CHARGING CABLE

• US 20150028809A1
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Published: 01/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Masanori, Abe, Norio, Kawase, Tomoyuki, Akai, Naruaki, Sawa, Takashi, Hyoudou, Takaaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,515,498 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 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/42 by adaptive correction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 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 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A temperature detection unit detects the temperature of a power plug. A control unit stops electric conduction to a battery when the detected temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined specified temperature (T1). The control unit recovers the electric conduction to the battery when the detected temperature detected by the temperature detection unit decreases to a specified temperature (T2) or lower, the specified temperature (T2) being lower than the specified temperature (T1).

Claims

1. A charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle used for charging a battery for the electric propulsion vehicle, the charging cable comprising:

a power plug detachably connected to an electric outlet for a commercial power supply;

a charging plug detachably connected to the electric propulsion vehicle;

a temperature detection unit that detects ambient temperature; and

a control unit that generates and transmits a pilot signal for adjusting a conduction current to the battery, to the electric propulsion vehicle,

wherein the control unit stops electric conduction to the battery when the detected temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined, first specified temperature, and recovers the electric conduction to the battery when the detected temperature decreases to a second specified temperature or lower, the second specified temperature being lower than the first specified temperature.

2. The charging cable according to claim 1, wherein, to recover the electric conduction to the battery, the control unit generates a pilot signal allowing the conduction current to be reduced compared to a value used before the stop of the electric conduction.

3. The charging cable according to claim 2, wherein, each time recovering the electric conduction to the battery, the control unit generates a pilot signal allowing the conduction current to be reduced compared to a value used during a last period of electric conduction.

4. The charging cable according to claim 3, wherein, as one or more past periods of electric conduction increase, the control unit sets, to a smaller value, an amount by which the conduction current is reduced compared to a value used during a last period of electric conduction.

5. The charging cable according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, to recover the electric conduction to the battery, the control unit generates a pilot signal allowing the conduction current to be reduced compared to a value used during a last period of electric conduction and then allowing the resultant conduction current to be increased in stages until the detected temperature becomes equal to or higher than the first specified temperature.

6. The charging cable according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein, when a temperature gradient of the detected temperature during the period of electric conduction is equal to or larger than a predetermined specified temperature gradient, the control unit does not recover the electric conduction to the battery even when the detected temperature decreases to the second specified temperature or lower.

7. The charging cable according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the temperature detection unit is provided in the control unit.

8. The charging cable according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the temperature detection unit is provided in the power plug.

9. The charging cable according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the temperature detection unit is provided in the charging plug.