KR101761322B1 - Apparatus and Method for Charging Battery Using Altitude Data - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery charging apparatus using the vehicle altitude information and a method thereof are disclosed. A method for charging a battery of a vehicle, comprising the steps of: acquiring travel information including elevation data of a vehicle, speed data and map data from an altimeter, a speedometer, and a navigation device mounted on the vehicle; And controlling the charging method of the vehicle battery based on the generated altitude profile.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a battery charging apparatus using a vehicle altitude information,

The present invention relates to a battery charging apparatus and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a vehicle battery charging apparatus and method using altitude information.

In conventional RV (RE-EV, Range Extended Electric Vehicle) vehicles, the battery charging method induces charging of the vehicle battery when the driver depresses the brake even if the battery is fully charged. As with the cell phone battery, charging the battery more than a certain number of times shortens the battery life. As with the cell phone battery, the battery life is shortened and the capacity of the battery is reduced.

In addition, when the state of the battery (SoH, State of Health) deteriorates due to frequent charging, the battery is likely to explode, causing a great loss to the user such as a vehicle breakage.

The present invention has been made in view of the technical background as described above, and it selectively charges a battery of a vehicle using altitude information and battery charge status information. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery charging device and a method thereof, which can extend the service life of all hardware and software used for converting into electric energy such as a battery charger and a battery charging generator.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of charging a battery of a vehicle, the method including charging a vehicle with altitude data, velocity data, and map data from an altimeter, a speedometer, Generating the altitude profile of the traveling route based on the obtained travel information, and controlling the charging method of the vehicle battery based on the altitude profile.

The step of controlling the charge mode of the vehicle battery includes comparing the vehicle altitude value in the generated altitude profile with a predetermined vehicle altitude value and determining the vehicle battery charging mode in accordance with the comparison result.

The step of controlling the charging method of the vehicle battery compares the acquired vehicle speed data with predetermined speed data and controls the charging method of the vehicle battery according to the comparison result.

The step of controlling the charging method of the vehicle battery includes a step of predicting the fuel efficiency according to the traveling route based on the acquired map data and the charging method of the vehicle battery according to the predicted fuel consumption data .

The step of controlling the charging method of the battery includes the steps of extracting curve curvature data of the traveling path based on the acquired map data, comparing the extracted curvature data with predetermined curvature data, And controlling the method.

The step of controlling the charging method of the vehicle battery includes the steps of acquiring information on the state of charge of the vehicle battery, controlling the charging method of the vehicle battery in consideration of the charging state information of the battery and the obtained vehicle traveling information .

The step of generating the altitude profile of the travel path further includes the step of modifying the altitude profile generated.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for charging a battery of a vehicle, comprising: an altimeter, a speedometer, a navigation device for acquiring travel information including altitude data, speed data, and map data of the vehicle from navigation, An information collecting module, a data processing module for generating an altitude profile of the traveling route based on the obtained traveling information, and a control module for controlling the charging method of the vehicle battery based on the generated altitude profile.

The control module compares the vehicle altitude value in the generated altitude profile with a predetermined vehicle altitude value, and determines the vehicle battery charging mode according to the comparison result.

The control module receives the pressure data of the front wheels and the rear wheels of the vehicle from the sensors mounted on the tires of the vehicle, compares pressure data of the front wheels and the rear wheels, and determines the vehicle battery charging mode according to the comparison result.

The control module compares the acquired vehicle speed data with predetermined speed data, and controls the charging method of the vehicle battery according to the comparison result.

The control module predicts the vehicle performance according to the traveling route based on the acquired map data and determines the charging method of the vehicle battery according to the predicted fuel efficiency data.

The control module extracts Curve curvature data of the traveling route based on the acquired map data, compares the extracted curvature data with predetermined curvature data, and controls the vehicle battery charging method according to the comparison result.

The control module acquires the state of charge information of the vehicle battery, and controls the charging method of the vehicle battery in consideration of the charging state information of the battery and the obtained vehicle driving information.

