VEHICLE

• US 20100076636A1
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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 (1) includes a plurality of chargeable and dischargeable batteries (B1, B2), a load device, a bus for supplying electric power to the load device, a plurality of voltage step-up converters (12-1, 12-2) provided in association with a plurality of batteries (B1, B2) respectively, a charging line (PCL) for supplying electric power provided from outside the vehicle to a connection point of the first battery (B1) and the first voltage step-up converter (12-1), and a control device (30). When charging from an external source is started, the control device (30) causes the first voltage step-up converter (12-1) to perform a rectifying operation for supplying electric current from the charging line to the bus in a case where a voltage of the bus is lower than a voltage of the charging line, and causes the first voltage step-up converter (12-2) to connect the bus and the second battery (B2).

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

first and second chargeable and dischargeable power storage devices;

a load device;

an electric power line for supplying electric power to said load device;

first and second voltage conversion devices provided in association with said first and second power storage devices respectively and each connected between respective associated power storage device and said electric power line;

a charging line for supplying electric power provided from outside the vehicle to a connection point of said first power storage device and said first voltage conversion device; and

a control device controlling said first and second voltage conversion devices, wherein

when external charging from an external source via said charging line is started, said control device causes said first voltage conversion device to perform a rectifying operation for supplying an electric current from said charging line to said electric power line in a case where a voltage of said electric power line is lower than a voltage of said charging line, and causes said second voltage conversion device to connect said electric power line and said second power storage device.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said first and second voltage conversion devices each include a chopper circuit having an upper arm where a switching element and a rectifying element are connected in parallel,

when said external charging is started, said control device fixes the switching element in said first voltage conversion device in a non-conductive state and fixes the switching element in said second voltage conversion device in a conductive state.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

said electric power line includes a positive bus and a negative bus, and

said chopper circuit further includes:

an inductor having one end connected to a positive electrode of the associated power storage device; and

a lower arm connected between the other end of said inductor and said negative bus,

said upper arm is connected between the other end of said inductor and said positive bus, and

said rectifying element has a forward direction from the other end of said inductor toward said positive bus, and said rectifying element is provided in parallel with said switching element.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

when a state amount indicating a state of charge of said first power storage device is closer to a full charge state relative to a first predetermined value after said external charging is started, said control device causes said second voltage conversion device to operate such that a state amount indicating a state of charge of said second power storage device increases.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

when the state amount indicating the state of charge of at least one of said first and second power storage devices is closer to the full charge state relative to a second predetermined value after said external charging is started, said control device causes said first and second voltage conversion devices to operate together such that the states of said first and second power storage devices are equal to each other, and

said second predetermined value indicates a state amount closer to the full charge state relative to said first predetermined value.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said load device includes an electric motor used for driving the vehicle, and

said vehicle further comprises an internal combustion engine used together with said electric motor for driving the vehicle.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising a charger configured to be connectable to a power supply outside the vehicle and converting electric power received from said power supply to generate a charging voltage on said charging line.