Charging device

• US 9,350,179 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ando, Shinji, Iyasu, Seiji, Onimaru, Sadahisa, Obayashi, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, Lucy
• Application Number:
  US13/898,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20130308230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 361/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/54 Windings for different functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/56 with switched windings
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• 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 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/24 Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/00 Arrangements or methods for the control of AC motors characterised by the kind of supply voltage of two or more motors H02P5/00; of synchronous motors with electronic commutators H02P6/00; of DC motors H02P7/00; of stepping motors H02P8/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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

A charging device for a battery of a vehicle includes an insulation resistance detecting circuit, a charging circuit, a leak current detecting circuit and a decoupling circuit. The insulation resistance detecting circuit includes a coupling capacitor, and is disposed between the battery and a vehicle body for detecting an insulation resistance between the battery and the vehicle body. The charging circuit converts an alternating current supplied from an alternating current source into a direct current and charges the battery in a state without insulting the input terminal and the output terminal and in a state where the vehicle body is coupled to an earth. The leak current detecting circuit detects a leak current between the charging circuit and the earth. The decoupling circuit decouples the insulation resistance detecting circuit from one of the battery and the vehicle body during a charging of the battery.

Claims

1. A charging device for charging a battery of a vehicle, the charging device comprising:

an insulation resistance detecting circuit including a coupling capacitor, the insulation resistance detecting circuit being disposed between the battery and a vehicle body for detecting an insulation resistance between the battery and the vehicle body;

a charging circuit having an input terminal to be coupled to an alternating current source and an output terminal to be coupled to the battery, the charging circuit converting an alternating current supplied from the alternating current source into a direct current and charging the battery in a state without insulating the input terminal and the output terminal and in a state where the vehicle body is coupled to an earth;

a leak current detecting circuit being coupled to the charging circuit, the leak current detecting circuit detecting a leak current flowing between the charging circuit and the earth;

a decoupling circuit coupling and decoupling the insulation resistance detecting circuit to and from the battery; and

a control circuit controlling the decoupling circuit, wherein;

the insulation resistance detecting circuit is configured so that a current flows from the battery to the vehicle body through the coupling capacitor in a state where the insulation resistance detecting circuit is coupled to the battery through the decoupling circuit, and

the control circuit controls the decoupling circuit to decouple the insulation resistance detecting circuit from the battery so that the coupling capacitor is decoupled from the battery to prohibit the electric current from the battery to the vehicle body through the coupling capacitor, when the charging circuit is coupled to the alternating current source to charge the battery.

2. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the charging circuit includes a power converter that supplies electric power to a motor of the vehicle.

3. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the charging circuit includes a power converter that supplies electric power to a motor that drives a compressor of the vehicle.

4. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the charging circuit stops the charging of the battery when the leak current detected by the leak current detecting circuit is greater than a reference current.

5. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the insulation resistance detecting circuit detects the insulation resistance before the charging of the battery, and

the charging circuit prevents the charging of the battery when the insulation resistance detected by the insulation resistance detecting circuit before the charging is less than a reference insulation resistance.

6. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the charging circuit stops the charging of the battery when the charging is not completed in a predetermined time period from a beginning of the charging.