JP2019006251A - Charge control device for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a charge control device for an electric vehicle that enables use of an air conditioner while charging a battery by restraining overcharge of the battery.SOLUTION: A charge control device comprises a chargeable battery mounted on an electric vehicle, an air conditioner which operates with electric power of the battery, and a control device for executing charge control on the battery and operation control of the air conditioner by detecting a charge quantity of the battery. The control device stops charging to the battery without stopping the air conditioner when the air conditioner is in operation and the charge quantity of the battery from an external power source has become equal to a first threshold value Th1 or greater. The control device charges the battery without stopping the air conditioner when the charge quantity has become equal to a second threshold value Th2 or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle charge control device that can use an air conditioner while charging in an electric vehicle including a battery that can be charged from an external power source and an air conditioner.

  A battery (secondary battery) mounted on an electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle is supplied with power by, for example, ordinary charging using a household power source or rapid charging using a dedicated power source. It is configured.

  There is also known an electric vehicle having a function of operating electrical components such as an air conditioner and an audio device while the battery is charged. With such a function, the user can comfortably wait in the passenger compartment until charging is completed.

  Here, the air conditioner periodically operates or stops the heater and evaporator so that an appropriate temperature is maintained even when warm air or cold air is not supplied to the passenger compartment. Yes. For this reason, when the battery is almost fully charged while the battery is being charged, if the heater of the air conditioner temporarily stops and the power consumption decreases rapidly, the power from the charger May suddenly flow into the battery, causing the battery to temporarily exceed the allowable upper limit voltage of the battery and become overcharged.

  Therefore, in the electric vehicle, control is performed to completely stop the air conditioner when charging is completed. This prevents overcharging of the battery.

  When the air conditioner is stopped to prevent overcharging in this way, for example, in a night in a vehicle, the user's request to operate the air conditioner for a long time after charging is completed can be met. Can not.

  In the air conditioner according to Patent Document 1, power is consumed by increasing the power consumption of various devices constituting the air conditioner, and overcharging of the battery is suppressed. However, depending on the characteristics of various devices and environmental conditions, power consumption sufficient to suppress overcharging is not always obtained.

JP 2012-91772 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a charging control device for an electric vehicle that suppresses overcharging of the battery and can continuously use the air conditioner while charging the battery. And

  A first aspect of the present invention that solves the above problems includes a battery that is mounted on an electric vehicle and can be charged, an air conditioner that is driven by the power of the battery, and a charge amount of the battery that is detected to the battery. And a control device that controls the operation of the air conditioner. The control device is operating the air conditioner, and a charge amount to the battery by an external power source exceeds a first threshold value. The charging control device for an electric vehicle is characterized in that charging to the battery is stopped without stopping the air conditioner.

  In the first aspect, overcharging can be suppressed and the air conditioner can be operated while charging the battery.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the charging control device for an electric vehicle according to the first aspect, the control device has the charge amount equal to or lower than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value. In the charging control device for an electric vehicle, the battery is charged without stopping the air conditioner.

  In the second aspect, the charge amount of the battery can be at least the second threshold value or more.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the charging control device for an electric vehicle according to the first or second aspect, the control device detects that an instruction to stop the air conditioner is input, and the electric vehicle In the charging control device for an electric vehicle, the air conditioner is stopped when it is detected that the door is open or when it is detected that the external power source is removed from the battery.

  In the third aspect, the charging control can be terminated at an appropriate timing.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the charge control device for an electric vehicle according to any one of the first to third aspects, the first threshold value is lower than a full charge amount of the battery. It is in the charge control apparatus of the electric vehicle.

  In the 4th mode, overcharge to a battery can be controlled more certainly.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the charge control apparatus of the electric vehicle which can suppress an overcharge of a battery and can utilize an air conditioner while charging a battery is provided.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the charge control apparatus of an electric vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a charge control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the charge condition of a charge control apparatus.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described. In addition, description of embodiment is an illustration and this invention is not limited to the following description.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a charge control device for an electric vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the charge control device.
The electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is an electric vehicle (EV) or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), and is a battery 2 that is a secondary battery and an electric motor that operates by supplying power from the battery 2. And a motor 3. The traveling motor 3 is connected to driving wheels (in this embodiment, front wheels) 5 via a driving mechanism 4.

  The battery 2 can be charged by an external power source. Specifically, the battery 2 is charged as an external power source by, for example, charging with electric power from a household power source or the like, so-called normal charging. The battery 2 is controlled to be charged by a control device 20 described later.

  When charging the battery 2, the user of the electric vehicle 1 connects and charges the external power source and the battery 2. The electric vehicle 1 is provided with a charging port (inlet) 9 to which a power feeding connector connected to an external power source is connected.

