JP7137540B2 - Vehicle control device and vehicle - Google Patents

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle control device configured by a main ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and a plurality of sub-ECUs is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the vehicle control device described above, the sub ECUs are individually provided for each of a plurality of areas of the vehicle, and the main ECU communicates with each sub ECU to control the operation of the actuators arranged in each area.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-31120

When the vehicle control device is composed of a main ECU and a plurality of sub-ECUs as in the conventional vehicle control device described above, it is necessary to maintain a guaranteed operating temperature for each ECU.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle that can maintain the operation guarantee temperature of a sub ECU with a simple configuration.

As an aspect for achieving the above object, there is provided a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle having a battery, a battery box containing the battery, and a cooling unit for cooling the inside of the battery box, the vehicle controlling device comprising: and a main ECU arranged in the battery box, and an EPS (EPS) provided in the vehicle according to the control instruction information when receiving control instruction information transmitted from the main ECU. (Electric Power Steering), power plant, brake mechanism, lighting equipment, and IVI system (In-Vehicle Infotainment system). .

In the vehicle control device described above, the main ECU or the sub-ECU may control the operation of the cooling section so that the temperature of the sub-ECU is maintained within the guaranteed operating temperature range of the sub-ECU.
The vehicle control device includes a temperature sensor provided in the battery and a temperature sensor provided in the sub ECU, and the main ECU or the sub ECU is recognized by the temperature sensor provided in the battery. The temperature of the battery is maintained within the operation guarantee range of the battery, and the temperature of the sub ECU recognized by a temperature sensor provided in the sub ECU is maintained within the operation guarantee temperature range of the sub ECU. Alternatively, the operation of the cooling unit may be controlled.

Further, a vehicle including the above vehicle control device may be configured.

According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, by arranging the sub-ECU in the battery box having the cooling unit, the existing cooling unit for cooling the battery can be used for cooling the sub-ECU. As a result, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can maintain the guaranteed operating temperature of the sub ECU with a simple configuration.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an arrangement mode of the vehicle control device in the vehicle.

[1. Configuration of Vehicle Control Device]
The configuration of the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A vehicle control device 50 of the present embodiment is mounted on the vehicle 1 and used. The vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle using an electric motor as at least a part of the drive source, or a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine in addition to the electric motor, and includes a battery 40 that supplies energy to the electric motor. The vehicle 1 also includes a battery box 30 containing a battery 40 and a cooling fan 7 connected to the battery box 30 through an introduction duct 8 . The cooling fan 7 corresponds to the cooling section of the present invention.

The cooling fan 7 takes in the air in the passenger compartment or cool air from an air conditioner (not shown) and sends it into the battery box 30 through the air supply port 30a, and distributes the air that has flowed through the battery box 30 through the left exhaust port 30b and the left exhaust port 30b. The battery 40 in the battery box 30 is cooled by discharging from the right exhaust port 30c.

Moreover, although it is rare, when the temperature of the battery 40 becomes extremely low, the performance of the battery 40 decreases. Therefore, in this case, the air heated by a heater or the like using the cooling water of the internal combustion engine as a heat source and having a temperature higher than that of the battery 40 is sent into the battery box 30 by the cooling fan 7 to heat the battery 40. You can warm it. In other words, the cooling of the battery referred to here means control to maintain the temperature of the battery 40 within the battery box 30 within a predetermined temperature range.

The vehicle control device 50 includes a main ECU 51 , a front sub-ECU 52 , a rear left sub-ECU 53 , a rear middle sub-ECU 54 , and a rear right sub-ECU 55 . The front sub ECU 52 is arranged in front of the main ECU 51 . The rear left sub-ECU 53 , the rear middle sub-ECU 54 , and the rear right sub-ECU 55 are arranged in a predetermined area AR inside the battery box 30 arranged behind the main ECU 51 . In the following, the rear left sub-ECU 53, the rear middle sub-ECU 54, and the rear right sub-ECU 55 are collectively referred to as the rear sub-ECUs 53-55.

The operation of the cooling fan 7 cools the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55 together with the battery 40 . The rear sub-ECUs 53-55 correspond to sub-ECUs arranged in the battery box of the present invention.

The main ECU 51 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, a communication interface, etc. (not shown), and controls the overall operation of the vehicle 1 by executing a program for controlling the vehicle 1 stored in the memory. The front sub-ECU 51, the rear left sub-ECU 53, the rear middle sub-ECU 54, and the rear right sub-ECU 55 are also configured by a CPU, a memory, a communication interface and the like (not shown).

