BATTERY CHARGE/DISCHARGE CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20140309824A1
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
• Inventors: BITO, Seiji
• Granted Patent: US 9,809,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/184 Preventing damage resulting from overload or excessive wear of the driveline
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A battery charge/discharge control apparatus for controlling charge/discharge of a battery in a vehicle as defined herein, includes: a battery control portion which is provided for controlling charge/discharge of the battery; a vehicle control portion which controls the inverter and the engine and controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on information from the battery control portion; a failure determination portion which determines whether there is a failure in the battery control portion or not; and an inverter driving state detection portion which detects a driving state of the inverter; wherein: the vehicle control portion controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the driving state of the inverter detected by the inverter driving state detection portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion.

Claims

1. A battery charge/discharge control apparatus for controlling charge/discharge of a battery in a vehicle comprising the battery serving as a motive power source for driving the vehicle, an inverter which performs conversion between a DC current and an AC current, a drive motor which is driven by electric power supplied from the battery through the inverter and transmits a driving force to driving wheels, and a power generation motor which is rotated by an engine to generate electric power and supplies the generated electric power to the battery through the inverter, the battery charge/discharge control apparatus comprising:

a battery control portion which is provided for controlling charge/discharge of the battery;

a vehicle control portion which controls the inverter and the engine and controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on information from the battery control portion;

a failure determination portion which determines whether there is a failure in the battery control portion or not; and

an inverter driving state detection portion which detects a driving state of the inverter;

wherein;

the vehicle control portion controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the driving state of the inverter detected by the inverter driving state detection portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion.

2. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the battery control portion outputs, to the vehicle control portion, a charge/discharge control amount for controlling the charge/discharge of the battery;

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion which calculates the charge/discharge control amount based on a voltage value of a current flowing in the inverter, which value is detected by the inverter driving state detection portion; and

the vehicle control portion controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the charge/discharge control amount supplied from the battery control portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is no failure in the battery control portion, and controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the charge/discharge control amount calculated by the failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion.

3. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the battery control portion outputs, to the vehicle control portion, a charge/discharge control amount for controlling the charge/discharge of the battery;

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a charge/discharge amount estimation portion which estimates a charge/discharge amount of the battery from driving states of the drive motor and the power generation motor, an electromotive voltage calculation portion which calculates an electromotive voltage of the battery based on the charge/discharge amount of the battery estimated by the charge/discharge amount estimation portion and a voltage value of a current flowing in the inverter, which value is detected by the inverter driving state detection portion, and a failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion which calculates the charge/discharge control amount based on the electromotive voltage calculated by the electromotive voltage calculation portion; and

the vehicle control portion controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the charge/discharge control amount supplied from the battery control portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is no failure in the battery control portion, and controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the charge/discharge control amount calculated by the failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion.

4. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the battery control portion outputs, to the vehicle control portion, a charge/discharge control amount for controlling the charge/discharge of the battery;

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a storage portion storing information in which a current value of a current supplied from the battery in order to drive a cooling fan of the battery has been associated with a temperature of the battery, and a failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion which refers to the information stored in the storage portion to acquire the current value corresponding to a temperature of the battery estimated when the cooling fan is driven in a predetermined driving state and which calculates the charge/discharge control amount based on the acquired current value; and

the vehicle control portion controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the charge/discharge control amount supplied from the battery control portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is no failure in the battery control portion, and controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the charge/discharge control amount calculated by the failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion.

5. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the battery control portion outputs, to the vehicle control portion, a charge/discharge control amount for controlling the charge/discharge of the battery;

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a charge/discharge amount estimation portion which estimates a charge/discharge amount of the battery from driving states of the drive motor and the power generation motor, an electromotive voltage calculation portion which calculates an electromotive voltage of the battery based on the charge/discharge amount of the battery estimated by the charge/discharge amount estimation portion and a voltage value of a current flowing in the inverter, which value is detected by the inverter driving state detection portion, a storage portion storing information in which a current value of a current flowing from the battery to a cooling fan of the battery has been associated with a temperature of the battery, and at least two failure-time discharge control amount calculation portions selected from a first failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion which calculates the charge/discharge control amount based on the voltage value of the current flowing in the inverter, which value is detected by the inverter driving state detection portion, a second failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion which calculates the charge/discharge control amount based on the electromotive voltage calculated by the electromotive voltage calculation portion, and a third failure-time discharge control amount calculation portion which refers to the information stored in the storage portion to acquire the current value corresponding to a temperature of the battery estimated when the cooling fan is driven in a predetermined driving state, and which calculates the charge/discharge control amount based on the acquired current value; and

the vehicle control portion controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on the charge/discharge control amount supplied from the battery control portion when the failure determination portion determines that there is no failure in the battery control portion, and controls the charge/discharge of the battery based on a charge/discharge control amount whose absolute value is the smallest, of the charge/discharge control amounts calculated by at least two failure-time discharge control amount calculation portions selected from the first to third failure-time discharge control amount calculation portions, when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion.

6. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

traveling of the vehicle is started and terminated by turning ON and OFF a power supply; and

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a vehicle prohibition determination portion which prohibits the drive motor from being driven so as to prohibit the vehicle from traveling when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion as soon as the power supply is turned from OFF to ON.

7. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

traveling of the vehicle is started and terminated by turning ON and OFF a power supply; and

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a vehicle prohibition determination portion which prohibits the drive motor from being driven so as to prohibit the vehicle from traveling when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion as soon as the power supply is turned from OFF to ON.

8. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

traveling of the vehicle is started and terminated by turning ON and OFF a power supply; and

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a vehicle prohibition determination portion which prohibits the drive motor from being driven so as to prohibit the vehicle from traveling when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion as soon as the power supply is turned from OFF to ON.

9. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

traveling of the vehicle is started and terminated by turning ON and OFF a power supply; and

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a vehicle prohibition determination portion which prohibits the drive motor from being driven so as to prohibit the vehicle from traveling when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion as soon as the power supply is turned from OFF to ON.

10. The battery charge/discharge control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

traveling of the vehicle is started and terminated by turning ON and OFF a power supply; and

the battery charge/discharge control apparatus further comprises a vehicle prohibition determination portion which prohibits the drive motor from being driven so as to prohibit the vehicle from traveling when the failure determination portion determines that there is a failure in the battery control portion as soon as the power supply is turned from OFF to ON.