JP4066781B2 - Vehicle load drive control device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle load drive control device that optimally distributes electric power generated by a vehicle-mounted power generation device to a plurality of on-vehicle electric loads.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, the types of electric loads (hereinafter also abbreviated as loads) mounted on vehicles such as automobiles and the total power consumption thereof are increasing dramatically, and tend to increase further in the future. In the future, there will be a tendency to adopt a load drive system such as steer-by-wire, which is directly connected to the basic functions of the vehicle that drives the operating device and the actuator by electrical signals without mechanical connection. The importance of a stable power supply to is increasing.
[0003]
However, there is a limit to the amount of power that can be supplied by a power supply device such as a generator and a capacitor that can be mounted on a vehicle due to vehicle mounting and cost issues. For this reason, if the power supply to the load is insufficient due to the temporary capacity shortage of the power supply device at the short-term power consumption peak, the comfort of the vehicle is impaired. Further, there is a demand for measures for preferentially securing power supply to important loads (also referred to as high priority loads) related to the basic functions of the vehicle even when such power supply is insufficient.
[0004]
In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 listed below starts from the load with the lowest priority based on the priority order of each load stored in advance when the total rated capacity of the operating loads exceeds a predetermined allowable capacity. In addition, it is proposed to prioritize power supply to important loads by reducing or cutting off power supply.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-19505 [0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the power distribution method (distribution method) of Patent Document 1 described above, since the priority order of each load is determined in advance, when the supply power is insufficient, a load with a low priority is recovered until the supply power is sufficiently recovered. As a result, the operation level is always lowered or completely stopped, and there is a problem that the dissatisfaction of the occupant is significantly increased due to a decrease in comfort.
[0007]
In recent years, the number of in-vehicle loads has tended to increase rapidly. With the conventional method that centrally manages the priority of loads, the load of each load is changed each time the number or capacity of in-vehicle loads is changed due to model changes of the vehicle model. Priorities had to be adjusted again, and there was a problem that the development man-hours increased.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a load drive control device that can easily cope with an increase or decrease in the number of electrical loads.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle load drive control device according to the present invention (Claim 1) includes a plurality of electric loads mounted on a vehicle, an in-vehicle power supply for supplying power to each electric load, In a vehicle load drive control device comprising: an on-vehicle power distribution control device that controls power distribution from the power source to each of the electric loads based on a load priority that is a numerical value indicating a priority order of power feeding between the electric loads. ,
The power distribution control device calculates the suppliable power of the power source, classifies the electric loads into a plurality of groups according to function, so that the electric loads performing a common vehicle function constitute the same group, When the group priority, which is a numerical value indicating the priority of power feeding between groups, is set based on the input information related to the vehicle state, and the group supply power is defined as the group supply power, the group supply of each group When the group supply power to be supplied to each group is calculated based on each group priority within a range where the total power does not exceed the suppliable power, and the supply power to the electric load is defined as load supply power The load supply power supplied to each electric load belonging to the predetermined group in a range in which the total of the load supply power to the electric loads belonging to the predetermined group does not exceed the group supply power of the predetermined group Based on the load priority Calculated Te is characterized by controlling the power consumption of each electrical load the according to the load power supplied per electrical load.
[0009]
That is, according to the power distribution control of the present invention, each electric load is classified into a predetermined number of groups, and the suppliable power of the power source is first set to the group priority as the priority of each group determined for each group. According to the load priority as the priority of each electrical load, the power distributed to each group is distributed to each group according to the load priority as a priority of each electrical load. Even if the number of electric loads and power consumption change due to vehicle variations, the priority order only needs to be changed between the electric loads belonging to the group where the change occurred. Development man-hours can be greatly reduced .
[0010]
In the present invention, the power distribution control device calculates the group priority based on the input information about the vehicle condition. In this way, the priority order that has been fixed for each load in the past can be changed according to the temporal variation of the vehicle state including the load state for each group. Allocation can be realized.
[0011]
Furthermore, in the present invention, the power distribution control device constitutes the predetermined group by the plurality of electric loads that perform a common vehicle function. Thereby, the power distribution between the groups can be easily optimized. As this function, for example, an always-on function that is an essential function, a traveling function that is required during traveling, an air conditioning function, a lighting function, and the like are conceivable.
