Vehicle control unit and vehicle control method

• US 7,869,911 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Kazuhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US11/653,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20070170778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/36, 307/10, 180/6.48, 180/65.1, 318/139, 318/432, 290/45, 903/903
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0862 characterised by the electrical power supply means, e.g. battery
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/062 Battery current
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/063 Battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/064 Battery temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0809 Electrical loads
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A battery supplies electric power to electric equipments of the vehicle. An alternator generates the electric power and charges the battery when an engine of the vehicle is operated. An economical running control section is operable to perform an economical running in which the engine is automatically stopped when the vehicle is in a predetermined engine stopping condition and the engine is automatically restarted when the vehicle is in a predetermined engine restarting condition. A calculate section is operable to calculate an available current value which is available to supply to the electric equipments from the battery. A feed limiting section is operable to limit to supply the electric power to the electric equipments from the battery. The economical running control section controls the economical running based on a total value of necessary current values which are necessary for the respective electric equipments and the available current value. The feed limiting section limits to supply the electric power to the electric equipments from the battery based on the total value of the necessary current values and the sum of the available current value and a generated current value of the alternator.

Claims

1. A vehicle control unit adapted to be mounted on a vehicle having a battery which supplies electric power to electric equipments of the vehicle and an alternator which generates the electric power and charges the battery when an engine of the vehicle is operated, the vehicle control unit, when a program stored in a non-transitory storage medium is executed, functions as:

an economical running control section, operable to perform an economical running in which the engine is automatically stopped when the vehicle is in a predetermined engine stopping condition and the engine is automatically restarted when the vehicle is in a predetermined engine restarting condition;

a calculate section, operable to calculate an available current value which is available to supply to the electric equipments from the battery; and

a feed limiting section, operable to limit to supply the electric power to the electric equipments from the battery, wherein;

the economical running control section controls the economical running based on a total value of necessary current values which are necessary for the respective electric equipments and the available current value; and

the feed limiting section limits to supply the electric power to the electric equipments from the battery based on the total value of the necessary current values and a sum of the available current value and a generated current value of the alternator.

2. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the calculate section calculates the available current value based on a voltage value of the battery and an internal resistance of the battery.

3. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

the calculate section calculates the internal resistance of the battery based on voltage values of the battery and current values of the battery which are measured at every predetermined time period from starting the engine to completely exploding the engine.

4. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

the calculate section calculates the internal resistance of the battery only in a case where the engine completely is exploded within a predetermined time from starting the engine.

5. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the economical running control section determines whether the economical running is performed or not at every predetermined time period when the economical running section performs the economical running.

6. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 5, wherein:

the economical running control section determines whether the economical running is performed or not based on at least the total value of the necessary current values which excepts a necessary current value of a electric equipment which is not used when the vehicle is stopped.

7. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 5, wherein:

the economical running control section restarts the engine in a case where a predetermined time elapses when the economical running is performed in a state that the total value of the necessary current values are greater than the available current value.

8. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 1, further functioning as:

a power generation directive section, operable to calculate an adjusting voltage value for adjusting a voltage value of the alternator and to direct the alternator to generate an amount of the electric power greater than an amount obtained by subtracting the available current value from the total of the necessary current values based on the adjusting voltage value.

9. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 8, wherein:

the power generation directive section guards the adjusting voltage value by a maximum voltage value which the alternator generates according to running conditions of the vehicle and a voltage value of the battery.

10. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle control unit includes a priority table which indicates a priorities of the respective electric equipments in which the electric power is supplied to the respective electric equipments from the battery, and

in a case where the feed limiting section predicts a state that the total of the necessary current value is greater than the sum of the available current value and the generated current value of the alternator, the feed limiting section calculates a feed limiting current value obtained by subtracting the sum of the available current value and the generated current value of the alternator from the total value of the necessary current values, and specifies an feed limiting equipment based on the priority table in a manner that the total of the necessary current value except a current value of the feed limiting equipment is greater than the feed limiting current value.

11. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the feed limiting section limits to supply the electric power to the electric equipments from the battery in a case where the feed limiting section predicts a state that the total of the necessary current value is greater than the sum of the available current value and the generated current value of the alternator when the feed limiting section predicts the use of a electric equipment as a safety system unit, which is not used.

12. A vehicle control unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the feed limiting section notifies a user of a failure of a charging system of the vehicle in a case where the failure of the charging system occurs.

13. A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle having a battery which supplies electric power to electric equipments of the vehicle and an alternator which generates the electric power and charges the battery when an engine of the vehicle is operated, the vehicle including an economical running control section operable to perform an economical running in which the engine is automatically stopped when the vehicle is in a predetermined engine stopping condition and the engine is automatically restarted when the vehicle is in a predetermined engine restarting condition, the vehicle control method comprising:

calculating an available current value which is available to supply to the electric equipments from the battery;

controlling the economical running based on a total value of necessary current values which are necessary for the respective electric equipments and the available current value; and

limiting to supply the electric power to the electric equipments from the battery based on the total value of the necessary current values and a sum of the available current value and a generated current value of the alternator.