Vehicular charge control apparatus and vehicular charge control system

• US 9,136,719 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Junichi, Koie, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US13/358,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/22 by presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• 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: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• 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 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A vehicular charge control apparatus in a vehicle controls a charge operation to the vehicle from an external power supply facility, by using a charge intention determination unit for determining whether a user of the vehicle has an intention to charge, a plug connection state determination unit for determining whether a charge plug is connected to the vehicle when the user'"'"'s intention to charge is determined by the charge intention determination unit, and a notification execution unit for executing a predetermined notification process when loss of connection to the charge plug is determined by the plug connection state determination unit.

Claims

1. A vehicular charge control apparatus for controlling a charge operation of a vehicle from an external power source of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a charge intention determination unit that determines whether a user of the vehicle has an intention to charge;

a plug connection state determination unit that determines whether a charge plug is connected to the vehicle when the charge intention determination unit determines that the user has an intention to charge;

a notification process execution unit that executes a predetermined notification process when the plug connection state determination unit determines that the plug is not connected;

a getting-off determination unit that determines whether the user has gotten off the vehicle;

a stop position determination unit that determines that a stop position of the vehicle is a predetermined position;

an elapsed time determination unit that determines whether an elapsed time after the stopping of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined time length; and

a connection abnormality signal transmission unit that is communicably coupled with an information center and transmits a connection abnormality signal to the information center when the plug connection state determination unit determines that the plug is not connected, wherein

the charge intention determination unit determines that the user has an intention to charge when at least all of following three conditions are fulfilled

(i) when the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten off the vehicle,

(ii) when the stop position determination unit determines that the stop position of the vehicle is the predetermined position, and

(iii) when the elapsed time determination unit determines that the elapsed time after the stopping of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined time length.

2. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising, a confirmation screen display unit that displays a confirmation screen for confirming that the user has the intention to charge when the stop position determination unit determines that the stop position of the vehicle is the predetermined position.

3. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the plug connection state determination unit is configured to repeatedly determine whether the charge plug is connected to the vehicle when the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten off the vehicle, and

the notification process execution unit is configured to repeatedly execute the notification process when the plug connection state determination unit determines that the charge plug is not connected.

4. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a charge start time setting unit that sets a time to start charge of the vehicle as a reserved charge start time, wherein

the charge intention determination unit is further configured to determine that the user has an intention to charge when the charge start time setting unit sets the reserved charge start time.

5. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising,

a charge start time setting unit that sets a time to start charge of the vehicle as a reserved charge start time,

the charge intention determination unit further determines that the user has an intention to charge when (i) the charge start time setting unit sets the reserved charge start time, and (ii) a current time is a predetermined time length before the reserved charge start time.

6. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising,

a determination start time setting unit that sets a time to a determination process by the charge intention determination unit as a determination process start time, wherein

the charge intention determination unit further determines that the user has an intention to charge when the determination start time setting unit sets the determination process start time.

7. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1 further comprising

a determination start time setting unit that sets a time to a determination process by the charge intention determination unit as a determination process start time, wherein

the charge intention determination unit further determines that the user has an intention to charge when (i) the determination start time setting unit sets the determination process start time, and (ii) a current time is the determination process start time.

8. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the plug connection state determination unit determines that the charge plug is not adequately connected when a power supply from the external power source is not confirmed.

9. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the plug connection state determination unit performs the determination prior to a start of the charge operation.

10. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elapsed time determination unit determines that the elapsed time after the stopping of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined time length only after the stopping of the vehicle and only after the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten out of the vehicle.

11. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 10, wherein the stop position determination unit determines the stop position of the vehicle is the predetermined position only after the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten out of the vehicle.

12. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stop position determination unit determines the stop position of the vehicle is the predetermined position only after the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten out of the vehicle.

13. A vehicular charge control system comprising:

a vehicular charge control apparatus that controls a charge operation of a vehicle from an external power source of the vehicle;

an information center that is communicably coupled with the vehicular charge control apparatus;

a getting-off determination unit that determines whether the user has gotten off the vehicle;

a stop position determination unit that determines that a stop position of the vehicle is a predetermined position; and

an elapsed time determination unit that determines whether an elapsed time after the stopping of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined time length, wherein

the vehicular charge control apparatus includes;

a charge intention determination unit that determines whether a user of the vehicle has an intention to charge;

a plug connection state determination unit that determines whether a charge plug is connected to the vehicle when the charge intention determination unit determines that the user has an intention to charge; and

a connection abnormality signal transmission unit that transmits a connection abnormality signal to the information center when the plug connection state determination unit determines that the plug is not connected,

the information center includes;

a connection abnormality signal reception unit that receives a connection abnormality signal; and

a notification process execution unit that executes a predetermined notification process when the connection abnormality signal reception unit receives the connection abnormality signal, and

the charge intention determination unit determines that the user has an intention to charge when all of following three conditions are fulfilled

(i) when the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten off the vehicle,

(ii) when the stop position determination unit determines that the stop position of the vehicle is the predetermined position, and

(iii) when the elapsed time determination unit determines that the elapsed time after the stopping of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined time length.

14. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 13, wherein the elapsed time determination unit determines that the elapsed time after the stopping of the vehicle is greater than the predetermined time length only after the stopping of the vehicle and only after the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten out of the vehicle.

15. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 14, wherein the stop position determination unit determines the stop position of the vehicle is the predetermined position only after the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten out of the vehicle.

16. The vehicular charge control apparatus of claim 13, wherein the stop position determination unit determines the stop position of the vehicle is the predetermined position only after the getting-off determination unit determines that the user has gotten out of the vehicle.