remaining amount appears at the boundary between the sections 5 and 4.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the present embodiment, three or more categories are defined regarding the charging rate of the battery 30. In the following, it is assumed that the number of sections is six.

  The classification is first determined at the start of vehicle operation. Thereafter, the segment changes as the electrical energy stored in the battery 30 is consumed. In general, as the vehicle travels, the classification can vary from higher to lower.

  Below, the division determined at the time of the start of operation of the vehicle and the division which changes as electric energy is consumed thereafter will be described.

  FIG. 10A shows a table 100 of six categories determined when the vehicle is turned on and conditions defining each category. Each section is determined according to the remaining battery level. The remaining amount can be determined by the open circuit voltage. The open circuit voltage is a voltage when the inside of the battery 30 is in an equilibrium state when there is no load. In this embodiment, the open circuit voltage is obtained as the actual voltage value of the battery 30 measured immediately after the vehicle is turned on. FIG. 10B schematically shows the relationship between the classification and the remaining amount.

  In FIGS. 10A and 10B, it is assumed that the lower boundary value among the boundary values of a section is not included in the section. For example, when the remaining amount is 70% or less and more than 45%, that is, when the open circuit voltage is V5 or less and greater than V4, the remaining amount is classified into Category 4. When the remaining amount is 45%, the remaining amount is classified into Category 3.

  Next, the classification switching process during vehicle travel will be described.

  FIG. 11A shows a table 101-1 for the section switching process when the vehicle is traveling.

  In the table 101-1, a section switching voltage value Vch used for determining whether or not the section has changed is described. The section (X + 1) → section X (X: integer from 0 to 5) written in the leftmost column of the table 101-1 means that the section (X + 1) transitions to the section X. When the actual voltage value of the battery 30 is equal to or lower than the segment switching voltage value Vch in the current segment, the segment is switched. Thus, based on the current segment and the actual voltage value, it can be determined whether the segment is switched.

  The actual voltage value described above is affected by the magnitude of the actual current value used in the battery 30. Therefore, if the switching of the category is determined in consideration of the current value, the accuracy of the operation of the pointer 82 can be further increased.

  FIG. 11B shows a table 101-2 for classification switching processing during vehicle travel.

  In the present embodiment, the classification is determined using the voltage value and the current value. In the table 101-2, voltage values (section switching voltage values) for switching the sections are described in the case where the current values are A1, A2, A3, and A4.

  For example, assume that the current classification is 5, the current value is A1, and the actual voltage value is V. At this time, the value V51 of the frame 101a is referred to based on the category and the current value. If V> V51, the division is maintained at 5. If V ≦ V51, the classification is switched to 4. As another example, assume that the current classification is 2, the current value is A3, and the actual voltage value is V. At this time, the value V23 of the frame 101b is referred to based on the division and the current value. If V> V23, the division is maintained at 2. If V ≦ V23, the classification is switched to 1.

  Thus, based on the current segment, current value, and voltage value, it can be determined whether the segment is switched.

  However, since the current value can change continuously, it can take a value other than the specific value described in the table of FIG. 11B. Hereinafter, countermeasures for current values that can be continuously changed will be described.

  As one of countermeasures, when the actual voltage value is not described in the table 101-2, the relationship between at least two current values described in the table 101-2 and the actual current value is used. This is a method of calculating an upper limit value of a voltage corresponding to an actual current value from an upper limit value of at least two voltages corresponding to at least two current values. In the table 101-2, the two current values At 1 and At 2 on the table 101-2 closest to the actual current value Ar are specified. For example, At1 <Ar <At2. When the voltage value Vt1 corresponding to the current value At1 and the voltage value Vt2 corresponding to the current value At2 are used, the voltage value Vr to be obtained is (At2-Ar) :( Ar-At1) = (Vt2-Vr): It can be obtained from the equation (Vr−Vt1).

  Another countermeasure is to obtain a function group obtained by expanding the table 101-2 in advance.

