JP2022145710A - Heat energy control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat energy control system capable of realizing improved heat management throughout a vehicle.

SOLUTION: A heat energy control system mounted on a vehicle, comprises a plurality of heat sources, and a heat distributor that allocates a heat quantity calculated from a heat demand generated in the entire vehicle to the plurality of heat sources, where the heat demands generated in the entire vehicle are prioritized, and the heat distributor allocates a required heat quantity to the plurality of heat sources based on the suppliable heat quantity and priority of the plurality of heat sources.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle thermal energy control system that allocates a requested amount of heat to a heat source based on multiple heat demands generated by the vehicle.

Patent Literature 1 describes a heat source control device that uses engine cooling water and a heat pump as heat sources for heating the interior of the vehicle. In the heat source control device described in Patent Document 1, the amount of heat supplied from the cooling water of the engine to the air in the passenger compartment through the heater core and the amount of heat supplied to the air in the passenger compartment from the indoor heat exchanger of the heat pump system are distributed. , is determined so that the heat cost (amount of fuel) consumed is minimized.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-201488

Vehicles in recent years are equipped with various devices that utilize heat, so heat management is more complicated than in conventional vehicles. However, at present, it cannot be said that the heat management in the entire vehicle is sufficiently optimized.

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a vehicle thermal energy control system that can provide improved thermal management throughout the vehicle.

A thermal energy control system according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of heat sources and a heat quantity distributor that allocates the required heat quantity calculated from the heat demand generated in the entire vehicle to the plurality of heat sources, and are set with priorities, and the heat distributor allocates the required heat amounts to the plurality of heat sources based on the suppliable heat amounts and the priorities of the plurality of heat sources.

According to the present disclosure, a vehicle thermal energy control system can be provided that can provide improved thermal management throughout the vehicle.

1 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a thermal energy control system according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating control processing executed by the thermal energy control system shown in FIG. 1; A functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a thermal energy control system according to a second embodiment.

(Overview)
The thermal energy control system according to the present disclosure distributes the required amount of heat to each heat source in consideration of the suppliable amount of heat from heat sources such as heat generators and heat exchangers provided in the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to realize improved heat management for the entire vehicle by taking into consideration the amount of heat generated by the heat generator, the amount of heat released from the heat exchanger, the amount of heat stored in the heat medium of the heat exchanger, and the like.

(First embodiment)
<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a thermal energy control system according to the first embodiment.

A thermal energy control system 10 includes multiple heat sources 1 , a heat distributor 2 , and multiple actuators 3 .

Examples of the heat source 1 include a heat generator and a heat exchanger. A heat generator is a device that generates heat by operating. Examples of the heat generator include an engine, a heat pump, a driving motor for a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, a power control unit for the driving motor, a driving battery for the driving motor, and the like. A heat exchanger is a device for exchanging thermal energy between two different heat carriers. Examples of heat exchangers include radiators, intercoolers, oil coolers, heater cores, waste heat recovery devices, and outdoor heat exchangers for heat pumps. Each heat source 1 calculates the maximum amount of heat that can be supplied, and the actual amount of heat that is actually supplied, based on its own operating state and the operating state of an actuator 3, which will be described later. , the calculated suppliable heat quantity and the actual supply heat quantity are output to the heat quantity distributor 2, which will be described later. Here, when the heat source 1 is a heat generator, the amount of heat supplied by the heat source 1 corresponds to the amount of heat generated, and when the heat source is a heat exchanger, the amount of heat supplied by the heat source corresponds to the amount of heat released. The heat source 1 includes a computer such as an ECU (not shown), and the computer executes each process described later. Although a plurality of heat sources 1 are provided in this embodiment, the number of heat sources 1 provided in the thermal energy control system 10 may be one.

The heat distributor 2 obtains a plurality of heat demands generated in the entire vehicle, and based on the required heat quantity calculated from the obtained plurality of heat demands and the suppliable heat quantity obtained from each heat source 1, each heat source 1 Distribute the required heat to The heat demand generated in the entire vehicle is a demand for the amount of heat required by various devices mounted on the vehicle, and the required amount of heat can take both positive and negative values. The heat demand generated in a vehicle includes the positive heat quantity required to warm the engine, driving motor, driving battery, etc. to the appropriate temperature, the negative heat quantity required to cool it to the appropriate temperature, and the temperature inside the vehicle. Positive heat quantity required to raise the air conditioner to the set temperature or negative heat quantity required to cool to the set temperature, positive heat quantity or heat medium required to store heat in the heat medium of various cooling systems can be exemplified by a request for a negative amount of heat necessary for cooling to a predetermined temperature.

