KR20160057191A - Cooling pan controlling method and system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling fan control method and system for a vehicle. According to the present invention, a cooling fan control system comprises: a battery supplying power relative to vehicle operation; at least one cooling fan arranged to be relative to cooling the battery; and an electricity controller controlling the power of the battery to be supplied to the cooling fan on the basis of a duty ratio power signal which is defined for inertia rotating motion of the cooling fan to be contained in rotating motion of the whole cooling fan in a section wherein power is not supplied.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a cooling fan controlling method and system for a vehicle,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a cooling fan control for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a cooling fan control method and system for a vehicle capable of minimizing a current consumed in cooling fan control.

BACKGROUND ART Recently, a battery vehicle or an environment vehicle for moving a vehicle body by activating electric power provided by a battery due to environmental pollution has been proposed. Such an environmental vehicle can be equipped with a movable large battery and can be accelerated by using power supplied from the battery. During the power supply process, the battery may generate heat. Heat generation can cause battery performance and stability problems. Accordingly, conventionally, a cooling fan has been disposed and operated to remove the heat of the vehicle battery. This cooling fan uses the power supplied by the battery during operation to remove heat from the battery. As a result, the cooling fan needs to be driven efficiently. Also, as a number of vehicles equipped with a plurality of batteries are increasing in recent years, the number of cooling fans is correspondingly increasing. As a result, power consumed in connection with driving of the cooling fan is increasing, and efficient driving of the cooling fan is increasingly demanded.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems or needs, the present invention provides a method and system for controlling a cooling fan for a vehicle, which enables efficient driving by adjusting the duty ratio of the cooling fan.

The vehicle cooling fan control system includes a battery for supplying power related to vehicle operation, at least one cooling fan arranged in association with the battery cooling, an inertial rotation operation of the cooling fan during a power supply- And a power controller that controls the supply of the cooling fan of the battery power source based on the duty ratio power signal defined to be included in the rotation operation.

The power controller includes a PWM controller for differently defining a size of a power supply period for the inertial rotation operation corresponding to the rotation speed of the cooling fan, and a fan operation detector for providing the operation of the cooling fan to the PWM controller can do.

Wherein the PWM controller is configured to relatively define a size of a power supply non-supply period related to the inertial rotation operation when the rotation speed of the cooling fan is increased, and when the rotation speed of the cooling fan is reduced, The size can be defined to be relatively small.

The PWM controller may define a relatively small size of the power supply period related to the inertial rotation operation when the driving time of the cooling fan is increased.

Wherein the vehicle cooling fan control system includes at least one of a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) PWM controller and a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) PWM controller that includes information on a duty ratio power supply signal defining a magnitude of a power supply ratio period related to at least one of a rotational speed of the cooling fan and a driving time of the cooling fan A memory for storing at least one of the control information and the fan driving map including the rotational speed information of the cooling fan according to at least one of a moving speed and a moving duration of the vehicle.

The power controller may determine the rotational speed of the cooling fan based on the fan drive map and determine the duty ratio power signal based on the PWM control information.

A method for controlling a cooling fan for a vehicle according to the present invention includes the steps of detecting an operating state of at least one cooling fan disposed in association with battery cooling for supplying power related to vehicle operation, Differently defining a turn-off period of a duty ratio power supply signal that is defined such that the inertial rotation operation of the cooling fan is included in the rotating operation of the entire cooling fan, controlling the power supply of the cooling fan in response to the duty ratio power supply signal .

The defining step may include differently defining a size of the power supply non-supply period associated with the inertial rotation operation corresponding to the rotation speed of the cooling fan.

 Wherein the step of defining includes relatively defining a size of a power supply non-supply period related to the inertial rotation operation when the rotation speed of the cooling fan is increased, and when the rotation speed of the cooling fan is reduced, And defining a size of the section to be relatively small.

The defining step may include defining a size of the power supply non-supply period related to the inertial rotation operation to be relatively small when the driving time of the cooling fan is increased.

According to the vehicular cooling fan control method and system of the present invention, in relation to driving at least one cooling fan, during a period in which the cooling fan operates inertially, Thereby providing fan drive performance.

1 is a diagram illustrating a cooling fan control system for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a power supply signal of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining a cooling fan control method for a vehicle according to the present invention.

