JP2021078211A - Vehicle control device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem of a deterioration in power transmission efficiency which may occur when a vehicle height is changed due to disturbance.SOLUTION: A control device includes a control unit which, in the case of transmitting power in a non-contact manner between a power transmission device provided on a road and a vehicle during the traveling of the vehicle, sets at least one of the damping force of a suspension device provided in the vehicle and the vehicle height of the vehicle to a predetermined condition different from a condition in the case of not transmitting the power. The vehicle includes the vehicle control device. A program allows a computer to function as the vehicle control device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for holding a secondary coil arranged at the bottom of a vehicle at a fixed position with respect to the ground according to the displacement of the vehicle with respect to the ground on which the primary coil is laid. ..
[Prior art literature]
[Patent Document]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-39007

When electric power is transmitted to the outside while the vehicle is running, the vehicle height may change due to disturbance, and the electric power transmission efficiency may decrease.

In the first aspect of the present invention, a vehicle control device is provided. When the vehicle control device transmits power between the power transmission device provided on the road and the vehicle in a non-contact manner while the vehicle is running, the vehicle control device is at least one of the damping force of the suspension device provided in the vehicle and the vehicle height of the vehicle. Is provided with a control unit that sets a predetermined condition different from that in the case where power transmission is not performed.

When power is transmitted between the power transmission device and the vehicle, the control unit may increase the damping force of the suspension device as compared with the case where power transmission is not performed.

The control unit may lower the vehicle height when power is transmitted between the power transmission device and the vehicle than when power is not transmitted between the power transmission device and the vehicle.

The control unit may further control at least one of the damping force of the suspension device provided in the vehicle and the vehicle height of the vehicle according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle.

The control unit may lower the vehicle height as the vehicle speed decreases.

When power is transmitted between a plurality of power transmission devices provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle and the vehicle, the control unit reduces the damping force of the suspension device to a damping force exceeding a predetermined reference value. It may be fixed and the vehicle may be run by changing the running position in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle control device may include an efficiency acquisition unit that acquires the transmission efficiency of power transmission between each of the plurality of power transmission devices and the vehicle. The vehicle control device may include a specific unit that specifies a traveling position in the vehicle width direction in which the transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value. The control unit may drive the vehicle at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit.

When power is transmitted between a plurality of power transmission devices provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle and the vehicle, the control unit keeps the vehicle height fixed at a predetermined height in the vehicle width direction. You may run by changing the running position of. The vehicle control device may include an efficiency acquisition unit that acquires the transmission efficiency of power transmission between each of the plurality of power transmission devices and the vehicle. The vehicle control device may include a specific unit that specifies a traveling position in the vehicle width direction in which the transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value. The control unit may drive the vehicle at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit.

Before the vehicle enters the place where the power transmission device is provided from the place where the power transmission device is not provided on the road, the control unit of the suspension device provided by the vehicle in the place where the power transmission device is not provided. At least one of the damping force and the vehicle height may be set so as to satisfy a predetermined condition.

When the control unit transmits electric power between a plurality of electric power transmission devices provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle and the vehicle, the control unit may travel by changing the vehicle height of the vehicle. The vehicle control device may include an efficiency acquisition unit that acquires the transmission efficiency of power transmission between each of the plurality of power transmission devices and the vehicle. The vehicle control device may include a specific unit that specifies a vehicle height whose transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value. The control unit may drive the vehicle while maintaining the vehicle height of the vehicle at the vehicle height specified by the specific unit.

The control unit may change the traveling position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle height of the vehicle when traveling on a plurality of power transmission devices. The specific unit may specify a combination of vehicle height and traveling position in which the transmission efficiency of power transmission exceeds a predetermined reference value. The control unit may drive the vehicle at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit while maintaining the vehicle height of the vehicle at the vehicle height specified by the specific unit.

When power transmission is performed, the control unit may set the vehicle height in the left-right direction of the vehicle to a predetermined condition different from that when power transmission is not performed.

In the second aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes the above-mentioned vehicle control device.

In a third aspect of the invention, a program is provided. The program causes the computer to function as the control device described above.

The outline of the above invention does not list all the necessary features of the present invention. Sub-combinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

The basic configuration of the vehicle 40 is shown schematically. The functional configuration of the control device 44 is schematically shown. The control state before the vehicle 40 travels in the charging lane and during traveling in the charging lane is schematically shown. It is the damping force control information which shows the control target value of the damping force of the suspension device 45. This is vehicle height control information indicating a vehicle height control target value of the suspension device 45. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which a control device 44 executes. It is a flowchart which shows the process which controls the position in the vehicle width direction while the vehicle 40 is traveling in a charging lane. It is a flowchart which shows the process which controls the vehicle height while the vehicle 40 is traveling in a charging lane. An example of a computer 2000 is shown.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the inventions that fall within the scope of the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means of solving the invention. In the drawings, the same or similar parts may be given the same reference number to omit duplicate explanations.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the basic configuration of the vehicle 40. The vehicle 40 is an example of transportation equipment. The vehicle 40 is a vehicle including a power source driven by electric energy, such as an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles include battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) equipped with an internal combustion engine that provides at least a portion of the power.