The heat distributor 2 requests each heat source 1 to supply heat energy so as to satisfy each heat request obtained. For example, when the air conditioner requests the amount of heat to raise the air temperature in the passenger compartment to a predetermined temperature, the amount of heat requested from the air conditioner is distributed to the engine or the heat pump. When distributing the required amount of heat to each heat source 1 , the heat amount distributor 2 considers the amount of heat that each heat source 1 can supply. For example, if the amount of heat that the engine can supply is less than the amount of heat required by the air conditioner, all of the heat amount required by the air conditioner is distributed to the heat source 1 other than the engine, or a portion of the amount of heat required by the air conditioner is distributed. is distributed to the engine, and the rest of the heat quantity required from the air conditioner is distributed to the heat source 1 other than the engine. When the required amount of heat is distributed to each heat source 1 without taking into account the amount of heat that can be supplied from each heat source 1, the amount of heat that can be supplied by a certain heat source 1 is less than the amount of heat that can be distributed, and the supply of thermal energy is insufficient. A situation may occur in which the heat source 1 has excess thermal energy. Since the excess heat energy is discarded, energy is wasted.

On the other hand, in the thermal energy control system 10 according to the present embodiment, the heat quantity distributor 2 refers to the suppliable heat quantity acquired from each heat source 1 to determine how much margin there is in the suppliable heat quantity in each heat source 1. You can figure out if there is. Therefore, even if there is no margin in the suppliable heat amount of a specific heat source 1, if there is a margin in the suppliable heat amount of another heat source 1, the thermal energy of the other heat source 1 is used as the heat request source. By distributing, the heat energy being generated can be used efficiently. Thus, by providing the heat distributor 2 and integrally managing the amount of heat supplied from each heat source 1 by the heat distributor 2, it is possible to perform improved heat management for the entire vehicle. If there is no configuration that can integrally manage the amount of heat supplied from each heat source 1, such as the heat distributor 2, each heat source 1 individually generates and supplies heat energy so as to meet the heat demand generated by the vehicle. As a result, there is a possibility that the thermal energy left over from any of the heat sources 1 will not be effectively utilized, resulting in inefficient distribution of thermal energy over the entire vehicle.

The actuator 3 is a driving device that operates according to instructions from a control device such as an ECU provided in the heat source 1, and controls the heat output from the heat source 1, controls the cooling of the heat source 1, controls heat exchange between heat media, and the like. I do. Examples of the actuator 3 include pumps for controlling the flow rate of various cooling water, valves for changing the flow paths of various cooling water, fans for cooling radiators and outdoor heat exchangers, compressors, expansion valves, and the like. can. Also, although the engine and the heat pump are heat sources 1 , they themselves can also function as actuators 3 .

A plurality of heat sources 1 may output drive instructions to one actuator 3 . Therefore, when each actuator 3 receives drive instructions from a plurality of heat sources 1 , it performs arbitration processing and operates according to the drive instructions received from any one of the heat sources 1 . Specifically, each heat source 1 sets the degree of freedom in the drive instruction output to the actuator 3 . The actuator 3 operates in accordance with the driving instruction for which the lowest degree of freedom is set among the plurality of received driving instructions, and rejects the other driving instructions. The degree of freedom set in the drive instruction is set to increase as the number of actuators 3 that can be used by each heat source 1 to realize the amount of heat distributed from the heat distributor 2 increases. In other words, the greater the number of alternative methods for realizing the amount of heat distributed from the heat distributor 2, the higher the degree of freedom of the drive instruction to the actuator 3.