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of the invention. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used for similar components.

In this document, the expressions "have," "may," "include," or "include" may be used to denote the presence of a feature (eg, a numerical value, a function, Quot ;, and does not exclude the presence of additional features.

In this document, the expressions "A or B," "at least one of A and / or B," or "one or more of A and / or B," etc. may include all possible combinations of the listed items . For example, "A or B," "at least one of A and B," or "at least one of A or B" includes (1) at least one A, (2) Or (3) at least one A and at least one B all together.

Expressions such as " first, "second," first, "or" second, " as used in various embodiments, Not limited. For example, the first user equipment and the second user equipment may represent different user equipment, regardless of order or importance. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be named as the first component.

(Or functionally or communicatively) coupled with / to "another component (eg, a second component), or a component (eg, a second component) Quot; connected to ", it is to be understood that any such element may be directly connected to the other element or may be connected through another element (e.g., a third element). On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component (e.g., a first component) is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component (e.g., a second component) It can be understood that there is no other component (e.g., a third component) between other components.

As used herein, the phrase " configured to " (or set) to be "adapted to, " To be designed to, "" adapted to, "" made to, "or" capable of ". The term " configured (or set) to "may not necessarily mean " specifically designed to" Instead, in some situations, the expression "configured to" may mean that the device can "do " with other devices or components. For example, a processor configured (or configured) to perform the phrases "A, B, and C" may be a processor dedicated to performing the operation (e.g., an embedded processor), or one or more software programs To a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an application processor) that can perform the corresponding operations.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the other embodiments. The singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. All terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Commonly used predefined terms may be interpreted to have the same or similar meaning as the contextual meanings of the related art and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal in meaning unless expressly defined in this document . In some cases, the terms defined in this document can not be construed to exclude embodiments of the present invention.

1 is a diagram illustrating a cooling fan control system for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 may include a cooling fan module 110, a power controller 120, a memory 130, and a battery 140. The vehicle cooling fan control system 100 exemplifies only those configurations in which the cooling fan module 110 is effectively driven through duty ratio control. Thus, in addition, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 may be further arranged with various components associated with the vehicle on which the cooling fan control system 100 is mounted.

The cooling fan module 110 may include at least one cooling fan 110_1, ..., 110_N. At least one cooling fan 110_1, ..., 110_N may be disposed in an area adjacent to at least one battery 140. [ For example, the cooling fans 110_1, 110_N, and 110_N may be disposed at predetermined positions to circulate air around the battery 140, for example. When one battery 140 is disposed in the vehicle cooling fan control system 100, one of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N may be disposed. Alternatively, in the vehicle cooling fan control system 100, when a plurality of batteries 140 are disposed, a plurality of cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N may be disposed correspondingly.

The cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N may include at least one propeller, a shaft for rotatably fixing the propeller, a motor for rotating the shaft, and the like. When the power of the battery 140 is supplied to the motors of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N, the propeller may rotate according to the rotation of the motor to cause air circulation. The cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N may operate at different rotational speeds corresponding to the size of the supplied power. Also, the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N may operate in different rotations depending on the continuity of the supplied power. The sizes of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N may be various depending on the performance or size of the battery 140. [ The vehicle cooling fan control system 100 may further include signal wiring for connecting the cooling fan module 110 and the battery 140. [

The power controller 120 can control the power supplied from the battery 140 and deliver it to the cooling fan module 110. In this operation, the power controller 120 can adjust the duty ratio of the power supplied from the battery 140. [ In this regard, the power controller 120 may include a PWM (Power Width Modulation) controller 121 and a fan motion detector 123. The power controller 120 may be disposed adjacent to, for example, an area where the battery 140 is located, or may be disposed in an area adjacent to the location where the cooling fan module 110 is disposed.

