This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-008762 filed on Jan. 22, 2020, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle.
A vehicle described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-188167 (JP 2006-188167 A) includes a gas fuel tank that is disposed at a roof portion, a radiator that is disposed at the roof portion while being disposed rearward of the gas fuel tank in a vehicle front-rear direction, and a cover member that covers the roof portion. The cover member is provided with an upper outside air introduction port for introduction into the radiator of outside air that passes through a space above the roof portion as the vehicle travels. Accordingly, a space in which the gas fuel tank is disposed is ensured with radiator cooling efficiency made favorable.
Meanwhile, for example, in a case where a radiator is for water cooling of a battery pack of an electric vehicle or the like, warming a coolant by heating the radiator at the time of activation of the battery pack results in an improvement in performance of the battery pack. Particularly, in a cold region, the performance of the battery pack at the time of activation is significantly lowered and thus it is preferable to warm the battery pack by warming the coolant. The energy of sunlight can be used for the warming of the battery pack, for example. However, the above-described related art has not been made in consideration of such a point.
The disclosure provides a vehicle in which a heat exchanger such as a radiator can be irradiated with sunlight as needed.
A first aspect of the disclosure relates to a vehicle including a temperature control target, a heat exchanger, a cover member, a solar radiation detection unit, and a controller. The temperature control target needs to be subjected to temperature control. The heat exchanger is configured such that a heating medium circulates between the temperature control target and the heat exchanger. The cover member covers the heat exchanger and forms an upper surface of a vehicle body and the transparency of the cover member is changeable. The solar radiation detection unit is configured to detect solar radiation. The controller is able to change the transparency based on the result of detection performed by the solar radiation detection unit.
Note that, “solar radiation” described in the first aspect means “an event that the sun shines”.
In the first aspect, the heating medium circulates between the temperature control target that needs to be subjected to temperature control and the heat exchanger (for example, radiator). The heat exchanger forms the upper surface of the vehicle body and is covered by the cover member of which the transparency is changeable. In addition, the controller is able to change the transparency of the cover member based on the result of detection performed by the solar radiation detection unit that detects solar radiation. Accordingly, the heat exchanger such as a radiator can be irradiated with sunlight as needed.
According to a second aspect of the disclosure, the vehicle related to the first aspect may further include a state detection unit configured to detect the state of the temperature control target and the controller may be able to change the transparency based on the result of detection performed by the state detection unit.
In the second aspect, the controller is able to change the transparency of the cover member based on the result of detection performed by the state detection unit that detects the state of the temperature control target (for example, whether or not cooling or heating needs to be performed). Accordingly, the amount of sunlight with which the heat exchanger is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the state of the temperature control target.
According to a third aspect of the disclosure, in the vehicle related to the second aspect, the temperature control target may be a battery pack and the state detection unit may be able to detect the temperature of the battery pack.
In the third embodiment, the amount of sunlight with which the heat exchanger is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the temperature of the battery pack.
According to a fourth aspect of the disclosure, in the vehicle related to the second or third aspect, the temperature control target may be a battery pack and the state detection unit may be able to detect the state of use of the battery pack.
In the fourth embodiment, the amount of sunlight with which the heat exchanger is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the state of use (for example, voltage, electric current, continuous use time, amount of remaining electric power) of the battery pack.
According to a fifth aspect of the disclosure, in the vehicle related to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the temperature control target may be a battery pack installed below a floor of a vehicle cabin and the state detection unit may be able to detect the temperature of the vehicle cabin.
In the fifth aspect, the amount of the sunlight with which the heat exchanger is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the temperature of the vehicle cabin correlated with the temperature of the battery pack installed below the floor of the vehicle cabin.
According to a sixth aspect of the disclosure, in the vehicle related to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the solar radiation detection unit is able to detect the amount of solar radiation.
Note that, “the amount of solar radiation” described in the sixth aspect means “the amount of energy radiated from the sun”.
In the sixth aspect, the amount of sunlight with which the heat exchanger is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the amount of solar radiation.
