Air conditioning control apparatus for an electric vehicle having a pre-air conditioning function

• US 9,340,090 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Fukatsu, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradford, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US13/215,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,729 Days
• Field of Search: 622/30, 622/36, 622/43, 622/44
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00392 for electric vehicles having only electric drive means
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/28 Door position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/20 Inrush current reduction, i.e. avoiding high currents when connecting the battery
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An air conditioning control apparatus mounted on an electric vehicle having a travel battery that supplies an electric power to a travel driving source, a battery charger that charges the travel battery with a power supply, and an air conditioner that conducts air conditioning in a vehicle interior, controls the air conditioner. When pre-air conditioning is implemented in a state where the battery charger is connected to the power supply, an inrush current generated in a short time when an operation of the air conditioner starts is absorbed by both of power feeding from the power supply and power feeding from the travel battery, and after the inrush current has been absorbed, the air conditioner operates by only the power feeding from the power supply.

Claims

1. An air conditioning control apparatus mounted on an electric vehicle having a travel battery that supplies an electric power to a travel driving source, a battery charger that charges the travel battery with an external power supply, and an air conditioner that conducts air conditioning in a vehicle interior, the air conditioning control apparatus operable to control the air conditioner, the air conditioning control apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a storage unit that stores a program, that implements pre air conditioning, executed by the processor,

the program causes the processor to;

(a) determine that the battery charger is connected to the external the power supply;

(b) determine whether a charge amount condition in which an amount of charge stored in the travel battery is equal to or larger than a predetermined minimum charge amount, process (b) including, when an amount of power feed required for absorbing the inrush current is a maximum power feed amount, obtaining the predetermined minimum charge amount required to compensate for a deficit by subtracting an amount of power feed obtained by the power supply from the maximum power feed amount;

(c) when (a) and (b) are satisfied, power feed, to the air conditioner, simultaneously from the power supply and from the travel battery only for a time period during which an inrush current is generated to absorb the inrush current; and

(d) after the inrush current has been absorbed, cause the power to be fed to the air conditioner only from the power supply.

2. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication part that receives a pre-air conditioning instruction transmitted from a mobile device for ordering implementation of the pre-air conditioning in the vehicle interior.

3. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the program causes the processor to determine whether a control termination condition required for terminating the operation of the air conditioner is satisfied, during the operation of the air conditioner, and terminate the operation of the air conditioner when determining that the control termination condition is satisfied.

4. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power supply is supplied from an outlet disposed in a housing.

5. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the power supply is supplied from an outlet disposed in a housing.

6. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power supply is supplied from an outlet disposed in a housing.

7. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a defogger control unit that operates a defogger disposed on a glass window of the electric vehicle during implementation of the pre-air conditioning.

8. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a defogger control unit that operates a defogger disposed on a glass window of the electric vehicle during implementation of the pre-air conditioning.

9. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a defogger control unit that operates a defogger disposed on a glass window of the electric vehicle during implementation of the pre-air conditioning.

10. The air conditioning control apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a defogger control unit that operates a defogger disposed on a glass window of the electric vehicle during implementation of the pre-air conditioning.

11. An air conditioning control apparatus mounted on an electric vehicle having a travel battery that supplies an electric power to a travel driving source, a battery charger that charges the travel battery with an external power supply, and an air conditioner that conducts air conditioning in a vehicle interior, the air conditioning control apparatus operable to control the air conditioner, the air conditioning control apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a storage unit that stores a program, that implements pre-air conditioning, executed by the processor,

the program causes the processor to;

(a) determine whether pre-air conditioning is implemented in a state where the battery charger is connected to the external power supply;

(b) determine whether a charge amount condition in which an amount of charge stored in the travel battery is equal to or larger than a predetermined minimum charge amount, process (b) including, when an amount of power feed required for absorbing the inrush current is a maximum power feed amount, obtaining the predetermined minimum charge amount required to compensate for a deficit by subtracting an amount of power feed obtained by the power supply from the maximum power feed amount;

(c) determine whether an operation enable condition including a condition that the electric vehicle has been parked is satisfied;

(d) when (a)-(c) are satisfied, power feed to the air conditioner, simultaneously from the power supply and from the travel battery only for a time period during which an inrush current is generated to absorb the inrush current, and

(e) after the inrush current has been absorbed, cause the power to be fed to the air conditioner only from the power supply, wherein

the operation enable condition includes at least one of,

determining that an ignition switch is at an OFF position,

determining that a shift position of a transmission is in a parking position,

a condition of determining that a hood of the electric vehicle is closed, and

a condition of determining that all doors of the electric vehicle are closed.