The main ECU 51 is connected to the front sub-ECU 52 via a first communication line 61, to the rear left sub-ECU 53 via a second communication line 62, and to the rear middle sub-ECU 54 via a third communication line 63. , and the rear right ECU 55 via a fourth communication line 64 . The main ECU 51 communicates with a front sub-ECU 52, a rear left sub-ECU 53, a rear middle sub-ECU 54, and a rear right ECU 55 according to communication specifications such as CAN (Controller Area Network, CAN is a registered trademark) and Ethernet (registered trademark). I do.

The front sub-ECU 52 is assigned the work of the controlled units arranged in the front area of the vehicle 1 . The front sub ECU 52 is arranged in the front area according to the control instruction information when receiving the control instruction information transmitted from the main ECU 51 by executing the control program corresponding to the front area stored in the memory. Controls the operation of the controlled part. FIG. 1 exemplifies an EPS (Electric Power Steering) 70 as a controlled unit.

Similarly, the rear left sub-ECU 53 controls the operation of the controlled parts arranged in the rear left area of the vehicle 1, and the rear middle sub-ECU 54 controls the operation of the controlled parts arranged in the rear middle area of the vehicle 1. , and the rear right sub-ECU 55 controls the operation of the controlled units arranged in the rear right area of the vehicle 1 . In addition to the above-described EPS 70, the controlled unit includes a power plant, a brake mechanism, a lighting fixture, an IVI system (In-Vehicle Infotainment system), and the like.

The main ECU 51 includes temperature sensors (not shown) provided in the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55, temperature sensors (not shown) provided in the batteries in the battery box 30, and temperature sensors (not shown) provided in the battery box 30. Alternatively, the temperature of the battery 40 and the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55 in the battery box 30 is directly or indirectly recognized by a temperature sensor (not shown) for air conditioning provided in the vehicle 1. do.

The main ECU 51 maintains the temperature of the battery 40 in the battery box 30 within the operation guarantee range of the battery 40, and maintains the temperature of the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55 in the battery box 30 to the temperature of the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55. The operation of the cooling fan 7 is controlled so that the operating temperature is maintained within the guaranteed operating temperature range.

Here, when the guaranteed operating temperature range of the battery 40 is within the guaranteed operating temperature range of the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55, the main ECU 51 controls the cooling fan 7 to maintain the temperature of the battery 40 within the guaranteed operating temperature range. operation should be controlled. Further, the operation of the cooling fan 7 may be controlled by one of the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55 instead of the main ECU 51 so that the battery 40 and the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55 are maintained within the guaranteed operating temperature range. .

[2. Arrangement mode of sub ECU]
Referring to FIG. 2, the layout of the rear sub-ECUs 53-55 in the vehicle 1 will be described. The vehicle 1 supplies electric power to left and right front seats 4, left and right rear seats 5, foldable third row seats 6, motors (not shown), and the like on a floor panel 3 that constitutes the floor of a passenger compartment 2. It has a battery box 30 in which a battery 40 (see FIG. 1) is housed.

The cooling fan 7 introduces air (for example, cool air from an air conditioner (not shown)) into the battery box 30 through the introduction duct 8, and distributes the air circulating in the battery box 30 through the exhaust duct 9 to the passenger compartment. Vent to 2. As a result, the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55 (see FIG. 1) arranged in the predetermined area AR inside the battery box 30 and the battery 40 arranged inside the battery box 30 are cooled.

The left and right exhaust ducts 9 are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to the center line in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle 1 . The exhaust duct 9 discharges the air that has cooled the battery and the rear sub ECUs 53 to 55 in the battery box 30 below the rear seat 5 . Left and right heater ducts 12 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1 are arranged below the left and right front seats 4 . The left and right heater ducts 12 discharge warm air from an air conditioner connected to the front end toward the foot space of the rear seat 5 from the outlet at the rear end.

The exhaust port 9e of the exhaust duct 9 is located below the front end (foot) of the rear seat 5 and near the side trim 15, and is located between the extended portion of the side trim covered with carpet and the floor panel 3. Exhaust air into the space in between. The discharged air passes through the space between the side member 16 and the side trim 15 and is discharged to the rear of the passenger compartment 2 (for example, the space behind the third row seat 6) and below the rear seat 5. , through the space between the floor panel 3 and the carpet, and is discharged into the passenger compartment 2 through vent holes formed in the carpet. As a result, the air discharged from the battery box 30 can be dispersedly discharged into the vehicle interior 2 while preventing the passenger from feeling uncomfortable.