The actuator 3 outputs its own driving amount to the heat source 1 that outputs the adopted driving instruction (see the dashed arrow in FIG. 1). In FIG. 1, part of the feedback path from the actuator 3 to the heat source 1 is indicated by a dashed arrow, and other feedback paths are omitted. Examples of the drive amount from the actuator 3 include a voltage value, a current value, the flow velocity and flow rate of the cooling water, the rotational position of the valve, the rotational speed of the fan, and the like. The drive amount of the actuator 3 is used in the heat source 1 to calculate the actual amount of heat supplied. On the other hand, the actuator 3 outputs a rejection notification indicating that the drive instruction has been rejected to the heat source 1 that has output the rejected drive instruction. The rejection notification is used as an opportunity for the heat source 1 to correct the driving instruction and re-output the driving instruction to another actuator 3 .

As a specific example, in a vehicle, a fan, an engine radiator, and a heat pump outdoor heat exchanger are arranged in series in this order, and the same fan is used for both the engine radiator and the heat pump outdoor heat exchanger. In some cases, a configuration in which air is sent in is adopted. As an example, consider a case where a vehicle having such an arrangement of fans, radiators and outdoor heat exchangers is used in cold climates and the engine and the heating of the vehicle interior are started at the same time. In this case, since the engine needs to be warmed up, the engine outputs a drive instruction to the fan actuator to stop driving, while the heat pump of the air conditioner exchanges heat between the outside air and the cooler refrigerant. As it needs to be done, a drive command can be output from the heat pump to the fan actuator to increase the rpm. However, even when the fan is stopped, the heat pump of the air conditioner can generate the necessary heat for the air conditioner by adjusting the compressor and expansion valve.

Therefore, a higher degree of freedom is set for the driving instruction to increase the rotational speed from the heat pump of the air conditioner to the fan than the driving instruction to stop the fan when the engine is warmed up. With this configuration, even if the fan actuator receives contradictory driving instructions from the engine and the heat pump, it performs arbitration processing to determine which driving instruction to adopt based on the set degrees of freedom, It can operate based on the drive instruction with the lowest degree of freedom. In this example, the fan actuator adopts the drive command output from the engine with the lowest degrees of freedom and rejects the drive command output from the heat pump. When the heat pump receives the rejection notification, it corrects the drive instruction and re-outputs the drive instruction to other actuators (for example, compressors and expansion valves), thereby realizing the amount of heat supplied as instructed by the heat distributor 2. you can try

When the heat distributor 2 distributes the required amount of heat to each heat source 1, the total amount of heat that can be supplied by all the heat sources 1 may be insufficient with respect to the required amount of heat (total amount) of the entire vehicle. Therefore, a priority is associated with the heat request generated in the vehicle, and the heat distributor 2 determines which heat request is preferentially supplied with heat according to the obtained priority of the heat request. is preferred. The priority set for the heat demand is based on the attributes of the heat demand (for example, is the heat demand required for running the vehicle, is the heat demand necessary for improving the comfort in the passenger compartment, etc.). Can be set in advance. It is preferable that the priority to be set for the heat request is higher for the heat required for running the vehicle than for the heat required for improving comfort. The heat distributor 2 can discard a heat request with a relatively low priority when the total amount of heat that can be supplied from all the heat sources 1 is smaller than the amount of heat required for the entire vehicle.

Here, as an example, the heat demand for starting the engine and heating at the same time in a cold region and the heat demand for warming up the engine and the heat demand for warming the vehicle interior to the set temperature with the air conditioner are sent to the calorific value distributor 2. Consider the case of input. When the heat distributor 2 determines that the total amount of heat that can be supplied by all the heat sources 1 is smaller than the amount of heat required for the entire vehicle, and that the amount of heat that can be supplied by the engine is smaller than the amount of heat required to warm up the engine, A relatively low-priority heat request requested by the air conditioner is discarded, and the suppliable heat amount of the heat pump for driving the air conditioner is allocated for warming up the engine.

In this way, by setting priorities for each of the heat requests, it is possible to allocate the amount of heat that can be supplied by all the heat sources 1 at each time point in descending order of the need for heat energy. It is possible to improve the efficiency of heat distribution.