The PWM controller 121 can adjust the duty ratio of the power supplied from the battery 140. [ In this regard, the PWM controller 121 can adjust the duty ratio corresponding to information (e.g., rotation speed information of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N) transmitted by the fan operation detector 123. [ For example, when the PWM controller 121 receives the information related to the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N operating at the first rotational speed from the fan operation detector 123, it can control the first duty ratio power supply signal corresponding thereto to be supplied to the cooling fan module 110 have. The PWM controller 121 also controls the cooling fan 120, which operates at a second rotational speed (e.g., a speed relatively higher than the first rotational speed or at a rate that drives the cooling fans 110_1 ,,, 110_N for a relatively long time) 110_1, ..., 110_N related information. Then, the PWM controller 121 can control the second duty ratio power supply signal (e.g., a signal having a relatively long turn-on duration relative to the first duty ratio) to be supplied to the cooling fan module 110 in response to the received information.

In the above-described operation, the PWM controller 121 can determine information related to the inertial rotation operation of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N related to the first rotation speed or the second rotation speed based on the information collected from the fan motion detector 123. [ For example, the PWM controller 121 generates a first duty ratio power source signal or a second duty ratio power source signal so that the power signal is turned off during a time period during which the cooling fans 110_1, Signal can be generated. In other words, the PWM controller 121 is configured to control the inertial rotation operation of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N, which are operated by inertia when the power is shut off, in the power source in which the cooling fans 110_1, Value, and calculate the duty ratio so that power is not supplied during the obtained inertia rotation operation period.

The fan motion detector 123 can detect the driving of at least one cooling fan 110_1, ..., 110_N included in the cooling fan module 110. [ The fan motion detector 123 may transmit information relating to driving of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N to the PWM controller 121. [ For example, the fan motion detector 123 may transmit information on when the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N are driven to the PWM controller 121. [ In addition, the fan motion detector 123 can transmit information on the rotational speeds of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N to the PWM controller 121. [ The fan motion detector 123 can transmit the changed rotation speed information to the PWM controller 121 when the rotation speed of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N is changed. Alternatively, the fan motion detector 123 may calculate the inertial rotation motion information corresponding to the rotation of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N, and may transmit the inertial rotation motion information to the PWM controller 121. [

Meanwhile, in various embodiments, the PWM controller 121 and the fan motion detector 123 may use the information stored in the memory 130 without performing a determination related to the direct cooling fan 110_1 ,,, 110_N drive operation. For example, when the fan operation detector 123 receives an event related to the driving of the cooling fans 110_1,..., 110_N from the engine control unit (ECU) or the like, the fan operation map 133 stored in the memory 130 can be confirmed. The fan motion detector 123 may inform the PWM controller 121 of the rotational speed at which the current cooling fans 110_1, 110,2, and 110_N operate according to the confirmation of the fan drive map 133. [ The PWM controller 121 calculates the first duty ratio or the second duty ratio based on the PWM control information 131 stored in the memory 130 and outputs the first duty ratio power source signal Or the second duty ratio power supply signal to the cooling fan module 110. The PWM control information 131 may include information on a duty ratio to be generated corresponding to the rotation speed.

The memory 130 may store information related to the operation of the cooling fan module 110. For example, the memory 130 may store the PWM control information 131 and the fan drive map 133. The PWM control information 131 may include information on duty ratios to be applied corresponding to the rotation speeds of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N as described above. For example, the PWM control information 131 includes a turn-on period in which power is supplied to the actual cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N in an environment in which the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N rotate at the first rotation speed, A non-supply period) and a first duty ratio information including a turn-off period in which no power is supplied. In addition, the PWM control information 131 can be set such that the power supply turn-on period, the inertia rotation period (power supply non-supply period) of the cooling fans 110_1 ,,, 110_N in the environment where the cooling fans 110_1, And a second duty ratio information including a power turn-off period. Also, the PWM control information 131 may include more duty ratio information per rotation speed of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N.

Here, the magnitude of the inertia rotation period (the period during which the cooling fans 110_1, 110_, 110_N rotate at the designated rotation speed even if power is not supplied) may vary according to the size and performance of the cooling fans 110_1,. Accordingly, the magnitude of the inertia rotation interval may be experimentally or statistically obtained at the time when the cooling fan module 110 is mounted on the battery 140, and may be written to the memory 130 as the PWM control information 131.

The fan drive map 133 may include information on driving patterns of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N according to the vehicle moving speed using the battery 140 power source. For example, the fan drive map 133 may include rotational speed information of the corresponding cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N when the vehicle moves at a constant speed using the power supplied from the battery 140. [ For example, the fan drive map 133 may include rotational speed information of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N while the vehicle is moving at a first speed (e.g., 30Km / h) using the battery 140 power.