According to a seventh aspect of the disclosure, the vehicle related to any one of the first to sixth aspects may further include an outside temperature detection unit configured to detect the temperature of the outside of the vehicle. The controller may be able to change the transparency based on the result of detection performed by the outside temperature detection unit.
In the seventh aspect, the controller is able to change the transparency of the cover member based on the result of detection performed by the outside temperature detection unit that detects the outside temperature. Accordingly, the amount of sunlight with which the heat exchanger is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the outside temperature.
According to an eighth aspect of the disclosure, in the vehicle related to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the heat exchanger may be installed in a roof portion of the vehicle body and the cover member may form an upper surface of the roof portion.
In the eighth aspect, the heat exchanger installed in the roof portion of the vehicle body is covered by the cover member that forms the upper surface of the roof portion and the transparency of the cover member is changed by the controller. Accordingly, the heat exchanger installed in the roof portion can be irradiated with sunlight as needed.
According to a ninth aspect of the disclosure, in the vehicle related to the eighth aspect, the heat exchanger may be a radiator and an introduction hole for introduction of traveling wind into the roof portion may be formed in the roof portion or a pillar of the vehicle body.
In the ninth aspect, traveling wind can be introduced into the roof portion through the introduction hole formed in the roof portion or the pillar of the vehicle body such that the traveling wind hits the radiator installed in the roof portion.
According to a tenth aspect of the disclosure, the vehicle related to the ninth aspect citing the eighth aspect citing the second aspect may further include an opening and closing mechanism configured to open and close the introduction hole. The controller may control the opening and closing mechanism based on the result of detection performed by the solar radiation detection unit and the state detection unit.
In the tenth aspect, the controller controls the opening and closing mechanism based on the result of detection performed by the solar radiation detection unit that detects solar radiation and the result of detection performed by the state detection unit that detects the state of the temperature control target. Accordingly, the introduction hole formed in the roof portion or the pillar of the vehicle body can be opened and closed and whether or not traveling wind is introduced into the roof portion in which the radiator is installed can be changed based on the result of the detection.
As described above, in the vehicle according to the aspects of the disclosure, the heat exchanger such as the radiator can be irradiated with sunlight as needed.
Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
Hereinafter, a vehicle 10 according to a first embodiment of the disclosure will be described with reference to
Configuration
As shown in
In addition, a radiator 40, which is a heat exchanger, is installed in a roof portion 18 of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the roof portion 18 includes an outer panel 20 that forms an upper surface (design surface) of a vehicle body 11 and an inner panel 22 that is disposed to be separated from the outer panel 20 while being positioned below the outer panel 20. The radiator 40 is disposed between the outer panel 20 and the inner panel 22. The radiator 40 is positioned at, for example, a center portion of the vehicle 10 in the front-rear direction.
An introduction hole 32 is formed in each of A-pillars 24 and D-pillars 30 of the vehicle 10. While the vehicle 10 is traveling forward, traveling wind is introduced into the roof portion 18 through the introduction holes 32 formed in the A-pillars 24 and is discharged through the introduction holes 32 formed in the D-pillars 30. Meanwhile, while the vehicle 10 is traveling rearward, traveling wind is introduced into the roof portion 18 through the introduction holes 32 formed in the D-pillars 30 and is discharged through the introduction holes 32 formed in the A-pillars 24. In addition, when traveling wind is introduced into the roof portion 18 as described above, the traveling wind hits the radiator 40.
The radiator 40 and the battery pack 16 are connected to each other via a pair of pipes 42, 44. The pipes 42, 44 are routed in B-pillars 26 and C-pillars 28 of the vehicle 10, for example. In the battery pack 16, a pump 46 (refer to
The pump 46 is electrically connected to a controller 51 (refer to
The CPU 52 is a central processing unit, executes various programs, and controls each unit. That is, the CPU 52 reads a program from the ROM 56 and executes the program while using the RAM 54 as a work area. In the present embodiment, a control program is stored in the ROM 56.
The ROM 56 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 54 temporarily stores a program or data, as a work area. The storage 58 is composed of a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.