Also, the heat distributor 2 acquires the actual amount of heat actually supplied by each heat source 1 . This actual amount of heat supplied is calculated by the heat source 1 based on the drive amount of the actuator 3 . The heat distributor 2 corrects the amount of heat distributed to each heat source 1 based on the amount of heat distributed to each heat source 1 and the actual amount of heat supplied from each heat source 1 . Cases that need to be corrected include the case where the heat source 1 could not supply the heat quantity distributed by the heat distributor 2 to the heat source 1, and the heat quantity distributed by the heat distributor 2 to the heat source 1 due to an error factor and the actual supply. There may be a case where there is a deviation of a predetermined amount or more from the amount of heat, a case where one of the heat sources 1 cannot be used, or the like. The heat quantity distributor 2 redistributes the required heat quantity to each heat source 1 as needed, and instructs each heat source 1 to supply heat again. In this embodiment, the drive amount of the actuator 3 is fed back to the heat source 1 instead of the heat distributor 2, and the heat source 1 outputs to the heat distributor 2 the actual supply heat amount calculated based on the drive amount of the actuator 3. In order to calculate the actual amount of heat supplied, in addition to the drive amount of the actuator 3, information specifying the operating state of the heat source 1 is required. Therefore, if the drive amount of the actuator 3 is fed back to the heat distributor 2 for the purpose of calculating the actual amount of heat supplied, it becomes necessary to also feed back information specifying the operating state of the heat source 1 to the heat distributor 2. The input/output interface and control processing of the device 2 become complicated. In this embodiment, since the heat source 1 calculates the actual amount of heat supplied and outputs it to the heat distributor 2, the input/output interface and control processing of the heat distributor 2 can be simplified. Further, even if part of the heat source 1 or the actuator 3 is changed, there is no need to change the input/output interface of the heat quantity distributor 2 and the control processing. Management can be performed in an integrated manner.

It is preferable that the heat distributor 2 manages the amount of heat required by the above-described heat requirement, the amount of heat that can be supplied, and the amount of heat actually supplied, in units of heat amount. In this case, heat distribution processing and correction processing (redistribution processing) in the heat quantity distributor 2 can be easily performed. However, instead of the heat quantity distributor 2 acquiring the heat quantity required by the heat request from each device of the vehicle, other parameters such as temperature are acquired, and distribution processing and correction processing are performed based on the other parameters. you can go

<Control processing>
FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating control processing executed by the thermal energy control system shown in FIG.

Step S1: The heat distributor 2 acquires the heat demand generated in the entire vehicle. After that, the process moves to step S2.

Step S<b>2 : Each of the heat sources 1 outputs the suppliable heat quantity to the heat quantity distributor 2 . The amount of heat that can be supplied from the heat source 1 can be calculated based on the operating state of the heat source 1 and the operating state of the actuator 3, for example. After that, the process moves to step S3.

Step S3: The heat distributor 2 executes heat distribution processing. Specifically, the heat distributor 2 distributes to each heat source 1 based on the required heat amount calculated from all the heat requests acquired in step S1 and the suppliable heat amount output from each heat source 1 in step S2. Determine the amount of heat required. In the distribution process of step S3, as described above, the magnitude relationship between the required heat amount (total amount) of the entire vehicle and the total amount of heat that can be supplied by each heat source 1, the heat supply surplus capacity based on the heat amount that can be supplied by each heat source 1, The priority set for the heat request is used. After that, the process moves to step S4.

Step S4: The heat distributor 2 instructs each heat source 1 to supply the heat distributed in step S3. After that, the process moves to step S5.

Step S5: Each heat source 1 outputs a drive instruction to the actuator 3 so that the heat quantity distributed by the heat quantity distributor 2 can be realized. Note that the heat source 1 that also functions as an actuator 3, such as an engine or a heat pump, controls its own output. After that, the process moves to step S6.

Step S6: When the actuator 3 receives a plurality of drive instructions and the received plurality of drive instructions cannot be established at the same time, the actuator 3 executes arbitration processing. As described above, the actuator 3 refers to the degree of freedom set for each of the received drive instructions, adopts the drive instruction with the lowest degree of freedom, and rejects the other drive instructions. When the actuator 3 receives one drive instruction, the actuator 3 adopts the one drive instruction without performing arbitration processing. Further, when there is no contradiction among the received drive instructions, the actuator 3 adopts any one of the drive instructions. After that, the process moves to step S7.