The vehicle 40 includes a battery 42, a control device 44, a power receiving unit 48, and a suspension device 45. The control device 44 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or the like. The battery 42 is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel hydrogen battery. The vehicle 40 travels by the driving force of a power source driven by the electric power stored in the battery 42. The suspension device 45 includes a pair of front side suspension devices that support the left and right front wheels on the vehicle body frame of the vehicle 40, and a pair of rear side suspension devices that support the left and right rear wheels on the vehicle body frame of the vehicle 40.

The plurality of power feeding devices 30 are provided on the road surface of the road 80 or in the vicinity of the road surface. The power receiving unit 48 sequentially receives power from a plurality of power feeding devices 30 in a non-contact manner while the power feeding device 30 is traveling. The power receiving unit 48 receives power from the power feeding device 30 in a non-contact manner, for example, via a magnetic field. As a non-contact power transmission method from the power feeding device 30 to the power receiving unit 48, for example, a magnetic field resonance coupling method can be used. For example, the power feeding device 30 includes a primary coil and a primary circuit, and the power receiving unit 48 includes a secondary coil and a secondary circuit. When the primary side coil and the secondary side coil are in a positional relationship of magnetically coupling, the primary side circuit is driven at a specific drive frequency to drive the primary side circuit, the primary side coil, and the secondary side. A resonance circuit is equivalently formed by the coil and the secondary side circuit, and power is transmitted from the power feeding device 30 to the vehicle 40 in a non-contact manner. The control device 44 charges the battery 42 with the electric power received from the power supply device 30 by the power receiving unit 48 while the vehicle 40 is traveling.

The power feeding device 30 is provided in, for example, a charging lane. The charging lane is a lane in which the vehicle 40 travels when receiving power from the power feeding device 30. The power feeding device 30 is provided at regular intervals along the traveling direction of the vehicle 40. The control device 44 charges the battery 42 with the electric power received from the power supply device 30 while the vehicle 40 is traveling in the charging lane.

In the present embodiment, when the vehicle 40 travels in the charging lane, the control device 44 controls the suspension device 45 to change the damping force of the suspension device 45 and the vehicle height of the vehicle 40. For example, the control device 44 increases the damping force of the suspension device 45 when the vehicle 40 travels in the charging lane, as compared with the case where the vehicle 40 does not travel in the charging lane. The damping force of the suspension device 45 refers to a force that damps the expansion and contraction operation of the suspension device 45. Further, when the vehicle 40 travels in the charging lane, the control device 44 lowers the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 as compared with the case where the vehicle 40 does not travel in the charging lane. The control device 44 controls the vehicle height by controlling the intake and exhaust of the air spring included in the suspension device 45. As a result, the posture of the vehicle 40 is less likely to be affected by disturbance, and the running stability of the vehicle 40 can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the power receiving efficiency from the power feeding device 30 from being lowered due to the influence of the disturbance.

FIG. 2 schematically shows the functional configuration of the control device 44. The control device 44 includes a processing unit 280 and a storage unit 290. The processing unit 280 is realized by a processing device including a processor. The storage unit 290 is realized by including a non-volatile storage medium. The processing unit 280 performs processing using the information stored in the storage unit 290. The processing unit 280 includes an efficiency acquisition unit 200, a specific unit 210, a vehicle control unit 220, and a charge / discharge control unit 270.

When the vehicle control unit 220 transmits power between the power feeding device 30 and the vehicle 40 in a non-contact manner while the vehicle 40 is running, the vehicle control unit 220 has at least the damping force of the suspension device 45 included in the vehicle 40 and the vehicle height of the vehicle 40. One is set to a predetermined condition different from the case where power transmission is not performed. Specifically, when the vehicle control unit 220 transmits power between the power supply device 30 and the vehicle 40, the suspension device 45 has a suspension device 45 as compared with the case where the power supply device 30 and the vehicle 40 do not transmit power. Increase the damping force. Further, the vehicle control unit 220 lowers the vehicle height when power is transmitted between the power supply device 30 and the vehicle 40 as compared with the case where power transmission is not performed between the power supply device 30 and the vehicle 40.

