System and method for supervising battery for vehicle

• US 7,701,167 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Kazuhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ARUN C
• Application Number:
  US11/707,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20070194748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 713/320, 713/300, 713/310, 307/9.1, 307 101- 3, 307/10.7
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/04 responsive to presence or absence of the driver, e.g. to weight or lack thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0032 disconnection of loads if battery is not under charge, e.g. in vehicle if engine is not running

Abstract

A system for supervising a battery mounted on a vehicle, the system includes a first part that detects a person in a vehicle in a stopped state, and a second part that executes a power saving control for reducing power of a battery on the vehicle consumed in electrical units mounted on the vehicle when the first part detects no person in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for supervising a battery mounted on a vehicle, the system comprising:

a first part that detects a person in a vehicle in a stopped state; and

a second part that has a table that defines electrical units to which power supply from the battery should be stopped and executes a power saving control for reducing power of the battery on the vehicle consumed in the electrical units defined by the table mounted on the vehicle when the first part detects no person in the vehicle.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fourth part that determines, during execution of the power saving control, whether an abnormality that prevents execution of the power saving control occurs, and executes one of first and second controls when an abnormality is detected,

the first control including starting an engine of the vehicle, and the second control including stopping supplying power from the battery to the electrical units.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fifth part that determines whether the battery has a reduced capacity during execution of the power saving control, and executes one of first and second controls when the battery has the reduced capacity,

the first control including starting an engine of the vehicle, and the second control including stopping supplying power from the battery to the electrical units.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second part stops supplying power to a specific electrical unit taking environment of the vehicle into account even when the specific electrical unit is one of the electrical units defined in the table.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second part stops supplying power to a specific electrical unit taking a vehicle condition into account even when the specific electrical unit is one of the electrical units defined in the table.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the vehicle condition includes a remaining capacity of the battery.

7. A method for supervising a battery mounted on a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a person in a vehicle in a stopped state;

searching electrical units mounted on the vehicle from a table that defines the electrical units to which a power supply from the battery should be stopped; and

executing a power saving control for reducing power of the battery on the vehicle consumed in the searched electrical units mounted on the vehicle when no person in the vehicle is detected.