Step S7: Actuator 3 controls the operation based on the drive instruction adopted in step S6. Specifically, it controls the flow rate and flow path of the cooling water, the rotation speed of the fan, and the like. After that, the process moves to step S8 or S9. More specifically, the actuator 3 executes the process of step S8 for the heat source 1 that outputs the drive instruction adopted in step S6, and performs the process of step S8 for the heat source 1 that outputs the drive instruction rejected in step S6. , the process of step S9 is executed.

Step S8: The actuator 3 outputs the drive amount of the actuator 3 after the operation control is performed according to the drive instruction to the heat source 1 that outputs the drive instruction adopted in step S6. After that, the process moves to step S12.

Step S9: The actuator 3 outputs a rejection notice indicating rejection of the drive instruction to the heat source 1 that output the drive instruction rejected in step S6. After that, the process moves to step S10.

Step S10: When the heat source 1 receives the rejection notification from the actuator 3, it modifies the drive instruction. More specifically, the heat source 1 determines whether or not the amount of heat distributed by the heat distributor 2 can be realized by driving the other actuator 3, and determines that the distributed amount of heat can be realized by driving the other actuator 3. When determined, a drive instruction for another actuator 3 is generated. After that, the process moves to step S11.

Step S11: The heat source 1 outputs the recreated drive instruction to the actuator 3 different from the output destination in step S5. After that, the process moves to step S6, and the processes of steps S6 to S11 are repeatedly executed.

Step S<b>12 : The heat source 1 calculates the actual amount of heat supplied based on the drive amount acquired from the actuator 3 . The actual amount of heat supplied can be calculated using the value detected or held by the heat source 1 in addition to the drive amount of the actuator 3 . For example, when the heat source 1 is an engine and the actuator 3 is a water pump, the actual amount of heat supplied can be calculated based on the temperature change of the cooling water detected by the heat source 1 and the flow rate of the cooling water obtained from the actuator 3. . After that, the process moves to step S13.

Step S<b>13 : The heat source 1 outputs the calculated actual supply heat quantity to the heat quantity distributor 2 . After that, the process moves to step S14.

Step S14: The heat distributor 2 corrects (redistributes) the amount of heat distributed to each heat source 1 based on the amount of heat supplied to each heat source 1 in step S4 and the actual amount of heat supplied obtained from each heat source 1. do. After that, the process moves to step S15.

Step S15: The heat distributor 2 instructs each heat source 1 to supply the heat amount corrected in step S14.

Thereafter, the processes of steps S1 to S15 are repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals to continue the process of distributing thermal energy in the vehicle.

Incidentally, the heat distributor described above may be realized by a dedicated circuit for executing the control processing of the heat distributor shown in FIG. Further, the heat quantity distributor 2 described above is realized by causing a computer such as an ECU having a processor, a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk to execute the processes of steps S1, S3, S4, and S13 to S15 shown in FIG. You can Further, the control processing of the heat source 1 shown in FIG. 2 can be realized by causing a computer such as an ECU for controlling the heat source 1 to execute the processing of steps S5 and S8 to S12 shown in FIG. . Similarly, the control processing of the actuator 3 shown in FIG. 2 can be realized by causing the ECU for controlling the actuator 3 or the computer of the control board to execute the processing of steps S6 and S7 shown in FIG. can. When a computer is caused to execute the control processing of FIG. 2, the program of the control processing shown in FIG. Each control process of the heat quantity distributor 2, the heat source 1, and the actuator 3 can be executed by executing the control process.

<Effects, etc.>
In the thermal energy control system 10 according to the present embodiment, the heat distributor 2 allocates to the heat source 1 the required heat amount calculated from the heat request generated in the entire vehicle based on the suppliable heat amount of the heat source 1 . By integrally managing the amount of heat required and the amount of heat supplied from the heat source 1 by the heat distributor 2, improved heat management can be performed for the entire vehicle.

Further, the heat demand generated in the entire vehicle includes the heat demand generated by the operation of the engine, the driving motor, the power control unit of the driving motor, the cooling and heating device in the vehicle interior, and the drive battery of the driving motor. Therefore, the heat distributor 2 can integrally manage various heat requirements.

