JPH0763114A - Vehicle battery deterioration warning device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide a battery deterioration warning device for a vehicle, which can warn the user of the deterioration of the battery and prompt appropriate measures such as battery inspection before the system goes down. A battery voltage V of a vehicle is detected at least at the time of starting, and the value V is within a predetermined range (upper limit value V _MAX and lower limit value V _MAX.
If the value exceeds the range between _MIN ), the abnormal processing is instructed,
The battery deterioration warning device of the vehicle is configured to include the main controller 12 that instructs the warning process when the value falls below the set value V _LOW within the predetermined range. According to the present invention, appropriate processing (abnormality processing or warning processing) is performed according to the degree of deterioration of the battery before the system down occurs, so that the vehicle goes out of control due to the system down. Can be prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery deterioration warning device provided in a computer-controlled electromagnetic induction vehicle or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electromagnetic induction vehicle such as a golf car equipped with a microcomputer, a voltage drop of an on-vehicle battery is a major cause of system down. Particularly in a vehicle equipped with a small battery, there is a high possibility that the system will be down due to a voltage drop, which is a serious problem.

By the way, in an electric electromagnetic induction vehicle or the like, a large-capacity, high-voltage battery is mounted because the drive source is an electric motor. Therefore, there is almost no problem of battery voltage drop. Even if the voltage does not occur, there is no particular problem because the electric power supply to the motor becomes insufficient before the system of the microcomputer or the like goes down and the vehicle cannot run.

[0004]

However, in an electromagnetic induction vehicle which uses an engine as a drive source, a small-sized battery having a small capacity and a low voltage is mounted.
When a large electric load is applied to the battery during steering control, throttle control, or braking control, there is a problem that the voltage of the battery drops and system down may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to warn a user of the deterioration of a battery and prompt appropriate measures such as a battery check before a system down occurs. Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery deterioration warning device for a vehicle.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a battery voltage of a vehicle at least at the time of starting, and if the value exceeds a predetermined range, instructs an abnormal process and outputs a voltage within a predetermined range. The battery deterioration warning device of the vehicle is configured to include a control means for instructing a warning process when the value falls below the set value of.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the battery condition is extremely bad,
Battery voltage is in a predetermined range (range between upper limit and lower limit)
If it exceeds, the system is likely to go down and there is a risk of adversely affecting the vehicle control, so it is determined that the battery is abnormal.For example, a warning light is turned on to notify the user of the battery abnormality and Appropriate processing (abnormal processing) such as smoothly stopping

Further, even if the battery voltage is within a predetermined range, if the value falls below a predetermined value (set value) set near the lower limit value, for example, a warning light blinks to notify the user of the battery. Appropriate processing (warning processing) such as prompting the inspection of the

Therefore, according to the present invention, appropriate processing (abnormality processing or warning processing) is performed according to the degree of deterioration of the battery before the system down occurs, so that the vehicle cannot be controlled due to the system down. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of such a situation.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the overall structure of a golf car 1 as an example of an engine-driven electromagnetic induction vehicle will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. 4 is a side view showing the main structure of the golf car, FIG. 5 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the golf car 1
The front and rear portions of the vehicle body 2 (the left side is the front in FIGS. 4 and 5) are movably supported by a pair of left and right front wheels 3 that are steering wheels and a pair of left and right rear wheels 4 that are drive wheels. .

A handle post 5 is erected obliquely upward toward the rear at the center of the front portion of the vehicle body 2 in the left-right direction, and a steering shaft 6 is rotatably inserted and supported on the handle post 5. ing. A parking lever 7 is rotatably supported on the upper portion of the steering shaft 6, a bar-shaped handle 8 is connected to the upper end of the steering shaft 6, and a gear device 9 is attached to the lower end thereof. The front wheels 3 are steerably connected to each other. A steering motor 10 for driving the gear device 9 is connected to the gear device 9.
As shown in FIG. 6, it is electrically connected to the main controller 12 via the steering controller 11.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a brake lever 13 and an accelerator lever 14 are provided on the left and right of the handle 8, and an accelerator switch 15 is provided near the accelerator lever 14. As shown in FIG. 6, the accelerator switch 15 is electrically connected to the main controller 12.

On the other hand, an engine 16 which is a drive source is mounted at a substantially central portion of the vehicle body 2. A carburetor 17 and an intake pipe 18 are connected in series on the intake side of the engine 16 and are connected from the exhaust side. An exhaust pipe 19 is led out, and an exhaust muffler 20 is connected to the end of the exhaust pipe 19.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 4, the first wire 2 is attached to the throttle valve (not shown) of the carburetor 17.
The switching device 22 is connected via 1 and the governor device 24 is connected to the switching device 22 via the second wire 23. The governor device 24 is connected to the accelerator lever 14 via the third wire 25 (see FIG. 6).

