Electric vehicle charging apparatus

• US 9,421,876 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fujita, Satoru, Nakajima, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PELTON, NATHANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US14/362,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20140306659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 180/65.1, 180/65.29, 180/65.27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/00 Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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

An electric vehicle charging apparatus includes: a vehicle-side charging connector that is attachably and detachably connected to a charger-side connector provided in an outside vehicle charger; vehicle-side charging positive pole and negative pole lines that connect the vehicle-side charging connector and a power storage apparatus that is capable of being charged with the charger; a diode that is provided in the vehicle-side charging line, in which a forward direction is toward the power storage apparatus from the charger; and a resistor that is disposed in the vehicle to connect the vehicle-side charging positive pole line and the vehicle-side charging negative pole line between the diode and the vehicle-side charging connector.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle charging apparatus equipped with a power storage apparatus that is capable of being charged with an outside vehicle charger, the apparatus comprising:

a vehicle-side charging connector that is attachably and detachably connected to a charger-side connector provided in the charger;

vehicle-side charging positive pole and negative pole lines that connect the vehicle-side charging connector and the power storage apparatus;

a diode that is provided in the vehicle-side charging line, in which a forward direction is connected toward the power storage apparatus from the charger;

a resistor that is disposed in the vehicle to connect the vehicle-side charging positive pole line and the vehicle-side charging negative pole line, at a location on the lines extending between the diode and the vehicle-side charging connector;

a stored power voltage detection unit that detects the voltage of the power storage apparatus;

a voltage acquisition unit that acquires the voltage between the charger-side positive pole connector and the charger-side negative pole connector; and

an abnormality determination unit which determines that the diode is in a breakdown state based on the voltage of the power storage apparatus when charging of the power storage apparatus and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole connector and the charger-side negative pole connector,

wherein a resistance value of the resistor is equal to a resistance value of the diode in the breakdown state.

2. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a contactor that is provided between the vehicle-side charging connector and the resistor, and that is connected while charging is performed.

3. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a contactor that is capable of shutting off conduction between the power storage apparatus and the resistor.

4. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the resistor has the same resistance value as a resistance value that corresponds to a reverse current occurring due to a reverse bias of the diode in a non-breakdown state.

5. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the abnormality determination unit determines that the diode is in a breakdown state when charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is connected, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit.

6. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein in a state where charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is open, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is less than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, when the contactor is set to be in a connection state, and then the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, the abnormality determination unit determines that the diode is in a breakdown state, and

wherein the electric vehicle charging apparatus further comprises a second abnormality determination unit that stores the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors as a stored voltage when charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is open, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is equal to or greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, and that determines that the diode is in a breakdown state when the contactor is set to be in a connection state, and then the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than the stored voltage.

7. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the resistor has the same resistance value as a resistance value that corresponds to a reverse current occurring due to a reverse bias of the diode in a non-breakdown state.

8. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the resistor has the same resistance value as a resistance value that corresponds to a reverse current occurring due to a reverse bias of the diode in a non-breakdown state.

9. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the abnormality determination unit determines that the diode is in a breakdown state when charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is connected, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit.

10. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the abnormality determination unit determines that the diode is in a breakdown state when charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is connected, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit.

11. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein in a state where charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is open, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is less than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, when the contactor is set to be in a connection state, and then the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, the abnormality determination unit determines that the diode is in a breakdown state, and

wherein the electric vehicle charging apparatus further comprises a second abnormality determination unit that stores the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors as a stored voltage when charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is open, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is equal to or greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, and that determines that the diode is in a breakdown state when the contactor is set to be in a connection state, and then the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than the stored voltage.

12. The electric vehicle charging apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein in a state where charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is open, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is less than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, when the contactor is set to be in a connection state, and then the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, the abnormality determination unit determines that the diode is in a breakdown state, and

wherein the electric vehicle charging apparatus further comprises a second abnormality determination unit that stores the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors as a stored voltage when charging of the power storage apparatus is not being performed by the charger, the contactor is open, and the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is equal to or greater than ½

of the voltage of the power storage apparatus detected by the stored power voltage detection unit, and that determines that the diode is in a breakdown state when the contactor is set to be in a connection state, and then the voltage between the charger-side positive pole and negative pole connectors acquired by the voltage acquisition unit is greater than the stored voltage.