JP2017117614A - Battery warm-up device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery warm-up device which can complete charging and warmup of a battery before beginning startup of a vehicle, while suppressing the electricity cost, in an electric car.SOLUTION: When a charger (19) is connected with an external power supply (20), and a startup schedule time is set by a startup time setting section (31), a charge control section (30a) calculates a charge start time when charging is completed at the startup schedule time, according to the SOC of a high voltage battery (12) and the battery temperature (S1-S4), starts charging by the external power supply when it is the charge start time (S5, 7), a warm-up control section starts warm-up of the high voltage battery (12) by means of a PTC heater (13) simultaneously (S6), and ends warm-up of the battery when the battery temperature falls in a predetermined operating temperature range (S8, 9).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery warm-up device, and more particularly, to a battery warm-up control technique for warming up a battery together with charging of the battery by an external power source in an electric vehicle.

  In recent years, taking into consideration environmental problems and the like, development of electric vehicles such as an electric vehicle that can run only by a motor and a hybrid electric vehicle that uses an engine and a motor as drive sources has been progressing. A so-called plug-in electric vehicle capable of charging a battery from an external power source has been developed for such an electric vehicle.

  In such a plug-in electric vehicle, there is also a vehicle having a system for managing charging so that the battery is charged by the start start time by connecting an external power supply and setting the start start time by the user. is there. For example, in Patent Document 1, when a time zone (first time zone) where the electricity rate is low, such as a midnight time zone, is included between the time when the user sets the startup start time and the start start time, other time zones A power storage system is disclosed that increases the proportion of time during which the charging and temperature control devices are operated in the first time zone than in (second time zone).

JP2015-43662A

  However, in Patent Document 1, the temperature control device is also used mainly in the first time zone. However, for example, when the outside air temperature is low in a cold district or the like, even if the battery is warmed up in the midnight time zone, it can be started. If there is time before the start time, the battery temperature will fall again at the start time. Therefore, if the warm-up is performed again when the vehicle is actually started, the warm-up performed at midnight is wasted. Alternatively, when the temperature adjusting device is continuously operated so as to maintain the battery temperature until the start start time, there is a problem that the power consumption is increased and the power consumption is deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to complete charging and warming up of a battery by a scheduled start time of the vehicle in an electric vehicle while suppressing power consumption. An object of the present invention is to provide a battery warming device that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a battery warm-up device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle and can be connected to a battery having a predetermined operating temperature range and an external power source. An external charging means for charging the battery, a battery warming means for warming the battery by converting electric energy into heat energy, a start time setting means for setting a scheduled start time for starting the vehicle, Battery state detection means for detecting a state, and when connected to the external power source, and when the scheduled start time is set by the start time setting means, depending on the battery state detected by the battery state detection means , Calculating a charging condition for completing charging at the scheduled start time, and controlling the external charging means according to the charging condition to charge the battery The battery warm-up unit starts warming-up of the battery at the start of charging by the charge control unit and the charge control unit, and the battery warms up when the temperature of the battery enters the predetermined operating temperature range. And a warm-up control means for terminating the machine.

  According to the present invention using the above means, in an electric vehicle, charging and warming up of the battery can be completed before starting the vehicle while suppressing power consumption.

1 is a system configuration diagram of an electric vehicle including a battery warm-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the charge and warming-up control routine with respect to the high voltage battery performed by ECU of this embodiment. It is a time chart which shows transition of a battery state etc. when charging and warming-up control of the high voltage battery of this embodiment are performed.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an electric vehicle including a battery warming-up device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described with reference to FIG.

  A vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an electric vehicle truck including a motor 2 as a travel drive source. The motor 2 is an electric motor that can also operate as a generator, such as a permanent magnet synchronous motor. The output shaft of the motor 2 is connected to a differential device 4 via a propeller shaft 3, and left and right drive wheels 6 are connected to the differential device 4 via a drive shaft 5.