The carburetor 17 is provided with a throttle sensor 26 for detecting the opening of the throttle valve. The throttle sensor 26 is, as shown in FIG.
It is electrically connected to the main controller 12.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the switching device 22 is provided.
An electromagnetic clutch 27 and a step motor 28 are connected to each other, and the step motor 28 is electrically connected to the main controller 12 (see FIG. 6).

When the accelerator lever 14 is connected to the throttle valve of the carburetor 17 by the switching operation of the switching device 22, the accelerator lever 14 is operated via the governor device 24 and the switching device 22. It is transmitted to a throttle valve 17 and the throttle valve is opened / closed according to the operation amount of the accelerator lever 14 to control the rotation speed of the engine 16.

If the stepping motor 28 is connected to the throttle valve of the carburetor 17 by the switching operation of the switching device 22, the operation of the stepping motor 28 is performed by the carburetor 17 via the electromagnetic clutch 27 and the switching device 22. The throttle valve is transmitted to the throttle valve, the opening of the throttle valve is adjusted according to the operation of the step motor 28, and the rotational speed of the engine 16 is controlled as described above.

As shown in FIG. 6, the engine 16 is provided with a rotation sensor 29 and an ignition circuit 30, both of which are electrically connected to the main controller 12. The ignition timing in the ignition circuit 30 is determined by the main controller 12 based on the detected engine speed.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a speed reducer 31 is provided behind the engine 16, and the input shaft of the speed reducer 31 is connected to the engine via a V-belt type automatic transmission 32. A disk brake 33 and a vehicle speed sensor 34 are attached to one end of an intermediate shaft of the speed reducer 31, and an electromagnetic brake 35 is attached to the other end thereof. The output shaft 31a extending leftward and rightward from the speed reducer 31 is connected to the rear wheel 4.

As shown in FIG. 6, the disc brake 33 is connected to the brake lever 13, and the vehicle speed sensor 34 and the electromagnetic brake 35 are both electrically connected to the main controller 12.

The disc brake 33 is braked or released by the operation of the parking lever 7 or the brake lever 13. Also, the electromagnetic brake 3
Normally, 5 is braked by the spring force of a return spring (not shown), and when it is electrically turned on, the braking action is released by the electromagnetic force that opposes the spring force.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a starter dynamo 36 is provided in front of the engine 16, and the starter dynamo 36 is attached to the output shaft of the engine 16 via a V-belt winding device 37. It is connected. The starter dynamo 36 also serves as a starter motor and a generator, and when it functions as a starter motor, it is arranged on the right side of the speed reducer 31 (right side toward the front of the vehicle body 2, hereinafter the same). When driven by the battery 38 to start the engine 16 and function as a generator, its output current is stored in the battery 38 and the battery 38 is charged.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 6, a resistor 40 is provided in the series circuit of the battery 38 and the main relay 39.
Are connected in parallel, and one end of this parallel circuit is connected to the main controller 12 via the starter dynamo controller 41.
, And the other end is electrically connected to the starter dynamo 36 via a series circuit including a switching relay 42 and a power supply sensor 43. And
The main relay 39, the switching relay 42, and the power sensor 43 are all the starter dynamo controller 41.
It is electrically connected to the main controller 12 via. In addition, as shown in FIG.
4, the exhaust muffler 20 is thermally isolated from the exhaust muffler 20.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
An operation panel 45 is provided below the control panel 45, and a main switch 46, a start / start switch shown in FIG.
A stop switch 47 and a mode changeover switch 48 are installed, both of which are electrically connected to the main controller 12.

By the way, the main switch 46 is a key switch capable of supplying the electric power of the battery 38 to the main controller 12, and the start / stop switch 47 gives an instruction to start and stop each time the switch is pressed. Is configured to be repeated. If the start / stop switch 47 is pressed again within 1 second after being pressed, all signals generated by the operation within 1 second are ignored in order to prevent erroneous operation.

The mode changeover switch 48 allows the operator to directly operate each component of the golf car 1 in a riding state and the remote control (remote operation) to operate each component. This is a switch for selecting either the automatic mode to perform or the fixed point passing mode.

