Electric charging system

• US 8,796,991 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohtomo, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ARUN C
• Application Number:
  US13/426,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20120249069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/08 Methods and devices for control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

In an electric charging system, a charging cable of an electric charger is connected to an electric vehicle, and a supply voltage at the electric charger is temporarily raised and dropped. A receiving voltage at the electric vehicle rises and falls in conjunction with to the supply voltage. Accordingly, a feature point is assigned to each of electric charger data obtained by applying a filtering process to the supply voltage and vehicle data obtained by applying a filtering process to the receiving voltage. Then a time lag between the electric charger data and the vehicle data due to filtering processing is calculated based on the feature points. Upon determining an insulation failure and the like between the electric charger and the electric vehicle, the electric charger data and the vehicle data are synchronized based on the time lag and then compared.

Claims

1. As electric charging system that connects an electric charger and an electric vehicle via a charging cable and charges an electric storage device mounted on the electric vehicle, the electric charging system comprising:

a supply-side processing unit for calculating supply-side processed data by applying a predetermined filtering process to a supply voltage, a supply current or a supply power in the electric charger;

a receiving-side processing unit for calculating receiving-side processed data by applying a predetermined filtering process to a receiving voltage, a receiving current or a receiving power in the electric vehicle;

a feature point assigning unit for assigning a feature point to the supply-side processed data and the receiving-side processed data by altering at least any one of the supply voltage, the supply current, the receiving voltage and the receiving current;

a data synchronizing unit for synchronizing the supply-side processed data and the receiving-side processed data based on the feature point of the supply side processed data and the receiving-side processed data; and

a determination unit for determining whether or not a conduction state between the electric charger and the electric vehicle is normal.

2. The electric charging system according to claim 1, wherein the filtering process used by the supply-side processing unit and the filtering process used by the receiving-side processing unit are be different.

3. The electric charging system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a charging control unit that has a full-charging mode for charging the electric storage device up to a first supply power and a pre-charging mode for charging the electric storage device up to a second supply power that is smaller than the first supply power, wherein the feature point assigning unit assigns a feature point to the supply-side processed data and the receiving-side processed data in the pre-charging mode performed in prior to the full-charging mode.

4. The electric charging system according to claim 2 further comprising:

a charging control unit that has a full-charging mode for charging the electric storage device up to a first supply power and a pre-charging mode for charging the electric storage device up to a second supply power that is smaller than the first supply power, wherein the feature point assigning unit assigns a feature point to the supply-side processed data and the receiving-side processed data in the pre-charging mode performed in prior to the full-charging mode.

5. The electric charging system according to claim 1, wherein the feature point assigning unit assigns the feature point to the supply-side processed data and the receiving-side processed data by altering the supply current or the receiving current.

6. The electric charging system according to claim 1, wherein the data synchronizing unit calculates a time lag between the supply-side processed data and the receiving-side processed data based on the feature point and synchronizes the supply-side processed data and the receiving-side processed data based on the time lag.

7. The electric charging system according to claim 1, wherein the electric charger is provided with the supply-side processing unit, the receiving-side processing unit, the feature point assigning unit, the data synchronizing unit and the determination unit.

8. The electric charging system according to claim 7, the receiving voltage, the receiving current or the receiving power in the electric vehicle are to the receiving-side processing unit via a communication line in the charging cable.