Vehicle

• US 9,731,611 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kojima, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Arun
• Application Number:
  US14/902,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20160368391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/14 of noise
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for 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
• 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

A vehicle capable of being externally charged, in which a vehicle-mounted power storage device is charged using electric power supplied from a charging cable external to the vehicle, an ECU executes a smart verification process for communicating with an electronic key located within a prescribed verification range and verifying whether the electronic key is an authorized user'"'"'s key or not, when it is detected that a user has operated a switch for locking the charging cable. When smart verification is impossible, the ECU executes a noise suppression process caused by external charging, and executes the smart verification process during the noise suppression process. When it is determined by the smart verification process during the noise suppression process that smart verification is possible, the ECU switches a state of a lock mechanism of the charging cable.

Claims

1. A vehicle capable of executing external charging in which a vehicle-mounted power storage device is charged using electric power supplied from a charging cable external to the vehicle, the vehicle comprising:

an inlet configured to be connectable to said charging cable;

a cable lock mechanism provided near said inlet and being capable of switching between a lock state in which said charging cable cannot be removed from said inlet and an unlock state in which said charging cable can be removed from said inlet;

a cable lock switch provided near said inlet and outputting a signal for requesting switching of a state of said cable lock mechanism in accordance with user'"'"'s operation;

an antenna provided near said inlet and being capable of receiving a signal from an electronic key located within a prescribed range; and

a control device capable of executing a verification process for determining whether a verification condition that the electronic key located within said prescribed range is an authorized user'"'"'s key is satisfied or not based on information received by said antenna, wherein

said control device executes a noise suppression process for suppressing a noise caused by said external charging, when said cable lock switch is operated;

executes said verification process during said noise suppression process; and

switches the state of said cable lock mechanism when it is determined by said verification process that said verification condition is satisfied,

said control device

executes a first verification process when said cable lock switch is operated,

switches the state of said cable lock mechanism without executing said noise suppression process, when it is determined by said first verification process that said verification condition is satisfied, and

executes said noise suppression process when it is determined by said first verification process that said verification condition is not satisfied;

executes a second verification process during said noise suppression process;

switches the state of said cable lock mechanism when it is determined by said second verification process that said verification condition is satisfied; and

does not switch the state of said cable lock mechanism when it is determined by said second verification process that said verification condition is not satisfied.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said noise suppression process is a process for reducing a current supplied from said charging cable, and thereby, suppressing the noise generated from a power line between said charging cable and said vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising

a charger provided between said inlet and said power storage device, wherein

said noise suppression process includes a process for controlling said charger, and thereby, reducing the current supplied from said charging cable.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

a relay capable of being opened and closed by said control device is provided on the power line in said charging cable, and

said noise suppression process includes a process for controlling said relay in said charging cable to be opened, and thereby, preventing the current from flowing between said charging cable and said vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said charging cable includes an oscillation circuit outputting a pilot signal to said control device, the pilot signal being switched to an oscillating state or a non-oscillating state by said control device, and

said noise suppression process is a process for bringing, into the non-oscillating state, said pilot signal inputted from said oscillation circuit in said charging cable via a control signal line, and thereby, suppressing the noise generated from said control signal line.