Automobile

• US 10,017,058 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nomura, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dhillon, Jagdeep
• Application Number:
  US15/462,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20170274782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 307 101, 307 102, 307 91, 307 64, 307 66, 320134, 320136, 320104, 320140
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/20 characterised by converters located in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/04 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/44 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/06 using dc to ac converters or inverters H02P27/05 takes precedence
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

When ignition-on operation is made in first electric power supply processing during external charging, and a post-operation electric energy is not larger than a predetermined electric energy that is an electric energy consumption of a low-voltage device after the ignition-on operation, an automobile continues the first electric power supply processing. In the first electric power supply processing, from between a first DC/DC converter and a second DC/DC converter, only the second DC/DC converter is selected to run to supply electric power to a low-voltage-system electric power line. When the post-operation electric energy exceeds the predetermined electric energy, the automobile makes a switch to second electric power supply processing in which only the first DC/DC converter is selected to run from between the first DC/DC converter and the second DC/DC converter to supply electric power to the low-voltage-system electric power line.

Claims

1. An automobile, comprising:

a motor configured to drive the automobile;

a high-voltage battery connected to the motor via a high-voltage-system electric power line;

a charger connected to the high-voltage-system electric power line, the charger being capable of charging the high-voltage battery with electric power from an external electric-power source;

a low-voltage device connected to a low-voltage-system electric power line;

a first DC/DC converter connected to the high-voltage-system electric power line and the low-voltage-system electric power line, the first DC/DC converter being capable of supplying electric power of the high-voltage-system electric power line to the low-voltage-system electric power line with step down of voltage;

a second DC/DC converter connected to the high-voltage-system electric power line on a side closer to the charger than the first DC/DC converter and to the low-voltage-system electric power line, the second DC/DC converter having a rated output that is lower than a rated output of the first DC/DC converter and being capable of supplying electric power of the high-voltage-system electric power line to the low-voltage-system electric power line with step down of voltage; and

an electronic control unit that is configured to, in a case where ignition-on operation is made in first electric power supply processing during the external charging, the first electric power supply processing being processing in which only the second DC/DC converter is selected to run from between the first DC/DC converter and the second DC/DC converter to supply electric power to the low-voltage-system electric power line, a post-operation electric energy being an electric energy consumption of the low-voltage device after the ignition-on operation,

i) continue the first electric power supply processing when the post-operation electric energy is not larger than a predetermined electric energy, and

ii) make a switch to second electric power supply processing in which only the first DC/DC converter is selected to run from between the first DC/DC converter and the second DC/DC converter to supply electric power to the low-voltage-system electric power line when the post-operation electric energy exceeds the predetermined electric energy.

2. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to perform automatic ignition-off when a predetermined time period elapses from the ignition-on operation.

3. The automobile according to claim 1, further comprising

an instruction switch that issues instructions to secure electric power, using electric power from the external electric-power source, for operation of the low-voltage device and a high-voltage device that is connected to the high-voltage-system electric power line,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to make a switch from the first electric power supply processing to the second electric power supply processing despite the post-operation electric energy being not larger than the predetermined electric energy, in a case where the instruction switch is turned on after the ignition-on operation while the first electric power supply processing is executed.

4. The automobile according to claim 3, wherein

i) in a case where the instruction switch is off after the ignition-on operation, the electronic control unit configured to perform automatic ignition-off when a predetermined time period elapses from the ignition-on operation, and

ii) in a case where the instruction switch is on after the ignition-on operation, the electronic control unit configured not to perform the automatic ignition-off even when the predetermined time period elapses from the ignition-on operation.

5. The automobile according to claim 1, further comprising

an instruction switch that issues instructions to secure electric power, using electric power from the external electric-power source, for operation of the low-voltage device and a high-voltage device that is connected to the high-voltage-system electric power line,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to make a switch from the first electric power supply processing to the second electric power supply processing when the instruction switch is turned on after the ignition-on operation.

6. The automobile according to claim 5, wherein

i) in a case where the instruction switch is off after the ignition-on operation, the electronic control unit configured to perform automatic ignition-off when a predetermined time period elapses from the ignition-on operation, and

ii) in a case where the instruction switch is on after the ignition-on operation, the electronic control unit configured not to perform the automatic ignition-off even when the predetermined time period elapses from the ignition-on operation.

7. The automobile according to claim 1, further comprising:

a capacitor attached to the high-voltage-system electric power line; and

a system main relay provided, on the high-voltage-system electric power line, between the motor, the capacitor, and the first DC/DC converter, and the high-voltage battery and the charger.

8. The automobile according to claim 7, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to make a switch to the second electric power supply processing by turning on the system main relay.