POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS AND VEHICLE CHARGING APPARATUS

• US 20120274278A1
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: IGATA, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• 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 low-pass filter (63) is disposed between a residential power line (3a) and a vehicle power line (7), and attenuates a power line communication high-frequency signal. A power line communication section (60) is connected in parallel to the low-pass filter (63), performs conversion to a signal of a frequency lower than that of a power line communication high-frequency signal superimposed on the residential power line (3a) from a charge command apparatus, and communicates with a vehicle via the vehicle power line (7) by means of the converted low-frequency signal. A control section (65) controls connection or disconnection of a connection section (64) based on a charge command apparatus command signal demodulated by the power line communication section (60).

Claims

1. A power supply apparatus that performs supplying of power to a device having a second power line communication apparatus that performs communication with a first power line communication apparatus via a power line, the power supply apparatus comprising:

a receiving section that receives a first signal that is transmitted from the first power line communication apparatus and has a first frequency via the power line;

a frequency conversion section that converts the first signal to a second signal having a second frequency lower than the first frequency; and

a transmitting section that transmits the second signal to the second power line communication apparatus via the power line.

2. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal has control information relating to supplying of power performed by that power supply apparatus.

3. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal has information relating to authentication for authenticating the device.

4. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a connection section that places the power line in a disconnected state or a connected state; and

a control section that controls the connection section based on at least one of the first signal and the second signal.

5. The power supply apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a cutoff section that passes the power and cuts off the first signal; and

a bypass section that bypasses the cutoff section and the connection section,

wherein at least one of the receiving section, the frequency conversion section, and the transmitting section is disposed in the bypass section.

6. The power supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cutoff section is a low-pass filter.

7. The power supply apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the low-pass filter is a T filter, a pi filter, or an L filter, composed of an inductor and a capacitor.

8. The power supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the first power line communication apparatus stores charging permission information permitting charging of the device in the first signal when authentication for the device succeeds; and

the control section controls the connection section so that the power line enters a connected state based on the charging permission information.

9. The power supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the first power line communication apparatus stores charging non-permission information that does not permit charging of the device in the first signal when authentication for the device fails; and

the control section controls the connection section so that the power line enters a disconnected state based on the charging non-permission information.

10. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first signal is a first multicarrier signal using a first frequency band;

the second signal is a second multicarrier signal using a second frequency band narrower than the first frequency band; and

the frequency conversion section does not perform conversion to the second multicarrier signal for the first multicarrier signal when a destination of a first multicarrier signal received by the receiving section differs from that power supply apparatus.

11. The power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first signal is a first multicarrier signal using a first frequency band;

the second signal is a second multicarrier signal using a second frequency band narrower than the first frequency band; and

the frequency conversion section does not perform conversion to the second multicarrier signal for the first multicarrier signal when a destination of a first multicarrier signal received by the receiving section differs from the second power line communication apparatus.

12. A vehicle charging system comprising:

the power supply apparatus according to claim 1;

the first power line communication apparatus; and

a vehicle having the second power line communication apparatus.