FIG. 12 shows a function group 102 used for the section switching process when the vehicle is traveling. FIG. 12 shows five broken lines. According to the explanation of FIG. 11B above, from the top, “Category 5 → Category 4”, “Category 4 → Category 3”, “Category 3 → Category 2”, “Category 2 → Category 1”, “Category 1 → Category” The segment switching voltage value Vch corresponding to “0” is defined. Specifically, it is as follows.
Solid line: Function of section switching voltage value Vch for determining transition from section 5 to section 4 Fine chain line: Function of section switching voltage value Vch for determining transition from section 4 to section 3 Coarse chain line: Section 3 Function of section switching voltage value Vch for determining transition from section 2 to section 1 Dotted line: Function of section switching voltage value Vch for determining transition from section 2 to section 1 Two-dot chain line: section 1 to section 0 Function of section switching voltage value Vch for determining transition to

  A black dot (“●”) is provided on each of the function groups 102 corresponding to each of the current values A1 to A4. These correspond to the values in each table shown in FIG. 11B. In order to extend the table 101-2 in FIG. 11B to a function, the inter-table values are obtained by interpolation. Now, pay attention to the four black dots on the top solid line in FIG. 11B. The segment switching voltage value Vch between the current values A1 and A2 is obtained by linearly interpolating the segment switching voltage value V51 at the current value A1 and the segment switching voltage value V52 at the current value A2. In this example, when a coordinate system of the current value A and the voltage value V is considered, a straight line connecting the coordinates (A1, V51) and the coordinates (A2, V52) is a division between the current values A1 and A2. This is a function that defines the switching voltage value Vch. The same applies to each segment switching voltage value Vch between the current values A2 and A3 and between the current values A3 and A4. By such a complementing process, the topmost polygonal line in FIG. 11B is obtained. The same applies to the remaining four broken lines.

  In the present embodiment, the current value A3 to A4 is set to be substantially flat. It means that a relatively large current is consumed between the current values A3 and A4. The consumption of such a large current is temporary and is not continuously used as a practical area. Because.

  In addition, the profile of the function which shows each division switching voltage value of FIG. 12 is an example, Comprising: Another profile can be employ | adopted. For example, linear interpolation is an example, and a profile in which curve interpolation is performed and part or all of the curve is a curve may be employed. The range of the current value may be determined based on the current consumption of the electric device mounted on the vehicle. The function may be stored as an equation, or may be stored as a table in which current values and voltage values corresponding to the detection accuracy of the ammeter 61 are associated with each other. Hereinafter, in the present specification, each of the table 101-2 and the function group 102 described above may be collectively referred to as a “current / voltage map”. As described above, in the present specification, in order to mainly describe a mode in which the function group 102 is used, the “current / voltage map 102” will be described below, and a part or all of the functions of the function group 102 are indicated.

  In the present embodiment, by preparing a current / voltage map as shown in FIG. 12, the division switching voltage value Vch is set based on an arbitrary current value within an assumed range and the current division. can do.

  Next, battery remaining amount display processing by the MCU 42 will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that the main body that executes the processing is the MCU 42, but more specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, an arithmetic processing circuit 68 that executes a computer program stored in the memory 69.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of battery remaining amount display processing.

  In step S1, the MCU 42 acquires a voltage value measured when the main switch is turned on from the voltmeter 60 (FIG. 2). As described above, this voltage value is an open circuit voltage.

  In step S2, the MCU 42 refers to the table shown in FIG. 10A, and determines the classification of the remaining amount of the battery 30 according to the acquired actual voltage value. In view of the fact that the acquired actual voltage value fluctuates, if only the actual voltage value at that time is always referred to, the display accuracy may be reduced. Therefore, when the actual voltage value is continuously acquired for 30 to 40 seconds and the actual voltage value indicates the same category, the category may be adopted as the category of the remaining amount of the battery 30. .

