Charging apparatus for electric vehicle

• US 9,197,074 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alpha Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Makoto, Nakamura, Shuuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): NETTLES, CHRISTOPHER B
• Application Number:
  US13/808,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20130106351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• 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 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 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/006 using extensible carrier for the cable, e.g. self-coiling spring extensible conductors or cables H01B7/06
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum
• 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 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 charging apparatus for an electric vehicle is provided with: a charging cable including a proximal end connected to a main body, a connector provided on a distal end, and an extra length absorbing section provided between the distal end and the proximal end; a measuring section configured to detect an elongation of the charging cable from an initial length thereof; and an electric current control section configured to start applying an electric current to the charging cable under a condition that an elongation of the charging cable exceeding a threshold value is detected by the measuring section.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus for an electric vehicle, the charging apparatus comprising:

a charging cable including a proximal end connected to a main body, a connector provided on a distal end and adapted to be connected to an electric power receiving section of the electric vehicle, and an extra length absorbing section provided between the distal end and the proximal end;

a measuring section configured to detect an elongation of the charging cable from an initial length thereof; and

an electric current control section configured to start applying an electric current to the charging cable, when under a condition that the elongation of the charging cable exceeding a threshold value is detected by the measuring section.

2. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring section includes a measuring cable connected to a side of the distal end of the charging cable, and a detecting switch configured to be switched on by the elongation of the charging cable exceeding the threshold value.

3. The charging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the measuring section further includes a cable receiving portion provided on a side of the proximal end;

wherein the detecting switch is provided on a distal end of the cable receiving portion; and

wherein the detecting switch is configured to be switched on by a disconnection between the measuring cable and the cable receiving portion due to the elongation of the charging cable exceeding the threshold value.

4. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second measuring cable connected to a side of the distal end of the charging cable; and

a second detecting switch configured to detect an elongation of the second measuring cable;

wherein the electric current control section is configured to stop applying an electric current to the charging cable, under a condition that an elongation of the charging cable exceeding a second value more than said threshold value is detected by the second detecting switch.

5. The charging apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a second cable receiving portion provided on a side of the proximal end of the charging cable;

wherein the second detecting switch is provided on a distal end of the second cable receiving portion; and

wherein the second detecting switch is operated when the second measuring cable and the second cable receiving portion are disconnected by the elongation of the charging cable exceeding the second value.

6. The charging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a detected portion is provided on the measuring cable;

and

wherein the detecting switch is configured to detect a movement of the detected portion passing through the detecting switch due to the elongation of the charging cable exceeding the threshold value.

7. The charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a second detected portion is provided on the measuring cable;

wherein the detecting switch is configured to detect a movement of the second detected portion passing through the detecting switch due to an elongation of the charging cable exceeding a second value more than said threshold value; and

wherein the electric current control section is configured to start applying an electric current to the charging cable under a condition that the movement of the detected portion passing through the detecting switch is detected, and also to stop applying the electric current to the charging cable under a condition that the movement of the second detected portion passing through the detecting switch is detected.

8. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a lock unit that locks the connector to the main body so as to regulate a detachment of the connector from the main body; and

an identification unit that unlocks the lock unit upon an identification establishment.

9. The charging apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a lock unit that locks the connector to the main body so as to regulate a detachment of the connector from the main body; and

an identification unit that unlocks the lock unit upon an identification establishment.