Control Device for Electrically Powered Vehicle

• US 20120306263A1
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: SATO, Shinya, TASHIRO, Naoyuki, KOBAYASHI, Hitoshi
• Application Number:
  US13/482,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20120306263A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A control device for an electrically powered vehicle, mounted to the electrically powered vehicle, includes: a current control element that takes off a charging current to be supplied to a low voltage battery in order to charge up the low voltage battery from an output current on the low voltage battery side of a voltage conversion device that performs voltage conversion between voltage of a high voltage battery and voltage of the low voltage battery; and an integrated control unit that determines a charging current value for the charging current based upon accumulated power information related to power accumulated in the low voltage battery and conversion efficiency of the voltage conversion by the voltage conversion device, and that controls the current control element so as to take off the charging current specified by the charging current value with the current control element.

Claims

1. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle, mounted to the electrically powered vehicle, and comprising:

a current control element that takes off a charging current to be supplied to a low voltage battery that supplies power to auxiliary equipment mounted to the electrically powered vehicle in order to charge up the low voltage battery from an output current on the low voltage battery side of a voltage conversion device that performs voltage conversion between voltage of a high voltage battery that, along with supplying power to a motor that propels the electrically powered vehicle and power to the auxiliary equipment, charges up the low voltage battery and voltage of the low voltage battery; and

an integrated control unit that determines a charging current value for the charging current based upon accumulated power information related to power accumulated in the low voltage battery and conversion efficiency of the voltage conversion by the voltage conversion device, and that controls the current control element so as to take off the charging current specified by the charging current value with the current control element.

2. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein,

when an output current value of the output current is larger than a index current value that specifies current outputted from the low voltage battery side of the voltage conversion device when the conversion efficiency is at a highest value, the integrated control unit pulls down the output current value by controlling the current control element, so as to make difference between the output current value and the index current value small.

3. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 2, wherein,

when the output current value is higher than the index current value, and the voltage of the low voltage battery is lower than a first threshold value, the integrated control unit stops control of the current control element for lowering the output current value.

4. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the current control element further takes off the charging current based upon the output current and supplied current supplied, from the output current, to the auxiliary equipment; and

the integrated control unit further controls output of the auxiliary equipment and, when an output current value of the output current is smaller than an index current value that specifies current outputted from the low voltage side of the voltage conversion device when the conversion efficiency is at a highest value, the integrated control unit pulls up the output current value by controlling the output of the auxiliary equipment, so as to make difference between the output current value and the index current value small.

5. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 4, wherein:

the auxiliary equipment includes first auxiliary equipment and second auxiliary equipment whose time constant is longer than time constant of the first auxiliary equipment;

the first auxiliary equipment is electrically connected to the low voltage battery, not via the current control element;

the second auxiliary equipment, along with being electrically connected to the low voltage battery via the current control element, is also electrically connected to the high voltage battery via the voltage conversion device; and

when the output current value is smaller than the index current value, the integrated control unit pulls up the output current value by controlling output of the second auxiliary equipment, so as to make the difference small.

6. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 5, wherein

the first auxiliary equipment includes at least one of an electronic control device, a braking device, a power steering device, an illumination device, and a direction display device.

7. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the integrated control unit further controls the voltage conversion device, and, when the voltage of the low voltage battery is greater than a second threshold value, the integrated control unit makes the output current value approximately zero by controlling the voltage conversion device; and

the auxiliary equipment is supplied with power by the low voltage battery.

8. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the current control element includes any electric circuit element of an electric circuit element that either takes off or does not take off the charging current according to control by the integrated control unit and an electric circuit element that is capable of continuously changing the charging current value of the charging current that is taken off according to the control by the integrated control unit.

9. A control device for an electrically powered vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

a current value detection device that measures output current value of the output current, wherein

either:

the current value detection device is disposed between the voltage conversion device and the current control element that are mutually electrically connected together, and between the voltage conversion device and the auxiliary equipment that are mutually electrically connected together, and is electrically connected to the voltage conversion device, to the current control element, and to the auxiliary equipment;

or the current value detection device is included in the voltage conversion device, and is electrically connected to the current control element and to the auxiliary equipment.