Relay device including a restriction unit

• US 10,479,209 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2016
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2015
• 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: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Yabuuchi, Yasuhiro, Nakagawa, Nobuyuki, Kamaga, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US15/750,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20180236888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• 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 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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

A relay device provided in vehicle having a battery, converting control signal formats, and relaying same between: a first communications unit that sends and receives control signals in a first format relating to charging; and second communications unit that supplies DC voltage, is provided in a charging station that charges battery, and sends and receives control signals in a second format relating to charging. The relay device includes: a limiting unit that limits power supplied between charging station and battery, regardless of vehicle side control performed on control signals'"'"' basis; an acquisition unit that obtains DC voltage supplied by charging station and obtains the battery'"'"'s voltage; a determination unit that determines whether the voltage difference between each obtained voltage is less than threshold value; and a release unit that releases the limits by limiting unit if a determination has been made that the voltage difference is less than threshold value.

Claims

1. A relay device converting a control signal related to charging from one format to another and relaying a converted control signal between a first communication unit that is provided on a vehicle having a battery and that sends and receives a control signal related to charging in a first format and a second communication unit that is provided on a charging station for supplying DC power to charge the battery and that sends and receives a control signal related to charging in a second format, comprising:

a restriction unit that restricts energization between the charging station and the battery regardless of control performed by the vehicle based on the control signal;

an acquisition unit that acquires a voltage value of the DC power supplied from the charging station and a voltage value of the battery;

a determination unit that determines whether or not a voltage difference between the voltage values acquired by the acquisition unit is less than a threshold; and

a release unit that releases restriction by the restriction unit if the determination unit determines that the voltage difference is less than the threshold, wherein

the vehicle is provided with a DC cutoff relay that cuts off DC power supplied from the charging station to the battery and a signal line that transmits a signal for opening or closing the DC cutoff relay,

the relay device comprises a signal cutoff relay that cuts off the signal, and

the restriction unit restricts the energization by changing a state of the signal cutoff relay to an interrupted state, and the release unit releases the restriction by changing a state of the signal cutoff relay to an energized state.

2. The relay device according to claim 1, further comprising a sending unit that sends, to the charging station, information for changing voltage of the DC power to be supplied from the charging station if the determination unit determines that the voltage difference is equal to or larger than the threshold.

3. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle is provided with a first DC cutoff relay that cuts off DC power supplied from the charging station to the battery,

the relay device further comprises a second DC cutoff relay that cuts off DC power supplied from the charging station to the battery regardless of control performed by the vehicle based on the control signal, and

the restriction unit restricts the energization by changing a state of the second DC cutoff relay to a cutoff state, and the release unit releases the restriction by changing a state of the DC cutoff relay to an energized state.

4. The relay device according to claim 1, further comprising a lock unit that locks a connector connecting the charging station with the vehicle.