  In step S <b> 3, the MCU 42 performs a pointer voltage value determination process according to the remaining amount classification. Details of this processing are shown in FIG. 14 or FIG. After the determination process of the pointer voltage value is performed, steps S2 and S3 are continuously executed using the voltage value acquired during traveling. That is, according to the voltage value at the time of driving | running | working, a division is determined anew in step S2, and the determination process of a pointer voltage value is performed according to the division.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the pointer voltage value determination process. In FIG. 14, there is no change of the division, that is, specific processing within a specific division is shown.

Prior to the detailed description of FIG. 14, terms and symbols used below will be described.
“Actual voltage value V”: Current voltage value obtained from voltmeter 60 (FIG. 2) “Actual current value I”: Current current value obtained from ammeter 61 (FIG. 2) “Comparison reference voltage value Vref” ": Variable to which the segment switching voltage value Vch at the time of processing is substituted. The classification switching voltage value Vch is set corresponding to the classification of the remaining amount of the battery 30 that is specified when the process is performed.
“Guide voltage value Vm”: The voltage value for driving the pointer 82 of the battery remaining amount display unit 80 (FIG. 3) as the current remaining amount of the battery 30 “←”: A symbol representing substitution. For example, “A ← B” indicates that the value of B is substituted for A.

  In step S11, the MCU 42 determines whether or not the division is 0. When the division is 0, that is, when the battery 30 is in the discharge stop state, the process proceeds to step S12. If it is other than 0, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S12, the MCU 42 substitutes the constant value Vconst for the pointer voltage value Vm. The constant value Vconst is, for example, a voltage value corresponding to the position of “L” corresponding to 0 in FIG.

  In step S13, the MCU 42 sets the current / voltage map 102 corresponding to the remaining amount classification. “Setting” means that the MCU 42 reads a function corresponding to the current remaining capacity classification from the function group 102 of FIG. 12 into its memory (not shown). For example, when the current section is 5, the MCU 42 reads the function (formula or table) located at the top of FIG.

  In step S14, the MCU 42 acquires the actual voltage value V and the actual current value I.

  In step S <b> 15, the MCU 42 refers to the current / voltage map 102, and specifies the segment switching voltage value Vch corresponding to the current segment and the actual current value I.

  In step S16, the MCU 42 substitutes the segment switching voltage value Vch at that time for the comparison reference voltage value Vref.

  In step S <b> 17, the MCU 42 determines whether or not the comparison reference voltage value Vref is less than or equal to the actual voltage value V. If the comparison reference voltage value Vref is not less than or equal to the actual voltage value V, the process proceeds to step S18, and in the following case, the process proceeds to step S19.

  In step S18, the MCU 42 substitutes the actual voltage value V for the pointer voltage value Vm.

  In step S19, the MCU 42 substitutes the comparison reference voltage value Vref for the pointer voltage value Vm.

  In step S20, the MCU 42 outputs the pointer voltage value Vm as remaining amount information. The remaining amount information is sent to the meter unit 55 and used for driving the pointer 82 of the remaining battery amount display unit 80.

  The series of processing in steps S17, S19, and S20 described above means that the upper limit at which the pointer 82 swings is limited not by the actual voltage value V but by the comparison reference voltage value Vref that is lower than that. The actual voltage value V can be higher than the voltage value corresponding to the original remaining amount of the battery 30 depending on the road load condition and the like. Instead of the actual voltage value V, a section switching voltage value Vch (= comparison reference voltage value Vref) determined for each section corresponding to the current remaining amount is adopted and set to the pointer voltage value Vm. As a result, the pointer 82 as shown in FIG. 7 does not swing to the battery full despite the amount L2 (about 30%), and is limited to the swing width shown as the remaining amount L2 in FIG. it can.

  Next, the determination process of the pointer voltage value Vm when accompanied by the transition of the section will be described.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the determination process of the pointer voltage value Vm accompanied by the transition of the division. FIG. 15 shows the detailed processing of step S3 of FIG. 13, and can be employed instead of the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 15 differs from the flowchart of FIG. 14 in that step S21 exists in FIG.

  Step S21 is a process in which the MCU 42 determines whether or not the classification has been changed. If the classification is changed, the process proceeds to step S13, and if not changed, the process proceeds to step S17.

