Vehicle and power supply system

• US 9,216,655 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Daisuke, Mizuno, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Steve T.
• Application Number:
  US13/879,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20140217972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• 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 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/00 Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3278 of relays, solenoids or reed switches measuring contact resistance G01R27/205; high voltage magnetic switches G01R31/3271, G01R31/333; testing electric windings G01R31/72; monitoring of fail safe circuits H01H47/002
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2047/003 Detecting welded contacts and applying weld break pulses to coil
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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: 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]

Abstract

A vehicle includes a charging unit receiving electric power supplied from an external power supply through a power feeding cable connected to an inlet for charging a power storage device; a discharging unit for supplying electric power from the power storage device to the power feeding cable through the inlet; a discharge relay; and a charge relay. When ending a discharging operation, an ECU outputs an opening instruction to the discharge relay and determines based on the state of a power line during output of the opening instruction whether the discharge relay is welded or not. When starting the discharging operation, the ECU outputs a closing instruction to the discharge relay and does not determine during output of the closing instruction whether the discharge relay is welded or not.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a rechargeable power storage device;

a power line that transmits electric power to and from the power storage device;

a switching device interposed in the power line and configured to allow electrical connection and disconnection of the power storage device;

a control device that is configured to determine, when transmission of the electric power to or from the power storage device ends, whether the switching device is welded or not, and that is configured not to determine, when the transmission of the electric power to or from the power storage device starts, whether the switching device is welded or not;

a charging unit that receives electric power supplied from the external power supply through a cable connected to the connection unit for charging the power storage device; and

a discharging unit that supplies electric power from the power storage device to the cable through the connection unit, wherein

the switching device includes;

a first switching unit interposed in a first power line connecting the discharging unit and the connection unit; and

second switching unit interposed in a second power line connecting the power storage device and the charging unit,

the vehicle is configured to be capable of switching between a charging operation of charging the power storage device with electric power from an external power supply, and a discharging operation of supplying electric power from the power storage device to an external load; and

when the charging operation or the discharging operation ends, the control device outputs an opening instruction to the switching device, and determines whether the switching device is welded or not based on a state of the power line during output of the opening instruction.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a connection unit that is configured to electrically connect the vehicle,

wherein when the discharging operation ends, the control device outputs the opening instruction to the first switching unit, and determines whether the first switching unit is welded or not based on a state of the first power line during output of the opening instruction.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein when the charging operation ends, the control device outputs the opening instruction to the second switching unit, and determines whether the second switching unit is welded or not based on a state of the second power line during output of the opening instruction.

4. A power supply system including a vehicle and a charging stand that transmits electric power between the vehicle and an external power supply or an external load, wherein

the charging stand is configured to allow transmission of electric power from the external power supply to the vehicle through a cable connected to a connection unit provided in the vehicle, and transmission of electric power from the vehicle to the external load through the cable, and

the vehicle includes

a rechargeable power storage device,

a power line that transmits electric power to and from the power storage device;

a switching device interposed in the power line and configured to allow electrical connection and disconnection of the power storage device;

a control device that is configured to determine, when transmission of the electric power to or from the power storage device ends, whether the switching device is welded or not, and that is configured not to determine, when the transmission of the electric power to or from the power storage device starts, whether the switching device is welded or not;

a charging unit that receives electric power supplied from the external power supply through the cable for charging the power storage device; and

a discharging unit that supplies electric power from the power storage device to the cable through the connection unit, wherein

the switching device includes;

a first switching unit interposed in a first power line connecting the discharging unit and the connection unit; and

a second switching unit interposed in a second power line connecting the power storage device and the charging unit,

when ending a discharging operation of supplying electric power from the power storage device to the external load, the control device outputs an opening instruction to the first switching unit, and determines whether the first switching unit is welded or not based on a state of the first power line during output of the opening instruction; and

when starting the discharging operation, the control device outputs a closing instruction to the first switching unit, and does not determine whether the first switching unit is welded or not.

