VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CHARGING VEHICLE

• US 20100198440A1
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujitake, Yoshinori
• Granted Patent: US 9,093,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/25 by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/30 for monitoring or controlling fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/00 Structural combinations of different types of electrochemical generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 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: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• 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

An ECU executes a program including a step of calculating a first charging current value in accordance with the state of a battery pack; a step of calculating a second charging current value in accordance with the current capacity of a charging cable coupling a hybrid vehicle and an external power supply to output a pilot signal CPLT indicating the current capacity; a step of setting the smaller one of the first charging current value and the second charging current value as a third charging current value; and a step of controlling a charger such that the output current value of the charger connected to the charging cable for controlling a value of a current supplied to the battery pack is equal to the third charging current value, for charging the battery pack.

Claims

1. A vehicle having a power storage mechanism storing electric power supplied from an external power supply through a coupling unit that outputs a signal indicating a value of a current which can be supplied, said vehicle comprising:

a charger that is connected to said coupling unit and controls a value of a current supplied to said power storage mechanism; and

a control unit, wherein said control unit

calculates a first charging current value in accordance with a state of said power storage mechanism,

calculates a second charging current value in accordance with the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit,

sets a smaller one of said first charging current value and said second charging current value as a third charging current value, and

controls said charger such that a value of a current supplied from said charger to said power storage mechanism is equal to said third charging current value.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said control unit limits said third charging current value to a threshold value or less.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said control unit limits said third charging current value to a threshold value or more.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said control unit corrects said third charging current value.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein said control unit corrects said third charging current value to be decreased.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein, in a case where a value of a current supplied from said power supply is greater than the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit, said control unit corrects said third charging current value to be decreased.

7. The vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising a voltage sensor that detects a voltage of said power supply within said vehicle, wherein

in a case where the detected voltage is less than a predetermined voltage, said control unit corrects said third charging current value to be decreased.

8. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein, in a case where a correction amount of said third charging current value is greater than a threshold value, said control unit stops charging said power storage mechanism.

9. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein said control unit corrects said third charging current value to be increased.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein, in a case where a value of a current supplied from said power supply is less than the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit, said control unit corrects said third charging current value to be increased.

11. A method of charging a vehicle having a power storage mechanism storing electric power supplied from an external power supply through a coupling unit that outputs a signal indicating a value of a current which can be supplied, said method comprising the steps of:

calculating a first charging current value in accordance with a state of said power storage mechanism;

calculating a second charging current value in accordance with the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit;

setting a smaller one of said first charging current value and said second charging current value as a third charging current value; and

controlling a charger, that is connected to said coupling unit and controls a value of a current supplied to said power storage mechanism, such that a value of a current supplied to said power storage mechanism from said charger is equal to said third charging current value.

12. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising the step of limiting said third charging current value to a threshold value or less.

13. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising the step of limiting said third charging current value to a threshold value or more.

14. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising the step of correcting said third charging current value.

15. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said step of correcting said third charging current value includes the step of correcting said third charging current value to be decreased.

16. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said step of correcting said third charging current value to be decreased includes the step of, in a case where a value of a current supplied from said power supply is greater than the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit, correcting said third charging current value to be decreased.

17. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 15, further comprising the step of detecting a voltage of said power supply within said vehicle, wherein

said step of correcting said third charging current value to be decreased includes the step of, in a case where the detected voltage is less than a predetermined voltage, correcting said third charging current value to be decreased.

18. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 15, further comprising the step of, in a case where a correction amount of said third charging current value is greater than a threshold value, stopping charging said power storage mechanism.

19. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 14, wherein said step of correcting said third charging current value includes the step of correcting said third charging current value to be increased.

20. The method of charging a vehicle according to claim 19, wherein said step of correcting said third charging current value to be increased includes the step of, in a case where a value of a current supplied from said power supply is less than the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit, correcting said third charging current value to be increased.

21. A vehicle having a power storage mechanism storing electric power supplied from an external power supply through a coupling unit that outputs a signal indicating a value of a current which can be supplied, said vehicle comprising:

a charger that is connected to said coupling unit and controls a value of a current supplied to said power storage mechanism

means for calculating a first charging current value in accordance with a state of said power storage mechanism;

means for calculating a second charging current value in accordance with the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit;

means for setting a smaller one of said first charging current value and said second charging current value as a third charging current value; and

means for controlling said charger such that a value of a current supplied from said charger to said power storage mechanism is equal to said third charging current value.

22. The vehicle according to claim 21, further comprising means for limiting said third charging current value to a threshold value or less.

23. The vehicle according to claim 21, further comprising means for limiting said third charging current value to a threshold value or more.

24. The vehicle according to claim 21, further comprising correction means for correcting said third charging current value.

25. The vehicle according to claim 24, wherein said correction means includes means for correcting said third charging current value to be decreased.

26. The vehicle according to claim 25, wherein said correction means includes means for correcting said third charging current value to be decreased, in a case where a value of a current supplied from said power supply is greater than the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit.

27. The vehicle according to claim 25, further comprising means for detecting a voltage of said power supply within said vehicle, wherein

said correction means includes means for correcting said third charging current value to be decreased, in a case where the detected voltage is less than a predetermined voltage.

28. The vehicle according to claim 25, further comprising means for stopping charging said power storage mechanism, in a case where a correction amount of said third charging current value is greater than a threshold value.

29. The vehicle according to claim 24, wherein said correction means includes means for correcting said third charging current value to be increased.

30. The vehicle according to claim 29, wherein said correction means includes means for correcting said third charging current value to be increased, in a case where a value of a current supplied from said power supply is less than the value of the current which can be supplied by said coupling unit.