CHARGING DEVICE, VEHICLE, VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM, CHARGING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20160200203A1
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: MORITA, Katsuaki, MOTOYAMA, Hisashi, ONISHI, Kyotaro, SUZUKI, Masato, KONO, Takayuki, WAKASUGI, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,155,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• 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 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/20 characterised by converters located in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/55 Capacitors
• 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

Abstract

This charging device is provided with a charger, a resistor, a ground-side switch, and a determination device. The charger charges a secondary battery that is provided to a vehicle. The resistor is connected in parallel with the charger. The ground-side switch connects the charger and the resistor in an openable/closable manner. The determination device acquires information indicating that the ground-side switch is closed and information indicating that a vehicle-side switch that connects the secondary battery and the charger in an openable/closable manner is open and subsequently determines that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity that relates to the electricity of the resistor does not decrease.

Claims

1. A charging device comprising:

a charger which charges a secondary battery of a vehicle;

a resistor which is connected in parallel with the charger;

a ground-side switch which connects the charger and the resistor in an openable/closable manner; and

a determination device which acquires information indicating that the ground-side switch is closed and information indicating that a vehicle-side switch connecting the secondary battery and the charger in an openable/closable manner is open, and then determines that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity relating to electricity of the resistor does not decrease.

2. The charging device according to claim 1,

wherein the charger includes

a voltage conversion circuit which converts an AC voltage to a DC voltage, and

a capacitor which smoothes the DC voltage converted by the voltage conversion circuit.

3. The charging device according to claim 1,

wherein the charger includes

a voltage conversion circuit which converts a DC voltage to a DC voltage different from this DC voltage, and

a capacitor which smoothes the DC voltage converted by the voltage conversion circuit.

4. The charging device according to claim 1,

wherein the determination device outputs a command signal for separating a contact intermediating the connection of the charger and the secondary battery from the secondary battery when it is determined that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited.

5. A vehicle comprising:

a control device which performs control for separating the secondary battery of the vehicle when a determination device of an external charging device determines that a vehicle-side switch of the vehicle is short-circuited.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising:

a communication unit which performs communication with a communication unit of the charging device;

a battery management unit which manages the secondary battery; and

a host controller which outputs a control signal to the battery management unit based on a command signal received by the communication unit.

7. A vehicle charging system comprising:

a charging device including

a charger which charges a secondary battery of the vehicle,

a resistor which is connected in parallel with the charger,

a ground-side switch which connects the charger and the resistor in an openable/closable manner, and

a determination device which acquires information indicating that the ground-side switch is closed and information indicating that a vehicle-side switch connecting the secondary battery and the charger in an openable/closable manner is open, and then determines that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity relating to electricity of the resistor does not decrease; and

a vehicle including a control device which performs control for separating the secondary battery of the vehicle when the determination device determines that the vehicle-side switch of the vehicle is short-circuited.

8. A charging method for a charging device,

wherein the charging device includes

a charger which charges a secondary battery of a vehicle,

a resistor which is connected in parallel with the charger, and

a ground-side switch which connects the charger and the resistor in an openable/closable manner, and

the charging method comprises:

acquiring information indicating that the ground-side switch is closed and information indicating that a vehicle-side switch connecting the secondary battery and the charger in an openable/closable manner is open, and then determining that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity relating to electricity of the resistor does not decrease.

9. A program which causes a computer of a charging device to function as:

determination means for acquiring information indicating that a ground-side switch connecting a charger for charging a secondary battery of a vehicle and a resistor connected in parallel with the charger in an openable/closable manner is closed and a vehicle-side switch connecting the secondary battery and the charger in an openable/closable manner is open, and determining that the vehicle-side switch is short-circuited when a physical quantity relating to electricity of the resistor does not decrease.