CONTROL DEVICE FOR IN-VEHICLE SOLAR CELL

• US 20150268687A1
• Filed: 04/22/2013
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Maeno, Seigen, Miyoshi, Tatsuya, Okumura, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/67 to the maximum power available from a generator, e.g. from solar cell
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

A control device which performs at least MPPT control of output of a solar cell mounted in a vehicle includes a determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is in a travelling state or a stationary state. Different methods are applied when the vehicle is determined to be in the travelling state and in the stationary state respectively.

Claims

1. A control device for an in-vehicle solar cell which performs at least MPPT control of output of the solar cell mounted in a vehicle, comprising:

a determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is in a travelling state or a stationary state,

wherein different control methods are applied when the vehicle is determined by the determination unit to be in the travelling state and in the stationary state respectively, and

in a case in which the vehicle is determined by the determination unit to be in the traveling state, when a speed of the vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined speed, output control of the solar cell is more suppressed than when the speed of the vehicle is less than the predetermined speed.

2. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case in which the vehicle is determined by the determination unit to be in the travelling state, a control cycle of the MPPT control is set to be shorter than the control cycle when the vehicle is determined to be in the stationary state.

4. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 1,

wherein the output control is suppressed by setting the control cycle of the MPPT control to be longer than the control cycle when the speed of the vehicle is less than the predetermined speed of the vehicle or controlling the output of the solar cell at a fixed voltage.

5. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 1,

wherein the determination unit determines whether the vehicle is in the travelling state or the stationary state on the basis of state of an ignition switch and/or the speed of the vehicle.

6. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 5,

wherein, in a case in which the determination unit makes a determination on the basis of the state of the ignition switch, the determination unit determines that the vehicle is in the travelling state when the ignition switch is in an ON state, and determines that the vehicle is in the stationary state when the ignition switch is in an OFF state.

7. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 5,

wherein, in a case in which the determination unit makes a determination on the basis of the speed of the vehicle, the determination unit determines that the vehicle is in the travelling state when the speed of the vehicle is equal to or more than a stationary state determination speed, and determines that the vehicle is in the stationary state when the speed of the vehicle is less than the stationary state determination speed.

8. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 5,

wherein, in a case in which the determination unit makes a determination on the basis of the state of the ignition switch and the speed of the vehicle, the determination unit determines that the vehicle is in the travelling state when the ignition switch is in an ON state and the speed of the vehicle is equal to or more than a stationary state determination speed, and determines that the vehicle is in the stationary state when the ignition switch is in an OFF state or when the ignition switch is in the ON state and the speed of the vehicle is less than the stationary state determination speed.

9. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 8,

wherein, in a case in which the ignition switch is in the OFF state, a determination by the determination unit on the basis of the speed of the vehicle is prohibited.

10. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of MPPTs having different control cycles; and

a switching unit that switches a control method to any one of the plurality of MPPTs according to determination results from the determination unit.

11. The control device for the in-vehicle solar cell according to claim 1, comprising:

an MPPT having an alterable control cycle; and

a switching unit that switches the control cycle of the MPPT according to determination results from the determination unit.

3. (canceled)