Further, priority is set for the heat demand generated in the entire vehicle, and when the total amount of heat that can be supplied from each heat source 1 is small with respect to the amount of heat required, the heat quantity distributor 2 gives a relatively low priority. A set heat request can be discarded. By prioritizing heat requirements, heat energy can be distributed according to the total amount of heat that can be supplied and the level of need for heat energy.

In addition, the degree of freedom is set for the drive instruction to the actuator 3 output by each heat source 1, and the actuator 3 receives drive instructions from two or more heat sources, and each of the received drive instructions is established at the same time. If it is not possible, it can operate based on the driving instruction with the lowest degree of freedom and reject the other driving instructions. By setting the degree of freedom in the drive instructions from the heat source 1 to the actuator 3, the actuator 3 can be driven rationally even when a contradiction occurs between a plurality of drive instructions.

Further, the actuator 3 outputs a rejection notification indicating that the drive instruction has been rejected to the heat source 1 that has output the rejected drive instruction. can output drive instructions to different actuators 3 . By notifying the heat source 1 of the rejection of the drive instruction from the actuator 3 , the heat source 1 can execute an alternative method of realizing the heat quantity distributed from the heat quantity distributor 2 .

Further, the actuator 3 outputs a drive amount to the heat source 1 that has output the drive instruction, and the heat source 1 outputs the actual supply heat amount calculated based on the drive amount acquired from the actuator 3 to the heat quantity distributor 2. can be done. By feeding back the actual heat quantity supplied from the actuator 3 to the heat quantity distributor 2, the heat quantity distributor 2 can manage whether or not the heat quantity initially distributed to each heat source 1 is achieved.

Also, the heat distributor 2 can correct the amount of heat distributed to each of the heat sources 1 based on the actual amount of heat supplied from each of the heat sources 1 . By correcting the amount of heat distributed to each heat source 1 based on the actual amount of heat supplied by the heat source 1, even if each heat source 1 cannot supply the amount of heat requested from the heat amount distributor 2 for some reason, each heat source It becomes possible to redistribute the required amount of heat to 1.

(Second embodiment)
<Configuration>
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a thermal energy control system according to the second embodiment. The following description focuses on differences between the present embodiment and the first embodiment.

A thermal energy control system 20 according to the present embodiment is obtained by adding a state management section 4 to the thermal energy control system 10 according to the first embodiment.

The state management unit 4 acquires and manages the state of the vehicle or the state of the external environment (hereinafter collectively referred to as "system state"), and selects a more favorable heat path in the vehicle based on the acquired system state. can do. For example, when the state management unit 4 acquires a system state indicating that the engine is warming up, it selects a short-circuited route as the route of cooling water for the engine, rather than during non-warming up, in order to promote warming up of the engine. The state management unit 4 outputs the selected more preferable heat path to the heat distributor 2 as system state information.

Here, the state of the vehicle indicates how the vehicle operates, and the state of the external environment indicates the external environment in which the vehicle is placed. The vehicle statuses included in the system status include the engine warming-up status, vehicle running status, vehicle stopped status, hybrid vehicle engine running status, and hybrid vehicle running status. This includes the state of EV running with the original motor, the state of running in energy-saving mode, and so on. In addition, the state of the external environment includes a state in which the vehicle is used in a specific season, a state in which the vehicle is used in a cold region, and the like.

The heat distributor 2 distributes the amount of heat supplied to each heat source 1 and corrects the distributed amount of heat based on the system state information output from the state management unit 4 . For example, it is assumed that the air conditioner requests heat to warm the interior of the vehicle while the engine is warming up and a cooling water route that promotes warming up of the engine is selected. In this case, the heat distributor 2 determines that the warm-up of the engine is being accelerated based on the system state information, and can distribute the heat requested from the air conditioner to the other heat source 1.

The control process according to the present embodiment includes the control sequence shown in FIG. It can be realized by adding a step to The heat distributor 2 reflects the system state information acquired from the state management unit 4 in the distribution process of step S3 and the correction process of step S14 in FIG.

<Effects, etc.>
As described above, the thermal energy control system 20 according to the present embodiment includes the state management unit 4 that acquires and manages the system state (state of the vehicle or state of the external environment). The amount of heat distributed to each heat source 1 can be corrected based on the system status acquired by the management unit 4 . According to this configuration, it is possible to perform more efficient heat management in the entire vehicle by considering the system state.