In addition to the pump 46, a solar radiation amount sensor 64 which is a solar radiation detection unit, the battery pack electronic control unit (ECU) 17 which is a state detection unit, and a light control film 67 are electrically connected to the input and output I/F 62. The controller 51, the solar radiation amount sensor 64, the battery pack ECU 17, the light control film 67, and the pump 46 constitute a vehicle temperature control system 50.
The solar radiation amount sensor 64 is provided at an installment panel portion (not shown) of the vehicle 10 and detects the amount of solar radiation. The solar radiation amount sensor 64 is configured to detect a change of an electric current flowing through a photodiode built thereinto as the intensity of sunlight. The battery pack ECU 17 is provided in the battery pack 16 and is able to detect the temperature and the state of use of the battery pack 16. The state of use includes, for example, the voltage, the electric current, the continuous use time, and the amount of remaining electric power of the battery pack 16. The battery pack ECU 17 grasps the temperature or the state of use of the battery pack 16 and monitors input and output to the battery pack 16.
The light control film 67 is provided on a cover member 66 provided on the roof portion 18. The cover member 66 is composed of, for example, a transparent plate 68 formed of a transparent glass plate or a resin plate and the light control film 67 (see
The light control film 67 included in the cover member 66 is, for example, a liquid crystal light control film and the transparency of which is changeable. Specifically, the light control film 67 is in a so-called normal-mode film which becomes transparent when the film is energized and becomes opaque when the film is not energized. Note that, the light control film 67 may be a so-called reverse-mode film which becomes opaque when the film is energized and becomes transparent when the film is not energized.
Next, an example of a control procedure for the light control film 67 (cover member 66) in the vehicle temperature control system 50 will be described using a flowchart shown in
For example, when an ignition switch (not shown) of the vehicle 10 is turned on and the battery pack 16 is activated, the CPU 52 of the controller 51 starts to execute a control program for the light control film 67. In the control program, first, in step S1, the CPU 52 detects the temperature or the state of use of the battery pack 16 based on output from the battery pack ECU 17 and determines whether or not the battery pack 16 needs to be warmed. In a case where the result of the determination is negative, the processing proceeds to step S4 and in a case where the result of the determination is positive, the processing proceeds to step S2.
In a case where the processing proceeds to step S2, the CPU 52 determines whether or not the amount of solar radiation is equal to or greater than a pre-set threshold value (that is, whether or not amount of solar radiation is large) based on output from the solar radiation amount sensor 64. In a case where the result of the determination is negative, the processing proceeds to step S4 and in a case where the result of the determination is positive, the processing proceeds to step S3.
In a case where the processing proceeds to step S3, the CPU 52 starts energization of the light control film 67 such that the transparency of the light control film 67 is increased. As a result, the radiator 40 is irradiated with sunlight and the heating medium is heated by the heat of the sunlight. In addition, in step S3, the CPU 52 changes (adjusts) the transparency of the light control film 67 in accordance with the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation amount sensor 64. Note that, although not shown in
Meanwhile, in a case where the result of the determination in step S1 or step S2 is negative and the processing proceeds to step S4, the CPU 52 does not energize the light control film 67 such that the transparency of the light control film 67 is kept decreased. As a result, sunlight with which the radiator 40 is irradiated is blocked by the light control film 67. When processing in step S4 is finished, the processing proceeds to step S5.
In a case where the processing proceeds to step S5, the CPU 52 determines whether or not an ignition switch is off. In a case where the result of the determination is negative, the processing returns to step S1 such that the above-described processing is repeated and in a case where the result of the determination is positive, the control program for the light control film 67 is terminated.
Action and Effect
Next, the action and effect of the present embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, a heating medium circulates between the battery pack 16 that needs to be subjected to temperature control and the radiator 40. The radiator 40 forms an upper surface of the vehicle body 11 and is covered by the cover member 66 of which the transparency is changeable. In addition, the controller 51 is able to change the transparency of the cover member 66 based on the result of detection performed by the solar radiation amount sensor 64 that detects solar radiation. As a result, the radiator 40 can be irradiated with sunlight as needed and the battery pack 16 can be warmed.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the controller 51 is able to change the transparency of the cover member 66 based on the result of detection performed by the battery pack ECU 17 that detects the state of the battery pack 16 (for example, whether or not cooling or heating needs to be performed). Accordingly, the amount of sunlight with which the radiator 40 is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the state of the battery pack 16.