[0012]
In a preferred aspect (Claim 2 ), the power distribution control device calculates the group priority based on a current value relating to the necessity of the vehicle function of the group determined based on the input information.
[0013]
For example, the group priority is calculated based on the comparison result between the current value regarding the vehicle function of the group and the optimum value or the target value. This increases the group priority of this group when the degree of function development of a group is far from its optimum value, or the priority when the function of a group is not necessary and its optimum value is small. If the available power is insufficient, valuable surplus power can be directed to other groups.
[0014]
In a preferred aspect (claim 3 ), the vehicle has warm-up state detecting means for detecting a warm-up state of the vehicle, and the power distribution control device calculates the group priority based on the warm-up state. This increases the priority of the electric load group related to warm-up only when the vehicle needs to be warmed up due to the warm-up state. It is possible to increase the amount of power supplied to the group, and to suppress unnecessary driving of the electric load group related to warm-up.
[0015]
In a preferred aspect (Claim 4 ), it has brightness detection means for detecting external illuminance around the vehicle, and the power distribution control device calculates the group priority based on the external illuminance. As a result, when the surroundings are bright and it is not necessary to use lights, the priority of the electric load belonging to the group related to the lights is lowered, and if the available power is insufficient, the power supply to other groups is reduced. Can be increased.
[0016]
In a preferred aspect (Claim 5 ), the power distribution control device always sets the group priority of the predetermined group higher than that of the other groups. Accordingly, a group having a high priority is always provided for an important load that always needs to be operated, and the necessary electric power for the important load can be reliably ensured by belonging to the group.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Device configuration)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electric system of a vehicle provided with the vehicle load drive control device of this embodiment.
[0018]
The engine 101 is connected to the generator 102 by a belt 107. The generator 102 is connected to the battery 103 and the load control means 110a to 110e through the power line 108. The load control means 110a performs power supply control of the loads 111a1 to 111a3, the load control means 110b performs power supply control of the loads 111b1 to 111b3, and the load control means 110e performs power supply control of the loads 111e1 to 111e3. These load control means 110a to 110e include operation switches (not shown) necessary for performing the above control and various sensors (not shown) for this control, and external input signals and outputs of these sensors. Depending on the output, the output control of the load belonging to itself is performed or interrupted.
[0019]
104 is an engine control means, and 105 is a power supply control means.
[0020]
The engine control means 104 is a control device for controlling the engine 101, and is connected to the power supply control means 105, and is detected by a sensor (not shown) that detects various states of the engine 101. Various information such as the number of revolutions is transmitted to the power supply control means 105, and the output of the engine 101 is increased or decreased according to a command from the power supply control means 105.
[0021]
The power control unit 105 monitors the state of the generator 102, the battery 103, the power line 108, and the like, and controls the generator 102 through the generator control unit 112 that controls the generator 102. The power control means 105 is connected to the generator control means 112, and the power generation amount of the generator 102 is controlled by a command from the power control means 105. The generator control means 112 transmits generator information such as the current power generation amount of the generator 102 and the rotation speed of the generator 102 to the power supply control means 105. A battery current sensor 107, a load current sensor 109, a battery temperature sensor 113, and a battery voltage sensor (not shown) are connected to the power control means 105, and the battery input / output current, load current, battery temperature, and battery voltage are controlled. receive. The power control means 105 is connected to the load control means 110a to 110b through the multiplex signal transmission line 106, and exchanges information bi-directionally with the load control means 110a to 110b through multiplex communication.
(Functional configuration)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram more specifically showing the vehicle power supply system shown in FIG.
[0022]
201 is a suppliable power calculation means, which calculates the maximum suppliable power (suppliable power) from information such as battery voltage, battery current, and generator speed, and sends it to the function-specific power distribution means 202.
[0023]
202 is a function-specific (group-specific) power distribution means, which is based on the priority (group priority) of each group received from the individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f that supervises each group and the required power of each group. The power supplied to the group is calculated and sent to the individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f.
[0024]
203a to 203f are individual load power distribution means, which are provided in each group. A group is a group classified based on the function performed by each load as shown in FIG. 3, and one or more electric loads belong to each group. The individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f are connected to the load priority / required power calculation means 204a1 to 204f2 individually provided for each electric load belonging to the group represented by the load. Degree) and the power required for driving (required power), and outputs the sum of the required powers to the function-specific power distribution means 202 as the required power of the group. The individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f are supplied from the functional power distribution means 202 to the group to which the self belongs, the priority of the load belonging to each group (load priority), and the required power. Accordingly, the power supplied to each load is individually transmitted to each load priority / required power calculation means 204a1 to 204f2 which will be described later.
