Control device and method for charge control

• US 8,476,865 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwanaga, Takehito, Kamaga, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): OMAR, AHMED H
• Application Number:
  US13/123,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20110193532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/54 Windings for different functions
• 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 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/24 Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 : Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 : Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 : of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 : for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00711 : with introduction of pulses during the charging process
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 : for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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

Abstract

A device controls charging a battery with power supplied from a power supply located outside of a vehicle through a charge cable. The device includes a first microcomputer and a second microcomputer. The first microcomputer is configured to turn on a charge mode signal upon detecting a change in a pilot signal output through the charge cable, and to turn off the charge mode signal when a charge completion signal output from the second microcomputer is turned off. The second microcomputer is configured to charge the battery through the charge cable when the charge mode signal is turned on, and to turn off the charge completion signal when the charging is complete. When the charge completion signal is turned on at the time of the first microcomputer turning off the charge mode signal due to sudden fluctuations, the charge mode signal is turned on again.

Claims

1. A device to control charging of a battery with power supplied from a power supply located outside a vehicle via a charge cable, the device comprising:

a first microcomputer configured to receive a signal that is transmitted from a signal generating unit in the charge cable and that is corresponding to a state of power supply from the outside power supply, configured to turn on a charge mode signal when the signal changes from an unchanging state lasting for a predetermined period of time, configured to turn off the charge mode signal upon detecting that a charge completion signal output from a second microcomputer is turned off, and configured to turn on again the charge mode signal when the first microcomputer turns off the charge mode signal before detecting that the charge completion signal is turned off; and

the second microcomputer configured to charge the battery based on power supplied from the outside power supply via the charge cable upon detecting the charge mode signal that is turned on by the first microcomputer, and configured to turn off the charge completion signal when the charging is complete.

2. The device to control charging of a battery according to claim 1, wherein the first microcomputer comprises a memory to memorize a state of the charge completion signal, and is configured to turn on again the charge mode signal upon detecting that the charge completion signal memorized in the memory is in “

on”

state after the charge mode signal is turned off.

3. The device to control charging of a battery according to claim 1, wherein upon detecting that the charge completion signal is in “

on”

state after the charge mode signal is turned off by the first microcomputer, the second microcomputer is configured to drive a switch circuit to switch a state of the signal output from the signal generating unit.

4. The device to control charging of a battery according to claim 3,

wherein the switch circuit is configured to couple, to a grounded portion of the vehicle, a signal line for the signal output from the signal generating unit, and

wherein the second microcomputer is configured to change a signal state of an “

on”

state signal output from the signal generating unit from “

off”

state to “

on”

state via the switch circuit.

5. The device to control charging of a battery according to claim 4, wherein the switch circuit additionally serves as an abnormality detecting circuit comprising a switch to detect wiring disconnection or short circuit of the signal line when the charge cable is not connected to the vehicle.

6. A method for controlling charging of a battery with power supplied from a power supply located outside a vehicle via a charge cable, the method comprising:

controlling a first microcomputer to receive a signal that is transmitted from a signal generating unit in the charge cable and that is corresponding to a state of power supply from the outside power supply, to turn on a charge mode signal when the signal changes from an unchanging state lasting for a predetermined period of time, to turn off the charge mode signal upon detecting that a charge completion signal output from a second microcomputer is turned off, and to turn on again the charge mode signal when the charge mode signal is turned off by the first microcomputer before detection that the charge completion signal is turned off; and

controlling the second microcomputer to charge the battery based on power supplied from the outside power supply via the charge cable upon detection that the charge mode signal is turned on by the first microcomputer, and to turn off the charge completion signal when the charging is complete.

7. The method for controlling charging of a battery according to claim 6, wherein a state of the charge completion signal is memorized in a memory by the first microcomputer, and the charge mode signal is turned on again by the first microcomputer when the state of the charge completion signal memorized in the memory is detected in “

on”

state by the first microcomputer after the charge mode signal is turned off by the first microcomputer.

8. The method for controlling charging of a battery according to claim 6, wherein upon detection by the second microcomputer that the state of the charge completion signal is detected in “

on”

state after the charge mode signal is turned off by the first microcomputer, a switch circuit provided in a signal line for the signal output from the signal generating unit is driven by the second microcomputer so as to switch the state of the signal output from the signal generating unit.