VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM

• US 20130207608A1
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Kiyotaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,669,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• 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 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A vehicle charging system includes: a vehicle (14) provided with a battery (13) and a charging control unit (53); an external power source (11); a charging cable (12) provided with an electric power line (12L) and a first communication control unit (33); an external power source line (11L); a second communication control unit (24); a consumed power acquiring unit (23) acquiring consumed power (PIF); a charging-allowable power calculating unit (23) calculating charging-allowable power (PEV), and transmitting unit (43) and a control unit (34) provided at the charging cable.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging system comprising:

a vehicle comprising a charging control unit controlling a battery and charge of the battery;

an external power source provided outside the vehicle;

a charging cable comprising an electric power line and a first communication control unit, the electric power line connecting the external power source to the vehicle such that the external power source and the vehicle transmit and receive electric power, the first communication control unit being connected to the electric power line;

an external power source line provided at the external power source and being connectable to the electric power line of the charging cable;

a second communication control unit provided at the external power source and connected to the external power source line, being capable of communicating the first communication control unit due to power line communication through the electric power line and the external power source line;

a consumed power acquiring unit provided at the external power source, acquiring consumed power to be consumed in the external power source other than the charge of the battery of the vehicle;

a charging-allowable power calculating unit provided at the external power source, the external power source being capable of supplying maximum supplied power, the charging-allowable power calculating charging-allowable power obtained by subtracting the consumed power from the maximum supplied power;

a transmitting unit provided at the charging cable, transmitting information associated with the charging-allowable power, the information being received by the first communication control unit to the charging control unit of the vehicle; and

a control unit provided at the charging cable, supplying electric power from the external power source to the battery of the vehicle based on the information associated with the charging-allowable power, the information being received by the first communication control unit, wherein

the second communication control unit transmits the first communication control unit information associated with the charging-allowable power through the power line communication, and

the first communication control unit receives information which is associated with the charging-allowable power and transmitted from the second communication control unit.

2. The vehicle charging system according to claim 1, wherein

the charging cable is provided with a display unit, and the control unit calculates maximum charging electrical current and charge completion time based on the information of the charging-allowable power received by the first communication control unit and displays the calculation result on the display unit.