[0025]
204a1 to 204f2 are load priority / required power calculation means, and are provided corresponding to each electric load. Each load priority / required power calculation means 204a1 to 204f2 determines the priority (load priority) of the load managed by itself and the required power, and sends it to the individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f of the group to which it belongs. Output. Also, the load priority / required power calculation means 204a1 to 204f2 receives the supplied power from the individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f, and supplies it to the load control means 110a to 110e controlling the respective loads through the multiplex transmission line 106. It also plays the role of sending out.
[0026]
The load control means 110a to 110e control the load based on the received supply power value so that the power consumption of the corresponding load does not exceed the supply power value.
(Description of control operation)
Next, the operation of the power control means 105 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0027]
First, steps (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 401 and S402 constitute priority / required power calculation means 204a1 to 204f2, each of which is based on the operation status of the switch, volume, etc. by the occupant of each load, and the operating status of the load. The load priority and the required power are calculated and sent to the individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f.
[0028]
The individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f that have received the required power for each load managed by the self calculates the sum of the required power of each load in S403, and the priority of each group (group priority) in S404 Are calculated based on the input vehicle information, and are sent to the function-specific power distribution means 202 for performing upper power distribution control.
[0029]
In this embodiment, each group priority is determined by a predetermined logic in accordance with the input vehicle information such as the operating state and environmental state of the vehicle. For example, the priority of a group of air conditioning systems to which an air conditioner blower, a heater, etc. belong is set according to the outside air temperature and the passenger compartment temperature as shown in FIG. When the absolute value of the deviation is large, the group priority is set high, and when it is near the appropriate temperature for the occupant, the group priority is set low. In addition, what was preset and memorize | stored with an appropriate temperature here may be used, and the mechanism which a passenger | crew can set an appropriate temperature may be provided.
[0030]
Further, the group priority of the warm-up system group to which loads such as the electric heating catalyst and the defogger belong is determined by the warm-up state of the vehicle estimated from the outside air temperature and the engine water temperature as shown in FIG. For example, when it is determined that the outside air temperature and the engine water temperature are low and the engine needs to be warmed up, the group priority is set relatively high.
[0031]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the group priority of the light / sight system group to which the lights and wipers belong is determined by an illuminance sensor (not shown) for detecting ambient brightness and a rain sensor (not shown) for detecting rainfall. The group priority is set high when it is detected that the surroundings are dark or raining, and is set low otherwise. The routine shown in FIG. 7 will be described below.
[0032]
First, it detects rain in S601, and if it is raining, sets a high group priority in S604 and returns to the main routine. If it is not raining, it is determined whether or not the external illuminance (also referred to as lightness) is less than or equal to a predetermined value (S602), and if not, the process proceeds to S604, otherwise the group priority is set low (S603), Return to the main routine.
[0033]
Further, for the important function group including the necessary important load that needs to be always operated, the priority is always set relatively high compared to the other groups.
[0034]
Next, the suppliable power calculating means 201 calculates the power that can be supplied by the power supply device of the vehicle (S405), and sends it to the function-specific power distributing means 202. The power that can be supplied is calculated from the battery current, the battery voltage, the rotational speed of the generator, the power generation state, and the like.
[0035]
Upon receiving the priority, required power, and suppliable power of each group, the function-specific power distribution means 202 determines whether the suppliable power is equal to or greater than the total required power, which is the sum of the required power of each group, in S406. If it is more than the required power, it is not necessary to limit the drive of the load, so the process proceeds to S410, the supply power value according to the required power of each group is output to the individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f, and each individual load power distribution means 203a ~ 203f output the supply power value according to the required power of each load to the load priority / required power calculation means 204a1 to 204f2 belonging to each group, and the process proceeds to S409.
[0036]
In S406, when the suppliable power is smaller than the required power, the process proceeds to S407, where the power supply value for each group is calculated by the function-specific power distribution means 202, and is sent to the corresponding individual load power distribution means. The power supplied to each group is determined by the required power and priority of each group, and is determined by assigning the required power of each group in a range not exceeding the suppliable power in order of priority.