According to the present invention, the battery of the vehicle is selectively charged by using the altitude information and the information on the state of charge of the vehicle, thereby enabling the fuel to be charged while using less fuel, thereby increasing the fuel efficiency.

In addition, the battery of the vehicle is selectively charged according to the altitude information and the battery charge state information to prevent unnecessary charging of the battery, thereby extending the life of the battery.

1 is a diagram for explaining a concept applied to the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a battery charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a process of determining a battery charging mode in an adaptive cruise control according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram of a battery charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a graph showing changes in braking force according to characteristics of a driving lane according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a more detailed block diagram of a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7A to 7E are diagrams illustrating an altitude profile generation process in the altitude profile generation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
8A to 8B are diagrams illustrating an example of generating a fuel consumption profile in the fuel consumption profile generation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention is a result of research carried out with the support of the "RE-EV practical research base construction project" which was funded by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOTIE) and supported by the Korea Industrial Technology Development Organization (KIAT).

 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. And is intended to enable a person skilled in the art to readily understand the scope of the invention, and the invention is defined by the claims. It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. It is noted that " comprises, " or "comprising," as used herein, means the presence or absence of one or more other components, steps, operations, and / Do not exclude the addition.

The term " module ", as used herein, should be interpreted to include software, hardware, or a combination thereof, depending on the context in which the term is used. For example, the software may be machine language, firmware, embedded code, and application software. In another example, the hardware can be a circuit, a processor, a computer, an integrated circuit, a circuit core, a sensor, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS), a passive device, or a combination thereof.

In the present invention, unnecessary charging of the battery is prevented by selectively charging the battery of the vehicle using the altitude information and the information on the state of charge of the vehicle, thereby extending the service life of the battery.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram for explaining a concept applied to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the driver controls the vehicle speed in accordance with the curve of the driving lane, the distance from the preceding vehicle, the inclination of the driving road, and the existence of a toll gate. In the embodiment of the present invention, the navigation system, the altimeter, the speedometer, and the sensor are used to select the progress of the battery charging and the charging method in consideration of the traveling information including the curve on the traveling route, the altitude information, , Thereby improving the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

In addition, in the present invention, battery charging status and charging mode are determined in consideration of battery charging status information (State of Charge) acquired through IBS (Intelligence Battery System) as well as driving information.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a battery charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the battery charging device includes a GPS sensor, a radar sensor, an altimeter, and a speedometer installed in a vehicle. The position information, the map data, the distance to the preceding vehicle, The driving information including the speed, the speed change amount, and the like is obtained (S10).

Then, the altitude profile of the traveling route is generated in accordance with the acquired driving information (S30). For example, when the driver inputs the destination into the navigation system of the vehicle, the battery charging device generates the altitude profile of the vehicle according to the route from the current position stored in the database to the destination. Here, the altitude profile may be a graph in which the altitude change amount of the vehicle along the running route, etc., is graphed with time. In an embodiment, the elevation profile is generated in a form adaptive to software mounted on the vehicle.

When the altitude profile of the traveling route is generated, the vehicle battery charging mode is controlled according to the generated altitude profile (S50). For example, when the vehicle enters the section with a high degree of slope (running uphill) and the rate of change in altitude per hour in the altitude profile is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, battery charging is stopped to prevent energy waste.

On the other hand, when the vehicle enters the low slope section (downhill travel) and the altitude change rate per hour in the altitude profile is smaller than the preset value, the vehicle battery is charged with the higher efficiency by using the gravitational acceleration generated in the downhill running do.

3 is a diagram illustrating a process of determining a battery charging mode in an adaptive cruise control according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The Advanced Adaptive cruise control system uses a radar sensor to calculate the distance and speed from the front vehicle to maintain the proper distance between the vehicles.

In the embodiment, when latitude and longitude information included in the vehicle position information is obtained from the GPS sensor mounted on the vehicle and the information is transmitted to the navigation system, the navigation system transmits map data and the like, . The control unit of the ACC system automatically adjusts the speed by controlling the vehicle brakes so as to maintain an appropriate distance between the vehicle based on the map data received from the vehicle and the distance information between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle acquired from the radar sensor .