In addition, the fan drive map 133 may include information on the rotation speeds of the cooling fans 110_1,..., 110_N according to the travel duration of the vehicle with respect to the travel speed. For example, the fan drive map 133 may include the corresponding cooling fan 110_1, ..., 110_N change rotational speed information when the vehicle is traveling at a second speed (e.g., 60 km / h) for 10 minutes using the battery 140 power . In addition, the fan drive map 133 may be used when the vehicle travels at a third speed (e.g. 90 km / h) for 10 minutes after the vehicle has traveled at a second speed (e.g. 60 km / h) The corresponding cooling fan 110_1, ..., 110_N change rotational speed information.

The battery 140 can supply power required for driving the vehicle to the ECU or the like. The battery 140 can supply power to the cooling fan module 110 through the power controller 120. For example, the power supplied from the battery 140 may be converted into a duty ratio power source signal including the turn-off time during the inertial rotation operation period in response to the control of the power controller 120, and then supplied to the cooling fan module 110.

2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a power supply signal of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the vehicle cooling fan control system 100, the PWM controller 121 of the power controller 120 generates a duty ratio power source signal including the inertia rotational motion duration in relation to the operation of the cooling fans 110_1, And supply it to the cooling fan module 110. For example, the PWM controller 121 includes a first duty ratio power supply signal Duty1 including a first turn-on period ton1 and a first turn-off period OFF, and a second turn- and a second duty ratio power source signal Duty2 including a turn-off period excluding a second turn-on period ton2 of the entire period Period1. For example, the PWM controller 121 may supply power corresponding to the second duty ratio power source signal Duty2 to the cooling fan module 110 during the first turn-on period ton1 from the first duty ratio power source signal Duty1. According to this, the PWM controller 121 can control to supply electric power only during the second turn-on period (ton2) during the first turn-on period (ton1). Here, the first turn-off period (OFF) of the first duty ratio power source signal Duty1 may correspond to the inertia rotation operation period. Or the second turn-on period ton2 of the second duty ratio power source signal Duty2 may correspond to the inertia rotation operation period. The cooling fan module 110 supplied with power by the first duty ratio power source signal Duty1 and the second duty ratio power source signal Duty2 can operate at a rotational speed corresponding to the duty ratio for the entire section. As described above, the above inertia rotation operation period can be adjusted corresponding to the rotational speed of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N, and the like. For example, the inertial rotation operation section increases as the rotation speed of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N increases, and decreases as the rotation speed of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N decreases. Or inertial rotation operation section is shortened as the rotation speed of the cooling fan 110_1 ,,, 110_N increases so that the cooling fan 110_1 ,,,, 110_N maintains the specified rotation speed or more, and the rotation speed of the cooling fan 110_1 ,,,, 110_N Can be increased. Or the inertial rotation operation section may be defined constant regardless of the rotation speed. These differences may be defined differently depending on the rotational speed set values of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N to be operated by the inertial rotation operation of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N.

3 is a view for explaining a cooling fan control method for a vehicle according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the vehicle cooling fan control method, at step 301, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 can perform the operation state detection of the cooling fan module 110. [ For example, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 can receive an event related to the operation of the cooling fan module 110 from the ECU or the like, or confirm whether the cooling fans 110_1, 110-2, and 110_N operate in a predetermined period or in real time. Also, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 may acquire information on the rotational speed of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N. The vehicle cooling fan control system 100 may include a sensor for sensing at least one rotational speed in connection with obtaining rotational speed information of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N. Or the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 can acquire the rotational speed information of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N through the fan drive map 133. [ Alternatively, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 may calculate the rotation speed of the cooling fan 110_1 ,,, 110_N based on the calculated power source size.

