Charging device for a vehicle mounted electrical storage device

• US 9,789,781 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Masuda, Tomokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US14/765,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20150375633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 320133, 320135, 320109
• 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 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/20 Inrush current reduction, i.e. avoiding high currents when connecting the battery
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• 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 50/16 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 50/66 : Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 : Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 : Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 : in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 : involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 : Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 : for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 : responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 : having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 : for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/14 : Operating parts, e.g. push-button
• 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 10/64 : 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A charging device for a vehicle carries out timer charging in which the charging device is set in a standby state without charging until charging start time comes when the charging start time is set for a vehicle-mounted electrical storage device. The charging device for the vehicle includes a charger that charges the electrical storage device with electric power supplied from a device outside the vehicle, and an ECU that determines whether to carry out timer charging or carry out instant charging without carrying out the timer charging on the basis of a state of a switch associated with an open/close state of a charging lid, and that controls the charger. Desirably, a timer cancellation or determination switch is also used as a switch for detecting the open/close state of the lid or a switch for opening the lid.

Claims

1. A charging device for a vehicle, the vehicle configured to carry out timer charging in which the charging device is set in a standby state without charging until charging start time comes when the charging start time is set for a vehicle-mounted electrical storage device,

the charging device comprising:

a charger configured to charge the electrical storage device with electric power supplied from a device outside the vehicle; and

an electronic control unit configured to determine whether to carry out the timer charging or carry out instant charging without carrying out the timer charging on the basis of a state of a switch associated with an open-close state of a charging lid, the electronic control unit being configured to control the charger.

2. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the switch is configured to output a first signal when the charging lid is closed and to output the first signal and a second signal different from the first signal in response to user'"'"'s operation when the charging lid is open, and

the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to carry out the timer charging on the basis of a signal that is output from the switch while the charging lid is open.

3. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein

the switch is a pushbutton switch, and a stroke of the pushbutton switch is selectable between a long stroke and a short stroke.

4. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein

an inlet to which a charging cable is connected is accommodated inside the charging lid,

the electronic control unit is configured to use the switch as a switch for detecting the open-close state of the charging lid when the charging cable is not connected to the inlet, the electronic control unit being configured to use the switch as a timer cancellation switch when the charging cable is connected to the inlet.

5. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein an inlet to which a charging cable is connected is accommodated inside the charging lid,

the electronic control unit is configured to use the switch as a switch for detecting the open-close state of the charging lid when the charging cable is not connected to the inlet, the electronic control unit being configured to use the switch as a timer determination switch when the charging cable is connected to the inlet.

6. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the switch is a momentary pushbutton switch, and

the momentary pushbutton switch is configured to contact the charging lid into a depressed state when the charging lid is closed, the momentary pushbutton switch being configured to be in a depression released state and in a state where a user is allowed to depress the momentary pushbutton switch when the charging lid is open.

7. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the switch is configured to be operated in order to shift the charging lid into the open state when the charging lid is closed, the switch being configured to output a first signal and a second signal different from the first signal in response to user'"'"'s operation when the charging lid is open, and the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether to carry out the timer charging on the basis of a signal that is output from the switch when the charging lid is open.

8. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to control the charger so as to carry out the timer charging when the switch is not operated while the charging lid is open, and

the electronic control unit is configured to control the charger so as to disable setting of the timer charging and so as to carry out instant charging when the switch is operated for the first time while the charging lid is open.

9. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to control the charger so as to disable setting of the timer charging and so as to carry out instant charging when the switch is not operated while the charging lid is open, and the electronic control unit is configured to control the charger so as to set the timer charging and so as to carry out the timer charging when the switch is operated for the first time while the charging lid is open.

10. The charging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information device configured to provide information about the open-close state of the charging lid in synchronization with the switch when the charging lid is opened or closed.