  A high voltage battery 12 is connected to the motor 2 via an inverter / converter (hereinafter simply referred to as an inverter) 10 and a junction box 11. The DC power stored in the high voltage battery 12 is converted into AC power by the inverter 10 and supplied to the motor 2, and the driving force generated by the motor 2 is transmitted to the drive wheels 6 to cause the vehicle 1 to travel. For example, when the vehicle 1 decelerates or travels on a downhill road (regenerative travel), the motor 2 operates as a generator (regenerative operation) by reverse driving from the drive wheels 6 side. The negative driving force generated by the motor 2 is transmitted to the driving wheel 6 side as a braking force, and the AC power generated by the motor 2 is converted into DC power by the inverter 10, and a high voltage is supplied via the junction box 11. The battery 12 is charged.

  The high voltage battery 12 is, for example, a lithium ion battery, and is a traveling battery used for the motor 2 that is a drive source. The high voltage battery 12 has a predetermined operating temperature range appropriate for performance. In FIG. 1, the high-voltage battery 12 is shown as a single block, but in actuality, a plurality of cells are connected in series or in parallel.

  The junction box 11 is connected to various electric devices mounted on the vehicle. Inside the junction box 11, various contactors (electromagnetic contactors) for connecting and disconnecting electric circuits are provided. By connecting and disconnecting the contactors, the supply and disconnection of electric power to various electric devices are controlled. Is possible.

  For example, the junction box 11 is connected to a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater 13 having a characteristic that heat is generated when power is supplied. The PTC heater 13 is included in a hot water circuit 14 for heating the vehicle 1. The hot water circuit 14 circulates water when the water pump 15 is driven, and the hot water heated by the PTC heater 13 circulates. Car interior is heated. The hot water circuit 14 also includes a high voltage battery 12, and the PTC heater 13 can warm up the high voltage battery 12 through the hot water circuit 14 (battery warming means).

  The junction box 11 is also connected to a high voltage auxiliary machine 16 such as a cooler compressor or a pump of a power steering device. The high voltage auxiliary machines 16 operate by receiving power supply from the high voltage battery 12.

  Further, a low voltage battery 18 is also connected to the junction box 11 via a DC-DC converter 17. The DC-DC converter 17 is a voltage converter that steps down power supplied to the low voltage battery 18 via the junction box 11. The low voltage battery 18 is, for example, a lead battery, and the stored electric power has a lower voltage than the high voltage battery 12, but has a wider operating temperature range than the high voltage battery 12. The low voltage battery 18 is used, for example, for power supply to the ECU 30 and power supply such as a control power supply for a contactor.

  The junction box 11 can be connected to an external power source 20 and is connected to a charger 19 (external charging means) that can charge the high voltage battery 12 and the low voltage battery 18 from the external power source 20. The external power source 20 includes, for example, 100V and 200V ordinary charging for home use, quick charging, non-contact charging, and the like. Although one charger 19 is shown in the present embodiment, a plurality of chargers 19 may be provided corresponding to the external power source 20.

  Further, the vehicle 1 includes an input / output device (not shown), a storage device (ROM, RAM, etc.) used for storage of a control program and a control map, a central processing unit (CPU), an ECU (control unit) including a timer counter, Unit) 30 is mounted. The ECU 30 in the present embodiment is a control unit that mainly controls charging and warm-up of the high-voltage battery 12, but the vehicle 1 may be provided with various other ECUs.

  The ECU 30 is electrically connected to the high voltage battery 12, the PTC heater 13, the water pump 15, the charger 19, the start time setting unit 31 (start time setting means), the outside air temperature sensor 32, and the like. The ECU 30 can acquire information on the battery state such as the SOC (State Of Charge) and the battery temperature corresponding to the charge amount of the high voltage battery 12 from the high voltage battery 12 (battery state detection means). Further, the ECU 30 can also acquire information about whether or not the external power source 20 is connected from the charger 19. The ECU 30 can control the operation and stop (ON, OFF) of the PTC heater 13 and the water pump 15. The ECU 30 is not limited to a configuration that directly acquires information from each device or directly controls each device. For example, the ECU 30 acquires information on a battery state via a battery management control unit (not shown) 13 and the water pump 15 may be controlled via another control unit.

  The start time setting unit 31 sets a scheduled start time for starting the vehicle 1 in accordance with, for example, a user operation on an operation unit (not shown) provided at the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 or the like. The outside air temperature sensor 32 is a sensor that detects the temperature outside the vehicle 1.