  The process of step S21 will be described in more detail along the order. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the division is 2 or more.

  Through steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 13, the MCU 42 determines the first partition. When the first division is determined, since the division is not changed, the MCU 42 executes step S17 after step S21 in FIG. Thereafter, the MCU 42 executes step S18 or S19, executes step S20, and ends. The process returns to step S2 in FIG.

  The MCU 42 acquires the actual voltage value V when executing step S2 for the second time, and sets the classification of the remaining amount of the battery 30 according to the actual voltage value V. At this time, it is assumed that the category is shifted down by one.

  When step S21 of FIG. 15 is executed for the second time, the MCU 42 executes the processes of steps S13 to S16. For example, in step S13, the MCU 42 sets the current / voltage map 102 corresponding to the newly transitioned section. In step S16, the MCU 42 updates the comparison reference voltage value Vref to the segment switching voltage value Vch corresponding to the segment after the transition. The updated segment switching voltage value Vch is smaller than the previous segment switching voltage value Vch. When the segment transition occurs, the comparison reference voltage value Vref is set low each time. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper limit value that decreases stepwise as the section becomes smaller is set, thereby restricting the swing width of the pointer 82.

  According to the processing of the present embodiment, since the upper limit of the amplitude fluctuation of the pointer 82 is set by simple processing using the actual current value and the actual voltage value, the remaining battery capacity is reduced with a relatively low processing load. It becomes possible to display with high accuracy.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, when the division changes, the division switching voltage value Vch corresponding to the upper limit value is immediately switched, and as a result, the swing width is controlled in a shape as shown in FIG. Such control is realized by setting the switched segment switching voltage value Vch as the comparison reference voltage value Vref and using it as the upper limit value.

  In the present embodiment, the comparison reference voltage value Vref is not immediately updated to a new division switching voltage value Vch, but the comparison reference voltage value Vref is gradually reduced within the same division.

  FIG. 16 shows the relationship between the remaining battery level and the position of the pointer 82 according to the present embodiment. It is understood that the upper limit of the swing width is gradually reduced within one section.

  FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line circle shown in FIG.

  It is understood that the upper limit is lowered for each predetermined value α from the section switching voltage value Vch of section 6 to the section switching voltage value Vch of section 5. In the present embodiment, the predetermined value α can be determined in the range of 0.5 to 1 V, for example.

  The amount of change in the remaining amount until the upper limit is lowered by a predetermined value α is indicated by “Β”. “Β” corresponds to a predetermined electric energy consumption β, which will be described later.

  As is clear from the example of FIG. 17, the MCU 42 gradually sets the segment switching voltage value that functions as the upper limit value every time the current integrated value (consumption of electric energy) of the battery 30 exceeds a predetermined reference. Decrease.

  Hereinafter, details of processing for realizing the operation of FIG. 17 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed procedure of the determination process of the pointer voltage value Vm according to the present embodiment. FIG. 18 shows an alternative process of a part of the process of FIG. 15 (within the broken line frame), and the other processes are the same as those shown in FIG. Below, the process of step S31-S39 is demonstrated. For the processing common to FIG. 15, the description of FIG. 15 is used, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  Prior to the detailed description of FIG. 18, terms used anew will be described below.

  Current integrated value Aacc: integrated value of the amount of current flowing from the battery 30. In the present embodiment, the integration target is described as the amount of current, but this is an example. The amount of current is not limited as long as it is a physical amount indicating the consumption of electric energy stored in the battery 30. For example, the travel distance, travel time, and change amount of the actual voltage value may be used.

  Flag F: A flag indicating whether or not to integrate the current amount. In this embodiment, when the flag value is 1, the amount of current is accumulated, and when the flag value is 0, the amount of current is not accumulated.

  First, the processes in steps S31 and S32 are performed when the classification is changed (“Y” in step S21). In step S31, the MCU 42 substitutes 1 for the flag F and substitutes 0 for the current integrated value Aacc. By this process, integration of the current amount is started. Thereafter, the processes in steps S13 to S15 and S32 are performed.