The vehicle control unit 220 further controls at least one of the damping force of the suspension device 45 included in the vehicle 40 and the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle 40. For example, the vehicle control unit 220 may lower the vehicle height as the vehicle speed of the vehicle 40 is lower. The vehicle control unit 220 may increase the damping force of the suspension device 45 as the vehicle speed of the vehicle 40 increases.

The vehicle control unit 220 sets the damping force of the suspension device 45 to a predetermined reference value when power is transmitted between the plurality of power feeding devices 30 provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle 40 and the vehicle 40. The vehicle is fixed at a damping force exceeding the above, and the vehicle 40 is driven by changing the traveling position in the vehicle width direction. The efficiency acquisition unit 200 acquires the transmission efficiency of power transmission between each of the plurality of power supply devices 30 and the vehicle 40. The identification unit 210 specifies a traveling position in the vehicle width direction in which the transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value. The power transmission efficiency is, for example, the power feeding device 30 and the power receiving efficiency. For example, the efficiency acquisition unit 200 receives the output power of the power supply device 30 by wireless communication from the power supply device 30, and calculates the power reception efficiency based on the received output power and the power received by the power reception unit 48. .. The vehicle control unit 220 drives the vehicle 40 at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit 210. Specifically, the control device 44 controls the steering of the vehicle 40 so that the reference position of the vehicle 40 does not deviate from the traveling position specified by the specific unit 210 in the vehicle width direction.

The vehicle control unit 220 fixes the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 to a predetermined height when power is transmitted between the plurality of power supply devices 30 provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle 40 and the vehicle 40. In this state, the vehicle is driven by changing the traveling position in the vehicle width direction. The identification unit 210 specifies a traveling position in the vehicle width direction in which the transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value. The vehicle control unit 220 drives the vehicle 40 at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit 210.

In the vehicle control unit 220, before the vehicle 40 enters the place where the power supply device 30 is provided from the place where the power supply device 30 is not provided on the road, the vehicle 40 is placed in the place where the power supply device 30 is not provided. At least one of the damping force of the suspension provided and the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 is set so as to satisfy a predetermined condition.

The vehicle control unit 220 changes the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 to travel when power is transmitted between the plurality of power feeding devices 30 provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle 40 and the vehicle 40. The identification unit 210 specifies a vehicle height whose transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value. The vehicle control unit 220 drives the vehicle 40 in a state where the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 is maintained at the vehicle height specified by the specific unit 210.

The vehicle control unit 220 may change the traveling position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 when traveling on the plurality of power feeding devices 30. The specifying unit 210 may specify a combination of vehicle height and traveling position in which the transmission efficiency of power transmission exceeds a predetermined reference value. The vehicle control unit 220 may drive the vehicle 40 at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit 210 while maintaining the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 at the vehicle height specified by the specific unit 210.

The vehicle control unit 220 may set the vehicle height in the left-right direction of the vehicle 40 to a predetermined condition different from the case where the power transmission is not performed when power is transmitted to and from the power supply device 30. For example, the height at which the suspension device 45 supports the left wheel of the vehicle 40 and the height at which the suspension device 45 indicates the right wheel of the vehicle 40 are different from those in the case where power transmission is not performed with the power feeding device 30 in advance. It may be set to the specified conditions. When the vehicle control unit 220 is traveling on a plurality of power feeding devices 30, the vehicle control unit 220 controls the suspension device 45 to change the inclination of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the road surface of the road 80 while the vehicle 40 is traveling. You may let me. Then, the specifying unit 210 may specify the inclination of the vehicle 40 in which the transmission efficiency of power transmission exceeds a predetermined reference value. The vehicle control unit 220 may drive the vehicle 40 by maintaining the inclination of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction at the inclination specified by the specific unit 210.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a control state before the vehicle 40 travels in the charging lane and during traveling in the charging lane. The vehicle control unit 220 has acquired in advance information indicating a set section 340 of the charging lane in which the power feeding device 30 is provided. The vehicle control unit 220 determines the damping force of the suspension device 45 in advance when the distance to the set section 340 of the charging lane in front of the vehicle 40 becomes less than a predetermined distance. Set the damping force to be greater than or equal to the damping force. Further, the vehicle control unit 220 controls the suspension device 45 to set the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 to a height less than a predetermined height. By increasing the damping force of the suspension device 45 and lowering the vehicle height, it is possible to prevent the posture of the vehicle 40 from being changed due to the influence of disturbance while traveling in the set section 340 of the charging lane and the power receiving efficiency from being lowered.

Next, when the vehicle 40 reaches the set section 340 of the charging lane, the vehicle control unit 220 meanders the vehicle 40 to travel on the power feeding device 30 while changing the position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction. .. In FIG. 3, the left side marking line 310 is a marking line marked on the left side in the traveling direction of the vehicle 40. The right lane marking 320 is a lane marking marked on the right side in the traveling direction of the vehicle 40. The left lane marking 310 is, for example, the outside line of the road. The right lane marking 320 is, for example, a lane boundary line or a vehicle center line.