  The ECU 30 includes a charge control unit (charge control unit) 30a that controls the charging of the high-voltage battery 12, a warm-up control unit (warm-up control unit) 30b that controls the warm-up of the high-voltage battery 12, have.

  The charge control unit 30a starts when the charger 19 is connected to the external power source 20 and the start time is set by the start time setting unit 31 according to the battery state such as the SOC and the battery temperature. It has a function of calculating a charging condition for completing charging at a scheduled time and performing charging based on the charging condition.

  The warm-up control unit 30b starts the warm-up of the high-voltage battery 12 by operating the PTC heater 13 and the water pump 15 at the start of charging of the high-voltage battery 12, and the battery temperature of the high-voltage battery 12 is a predetermined operating temperature. It has a function to end warm-up when entering the range.

  Here, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a charging and warming-up control routine for the high voltage battery 12 executed by the ECU 30 of the present embodiment, and will be described below with reference to the flowchart.

  First, the ECU 30 starts the control routine when an external power supply is connected. In step S <b> 1, the ECU 30 acquires information on the scheduled start time set by the start time setting unit 31.

  Subsequently, in step S2, the ECU 30 obtains the current time from, for example, a timer provided in the ECU 30, the SOC and battery temperature from the high voltage battery 12, the hot water temperature from the water pump 15, and the outside temperature from the outside temperature sensor 32. .

  In the next step S3, the charging control unit 30a of the ECU 30 calculates the charging time required to fully charge the high voltage battery 12 (for example, SOC 100%) by supplying power from the external power supply 20 connected at this time. To do.

  Further, in step S4, the charging control unit 30a of the ECU 30 calculates a charging start time (charging condition) for completing charging at the scheduled start time based on the charging time calculated in step S3.

  In step S5, the charging control unit 30a of the ECU 30 determines whether or not the current time has reached the charging start time. While the determination result is false (No), the determination in step S5 is repeated, and when the determination result is true (Yes), the process proceeds to the next step S6.

  In step S6, the warm-up control unit 30b of the ECU 30 operates the PTC heater 13 and the water pump 15. Thereby, the warm water heated by the PTC heater 13 circulates through the warm water circuit 14 by the operation of the water pump 15, and the warm-up of the high voltage battery 12 is started.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 7, the charging control unit 30 a of the ECU 30 controls the charger 19 to start charging the high voltage battery 12 from the external power source 20.

  In step S8, the warm-up control unit 30b of the ECU 30 determines whether or not the battery temperature is equal to or higher than an operating temperature lower limit value that is a lower limit value of the operating temperature range. While the determination result is false (No), the determination in step S8 is repeated, and when the determination result is true (Yes), the process proceeds to the next step S9.

  In step S9, the warm-up control unit 30b of the ECU 30 stops the warm-up by stopping the PTC heater 13 and the water pump 15.

  In step S10, the warm-up control unit 30b of the ECU 30 determines whether or not the battery temperature is rising. That is, even if the PTC heater 13 is not warmed up, it is determined whether or not the battery temperature has risen due to the heat generated by the charging of the high voltage battery 12. When the determination result is false (No), that is, when the battery temperature decreases due to the low outside air temperature and only the heat generated by charging, the process returns to step S6 to operate the PTC heater 13 and the water pump 15 again. On the other hand, if the determination result is true (Yes), that is, if the high-voltage battery 12 can maintain the operating temperature range due to heat generated by charging, the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S11, the charge control unit 30a of the ECU 30 determines whether or not the SOC of the high voltage battery 12 is 100%, that is, full charge. While the determination result is false (No), the determination in step S11 is repeated, and when the determination result is true (Yes), the charging is completed and the routine ends.

  Note that the warm-up control unit 30b of the ECU 30 warms up again when the battery temperature falls below the operating temperature lower limit value even when there is time from the scheduled start time to the actual start time (key-on time). Thus, the battery temperature may be maintained within the operating temperature range.

  In FIG. 3, the battery temperature of the high voltage battery 12 when the high voltage battery 12 is charged and warmed up based on the above control, the heat dissipation amount of the high voltage battery 12, the SOC, the hot water temperature of the hot water circuit 14, A time chart showing the power consumption of the PTC heater 13 and the operating state of the PTC heater 13 and the respective transitions is shown, and will be described with reference to FIG.

