VEHICLE AND POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM

• US 20140217972A1
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Daisuke, Mizuno, Tomoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,216,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/00 Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3278 of relays, solenoids or reed switches measuring contact resistance G01R27/205; high voltage magnetic switches G01R31/3271, G01R31/333; testing electric windings G01R31/72; monitoring of fail safe circuits H01H47/002
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2047/003 Detecting welded contacts and applying weld break pulses to coil
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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: 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]

Abstract

A vehicle includes a charging unit receiving electric power supplied from an external power supply through a power feeding cable connected to an inlet for charging a power storage device; a discharging unit for supplying electric power from the power storage device to the power feeding cable through the inlet; a discharge relay; and a charge relay. When ending a discharging operation, an ECU outputs an opening instruction to the discharge relay and determines based on the state of a power line during output of the opening instruction whether the discharge relay is welded or not. When starting the discharging operation, the ECU outputs a closing instruction to the discharge relay and does not determine during output of the closing instruction whether the discharge relay is welded or not.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a rechargeable power storage device;

a power line for transmitting electric power between said power storage device and outside the vehicle;

a switching device interposed in said power line and configured to allow electrical connection and disconnection between said power storage device and outside said vehicle; and

a control device determining, when ending transmission of electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, whether said switching device is welded or not, and not determining, when starting transmission of electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, whether said switching device is welded or not, wherein

said vehicle is configured to be capable of switching between a charging operation of charging said power storage device with electric power from an external power supply and a discharging operation of supplying electric power from said power storage device to an external load, and

when ending said charging operation or said discharging operation, said control device outputs an opening instruction to said switching device, and determines whether said switching device is welded or not based on a state of said power line during output of said opening instruction.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a connection unit for electrically connecting said vehicle and outside said vehicle;

a charging unit for receiving electric power supplied from said external power supply through a cable connected to said connection unit for charging said power storage device; and

a discharging unit for supplying electric power from said power storage device to said cable through said connection unit, wherein

said switching device includes

a first switching unit interposed in a first power line connecting said discharging unit and said connection unit, and

a second switching unit interposed in a second power line connecting said power storage device and said charging unit, and

when ending said discharging operation, said control device outputs said opening instruction to said first switching unit, and determines whether said first switching unit is welded or not based on a state of said first power line during output of said opening instruction.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein when ending said charging operation, said control device outputs said opening instruction to said second switching unit, and determines whether said second switching unit is welded or not based on a state of said second power line during output of said opening instruction.

2-10. -10. (canceled)

13. A power supply system including a vehicle and a power feeding device for transmitting electric power between said vehicle and outside the vehicle, wherein

said power feeding device is configured to allow transmission of electric power from an external power supply to said vehicle through a cable connected to a connection unit provided in said vehicle, and transmission of electric power from said vehicle to an external load through said cable, and

said vehicle includes

a rechargeable power storage device,

a power line for transmitting electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle,

a switching device interposed in said power line and configured to allow electrical connection and disconnection between said power storage device and outside said vehicle,

a control device determining, when ending transmission of electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, whether said switching device is welded or not, and not determining, when starting transmission of electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, whether said switching device is welded or not,

a charging unit for receiving electric power supplied from said external power supply through said cable for charging said power storage device, and

a discharging unit for supplying electric power from said power storage device to said cable through said connection unit,

said switching device includes

a first switching unit interposed in a first power line connecting said discharging unit and said connection unit, and

a second switching unit interposed in a second power line connecting said power storage device and said charging unit,

when ending a discharging operation of supplying electric power from said power storage device to said external load, said control device outputs an opening instruction to said first switching unit, and determines whether said first switching unit is welded or not based on a state of said first power line during output of said opening instruction, and

when starting said discharging operation, said control unit outputs a closing instruction to said first switching unit, and does not determine whether said first switching unit is welded or not.

14. The power supply system according to claim 13, wherein

when ending a charging operation of charging said power storage device with electric power from said external power supply, said control device outputs said opening instruction to said second switching unit, and determines whether said second switching unit is welded or not based on a state of said second power line during output of said opening instruction, and

when starting said charging operation, said control device outputs said closing instruction to said second switching unit, and does not determine whether said second switching unit is welded or not.

15. The power supply system according to claim 14, wherein

said power feeding device is configured to allow power line communication with said vehicle using said cable, and

said power feeding device determines whether said first switching unit is welded or not based on a state of said cable during output of said opening instruction to said first switching unit, and transmits a determination result to said control device.

16. A power feeding device for transmitting electric power between a vehicle and an outside the vehicle, wherein

said vehicle includes

a rechargeable power storage device,

a power line for transmitting electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle,

a switching device interposed in said power line and configured to allow electrical connection and disconnection between said power storage device and outside said vehicle,

a control device determining, when ending transmission of electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, whether said switching device is welded or not, and not determining, when starting transmission of electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, whether said switching device is welded or not,

said vehicle is configured to be capable of switching between a charging operation of charging said power storage device with electric power from an external power supply and a discharging operation of supplying electric power from said power storage device to an external load,

when ending said charging operation or said discharging operation, said control device outputs an opening instruction to said switching device, and determines whether said switching device is welded or not based on a state of said power line during output of said opening instruction, and

said power feeding device is configured to allow transmission of electric power from said external power supply to said vehicle through a cable connected to a connection unit provided in said vehicle, and transmission of electric power from said vehicle to said external load through said cable, and comprises a notification unit for notifying the result of determination of said control device about welding of said switching device.

17. The power feeding device according to claim 16, wherein

said vehicle further includes

a charging unit for receiving electric power supplied from said external power supply through said cable for charging said power storage device, and

a discharging unit for supplying electric power from said power storage device to said cable through said connection unit,

said switching device includes

a first switching unit interposed in a first power line connecting said discharging unit and said connection unit, and

a second switching unit interposed in a second power line connecting said power storage device and said charging unit, and

when ending said discharging operation, said control device outputs said opening instruction to said first switching unit, and determines whether said first switching unit is welded or not based on a state of said first power line during output of said opening instruction.

18. The power feeding device according to claim 17, wherein when ending said charging operation, said control device outputs said opening instruction to said second switching unit, and determines whether said second switching unit is welded or not based on a state of said second power line during output of said opening instruction.

19. The power feeding device according to claim 16, wherein

said power feeding device is configured to allow communication with said control device and receives the result of determination about welding of said switching device from said control device.

20. A control method of a vehicle configured to allow transmission of electric power between a rechargeable power storage device and outside the vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

when ending transmission of electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, outputting an opening instruction to a switching device interposed in a power line for transmitting electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, and determining whether said switching device is welded or not based on a state of said power line during output of said opening instruction; and

when starting transmission of electric power between said power storage device and outside said vehicle, outputting a closing instruction to said switching device, and not determining during output of said closing instruction whether said switching device is welded or not, wherein

said vehicle is configured to be capable of switching between a charging operation of charging said power storage device with electric power from an external power supply and a discharging operation of supplying electric power from said power storage device to an external load, and

when ending said charging operation or said discharging operation, said step of determining whether said switching device is welded or not, outputs an opening instruction to said switching device, and determines whether said switching device is welded or not based on a state of said power line during output of said opening instruction.