CHARGE CONTROLLER FOR VEHICLE

• US 20150035486A1
• Filed: 07/29/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: YAMAGUCHI, Kazuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 10,286,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• 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 2260/56 Temperature prediction, e.g. for pre-cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• 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 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 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• 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 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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

An electric vehicle is able to be charged from a power source via a supply side controller. The supply side controller retrieves and acquires vehicular information from the electric vehicle as an electric connection is established with the electric vehicle. The supply side controller stores the retrieved vehicular information. The vehicular information may contain charging information used for a charging control and non-charging information not used for the charging control. An information device, such as a smart phone, requests to supply the vehicular information. In response to the request, the supply side controller supplies the stored vehicular information to the information device without accessing the battery charger and the vehicular functional device. Accordingly, it is possible to supply the vehicular information without rebooting the controller on the vehicle in response to the request from the information device.

Claims

1. A charge controller for a vehicle, which is disposed between an electric vehicle and a power source and performs charging operation from the power source to the electric vehicle, the charge controller comprising:

a charge control section which controls charging operation from the power source to the electric vehicle;

a storage device which is capable of storing vehicular information including charging information relevant to the charging operation and a non-charging information irrelevant to the charging operation; and

a data management section which controls the storage device, wherein

the data management section includes;

a retrieving section which retrieves the vehicular information from the electric vehicle;

a storing section which stores the vehicular information retrieved by the retrieving section in the storage device; and

a supplying section which selects a part from the vehicular information stored in the storage device, and supplies the selected part to an external information system.

2. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, wherein

the retrieving section retrieves various vehicular information relating to a plurality of controllers disposed on the electric vehicle.

3. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, wherein

the data management section includes an inhibiting section which inhibits access to the electric vehicle, when the electric vehicle is not used after the charge control section performed the charging operation, and after the storing section stored the vehicular information in the storage device.

4. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, wherein

the data management section includes an inhibiting section which inhibits access to the electric vehicle, when the electric vehicle is not used before the charge control section performs the charging operation, and after the storing section stored the vehicular information in the storage device.

5. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 3, wherein

the data management section includes a cancelling section which cancels the inhibition in response to a use of the electric vehicle.

6. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, wherein

the supplying section, in a case of after the charge control section performed the charging operation and after the storing section stored the vehicular information in the storage device, selects a part from the vehicular information stored in the storage device and supplies the selected part to an external information system without access to the electric vehicle.

7. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, wherein

the supplying section, in a case of before the charge control section performs the charging operation and after the storing section stored the vehicular information in the storage device, selects a part from the vehicular information stored in the storage device and supplies the selected part to an external information system without access to the electric vehicle.

8. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, wherein

the retrieving section retrieves the vehicular information from the electric vehicle in response to an establishment of an electric connection to the electric vehicle.

9. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, wherein

the supplying section selects a part of the vehicular information based on a request from the information system.

10. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, wherein

the charge control section includes a standby section which starts the charging operation to the electric vehicle after a predetermined time period has elapsed after a charge-start-instruction of a user on the information system to start the charging operation, and wherein

the predetermined time period is longer than a time period which the user needs to cancel the charge-start-instruction after the charge-start-instruction of the user on the information system.

11. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a relay which is capable of shutting electric power supply from the power source to the electric vehicle.

12. The charge controller for a vehicle claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a connecting device which is capable of connecting with the power source; and

a connecting device which is capable of connecting with the electric vehicle.