Patent Grant
8928272
This application claims under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) the benefit of Korean Patent Applications Nos. 10-2009-0119494 filed Dec. 4, 2009 and 10-2010-0072886 filed Jul. 28, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by references.
(a) Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a method for controlling a charging voltage of an auxiliary battery, particularly a 12V auxiliary battery for a hybrid vehicle. More particularly, it relates to a method wherein the power conversion of a DC-DC converter is controlled based on factors such as the outside air temperature, the state of charge of the auxiliary battery, and the power consumption of electrical loads.
(b) Background Art
Hybrid vehicles are the vehicles of the future that employ an electric motor as an auxiliary power source as well as a gasoline engine to provide a reduction in exhaust gas and an improvement in fuel efficiency.
When the engine operates in an inefficient state, the electric motor is driven by the power of a battery to increase the efficiency of a hybrid system (load leveling). During deceleration, the battery is charged by regenerative braking, in which the kinetic energy, which would normally be dissipated as frictional heat in a brake system, is converted into electrical energy by the power generation of the motor. As such, the fuel efficiency is improved.
Hybrid vehicles are divided into soft type hybrid vehicles and hard type hybrid vehicles based on whether or not the motor is connected and driven in a power transmission system.
A motor drive system for an existing hard type hybrid vehicle is shown in
In
The start-up sequence of a hybrid vehicle typically includes a step in which the ignition switch (IG) is turned on by a driver, a step in which the various controllers and the main switch 3 are turned on by power from the 12V auxiliary battery 8 (the DC-DC converter 1 is not operated until the main switch 3 is turned on), and a step in which the DC-DC converter 1 operates upon completion of the start-up to charge the auxiliary battery 8 and to supply electrical power to the electrical loads 4.
In a hybrid vehicle (such as a fuel cell vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and an electric vehicle) having the above configuration and operation, if the voltage of the DC-DC converter is maintained at a low level, the power consumption of the electrical loads is reduced, which improves the fuel efficiency. However, the amount of electrical energy charged in the auxiliary battery is reduced, which reduces the charging efficiency, thereby causing a failure during cold start-up. In particular, the DC-DC converter in the hybrid vehicle performs the functions of charging the 12V auxiliary battery and supplying power to the electrical loads of the vehicle. To improve the fuel efficiency, it is necessary to maintain the voltage supplied to the electrical loads at a lower level. It is also advantageous to increase the charging voltage within an allowable range to improve the charging efficiency of the auxiliary battery. However, if the auxiliary battery charge is low, the vehicle may not start during cold start-up due to the reduction in battery voltage, which may reduce the quality of the vehicle. In particular, as shown in
While the diameter of the power cable between the DC-DC converter and the auxiliary battery may be increased in an attempt to address this problem, this results in an increased weight of the vehicle, increased manufacturing costs, and a reduction in the degree of freedom in cable layout. Alternatively, while the DC-DC converter and the auxiliary battery may be disposed adjacent to each other and, at the same time, the electrical loads may be spaced away from each other in an attempt to address this problem, this also reduces the degree of freedom in vehicle design and, further, reduces the quality of the vehicle due to various limitations such as cooling of the DC-DC converter and the like.
As mentioned above, the DC-DC converter 1 operates upon completion of the start-up to charge the auxiliary battery 8 and to supply electrical power to the electrical loads 4. At this time, if the voltage of the auxiliary battery is less than 9V, the main switch 3 generally may not be turned on (however, it is noted that various controllers normally operate at a voltage of more than 6V), and thus the DC-DC converter is not connected to the high voltage battery 2. As a result, the auxiliary battery is not charged, and the voltage of the auxiliary battery may be further reduced during the cold start-up.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
The present invention provides a method for controlling a charging voltage of an auxiliary battery for a hybrid vehicle. In particular, the present invention improves the charging efficiency of an auxiliary battery by increasing the output voltage of a DC-DC converter, particularly during cold start when the outside air temperature is low. It is noted that while the present methods are described with particular reference to 12V auxiliary batteries, the methods could be suitably modified and applied to different voltage batteries.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention the output power of a DC-DC converter is increased or decreased according to the state of charge of the auxiliary battery, and the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is increased when many electrical loads are turned on. As such, charging efficiency of the auxiliary battery is improved.
