DE-102025146732-A1 - Refrigeration tax device, vehicle, refrigeration tax procedure and refrigeration tax program

Abstract

A cooling control device comprises a specification unit and a control unit, wherein the specification unit, based on an operating state of a heat source attached to a vehicle, specifies an amount of heat transferred from the heat source to cooling water flowing through a flow path. Based on the amount of heat transferred specified by the specification unit, the control unit controls at least one of the number of revolutions of a fan configured to blow air into a radiator and a flow rate of cooling water into the radiator within the flow path.

Inventors

• Makoto Abe

Assignees

• ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20251112

Priority Date

20241113

Claims (16)

1. Cooling control device comprising: a specification unit configured to specify, based on an operating state of a heat source attached to a vehicle, an amount of heat transferred from the heat source to cooling water flowing through a flow path; and a control unit configured to control, based on the amount of heat transferred specified by the specification unit, at least one of the following: the rotational speed of a fan configured to blow air into a radiator, and the flow rate of cooling water into the radiator within the flow path.
2. Cooling control device according to Claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured such that in a case where the temperature of the cooling water changes in a state where the control unit controls at least one of the fan speed and the cooling water flow rate into the radiator based on the specified amount of heat delivered, the control unit controls at least one of the fan speed and the cooling water flow rate into the radiator based on a time-dependent change in the temperature of the cooling water.
3. Cooling control device according to Claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to perform a control to increase at least one of the fan speed and the coolant flow rate into the radiator when the coolant temperature increases.
4. Cooling control device according to Claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to perform a control to reduce at least one of the fan speed and the coolant flow rate into the radiator when the coolant temperature decreases.
5. Cooling control device according to Claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to control at least one of the fan speed and the coolant flow rate such that the difference between the specified amount of heat delivered and the amount of heat radiated in the cooler is within a predetermined range, based on the specified amount of heat delivered and information that specifies a relationship between the amount of heat radiated in the cooler and both the fan speed and the coolant flow rate.
6. Cooling control device according to Claim 1 , wherein the heat source is an engine for propelling the vehicle and the specification unit is configured to specify the amount of heat transferred to the cooling water on the basis of a value determined by subtracting the energy delivered by the engine from the energy supplied to the engine.
7. Cooling control device according to Claim 1 , wherein the heat source is a battery configured to supply electrical energy to a motor to propel the vehicle, and the specification unit is configured to specify the amount of heat transferred to the cooling water by calculating the joule heat generated in the battery.
8. Vehicle, comprising: the cooling control device according to one of the Claims 1 until 7 ; the flow path through which the cooling water flows; the heat source, wherein the amount of heat transferred from the heat source to the cooling water is specified by the specification unit of the cooling control device; the radiator, wherein the flow rate of the cooling water supplied to the radiator through the flow path is controlled by the control unit of the cooling control device; and the fan, which is configured to blow air into the radiator, wherein the speed of the fan is controlled by the control unit of the cooling control device.
9. Cooling control method, comprising: specifying an amount of heat transferred from a heat source attached to a vehicle to cooling water flowing through a flow path, based on an operating state of the heat source; and controlling at least one of the rotational speed of a fan configured to blow air into a radiator and the flow rate of cooling water into the radiator within the flow path, based on the specified amount of heat transferred.
10. The cooling control method according to Claim 9 , which further includes: controlling, in a case where the temperature of the cooling water changes in a state where at least one of the number of revolutions of the fan and the flow rate of the cooling water into the radiator is controlled on the basis of the specified amount of heat dissipated, at least one of the Fan speed and coolant flow rate into the radiator based on a change in coolant temperature over time.
11. The cooling control method according to Claim 10 , wherein, in the control based on the change in the temperature of the cooling water over time, in a case where the temperature of the cooling water increases, at least one of the speed of the fan and the flow rate of the cooling water into the radiator is increased.
12. The cooling control method according to Claim 10 , wherein, in the control based on the change in the temperature of the cooling water over time, in a case where the temperature of the cooling water decreases, at least one of the speed of the fan and the flow rate of the cooling water into the radiator is reduced.
13. The cooling control method according to Claim 9 , wherein, in the control based on the specified amount of heat emitted, at least one of the fan speed and the cooling water flow rate are controlled such that a difference between the specified amount of heat emitted and an amount of heat radiated in the cooler is within a predetermined range, based on the specified amount of heat emitted and information that specifies a relationship between the radiated heat amount and both the fan speed and the cooling water flow rate.
