CONNECTION DETECTING CIRCUIT

• US 20160241060A1
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: KONO, Takayuki, OKADA, Kohsuke, SUZUKI, Yuya, KAIHARA, Kuniaki, SAKAI, Hiroyuki, KODAMA, Atsushi, KAWANO, Shohei
• Granted Patent: US 9,923,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• 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

A circuit includes a vehicle-side circuit, a charger-side circuit and a connecting part. The vehicle-side circuit includes a power source, a first resistor provided between the power source and the connecting part, a second resistor which is connected to the first resistor in series, a switch which turns on or off current supply from the power source, a voltage detector which detects a voltage at a connection point of the first resistor and the second resistor, a determining part which determines a state of connection between a vehicle-side connector and a charger-side connector and occurrence4 of a failure in the vehicle-side circuit based at least in part on the voltage detected by the voltage detector and an on/off state of the switch.

Claims

1. A circuit, comprising:

a vehicle-side connector, provided in an electrically driven vehicle, and configured to be connected to a charger-side connector which is provided in an external charger for supplying power to a battery installed in the electrically driven vehicle; and

a vehicle-side circuit, provided at the electrically driven vehicle, and configured to be connected via a connecting part to the charger-side connector being grounded in a state that the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other,

wherein the vehicle-side circuit includes;

a power source;

a first resistor provided between the power source and the connecting part;

a second resistor which is connected to the first resistor in series;

a switch which turns on or off current supply from the power source;

a voltage detector which detects a voltage at a connection point of the first resistor and the second resistor; and

a determining part which determines a state of connection between the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector and occurrence of a failure in the vehicle-side circuit based at least in part on the voltage detected by the voltage detector and an on/off state of the switch

2. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the second resistor is provided on the connecting part side of the first resistor and is smaller in resistance than the first resistor.

3. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

a charger-side resistor is connected to the charger-side connector, and

the determining part, when the switch is controlled to be on,

determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is higher than or equal to a first threshold voltage,

determines that the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are not connected to each other if the detected voltage is lower than the first threshold voltage and higher than or equal to a second threshold voltage that is lower than the first threshold voltage,

determines that the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other if the detected voltage is lower than the second threshold voltage and higher than or equal to a third threshold voltage that is lower than the second threshold voltage, and

determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is lower than the third threshold voltage.

4. The circuit according to claim 2, wherein

a charger-side resistor is connected to the charger-side connector, and

the determining part, when the switch is controlled to be on,

determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is higher than or equal to a first threshold voltage,

determines that the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are not connected to each other if the detected voltage is lower than the first threshold voltage and higher than or equal to a second threshold voltage that is lower than the first threshold voltage,

determines that the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other if the detected voltage is lower than the second threshold voltage and higher than or equal to a third threshold voltage that is lower than the second threshold voltage, and

determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is lower than the third threshold voltage.

5. The circuit according to claim 3, wherein

the determining part, when the switch is controlled to be off, determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is higher than or equal to a fourth threshold voltage that is lower than the third threshold voltage.

6. The circuit according to claim 4, wherein

the determining part, when the switch is controlled to be off, determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is higher than or equal to a fourth threshold voltage that is lower than the third threshold voltage.

7. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the switch is a transistor.

8. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

9. The circuit according to claim 2, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

10. The circuit according to claim 3, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

11. The circuit according to claim 4, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

12. The circuit according to claim 5, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

13. The circuit according to claim 6, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

14. The circuit according to claim 7, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connector and the charger-side connector are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.