VEHICLE

• US 20140322570A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Toru, Ichikawa, Shinji
• Application Number:
  US14/361,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20140322570A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/72
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/06 with air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/003 with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0416 Arrangement in the rear part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0633 the fuel tank is arranged below the rear seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• 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 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

This vehicle incorporates a battery including a battery charged with external electric power, a charging-related device including a charging device used for charging of the battery, and a first coolant device introducing a coolant for cooling the battery and the charging device into the battery and the charging-related device, and the first coolant device is provided to allow switching between a first state in which the coolant is introduced into the battery and a second state in which the coolant is introduced into the charging-related device.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a battery charged with external electric power;

a charging device used for charging of said battery; and

a first coolant device for introducing a coolant for cooling said battery and said charging device into said battery and said charging device,

said first coolant device being provided to allow switching between a first state in which said coolant is introduced mainly into said battery and a second state in which said coolant is introduced mainly into said charging device.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said first coolant device includes

a main coolant flow path in which said coolant is introduced,

a flow path switching device provided in said main coolant flow path,

a first coolant flow path provided in said flow path switching device and leading to said battery, and

a second coolant flow path provided in said flow path switching device and leading to said charging device, and

said flow path switching device is provided to allow switching between said first state in which said first coolant flow path is allowed to communicate with said main coolant flow path to introduce said coolant mainly into said battery and said second state in which said second coolant flow path is allowed to communicate with said main coolant flow path to introduce said coolant mainly into said charging device.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

when cooling of said battery is necessary and cooling of said charging device is not necessary, said first state is selected for said first coolant device.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said battery further includes a second coolant device for introducing a coolant for cooling said battery.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

in cooling said battery at least said second coolant device is used to introduce said coolant into said battery.

6. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

when said first state is selected, said coolant is introduced into said battery by using said second coolant device.

7. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

said second coolant device is lower in cooling capability than said first coolant device.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said second state is selected during charging of said battery with said external electric power.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said charging device includes an electric power reception device receiving electric power in a non-contact manner from an externally provided electric power transmission portion.