Battery charge state transmission device and external charging system

• US 20110057612A1
• Filed: 09/02/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kanamori, Takashi, Taguchi, Shinya, Asada, Hiroshige
• Granted Patent: US 8,390,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/30 by voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• 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 communication part of a battery charge state transmission device of a charging device acquires charge state information of each external charge vehicle. A station communication part transmits the charge state information to an information management station device. The charge state information is grouped for transmission so that the number of transmissions, the amount of communication traffic and the cost of communication with the management station device, and the operation load of the management station device are reduced.

Claims

1. A battery charge state transmission device used in an external charging system for a plurality of external charge vehicles, each of which includes an electric motor as a travel drive power source and a battery for supplying electric power to the electric motor, the external charging system including a plurality of external charging devices provided externally to the vehicles for charging the battery from an external side of each vehicle and a management station for managing the plurality of external charging devices, the battery charge state transmission device provided to transmit charge state information indicating a state of charge of the battery to a management station device,

the battery charge state transmission device comprising:

a charge state information acquisition part configured to acquire the charge state information from the plurality of external charging devices charging the vehicles or from the plurality of vehicles being charged by the plurality of charging devices; and

a station transmission part configured to transmit a plurality of charge state information to the management station device in a lump, the plurality of charge state information being acquired by the charge state information acquisition part.

2. The battery charge state transmission device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission time setting part configured to set a transmission time of transmitting the charge state information to the management station device with respect to each of the vehicles; and

a station transmission control part configured to determine a transmission time based on the plurality of transmission times of the plurality of external charge vehicles set by the transmission time setting part and configured to control the management station device to transmit the plurality of charge state information acquired by the charge state information acquisition part to the management station device in a lump.

3. The battery charge state transmission device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a transmission time input part configured to receive input of the transmission time of each vehicle by a user,

wherein the transmission time setting part is configured to set the transmission time received by the transmission time input part as the transmission time for vehicle.

4. The battery charge state transmission device according to claim 3, wherein:

the transmission time input part is configured to enable the user to input the transmission time selectively as one or a plurality of a predetermined interval of time, a predetermined interval of charge level of the battery and attainment of a predetermined charge level of the battery.

5. The battery charge state transmission device according to claim 4, wherein:

the station transmission control part is configured to control, when a plurality of different fixed intervals of time is set as the transmission times set for the plurality of vehicles by the transmission time setting part, the station transmission part to transmit the plurality of charge state information to the management station device in a lump at a shortest interval of time among the plurality of fixed intervals of time.

6. The battery charge state transmission device according to claim 2, wherein:

the station transmission control part is configured to control the station transmission part to transmit the plurality of charge state information to the management station device in a lump at only a later one of the transmission times set for one of the vehicles after waiting from an earlier one of the transmission times set for another one of the vehicles, when the later one of the transmission times comes within a predetermined time period after the earlier one of the transmission times at the earlier one of the transmission times.

7. The battery charge state transmission device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a full charge check part configured to check whether the battery has been fully charged,

wherein the station transmission control part is configured to control the station transmission part to transmit the plurality of charge state information to the management station device in a lump irrespective of the transmission times of the plurality of vehicles, when the battery of any one of the plurality of vehicles has been fully charged.

8. The battery charge state transmission device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a user request check part configured to check whether an information transmission request, which requests transmission of the charge state information of the vehicle of the user, is received from the user of the vehicle,

wherein the station transmission control part is configured to control the station transmission part to transmit the plurality of charge state information to the management station device in a lump irrespective of the transmission times of the plurality of vehicles, when the information transmission request is received.

9. An external charging system for a plurality of external charge vehicles, each of which includes an electric motor as a travel drive power source and a battery for supplying electric power to the electric motor, the external charging system comprising:

a plurality of external charging devices provided externally to the vehicles for charging the battery from an external side of each vehicle;

a management station device for managing the plurality of external charging devices; and

a battery charge state transmission device provided to transmit charge state information indicating a state of charge of the battery to the management station device,

wherein the battery charge state transmission device includes

a charge state information acquisition part configured to acquire the charge state information from the plurality of external charging devices charging the vehicles or from the plurality of vehicles being charged by the plurality of charging devices, and

a station, transmission part configured to transmit a plurality of charge state information to the management station device in a lump, the plurality of charge state information being acquired by the charge state information acquisition part.

10. The external charging system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of portable devices carried by users of the plurality of vehicles for communication with the management station device,

wherein the battery charge state transmission device includes

a transmission time setting part configured to set a transmission time of transmitting the charge state information to the management station device with respect to each of vehicles, and

a station transmission control part configured to determine a transmission time based on the plurality of transmission times of the plurality of external charge vehicles and configured to control the management station device to transmit the plurality of charge state information acquired by the charge state information acquisition part to the management station device in a lump,

wherein the management station device is configured to receive the charge state information transmitted from the station transmission part of the battery charge state transmission device, and transmit the charge state information of one of the vehicles, the transmission time of which is at present, to the mobile device carried by the user of the one of the vehicles, and

wherein the mobile device is configured to receive the charge state information transmitted from the management station device and notify the user of the portable device of the received charge state information.

11. The external charging system according to claim 10, wherein:

the management station device is configured to check whether a predetermined time has elapsed from a previous reception of the charge state information, when the information transmission request of the one of the vehicles is received from the user of the one of the vehicles;

the management station device is configured to transmit the information transmission request to the battery charge state transmission device when the predetermined time has elapsed; and

the management station device is configured to transmit the charge state information of vehicle, which is requested by the user, to the mobile device of the user, when the predetermined time has not elapsed yet.

12. The external charging system according to claim 9, wherein:

the battery charge state transmission device and the management station device are connected by way of a communication network which is toll-charged for communication therethrough.