  The electric vehicle 1 is equipped with an air conditioner 6 that uses the battery 2 as a power source. The air conditioner 6 is generally used for a vehicle, and the device configuration is not particularly limited. The air conditioner 6 is controlled to be operated or stopped by a control device 20 described later.

  Such an electric vehicle 1 is equipped with a charge control device 10. In the present embodiment, the charge control device 10 includes a battery 2, an air conditioner 6, and a control device 20.

  The control device 20 is a device that performs comprehensive control of the electric vehicle 1. The control device 20 is configured as, for example, an LSI device or an embedded electronic device in which a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, and the like are integrated, and is connected to a communication line of an in-vehicle network provided in the electric vehicle 1.

  The control device 20 includes an air conditioning control unit 21 that controls the operation of the air conditioning device 6 and a charging control unit 22 that performs charging control of the battery 2 as control of the electric vehicle 1.

  The air conditioning control unit 21 performs control to operate or stop the air conditioner 6. For example, a button for operating or stopping the air conditioner 6 is provided in the passenger compartment. The air conditioning control unit 21 detects that the user has operated this button, and operates or stops the air conditioner 6 according to the state of the button. In addition, various buttons for setting the air volume, wind direction, temperature, and the like are provided in the passenger compartment, and the air conditioning control unit 21 controls the air volume, wind direction, and temperature of the air conditioner 6 according to the operation of these buttons. Set.

  Further, the air conditioning control unit 21 can detect that the power supply connector is attached to or removed from the charging port 9. Furthermore, the air conditioning control unit 21 can detect that the door of the vehicle has been opened. The air-conditioning control unit 21 performs control to stop the air-conditioning device 6 when detecting the attachment / detachment of the power supply connector or the opening of the door, in addition to the user's operation.

  The charging control unit 22 controls charging of the battery 2 with electric power supplied from an external power source. Further, when the air conditioner 6 is in operation, the following charging control is performed.

  The charge control unit 22 monitors the amount of charge (SOC) of the battery 2 when the air conditioner 6 is in operation and the external power source is connected to the battery 2 for charging. Then, when the charge amount exceeds the first threshold value, the charging of the battery 2 is stopped without stopping the air conditioner 6. This stop of charging is not performed by physically removing the power supply connector from the charging port 9 but, for example, by electrically cutting off the conduction from the charging port 9 to the battery 2.

  The fact that the air conditioner 6 is not stopped when charging the battery 2 is stopped means that the air conditioner 6 is not stopped unless a predetermined condition for stopping the air conditioner 6 is satisfied. Examples of the predetermined condition include a user operating a button for stopping the air conditioner 6, a door being opened, or a power feeding connector being removed from the charging port 9.

  Furthermore, the charge control unit 22 starts charging the battery 2 without stopping the air conditioner 6 when the charge amount of the battery 2 becomes equal to or less than the second threshold value. Specifically, after charging is stopped when the first threshold value is exceeded, the electric power of the battery 2 is consumed by an electrical component such as the air conditioner 6. Therefore, the charging control unit 22 starts charging the battery 2 from the external power source when the charging amount becomes equal to or less than the second threshold value. This resumption of charging is performed by electrically connecting the charging port 9 to the battery 2 as described above.

  The first threshold is preferably a fully charged battery 2 or a value close thereto. For example, it is arbitrarily set between 95% and 100% (full charge) of full charge. In particular, the first threshold value is preferably less than full charge.

  The reason why it is preferable to make it less than full charge is as follows. Assume that the first threshold is 100% of full charge. The charge control unit 22 tries to stop charging the battery 2 when the charge amount exceeds the first threshold value. Assume that the user presses a button for stopping the air conditioner 6 immediately before the charging is stopped. Then, although the charging is continued, the power consumption is rapidly reduced by the stop of the air conditioner 6, so that excessive power is supplied to the battery 2, and the battery 2 may be overcharged.

  However, if the first threshold value is less than full charge, the battery 2 is still in an acceptable charge capacity, so that the battery 2 can be charged with power from the external power supply, resulting in overcharging. Can be avoided.

  The second threshold is preferably set arbitrarily between 90% and less than 95% of full charge, for example.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a charging state of the charging control device. FIG. 3A is a graph showing the state of charge in time series indicating whether the battery 2 is charged (ON) or not charged (OFF). FIG. 3B is a graph showing, in time series, the air conditioning operation that indicates whether the air conditioner 6 is operating (ON) or stopped (OFF). FIG. 3C is a graph showing the charge amount (SOC) of the battery 2 in time series.

  Time T1 is when the power supply connector is connected to the charging port 9. The charging control unit 22 detects this and starts charging the battery 2 from the external power source (charging state ON). At time T1, the air conditioner 6 is in a stopped state (air conditioning operation OFF).