For example, the vehicle control unit 220 recognizes the relative position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the left lane marking 310 and the right lane marking 320 based on the image captured by the camera installed in the vehicle 40. The vehicle control unit 220 assumes that the power feeding device 30 is in a predetermined position with respect to the left side lane 310 and the right side lane 320, and the vehicle 40 is relative to the positions of the left side lane 310 and the right side lane 320. The steering of the vehicle 40 is controlled so that the position changes. As a result, the vehicle control unit 220 travels on the plurality of power supply devices 30 while changing the position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the power supply device 30. For example, as shown in the traveling line 380 of FIG. 3, the vehicle 40 has the damping force of the suspension device 45 and the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 fixed with respect to the center of the left lane marking 310 and the right lane marking 320. Run in a meandering manner.

The efficiency acquisition unit 200 receives the output power of each of the power supply devices 30 from each of the power supply devices 30 by wireless communication. Further, the efficiency acquisition unit 200 acquires the received power received by the power receiving unit 48 from the power feeding device 30 from the charge / discharge control unit 270. The efficiency acquisition unit 200 calculates the power receiving efficiency based on the output power and the received power of the power feeding device 30. The specifying unit 210 specifies the position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction when the power receiving efficiency calculated by the efficiency acquisition unit 200 is maximized while traveling along the traveling line 380. The identification unit 210 may specify the distance D1 from the left side marking line 310 as the "position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction". The identification unit 210 may specify the distance D2 from the right side marking line 320 as the “position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction”.

When the specific unit 210 specifies the position where the power receiving efficiency is maximized, the vehicle control unit 220 steers and controls the vehicle 40 so that the vehicle 40 travels at the specified position. For example, the vehicle control unit 220 may steer and control the vehicle 40 so that the center position of the vehicle 40 is maintained at a position separated from the left side division line 310 by a distance D1. The vehicle control unit 220 may steer and control the vehicle 40 so that the center position of the vehicle 40 is maintained at a position separated from the left side division line 310 by a distance D2. The vehicle control unit 220 steers the vehicle 40 so that the ratio of the distance between the center position of the vehicle 40 and the left side lane 310 and the distance between the center position of the vehicle 40 and the right side lane 320 is D1: D2. You may control it.

FIG. 4 is damping force control information showing a control target value of the damping force of the suspension device 45. The damping force control information is stored in the storage unit 290. The damping force control information associates the vehicle speed with the range of the damping force. The range of the damping force is a range that can be set as a control target value of the damping force. The range of the damping force is determined for each of "when not receiving power" and "when receiving power". The range of the damping force during "non-power receiving" is the range of the damping force when the power receiving unit 48 does not receive power from the power feeding device 30, and the range of the damping force during "power receiving" is the range of the damping force when the power receiving unit 48 receives power. This is the range of damping force when power is received from 30.

The vehicle control unit 220 sets a target value of the damping force according to the vehicle speed. For example, when the vehicle speed is V1 and the power receiving unit 48 does not receive power from the power feeding device 30, the vehicle control unit 220 sets a target value of the damping force within the range from F1 to less than F2. When the vehicle speed is V1 and the power receiving unit 48 receives power from the power feeding device 30, the vehicle control unit 220 sets a target value of the damping force within the range from F11 to less than F12. Here, the lower limit value F11 at the time of receiving power is at least larger than the lower limit value F1 at the time of non-power receiving. F11 may be larger than the upper limit value F2 at the time of receiving power. In this way, if the speeds of the vehicles 40 are the same, the vehicle control unit 220 refers to the damping force control information and sets a target value of the damping force to receive power from the power feeding device 30. The damping force of the suspension device 45 is increased as compared with the case where power is not received from the power feeding device 30. As a result, it is possible to make it difficult for the posture and vehicle height of the vehicle 40 to change due to the influence of disturbance, so that the power receiving efficiency of the power receiving unit 48 can be prevented from decreasing.

When the vehicle speed is V1 and the power receiving unit 48 receives power from the power feeding device 30, the vehicle control unit 220 sets the target value of the damping force within the range of F13 to less than F14. The lower limit value F13 is at least higher than the lower limit value F11 at the speed V1. F13 may be higher than the upper limit value F12 at the speed V1. The vehicle control unit 220 sets a target value of the damping force with reference to the damping force control information, so that the faster the vehicle speed is, the larger the damping force of the suspension device 45 is. As a result, safety during high-speed driving can be enhanced.