At this time, in the embodiment of the present invention, the charging method of the vehicle battery is determined by comparing the vehicle speed and the vehicle speed variation value with predetermined values. For example, when the vehicle speed and the vehicle speed change amount are less than a predetermined value, the energy and fuel consumption for the vehicle speed change are small, so the battery is charged with electric energy. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed and the vehicle speed change amount are larger than the preset values, the energy for the vehicle speed change and the vehicle speed maintenance is relatively large, thereby stopping charging the vehicle battery or changing the battery charging mode. 4 is a block diagram of a battery charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, a battery charging apparatus for improving fuel economy includes a travel information collecting module 100, a data processing module 300, and a control module 500.

The travel information collection module 100 collects various types of travel information of the vehicle in order to improve fuel economy by controlling the battery charging mode. For example, speed information of the vehicle, altitude information, position information, battery charge status information, pressure change amount information of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, and revolutions per minute (RPM) information are collected. The collected vehicle driving information is transmitted to the data processing module 300.

The data processing module 300 processes the received vehicle running information into a profile adaptive to the software installed in the vehicle. For example, the data processing module 300 may generate altitude profiles based on the vehicle altitude information to generate altitude profiles, extract curvature data of the vehicle traveling path based on the map data, You can create a profile. The generated profile data is transmitted to the control module 500. In the embodiment, the vehicle battery charging method is determined based on various profiles generated by the data processing module 300.

The control module 500 controls the charging method of the vehicle battery based on the received profile data.

For example, the control module 500 may determine the battery charging mode by comparing the profile data value with a preset data value. Specifically, the control module 500 may determine the battery charging mode using the fuel profile based on the RPM data and the elevation profile based on the map data.

5 is a graph showing changes in braking force according to characteristics of a driving lane according to an embodiment of the present invention in order to facilitate understanding of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the vehicle is traveling on an uphill road, the braking force of the vehicle is decreased as compared with that of a flat road, and when the vehicle is traveling downhill, the braking force is increased. The driving force and the braking force required are varied according to the inclination of the driving lane even if the vehicle runs at the same acceleration on the uphill, downhill, and flat roads. Therefore, the control module 500 can control the driving force and the braking force, Method.

  Further, as shown in Fig. 5, the braking force of the vehicle varies depending on the driving lane curve. For example, when entering a corner, a deceleration travel is required due to an increase in the curvature of the lane, and when the vehicle leaves the corner, the lane curvature is reduced to accelerate the vehicle. The control module 500 determines a charging mode that can improve fuel economy in consideration of deceleration, acceleration, and braking force according to the lane curvature.

6 is a more detailed block diagram of a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a battery charging apparatus for improving fuel economy according to an embodiment of the present invention acquires vehicle driving information from various sensors mounted on the vehicle. A duplicate description of the vehicle running information is omitted.

In another embodiment, the battery status is sensed through an Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS). For example, the IBS sensor may include a battery state information such as a state of charge (SoC), a state of health (SoH), a state of function (SoF), and a battery temperature Lt; / RTI > The sensed battery status information is input to the driving information collection module 100 together with the vehicle driving information, or is input to the control module 500.

The data processing module 300 includes an altitude profile generator 310, a curvature extractor 330, and a fuel efficiency profile generator 350.

The altitude profile generation unit 310 generates an altitude profile according to the location information and route information of the vehicle obtained through the GPS sensor.

FIGS. 7A to 7E are views showing an embodiment of the altitude profile generation process in the altitude profile generation unit 310 shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7A, first, the altitude profile generator 310 stores the altitude profile through the Google map data (e.g., Google earth) using the GPS log. Then, the altitude profile is generated based on the previously stored map data according to the received location information. For example, as shown in FIGS. 7B to 7C, the altitude profile generation unit 310 generates an altitude profile using a altitude profile generation program such as sport tracks. Here, the altitude profile can be generated as altitude data according to the route, the traveling time, and the distance to the arrival point, and can be generated in the form of a CSV (Comma Separated Value) format file or the like.

