Electric vehicle

• US 8,028,780 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Tamura, Takashi, Yamaguchi, Nobuhisa, Watabe, Naoki, Shiina, Takahito, Ishida, Shingo, Sagawa, Kouhei
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRISBY, KEITH J
• Application Number:
  US12/406,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20090242291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.265, 180/65.27, 180/65.21, 180/69.6, 180/69.4, 180/69.5, 903/930, 439/299, 439/300, 439/34, 296/97.22, 320/109
• US Class Current: 180/65.27
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/05 Inlet covers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0538 with open or close mechanism automatically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0561 Locking means for the inlet cover
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0576 with actuator fixed to the vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0584 the locking bolt is linearly moved to lock or unlock
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/12 Buck converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/20 AC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/34 for fuel inlet covers essentially flush with the vehicle surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

To ensure that an energy supply operation can be performed safely and smoothly on a vehicle having a plurality of energy ports such as a charging port, charging ports for supplying electric energy to a high voltage battery and a fuel supply port for supplying fuel to a fuel tank are provided in a vehicle body as energy supply ports. The fuel supply port and charging ports are respectively provided with lid members that are switched between a closed state and an open state by respective lock mechanisms. When closure of one lid member is released, all of the other lid members are prohibited from being switched to the open state, and therefore the number of energy supply ports having an open lid member is limited to one.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle having a plurality of energy supply ports forming a charging port for supplying electric energy to a battery or a fuel supply port for supplying fuel to a fuel tank, lid members for respectively opening and closing said energy supply ports being provided in a vehicle body, said electric vehicle comprising:

a plurality of lock mechanisms for respectively switching said lid members between a closed state and an open state;

an opening operation device releasing closure of said lid member using said lock mechanism; and

an opening control device prohibiting remaining lid members from being switched to the open state when closure of one of said lid members has been released,

wherein, of said plurality of energy supply ports, the number of said energy supply ports simultaneously having an open lid member is limited to one.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said charging port and said fuel supply port are provided in said vehicle body,

said opening operation device releasing the closed state of said lid member provided on said fuel supply port is provided in a vehicle cabin, and

said opening control device switches said lock mechanism to the open state when a closure release operation is performed on said lid member of said charging port from a vehicle exterior, whereby said fuel supply port is opened from a vehicle interior and said charging port is opened from said vehicle exterior.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of energy supply ports is a charging port,

said lid member of said charging port is opened when said lid member is pushed inward, and

said lid member is held in the closed state by performing an operation to push said lid member inward from the open state.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, comprising a receiver for receiving a signal from a transmitter held by a passenger and transmitting said received signal to said opening control device,

wherein opening of said lid member is permitted only when said transmitter is within a signal reception area of said receiver.