Specifically, since the battery pack ECU 17 is able to detect the temperature of the battery pack 16, the amount of sunlight with which the radiator 40 is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the temperature of the battery pack 16.
In addition, since the battery pack ECU 17 is able to detect the state of use (for example, voltage, electric current, continuous use time, amount of remaining electric power) of the battery pack 16, the amount of sunlight with which the radiator 40 is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the state of use.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the solar radiation amount sensor 64 is able to detect the presence or absence of solar radiation (that is, event that sun shines) and the amount of solar radiation (that is, amount of energy radiated from sun) and thus the amount of sunlight with which the radiator 40 is irradiated can be changed (finely adjusted) in accordance with the amount of solar radiation.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the radiator 40 installed in the roof portion 18 of the vehicle body 11 is covered by the cover member 66 that forms the upper surface of the roof portion 18 and the transparency of the cover member 66 is changed by the controller 51. Accordingly, the radiator 40 installed in the roof portion 18 can be irradiated with sunlight as needed.
In addition, in the present embodiment, traveling wind can be introduced into the roof portion 18 through the introduction holes 32 formed in the A-pillars 24 or the D-pillars 30 of the vehicle body 11 such that the traveling wind hits the radiator 40 installed in the roof portion 18.
Next, another embodiment of the disclosure will be described. Note that, regarding components and actions that are basically the same as those in the embodiment described already, the same reference numerals as those in the embodiment described already are given and description thereof will be omitted.
In the vehicle temperature control system 70, as with the first embodiment, when the ignition switch (not shown) of the vehicle 10 is turned on and the battery pack 16 is activated, the CPU 52 of the controller 51 starts to execute a control program for the light control film 67. In the control program, first, in step S1a, the CPU 52 determines whether or not the room temperature of the vehicle cabin 12 is low based on output from the room temperature sensor 72, as shown in
In steps S2 to S5, the CPU 52 performs the same processing as in steps S2 to S5 in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, configurations other than those described above are the same as the first embodiment.
In the present embodiment, whether or not the radiator 40 is irradiated with sunlight or the amount of the sunlight with which the radiator 40 is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the temperature of the vehicle cabin 12 correlated with the temperature of the battery pack 16 installed below the floor of the vehicle cabin 12.
The opening and closing mechanism 84 includes a plurality of door portions 86 that is slidably attached to the roof portion 18 and opens and closes the introduction holes 32 and a plurality of actuators 88 (refer to
Each of the actuators 88 of the opening and closing mechanism 84 is electrically connected to the input and output I/F 62 of the controller 51. The actuators 88 constitute the vehicle temperature control system 82 together with the controller 51, the solar radiation amount sensor 64, the battery pack ECU 17, the light control film 67, and the pump 46.
The CPU 52 of the controller 51 is configured to control each actuator 88 of the opening and closing mechanism 84 based on the result of detection performed by the solar radiation amount sensor 64 and the battery pack ECU 17. Specifically, when an ignition switch (not shown) of the vehicle 80 is turned on and the battery pack 16 is activated, the CPU 52 of the controller 51 starts to execute a control program for the light control film 67 and to execute a control program for the opening and closing mechanism 84. The control program for the light control film 67 is the same as the control program in the first embodiment.
In the control program for the opening and closing mechanism 84, first, in step S6, the CPU 52 determines whether or not the battery pack 16 needs to be warmed based on output from the battery pack ECU 17, as shown in
In a case where the processing proceeds to step S7, the CPU 52 determines whether or not the amount of solar radiation is equal to or greater than a pre-set threshold value (that is, whether or not amount of solar radiation is large and outside temperature is high) based on output from the solar radiation amount sensor 64. In a case where the result of the determination is negative, the processing returns to step S6 and in a case where the result of the determination is positive, the processing proceeds to step S8.