When the manual mode is selected by the mode changeover switch 48, the changeover device 2 is operated.
2 connects the accelerator lever 14 to the throttle valve of the carburetor 17 via this and the governor device 24, and when the automatic mode is selected, the switching device 22 uses this and the electromagnetic clutch 27 to connect the throttle valve of the carburetor 17 to it. The step motor 28 is connected to. Then, in the automatic mode, by the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 34,
If the vehicle speed is low, the opening of the throttle valve of the carburetor is adjusted to a large value by operating the step motor 28, and if the vehicle speed is high, the opening of the throttle valve is adjusted to a small value. At this time, the opening of the throttle valve is detected by the throttle sensor 26, and the detected value is fed back to the step motor 28 via the main controller 12, whereby the opening of the throttle valve is adjusted to a predetermined value.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a basket 5 for mounting a golf bag 49 on the front portion of the vehicle body 2.
0 is attached, and a step plate 5 is attached to the rear.
1, the operator can get on the golf car 1 while standing on the step plate 51 to steer the steering wheel 8, and the brake lever 13
Alternatively, the accelerator lever 14 can be operated.

By the way, the running state of the golf car 1 according to the present embodiment, including starting and stopping thereof, is controlled by remote control, and as shown in FIG. 6, it receives a signal from the transmitter 52. The remote controller 53 is provided, and the remote controller 53 is electrically connected to the main controller 12 as shown.
The transmitter 52 is also provided with a start / stop switch 54 similar to the start / stop switch 47.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a guide wire 55 is embedded along the desired traveling course on the traveling road surface of the golf car 1, and an N pole or a pole is provided at a predetermined position of the guide wire 55. S
A pole magnet 56 is installed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the lower front portion of the golf car 1, the front wheels 3 are interlocked with the gear device 9.
A rotating arm 57 that rotates in the same direction as the steering direction is provided, and three guide wire sensors 58 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction at the front end of the rotating arm 57. And FIG.
As shown in, the induction wire sensor 58 is electrically connected to the main controller 12 via an amplifier 59.

As shown in FIG. 4, a fixed point sensor 60 is attached to the lower center of the body of the vehicle body 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the fixed point sensor 60 is also connected to the main controller 12 via an amplifier 61. Electrically connected to.

Further, in the golf car 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an obstacle sensor 62 and a rear-end collision prevention sensor 63 are provided on the front part of the vehicle body 2.
As shown in FIG. 6, these are electrically connected to the main controller 12 via amplifiers 64 and 65, respectively. The rear-end collision prevention sensor 63, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, has a receiver 66 and a transmitter 67 which are respectively arranged at the front and rear of the vehicle body 2.

In addition, the golf car 1 is provided with a bumper switch 68, a boarding switch 69, a parking switch 70, a back switch 71, a maintenance switch 72 and an alarm device 73, and as shown in FIG. It is electrically connected to the main controller 12.

The configuration of the battery deterioration warning device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery deterioration warning device according to the present invention. The battery deterioration warning device is basically composed of the main controller 12.

The main controller 12 includes an A / D converter 75 for A / D converting the voltage of the battery 38, an upper limit value V _MAX , a lower limit value V _MIN and a setting of the battery voltage V shown in FIG. Memory unit 76 for storing the value V _LOW
And the upper limit value V stored in the memory unit 76 for the battery voltage V digitized by the A / D converter 75.
A comparison processing unit 77 that compares the _MAX , the lower limit value V _MIN, and the set value V _LOW, and a determination processing unit that determines appropriate processing (abnormality processing or warning processing described below) based on the comparison result in the comparison processing unit 77. 78, and an output unit 80 for receiving a signal from the judgment processing unit 78 and outputting a control signal to the warning light 79, the electromagnetic clutch 27, the step motor 28, the ignition circuit 30, and the electromagnetic brake 35. .

By the way, in this embodiment, the upper limit value V _MAX of the battery voltage shown in FIG. 2 is 16 V and the lower limit value V _MIN is 6 V.
V and the set value V _LOW are set to 8V,
These upper limit value V _MAX , lower limit value V _MIN and set value V _LOW
Between them, the magnitude relation of V _MIN <V _LOW << V _MAX is established.

Next, the operation of the battery deterioration warning device will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a time chart showing the change over time of the battery voltage V, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure in the battery deterioration warning device.

In the golf car 1 according to this embodiment, when the starter dynamo 36 is connected to the battery 38 by the operation of the switching relay 42, the starter dynamo 36 functions as a starter motor and the engine 16 is operated.
Is started. When the engine 16 is started,
As shown in FIG. 2, the voltage (battery voltage) V of the battery 38 is momentarily dropped and then slightly recovered as shown in FIG. 2, and is driven by the engine 16 after the engine 16 is started. The starter dynamo 36 that functions as a generator functions as a generator, and the output thereof charges the battery 38 via the switching relay 42 and the main relay 39, so that the battery voltage V gradually rises with the passage of time.

