Apparatus for displaying battery charging of electric vehicle

• US 5,757,595 A
• Filed: 04/08/1997
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Osawa, Naoki, Watanabe, Toshiyuki, Ozawa, Akira, Ochiai, Shinobu, Shimane, Iwao
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen, Jr., Thomas J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Application Number:
  US08/826,826
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 340/636, 340/455, 340/693, 320/48, 429/90-93
• US Class Current: 340/636.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/05 Inlet covers
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/92 Driver displays
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus for displaying the charging of the battery of an electric vehicle has a charging connector mounted on an outer panel of a vehicle body of the electric vehicle, a lid openably mounted on the panel in covering relation to the charging connector and a cavity defined in the outer panel, and a display panel disposed in the cavity for displaying a period of time required until the battery is fully charged and/or a charged capacity of the battery. The driver of the electric vehicle can easily recognize the remaining time required until the battery is fully charged and a percentage of the fully charged capacity of the battery to which the battery is presently charged, from outside of the electric vehicle. The driver is not required to confirm the state of charge of the battery with an indicator on a battery charger or within the passenger'"'"'s compartment of the electric vehicle, but can easily confirm the state of charge of the battery from outside of the electric vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying a charging state of a battery of an electric vehicle, comprising:

a charging connector mounted in a cavity in an outer panel of a vehicle body of said electric vehicle;

a lid openably mounted on said outer panel of said electric vehicle in covering relation to said charging connector and said cavity defined in said outer panel;

display means, disposed in said cavity, for selectively displaying at least one of said charging states of a period of time required until said battery is fully charged and a charged capacity of said battery;

selecting means for selecting a display mode of said display means; and

wherein said display means further comprises;

means for selectively displaying at least one of said charging states of said period of time required until said battery is fully charged and said charged capacity of said battery based on a display mode selected by said selecting means, wherein said charged capacity of said battery is displayed as a remaining capacity in a digital percentage representation;

remaining capacity display unit enerzizable when said remaining capacity of said battery is displayed as a digital percentage; and

remaining time display unit energizable when said period of time required until said battery is fully charged is displayed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display means includes conditioning mode state display means for displaying a conditioning mode to selectively at least one of heat and cool said battery.

3. An apparatus for displaying a charging state of said battery of an electric vehicle, comprising:

a charging connector mounted in a cavity in an outer panel of a vehicle body of said electric vehicle;

display means, mounted in said cavity in said outer panel near said charging connector, for selectively displaying at least one of said charging states of a period of time required until said battery is fully charged and a charged capacity of said battery;

selecting means for selecting a display mode of said display means; and

wherein said display means further comprises;

means for selectively displaying at least one of said charging states of said period of time required until said battery is fully charged and said charged capacity of said battery based on a display mode selected by said selecting means wherein said charged capacity of said battery is displayed as a remaining capacity in a digital percentage representation;

remaining capacity display unit energizable when said remaining capacity of said battery is displayed as a digital percentage; and

remaining time display unit energizable when said period of time required until said battery is fully charged is displayed.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said display means includes conditioning mode state display means for displaying a conditioning mode to selectively at least one of heat and cool said battery.

5. An apparatus for displaying a charging state of a battery of an electric vehicle, comprising:

a charging connector mounted in a cavity in an outer panel of a vehicle body of said electric vehicle;

a lid openably mounted on said outer panel of said electric vehicle in covering relation to said charging connector and said cavity defmed in said outer panel; and

display means, disposed in said cavity, for displaying any one of said charging states of a period of time required until said battery is fully charged and a charged capacity of said battery, wherein said display means comprises;

means for displaying any one of said period of time required until said battery is fully charged and said charged capacity of said battery in a digital percentage representation; and

conditioning mode state display means for displaying a conditioning mode to any one of heat and cool said battery, wherein said conditioning mode state display means includes a conditioning mode state selector switch for cancelling anyone of a heating mode while said battery is being charged, a cooling mode after said battery is charged, and a temporary charging stop mode.

6. An apparatus for displaying a charging state of a battery of an electric vehicle, comprising:

a charging connector mounted in a cavity in an outer panel of a vehicle body of said electric vehicle; and

display means, mounted in said cavity in said outer panel near said charging connector, for displaying any one of said charging state of a period of time required until said battery is fully charged and a charged capacity of said battery, wherein said display means comprises;

means for displaying any one of said period of time required until said battery is fully charged and said charged capacity of said battery in a digital percentage representation; and

conditioning mode state display means for displaying a conditioning mode to any one of heat and cool said battery, wherein said conditioning mode state display means includes a conditioning mode state selector switch for cancelling anyone of a heating mode while said battery is being charged, a cooling mode after said battery is charged, and a temporary charging stop mode.