Apparatus for controlling the currents supplied for battery charging and an electric load during charging of an electric vehicle battery

• US 5,656,916 A
• Filed: 08/25/1995
• Issued: 08/12/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hotta, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US08/519,576
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 320/5, 320/21, 320/22, 320/31, 320/39, 320/48, 180/65.1, 62/209, 62/230, 62/243, 165/43
• US Class Current: 320/160
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/08 Methods and devices for control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/56 Temperature prediction, e.g. for pre-cooling
• 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 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/10 : Nonbattery load controls charging

Abstract

When the main battery of an electric vehicle is being charged and any one of an air-conditioner ON/OFF switch, a pre-air-conditioning preference ON/OFF switch, an external-input-controlled timer pre-air-conditioning preference ON/OFF switch, and an external-input-controlled pre-air-conditioning ON/OFF switch is turned on, a charging control device causes the maximum output current from the battery charger to be distributed between the battery and a motor-driven air conditioner or other electric load at a certain ratio on a real-time basis or at a start time established by a pre-air-conditioning timer or a timer in an air-conditioner controller. Therefore, the motor-driven air conditioner or other electric load can be operated and a charging current can be supplied to the battery at the same time even if the rated output capacity of the charger is relatively small. Consequently, the motor-driven air conditioner or other electric load can efficiently be operated while the battery is being charged.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling the charging of a battery on an electric vehicle with a charger which is energizable by an external power supply, comprising:

an electrical load used in said electrical vehicle, said electrical load normally operating at a demand current;

electrical load operating demand means for demanding operation of said electrical load at said demand current;

detecting means for detecting whether a power supply line of said charger is a high voltage power supply line or a low voltage power supply line;

charger maximum output current determining means for determining a maximum output current which can be produced by the charger; and

charging control means connected to the charger and said charger maximum output current determining means for controlling said charger such that, when the battery is being charged by said low voltage power supply line and a power supply to said electrical load is demanded, said electrical load is controlled at an operating current which is lower than said demand current, and the battery is charged at an electrical current which is diminished from the maximum output current of said charger by said operating current.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operating current supplied to the electric load is at least an operable minimum current with which the electric load is operable.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising battery capacity determining means connected to said charging control means, said charging control means reducing a charging current supplied to the battery at a time when the battery is charged to a predetermined capacity, continuously charging the battery with the reduced charging current, and operating the electric load with an increased current from said time.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said predetermined capacity is approximately 80% of a full capacity of the battery.

5. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein said electric load comprises a motor-driven air-conditioner.

6. An apparatus according to any one of claim 1 through 3, wherein said electric load comprises a motor-driven air-conditioner, further comprising a remote control key connected to said charging control means through radio signals, said remote control key having an external-input-controlled timer pre-air-conditioning preference ON/OFF switch which, when turned on, controls said charging control means to continuously charge the battery and operate the motor-driven air-conditioner with a maximum capability limit of the charger several minutes prior to boarding the electric vehicle.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the charger comprises a charger mounted on the electric vehicle.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charger comprises an external charger outside of the electric vehicle.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric load comprises a seat heater on the electric vehicle.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric load comprises a heating/cooling cabinet on the electric vehicle.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric load comprises a rear window defroster in the form of a printed resistive wire.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric load comprises a fan for cooling the battery at high temperatures.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric load comprises a fan for heating the battery at low temperatures.

14. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said charging control means reduces the charging current below a normal charging current after the battery is charged to said predetermined capacity when the electric load is operated.

15. An apparatus for controlling the charging of a battery on an electric vehicle with a charger which is energizable by an external power supply, comprising:

an electrical load used in said electrical vehicle, said electrical load normally operating at a demand circuit;

electrical load operating demand means for demanding operation of said electrical load at said demand current;

charger ability detecting means for determining a maximum current that can be output from said charger, and for detecting when said maximum current is lower than a prescribed value which is derived from a present battery charging current and the electrical load demand current during charging of said battery; and

charging control means connected to the charger and said charger ability detecting means for controlling said charger such that, during charging when said charger ability detecting means detects that said maximum current is lower than said prescribed amount and power supply to said electrical load is demanded, said electrical load is controlled at an operating current which is lower than said demand current, and the battery is charged at an electrical current which is diminished from said maximum current of said charger by said operating current.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said operating current supplied to the electric load is at least an operable minimum current with which the electric load is operable.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising battery capacity determining means connected to said charging control means, for reducing a charging current supplied to the battery at a time when the battery is charged to a predetermined capacity, continuously charging the battery with the reduced charging current, and operating the electric load with an increased current from said time.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said operating current to the electric load is at least an operable minimum current with which the electric load is operable.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, wherein said charging control means reduces the charging current below a normal charging current after the battery is charged to said predetermined capacity when the electric load is operated.