Electric vehicle

• US 6,232,743 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1998
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakanishi, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUK, LAWRENCE W
• Application Number:
  US09/149,790
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/103, 320/112, 320/113, 180/65
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides an electric vehicle, which enables the installed battery to be replaced with many kinds of batteries and having high reliability and economical properties. The electric vehicle comprises: a driving unit for driving the electric vehicle with an electricity; a vehicle controller for controlling the driving unit; a battery unit for supplying an electric power to the driving unit; and a battery charger for charging the battery unit, the battery unit being provided with plural secondary batteries and means for monitoring the state of the secondary batteries thereby to issue a signal to the vehicle controller based on the obtained information from the secondary batteries.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

a driving unit for driving said electric vehicle with an electric power;

a vehicle controller for controlling said driving unit;

a battery unit for supplying an electric power to said driving unit; and

a battery charger for charging said battery unit, wherein said battery unit includes plural secondary batteries and means for monitoring the state of said secondary batteries and for issuing a signal based on the obtained information to said vehicle controller, and said vehicle controller controls said driving unit and said battery charger based on said signal from said battery unit.

2. The electric vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said battery unit is composed as one unit detachable from said electric vehicle.

3. The electric vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said monitoring means detects output voltage of each of said secondary batteries.

4. The electric vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said monitoring means detects a temperature throughout said secondary batteries.

5. The electric vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said battery unit includes means for cooling said secondary batteries.

6. The electric vehicle in accordance with claim 5, wherein said cooling means operates in response to said temperature throughout said secondary batteries detected by said monitoring means.

7. The electric vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said battery unit includes a displaying means for displaying the obtained information.