FIG. 5 is vehicle height control information showing a vehicle height control target value of the suspension device 45. The vehicle height control information is stored in the storage unit 290. The vehicle height control information associates the vehicle speed with the vehicle height range. The vehicle height range is a range that can be set as a vehicle height control target value. The range of vehicle height is determined for each of "when not receiving power" and "when receiving power". The range of the vehicle height "when not receiving power" is the range of the vehicle height when the power receiving unit 48 is not receiving power from the power feeding device 30, and the range of the vehicle height "when receiving power" is the range of the vehicle height when the power receiving unit 48 is receiving power. It is the range of the vehicle height when receiving power from 30.

The vehicle control unit 220 sets a target value of the vehicle height according to the vehicle speed. For example, when the vehicle speed is V1 and the power receiving unit 48 does not receive power from the power feeding device 30, the vehicle control unit 220 sets a target value of the vehicle height within the range from H1 to less than H2. When the vehicle speed is V1 and the power receiving unit 48 receives power from the power feeding device 30, the vehicle control unit 220 sets a target value of the vehicle height within the range from H11 to less than H12. Here, the upper limit value H12 at the time of receiving power is at least lower than the upper limit value F2 at the time of non-power receiving. H12 may be lower than the lower limit value H1 at the time of receiving power. In this way, if the speeds of the vehicles 40 are the same, the vehicle control unit 220 refers to the vehicle height control information and sets a target value of the vehicle height to receive power from the power supply device 30. The vehicle height is lowered as compared with the case where power is not received from the power feeding device 30. Thereby, the running stability of the vehicle 40 can be improved.

When the vehicle speed is V1 and the power receiving unit 48 receives power from the power feeding device 30, the vehicle control unit 220 sets the target value of the vehicle height within the range of H13 to less than H14. The lower limit value H13 is at least higher than the lower limit value F11 at the speed V1. H13 may be higher than the upper limit value H12 at the speed V1. In this way, the vehicle control unit 220 sets the target value of the vehicle height with reference to the vehicle height control information, so that the faster the vehicle speed, the higher the vehicle height. As a result, it is possible to increase the efficiency of receiving power from the power feeding device 30 as much as possible and prevent bottoming out during high-speed driving.

Regarding the relationship between the power receiving efficiency between the power feeding device 30 and the power receiving unit 48, the shorter the distance between the power feeding device 30 and the power receiving unit 48, the higher the power receiving efficiency in many cases. On the other hand, when power is transmitted by the magnetic field resonance coupling method, the resonance frequency depends on the coupling coefficient between the primary coil of the power feeding device 30 and the secondary coil of the power receiving unit 48. Therefore, the power receiving efficiency may depend on the vehicle height and the drive frequency of the primary coil. Therefore, when the drive frequency is constant, the power receiving efficiency may be maximized when the vehicle height is at a specific height. According to the present embodiment, by limiting the vehicle height to a specific range when traveling in the charging lane, the vehicle height may be maintained in a range where the power receiving efficiency is high.

The vehicle height control target value may be set for each charging lane. For example, the storage unit 290 may store the vehicle height control target value in association with the information that identifies the charging lane. The vehicle control unit 220 may determine the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 based on the vehicle height control target value stored in the storage unit 290 in association with the identification information of the charging lane in which the vehicle 40 travels.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing executed by the control device 44. The processing of this flowchart is started when, for example, the distance from the vehicle 40 to the start point of the charging lane becomes less than a predetermined value. The vehicle control unit 220 acquires information indicating the position of the charging lane setting section 340 in advance, and the distance between the current position of the vehicle 40 and the position of the start point of the charging lane setting section 340 becomes less than a predetermined value. Judge whether or not.

In S600, the vehicle control unit 220 determines the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 and the damping force of the suspension device 45. Specifically, the vehicle control unit 220 determines the vehicle height and damping force of the vehicle 40 based on the current vehicle speed and the vehicle height control information and the damping force control information.

In S602, the vehicle control unit 220 controls the suspension device 45 to fix the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 to the height determined in S600. In S604, the vehicle control unit 220 fixes the damping force of the suspension device 45 to the damping force determined in S600.

Upon reaching the charging lane in S606, the charge / discharge control unit 270 controls the power receiving unit 48 to start receiving power from the power feeding device 30 and start charging the battery 42.

In S608, the vehicle control unit 220 determines whether or not the vehicle 40 has finished traveling in the charging lane. The vehicle control unit 220 determines whether or not the vehicle 40 has finished traveling in the charging lane based on the current position of the vehicle 40 and the position of the charging lane. When the vehicle 40 has not finished traveling in the charging lane, the determination of S608 is repeated while controlling the position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction (S612).

