Vehicle-mounted charging device and vehicle charging system

• US 10,377,257 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ando, Hiroya, Kamaga, Ryuichi, Nakagawa, Nobuyuki, Ochiai, Yuta, Miyashita, Yukihiro, Hagihara, Takeshi, Isoyama, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Robbins, Jerry D
• Application Number:
  US14/759,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20150352969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,055 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted charging device (12) includes a vehicle-mounted battery (18), a vehicle-mounted electronic control unit (30) and a modem startup control unit. The vehicle-mounted battery is charged with power supplied from external charging equipment via a charging cable (16). The vehicle-mounted electronic control unit is configured to perform charging communication, relating to charging of the vehicle-mounted battery, with the external charging equipment using an in-band modem (32). The modem startup control unit starts up the in-band modem when the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit performs the charging communication, and that stops a startup of the in-band modem when the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit does not perform the charging communication.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted charging device, comprising:

a vehicle-mounted battery that is charged with power supplied from external charging equipment via a charging cable;

a vehicle-mounted electronic control unit that includes an in-band modem, a microcomputer, and a startup selector switch, and that is configured to perform charging communication, relating to charging of the vehicle-mounted battery, with the external charging equipment using the in-band modem;

a modem startup control unit that starts up the in-band modem when the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit performs the charging communication, and that stops a startup of the in-band modem when the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit does not perform the charging communication; and

an auxiliary battery configured to supply power to the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit, wherein

the microcomputer is configured to determine whether the charging communication that utilizes the in-band modem, between the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit and the external charging equipment, is permitted or prohibited based on a determination of whether or not the external charging equipment is connected via the charging cable and a determination of whether or not a control pilot signal that is supplied from the external charging equipment via the charging cable is received,

the microcomputer is configured to determine that the charging communication is permitted, and adjust a state of the startup selector switch based on determining that the charging communication is permitted,

the microcomputer is configured to determine that the charging communication is prohibited, and adjust the state of the startup selector switch based on determining that the charging communication is prohibited,

the startup selector switch is configured to switch a state of supply of power from the auxiliary battery to the in-band modem between a permitted state and a prohibited state based on the state of the startup selector switch being adjusted by the microcomputer while keeping a state of supply of power from the auxiliary battery to the microcomputer, and

the modem startup control unit starts up the in-band modem based on the microcomputer determining that the charging communication is permitted, and stops a startup of the in-band modem based on the microcomputer determining that the charging communication is prohibited.

2. The vehicle-mounted charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the external charging equipment is connected via the charging cable, and the in-band modem is started up when the control pilot signal is received.

3. The vehicle-mounted charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the in-band modem is a modem configured to perform wireless radio communication in which data is communicated using audio codecs.

4. The vehicle-mounted charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit is further configured to perform, when a vehicle ignition is off, charging control of the vehicle-mounted battery.

5. A vehicle charging system, comprising:

a vehicle that is equipped with the vehicle-mounted charging device according to claim 1; and

an external charging device that has the external charging equipment and the charging cable.

6. The vehicle-mounted charging device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit is configured to be capable of operating when a vehicle ignition is off,

the modem startup control unit stops a startup of the in-band modem even when the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit is operated when the vehicle ignition is off, if the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit does not perform the charging communication, and

the electronic control unit is configured to perform a predefined function which is different from the charging communication when the vehicle ignition is off and when the state of the supply of power from the auxiliary battery to the in-band modem is in the prohibited state,

wherein the vehicle-mounted electronic control unit is configured to perform, when the vehicle ignition is off, at least one of:

a detection of door opening and closing;

control of door opening and closing;

a detection of door locking and unlocking;

control of door locking and unlocking; and

smart verification between a vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted charging device is mounted and a portable device that is carried by a vehicle user.