Electronic control unit

• US 9,321,360 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Keihin Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Takashima, Yuzuru, Tanno, Masaki, Yamada, Takeshi, Umeya, Haruki, Daibo, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossoshek, Helen
• Application Number:
  US13/648,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20130099739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/107, 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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

Abstract

An electronic control unit includes a pilot voltage setting circuit that changes a voltage of a pilot signal in a stepwise manner, a processor that controls the pilot voltage setting circuit to change the voltage of the pilot signal, an input buffer that is disposed in a stage preceding a pilot signal input port of the processor, and an input buffer voltage setting circuit that changes an input voltage of the input buffer so as to be within a recommended input voltage range of the input buffer based on the change in the voltage of the pilot signal.

Claims

1. An electronic control unit that is mounted on a vehicle which is configured to be charged with an external power supply and that receives a pilot signal via a charging cable before being supplied with a power when the vehicle is connected to the external power supply via the charging cable, the electronic control unit comprising:

a processor that performs a process necessary for control of charging based on the pilot signal;

an input buffer that is disposed in a stage preceding a pilot signal input port of the processor;

a pilot voltage setting circuit that changes a voltage of the pilot signal in a stepwise manner depending on a control signal output from the processor while the vehicle, the charging cable, and the external power supply are connected; and

an input buffer voltage setting circuit that is a division circuit which divides the voltage of the pilot signal, and that has an output terminal connected to an input terminal of the input buffer;

wherein

a division ratio of the input buffer voltage setting circuit is switched depending on the control signal so that an input voltage of the input buffer is set to be within a recommended input voltage range of the input buffer;

wherein the pilot voltage setting circuit, the input buffer voltage setting circuit, the input buffer, and the processor are arranged in a line in this order.

2. The electronic control unit according to claim 1,

wherein the pilot voltage setting circuit changes a voltage of the pilot signal for recognition of connection between the vehicle and the charging cable to a voltage of the pilot signal for information of the completion of the preparation for charging.

3. The electronic control unit according to claim 2,

wherein when a level of the control signal is first level, the division ratio of the input buffer voltage setting circuit is set so that the input voltage of the input buffer does not exceed a maximum value of the recommended input voltage range of the input buffer;

and

after the level of the control signal changes from the first level to second level, the division ratio of the input buffer voltage setting circuit is set so that the input voltage of the input buffer exceeds a minimum value of the recommended input voltage range of the input buffer.

4. An electronic control unit that is mounted on a vehicle which is configured to be charged with an external power supply and that receives a pilot signal via a charging cable before being supplied with a power when the vehicle is connected to the external power supply via the charging cable, the electronic control unit comprising:

a processor that performs a process necessary for control of charging based on the pilot signal;

an input buffer that is disposed in a stage preceding a pilot signal input port of the processor;

a pilot voltage setting circuit that changes a voltage of the pilot signal in a stepwise manner depending on a control signal output from the processor while the vehicle, the charging cable, and the external power supply are connected; and

an input buffer voltage setting circuit that is a division circuit which divides the voltage of the pilot signal, and that has an output terminal connected to an input terminal of the input buffer;

wherein a division ratio of the input buffer voltage setting circuit is switched depending on the control signal so that an input voltage of the input buffer is set to be within a recommended input voltage range of the input buffer;

wherein the pilot voltage setting circuit comprises;

a pull-down resistor of which one end thereof is connected to a pilot signal line extending from a pilot signal input terminal of the electronic control unit to the input buffer; and

a first switching element that is connected between other end of the pull-down resistor and a ground and that is switched between ON and OFF states based on a control signal output from the processor, and

wherein the input buffer voltage setting circuit comprises;

a first voltage-dividing resistor that is disposed in the pilot signal line in a stage following the pilot voltage setting circuit;

a second voltage-dividing resistor of which one end thereof is connected to the pilot signal line between the first voltage-dividing resistor and the input buffer;

a third voltage-dividing resistor of which one end thereof is connected to other end of the second voltage-dividing resistor and other end is connected to the ground;

a level inverter circuit that receives the control signal output from the processor and that inverts and outputs the level of the control signal; and

a second switching element that is connected in parallel to the third voltage-dividing resistor and that is switched between ON and OFF states based on the control signal output from the level inverter circuit.

5. The electronic control unit according to claim 4,

wherein the pilot voltage setting circuit changes a voltage of the pilot signal for recognition of connection between the vehicle and the charging cable to a voltage of the pilot signal for information of the completion of the preparation for charging.