[0037]
The individual load power distribution means 203a to 203f that have received the supply power value for each group calculate the supply power value to each load to which they belong in S408, and send it to the load priority / required power calculation means for the corresponding load. . The power supply value for each load is determined by the required power and priority of each load, and is determined by assigning the required power of each load in a range not exceeding the suppliable power in order of priority.
[0038]
The load priority / supply power calculation means that has received the supply power in S408 or S410 outputs the supply power to the load control means 110a to 110e that control the corresponding loads via the multiple transmission line 108 in S409, Each load control means 110a-110e controls each load in the range which does not exceed the received supply power value.
[0039]
With the above control, if the total required power of each load exceeds the suppliable power of the power supply, the power consumption of the group with low group priority and the load with low load priority is limited, which is important due to overload of the power supply system Load malfunction can be prevented.
[0040]
Also, even if there is an increase or decrease or replacement of the electrical load due to variations of the same model, only the priority / required power calculation means of the group to which the load belongs can be changed, and only the magnitude relationship of the overall priority is considered By doing so, the change work can be completed with less development man-hours while giving a feeling of unification to the driving restriction of the electric load of the vehicle within the same vehicle type variation.
[0041]
Also, when developing a new vehicle, it is necessary to adapt the relative relationship of priorities to all individual loads at the same time from the beginning of development, so the adaptation starts until all loads are complete. However, in this embodiment, the priority generation logic of each individual load power distribution means is used to distribute power to each group. Since the priority order is determined, it becomes possible to perform the matching process of the relative relationship of priority with respect to individual electric loads in parallel for each group, and the matching work of the relative relationship of priority is efficiently performed. Can do .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electric system of a vehicle including a vehicle load drive control device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the vehicle power supply system shown in FIG. 1 more specifically.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of each group.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the power control means.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between vehicle compartment temperature and group priority.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between engine water temperature and group priority.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a routine for calculating priority based on external illuminance.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 engine (power supply means)
102 generator
103 Battery (capacitor, power supply means)
104 Engine control means
105 Power control means (distribution control device)
110a to 110e Load control means (distribution control device)
111a1 to 111e3 Electric load
112 Generator control means (power supply means)
201 Supplyable power calculation means (power control means, power distribution control device)
202 Power distribution means by function (power control means, power distribution control device)
203a to 203f Individual load power distribution means (power control means, power distribution control device)
204a1 to 204f2 Load priority / required power calculation means (power control means, power distribution control device)

Claims (5)

A plurality of electrical loads mounted on a vehicle, an in-vehicle power source that feeds power to each electrical load, and a load priority that is a numerical value indicating a priority order of power feeding between each electrical load from the power source In a vehicle load drive control device having an in-vehicle power distribution control device that controls power distribution to each electric load,
The power distribution control device
Calculate the suppliable power of the power source,
Classifying each electrical load into a plurality of groups according to function so that each electrical load performing a common vehicle function constitutes the same group;
A group priority that is a numerical value indicating the priority of power feeding between the groups is set based on input information related to the vehicle state,
When the supply power to the group is defined as group supply power, the group supply power to be supplied to each group in a range in which the total of the group supply power of each group does not exceed the suppliable power is given priority to each group. Calculated based on degree,
When the supply power to the electric load is defined as load supply power, the predetermined load is within a range in which the total load supply power to the electric loads belonging to the predetermined group does not exceed the group supply power of the predetermined group. Calculating the load supply power to be supplied to each electric load belonging to a group based on the load priority;
A vehicle load drive control device for controlling power consumption of each electric load according to the load supply power of each electric load. The vehicle load drive control device according to claim 1,
The power distribution control device
The vehicle load drive control device, wherein the group priority of each group is calculated based on a current value relating to the necessity of the vehicle function of the group determined based on the input information. The vehicle load drive control device according to claim 2,
Detecting means for detecting a warm-up state of the vehicle;
The power distribution control device
The vehicle load drive control device, wherein the group priority is calculated based on the warm-up state. The vehicle load drive control device according to claim 2,
Having detection means for detecting external illuminance around the vehicle;
The power distribution control device
The vehicle load drive control device, wherein the group priority is calculated based on the external illuminance. The vehicle load drive control device according to claim 1,
The power distribution control device
A vehicle load drive control device characterized in that a group priority of a predetermined group is always set higher than that of other groups.

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