Charging cable, charging cable unit, and charging system for electric vehicle

• US 8,736,226 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2009
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mukai, Tatsuya, Ueno, Satoru, Goto, Kiyoshi, Mori, Shiro, Watanabe, Hirotoshi, Kakiuchi, Kouji, Ooya, Hiroshi, Hayashi, Tomoyoshi, Minami, Youji, Takada, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US13/126,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20110204849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,678 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 320/104, 320/111, 439/503, 439/508
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• 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

Abstract

A charging cable for an electric vehicle includes a power plug adapted to be detachably connected to a power socket of a commercial power source; a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of the power plug; a cable connector adapted to be detachably connected to an electric vehicle for supplying a charging current to a battery of the electric vehicle; and a switching unit for opening and closing a current path between the power plug and the cable connector. The charging cable further includes a leakage detecting unit for detecting an electric leakage based on a current flowing through the current path; and a power cutoff unit for opening the switching unit when the detected temperature of the temperature detection means exceeds a threshold value or when the leakage detection means detects the electric leakage.

Claims

1. A charging cable for an electric vehicle comprising:

a power plug adapted to be detachably connected to a power socket of a commercial power source;

a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of the power plug;

a cable connector adapted to be detachably connected to an electric vehicle for supplying a charging current to a battery of the electric vehicle;

a switching unit for opening and closing a current path between the power plug and the cable connector;

a leakage detecting unit for detecting an electric leakage based on a current flowing through the current path;

a power cutoff unit for opening the switching unit when the detected temperature of the temperature detecting unit exceeds a threshold value or when the leakage detecting unit detects the electric leakage; and

a display device for displaying charging information of the electric vehicle.

2. The charging cable of claim 1, wherein the display device includes a power calculating unit for integrating an amount of power supplied to a power receiving device and a display unit for displaying an integrated amount of the power calculating unit.

3. The charging cable of claim 2, wherein the display unit displays an equivalent electric charges converted from the integrated amount of power of the power calculating unit and/or an elapsed charging time.

4. A charging system for an electric vehicle comprising:

a charging cable including;

a power plug adapted to be detachably connected to a power socket of a commercial power source;

a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of the power plug;

a cable connector adapted to be detachably connected to an electric vehicle for supplying a charging current to a battery of the electric vehicle;

a switching unit for opening and closing a current path between the power plug and the cable connector;

a leakage detecting unit for detecting an electric leakage based on a current flowing through the current path; and

a power cutoff unit for opening the switching unit when the detected temperature of the temperature detecting unit exceeds a threshold value or when the leakage detecting unit detects the electric leakage;

a transmission apparatus including a charging information acquisition unit for obtaining charging information relating to a secondary cell and a transmission unit for transmitting the acquired charging information; and

a display device including a receiving unit for receiving a signal of the charging information transmitted from the transmission apparatus and a display unit for displaying the received charging information,

wherein the display device is provided separately from the charging cable, and the charging information is an integrated result of an amount of power.

5. The charging system of claim 4, wherein the transmission unit superimposes a signal of the charging information on commercial power,

the receiving unit separates the signal of the charging information superimposed on the commercial power therefrom, and

the transmission unit and the receiving unit each includes a PLC circuit.

6. The charging system of claim 4 or 5, wherein the display device displays, on the display unit, an amount of power supplied to a power receiving device and/or an electric charge calculated from the amount of power.