In the comparison processing unit 77 of the main controller 12, the battery voltage V and the upper limit value V _MAX (= 16V) and the lower limit value V _MIN (= 6V) stored in the memory unit 76 as described above. And the set value V _LOW (= 8V) are compared, and the battery voltage V is equal to or higher than the upper limit value V _MAX (V ≧ V
_MAX ) or lower limit value V _MIN or less (V ≦ V _MIN ) or not (STEP 1 in FIG. 3).

For example, the battery 38 is extremely deteriorated because the charging current circuit is broken, and as shown in FIG. 2B, the battery voltage V drastically drops when the engine 16 is started. If the value V is below the lower limit value V _MIN , the system is likely to go down, which may adversely affect the control of the golf car 1. Therefore, the determination processing unit 78 of the main controller 12 determines that the battery is abnormal. Then, the output unit 80 is instructed to perform the abnormality processing (see FIG. 3).
STEP 2).

Then, the output section 80 turns on the warning light 79 to notify the user of the abnormality of the battery 38, and at the same time sends a control signal to the electromagnetic clutch 27, the step motor 28, the ignition circuit 30 and the electromagnetic brake 35 to send the golf car 1 To stop smoothly. That is, first, the throttle valve of the carburetor 17 is closed by the step motor 28, and the golf car 1 is decelerated by the engine brake of the engine 16 and the braking by the power generation of the starter dynamo 36. Thereafter, when it is determined by the detection signal of the rotation sensor 29 or the vehicle speed sensor 34 that the engine speed or the vehicle speed has become lower than a predetermined value, the engine 16 is misfired by the ignition circuit 30. At this time, the electromagnetic clutch 27 is turned off (disengaged), the throttle valve of the carburetor 17 is fully closed by the return spring, the engine 6 is stopped by these, and the electromagnetic brake 3
The power supply to 5 is turned off, braking is applied by the electromagnetic brake 35, and the golf car 1 is stopped.

Although not shown, the battery voltage V is the upper limit value V because the charging voltage control circuit is not operating, for example.
Even when it exceeds _MAX , it is determined that the battery is abnormal, and the same abnormality processing as described above is performed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b),
If the battery voltage V is within the range between the upper limit value V _MAX and the lower limit value V _MIN , it is next determined whether or not the battery voltage V is equal to or lower than the set value V _LOW (V ≦ V _LOW ). ST in Figure 3
EP3).

When the engine 16 is started with the battery 38 deteriorated to some extent and the battery voltage V momentarily falls below the set value V _LOW as shown in FIG. 2C, the main controller 12 The determination processing unit 78 determines that the battery 38 is deteriorated and instructs the output unit 80 to perform a warning process (STEP 4 in FIG. 3).

Then, the output section 80 blinks the warning light 79 to prompt the user to check the battery 38. At this time,
Since the battery voltage V is a sufficient value to control the golf car 1, the running of the golf car 1 is continued.

As shown in FIG. 2A, when the battery voltage V is always within the range between the set value V _LOW and the upper limit value V _MAX , the battery 38 is in a normal state.
The determination processing unit 78 of the main controller 12 has an output unit 80.
The golf car 1 runs normally without giving any instruction to the car.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the appropriate processing (abnormality processing or warning processing) according to the degree of deterioration of the battery 38 is performed before the system down occurs, the golf car is down due to the system down. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which 1 becomes uncontrollable.

[0053]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the battery voltage of the vehicle is detected at least at the time of starting, and when the value exceeds the predetermined range, the abnormality processing is instructed and within the predetermined range. If the battery deterioration warning device for the vehicle is configured to include a control means for instructing warning processing when the value falls below the set value, the user is warned of the deterioration of the battery and the battery is checked before the system goes down. The effect that it is possible to prompt the appropriate treatment of is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a battery deterioration warning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a time chart showing changes over time in battery voltage.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the battery deterioration warning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a main configuration of a golf car including the battery deterioration warning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the main configuration of a golf car equipped with the battery deterioration warning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a golf car including the battery deterioration warning device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 main controller (control means) 38 battery 76 memory unit 77 comparison processing unit 78 judgment processing unit 80 output unit V battery voltage V _MAX upper limit value of battery voltage V _MIN lower limit value of battery voltage V _LOW set value of battery voltage

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location G05D 1/02 Z 9323-3H H02J 7/00 N

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A battery voltage of a vehicle is detected at least at the time of starting, and when the value exceeds a predetermined range, an abnormal processing is instructed, and when it falls below a set value within a predetermined range, an alarm processing is instructed. A battery deterioration warning device for a vehicle, comprising: