CHARGING SYSTEM, VEHICLE, AND CHARGING SYSTEM CONTROL METHOD

• US 20110196545A1
• Filed: 05/28/2009
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Miwa, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,565,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/292
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• 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 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• 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 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• 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 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

An ECU operates a charging unit such that a power storage device is charged by an electric power from a power supply. When a vehicle moves while charging the unit charges the power storage device, the ECU stops charging the unit to discontinue the charging of the power storage device. The ECU diagnoses a state of the charging unit after the charging of the power storage device is stopped. The ECU determines whether the charging of the power storage device is able to be resumed based on the diagnostic result. When determining that the charging of the power storage device is able to be resumed, the ECU resumes the charging of the power storage device by resuming the operation of the charging unit.

Claims

1. A charging system for charging a power storage device mounted on a vehicle by a power supply provided outside said vehicle, said charging system comprising:

a charging unit configured to be able to charge said power storage device by an electric power supplied from said power supply when said vehicle is in a rest state; and

a charging control unit configured to control said charging unit,

said charging control unit including

a charging execution unit configured to operate said charging unit in order to charge said power storage device,

a detection unit configured to detect a change in position of said vehicle,

a charging stopping unit configured to cause said charging unit to stop a charging of said power storage device, when said detection unit detects the change in position of said vehicle from a starting position of the charging of said power storage device while said charging unit charges said power storage device,

a diagnostic unit configured to diagnose a state of said charging unit associated with a supply of the electric power, when said charging stopping unit stops the charging of said power storage device,

a determination unit configured to determine whether an operation of said charging unit is able to be resumed, based on a diagnostic result of said diagnostic unit, and

a charging resuming unit configured to cause said charging unit to resume the charging of said power storage device, when said determination unit determines that the operation of said charging unit is able to be resumed.

2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle includes an operating device for controlling said vehicle so as to put said vehicle in the rest state according to an operation of an operator,

said charging control unit further includes an estimation unit configured to estimate that said vehicle is in the rest state, based on the operation of said operating device by said operator, and

said charging execution unit configured to cause said charging unit to start the charging of said power storage device, when said estimation unit estimates that said vehicle is in said rest state.

3. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein said charging control unit further includes:

an information producing unit configured to produce first information and second information, said first information indicating that said charging stopping unit stops the charging of said power storage device, said second information indicating that said charging resuming unit resumes the charging of said power storage device; and

a storage unit configured to store said first information and said second information therein.

4. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein said charging unit includes:

a cable for transferring the electric power from said power supply to said vehicle;

an inlet provided in said vehicle to be able to be connected to said cable; and

a charger provided in said vehicle, said charger being configured to supply the electric power fed into said inlet to said power storage device under the control of said charging execution unit and said charging resuming unit while stopping the supply of the electric power to said power storage device under the control of said charging stopping unit, and

said diagnostic unit is configured to diagnose the state of said charging unit by detecting at least a connection state of said cable and said inlet.

5. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein said charging unit includes:

a power receiving unit provided in said vehicle, said power receiving unit being configured to be able to receive the electric power in a non-contact manner from said power supply within a predetermined range; and

a charger provided in said vehicle, said charger being configured to supply the electric power received by said power receiving unit to said power storage device under the control of said charging execution unit and said charging resuming unit while stopping the supply of the electric power to said power storage device under the control of said charging stopping unit,

said diagnostic unit is configured to diagnose the state of said charging unit by detecting whether a position of said power receiving unit falls within said predetermined range.

6. A vehicle comprising:

a power storage device;

a charging unit configured to be able to charge said power storage device by an electric power from supplied from a power supply when said vehicle is in a rest state; and

a charging control unit configured to control said charging unit,

said charging control unit including

a charging execution unit configured to operate said charging unit in order to charge said power storage device,

a detection unit configured to detect a change in position of said vehicle,

a charging stopping unit configured to cause said charging unit to stop a charging of said power storage device, when said detection unit detects the change in position of said vehicle from a starting position of the charging of said power storage device while said charging unit charges said power storage device,

a diagnostic unit configured to diagnose a state of said charging unit associated with a supply of the electric power, when said charging stopping unit stops the charging of said power storage device,

a determination unit configured to determine whether an operation of said charging unit able to be resumed, based on a diagnostic result of said diagnostic unit, and

a charging resuming unit configured to cause said charging unit to resume the charging of said power storage device, when said determination unit determines that the operation of said charging unit is able to be resumed.

7. A method for controlling charging system for charging a power storage device mounted on a vehicle by a power supply provided outside said vehicle, said charging system including a charging unit configured to be able to charge said power storage device by an electric power supplied from said power supply when said vehicle is in a rest state;

and a charging control unit configured to control said charging unit,

said charging system control method comprising the steps of;

operating said charging unit in order to charge said power storage device;

determining whether a position of said vehicle changes from a starting position of a charging of said power storage device while said charging unit charges said power storage device;

causing said charging unit to stop the charging of said power storage device when the determination is made that the position of said vehicle changes from the starting position of the charging of said power storage device;

diagnosing a state of said charging unit associated with a supply of the electric power, when the charging of said power storage device is stopped;

determining whether an operation of said charging unit is able to be resumed based on a diagnostic result of said diagnostic step; and

causing said charging unit to resume the charging of said power storage device when the determination is made that the operation of the charging unit is able to be resumed.