Charging control apparatus for an electricity storage apparatus in a vehicle

• US 9,340,118 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Endo, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, A. M.
• Application Number:
  US13/455,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20120274276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/36 of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2018 Central base unlocks or authorises unlocking
• 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

When detecting an abnormality, an in-vehicle wireless instrument in a plug-in vehicle sends an abnormality occurrence notification to a mobile terminal via an information center. The mobile terminal performs a notification to notify a user of the abnormality having occurred in the plug-in vehicle. When the user performs a charging forbiddance manipulation based on the notification, the mobile terminal sends a charging forbidding command to a power management ECU in the vehicle via the information center and the in-vehicle wireless instrument. When receiving the charging forbidding command, the power management ECU stops charging a battery using an external power source, and sends a setting completion notification to the mobile terminal via the in-vehicle wireless instrument and the information center. When receiving the setting completion notification, the mobile terminal notifies the user that the charging is stopped.

Claims

1. A charging control apparatus for an electricity storage apparatus in a vehicle, the electricity storage apparatus being rechargeable using an electric power source placed external to the vehicle, the charging control apparatus comprising:

a charging portion that switches over between a charging permitted state and a charging forbidden state,

the charging permitted state being a state in which charging of the electricity storage apparatus using the electric power source is permitted, the charging forbidden state being a state in which charging of the electricity storage apparatus using the electric power source is forbidden;

a detection section that detects an abnormality that occurs in the vehicle; and

a charging control section that performs a charging forbiddance control to cause the charging portion to switch from the charging permitted state to the charging forbidden state, when the abnormality that occurs in the vehicle is detected by the detection section; and

the charging control section further automatically performing a discharging acceleration control to accelerate discharging of the electricity storage apparatus.

2. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a communication portion in communication with the charging control section that performs communication with a communication terminal placed external to the vehicle, wherein,

the charging control section

causes the communication portion to communicate with the communication terminal to inquire whether to forbid charging of the electricity storage apparatus, and

causes the charging portion to switch to the charging forbidden state when receiving an affirmative response with respect to the forbidding of the charging of the electricity storage apparatus from the communication terminal.

3. The charging control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

when the communication portion cannot communicate with the communication terminal because the communication is disabled,

the charging control section causes the charging portion to switch over to the charging forbidden state without waiting for the affirmative response from the communication terminal.

4. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection section detects an abnormality related to a theft of the vehicle.

5. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the detection section detects an abnormality related to an unauthorized entry to the vehicle.

6. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality includes a window glass being broken.

7. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality includes an immobilizer being unlocked.

8. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharging acceleration control includes operating an accessory of the vehicle at full power.

9. The charging control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the accessory is an air conditioner of the vehicle.

10. A charging control apparatus for an electricity storage apparatus in a vehicle, the electricity storage apparatus being rechargeable using an electric power source placed external to the vehicle, the charging control apparatus comprising:

a charging portion that switches over between a charging permitted state and a charging forbidden state,

the charging permitted state being a state in which charging of the electricity storage apparatus using the electric power source is permitted, the charging forbidden state being a state in which charging of the electricity storage apparatus using the electric power source is forbidden;

a detection section that detects an abnormality that occurs in the vehicle; and

a charging control section that performs a charging forbiddance control to cause the charging portion to switch from the charging permitted state to the charging forbidden state, when the abnormality that occurs in the vehicle is detected by the detection section;

a communication portion in communication with the charging control section that performs communication with a communication terminal placed external to the vehicle, wherein,

the charging control section

causes the communication portion to communicate with the communication terminal to inquire whether to forbid charging of the electricity storage apparatus, and

causes the charging portion to switch to the charging forbidden state when receiving an affirmative response with respect to the forbidding of the charging of the electricity storage apparatus from the communication terminal.

11. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the detection section detects an abnormality related to a theft of the vehicle, and

the charging control section further causes the communication portion to send to the communication terminal a notification indicating a stop of the charging, and

the charging control section further automatically performs a discharging acceleration control to accelerate discharging of the electricity storage apparatus.

12. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the detection section detects an abnormality related to a theft of the vehicle.

13. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the detection section detects an abnormality related to an unauthorized entry to the vehicle.

14. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the communication terminal is a cellular phone.

15. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the abnormality includes a window glass being broken.

16. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the abnormality includes an immobilizer being unlocked.

17. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the affirmative response is provided by a user of the communication terminal.

18. The charging control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the communication terminal is a cellular phone.