In step 303, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 can perform PWM control according to the operating states of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N. For example, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 generates a duty ratio power supply signal including a turn-off period related to the inertial rotation operation designated at the time of operation of the cooling fans 110_1 ,,,, 110_N, Power can be controlled. Alternatively, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 generates a duty ratio power supply signal including a turn-off interval related to an inertial rotation operation of a different size corresponding to the rotation speed of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N, The power supplied to the cooling fan module 110 can be controlled. As described above, the magnitude of the turn-off interval related to the inertial rotation operation described above may be defined as a predetermined size by default or differently defined according to the rotation speed of the cooling fan 110_1 ,,, 110_N, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI > Each of the above defined values may be calculated or applied experimentally or statistically according to the size and performance of the cooling fans 110_1, ..., 110_N, or may be written in the PWM control information 131 and operated in a reference form.

In step 305, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 can confirm whether or not the operation is suspended. If there is no occurrence of an event related to the operation stop, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 branches to step 301 and re-executes the following steps. When the operation stop related event occurs, the vehicle cooling fan control system 100 can control to stop the operation related to the control of the cooling fan module 110.

As used in this document, the term "module" may refer to a unit comprising, for example, one or a combination of two or more of hardware, software or firmware. A "module" may be interchangeably used with terms such as, for example, unit, logic, logical block, component, or circuit. A "module" may be a minimum unit or a portion of an integrally constructed component. A "module" may be a minimum unit or a portion thereof that performs one or more functions. "Modules" may be implemented either mechanically or electronically. For example, a "module" may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or programmable-logic devices And may include at least one.

And the embodiments disclosed in this document are presented for the purpose of explanation and understanding of the disclosed technical contents, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of this document should be interpreted to include all modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention or various other embodiments.

100: Vehicle cooling fan control system
110: cooling fan module
120: Power controller
121: PWM controller
123: Fan motion detector
130: memory
131: PWM control information
133: Fan drive map
140: Battery

Claims (10)

A cooling fan control system for a vehicle,
A battery for supplying power related to vehicle operation;
At least one cooling fan disposed in association with the battery cooling;
And a power controller for controlling the cooling fan supply of the battery power supply based on a duty ratio power supply signal that is defined such that the inertial rotation operation of the cooling fan is included in the rotating operation of the entire cooling fan during a power supply non- Fan control system. The method according to claim 1,
The power controller
A PWM controller for differently defining a magnitude of a power supply non-supply period associated with the inertial rotation operation corresponding to a rotation speed of the cooling fan;
And a fan operation detector that provides the operation state of the cooling fan to the PWM controller. The method of claim 2,
The PWM controller
The size of the power supply non-supply period related to the inertial rotation operation is defined to be relatively large when the rotation speed of the cooling fan is increased,
Wherein a size of the power supply non-supply period related to the inertial rotation operation is defined to be relatively small when the rotational speed of the cooling fan is reduced. The method of claim 2,
The PWM controller
Wherein a size of the power supply non-supply period related to the inertial rotation operation is defined to be relatively small when the driving time of the cooling fan is increased. The method according to claim 1,
PWM control information including information on a duty ratio power supply signal defining a size of a power supply non-supply period in relation to at least one of a rotation speed of the cooling fan and a driving time of the cooling fan, A memory for storing at least one of a fan driving map including information on a rotational speed of the cooling fan according to at least one of a speed and a movement duration. The method of claim 5,
The power controller
Wherein the controller determines the rotational speed of the cooling fan based on the fan drive map and determines the duty ratio power signal based on the PWM control information. A method for controlling a cooling fan for a vehicle,
Detecting an operating state of at least one cooling fan disposed in association with battery cooling to supply power associated with vehicle operation;
Differently defining a turn-off period of a duty ratio power supply signal that is defined such that an inertial rotation operation of the cooling fan is included in a rotation operation of the entire cooling fan during a power supply non-supply period according to an operation state of the cooling fan;
And controlling power supply of the cooling fan in response to the duty ratio power supply signal. The method of claim 7,
The step of defining
And defining a size of a power supply non-supply period associated with the inertial rotation operation differently corresponding to a rotation speed of the cooling fan. The method of claim 8,
The step of defining
Defining a relatively large size of a power supply-supplying section related to the inertial rotation operation when the rotation speed of the cooling fan is increased;
And defining a size of the power supply non-supply period relative to the inertial rotation operation to be relatively small when the rotation speed of the cooling fan is reduced. The method of claim 8,
The step of defining
And defining a size of a power supply non-supply period related to the inertial rotation operation to be relatively small when the driving time of the cooling fan is increased.

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