Charging device, vehicle, vehicle charging system, charging method, and program

• US 10,155,450 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Morita, Katsuaki, Motoyama, Hisashi, Onishi, Kyotaro, Suzuki, Masato, Kono, Takayuki, Wakasugi, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Boomer, Jeffrey C
• Application Number:
  US14/908,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20160200203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/20 characterised by converters located in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/55 Capacitors
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

This charging device is provided with a charger, a resistor, a ground-side switch, and a determination device. The charger charges a secondary battery that is provided to a vehicle. The resistor is connected in parallel with the charger. The ground-side switch connects the charger and the resistor in an openable/closable manner. The determination device acquires information indicating that the ground-side switch is closed and information indicating that a vehicle-side switch that connects the secondary battery and the charger in an openable/closable manner is open and subsequently determines that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity that relates to the electricity of the resistor does not decrease.

Claims

1. A charging device comprising:

a charger which charges a secondary battery of a vehicle;

a resistor which is connected in parallel with the charger;

a ground-side switch which connects the charger and the resistor in an openable and closable manner; and

a determination device which is configured to acquire information indicating that the ground-side switch is closed and information indicating that a vehicle-side switch connecting the secondary battery and the charger in an openable and closable manner is open, and then determines that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity relating to electricity of the resistor does not decrease, wherein

the determination device outputs a command signal for separating a contact intermediating the connection of the charger and the secondary battery from the secondary battery when in response to the vehicle-side switch being short-circuited.

2. The charging device according to claim 1,

wherein the charger includes

a voltage conversion circuit which converts an AC voltage to a DC voltage, and

a capacitor which smoothes the DC voltage converted by the voltage conversion circuit.

3. The charging device according to claim 1,

wherein the charger includes

a voltage conversion circuit which converts a DC voltage to a DC voltage different from this DC voltage, and

a capacitor which smoothes the DC voltage converted by the voltage conversion circuit.

4. A vehicle charging system comprising:

a charging device including

a charger which charges a secondary battery of a vehicle,

a resistor which is connected in parallel with the charger,

a ground-side switch which connects the charger and the resistor in an openable and closable manner, and

a determination device which is configured to acquire information indicating that the ground-side switch is closed and information indicating that a vehicle-side switch connecting the secondary battery and the charger in an openable and closable manner is open, and then determines that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity relating to electricity of the resistor does not decrease; and

the vehicle including a control device which is configured to separate the secondary battery of the vehicle when the determination device determines that the vehicle-side switch of the vehicle is short-circuited.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a communication unit which is configured to perform communication with a communication unit of the charging device; and

a battery management unit which is configured to manage the secondary battery;

wherein the control device is configured to output a control signal to the battery management unit based on a command signal received by the communication unit.

6. A charging method for a charging device,

wherein the charging device includes

a charger which charges a secondary battery of a vehicle,

a resistor which is connected in parallel with the charger, and

a ground-side switch which connects the charger and the resistor in an openable and closable manner, and

the charging method comprises:

acquiring information indicating that the ground-side switch is closed and information indicating that a vehicle-side switch connecting the secondary battery and the charger in an openable and closable manner is open, and then determining that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity relating to electricity of the resistor does not decrease; and

separating the secondary battery of the vehicle in response to determining that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited.

7. A computer program product including programmed instructions embodied in and stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium for a charging device, wherein the charging device includes a charger for charging a secondary battery of a vehicle, a resistor which is connected in parallel with the charger, and a ground-side switch which connects the charger and the resistor in an openable and closable manner, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

acquiring information indicating that the ground-side switch connecting the charger for charging the secondary battery of the vehicle and the resistor connected in parallel with the charger in the openable and closable manner is closed and a vehicle-side switch connecting the secondary battery and the charger in an openable and closable manner is open; and

determining that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity relating to electricity of the resistor does not decrease; and

separating the secondary battery of the vehicle in response to determining that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited.