Vehicle and method for charging the same

• US 10,589,632 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2017
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Wada, Kotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US15/817,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20180154792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle includes an inlet configured to be able to receive electric power to charge a power storage device from a charging apparatus or a charging station. An ECU is configured to perform second charging control for causing a power converter to reduce charging current into the power storage device when a voltage of the power storage device is higher than a predetermined voltage, as compared with when a voltage thereof is lower than the predetermined voltage. The ECU reduces charging time by second charging control when the power storage device is charged with electric power supplied from an external charging apparatus and the external charging apparatus is a charging station billing electricity bills in accordance with charging time, as compared with when the external charging apparatus is a charging apparatus installed at a user'"'"'s home.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a power storage device;

a power-receiving unit configured to receive electric power from an external charging apparatus to charge the power storage device, the external charging apparatus being installed outside the vehicle; and

an electronic control unit configured to perform electric current reduction control, the electric current reduction control being a control in which charging current into the power storage device from the external charging apparatus is reduced when a voltage of the power storage device is higher than a predetermined voltage, as compared with the charging current when the voltage of the power storage device is lower than the predetermined voltage, and

the electronic control unit being configured to;

determine whether the external charging apparatus is a billing charging apparatus that is configured to bill electricity bills in accordance with charging time; and

charge the power storage device with electric power supplied from the external charging apparatus by the electric current reduction control such that charging time when the external charging apparatus is determined to be the billing charging apparatus is shorter than charging time when the external charging apparatus is determined not to be the billing charging apparatus.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to perform the electric current reduction control when the external charging apparatus is determined not to be the billing charging apparatus, and

the electronic control unit is configured not to perform the electric current reduction control when the external charging apparatus is determined to be the billing charging apparatus.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

an operation unit configured to receive a user operation that indicates a performance command of the electric current reduction control,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to reduce charging time by the electric current reduction control when the external charging apparatus is determined to be the billing charging apparatus and the operation unit receives the user operation.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

a location information acquiring device configured to acquire location information indicating a current location of the vehicle,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine that the external charging apparatus is not the billing charging apparatus when the current location is a registered location that is registered in advance, and

the electronic control unit is configured to determine that the external charging apparatus is the billing charging apparatus when the current location is other than the registered location.

5. A method for charging a vehicle, the vehicle including a power storage device and an electronic control unit, the power storage device being configured to be charged with electric power supplied from an external charging apparatus, the method comprising:

performing, by the electronic control unit, electric current reduction control, the electric current reduction control being a control in which charging current into the power storage device from the external charging apparatus is reduced when a voltage of the power storage device is higher than a predetermined voltage, as compared with the charging current when the voltage of the power storage device is lower than the predetermined voltage;

determining, by the electronic control unit, whether the external charging apparatus is a billing charging apparatus that is configured to bill electricity bills in accordance with charging time; and

reducing, by the electronic control unit, charging time by the electric current reduction control when the external charging apparatus is determined to be the billing charging apparatus to less than charging time by the electric current reduction control when the external charging apparatus is determined not to be the billing charging apparatus.