In another aspect of the present invention, the DC-DC converter is configured to provide a continuous power supply for charging the auxiliary battery. In particular, a main switch is disposed between a high voltage battery and the DC-DC converter, and the switch is turned on based on a reverse power conversion operation of the DC-DC converter even when the voltage of the auxiliary battery falls below a lower limit, such as 9V for the case of a 12V auxiliary battery.
In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a method for controlling a charging voltage of a 12V auxiliary battery for a hybrid vehicle, the method including: comparing the outside air temperature with a boundary temperature after the vehicle is started; if the outside air temperature is lower than the boundary temperature, measuring the voltage of the 12V auxiliary battery; and increasing the output voltage at a DC-DC converter if the voltage of the 12V auxiliary battery is beyond a predetermined reference voltage range.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a charging voltage of a 12V auxiliary battery for a hybrid vehicle, the method including: comparing the current amount of 12V electrical loads with a reference load value after the vehicle is started; if the amount of 12V electrical loads is smaller than the reference load value, increasing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter to improve charging efficiency of a 12V auxiliary battery; if the amount of 12V electrical loads is greater than the reference load value, determining the state of charge of the 12V auxiliary battery; and if the state of charge of the 12V auxiliary battery is lower than a charge boundary value, enhancing the charging speed of the 12V auxiliary battery.
In still another aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a charging voltage of a 12V auxiliary battery for a hybrid vehicle, the method including: comparing the voltage of the 12V auxiliary battery with a low limit value for operation of a main switch (which connects a high voltage battery to a DC-DC converter) and a variety of controllers after the vehicle is started; if the voltage of the 12V auxiliary battery falls below the low limit value, allowing the DC-DC converter to perform a reverse power conversion; allowing electrical energy to be transferred from the 12V auxiliary battery to a high voltage capacitor for storage; allowing the DC-DC converter to perform a forward power conversion for a predetermined short period of time; and allowing high voltage energy of the high voltage capacitor to be supplied to the 12V auxiliary battery through the DC-DC converter.
It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.
The above and other features of the invention are discussed infra.
The above and other features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof illustrated the accompanying drawings which are given hereinbelow by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
Reference numerals set forth in the Drawings includes reference to the following elements as further discussed below:
It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.
In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.
Hereinafter reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
As mentioned above with reference to
The present invention provides methods for controlling a charging voltage of a 12V auxiliary battery for a hybrid vehicle by controlling the power conversion of the DC-DC converter based on the outside air temperature, the state of charge of the auxiliary battery, and the power consumption of electrical loads.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
In a preferred embodiment, after the vehicle is started, it is determined whether the outside air temperature Tx is lower than a boundary temperature Tx1. If the outside air temperature is higher than the boundary temperature, the DC-DC converter is controlled to operate in a normal mode.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the outside air temperature is lower than the boundary temperature (for example, below 0° C.), the voltage at the output terminal of the DC-DC converter or the voltage Vb of the 12V auxiliary battery is measured. If the voltage at the output terminal of the DC-DC converter or the voltage Vb of the 12V auxiliary battery is lower than a predetermined reference voltage V2, the DC-DC converter is controlled to operate in a rapid charge mode to significantly increase its output voltage. If the voltage at the output terminal of the DC-DC converter or the voltage Vb of the 12V auxiliary battery is higher than the predetermined reference voltage V2, the DC-DC converter is controlled to operate in a trickle charge mode to slightly increase its output voltage.
As such, if the outside air temperature falls below the boundary temperature, the present method increases the output voltage of the DC-DC converter to facilitate the charging of the 12V auxiliary battery. Thus, in the case where the state of charge of the 12V auxiliary battery is low, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the vehicle does not start during cold start-up due to the reduction in the voltage of the auxiliary battery.
Subsequently, the current charged into or discharged from the 12V auxiliary battery is measured. If the accumulated absolute value IB_SUM of the charge or discharge current is higher than a boundary value I1, the DC-DC converter is controlled to operate in a normal mode. If it is lower than the boundary value I1, the DC-DC converter is controlled to operate in a mode in which its output voltage is significantly or slightly increased.
Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
In accordance with this embodiment, when the amount of electrical loads being operated is low, the DC-DC converter is controlled to operate in a mode for enhancing the charging speed of the auxiliary battery In this case, an increase in the power consumption of the electrical loads is small even though the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is increased. On the other hand, when the amount of electrical loads being operated is high, the DC-DC converter is controlled to operate in a mode for improving the fuel efficiency in which the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is decreased.
In a preferred embodiment, after the vehicle is started, the amount of 12V electrical loads being operated is determined, and the amount of 12V electrical loads being operated is compared with a reference load value L1.
If the amount of 12V electrical loads being operated is lower than the reference load value L1, the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is increased to facilitate the charging of the 12V auxiliary battery. In other words, a mode for enhancing the charging speed of the auxiliary battery is performed. In this case, where the amount of 12V electrical loads being operated is lower than the reference load value L1, the increase in the amount of electrical loads is relatively small, even though the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is increased, and the amount of electrical loads is proportional to the voltage. Therefore, the charge of the 12V auxiliary battery is advantageously made.
On the other hand, if the amount of 12V electrical loads being operated is higher than the reference load value L1, the state of charge of the 12V auxiliary battery SOC_A is determined. If the state of charge of the 12V auxiliary battery SOC_A is lower than a charge boundary value S1, the method proceeds to a mode for enhancing the charging speed of the auxiliary battery. On the other hand, if the state of charge of the 12V auxiliary battery SOC_A is higher than the charge boundary value S1, the method proceeds to a mode for improving the fuel efficiency, in which the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is decreased. In particular, if the amount of 12V electrical loads is higher than the reference load value L1, it means that a large number of electrical loads are operated. Thus, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the electrical loads by decreasing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter.
Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
In an exemplary embodiment, after the vehicle is started, the voltage Vb of the 12V auxiliary battery is compared with a low limit value V1 for the operation of the main switch (i.e., relay), which connects the high voltage battery to the DC-DC converter, and a variety of controllers. If the voltage Vb of the 12V auxiliary battery falls below the low limit value V1 (for example, if the voltage of the 12V auxiliary battery falls below 9V), the reverse power conversion operation of the DC-DC converter is performed. Based on the reverse power conversion operation of the DC-DC converter, the electrical energy is transferred from the 12V auxiliary battery to the high voltage capacitor (for example, the DC-link capacitor or the capacitor at the input terminal of the DC-DC converter). Thus, much more electrical energy is further stored in the high voltage capacitor. Subsequently, the DC-DC converter performs a forward power conversion for a predetermined short period of time such that a high voltage (e.g., about 14V) of the high voltage capacitor is supplied to the 12V auxiliary battery through the DC-DC converter and charged thereinto.
As such, according to the principle that when the electrical energy is charged in the auxiliary battery in the reverse direction for a relatively long period of time and is then transferred in the forward direction for a short period of time, the voltage is increased. A momentary normal charge of the 12V auxiliary battery is performed and, as a result, the 12V auxiliary battery applies a voltage of more than 9V to the various controllers and the main switch, thereby turning on the main switch. Once the mail switch is turned on, the DC-DC converter is normally driven by the power of the high voltage battery, thus supplying a stable voltage for charging the 12V auxiliary battery.
The present invention, thus, provides methods for improving the charging efficiency of an auxiliary battery and improving the cold start performance even when outside air temperature is low by increasing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter. Further, if the state of charge of the auxiliary battery is high, the fuel efficiency is improved by decreasing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter. On the other hand, if the state of charge of the auxiliary battery is low, the charging efficiency of the auxiliary battery is improved by increasing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter. Further, if the amount of electrical loads being operated is small, the charging efficiency of the auxiliary battery is improved by increasing the output power of the DC-DC converter. On the other hand, if the amount of electrical loads being operated is large, the fuel efficiency is improved by decreasing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter. Still further, even in the case where the voltage of the auxiliary battery falls below 9V, according to the present invention, the main switch disposed between the high voltage battery and the DC-DC converter is turned on based on the reverse power conversion operation of the DC-DC converter such that the DC-DC converter operates normally to thereby continuously charge the auxiliary battery.
The invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
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