  In step S32, the MCU 42 newly sets a value obtained by subtracting α from the current comparison reference voltage value Vref as a comparison reference voltage value Vref. This processing corresponds to, for example, a voltage value that is lower than the section switching voltage value Vch of section 6 by α for one stage in FIG. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S34.

  On the other hand, if the MCU 42 determines in step S21 that the classification has not been changed, the process proceeds to step S33.

  In step S33, the MCU 42 determines whether or not the value of the flag F is 1. When the flag F = 1, the process proceeds to step S34. If the flag F is not 1, the process proceeds to step S17 (FIG. 15).

  In step S34, the MCU 42 updates the current integrated value Aacc. More specifically, the MCU 42 adds the difference current amount to the existing current integrated value Aacc, and substitutes the addition result into the current integrated value Aacc. The “differential current amount” is obtained as the amount of current consumed from the time when the current integrated value Aacc was last updated until the time when step S34 was performed.

  In step S35, the MCU 42 determines whether or not the current integrated value Aacc is equal to or greater than a predetermined current amount β. If current integrated value Aacc is equal to or greater than a predetermined current amount β, the process proceeds to step S36, and if not, the process proceeds to step S17 (FIG. 15). In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the predetermined amount of current β is, for example, 0.5 to 1.5 Ah. Note that, as shown in FIG. 17, the amount of current β is proportional to the step width of the minute step portion having the height α.

  The fact that the current integrated value Aacc is equal to or greater than a predetermined current amount β means that one step is newly lowered in FIG. Therefore, it is necessary to newly add the current amount again.

  Therefore, in step S36, the MCU 42 substitutes 0 for the integrated current value Aacc. That is, the current integrated value Aacc is cleared to zero. In step S37, the MCU 42 newly sets a value obtained by subtracting α from the current comparison reference voltage value Vref as a comparison reference voltage value Vref.

  In step S38, the MCU 42 determines whether or not the new comparison reference voltage value Vref is equal to or lower than the section switching voltage value Vch of the section. This process is performed to ensure that the new comparison reference voltage value Vref does not become equal to or lower than the segment switching voltage value Vch due to the reduction by α. If the comparison reference voltage value Vref is equal to or lower than the section switching voltage value Vch of the section, the process proceeds to step S39, and if not, the process proceeds to step S17 (FIG. 15).

  In step S39, the MCU 42 sets the segment switching voltage value Vch as the comparison reference voltage value Vref, and sets the flag F to 0. In the example of FIG. 17, this process means that the comparison reference voltage value Vref is set as “Vch of category 5”. After step S39, the process proceeds to step S17 (FIG. 15).

  Each time the current integrated value Aacc reaches a predetermined current amount β, the comparison reference voltage value Vref is decreased by α to lower the upper limit value. Compared with the example of the first embodiment, the rider can recognize that the remaining amount of the battery 30 is gradually reduced by the hands 82, and can express the remaining amount of the battery 30 with higher accuracy.

  FIG. 19 shows another example of the pointer voltage value Vm shown in FIG. In section 6 of FIG. 16, the actual voltage value of the battery 30 always indicates the maximum guide voltage value Vm. This means that the pointer 82 always points to “H” in FIG. In addition, since the pointer voltage value Vm is constant in the section switching voltage value Vch of section 5, the pointer 82 points to the same position.

  However, such a situation is only an example. As shown in FIG. 19, all the guide voltage values Vm of all the sections may be changed. This example means that the fluctuation of the actual voltage value is relatively large. For example, it is assumed that an operation mode (referred to as “power mode”) that prioritizes output (power) can be selected as the vehicle operation mode. In the power mode, the change in power consumption is relatively large depending on the usage situation. When such a power mode is selected and the vehicle travels, the actual voltage value V becomes smaller than the comparison reference voltage value Vref and is adopted as the pointer voltage value Vm, so the situation shown in FIG. 19 occurs. Can do.

