Registration-based vehicle battery charging system

• US 8,290,649 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwashita, Hiroaki, Mizuno, Yoshiyuki, Tanaka, Kenji, Araki, Mikihisa, Shimizu, Tomomi, Yurimoto, Masayuki, Yamamoto, Keiji, Shionoya, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MURSHED, NAGI M
• Application Number:
  US12/375,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of 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

Abstract

A charging system that facilitates tracking of a stolen charging subject. The charging subject includes a battery and has a unique identification code. A charging device is connected to the battery of the charging subject by an electric cable, and the battery is chargeable. A server is connected to either one of the charging device and the charging subject and manages charging of the charging subject with the charging device. The server is cable of registering an identification code of the charging subject. The server obtains the identification code from the charging subject, determined whether or not the obtained identification code is registered in the server, and transmits to the charging device a charging prohibition command for prohibiting charging of the charging subject with the charging device when the obtained identification code is not registered in the server.

Claims

1. A charging system comprising:

a vehicle including a verification ECU in which a unique vehicle identification code is registered, a battery ECU connected to the verification ECU in a communicable manner, and a battery connected to the battery ECU;

a charging device, connectable to the battery and battery ECU of the vehicle by an electric cable, in which the charging device transmits a vehicle identification code check request to the verification ECU through the electric cable and the battery ECU, and the verification ECU reads the vehicle identification code in response to the check request; and

a server, connected to either one of the charging device and the vehicle, for managing charging of the vehicle with the charging device and registering the vehicle identification code;

wherein the server obtains from the vehicle the vehicle identification code read by the verification ECU, determines whether or not the obtained vehicle identification code is registered in the server, and transmits to the charging device a charging prohibition command for prohibiting charging of the vehicle with the charging device when the obtained vehicle identification code is not registered in the server;

the server further registers the vehicle identification code in association with whether or not charging of the vehicle with the charging device is permitted, and when obtaining from the vehicle the vehicle identification code for which charging is registered as not permitted, the server transmits the obtained vehicle identification code and the charging prohibition command to the charging device; and

the charging device prohibits charging of the vehicle identified by the vehicle identification code related with the charging prohibition command.

2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein:

the server is connected to the charging device; and

the charging device receives the charging prohibition command directly from the server.

3. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein:

the server is connected to the vehicle; and

the charging device receives the charging prohibition command from the server via the vehicle.

4. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the server further accumulates a charging history including at least the vehicle identification code and a charging time.

5. The charging system according to claim 4, wherein:

the charging device transmits a device number code unique to the charging device to the server when charging the vehicle; and

the server stores the device number code transmitted from the charging device as the location of the charging device to accumulate charging locations of the vehicle as the charging history.

6. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein:

the electric cable includes a power line for supplying power from the charging device to the vehicle; and

the vehicle and the charging device communicate data through power line communication using the power line as a data transfer path.

7. The charging system according to claim 5, wherein:

the electric cable includes a power line for supplying power from the charging device to the vehicle; and

the vehicle and the charging device communicate data through power line communication using the power line as a data transfer path.

8. The charging system according to claim 2, wherein the server further accumulates a charging history including at least the vehicle identification code and a charging time.

9. The charging system according to claim 8, wherein:

the charging device transmits a device number code unique to the charging device to the server when charging the vehicle; and

the server stores the device number code transmitted from the charging device as the location of the charging device to accumulate charging locations of the vehicle as the charging history.

10. The charging system according to claim 9, wherein:

the electric cable includes a power line for supplying power from the charging device to the vehicle; and

the vehicle and the charging device communicate data through power line communication using the power line as a data transfer path.

11. The charging system according to claim 3, wherein the server further accumulates a charging history including at least the vehicle identification code and a charging time.

12. The charging system according to claim 11, wherein:

the charging device transmits a device number code unique to the charging device to the server when charging the vehicle; and

the server stores the device number code transmitted from the charging device as the location of the charging device to accumulate charging locations of the vehicle as the charging history.

13. The charging system according to claim 12, wherein:

the electric cable includes a power line for supplying power from the charging device to the vehicle; and

the vehicle and the charging device communicate data through power line communication using the power line as a data transfer path.

14. The charging system according to claim 2, wherein:

the electric cable includes a power line for supplying power from the charging device to the vehicle; and

the vehicle and the charging device communicate data through power line communication using the power line as a data transfer path.

15. The charging system according to claim 3, wherein:

the electric cable includes a power line for supplying power from the charging device to the vehicle; and

the vehicle and the charging device communicate data through power line communication using the power line as a data transfer path.

16. The charging system according to claim 4, wherein:

the electric cable includes a power line for supplying power from the charging device to the vehicle; and

the vehicle and the charging device communicate data through power line communication using the power line as a data transfer path.