When it is determined in S608 that the vehicle 40 has finished traveling in the charging lane, in S610, the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 and the damping force of the suspension device 45 are returned to the state before traveling in the charging lane, and the flow chart is processed. finish.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process of controlling the position in the vehicle width direction while the vehicle 40 is traveling in the charging lane. The processing of this flowchart can be applied to the processing of S612 of FIG.

In S702, the vehicle control unit 220 changes the traveling position of the vehicle 40 to collect efficiency information. For example, as described in connection with FIG. 3, in the vehicle control unit 220, the efficiency acquisition unit 200 determines the power receiving efficiency while changing the position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the left side lane 310 or the right side lane 320. calculate.

In S704, the vehicle control unit 220 determines whether or not the collection of efficiency information is completed. For example, the vehicle control unit 220 determines that the collection of efficiency information is completed when the number of efficiency information acquired at different positions exceeds a predetermined number. When the collection of the power receiving efficiency information is not completed, the process returns to S702, and when the collection of the power receiving efficiency information is completed, the process proceeds to S706. In S706, the identification unit 210 specifies the position in the vehicle width direction where the power receiving efficiency is highest based on the efficiency information acquired by the efficiency acquisition unit 200. Specifically, the specifying unit 210 identifies the position in the vehicle width direction where the power receiving efficiency is highest based on the history of the efficiency calculated by the efficiency acquisition unit 200 and the history of the position of the vehicle 40 in the vehicle width direction. To do.

In S708, the vehicle control unit 220 fixes the traveling position of the vehicle 40 to the position in the vehicle width direction determined in S706 and causes the vehicle 40 to travel. For example, the vehicle control unit 220 controls the steering of the vehicle 40 by fixing the target value of the traveling position of the vehicle 40 to the position in the vehicle width direction determined in S706.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of controlling the vehicle height while the vehicle 40 is traveling in the charging lane. The processing of this flowchart can be applied to the processing of S612 of FIG.

In S802, the vehicle control unit 220 changes the vehicle height and collects efficiency information. For example, the efficiency acquisition unit 200 calculates the power receiving efficiency while the vehicle control unit 220 changes the vehicle height.

In S804, the vehicle control unit 220 determines whether or not the collection of efficiency information is completed. For example, the vehicle control unit 220 determines that the collection of efficiency information is completed when the number of efficiency information acquired at different vehicle heights exceeds a predetermined number. When the collection of the power receiving efficiency information is not completed, the process returns to S802, and when the collection of the power receiving efficiency information is completed, the process proceeds to S806. In S806, the identification unit 210 specifies the vehicle height at which the power receiving efficiency is highest based on the efficiency information acquired by the efficiency acquisition unit 200. Specifically, the specifying unit 210 identifies the vehicle height at which the power receiving efficiency is highest based on the efficiency history calculated by the efficiency acquisition unit 200 and the vehicle height history.

In S808, the vehicle control unit 220 fixes the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 to the vehicle height determined in S806 and runs the vehicle 40. For example, the vehicle control unit 220 controls the suspension device 45 so that the vehicle height of the vehicle 40 becomes the vehicle height determined in S806.

The vehicle control unit 220 may execute the vehicle height control described in connection with FIG. 8 after controlling the vehicle position in the vehicle width direction described in connection with FIG. 7. Further, the vehicle control unit 220 may execute the vehicle height control of FIG. 8 after the vehicle position control of FIG. 7 is executed, and then execute the vehicle position control of FIG. 7 again. The vehicle control unit 220 may repeatedly execute the vehicle height control described in connection with FIG. 8 and the vehicle position control described in connection with FIG. 7. In S612 of FIG. 6, the vehicle control unit 220 may collect efficiency information while changing the combination of the position in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle height. The vehicle control unit 220 may change the inclination of the vehicle 40 by controlling the left and right vehicle heights of the suspension device 45 that supports the left wheel and the right wheel. Similar to FIG. 7 or 8, the vehicle control unit 220 runs while changing the inclination of the vehicle 40, the specific unit 210 identifies the inclination at which the transmission efficiency is highest, and the inclination of the vehicle 40 has the highest transmission efficiency. The vehicle 40 may be run by fixing the inclination to be.

The vehicle system described above is a system for transmitting electric power from the power feeding device 30 to the vehicle 40. The power supply device 30 is an example of a power transmission device. "Non-contact power transmission from the power supply device 30 to the vehicle 40" in the vehicle system is an example of "non-contact power transmission between the power transmission device and the vehicle". As a modification of this embodiment, the vehicle 40 has a function of transmitting electric power to the power feeding device 30 in a non-contact manner, and the power feeding device 30 has a function of receiving electric power from the running vehicle 40 in a non-contact manner. Good. Such "non-contact power transmission from the vehicle 40 to the power supply device 30" is also an example of "non-contact power transmission between the power transmission device and the vehicle".