  On the contrary, in the operation mode (referred to as “eco mode”) in which the output (power) is suppressed to reduce power consumption, the period during which the actual voltage value V is equal to or higher than the comparison reference voltage value Vref is long. There are many opportunities for the voltage value Vref to be adopted as the pointer voltage value Vm. As a result, the pointer 82 may move only when the section changes, and may not swing in one or more sections.

  However, in any example, when the actual voltage value V exceeds the comparison reference voltage value Vref in all sections, the comparison reference voltage value Vref is adopted as the pointer voltage value Vm, and an upper limit is provided. Please keep in mind.

  Similar to the first embodiment, the processing of the present embodiment also uses the actual current value and the actual voltage value to provide an upper limit of the amplitude fluctuation of the pointer 82 by simple processing. Relatively few and it becomes possible to display with higher accuracy.

(Embodiment 3)
In the first and second embodiments, the segment switching voltage value Vch is set using the table 101-1 (FIG. 11A), the table 101-2 (FIG. 11B), and the function group 102 (FIG. 12). Among these, the table 101-2 and the function group 102 are expressed as tables or mathematical expressions in which current values and voltage values are associated with each other. In the present embodiment, the division switching voltage value Vch is determined according to the temperature in addition to the current value and the voltage value. That is, the upper limit value of the voltage is changed according to the temperature.

  FIG. 20 shows different voltage curves depending on the temperature condition of the battery 30. In FIG. 20, 0 ° C. and 25 ° C. are set as temperature conditions, and voltage changes during traveling under the temperature conditions are indicated by envelopes. According to FIG. 20, it is understood that the voltage drop during traveling is larger as the temperature is lower. This difference is caused by the internal resistance of the battery 30 that varies depending on the temperature of the battery 30.

  FIG. 21A shows a function group 202A used for the section switching process when the temperature of the battery 30 is 0 ° C. FIG. 21B shows a function group 202B used for the section switching process when the temperature of the battery 30 is 25 ° C. Both correspond to FIG.

  FIG. 21A and FIG. 21B are two types of function groups for a specific temperature. Therefore, a function group at an arbitrary temperature may be generated using the two types of function groups. In the first embodiment, the example in which the interpolation process is performed to deal with an arbitrary current has been described. Also in this embodiment, an example for dealing with an arbitrary temperature will be described. As the simplest example, a method using a ratio will be described.

  FIG. 22 shows the concept of a method for generating an arbitrary temperature function from two temperature functions. Now, consider obtaining a function group of Q ° C. Only the method for generating the function of section 5 will be described below.

  As functions of Category 5 at Q ° C., function group 202A to function 202A-5 in FIG. 21A and function group 202B to function 202B-5 in FIG. 21B are used.

Now, it is assumed that the segment switching voltage value Vch_C at Q ° C. and the current value A0 is obtained. The division switching voltage value Vch_C is obtained by the following equation using a proportional relationship.
Vch_C = (Vch_A) + Q {(Vch_B)-(Vch_A)} / 25
Here, (Vch_A) represents the segment switching voltage value at the current value A0 in the function 202A-5. Further, (Vch_B) represents the segment switching voltage value at the current value A0 in the function 202B-5.

  According to the above formula, the MCU 42 obtains the temperature value of the battery 30 from the temperature sensor 62 and obtains the actual current value from the ammeter 61, thereby obtaining the temperature from at least two types of function groups prepared in advance. And the segment switching voltage value at the actual current value can be obtained. The division switching voltage value may be obtained and held in advance for all temperatures and current values, or the division switching voltage value may be obtained by performing calculation each time based on the temperature and the actual current value. In the latter example, it is only necessary to secure a memory capacity for holding at least two types of functions. Further, the above-described calculation is relatively simple and does not have a large calculation load. Therefore, an increase in the cost of computer resources can be prevented. In either case, however, it can be called a “current / voltage / temperature map” as in the first and second embodiments.

  After obtaining the segment switching voltage value at an arbitrary temperature and current value, the MCU 42 may perform the process of any one of the first and second embodiments to display the remaining amount of the battery 30. Description of these processes is omitted.

