Charging system of electric powered vehicle

• US 8,415,918 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tonegawa, Hiromi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES RUIZ, JOHALI ALEJANDRA
• Application Number:
  US12/812,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20110022222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• 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 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• 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: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/16 : 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 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A charge instructing device installed in a space such as an indoor space in which the security is ensured reads key information (ID) stored in a vehicle key held in a key holding unit and transmits the read ID to an electric powered vehicle. Electric powered vehicle performs authentication by checking the ID transmitted from charge instructing device against registration information stored in advance. The result of the authentication is then transmitted from electric powered vehicle to charge instructing device. Charge instructing device permits a charger to charge electric powered vehicle according to the result of the authentication transmitted from electric powered vehicle.

Claims

1. A charging system of an electric powered vehicle comprising:

an electric powered vehicle mounted with an electric storage device;

a charger for charging said electric storage device with an external power source outside said electric powered vehicle; and

a charge instructing device for giving an instruction about whether to permit an external charging to said electric storage device by said external power source, based on key information stored in a vehicle key of said electric powered vehicle,

said charge instructing device being provided separately from said charger, and arranged in a space where security is ensured comparatively to said charger,

said electric powered vehicle including;

a first receiving unit for receiving said key information;

an authentication unit for generating authentication information by checking said key information received by said first receiving unit against registration information stored in advance; and

a first transmitting unit for transmitting the generated authentication information,

said charge instructing device including;

a key holding unit for holding said vehicle key;

a reading unit for reading out said key information from a vehicle key held by said key holding unit;

a second transmitting unit for transmitting the read out key information to said electric powered vehicle;

a second receiving unit for receiving said authentication information from said first transmitting unit;

a determining unit for determining whether to permit said external charging based on said authentication information received by said second receiving unit; and

a third transmitting unit for transmitting a determination result by said determining unit to said charger,

said charger including;

a third receiving unit for receiving said determination result from said third transmitting unit; and

a power feeding unit for feeding power from said external power source to said electric powered vehicle connected to the charger via a power line when said external charging is permitted by said determining unit, based on said determination result received by said third receiving unit,

wherein said checking and generation, transmission and reception of said authentication information based on said checking are executed also after starting of said external charging,

said determining unit cancels the permission of said external charging when said authentication information turns into abnormal during execution of said external charging, and

said power feeding unit stops power feeding to said electric powered vehicle from said external power supply when said determining unit cancels said permission of said external charging.

2. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said charge instructing device is installed in a space where a locking mechanism for permitting entrance and exit based on electronic authentication is provided.

3. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said charge instructing device further includes an authentication medium issuing unit for issuing a medium used for the electronic authentication in unlocking said locking mechanism in response to holding of said vehicle key by said key holding unit.

4. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said key holding unit is configured to hold said vehicle key and lock the holding state, and said charge instructing device further includes:

a rate calculating unit for calculating electricity rate by said external charging; and

a lock control unit for unlocking said vehicle key in said key holding unit in response to payment of said electricity rate.

5. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said charge instructing device further includes

a charge permitted target storing unit for registering in advance authentication information corresponding to the electric powered vehicle for which said external charging by said charger is permitted, and

said determining unit prohibits said external charging, when said authentication information received by said second receiving unit does not coincide with said authentication information registered in said charge permitted target storing unit.

6. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said charger includes a mechanism for relaying said key information transmitted from said charge instructing device to said electric powered vehicle and said authentication information transmitted from said electric powered vehicle to said charge instructing device between said electric powered vehicle connected to the charger via said power line and said charge instructing device.

7. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle key is common to a vehicle start key for starting said electric powered vehicle.

8. A charging system of an electric powered vehicle comprising:

a charger for charging an electric storage device mounted to the electric powered vehicle with an external power source outside said electric powered vehicle; and

a charge instructing device for giving an instruction about whether to permit an external charging to said electric storage device by said external power source based on key information stored in a vehicle key of said electric powered vehicle,

said charge instructing device including;

a reading unit for reading out said key information from said vehicle key;

an authentication unit for generating authentication information by checking said key information read out by said reading unit against registration information stored in advance for indicating the electric powered vehicle for which said external charging is permitted by said charger; and

a determining unit for determining whether to permit said external charging based on said authentication information generated by said authentication unit,

said charger including;

a power feeding unit for feeding power from said external power source to said electric powered vehicle connected to the charger via a power line when said external charging is permitted by said determining unit,

said charging system further comprising;

a detecting unit for detecting a disconnection of said power line during power feeding to said electric powered vehicle by said power feeding unit,

wherein said determining unit cancels permission of said external charging when the disconnection of said power line is detected by said detecting unit.

9. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said charge instructing device is provided separately from said charger, and arranged in a space where security is ensured comparatively to said charger.

10. A charging system of an electric powered vehicle comprising:

a charger for charging an electric storage device mounted to the electric powered vehicle with an external power source outside said electric powered vehicle; and

a charge instructing device for giving an instruction about whether to permit an external charging to said electric storage device by said external power source based on key information stored in a vehicle key of said electric powered vehicle,

said charge instructing device being provided separately from said charger, and arranged in a space where security is ensured comparatively to said charger,

said charge instructing device including;

a key holding unit for holding said vehicle key;

a reading unit for reading out said key information from a vehicle key held by said key holding unit;

a key information transmitting unit for transmitting the read out key information to said electric powered vehicle;

an authentication information receiving unit for receiving authentication information that is generated by checking said key information in said electric powered vehicle against predetermined registration information, and transmitted from said electric powered vehicle;

a determining unit for determining whether to permit said external charging based on the received authentication information; and

a determination result transmitting unit for transmitting a determination result by said determining unit to said charger,

said charger including;

a determination result receiving unit for receiving said determination result from said charge instructing device, and

a power feeding unit for feeding power from said external power source to said electric powered vehicle connected to said charger via a power line when said external charging is permitted by said determining unit based on the received determination result,

wherein said checking and generation, transmission and reception of said authentication information based on said checking are executed also after starting of said external charging,

said determining unit cancels said permission of external charging when said authentication information turns into abnormal during execution of said external charging, and

said power feeding unit stops power feeding to said electric powered vehicle from said external power supply when said determining unit cancels said permission of external charging.

11. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 10, wherein said charge instructing device is installed in a space where a locking mechanism for permitting entrance and exit based on electronic authentication is provided.

12. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said charge instructing device further includes an authentication medium issuing unit for issuing a medium used for the electronic authentication in unlocking said locking mechanism in response to holding of said vehicle key by said key holding unit.

13. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said key holding unit is configured to hold said vehicle key and lock the holding state, and said charge instructing device further includes:

a rate calculating unit for calculating electricity rate by said external charging; and

a lock control unit for unlocking said vehicle key in said key holding unit in response to payment of said electricity rate.

14. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 10, wherein said charge instructing device further includes

a charge permitted target storing unit for registering in advance authentication information corresponding to the electric powered vehicle for which said external charging by said charger is permitted, and

said determining unit prohibits said external charging, when said authentication information received by said authentication information receiving unit does not coincide with said authentication information registered in said charge permitted target storing unit.

15. The charging system of an electric powered vehicle according to claim 10, wherein said charger includes a mechanism for relaying said key information transmitted from said charge instructing device to said electric powered vehicle and said authentication information transmitted from said electric powered vehicle to said charge instructing device between said electric powered vehicle connected to the charger via said power line and said charge instructing device.