FIG. 9 shows an example of a computer 2000 in which a plurality of embodiments of the present invention can be embodied in whole or in part. The program installed on the computer 2000 causes the computer 2000 to function as a device such as the control device 44 according to the embodiment or each part of the device, perform an operation associated with the device or each part of the device, and / or , The process according to the embodiment or the stage of the process can be executed. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 2012 to cause the computer 2000 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the processing procedures and blocks of the block diagram described herein.

The computer 2000 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 2012 and a RAM 2014, which are connected to each other by a host controller 2010. The computer 2000 also includes a ROM 2026, a flash memory 2024, a communication interface 2022, and an input / output chip 2040. The ROM 2026, the flash memory 2024, the communication interface 2022, and the input / output chip 2040 are connected to the host controller 2010 via the input / output controller 2020.

The CPU 2012 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 2026 and the RAM 2014, thereby controlling each unit.

The communication interface 2022 communicates with other electronic devices via the network. The flash memory 2024 stores programs and data used by the CPU 2012 in the computer 2000. The ROM 2026 stores a boot program or the like executed by the computer 2000 at the time of activation, and / or a program depending on the hardware of the computer 2000. The input / output chip 2040 also allows various input / output units such as keyboards, mice and monitors to input / output units such as serial ports, parallel ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, monitor ports, USB ports, HDMI® ports, etc. It may be connected to the input / output controller 2020 via the output port.

The program is provided via a computer-readable medium or network such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or memory card. RAM 2014, ROM 2026, or flash memory 2024 are examples of computer-readable media. The program is installed in flash memory 2024, RAM 2014, or ROM 2026 and is executed by CPU 2012. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 2000 and provides a link between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The device or method may be configured to implement the operation or processing of information in accordance with the use of computer 2000.

For example, when communication is executed between the computer 2000 and the external device, the CPU 2012 executes the communication program loaded in the RAM 2014, and performs communication processing on the communication interface 2022 based on the processing described in the communication program. You may order. Under the control of the CPU 2012, the communication interface 2022 reads the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer processing area provided in the recording medium such as the RAM 2014 and the flash memory 2024, transmits the read transmission data to the network, and transmits the read transmission data from the network. The received received data is written to the reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

Further, the CPU 2012 makes the RAM 2014 read all or necessary parts of the file or the database stored in the recording medium such as the flash memory 2024, and executes various kinds of processing on the data on the RAM 2014. Good. The CPU 2012 then writes back the processed data to the recording medium.

Various types of information such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases may be stored in recording media and processed for information processing. The CPU 2012 refers to the data read from the RAM 2014 in various types of operations, information processing, conditional determination, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval / described in the present specification and specified by the instruction sequence of the program. Various types of processing, including replacement, may be performed and the results are written back to RAM 2014. Further, the CPU 2012 may search for information in a file, a database, or the like in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of the first attribute associated with the attribute value of the second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 2012 specifies the attribute value of the first attribute. The entry that matches the condition is searched from the plurality of entries, the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry is read, and the first attribute satisfying the predetermined condition is selected. You may get the attribute value of the associated second attribute.

The program or software module described above may be stored on or near a computer 2000 on a computer-readable medium. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a dedicated communication network or a server system connected to the Internet can be used as a computer-readable medium. A program stored on a computer-readable medium may be provided to the computer 2000 via a network.

A program installed in the computer 2000 that causes the computer 2000 to function as the control device 44 may act on the CPU 2012 or the like to cause the computer 2000 to function as each part of the control device 44. When the information processing described in these programs is read into the computer 2000, it functions as each part of the processing unit 280, which is a concrete means in which the software and the various hardware resources described above cooperate with each other. Then, by realizing the calculation or processing of information according to the purpose of use of the computer 2000 in the present embodiment by these specific means, a specific control device 44 according to the purpose of use is constructed.

Various embodiments have been described with reference to block diagrams and the like. In the block diagram, each block may represent (1) the stage of the process in which the operation is performed or (2) each part of the device responsible for performing the operation. Specific stages and parts are implemented by dedicated circuits, programmable circuits supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, and / or processors supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. You can. Dedicated circuits may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuits are memory elements such as logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), programmable logic arrays (PLA), etc. May include reconfigurable hardware circuits, including, etc.

The computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions executed by the appropriate device, so that the computer-readable medium having the instructions stored therein is specified in the processing procedure or block diagram. Consists of at least a portion of a product that contains instructions that can be executed to provide a means to perform the performed operation. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable media include floppy (registered trademark) disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray (RTM) disk, memory stick, integrated A circuit card or the like may be included.

