CHARGER AND CHARGING SYSTEM

• US 20110199047A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: FUJII, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 8,760,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/04 fed by the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A charger includes a charging cable and a charging connector. A heater is configured to heat the charging connector using electric power supplied through the charging cable. A state determining device is configured to detect a charge state of a vehicle-mounted battery and to determine whether a heating condition to heat the charging connector is met. A heating controller is configured to control heating performed by the heater based on a determination made by the state determining device. The heater is able to be switched into a post-charge heating state in which the heater heats the charging connector after completion of charging of the vehicle-mounted battery. The heating controller switches the heater into the post-charge heating state and controls heating performed by the heater when the state determining device detects that charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is completed and determines that a heating condition is met.

Claims

1. A charger comprising;

a charger main body;

a charging cable having a first end portion and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion, the first end portion being connected to the charger main body;

a charging connector attached to the second end portion of the charging cable, the charging connector being able to be connected to a receiving port of a vehicle body to charge a vehicle-mounted battery through the charging connector;

a heater configured to heat the charging connector using electric power supplied through the charging cable, the heater being able to be switched into a post-charge heating state in which the heater heats the charging connector after completion of charging of the vehicle-mounted battery;

a state determining device configured to detect a charge state of the vehicle-mounted battery and to determine whether a heating condition to heat the charging connector is met; and

a heating controller configured to control heating performed by the heater based on a determination made by the state determining device, the heating controller switching the heater into the post-charge heating state and controlling heating performed by the heater when the state determining device detects that charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is completed and determines that a heating condition is met.

2. The charger according to claim 1, further comprising an input device configured to receive an instruction input from a user,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when there is an instruction input from the input device in accordance with the instruction input from the user.

3. The charger according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to detect an outside temperature,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when the outside temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature.

4. The charger according to claim 3, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature in a vicinity of a periphery of the charging connector.

5. The charger according to claim 1, further comprising a human body sensor configured to detect a human body present therearound,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when a human body has been detected by the human body sensor.

6. The charger according to claim 1,

wherein the heater can be switched into a mid-charge heating state in which the heater heats the charging connector during charging of the vehicle-mounted battery;

and

wherein when the state determining device detects that charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is in progress and determines that a heating condition is met, the heating controller switches the heater into the mid-charge heating state and controls heating performed by the heater.

7. A charging system comprising the charger according to claim 1, the charging system comprising a state determining terminal configured to output user information about a user or house state information about a state of a house to the state determining device,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when it is determined that the user or the state of the house meets a predetermined condition based on the user information or the house state information output from the state determining terminal.

8. The charging system according to claim 7,

wherein the state determining terminal comprises an identification card to store the user information;

wherein the state determining device is configured to determine whether the user is a user of the vehicle based on the user information output from the identification card; and

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when the user is determined to be a user of the vehicle.

9. The charging system according to claim 7,

wherein the state determining terminal comprises a house state detector configured to detect an open/closed state of a house door;

wherein the state determining device is configured to determine whether the house door has been opened; and

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when the house door has been opened.

10. The charger according to claim 2, further comprising a temperature sensor configured to detect an outside temperature,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when the outside temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature.

11. The charger according to claim 10, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature in a vicinity of a periphery of the charging connector.

12. The charger according to claim 2, further comprising a human body sensor configured to detect a human body present therearound,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when a human body has been detected by the human body sensor.

13. The charger according to claim 3, further comprising a human body sensor configured to detect a human body present therearound,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when a human body has been detected by the human body sensor.

14. The charger according to claim 4, further comprising a human body sensor configured to detect a human body present therearound,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when a human body has been detected by the human body sensor.

15. The charger according to claim 10, further comprising a human body sensor configured to detect a human body present therearound,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when a human body has been detected by the human body sensor.

16. The charger according to claim 11, further comprising a human body sensor configured to detect a human body present therearound,

wherein the state determining device determines that a heating condition is met when a human body has been detected by the human body sensor.

17. The charger according to claim 2,

wherein the heater can be switched into a mid-charge heating state in which the heater heats the charging connector during charging of the vehicle-mounted battery;

and

wherein when the state determining device detects that charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is in progress and determines that a heating condition is met, the heating controller switches the heater into the mid-charge heating state and controls heating performed by the heater.

18. The charger according to claim 3,

wherein the heater can be switched into a mid-charge heating state in which the heater heats the charging connector during charging of the vehicle-mounted battery;

and

wherein when the state determining device detects that charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is in progress and determines that a heating condition is met, the heating controller switches the heater into the mid-charge heating state and controls heating performed by the heater.

19. The charger according to claim 10,

wherein the heater can be switched into a mid-charge heating state in which the heater heats the charging connector during charging of the vehicle-mounted battery;

and

wherein when the state determining device detects that charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is in progress and determines that a heating condition is met, the heating controller switches the heater into the mid-charge heating state and controls heating performed by the heater.

20. The charger according to claim 11,

wherein the heater can be switched into a mid-charge heating state in which the heater heats the charging connector during charging of the vehicle-mounted battery;

and

wherein when the state determining device detects that charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is in progress and determines that a heating condition is met, the heating controller switches the heater into the mid-charge heating state and controls heating performed by the heater.