AIR-CONDITIONING CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20120290161A1
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Asa, Hironori, Uno, Keiichi, Fujino, Tomoki, TAKEDA, Hideto
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/004 for vehicles having a combustion engine and electric drive means, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3208 Vehicle drive related control of the compressor drive means, e.g. for fuel saving purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3294 Compressor drive is hybrid
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

A detector detects a remaining power of a battery. A calculator calculates a demand load of air-conditioning based on at least one of a preset temperature set for air in a passenger compartment of an electric vehicle and an outside temperature of air outside of the electric vehicle. A switching portion switches a mode of air-conditioning between a battery mode and an engine mode based on the calculated demand load and the detected remaining power of the battery. The battery mode causes the battery to supply electric power for air-conditioning, and the engine mode causes an engine of the electric vehicle to supply combustion energy for air-conditioning.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning control device for an electric vehicle that travels using electric power of a battery, the air-conditioning control device comprising:

a detector detecting a remaining power of the battery;

a calculator calculating a demand load of air-conditioning based on at least one of a preset temperature set for air in a passenger compartment of the electric vehicle and an outside temperature of air outside of the electric vehicle; and

a switching portion switching a mode of the air-conditioning between a battery mode and an engine mode based on the calculated demand load and the detected remaining power of the battery, the battery mode causing the battery to supply the electric power for the air-conditioning, the engine mode causing an engine of the electric vehicle to supply combustion energy for the air-conditioning.

2. The air-conditioning control device according to claim 1, wherein

the mode of the air-conditioning further has a hybrid mode, the air-conditioning being conducted using both of the engine and the battery in the hybrid mode, and

the switching portion switches the mode of the air-conditioning among the battery mode, the engine mode and the hybrid mode based on the calculated demand load and the remaining power of the battery.

3. The air-conditioning control device according to claim 1, wherein

the switching portion switches the mode of the air-conditioning based on the calculated demand load, the remaining power of the battery, and a drive distance remained before a destination.

4. The air-conditioning control device according to claim 1, wherein

the switching portion switches the mode of the air-conditioning in a manner that the remaining power of the battery has a target value when the electric vehicle reaches a destination.

5. The air-conditioning control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a generator through which the combustion energy of the engine is chargeable for the battery in addition to be used for the air-conditioning in the engine mode; and

a ratio controller that controls a usage ratio of the combustion energy between a first energy used for the air-conditioning and a second energy used for driving the generator based on at least one of the calculated demand load, the remaining power of the battery and a drive load of the electric vehicle.

6. The air-conditioning control device according to claim 5, wherein

the ratio controller controls the usage ratio of the combustion energy in a manner that the remaining power of the battery has a target value when the electric vehicle reaches a destination.

7. The air-conditioning control device according to claim 5, wherein

the ratio controller controls the usage ratio of the combustion energy in a manner that an amount of fuel consumed by the engine becomes the minimum when the electric vehicle reaches a destination.