5. The power supply system according to claim 4, wherein

when ending a charging operation of charging the power storage device with electric power from the external power supply, the control device outputs the opening instruction to the second switching unit, and determines whether the second switching unit is welded or not based on a state of the second power line during output of the opening instruction;

and

when starting the charging operation, the control device outputs the closing instruction to the second switching unit, and does not determine whether the second switching unit is welded or not.

6. The power supply system according to claim 5, wherein

the charging stand is configured to allow power line communication with the vehicle using the cable;

and

the charging stand determines whether the first switching unit is welded or not based on a state of the cable during output of the opening instruction to the first switching unit, and transmits a determination result to the control device.

7. A charging stand for transmitting electric power between a vehicle and an outside of the vehicle, wherein

the vehicle includes:

a rechargeable power storage device,

a power line that transmits electric power to and from the power storage device;

a switching device interposed in the power line and configured to allow electrical connection and disconnection of the power storage device;

a control device that is configured to determine, when transmission of the electric power to or from the power storage device ends, whether the switching device is welded or not, and that is configured not to determine, when the transmission of the electric power to or from the power storage device starts, whether the switching device is welded or not;

a charging unit that receives electric power supplied from the external power supply through the cable for charging the power storage device; and

a discharging unit that supplies electric power from the power storage device to the cable through the connection unit; and

the switching device includes;

a first switching unit interposed in a first power line connecting the discharging unit and the connection unit; and

a second switching unit interposed in a second power line connecting the power storage device and the charging unit, wherein

the vehicle is configured to be capable of switching between a charging operation of charging the power storage device with electric power from an external power supply and a discharging operation of supplying electric power from the power storage device to an external load;

when ending the charging operation or the discharging operation, the control device outputs an opening instruction to the switching device, and determines whether the switching device is welded or not based on a state of the power line during output of the opening instruction; and

the charging stand is configured to allow transmission of electric power from the external power supply to the vehicle through a cable connected to a connection unit provided in the vehicle, and transmission of electric power from the vehicle to the external load through the cable, and comprises a notification unit for notifying the result of determination of the control device about welding of the switching device.

8. The charging stand according to claim 7, wherein

when ending the discharging operation, the control device outputs the opening instruction to the first switching unit, and determines whether the first switching unit is welded or not based on a state of the first power line during output of the opening instruction.

9. The charging stand according to claim 8, wherein when ending the charging operation, the control device outputs the opening instruction to the second switching unit, and determines whether the second switching unit is welded or not based on a state of the second power line during output of the opening instruction.

10. The charging stand according to claim 7, wherein

the charging stand is configured to allow communication with the control device and receives the result of determination about welding of the switching device from the control device.

11. A control method of a vehicle configured to allow transmission of electric power between a rechargeable power storage device and an external power supply or an external load, the method comprising the steps of:

outputting an opening instruction to a switching device interposed in a power line for transmitting electric power between the power storage device and the external power supply or the external load, when ending transmission of electric power between said power storage device and the external power supply or external load, and determining whether the switching device is welded or not based on a state of the power line during output of the opening instruction; and

outputting a closing instruction to the switching device, when starting transmission of electric power between the power storage device and the external power supply or the external load, and not determining during output of the closing instruction whether the switching device is welded or not, wherein

the vehicle is configured to be capable of switching between a charging operation of charging the power storage device with electric power from the external power supply and a discharging operation of supplying electric power from the power storage device to the external load;

the vehicle includes;

a charging unit that receives electric power supplied from the external power supply through a cable connected to the connection unit for charging the power storage device; and

a discharging unit that supplies electric power from the power storage device to the cable through the connection unit, wherein

the switching device includes;

a first switching unit interposed in a first power line connecting the discharging unit and the connection unit; and

a second switching unit interposed in a second power line connecting the power storage device and the charging unit,

when ending the charging operation or the discharging operation, the steps of outputting an opening instruction to the switching device and determining whether the switching device is welded or not is based on a state of the power line during output of the opening instruction.