Connection detecting circuit

• US 9,923,391 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yuya, Kaihara, Kuniaki, Sakai, Hiroyuki, Kodama, Atsushi, Kono, Takayuki, Okada, Kohsuke, Kawano, Shohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Henze-Gongola, David V
• Application Number:
  US15/046,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20160241060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A circuit includes a vehicle-side circuit, a charger-side circuit and a connecting part. The vehicle-side circuit includes a power source, a first resistor provided between the power source and the connecting part, a second resistor which is connected to the first resistor in series, a switch which turns on or off current supply from the power source, a voltage detector which detects a voltage at a connection point of the first resistor and the second resistor, a determining part which determines a state of connection between a vehicle-side connector and a charger-side connector and occurrence4 of a failure in the vehicle-side circuit based at least in part on the voltage detected by the voltage detector and an on/off state of the switch.

Claims

1. A circuit, comprising:

a vehicle-side connecting part provided in an electrically driven vehicle;

a charger-side connecting part provided in an external charger, the charger-side connecting part being configured to be connected to the vehicle-side connecting part to supply power to a battery installed in the electrically driven vehicle; and

a vehicle-side circuit, provided at the electrically driven vehicle, and configured to be connected to the charger-side connector via the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part, the vehicle-side circuit being grounded in a state that the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other,

wherein the vehicle-side circuit includes;

a power source;

a switch electrically connected to the power source and turns on or off current supply from the power source;

a first resistor electrically connected between the switch and the vehicle-side connecting part;

a second resistor electrically connected to the first resistor in series between the first resistor and the vehicle-side connecting part;

a voltage detector which detects a voltage at a connection point of the first resistor and the second resistor; and

a determining part which determines a state of connection between the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part and occurrence of a failure in the vehicle-side circuit based at least in part on the voltage detected by the voltage detector and an on/off state of the switch.

2. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the second resistor is electrically connected between the first resister and the vehicle-side connecting part, and is smaller in resistance than the first resistor.

3. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

a charger-side resistor is connected to the charger-side connecting part, and

the determining part, when the switch is controlled to be on,

determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is higher than or equal to a first threshold voltage,

determines that the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are not connected to each other if the detected voltage is lower than the first threshold voltage and higher than or equal to a second threshold voltage that is lower than the first threshold voltage,

determines that the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other if the detected voltage is lower than the second threshold voltage and higher than or equal to a third threshold voltage that is lower than the second threshold voltage, and

determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is lower than the third threshold voltage.

4. The circuit according to claim 2, wherein

a charger-side resistor is connected to the charger-side connecting part, and

the determining part, when the switch is controlled to be on,

determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is higher than or equal to a first threshold voltage,

determines that the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are not connected to each other if the detected voltage is lower than the first threshold voltage and higher than or equal to a second threshold voltage that is lower than the first threshold voltage,

determines that the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other if the detected voltage is lower than the second threshold voltage and higher than or equal to a third threshold voltage that is lower than the second threshold voltage, and

determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is lower than the third threshold voltage.

5. The circuit according to claim 3, wherein

the determining part, when the switch is controlled to be off, determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is higher than or equal to a fourth threshold voltage that is lower than the third threshold voltage.

6. The circuit according to claim 4, wherein

the determining part, when the switch is controlled to be off, determines that the vehicle-side circuit is in failure if the detected voltage is higher than or equal to a fourth threshold voltage that is lower than the third threshold voltage.

7. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the switch is a transistor.

8. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

9. The circuit according to claim 2, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

10. The circuit according to claim 3, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

11. The circuit according to claim 4, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

12. The circuit according to claim 5, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

13. The circuit according to claim 6, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

14. The circuit according to claim 7, wherein

the switch is controlled to be off when the vehicle-side connecting part and the charger-side connecting part are connected to each other and the battery is being charged from the external charger, and is controlled to be on when the battery is not being charged from the external charger.

15. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the second resistor is electrically and constantly connected to the first resistor.