Vehicle configured to be charged using an external power source

• US 9,150,113 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kebede, Tessema
• Application Number:
  US13/514,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20120256589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,108 Days
• Field of Search: 320/111, 320/107, 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/34 of parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• 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 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from 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 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

Abstract

A vehicle externally chargeable includes a power storage device, an AC/DC converter, an inlet, a first power line, at least one connector inserted in the first power line, and a second power line. To the inlet, a charging cable can be connected to transfer electric power from an external power source. The first power line is connected to the inlet and the AC/DC converter. The second power line is branched from a path that is located on the first power line and that connects the connector and the AC/DC converter to each other.

Claims

1. A vehicle externally chargeable using electric power from an external power source, the vehicle comprising:

a power storage device that is chargeable;

a power converting device configured to convert electric power supplied from the external power source into electric power for charging the power storage device;

an inlet, the inlet being provided at an external surface of the vehicle and being configured to connect to a charging cable located outside of the vehicle so as to transfer electric power from the external power source;

a first power line connected to the inlet and the power converting device;

at least one connector inserted in the first power line; and

a second power line, the second power line being branched from a portion of the first power line that connects the at least one connector and the power converting device to each other.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a power receiving cord for that transfers electric power from a receptacle of the external power source to the vehicle, wherein

the power receiving cord has one end connected to the second power line and has another end connected to a plug for connection to the receptacle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a cord reel that reels the power receiving cord for storage.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the power receiving cord and the inlet are selectively used for the external charging.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a switching unit that switches between supply and cut off of electric power from the power receiving cord to the power converting device; and

a control device for controlling the switching unit;

wherein

when the external charging is performed using electric power supplied from the power receiving cord, the control device controls the switching unit to bring the switching unit into an electrically conductive state, and when the external charging is performed using electric power supplied from the inlet, the control device controls the switching unit to bring the switching unit into an electrically non-conductive state.

6. The vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a first power receiving port provided with the inlet;

a first cover unit coupled to the first power receiving port, the first cover unit being configured to be opened when the inlet is used;

a second power receiving port provided with a pullout opening for the power receiving cord; and

a second cover unit coupled to the second power receiving port, the second cover unit being configured to be opened when the power receiving cord is used, wherein

when the first cover unit is opened, opening of the second cover unit is prohibited, and when the second cover unit is opened, opening of the first cover unit is prohibited.

7. The vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a cord reel that reels the power receiving cord for storage; and

a pullout prohibiting unit configured to prohibit pullout of the power receiving cord from the cord reel when the external charging is performed using electric power supplied from the inlet.