CHARGING CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20120274276A1
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Endo, Kazuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,340,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2018 Central base unlocks or authorises unlocking
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

When detecting an abnormality, an in-vehicle wireless instrument in a plug-in vehicle sends an abnormality occurrence notification to a mobile terminal via an information center. The mobile terminal performs a notification to notify a user of the abnormality having occurred in the plug-in vehicle. When the user performs a charging forbiddance manipulation based on the notification, the mobile terminal sends a charging forbidding command to a power management ECU in the vehicle via the information center and the in-vehicle wireless instrument. When receiving the charging forbidding command, the power management ECU stops charging a battery using an external power source, and sends a setting completion notification to the mobile terminal via the in-vehicle wireless instrument and the information center. When receiving the setting completion notification, the mobile terminal notifies the user that the charging is stopped.

Claims

1. A charging control apparatus for an electricity storage apparatus in a vehicle, the electricity storage apparatus rechargeable using an electric power source placed external to the vehicle, the charging control apparatus comprising:

a charging portion that switches over between a charging permitted state and a charging forbidden state,

the charging permitted state in which charging the electricity storage apparatus using the electric power source is permitted, the charging forbidden state in which charging the electricity storage apparatus using the electric power source is forbidden;

a detection section that detects an abnormality that occurs in the vehicle; and

a charging control section that performs a charging forbiddance control to cause the charging portion to switch over between the charging permitted state and the charging forbidden state,

the charging control section being configured to cause the charging portion to switch over to the charging forbidden state, as the charging forbiddance control, when an abnormality that occurs in the vehicle is detected by the detection section.

2. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a communication portion that performs a communication with a communication terminal placed external to the vehicle,

wherein, as the charging forbiddance control, the charging control section

causes the communication portion to inquire of the communication terminal about whether to perform a charging forbiddance to forbid charging the electricity storage apparatus, and

causes the charging portion to switch over to the charging forbidden state when receiving an affirmative response in respect of performing the charging forbiddance.

3. The charging control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

in cases where the communication portion is disabled to inquire of the communication terminal about whether to perform the charging forbiddance because the communication is disabled between the communication portion and the communication terminal,

the charging control section causes the charging portion to switch over to the charging forbidden state without waiting for the affirmative response from the communication terminal.

4. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the charging control section further performs a discharging acceleration control to accelerate discharging the electricity storage apparatus, in addition to the charging forbiddance control.

5. The charging control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the detection section detects an abnormality related to a theft of the vehicle.

6. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the detection section detects an abnormality related to a theft of the vehicle.

7. The charging control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the detection section detects an abnormality related to an unauthorized entry to the vehicle.

8. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the detection section detects an abnormality related to an unauthorized entry to the vehicle.