14. The cooling control method according to Claim 9 , wherein the heat source is an engine for propelling the vehicle and when specifying the amount of heat delivered, the amount of heat delivered to the cooling water is specified on the basis of a value determined by subtracting the energy delivered by the engine from the energy supplied to the engine.
15. The cooling control method according to Claim 9 , where the heat source is a battery configured to supply electrical energy to a motor to propel the vehicle, and where the quantity of heat delivered is specified by calculating the Joule heat generated in the battery.
16. A cooling control program that causes a computer to: specify, based on an operating state of a heat source attached to a vehicle, an amount of heat transferred from the heat source to the coolant flowing through a flow path; and control at least one of the number of revolutions of a fan designed to blow air into a radiator and a flow rate of coolant flowing through the radiator's flow path.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA The present invention relates generally to a cooling control device, a vehicle, a cooling control method and a cooling control program. STATE OF THE ART A motor, battery, or similar component is installed in a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, as a heat source that generates heat. Such a vehicle, in which a heat source is installed, has a flow path that runs through the heat source and a radiator. A pump drives the flow path, causing coolant to circulate through this path. The heat generated by the heat source is transferred to the coolant flowing through the path. The coolant, to which heat has been transferred, flows along the flow path to the radiator. In the radiator, the coolant is cooled by air blown by a fan, causing the heat to be radiated from the coolant. The coolant, now cooled in the radiator (from which heat has been radiated), then flows along the flow path back towards the heat source (see Japanese patent application KOKAI publication no. 2019-126132 ). In a vehicle equipped with a heat source, radiator, and the like, as described above, a vehicle-mounted cooling control device performs a control operation to maintain a constant temperature of the coolant flowing through a flow path over time. This is achieved, for example, by keeping the coolant temperature constant at the point where the coolant exits the heat source. In maintaining a constant coolant temperature, the cooling control device performs feedback control of the coolant temperature. This involves, for example, adjusting the speed of a fan designed to blow air toward the radiator and the flow rate of the coolant in the flow path to the radiator based on changes in the coolant temperature over time. A vehicle equipped with a heat source, radiator, and similar components must reduce the amount of energy used to maintain a constant coolant temperature. This means that the system for maintaining a constant coolant temperature must reduce the energy consumed by a fan and the energy used by a pump that circulates the coolant. SUMMARY The present invention aims to provide a cooling control device, a vehicle, a cooling control method and a cooling control program, each of which is capable of reducing the amount of energy used for control to maintain a constant temperature of the cooling water. According to one aspect of the present invention, a cooling control device comprises a specification unit and a control unit, wherein the specification unit specifies, based on the operation of a heat source attached to a vehicle, an amount of heat to be transferred from the heat source to cooling water flowing through a flow path. Based on the amount of heat transferred specified by the specification unit, the control unit controls at least one of a number of revolutions of a fan configured to blow air into a radiator and a flow rate of the cooling water into the radiator within the flow path. According to one embodiment, a cooling control device, a vehicle, a cooling control method and a cooling control program can be provided, each of which is capable of reducing the amount of energy used to control the maintenance of a constant temperature of the cooling water. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle according to one embodiment.2 is a flowchart that schematically shows an example of processing related to the cooling of a heat source, which is carried out by a process execution unit of a cooling control device in the embodiment.3 is a flowchart that schematically shows an example of the processing of the specification of the amount of heat delivered based on an operating state of the heat source.4 is a flowchart that schematically illustrates an example of how the specification of the amount of heat delivered is processed on the The basis for the operating state of the heat source is shown.5 is a flowchart that schematically shows an example of the processing to specify the amount of heat delivered based on the operating state of the heat source.6 is a flowchart that schematically shows an example of control based on the specified amount of heat output.7 is a flowchart that schematically shows an example of a control system based on a change in the temperature of the cooling water over time.8 is a block diagram that schematically illustrates, using functional blocks, an example of processing related to the cooling of the heat source, which is carried out by the process execution unit of the cooling control device in the embodiment.9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of changes over time in the temperature of the cooling water and the amount of energy used in the control system in a state where the control system is used to keep the temperature of the cooling water constant in a comparative example.10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of temporal changes in the temperature of the cooling water and the amount of energy used in the control in a state in which the c