  Time T2 is when the user performs an operation for driving the air conditioner 6. The air conditioning controller 21 detects this and operates the air conditioner 6 (air conditioning operation ON). Further, from time T1 to time T2, the charge amount of the battery 2 is increased by charging.

  Between time T2 and time T3, the power supplied from the external power source exceeds the power consumed by the air conditioner 6, and the amount of charge increases. At time T3, the charge amount has reached the first threshold Th1.

  At time T3, the charge control unit 22 detects that the charge amount has reached the first threshold Th1. If the first threshold value Th1 is less than 100%, the charge control unit 22 detects that the charge amount is equal to or greater than the first threshold value Th1. At this time, the charging control unit 22 stops the charging of the battery 2 (charging state OFF) without stopping the air conditioning device 6 (air conditioning operation ON).

  The charge amount is decreasing between time T3 and time T4. At time T4, the amount of charge reaches the second threshold Th2.

  At time T4, the charge control unit 22 detects that the charge amount has become equal to or less than the second threshold Th2. At this time, the charging control unit 22 starts charging the battery 2 (charging state ON) without stopping the air conditioning device 6 (air conditioning operation ON).

  Thereafter, the charging control unit 22 repeats the above-described control. That is, at time T5 and time T7, control similar to that at time T3 is performed, and at time T6 and time T8, control similar to that at time T4 is performed.

  It is assumed that a condition for stopping the air conditioner 6 is established at time T9. The conditions are (1) that the user performs an operation for stopping the air conditioner 6, (2) the user opens the door of the electric vehicle 1, and (3) the power supply connector is connected from the charging port 9. It has been removed. When at least one of the conditions (1) to (3) is detected, the charging control unit 22 stops the air conditioner 6 (air conditioning operation OFF) and stops charging the battery 2 (charging state OFF).

  According to the charging control device 10 having the above-described configuration, when charging of the battery 2 is started (time T1) and then the air conditioner 6 is operated (time T2), any one of (1) to (3) The air conditioner 6 continues to operate until the condition is satisfied (from time T2 to time T9). During this time, the amount of charge is maintained between the first threshold Th1 and the second threshold Th2. That is, the air conditioner 6 can be continuously operated. Further, when the air conditioner 6 is stopped (time T9), the battery 2 can be almost fully charged.

  Since charging is stopped when the charging amount reaches the first threshold Th1, the charging amount is not always fully charged (from time T3 to time T5). Therefore, during this time, even if the user stops the air conditioner 6 or the heater or evaporator temporarily stops to keep the air conditioner 6 at an appropriate temperature, even if the power consumption decreases rapidly, the battery 2 is suppressed from being overcharged. This is because, from time T3 to time T5, the charge amount of the battery 2 is less than the full charge and the charge capacity has a margin.

  In addition, near the time T3 and the time T5, the amount of charge is close to the first threshold value Th1 that is fully charged, and thus there is a possibility of overcharging if the above-described sudden decrease in power consumption occurs. However, the possibility of such overcharge can be reduced by setting the first threshold Th1 to less than full charge.

  As mentioned above, although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, of course, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and addition, omission, replacement, etc., of a configuration is possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. And other changes are possible.

  Although the conditions (1) to (3) for stopping the air conditioner 6 are exemplified, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, when the power consumption of the air conditioner 6 exceeds the power supplied from the external power source, the amount of charge to the battery 2 is decreasing. For example, the air conditioner 6 is set to reduce the power consumption of the air conditioner 6. It may be controlled, or the user may be notified that the charge amount is reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric vehicle, 2 ... Battery, 6 ... Air conditioner, 10 ... Charge control apparatus, 20 ... Control apparatus

Claims (4)

A battery mounted on an electric vehicle and rechargeable;
An air conditioner operated by the power of the battery;
A control device that detects the amount of charge of the battery and performs charge control on the battery, and operation control of the air conditioner, and
The control device stops charging the battery without stopping the air-conditioning device when the air-conditioning device is in operation and a charge amount to the battery by an external power source becomes equal to or greater than a first threshold value. A charge control device for an electric vehicle. In the electric vehicle charging control device according to claim 1,
The control device charges the battery without stopping the air conditioner when the charge amount is equal to or lower than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value. apparatus. In the charging control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
The control device detects that an instruction to stop the air conditioner is input, detects that the door of the electric vehicle is vacant, or detects that an external power source is removed from the battery, A charge control device for an electric vehicle characterized by stopping an air conditioner. In the electric vehicle charging control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The charge control device for an electric vehicle, wherein the first threshold value is lower than a full charge amount of the battery.

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