Discharge system and electric vehicle

• US 9,142,975 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Mori, Kohei, Satake, Toshihide, Sugiyama, Akinobu, Fujioka, Hiroshi, Matsunaga, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US13/704,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20130082663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/107, 320/109, 320/111, 320/135, 320/141, 705/44
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

In a discharge system that outputs DC power from a vehicle battery to the outside, improved safety is obtained during discharge of the battery. A discharge system includes an electric car having a battery unit mounted thereon, and a discharge device that discharges the battery unit. The electric car includes a connector to which the discharge device is connected, and a power line that connects the connector and the battery unit to each other. In the power line, switches and switching elements are provided. The switches render the power line conducting upon permission from the discharge device and a battery management unit. The switching elements adjust a current flowing in the power line when the battery unit is discharged.

Claims

1. A discharge system comprising:

a vehicle having a battery mounted thereon; and

a discharge device configured to be connected to said vehicle from the outside and discharge said battery,

wherein said vehicle includes;

a battery management device that manages a state of said battery;

a connector to which said discharge device is connected;

a power line that connects said connector and said battery to each other;

a switch that renders said power line conducting upon permission from both said discharge device and said battery management device; and

a power adjustment circuit configured to adjust a current flowing in said power line when said discharge device discharges said battery through said connector.

2. The discharge system according to claim 1, comprising

an unidirectional conducting element that is connected in parallel with said power adjustment circuit, and allows a current directed to charging said battery from said connector to flow.

3. The discharge system according to claim 1, wherein

said power adjustment circuit adjusts a current flowing in said power line based on a control signal given from said discharge device.

4. The discharge system according to claim 3, wherein

said power adjustment circuit comprises a switching element provided in series with said power line,

said control signal is a pulse signal for performing pulse width control on said switching element.

5. The discharge system according to claim 3, wherein

said power adjustment circuit comprises a switching element provided in series with said power line,

said control signal is an analog voltage signal,

said vehicle further includes a conversion circuit that converts said voltage signala signal into a pulse signal whose pulse width is in accordance with the amplitude of said voltage signal,

said switching element is controlled by pulse width control based on said pulse signal.

6. The discharge system according to claim 3, further comprising

communication means for performing communication between said discharge device and said battery management device, wherein

said power adjustment circuit comprises a switching element provided in series with said power line,

said control signal is a digital signal that is transmitted from said discharge device through said communication means,

said vehicle further includes a conversion circuit that converts said digital signal into a pulse signal whose pulse width is in accordance with said digital signal,

said switching element is controlled by pulse width control based on said pulse signal.

7. The discharge system according to claim 3, wherein

when a defect occurs at a time of discharging said battery, said discharge device lowers a current flowing in said power line by means of said power adjustment circuit, and then opens a switch.

8. An electric vehicle comprising:

a battery;

a battery management device that manages a state of said battery;

a connector to which an external discharge device is connected, said connector enabling power of said battery to be outputted to said discharge device;

a power line that connects said connector and said battery to each other;

a switch that renders said power line conducting upon permission from both said discharge device and said battery management device; and

a power adjustment circuit configured to adjust a current flowing in said power line when said discharge device discharges said battery through said connector.

9. The electric vehicle according to claim 8, comprising

an unidirectional conducting element that is connected in parallel with said power adjustment circuit, and allows a current directed to charging said battery from said connector to flow.

10. The electric vehicle according to claim 8, wherein

said power adjustment circuit adjusts a current flowing in said power line based on a control signal given from said discharge device.

11. The electric vehicle according to claim 8, wherein

said power adjustment circuit comprises a switching element provided in series with said power line.