ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND CONTROL METHOD FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20200134944A1
• Filed: 10/29/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yumoto, Shingo, Kojima, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 11,435,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/22 Standstill, e.g. zero speed
• 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 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/91 Electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/91 Battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/005 Testing of electric installations on transport means
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• 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: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• 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

Abstract

An electronic control unit of an electric vehicle is configured to, in a case of making a welding diagnosis of a charging relay with an external power supply device not being connected to a charging inlet, start the welding diagnosis when a vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than a first vehicle speed, interrupt the welding diagnosis when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or lower than a second vehicle speed during the welding diagnosis, and resume the welding diagnosis when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than the first vehicle speed during the interruption of the welding diagnosis. The second vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the first vehicle speed.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, comprising:

an electrical storage device;

a charging inlet that is connected to an external power supply device;

a charging relay including a positive-side relay and a negative-side relay, the positive-side relay being provided on a positive side of a charging line that connects the charging inlet and the electrical storage device, and the negative-side relay being provided on a negative side of the charging line; and

an electronic control unit configured to make a welding diagnosis for determining whether welding of the charging relay has occurred,

in a case of making the welding diagnosis of the charging relay with the external power supply device not being connected to the charging inlet, the electronic control unit being configured to start the welding diagnosis when a vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than a first vehicle speed, interrupt the welding diagnosis when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or lower than a second vehicle speed during the welding diagnosis, and resume the welding diagnosis when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than the first vehicle speed during the interruption of the welding diagnosis, the second vehicle speed being equal to or lower than the first vehicle speed.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the second vehicle speed is lower than the first vehicle speed.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to make a single-electrode welding diagnosis as the welding diagnosis that is made with the external power supply device not being connected to the charging inlet,

the single-electrode welding diagnosis is a diagnosis for determining whether welding of only one of the positive-side relay and the negative-side relay has occurred, and

in the case where the single-electrode welding diagnosis is interrupted with the welding diagnosis of one of the positive-side relay and the negative-side relay being completed and the welding diagnosis of the other relay not being completed, the electronic control unit is configured to make only the welding diagnosis of the other relay when resuming the single-electrode welding diagnosis.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to sequentially make a two-electrode welding diagnosis and a single-electrode welding diagnosis with the external power supply device being connected to the charging inlet,

the two-electrode welding diagnosis is a diagnosis for determining whether welding of both the positive-side relay and the negative-side relay has occurred,

the single-electrode welding diagnosis is a diagnosis for determining whether welding of only one of the positive-side relay and the negative-side relay has occurred, and

the electronic control unit is configured to make the single-electrode welding diagnosis with the external power supply device not being connected to the charging inlet, when a result of the two-electrode welding diagnosis is normal but the external power supply device is detached from the charging inlet before the single-electrode welding diagnosis is completed.

5. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a motor that outputs power for driving the electric vehicle; and

a main relay provided on a power line that supplies electric power from the electrical storage device to the motor, wherein

the charging line is connected to the power line at a position between the main relay and the motor, and

in the case where a result of the welding diagnosis made while the electric vehicle is traveling with the main relay on is abnormal, the electronic control unit is configured to turn off the main relay when the electric vehicle is stopped and prohibit further traveling of the electric vehicle.

6. A control method for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle including an electrical storage device, a charging inlet that is connected to an external power supply device, a charging relay, and an electronic control unit, the charging relay including a positive-side relay and a negative-side relay, the positive-side relay being provided on a positive side of a charging line that connects the charging inlet and the electrical storage device, and the negative-side relay being provided on a negative side of the charging line, the control method comprising:

making, by the electronic control unit, a welding diagnosis for determining whether welding of the charging relay has occurred; and

when the electronic control unit makes the welding diagnosis of the charging relay with the external power supply device not being connected to the charging inlet, starting the welding diagnosis, by the electronic control unit, when a vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than a first vehicle speed, interrupting the welding diagnosis by the electronic control unit when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or lower than a second vehicle speed during the welding diagnosis, and resuming the welding diagnosis by the electronic control unit when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than the first vehicle speed during the interruption of the welding diagnosis, the second vehicle speed being equal to or lower than the first vehicle speed.