CHARGING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC STORAGE DEVICE, VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE CHARGING APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE CHARGING APPARATUS

• US 20120326655A1
• Filed: 06/20/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nomura, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,013,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/14 by input of vehicle departure time
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00716 in response to integrated charge or discharge current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• 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 charging apparatus includes an electric power supply device and a control device. The control device that estimates a first region in which first charging power is supplied from the electric power supply device to a electric storage device; estimates a second region, in which second charging power that is smaller than the first charging power is supplied from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device, based on temperature of the electric storage device and a state-of-charge of the electric storage; estimates a first charging time that corresponds to the first region; estimates a second charging time that corresponds to the second region; estimates a total charging time by using the first charging time and the second charging time; obtains a charging completion time; and sets a charging start time based on the charging completion time and the total charging time.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus that charges an electric storage device, comprising:

an electric power supply device that adjusts electric power from a power supply, and supplies charging power to the electric storage device; and

a control device that

estimates a first region in which first charging power is supplied from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device,

estimates a second region, in which second charging power that is smaller than the first charging power is supplied from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device, based on temperature of the electric storage device and a state-of-charge of the electric storage,

estimates a first charging time that corresponds to the first region,

estimates a second charging time that corresponds to the second region,

estimates a total charging time by using the first charging time and the second charging time,

obtains a charging completion time, and

sets a charging start time based on the charging completion time and the total charging time.

2. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device obtains a charging completion time entered by a user, as the charging completion time.

3. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric power supply device supplies a rated electric power as the first charging power.

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

the electric storage device has a temperature characteristic that a permissible charging power is reduced as the temperature of the electric storage device is lower; and

the control device computes a state of charge in which charging start in the second region, based on the temperature characteristic.

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

the control device computes a predicted temperature of the electric storage device at the charging start time when the charging completion time is entered by the user;

the control device estimates the first charging time based on the predicted temperature; and

the control device computes a state of charge in which charging start in the second region, based on the predicted temperature.

6. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device estimates the first charging time, based on the first charging power, and an amount of change in the state of charge.

7. The charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control device estimates the state of charge at which charging using the second charging power is started, using a first map concerning the first charging power and the temperature of the electric storage device.

8. The charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control device estimates the second charging time, using a second map concerning the temperature of the electric storage device and the state of charge at which charging using the second charging power is started.

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

the electric power supply device adjusts the first charging power to a selected one of a plurality of electric power levels, and supplies the first charging power to the electric storage device;

the control device estimates first charging times for the respective electric power levels, and estimates second charging times for the respective electric power levels; and

the control device estimates the total charging time by summing the first charging times and the second charging times.

10. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control device determines whether the first charging power is restricted by the second charging power; and

the control device supplies the second charging power as the charging power, from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device, when the first charging power is restricted by the second charging power, and supplies the first charging power as the charging power, from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device, when the first charging power is not restricted by the second charging power.

11. A vehicle comprising:

an electric storage device;

a drive unit that generates driving force for running the vehicle, using electric power supplied from the electric storage device;

an electric power supply device that adjusts electric power from a power supply, and supplies charging power to the electric storage device; and

a control device that

estimates a first region in which first charging power is supplied from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device,

estimates a second region, in which second charging power that is smaller than the first charging power is supplied from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device, based on temperature of the electric storage device and a state-of-charge of the electric storage,

estimates a first charging time that corresponds to the first region,

estimates a second charging time that corresponds to the second region,

estimates a total charging time by using the first charging time and the second charging time,

obtains a charging completion time, and

sets a charging start time based on the charging completion time and the total charging time.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the control device obtains a charging completion time entered by a user, as the charging completion time.

13. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the electric power supply device supplies a rated electric power as the first charging power.

14. A method of controlling a charging apparatus that charges an electric storage device, comprising:

estimating a first region in which first charging power is supplied from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device,

estimating a second region, in which second charging power that is smaller than the first charging power is supplied from the electric power supply device to the electric storage device, based on temperature of the electric storage device and a state-of-charge of the electric storage,

estimating a first charging time that corresponds to the first region,

estimating a second charging time that corresponds to the second region,

estimating a total charging time by using the first charging time and the second charging time,

obtaining a charging completion time, and

setting a charging start time based on the charging completion time and the total charging time.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising causing the charging apparatus to perform a charging operation on the electric storage device when the time has reached the charging start time.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the charging apparatus includes an electric power supply device that adjusts electric power from a power supply, and supplies charging power to the electric storage device.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein:

the charging completion time is entered by a user.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the charging apparatus supplies a rated electric power as the first charging power.