Charge control device for batteries

• US 8,106,631 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Abe, Kunihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US12/068,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20080191664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 320/137
• US Class Current: 320/137
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle

Abstract

In a charge control device installable in a motor vehicle and designed to execute charge control for a battery based on an output power of a power generator, a nonvolatile memory stores therein data required to execute the charge control for the battery. A communication circuit is communicably connectable to first and second devices different from each other. The first device allows entrance of information required to rewrite the data stored in the nonvolatile memory. A rewriting unit rewrites the data stored in the nonvolatile memory based on the entered information only when the first device is communicably connected to the communication circuit.

Claims

1. A charge control device designed to execute charge control for a battery by controlling an output power of a power generator for a vehicle, the charge control device comprising:

a nonvolatile memory configured to store therein a control program and control data required to execute the charge control for the battery;

a rewriting unit configured to rewrite a content of the nonvolatile memory based on information inputted from an external device; and

a communication circuit that is connected to the external device upon rewrite of the content of the nonvolatile memory by the rewriting unit so that the external device and another device installed in the vehicle are selectively connected to each other,

wherein selection of any of the external device and the other device to which the communication circuit is to be connected is performed by connection of the communication circuit to any of the external device and the other device via a communication line.

2. A charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the other device is a control device except for the charge control device.

3. A charge control device according to claim 2, wherein the other device is a power controller installed in the power generator and configured to control the output power of the power generator.

4. A charge control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a destination determining unit configured to determine whether a communication destination of the charge control device is any of the external device and the other device based on which of the external device and the other device is communicably connected to the communication circuit,

wherein the rewriting unit is configured to start the rewrite of the content of the nonvolatile memory when it is determined that the communication destination of the charge control device is the external device.

5. A charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the rewriting unit is configured to rewrite the content of the nonvolatile memory in response to a rewrite instruction entered from the external device.

6. A charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit is removably connected to a common connector, the external device is communicably connected to one end of a first communication cable provided with a first connector at another one end thereof, the other device is communicably connected to one end of a second communication cable provided with a second connector at another one end thereof, the first connector has a shape removably connectable to the common connector, the second connector has a shape removably connectable to the common connector.

7. A charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit is connectable to one end of a communication cable, another one end of the communication cable is connected to a third connector, each of the external and other devices has a fourth connector whose shape is removably connectable to the third connector.

8. A charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the rewriting unit further comprises:

an update data receiving unit configured to receive update data sent from the external device, the rewriting unit being configured to rewrite the content of the nonvolatile memory into the received update data.

9. A charge control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rewrite program receiving unit configured to receive a rewrite program sent from the external device; and

a storage unit configured to rewritably store therein the received rewrite program,

wherein the rewriting unit is configured to run the rewrite program so as to execute the rewrite of the content of the nonvolatile memory.

10. A charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the control program causes the rewriting unit to execute the charge control for the battery, the control program is stored beforehand in the nonvolatile memory with a first flag indicative of disabling of the rewrite of the control program, the control data is stored beforehand in the nonvolatile memory with a second flag indicative of enabling of the rewrite of the control data, and the rewriting unit is configured to:

reference the first flag and the second flag; and

rewrite only the control data based on the on a reference result.

11. A charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the control data required to execute the charge control for the battery is stored beforehand in the nonvolatile memory with a third flag indicative of a maximum number of rewriting of the data stored in the nonvolatile memory, and

the rewriting unit is configured to:

repeat the rewrite of the content of the nonvolatile memory;

count a number of repetitions of the rewrite of the content of the nonvolatile memory;

determine whether the counted number reaches the maximum number by referencing the third flag; and

prevent the rewrite of the content of the nonvolatile memory when it is determined that the counted number reaches the maximum number.

12. A charge control device according to claim 11, wherein the control data stored in the nonvolatile memory is composed of a plurality of blocks of a predetermined size,

the rewriting unit being configured to:

repeatedly rewrite the content of the nonvolatile memory in units of blocks; and

execute the determination of whether the counted number reaches the maximum number in units of the blocks.

13. A charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the other device is an external device with respect to the charge control device.