Power line communication apparatus and vehicle

• US 9,024,579 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Igata, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodas, Richard Isla
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henze-Gongola, David V
• Application Number:
  US13/358,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20120119701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/109
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• 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: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• 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 power line communication apparatus that enables communication to be performed between an authentication apparatus and a vehicle, thereby enabling authentication processing to be performed, even before power is supplied to a communication section from a charging apparatus or an electrical storage apparatus.

This power line communication apparatus has a communication section that communicates with a PC serving as an authentication apparatus outside the body of the vehicle via a power line, and a battery that is connected to the communication section and supplies power to the communication section; and the communication section performs authentication communication with the PC via the power line before power is supplied from the charging apparatus or the electrical storage apparatus.

Claims

1. A power line communication apparatus that is provided in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a motor battery and an accessory battery that store power supplied from a charging apparatus outside a vehicle body via a power line, the power line communication apparatus comprising:

an authentication processing section that performs authentication processing with an authentication apparatus outside the vehicle body via the power line before the charging apparatus supplies power to the motor battery and the accessory battery; and

a power supply section, auxiliary to the motor battery and the accessory battery, that is configured to supply power to the authentication processing section during the authentication processing.

2. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power supply section is configured as an electrical storage section that is charged with power from the motor battery and the accessory battery.

3. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a first connecting section that controls electrical connection and disconnection between the electrical storage section and the motor battery and the accessory battery.

4. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when a wheel driving section stops the wheel, the first connecting section electrically disconnects the electrical storage section from the motor battery and the accessory battery.

5. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when the wheel driving section rotates the wheel, the first connecting section electrically connects the electrical storage section and the motor battery and the accessory battery and the electrical storage section stores power output from the motor battery and the accessory battery.

6. The power line communication apparatus that is provided in the vehicle according to claim 4, the vehicle further comprising a second connecting section that controls electrical connection and disconnection between the motor battery and the accessory battery and the wheel driving section,

wherein, when the wheel driving section stops the wheel, after the second connecting section electrically disconnects the motor battery and the accessory battery from the wheel driving section, the first connecting section electrically disconnects the electrical storage section from the motor battery and the accessory battery.

7. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a third connecting section that controls electrical connection and disconnection between the authentication processing section and the electrical storage section,

wherein, when the wheel driving section stops the wheel, the third connecting section electrically connects the authentication processing section and the electrical storage section.

8. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authentication processing section is connected to a registration information storage section that stores registration information for identifying a vehicle, and returns the registration information upon receiving an authentication processing signal via the power line.

9. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power supply section is configured as a removable battery.

10. The power line communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a power conversion section that is connected to the power line and converts an alternating-current power supply to a direct-current power supply, wherein:

the power supply section is an electrical storage section that is capable of storing power; and

the electrical storage section stores power converted by the power conversion section.

11. A power line communication apparatus that is provided in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a motor battery and an accessory battery that store alternating-current power supplied from a charging apparatus outside a vehicle body via a power line, the power line communication apparatus comprising:

an authentication processing section that performs authentication processing with an authentication apparatus outside the vehicle body via the power line before the charging apparatus supplies alternating-current power to the motor battery and the accessory battery;

a superimposition section that superimposes information to be transmitted from the authentication processing section to the charging apparatus on the power line in the authentication processing;

a power supply section, auxiliary to the motor battery and the accessory battery, that is configured to supply power to the authentication processing section during the authentication processing; and

a power conversion section, auxiliary to the motor battery and the accessory battery, that is configured to convert the alternating-current power to direct-current power after completion of the authentication processing, and supplies that direct-current power to the authentication processing section.