Computer-readable instructions are assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or object-oriented programming such as Smalltalk, JAVA®, C ++, etc. Includes either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including languages and traditional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. Good.

Computer-readable instructions are applied locally to a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or the processor or programmable circuit of another programmable data processor, or a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc. A computer-readable instruction may be executed to provide a means for performing the processing procedure or operation specified in the block diagram provided via). Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers and the like.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Further, to the extent that there is no technical contradiction, the matters described for the specific embodiment can be applied to other embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The order of execution of operations, procedures, steps, steps, etc. in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specification, and drawings is particularly "before" and "prior to". It should be noted that it can be realized in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Even if the scope of claims, the specification, and the operation flow in the drawings are explained using "first", "next", etc. for convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. It's not a thing.

30 Power supply device 40 Vehicle 42 Battery 44 Control device 45 Suspension device 48 Power receiving unit 80 Road 200 Efficiency acquisition unit 210 Specific unit 220 Vehicle control unit 270 Charging / discharging control unit 280 Processing unit 290 Storage unit 310 Left lane marking 320 Right lane marking 340 setting Section 380 Travel Line 2000 Computer 2010 Host Controller 2012 CPU
2014 RAM
2020 Input / Output Controller 2022 Communication Interface 2024 Flash Memory 2026 ROM
2040 Input / Output Chip

Claims (13)

When power is transmitted non-contactly between the power transmission device provided on the road and the vehicle while the vehicle is running, at least one of the damping force of the suspension device provided in the vehicle and the vehicle height of the vehicle is used. A vehicle control device including a control unit that sets predetermined conditions different from the case where power transmission is not performed. The vehicle control according to claim 1, wherein the control unit increases the damping force of the suspension device when the power transmission is performed between the power transmission device and the vehicle, as compared with the case where the power transmission is not performed. apparatus. When the power transmission is performed between the power transmission device and the vehicle, the control unit lowers the vehicle height as compared with the case where the power transmission is not performed between the power transmission device and the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1. The vehicle control according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit further controls at least one of the damping force of the suspension device included in the vehicle and the vehicle height of the vehicle according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle. apparatus. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit lowers the vehicle height as the vehicle speed of the vehicle decreases. The control unit determines the damping force of the suspension device as a predetermined reference when the power is transmitted between the plurality of power transmission devices provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle and the vehicle. It is fixed to a damping force that exceeds the value, and the vehicle is driven by changing the traveling position in the vehicle width direction.
The vehicle control device is
An efficiency acquisition unit that acquires the transmission efficiency of the power transmission between each of the plurality of power transmission devices and the vehicle, and an efficiency acquisition unit.
Further provided with a specific unit for specifying a traveling position in the vehicle width direction in which the transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit travels the vehicle at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit. The control unit fixes the vehicle height to a predetermined height when performing the power transmission between the vehicle and a plurality of power transmission devices provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle. In the state, change the traveling position in the vehicle width direction and drive
The vehicle control device is
An efficiency acquisition unit that acquires the transmission efficiency of the power transmission between each of the plurality of power transmission devices and the vehicle, and an efficiency acquisition unit.
Further provided with a specific unit for specifying a traveling position in the vehicle width direction in which the transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit travels the vehicle at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit. The control unit is used in a place where the power transmission device is not provided before the vehicle enters the place where the power transmission device is provided from a place where the power transmission device is not provided on the road. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one of the damping force of the suspension device included in the vehicle and the vehicle height of the vehicle is set so as to satisfy the predetermined conditions. When the power transmission is performed between the plurality of power transmission devices provided along the traveling direction of the vehicle and the vehicle, the control unit causes the vehicle to travel by changing the vehicle height.
The vehicle control device is
An efficiency acquisition unit that acquires the transmission efficiency of the power transmission between each of the plurality of power transmission devices and the vehicle, and an efficiency acquisition unit.
Further provided with a specific unit that specifies the vehicle height at which the transmission efficiency exceeds a predetermined reference value.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit travels the vehicle while maintaining the vehicle height of the vehicle at the vehicle height specified by the specific unit. The control unit changes the traveling position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle height of the vehicle when traveling on the plurality of power transmission devices.
The specific unit identifies a combination of vehicle height and traveling position in which the transmission efficiency of the power transmission exceeds a predetermined reference value.
The vehicle control according to claim 9, wherein the control unit keeps the vehicle height of the vehicle at the vehicle height specified by the specific unit, and causes the vehicle to travel at a traveling position in the vehicle width direction specified by the specific unit. apparatus. Any one of claims 1 to 10 in which the control unit sets the vehicle height in the left-right direction of the vehicle to a predetermined condition different from that in the case where the power transmission is not performed. The vehicle control device according to the section. A vehicle including the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. A program for causing a computer to function as the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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