In a case where the processing proceeds to step S8, the CPU 52 causes each introduction hole 32 to enter an open state by means of the opening and closing mechanism 84. Therefore, traveling wind (outside air) is introduced into the roof portion 18 and the outside air hits the radiator 40. Therefore, in a case where the outside temperature is high, the radiator 40 is warmed by traveling wind such that the battery pack 16 is warmed fast. When processing in step S8 is finished, the processing proceeds to step S11.
Meanwhile, in a case where the result of the determination in step S6 is negative and the processing proceeds to step S9, the CPU 52 detects whether or not the battery pack 16 needs to be cooled based on output from the battery pack ECU 17. In a case where the result of the determination is positive, the processing proceeds to step S8 and in a case where the result of the determination is negative, the processing proceeds to step S10.
In a case where the processing proceeds to step S10, the CPU 52 causes each introduction hole 32 to enter a closed state by means of the opening and closing mechanism 84. Accordingly, there is no introduction of traveling wind (outside air) into the roof portion 18. When processing in step S10 is finished, the processing proceeds to step S11.
In a case where the processing proceeds to step S11, the CPU 52 determines whether or not an ignition switch is off. In a case where the result of the determination is negative, the processing returns to step S6 such that the above-described processing is repeated and in a case where the result of the determination is positive, the control program for the opening and closing mechanism 84 is terminated. Note that, although not shown in
According to the present embodiment as well, the control program for the light control film 67 is also executed as with the first embodiment and thus the same effect as the first embodiment can be achieved. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the controller 51 controls each opening and closing mechanism 84 based on the result of detection performed by the solar radiation amount sensor 64 and the battery pack ECU 17. Accordingly, each introduction hole 32 can be opened and closed and whether or not traveling wind is introduced into the roof portion 18 in which the radiator 40 is installed can be changed based on the result of the detection.
The solar radiation sensor 92 is, for example, an optical sensor and is able to detect the presence or absence of solar radiation. The solar radiation sensor 92 is not limited to a sensor that directly detects solar radiation and may be a thermal photodetector that reacts to heat generated due to incidence of light, for example. In addition, the solar radiation sensor 92 may be a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the outer panel 20 of the roof portion 18. The outside temperature sensor 94 is a temperature sensor attached to the vehicle body 11 on the outside of the vehicle cabin 12 and is able to detect the outside temperature.
In the vehicle temperature control system 70, as with the third embodiment, when the ignition switch (not shown) of the vehicle 10 is turned on and the battery pack 16 is activated, the CPU 52 of the controller 51 starts to execute a control program for the light control film 67 and to execute a control program for the opening and closing mechanism 84.
In the control program for the light control film 67, as shown in
In the control program for the opening and closing mechanism 84, as shown in
In the present embodiment as well, the transparency of the cover member 66 (light control film 67) can be changed based on the result of detection performed by the solar radiation sensor 92. Accordingly, the radiator 40 can be irradiated with sunlight as needed. In addition, in the present embodiment, each introduction hole 32 is opened in a case where the CPU 52 determines that the battery pack 16 needs to be warmed in step S6 of
Supplementary Description for Embodiments
Note that, in the fourth embodiment, the controller 51 may change the transparency of the cover member 66 based on the result of detection performed by the outside temperature sensor 94. Accordingly, the amount of sunlight with which the radiator 40 is irradiated can be changed in accordance with the outside temperature.
In addition, in each of the embodiments, the battery pack 16 is the temperature control target. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. A temperature control target in an aspect of the disclosure may be a solar panel, an electronic control unit (ECU) for autonomous driving, or the like.
In addition, in each of the embodiments, the vehicles 10, 80 are electric vehicles. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. A vehicle in an aspect of the disclosure may be a hybrid vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle.
In addition, in each of the embodiments, the radiator 40 as a heat exchanger is provided at the roof portion 18. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, a heat exchanger may be provided in an engine compartment of a vehicle front portion and a cover member may be provided on a hood.
In addition, in each of the embodiments, the radiator 40 is a heat exchanger. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. A heat exchanger in an aspect of the disclosure is not for heat release, and may be any heat exchanger as long as the heating medium can be heated with the heat of sunlight.
In addition, the disclosure can be modified and implemented in various manners without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, it is needless to say that the scope of rights of the disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2020-008762 | Jan 2020 | JP | national |