Vehicle system and control method therefor

• US 10,259,327 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Kotaro, Sato, Masaki, Arai, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US15/329,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20170297432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 13/00 Electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways; Magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles tracks for Maglev-type trains E01B25/30; electromagnets per se H01F7/06; linear motors per se H02K41/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/30 Trolleys
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/10 Vehicle control parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/18 using bow-type collectors in contact with trolley wire
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• 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 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle system includes an instructing portion that issues open/close instructions for a charging disconnector, a discharging disconnector, and a pair of contactors. A diagnosis start determination portion determines a diagnosis start timing before entering a trolleyless section. A remaining battery capacity checks whether a battery unit has a battery capacity necessary in a trolleyless section travel. A relay operation check portion checks operability of a charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors based on certain open/close states of a plurality of relays depending on the open/close instructions. An abnormality determination portion determines trolleyless section travel is not allowed when the relay operation check portion is incapable of checking operability or necessary remaining battery capacity, the remaining battery capacity check portion, the relay operation check portion, and the abnormality determination portion being operated when the diagnosis start determination portion determines that it is diagnosis start timing.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

a battery unit serving as a power source in a trolleyless section;

a charging disconnector and a discharging disconnector for changing over a charging/discharging state of the battery unit;

a pair of contactors provided in positive and negative sides of the battery unit;

a plurality of relays interlocking with open/close operations of each of the charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors;

an open/close instructing portion that issues open/close instructions for the charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors;

a diagnosis start determination portion that determines a diagnosis start timing before entering a trolleyless section;

a remaining battery capacity check portion that operates when the diagnosis start determination portion determines that it is a diagnosis start timing, and checks whether or not the battery unit has a battery capacity necessary for a trolleyless section travel;

a relay operation check portion that operates when the diagnosis start determination portion determines that it is the diagnosis start timing, and checks operability of the charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors based on certain open/close states of the plurality of relays depending on the open/close instructions from the open/close instructing portion;

a transmission check portion that operates when the diagnosis start determination portion determines that it is the diagnosis start timing, and checks operability of a transmission line to the battery unit by transmitting a transmission test signal to the battery unit and checking whether a normal response is received; and

an abnormality determination portion that operates when the diagnosis start determination portion determines that it is the diagnosis start timing, and determines that the trolleyless section travel is not allowed when any one of a result of the operability check by the relay operation check portion, a result of the battery capacity check by the remaining battery capacity check portion, and a result of the operability check by the transmission check portion is negative.

2. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the relay operation check portion checks operability of the charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors by checking whether or not the plurality of relays has states corresponding to the open/close states of the charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors after the open/close instructing portion sequentially issues open/close instructions for opening the charging disconnector, opening the pair of contactors, and turning on the discharging disconnector.

3. The vehicle system according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator that indicates a result of the determination of the abnormality determination portion.

4. The vehicle system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a current sensor that detects an electric current flowing to the battery unit and a current sensor that detects an electric current flowing from the battery unit; and

a current comparator that operates when the diagnosis start determination portion determines that it is a diagnosis start timing, the current comparator comparing current values detected by the pair of current sensors to check operability of the pair of current sensors,

wherein the abnormality determination portion determines that the trolleyless section travel is not allowed when either the result of the operability check by the relay operation check portion or a result of the operability check by the current comparator is negative.

5. The vehicle system according to claim 4, wherein the remaining battery capacity check portion checks whether or not the battery unit has a remaining battery capacity necessary for the trolleyless section travel by estimating a state-of-charge (SOC) based on a current value detected by any one of the pair of current sensors.

6. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis start determination portion determines that it is a diagnosis start timing when an on-vehicle transponder mounted on the vehicle receives a signal indicating the diagnosis start timing from a wayside coil.

7. The vehicle system according to claim 6, wherein, if the abnormality determination portion determines that the trolleyless section travel is not allowed, a braking instruction is output when the on-vehicle transponder mounted on the vehicle receives a signal from the wayside coil indicating a timing for reflecting the determination result of the abnormality determination portion in order to stop the vehicle before entering the trolleyless section.

8. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis start determination portion receives a signal from a diagnosis start switch mounted on the vehicle and determines that it is a diagnosis start timing when the diagnosis start switch is pressed.

9. The vehicle system according to claim 8, wherein the abnormality determination portion immediately outputs a braking instruction when it is determined that the trolleyless section travel is not allowed.

10. A method for controlling a vehicle system provided with a battery unit serving as a power source in a trolleyless section, a charging disconnector and a discharging disconnector for changing over a charging/discharging state of the battery unit, a pair of contactors provided in positive and negative sides of the battery unit, a plurality of relays that interlocks with open/close operations of each of the charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors, the method comprising:

issuing open/close instructions to the charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors;

determining a diagnosis start timing before entering a trolleyless section;

checking whether or not the battery unit has a remaining battery capacity necessary for a trolleyless section travel when determining that it is the diagnosis start timing;

checking first operability of the charging disconnector, the discharging disconnector, and the pair of contactors based on certain open/close states of the plurality of relays depending on the open/close instructions;

checking second operability of a transmission line to the battery unit by transmitting a transmission test signal to the battery unit and checking whether a normal response is received, when determining that it is the diagnosis start timing; and

determining that the trolleyless section travel is not allowed when any one of a result of the first operability check, a result of the battery capacity check, and a result of the second operability check is negative.