Vehicle with an electric storage section capable of discharging (supplying) an electric power to an external electric load, discharge system including the vehicle and a power cable, method for discharging the electric storage section, and equipment external to the vehicle used in the discharge system

• US 9,466,999 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushika Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Daisuke, Kinomura, Shigeki, Mizuno, Tomoyuki, Ogawa, Takashi, Sawada, Hiroki, Suzuki, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHARIEF, MOHAMMED JAMEEL
• Application Number:
  US14/355,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 320/135
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• 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: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 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 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a charge-discharge system CDS. The charge-discharge system includes the vehicle 10, an electric power cable 20, a plug-in station 30, a HEMS 40, and a commercial power supply 50. In a state where the connector 21 of the electric power cable 20 is connected with the inlet of the vehicle 10, an electric power is discharged/supplied from the vehicle electric storage device 11 to an external electric load (e.g., external electric storage device 41). Further, the vehicle electric storage device 11 is capable of being charged by the external power supply 50 through the electric power cable 20. A control device 12 of the vehicle 10 obtains/detects a permissible current value of the electric power cable 20, based on a specific signal (control pilot signal) which is transmitted through a CPLT terminal of the connector 21 before it starts the discharge to the external electric load from the vehicle electric storage device 11.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an inlet with which a connector of an electric power cable is connected;

an electric storage section which can be discharged to an external electric load through said electric power cable; and

a control device, which is configured so as to control discharge from said electric storage section to said external electric load in a state in which said connector is connected with said inlet, and so as to obtain a permissible current value of said electric power cable before starting said discharge;

wherein,

said control device is configured;

so as to obtain said permissible current value of said electric power cable based on a control pilot signal sent through said electric power cable from a CPLT circuit connected with said electric power cable;

so as to include a second communication unit capable of communicating with a first communication unit provided at a location external to said vehicle through said electric power cable, and obtain said permissible current value of said electric power cable transmitted from said first communication unit to said second communication unit through communication; and

so as to control said discharge from said electric storage section to said external electric load, based on either said permissible current value transmitted from said first communication unit to said second communication unit through communication or said permissible current value obtained based on said control pilot signal, whichever is smaller.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein,

said control device is configured so as to transmit, to said first communication unit from said second communication unit through communication, information relating to discharge capability including a current of an electric power which will be discharged, according to a request for discharge transmitted from said first communication unit to said second communication unit through communication.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, said CPLT circuit is a circuit configured so as to provide said control pilot signal.

3. A discharge system having:

an electric power cable including a connector; and

a vehicle comprising an electric storage section which can be discharged to an external electric load through said electric power cable, an inlet with which said connector is connected, and a control device which controls discharge from said electric storage section to said external electric load in a state in which said connector is connected with said inlet;

wherein,

said electric power cable is configured so as to be able to provide a control pilot signal representing a permissible current value of said electric power cable to said control device from a CPLT circuit connected with said electric power cable;

said control device is configured;

so as to obtain, based on said control pilot signal from said electric power cable, said permissible current value before starting said discharge;

so as to include a second communication unit capable of communicating with a first communication unit provided at a location external to said vehicle through said electric power cable, and so as to obtain said permissible current value of said electric power cable transmitted from said first communication unit to said second communication unit through communication; and

so as to control said discharge from said electric storage section to said external electric load, based on either said permissible current value transmitted from said first communication unit to said second communication unit or said permissible current value obtained based on said control pilot signal, whichever is smaller.

4. The discharge system according to claim 3, wherein,

said control device is configured so as to transmit, to said first communication unit from said second communication unit through communication, information relating to discharge capability including a current of an electric power which will be discharged, according to a request for discharge transmitted from said first communication unit to said second communication unit through communication.

8. The discharge system according to claim 3, wherein, said CPLT circuit is a circuit configured so as to provide said control pilot signal.

5. A discharge control method of a vehicle having:

an inlet with which a connector of an electric power cable is connected;

an electric storage section which can be discharged to an external electric load through said electric power cable and can be charged using an electric power supplied from an external power supply through said electric power cable; and

a control device which controls discharge from said electric storage section to said external electric load in a state in which said connector is connected with said inlet,

wherein, said control device includes a second communication unit capable of communicating with a first communication unit provided at a location external to said vehicle through said electric power cable,

said method comprising steps of;

providing a control pilot signal representing a permissible current value of said electric power cable to said control device through said electric power cable from a CPLT circuit connected with said electric power cable, and transmitting, to said second communication unit from said first communication unit through communication, said permissible current value of said electric power cable, before starting said discharge to said external electric load in said state in which said connector is connected with said inlet; and

controlling said discharge from said electric storage section to said external electric load, based on either said permissible current value transmitted from said first communication unit to said second communication unit through communication or said permissible current value obtained based on said control pilot signal, whichever is smaller.

6. The discharge control method of a vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising a step of transmitting, to said first communication unit from said second communication unit through communication, information relating to discharge capability including a current of an electric power which will be discharged, according to a request for discharge transmitted from said first communication unit to said second communication unit through communication.

9. The discharge control method of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein, said CPLT circuit is a circuit configured so as to provide said control pilot signal.