  According to the process of the present embodiment, the upper limit of the amplitude fluctuation of the pointer 82 is set by a simple process using the actual current value, the actual voltage value, and the temperature value. Less and more accurate display is possible.

  The first to third embodiments of the present invention have been described above. Hereinafter, modified examples will be described.

(Modification)
FIG. 23 shows a configuration example for battery remaining amount display processing according to the first modification. For the convenience of understanding, components having the same functions as those described in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the example of FIG. 23, the battery remaining amount display process is performed by an arithmetic processing circuit (microcomputer) 68 of the meter control circuit 120 provided in the meter unit 55 instead of the MCU 42. This means that the subject executing the subsequent processing is not limited to the MCU 42 as long as the current value and the voltage value can be obtained for the first and second embodiments, and the temperature value can be further obtained for the third embodiment. Yes.

  In FIG. 23, the current value, voltage value, and temperature value are sent to the interface 40 of the meter control circuit 120 via the MCU 42, but it is not essential to pass through the MCU 42.

  According to the configuration of FIG. 23, the battery remaining amount display process according to the present invention can be realized only by the meter unit 55 that can be distributed as a product.

  FIG. 24 shows a configuration example for battery remaining amount display processing according to the second modification. In the present modification, the meter unit 55 includes an image generation circuit 130 and a display device 140.

  In the examples so far, the pointer 82 is a physically provided part. In the meter unit 55 shown in FIG. 24, the pointer 82 is displayed on the display device 140 as an image object generated by the image generation circuit 130. For example, FIG. 3 is an image displayed as the meter unit 55. The hands 72 and 82 are image objects that move according to the speed and the remaining amount of the battery 30. The display device 140 is a display device that employs a display panel such as a liquid crystal, organic EL, or electronic paper.

  As a 3rd modification, you may provide the conditions for a division to change from the lower one to the higher one. Here, the change from the lower category to the higher category means, for example, a change from category 4 to category 5.

  As described briefly at the beginning of the first embodiment, the actual voltage value may be recovered by charging the battery 30 by regeneration or charging the battery 30 using the charging port 45. Such an example is different from fluctuations caused by the temperature of the battery 30, road surface load conditions, and the like, but judging the situation one by one as the MCU 42 contributes to an increase in processing load.

  Therefore, the MCU 42 may limit the change from the low division to the high division as long as a predetermined condition is not satisfied. As the predetermined condition, for example, when the main switch 49 (FIG. 2) of the vehicle is once turned off, the MCU 42 may set the current division to a higher division.

  The present invention can be used, for example, to display the remaining battery level in a pointer-type remaining battery level display unit. According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the indicator may be driven by transmitting a command value for the remaining battery level from the outside of the remaining battery level display unit, or the remaining battery level may be determined in the remaining battery level display unit. The pointer may be driven.

1 Electric motorcycle (vehicle)
30 battery 40 interface 42 MCU
55 Meter unit 68 Arithmetic processing circuit 69 Memory 70 Speed display unit 72 Pointer (for speed display)
78 Motor 80 Battery level display unit 82 Pointer (for battery level display)
84 Motor control circuit 86 Motor drive circuit 88 Motor

Claims (21)