(Modification)
In the above-described first embodiment, the heat distribution device 2 may select the heat path. In this case, information indicating one or more heat paths through which thermal energy can be transferred between the heat sources 1 provided in the vehicle is prepared in advance according to the configurations of the heat sources 1 and the actuators 3 provided in the vehicle. However, by referring to this heat path information, a more preferable heat path (thermal energy transfer path) can be selected. When the heat quantity distributor 2 can select a heat route, in addition to the heat request, the realizable heat quantity and the actual heat generation quantity of each heat source 1, based on the information of the selected or switched heat route, the required heat quantity to the heat source Assignments can be made. For example, if the heat demand required for warming up the engine cannot be met only by driving the engine, and there is a surplus in the amount of heat supplied from another heat source 1 such as a heat pump, the heat distributor 2 selects a heat path for transferring heat energy from another heat source 1 such as a heat pump to the engine based on the heat path information, and allocates the amount of heat insufficient for warming up the engine to the other heat source 1. can be done. In this case, the heat distributor 2 may also switch heat paths. In this case, information representing the operation state of each actuator 3 for realizing the heat path included in the heat path information described above is prepared in advance according to the configuration of the heat source 1 and the actuator 3 provided in the vehicle. By referring to the operating state information, the current heat path can be switched to the preferred heat path (thermal energy transfer path) by directly or indirectly switching the actuator 3 . In the above-described second embodiment, the state management unit 4 may execute this heat path switching process.

Selection or switching of the heat path (control of the actuator 3) may be performed by a configuration other than the thermal energy control systems 10 and 20 according to the above embodiments.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present disclosure can be used for a system that optimizes the distribution of thermal energy generated by multiple heat sources provided in the vehicle throughout the vehicle.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 heat source 2 heat distributor 3 actuator 4 state management unit 10, 20 thermal energy control system

Claims (8)

A thermal energy control system mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of heat sources;
a heat quantity distributor allocating a required heat quantity calculated from a heat request generated in the entire vehicle to the plurality of heat sources;
Priorities are set for the heat demands generated by the entire vehicle,
The heat energy distributor allocates the required heat amount to the plurality of heat sources based on the suppliable heat amount of the plurality of heat sources and the priority. 3. The heat demand generated in the entire vehicle includes a heat demand generated due to the operation of an engine, a driving motor, a power control unit of the driving motor, an air-conditioning device in the passenger compartment, and a drive battery of the driving motor. 2. The thermal energy control system according to claim 1. 3. The heat distributor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the total amount of heat that can be supplied from said plurality of heat sources is smaller than the requested amount of heat, said heat amount distributor discards a heat request set with a relatively low priority. Thermal energy control system. a plurality of drive devices driven based on a drive instruction output from at least one of the heat sources and capable of controlling an amount of heat supplied by the at least one heat source that outputs the drive instruction;
A degree of freedom is set for the driving instruction to the driving device output by the heat source,
When the driving device receives driving instructions from two or more of the heat sources and the received driving instructions cannot be simultaneously established, the driving device operates based on the driving instruction with the lowest degree of freedom. 4. The thermal energy control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which rejects the drive instruction of the . The drive device outputs a rejection notification indicating that the drive instruction has been rejected to the heat source that output the rejected drive instruction,
5. The thermal energy control system according to claim 4, wherein said heat source, upon receiving said rejection notice, outputs a drive instruction to a drive device different from the drive device that output said rejection notice. The driving device outputs a driving amount to the heat source that outputs the driving instruction,
6. The thermal energy control system according to claim 4, wherein said heat source outputs to said heat quantity distributor an actual supply heat quantity calculated based on the drive quantity obtained from said drive device. 7. The thermal energy control system according to claim 6, wherein said heat distributor modifies the heat quantity allocated to each of said heat sources based on the actual heat quantity received from each of said plurality of heat sources. further comprising a state management unit that acquires and manages the state of the vehicle or the state of the external environment;
8. The heat quantity distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said heat quantity distributor corrects the quantity of heat allocated to each of said plurality of heat sources based on the state of the vehicle or the state of the external environment acquired by said state management unit. Thermal energy control system.

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