7D to 7E, the altitude profile generator 310 may modify the altitude profile of the traveling route to simulate the traveling speed according to the altitude information. When modifying the elevation profile, the Ramer-Douglas-Peuker algorithm is used.

The curvature extraction unit 320 extracts the curvature of the vehicle driving lane. For example, the curvature extracting unit 320 extracts the curvature of the lane according to the map data and the vehicle traveling route. The extracted curvature data is processed in the profile form of the path, the running time, and the distance to the arrival point.

The fuel consumption profile generating unit 350 generates a fuel consumption profile for the curvature data, the RPM information, and the driving information of the vehicle that affect the vehicle fuel consumption. For example, the fuel efficiency profile generation unit 350 predicts vehicle performance using commercial software such as Carsim as shown in Figs. 8A to 8B. Carsim is software that predicts the performance of a vehicle in response to driving conditions such as road shape, friction coefficient, wind, and driving controls such as steering, throttle, brake, clutch and shift. The fuel consumption profile generation unit 350 predicts the fuel consumption according to the travel route, time, and distance to the destination through various software, and generates the fuel consumption profile.

All the profile data generated in the data processing module 300 is transmitted to the control module 500.

The control module 500 compares the profile data with pre-stored data to determine the vehicle battery charging mode. The control module 500 for this purpose includes a comparison unit 510 and a charging mode determination unit 530. [

The comparing unit 510 compares the received profile data with pre-stored data to grasp the characteristics of the vehicle traveling path, and determine the charging mode in the charging mode determining unit 530 according to the characteristics of the detected traveling path. Specifically, the comparator 510 compares the altitude difference value extracted from the altitude profile and the fuel efficiency value extracted from the fuel efficiency profile with a predetermined value to grasp the characteristics of the traveling route. Here, the characteristics of the traveling path include inclination and curvature of the traveling path.

For example, if the altitude variation according to the traveling route and the time extracted from the altitude profile data is greater than the preset amount, the comparator 510 determines that the vehicle is traveling in an uphill road, and the charging mode determination unit 530 determines, Thereby generating a change signal.

On the other hand, if the altitude variation according to the traveling route and time is less than the preset amount, the comparator 510 determines that the vehicle is traveling downhill and generates a battery charging start signal in the charging mode determining unit 530, Charge the vehicle battery.

In another embodiment, the comparing unit 510 may determine whether the vehicle is traveling uphill or downhill using a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System). More specifically, the comparator 510 receives the information of the sensed pressure of the front wheel and the rear wheel, and when the front wheel pressure is greater than the rear wheel pressure, the comparator 510 determines that the vehicle is traveling downhill to generate a battery charging start signal. On the other hand, if the pressure of the rear wheel is greater than the pressure of the front wheel, the comparator 510 determines that the vehicle is traveling uphill, and generates a battery charge stop signal or the like to improve fuel economy.

Also, the comparator 510 compares the fuel efficiency value extracted from the fuel efficiency profile with a predetermined fuel efficiency value to control the battery charging. For example, when the fuel efficiency is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the battery charging is proceeded. If the fuel efficiency is lower than the predetermined value, the battery charging is not performed.

The charging mode determination unit 530 determines the battery charging mode based on the charging signal acquired from the comparison unit 510 and the charging status information acquired from the vehicle IBM sensor.

For example, even if the charging method determining unit 530 receives the battery charging signal from the comparing unit 510, the charging method determining unit 530 determines whether the battery charging progresses and the battery charging method according to the sensed battery charging state. Specifically, the charging mode determination unit 530 does not charge the battery even if the battery charging start signal is input from the comparison unit 510, if the remaining battery level is equal to or greater than the preset value. This prevents unnecessary charging of the battery and increases the fuel efficiency.

On the other hand, if the battery remaining amount is smaller than a specific value even if the battery stop interruption signal is input from the comparison unit 510, the charging mode determination unit 530 charges the battery to prevent battery discharge.

