CHARGING CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20130320934A1
• Filed: 02/22/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Misayo, Iida, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 9,373,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/162
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00041 in response to measured battery parameters, e.g. voltage, current or temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

In a charging control device, a determining unit individually determines whether a charging path and a vehicle are in a connected state or non-connected state based on a current value detected by a current detecting means. The state of connection with the vehicle is detected not by an exclusive sensor as it is done in the prior art but by using a current detection result by the current detecting means. Hence the cost for detecting the state of connection with the vehicle can be reduced.

Claims

1. A charging control device, comprising:

a current detecting means that is configured to detect current supplied to a vehicle individually via one or a plurality of charging paths;

a determining means that is configured to determine individually whether the charging path and the vehicle are in a connected state or non-connected state based on a current value detected by the current detecting means; and

a control means that is configured to control opening/closing of the charging path individually according to a determination result by the determining means.

2. The charging control device according to claim 1, wherein

the determining means is configured to periodically determine a state of the charging path determined to be in the non-connected state.

3. The charging control device according to claim 1, wherein

the control means is configured to control the opening/closing of the charging path according to the determination result by the determining means and a charging schedule to charge the vehicle, and

the control means is also configured to determine that the charging of the vehicle is ended when the current value of the charging path, detected by the current detecting means when the charging path to the vehicle is closed according to the charging schedule, is below a reference value.

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

the determining means is configured to determine that the charging path and the vehicle have entered the non-connected state when the current value of the charging path detected by the current detecting means becomes below the reference value while the charging path is closed.

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

the determining means is configured to determine the end of charging and the non-connected state of the vehicle according to a characteristic exhibited when the current value drops below the reference value.

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

the determining means is configured to determine that charging of the vehicle has ended when the current value of the charging path detected by the current detecting means becomes below the reference value while the charging path is closed.

7. The charging control device according to claim 1, wherein

the control means is configured, according to the determination result by the determining means and a charging schedule to charge the vehicle:

to open the charging path when the determination result by the determining means is the non-connected state; and

also to close the charging path when the determination result is the connected state, and

the determining means is configured;

to periodically perform the state determination with respect to the charging path determined to be in the non-connected state when latitude from a current value detected by the current detecting means to a predetermined upper limit value is a threshold or more; and

also to perform the state determination when the charging path to the vehicle is opened according to the charging schedule when the latitude is below the threshold.

8. The charging control device according to claim 1, further comprising a power measuring means that is configured to measure power to be consumed besides charging of the vehicle, wherein

the determining means is configured:

to periodically perform the state determination with respect to the charging path determined to be in the non-connected state; and

also to decrease a cycle of the periodic state determination when the power measured by the power measuring means exceeds a predetermined value.

9. The charging control device according to claim 1, wherein

the control means is configured to control the opening/closing of the charging path according to the determination result by the determining means and a charging schedule to charge the vehicle, and

the determining means is configured:

to periodically perform the state determination with respect to the charging path determined to be in the non-connected state; and

also to decrease a cycle of the periodic state determination in a time block including a garaging time of the vehicle according to the charging schedule.

10. The charging control device according to claim 1, wherein

the charging path is constituted by a main electric path connected to a power system and a branch electric path branched from the main electric path,

the charging control device comprises a main current detecting means that is configured to detect current which flows to the main electric path, and

the determining means is configured:

to allow the current detecting means to detect current and determine whether the charging path and the vehicle are in a connected state or a non-connected state individually when the current value detected by the main current detecting means is a predetermined upper limit value or more; and

also not to allow the current detecting means to detect the current when the current value is below the upper limit value.

11. The charging control device according to claim 10, wherein

the control means is configured to open at least one of the charging paths when the current value detected by the main current detecting means exceeds the upper limit value as a result of closure of the charging path determined to be in the connected state by the determining means.

12. The charging control device according to claim 10, wherein

the determining means is configured to allow the current detecting means to detect only current that flows to a charging path other than the charging path already determined to be in the connected state, when the current value detected by the main current detecting means is the upper limit value or more.

13. The charging control device according to claim 1, wherein

the charging path is constituted by a main electric path connected to a power system and a branch electric path branched from the main electric path,

the charging control device comprises a main current detecting means that is configured to detect current that flows to the main electric path, and

the determining means is configured:

to allow the current detecting means to detect current and determine whether the charging path and the vehicle are in a connected state or a non-connected state individually when the current value, detected by the main current detecting means, has changed to exceed a predetermined value; and

also configured not to allow the current detecting means to detect the current when the current value has not changed to exceed the predetermined value.

14. The charging control device according to claim 13, wherein

the determining means is configured to allow the current detecting means to detect only current that flows to the charging path already determined to be in the connected state, when the change to exceed the predetermined value is generated by a decrease in the current value detected by the main current detecting means.

15. The charging control device according to claim 13, wherein

the determining means is configured to allow the current detecting means to detect only current that flows to the charging path already determined to be in the non-connected state, when the change to exceed the predetermined value is generated by an increase in the current value detected by the main current detecting means.

16. The charging control device according to claim 13, wherein

the determining means is configured to allow the current detecting means to detect only current that flows to the charging path already determined to be in the non-connected state, when the change to exceed the predetermined value is generated by an increase in the current value detected by the main current detecting means and the current value is an upper limit value or more.

17. The charging control device according to claim 13, wherein

the determining means is configured to allow the current detecting means to detect the current that flows to the charging path, when a period, in which a change to exceed the predetermined value is not generated in the current value detected by the main current detecting means, continues for a predetermined time or more.

18. The charging control device according to claim 10, wherein

the determining means is configured to more increase a current detection cycle of the main current detecting means as a difference between the current value detected by the main current detecting means and the predetermined upper limit value becomes greater.

19. The charging control device according to claim 1, wherein

the control means is configured to close all the charging paths while the determining means is determining whether the connected state or the non-connected state is established, and to open all the charging paths immediately after power recovery.

20. The charging control device according to claim 19, wherein

the control means is configured to sequentially close the charging paths after opening all the charging paths immediately after power recovery, and

the determining means is configured to sequentially detect the current of the charging paths which are closed by the control means.