Electrically Driven Vehicle

• US 20090001926A1
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Eiji
• Application Number:
  US12/087,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20090001926A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/102
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 58/14 Preventing excessive discharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• 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

Abstract

A electrically driven vehicle (100) has high-voltage battery (42) for driving an electric motor (10) for driving the vehicle, a solar battery (24), a charging DC/DC converter (36) supplying electrical power generated by the solar battery (24) to the high-voltage battery (42), a charging control ECU (38) that performs charging control of the charging DC/DC converter (36) for charging the high-voltage battery (42), and a low-voltage power supply DC/DC converter (34) that receives a part of the electrical power generated by the solar battery (24) and generates a power supply voltage that is supplied to the charging control ECU (38).

Claims

1. An electrically driven vehicle comprising:

a main battery that drives an electric motor for driving said vehicle

a solar battery,

a first voltage converter that supplies electrical power generated by the solar battery to the main battery,

a control unit that performs charging control of the first voltage converter for charging the main battery, and

a second voltage converter that receives a part of the electrical power generated by the solar battery and generates a power supply voltage supplied to the control unit.

2. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit receives the power supply voltage only from the second voltage converter.

3. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a main relay that is provided on a power supply path joining the main battery and the electric motor, wherein

the control unit controls the main relay so as to open the main relay when performing charging of the main battery by using electrical power of the solar battery if the electric motor is not used.

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

a charging relay that is provided on a charging current supply path joining the solar battery and the main battery, wherein

the control unit controls the charging relay so as to close the charging relay when performing charging of the main battery by using electrical power of the solar battery.

5. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the control unit opens the charging relay when an abnormality occurs in at least one of the main battery, the first voltage converter, and the solar battery.

6. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first housing that houses the main battery and the first voltage converter, wherein

the solar battery is disposed outside the first housing.

7. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sub-battery that supplies a power supply voltage to an auxiliary equipment load; and

a monitoring unit that monitors a condition of the main battery, wherein

the monitoring unit receives the power supply voltage from the second voltage converter if the electrical power of the solar battery is used to charge the main battery, and receives the power supply voltage from the sub-battery when the second voltage converter is stopped.

8. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

the second voltage converter generates a voltage that is substantially the same as a voltage of the sub-battery.

9. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising:

a third voltage converter that converts a voltage from the main battery and supplies the converted voltage to the sub-battery and the auxiliary equipment load.

10. The electrically driven vehicle according to claim 9, wherein

the monitoring unit receives the converted voltage from the third voltage converter, the electrically driven vehicle further comprising:

a main relay that provides on a power supply path joining the main battery and the electric motor; and

a second housing that houses the main battery, the main relay, the first and second voltage converters, and the monitoring unit, wherein

the solar battery is disposed outside the second housing.