According to the present invention, an altimeter and a speed meter are mounted on a vehicle to selectively charge a vehicle battery using altitude information and charge state information of the vehicle battery, thereby enabling fuel to be charged while using less fuel, thereby increasing fuel efficiency .

In addition, the battery of the vehicle is selectively charged according to the altitude information and the battery charge state information to prevent unnecessary charging of the battery, thereby extending the life of the battery.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims (14)

A method of charging a battery of a vehicle,
Obtaining driving information including elevation data of the vehicle, speed data, and map data from an altimeter, a speedometer, and a navigation installed in the vehicle;
Generating an altitude profile of a traveling route based on the obtained traveling information;
Receiving pressure data of a front wheel and a rear wheel of a vehicle from a sensor mounted on a tire of the vehicle, and comparing pressure data of the front wheel and the rear wheel using a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System);
If the pressure of the front wheel of the vehicle is greater than the pressure of the rear wheel, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling downhill to generate a battery charging start signal. If the pressure of the rear wheel is greater than the pressure of the front wheel, Generating a signal and controlling charging of the vehicle battery; Lt; / RTI >
The step of controlling the charging of the vehicle battery
Comparing the vehicle altitude value in the generated altitude profile with a predetermined vehicle altitude value; And
And generates a charge stop signal for stopping charging of the battery when the rate of change of the altitude per hour is equal to or greater than a predetermined value based on the generated altitude profile and generates a charge start signal when the altitude change rate per hour is less than a preset value Estimates the fuel efficiency according to the travel route based on the obtained map data and determines charging of the vehicle battery according to the predicted fuel efficiency data. .
delete The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the charging of the vehicle battery
Comparing the obtained speed data of the vehicle with predetermined speed data, and controlling charging of the vehicle battery according to the comparison result
And the battery is charged.
delete The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the charging of the battery
Extracting curve curvature data of a traveling path based on the acquired map data; And
Comparing the extracted curvature data with predetermined curvature data, and controlling charging of the vehicle battery according to a comparison result;
Wherein the battery is charged by the battery.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the charging of the vehicle battery comprises:
Obtaining state information of the vehicle battery (State of Charge);
Controlling charging of the vehicle battery in consideration of the charging status information of the battery and the obtained vehicle running information;
Wherein the battery is charged by the battery.
The method of claim 1, wherein generating the altitude profile of the travel path
And modifying the generated altitude profile.
1. A battery charging device for a vehicle,
A driving information collecting module for acquiring driving information including altitude data of the vehicle, speed data, and map data from an altimeter, a speedometer, and a navigation installed in the vehicle;
A data processing module for generating an altitude profile of the traveling route based on the obtained running information and correcting the altitude profile using the vehicle running information; And
A control module for controlling charging of the vehicle battery based on the generated altitude profile; Wherein the control module comprises:
The pressure data of the front wheels and the rear wheels of the vehicle is received from a sensor mounted on the tire of the vehicle, and pressure data of the front wheel and the rear wheel are compared using TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) If the pressure is greater than the rear wheel pressure, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling downhill to generate a battery charge start signal. If the pressure of the rear wheel is greater than the pressure of the front wheel, Car battery charging is performed,
A charge stop signal for stopping charging of the battery is generated when the altitude change rate per hour is equal to or greater than a predetermined value based on the generated altitude profile, A fuel supply start signal is generated, and a fuel efficiency according to the travel route is predicted based on the obtained map data, and in accordance with the predicted fuel efficiency data, And determines charging of the battery.
delete delete 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control module
Compares the obtained speed data of the vehicle with preset speed data, and controls the charging of the vehicle battery according to the comparison result.
delete 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control module
And compares the extracted curvature data with preset curvature data to control charging of the vehicle battery according to a result of the comparison. Charging device.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control module
Wherein the control unit controls the charging of the vehicle battery based on the state information of the battery of the vehicle and the charging status information of the battery and the obtained vehicle running information.

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