Charging apparatus and vehicle

• US 9,296,307 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2011
• 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: Nosaka, Shigekiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US14/131,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20140159659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 701/22, 361/69
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Disclosed is a charging apparatus whereby charging can be suitably performed even in the cases where a plurality of electric vehicles are connected to a charging station. The charging apparatus has: a charging cable (4), which is configured of a power supply line (6) that charges an electric vehicle (2) and a pilot line (8) that detects connection of the electric vehicle (2); a power supply unit (10), which supplies power to the charging cable (4); a voltage detecting unit (11), which detects, via a pilot line (8), a voltage pattern that corresponds to identifying information of the electric vehicle (2); and a power line communication unit (12), which performs, with the electric vehicle (2), data communication in the state wherein the identifying information of the electric vehicle (2) is added, said identifying information having been acquired by means of the voltage detecting unit (11).

Claims

1. A charging apparatus that charges a first vehicle including first identification information and a second vehicle including second identification information, the charging apparatus comprising:

a first communication line that is connectable to the first vehicle;

a second communication line that is connectable to the second vehicle;

a voltage detector that, in operation, detects a first voltage pattern corresponding to the first identification information via the first communication line and that, in operation, detects a second voltage pattern corresponding to the second identification information via the second communication line;

a communicator that, in operation, communicates with the first vehicle using the first identification information and that, in operation, communicates with the second vehicle using the second identification information;

a first power supply line that is connectable to the first vehicle;

a second power supply line that is connectable to the second vehicle; and

an electrical power supply that, in operation, supplies electrical power to the first vehicle via the first power supply line and that, in operation, supplies electrical power to the second vehicle via the second power supply line, wherein

the electrical power supply supplies electrical power to the first vehicle via the first power supply line when the voltage detector detects a third voltage pattern different from the first voltage pattern.

2. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the voltage detector, in operation, detects the first voltage pattern via the first power supply line instead of the first communication line and detects the second voltage pattern via the second power supply line instead of the second communication line.

3. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communicator communicates with the first vehicle using the first identification information as a first identifier and communicates with the second vehicle using the second identification information as a second identifier.

4. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communicator performs, with the first vehicle, encrypted communication using the first identification information as a first cryptographic key and performs, with the second vehicle, encrypted communication using the second identification information as a second cryptographic key.

5. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage detector detects a voltage fluctuation period in the third voltage pattern that is longer than a voltage fluctuation period in the first voltage pattern.

6. The charging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the voltage detector detects at least a portion of the first identification information from the third voltage pattern.

7. The charging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electrical power supply supplies electrical power to the first vehicle via the first power supply line when the voltage detector detects that the voltage fluctuation period of the third voltage pattern is not twice the voltage fluctuation period of the first voltage pattern.

8. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third voltage pattern serves as a notification of a start of receipt of the first voltage pattern from the first vehicle.

9. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third voltage pattern serves as a notification of an end of receipt of the first voltage pattern from the first vehicle.

10. A vehicle that communicates with a charging apparatus via a communication line and that includes identification information, the vehicle comprising:

a transmitter that, in operation, transmits a first voltage pattern corresponding to the identification information to the charging apparatus;

a communicator that, in operation, communicates with the charging apparatus using the identification information; and

an electrical power port that, in operation, receives electrical power from the charging apparatus, wherein

the electrical power port receives electrical power from the charging apparatus when the transmitter transmits a third voltage pattern, which is different from the first voltage pattern, to the charging apparatus.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the communicator, in operation, communicates with the charging apparatus via a power supply line instead of the communication line, the power supply line being connected to the electrical power port.

12. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the communicator performs, with the charging apparatus, encrypted communication using the identification information as a cryptographic key.

13. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein a voltage fluctuation period in the third voltage pattern is longer than a voltage fluctuation period in the first voltage pattern.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the identification information is detectable from the third voltage pattern.

15. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the electrical power port receives electrical power from the charging apparatus when the voltage fluctuation period of the third voltage pattern is not twice the voltage fluctuation period of the first voltage pattern.

16. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the third voltage pattern serves as a notification of a start of transmission of the first voltage pattern.

17. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the third voltage pattern serves as a notification of an end of transmission of the first voltage pattern.