COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20120187905A1
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: KANAYAMA, Mitsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/547 via DC power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/548 the power on the line being DC arrangements for feeding power H04L12/10; extracting feeding power from signals H04L25/02
• 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
• 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 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A charging system supplies charging power from a charging station to an in-vehicle system through a power line. The charging station and the in-vehicle system further include communication devices, which communicate through the power line. The in-vehicle system includes a detecting circuit for detecting impedance of the power line. The in-vehicle system includes a control circuit, which controls switching-over of the communication device between a waiting state and an operating state based on the impedance detected by the detecting circuit. For example, the control circuit detects connection of the cable based on the impedance change of the power line.

The control circuit switches the communication device from the waiting state to the operating state in response to the connection of the cable.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for providing communication between a power supply device to a load device through an electric line, which is provided detachably between the power supply device and the load device, the electric line including a power line, which supplies power from the power supply device to the load device, the communication apparatus comprising:

a communication device for transmitting and receiving a communication signal through the electric line;

a detecting circuit for detecting impedance of the electric line; and

a control circuit for switching over the communication device between a waiting state and an operating state based on the impedance detected by the detecting circuit.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the load device includes a secondary battery, which is charged by the power supply device through the electric line; and

the communication device, the detecting circuit and the control circuit are provided in the load device.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the secondary battery is mounted in a vehicle; and

the power supply device is a charging device for charging the secondary battery.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control circuit switches over the communication device from the waiting state to the operating state when the impedance detected by the detecting circuit indicates a cable-connecting manipulation on the electric line.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the control circuit includes a first checking section, an activation section, a second checking section and a returning section;

the first checking section is configured to check whether an impedance change detected by the detecting circuit indicates a change from disconnection to connection of the electric line;

the activation section is configured to switch over the communication device from the waiting state to the operating state in response to a check result of the first check section;

the second checking section is configured to check whether the impedance change detected by the detecting circuit indicates a change from the connection to the disconnection of the electric line; and

the returning section is configured to return to a check operation of the first checking section in response to a check result of the second checking section.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control circuit switches over the communication device from the waiting state to the operating state when the impedance detected by the detecting circuit indicates a request from a communication counterpart.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the communication counterpart includes an impedance varying circuit for varying the impedance of the electric line to indicate the request.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication device includes a transmitting circuit for transmitting the communication signal to the electric line, a receiving circuit for receiving the communication signal from the electric line, and a communication control circuit for controlling the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit; and

the detecting circuit includes an output circuit for outputting an inspection signal to the line and detects the impedance of the electric line based on the inspection signal.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication device includes a transmitting circuit for transmitting the communication signal to the electric line, a receiving circuit for receiving the communication signal from the electric line, and a communication control circuit for controlling the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit; and

the detecting circuit includes an output circuit for outputting an inspection signal to the electric line through the transmitting circuit and detects the impedance of the electric line based on the inspection signal.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the detecting circuit detects the impedance based on output current of the output circuit detected when the inspection signal is outputted.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the detecting circuit detects the output current of the output circuit based on a voltage drop of a filter circuit.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the detecting circuit detects the output current of the output circuit based on a voltage drop of a transformer.

13. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the detecting circuit detects the impedance of the electric line periodically.

14. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control circuit includes a failure detecting section for detecting whether the impedance detected by the detecting circuit indicates a value, which corresponds to a failure.

15. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication device is configured to transmit and receive the communication signal relative to the power line; and

the detecting circuit is configured to detect the impedance of the power line.

16. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the electric line includes, in addition to the power line, a signal line for transmitting a signal;

the communication device is configured to transmit and receive the communication signal relative to the signal line; and

the detecting circuit is configured to detect the impedance of the signal line.

17. The communication apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:

the signal line is configured to transmit a signal between a control device provided in the power supply device and a control device provided in the load device.

18. The communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein:

the control device provided in the power supply device and the control device provided in the load device are configured to transmit and receive information by varying a DC voltage level transmitted through the signal line.

19. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

the control device provided in the power supply device and the control device provided in the load device are configured to transmit and receive information by varying a duty ratio of a pulse-width modulation signal transmitted through the signal line.

20. A communication apparatus for a charging system of a vehicle, in which an in-vehicle device including a battery mounted in the vehicle is chargeable by a charging station external to the vehicle through a power line, the communication apparatus comprising:

a transformer having a primary coil and a secondary coil and provided in the in-vehicle device, the secondary coil being connected to the power line;

a communication device provided in the in-vehicle device and connected to the primary coil of the transformer for transmitting and receiving a communication signal through the transformer and the power line;

a detecting circuit provided in the in-vehicle device for applying an inspection signal to the primary coil of the transformer periodically and detecting impedance of the power line based on current, which flows in the primary coil in response to the inspection signal; and

a control circuit for switching over the communication device between a waiting state and an operating state based on the impedance detected by the detecting circuit,

wherein the control circuit switches over the communication device to the operating state only after the impedance detected by the detecting circuit is changed to a value indicating connection of the in-vehicle device and the charging station by the power line.