  The time chart of FIG. 3 starts from the time when the external power source 20 is connected to the charger 19. When the external power supply 20 is connected and the scheduled start time t3 is set (S1), the ECU 30 calculates the charging time based on each information and calculates the charging start time t1. That is, the charging time corresponds to a period from the charging start time t1 to the scheduled start time t3.

  The charging control unit 30a of the ECU 30 starts charging by the external power source 20 from the charging start time t1, and the warming-up control unit 30b starts warming up by operating (turning on) the PTC heater 13 and the water pump 15 at the same time. To do. As a result, the SOC of the high-voltage battery 12 begins to rise, and the battery temperature also begins to rise as the hot water temperature of the hot water circuit 14 begins to rise.

  By starting charging, the amount of heat generated by the high-voltage battery 12 by charging gradually increases. The power consumption in the PTC heater 13 becomes maximum at the start of warm-up and decreases as the hot water temperature rises.

  At time t2 when the battery temperature of the high voltage battery reaches the operating temperature lower limit value, the warm-up control unit 30b stops (turns off) the PTC heater 13 and the water pump 15 and ends the warm-up. Thus, even if the warm-up is completed, the battery of the high voltage battery 12 generates heat by charging, the battery temperature gradually rises, and the hot water temperature is maintained in the high temperature range. In addition, since the battery temperature is within the operating temperature range, the charging efficiency is improved and the rate of increase in SOC is increased.

  Then, the SOC of the high voltage battery 12 reaches 100% at the scheduled start time t3, and charging is completed. Here, in charging the high voltage battery 12, constant current charging may be performed until the battery voltage reaches a predetermined voltage value, and constant voltage charging may be performed after the battery voltage becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage value. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the battery heat dissipation gradually decreases from the transition to constant voltage charging toward the completion of charging.

  Thus, the ECU 30 starts the warm-up of the high-voltage battery 12 simultaneously with the start of charging of the high-voltage battery 12 by the external power source 20, thereby quickly increasing the battery temperature to the operating temperature range and sufficiently improving the battery performance. Efficient charging that can be performed can be performed at an early stage. Thereby, it is possible to perform charging in a short time with high efficiency.

  Further, after the high voltage battery 12 is raised to the operating temperature range, the warming-up by the PTC heater 13 is stopped, and the operating temperature range can be maintained by the heat generated by the high voltage battery 12 itself, so that the power consumed by the PTC heater 13 is reduced. Can be minimized. Since the battery temperature is within the operating temperature range and the SOC is fully charged at the scheduled start time, the performance of the vehicle 1 can be sufficiently exerted immediately after the start.

  From the above, according to the battery warming-up device according to the present embodiment, charging and warming up of the high-voltage battery 12 can be completed in the electric vehicle before starting the vehicle 1 while suppressing power consumption.

  Although the description of the embodiment of the battery warm-up device according to the present invention has been completed above, the embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the high-voltage battery 12 is warmed up by the PTC heater 13, but the warming-up means is not limited to this, and any means can be used as long as it can convert electric energy into heat energy. An element, a compressor heat pump, or the like may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Motor 11 Junction box 12 High voltage battery 13 PTC heater (battery warm-up means)
14 Hot water circuit 15 Water pump 19 Battery charger (external charging means)
20 External power supply 30 ECU (battery state detection means)
30a Charge control unit (charge control means)
30b Warm-up control unit (warm-up control means)
31 Start time setting section (start time setting means)
32 Outside air temperature sensor

Claims (1)

A battery mounted on the vehicle and having a predetermined operating temperature range;
External charging means connectable to an external power source, and charging the battery with power from the external power source;
Battery warm-up means for warming the battery by converting electrical energy into heat energy;
Start time setting means for setting a scheduled start time for starting the vehicle;
Battery state detection means for detecting the state of the battery;
When connected to the external power source and the scheduled start time is set by the start time setting means, charging is completed at the scheduled start time according to the battery state detected by the battery state detecting means. Charging control means for calculating a charging condition and controlling the external charging means according to the charging condition to charge the battery;
The warming-up of the battery is started by the battery warming-up means at the start of charging by the charging control means, and the warming-up of the battery is terminated when the temperature of the battery enters the predetermined operating temperature range. Machine control means,
A battery warm-up device.

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