It is mounted on a vehicle having a battery, acquires remaining amount information indicating the remaining amount of energy stored in the battery, and continuously moves the acquired remaining amount information provided in the remaining battery amount display unit. A control circuit that outputs to drive the pointer,
An interface for receiving information on an actual voltage value of the battery;
A voltage upper limit value is set for each of the three or more categories defined according to the amount of energy stored in the battery. If the received actual voltage value is equal to or higher than the upper limit value, the upper limit value is set. And a processing circuit configured to obtain the remaining amount information by using the guide voltage value as a guide voltage value.   The processing circuit uses the actual voltage value of the battery to identify a current section, and when the received actual voltage value is less than the upper limit value set for the current section, the actual voltage The control circuit according to claim 1, wherein a value is set as the pointer voltage value.   The control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit sets an upper limit value of a voltage that changes according to the actual current value in each of the three or more sections.   The control circuit according to claim 3, wherein the processing circuit sets an upper limit value of a relatively small voltage for each of the three or more sections as the actual current value is relatively large.   The processing circuit changes according to the actual current value by using a table or a function indicating the relationship between the actual current value and the upper limit value of the voltage provided for each of the three or more sections. The control circuit according to claim 3, wherein an upper limit value of the voltage to be set is set.   The processing circuit uses the actual voltage value to identify a current section, and when the identified current section does not describe the same value as the actual current value in the table, describes the section. An upper limit value of the voltage corresponding to the current current value from an upper limit value of the at least two voltages corresponding to the at least two current values, using a relationship between the at least two current values and the actual current value. The control circuit according to claim 5, wherein The interface further receives a temperature value corresponding to a current temperature of the battery;
The control circuit according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the processing circuit sets an upper limit value of a voltage that changes in accordance with the temperature value and the actual current value in each of the three or more sections.   The control circuit according to claim 7, wherein the processing circuit sets an upper limit value of a relatively small voltage for each of the three or more sections as the temperature value is relatively low.   The processing circuit uses the table or function indicating the relationship between the actual current value, the current temperature value, and the upper limit value of the voltage, which is provided for each of the three or more sections. The control circuit according to claim 7, wherein an upper limit value of the voltage obtained from the current value of the current and the current temperature value is set.   The processing circuit specifies the current section using the voltage value, and the same value as the current temperature value and the same value as the actual current value are described in the table for the specified current section. When there is not, the interpolation information indicating the relationship between the current value and the upper limit value of the voltage corresponding to at least two temperature values described in the table is calculated, and at least obtained from the interpolation information Using the relationship between two current values and the current current value, the upper limit value of the voltage corresponding to the current current value is interpolated from the upper limit value of at least two voltages corresponding to the at least two current values. The control circuit according to claim 9. The interface receives the information on the actual voltage value and the actual current value of the battery again after a predetermined time has elapsed,
The processing circuit updates the current division using the actual voltage value received again, and sets the upper limit value of the voltage corresponding to the changed division when the division changes. The control circuit according to any one of 10.   The control circuit according to claim 11, wherein the processing circuit decreases the upper limit value of the voltage stepwise every time the energy consumption of the battery exceeds a predetermined reference.   The control circuit according to claim 12, wherein the energy consumption is determined by using an integrated value of any one of a travel distance, a travel time of the vehicle, and a current consumption of the battery.   The control circuit according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein when the division changes, a change to a previous division is prohibited unless a predetermined condition is satisfied.   The control circuit according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined condition is that a main switch of the vehicle is once turned off. A control circuit according to any of claims 1 to 15;
Guidelines,
A battery remaining amount display unit comprising: a drive mechanism that receives the remaining amount information from the control circuit and continuously moves the pointer based on the remaining amount information. A control circuit according to any of claims 1 to 15;
A battery remaining amount display unit having a pointer and a drive mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism receives the remaining amount information from the control circuit and continuously moves the pointer based on the remaining amount information. A vehicle equipped with a display unit. The battery remaining amount display unit according to claim 16,
The battery;
And a motor driven by electric power supplied from the battery.   The vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the battery is a lead acid battery.   The vehicle according to claim 19, wherein the battery includes a plurality of battery blocks each capable of storing electricity. A computer program executed by a processing circuit provided in a control circuit,
The control circuit is mounted on a vehicle having a battery, acquires remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of energy stored in the battery, and the acquired remaining amount information is provided in a remaining battery amount display unit. It is a circuit that outputs to drive a continuously moving pointer,
The computer program is stored in the processing circuit.
A process of receiving information on an actual voltage value of the battery;
A process of setting an upper limit value of the voltage in each of three or more categories defined according to the amount of energy stored in the battery;
When the received actual voltage value is greater than or equal to the upper limit value, a process of setting the upper limit value as a guide voltage value;
The computer program which performs the process which acquires the said residual amount information using the said pointer voltage value.

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