[3. Other embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, as the sub-ECUs of the present invention, the rear left sub-ECU 53, the rear middle sub-ECU 54, and the rear right sub-ECU 55 arranged in the battery box 30 are shown. By providing at least one sub ECU in 30, the effects of the present invention can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the main ECU 51 is arranged in front of the battery box 30 and the rear sub-ECUs 53 to 55 are arranged behind the battery box 30 is shown. The present invention can be applied regardless of the arrangement positions of the main ECU, sub-ECU, and battery box.

In the above embodiment, an air-cooling type cooling unit using the cooling fan 7 is shown, but a water-cooling type cooling unit may be employed. Also, the cooling inside the battery box 30 is performed by controlling the temperature of the battery 40 to be maintained within a predetermined temperature range, and a sub-ECU designed to ensure operation within this predetermined temperature range is installed in the battery box 30. can be placed in According to this, the temperature of the sub ECU can be maintained within the guaranteed operating temperature range by managing the temperature of the battery 40 by the conventional control, so the temperature of the sub ECU can be maintained within the guaranteed operating temperature range. No need to add new controls for

[4. Configuration supported by the above embodiment]
The above embodiment is a specific example of the following configuration.

(Section 1) A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle having a battery, a battery box that houses the battery, and a cooling unit that cools the inside of the battery box, and controls the overall operation of the vehicle. and a main ECU disposed in the battery box for controlling the operation of a controlled unit provided in the vehicle in accordance with the control instruction information transmitted from the main ECU when the control instruction information is received. A vehicle control device comprising a sub ECU.
According to the vehicle control device of the first aspect, by arranging the sub-ECU in the battery box having the cooling section, the existing cooling section for cooling the battery can be diverted to cooling the sub-ECU. As a result, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can maintain the guaranteed operating temperature of the sub ECU with a simple configuration.

(Section 2) The main ECU or the sub-ECU controls the operation of the cooling section so that the temperature of the sub-ECU is maintained within the operation guarantee temperature range of the sub-ECU. Vehicle controller.
According to the vehicle control device of the second term, the temperature of the sub ECU can be more reliably maintained within the guaranteed operating temperature range.

(Section 3) A vehicle provided with the vehicle control device according to Section 1 or 2.
According to the vehicle of the third aspect, it is possible to provide a vehicle that can maintain the operation guarantee temperature of the sub ECU with a simple configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vehicle, 2... Vehicle interior, 3... Floor panel, 7... Cooling fan, 8... Introduction duct, 9... Exhaust duct, 30... Battery box, 40... Battery, 50... Vehicle control device, 51... Main ECU, 52 Front sub-ECU 53 Rear left sub-ECU 54 Rear middle sub-ECU 55 Rear right sub-ECU 61 First communication line 62 Second communication line 63 Third communication line 64 Third communication line 4 communication lines, 70 EPS, AR housing area of the rear sub-ECUs 53 to 55 in the battery box 30 .

Claims (4)

A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle having a battery, a battery box that houses the battery, and a cooling unit that cools the inside of the battery box,
a main ECU that controls the overall operation of the vehicle;
An EPS (Electric Power Steering), a power plant, and a brake mechanism disposed in the battery box and provided in the vehicle according to the control instruction information when receiving the control instruction information transmitted from the main ECU , a lighting fixture, and a sub ECU for controlling the operation of a controlled unit that is one of an IVI system (In-Vehicle Infotainment system) . The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the main ECU or the sub-ECU controls the operation of the cooling section so that the temperature of the sub-ECU is maintained within the operation guarantee temperature range of the sub-ECU. A temperature sensor provided in the battery and a temperature sensor provided in the sub ECU,
The main ECU or the sub-ECU maintains the temperature of the battery recognized by a temperature sensor provided in the battery within an operation guarantee range of the battery, and recognizes the temperature by the temperature sensor provided in the sub-ECU. controlling the operation of the cooling unit so that the temperature of the sub-ECU is maintained within the operation guarantee temperature range of the sub-ECU;
The vehicle control device according to claim 2. A vehicle comprising the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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