Battery charging management system for automated guided vehicle and battery charging management method for automated guided vehicle

• US 9,325,192 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Fukui, Toshihito, Hirayama, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US14/418,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20150263541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 320/134, 320/109, 701/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/44 Industrial trucks or floor conveyors
• 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 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31004 Move vehicle to battery charge or maintenance area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 : in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 : Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 : Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• 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 90/167 : 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A battery charging management system for an automated guided vehicle that travels in an unpiloted manner by using a battery as a driving power source and performs a charging operation for the battery using a battery charger provided in a charging station, comprises a charge/discharge monitoring part that monitors a charge/discharge amount of the battery, a charging needlessness threshold voltage setting part that sets a charging needlessness threshold voltage for the battery, and a charging control part that performs the charging operation for the battery using the battery charger when it is determined that a voltage of the battery of the automated guided vehicle arriving at the charging station is lower than the charging needlessness threshold voltage set by the charging needlessness threshold voltage setting part. The charging needlessness threshold voltage setting part is configured to lower the charging needlessness threshold voltage during a particularly set time period.

Claims

1. A battery charging management system for an automated guided vehicle that travels in an unpiloted manner by using a battery as a driving power source and performs a charging operation for the battery using a battery charger provided in a charging station, comprising

a charge/discharge monitoring part that monitors a charge/discharge amount of the battery;

a charging needlessness threshold voltage setting part that sets a charging needlessness threshold voltage for the battery; and

a charging control part that performs the charging operation for the battery using the battery charger when it is determined that a voltage of the battery of the automated guided vehicle arriving at the charging station is lower than the charging needlessness threshold voltage set by the charging needlessness threshold voltage setting part,

wherein the charging needlessness threshold voltage setting part is configured to lower the charging needlessness threshold voltage during a particularly set time period,

the charge/discharge monitoring part is configured to monitor voltages of plural cells of the battery and stop the automated guided vehicle by displaying an abnormal condition of the battery of the automated guided vehicle when any one of the voltages of the cells is lower than a predetermined voltage value, and

the predetermined voltage value for determining the abnormal condition of the battery is lowered when the automated guided vehicle travels in a predetermined area, compared to a case where the vehicle travels in other areas.

2. The battery charging management system for the automated guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the charge/discharge monitoring part is mounted on the automated guided vehicle, and

the charging needlessness threshold voltage setting part is configured to inquire a charge/discharge amount of the battery to the charge/discharge monitoring part of the automated guided vehicle arriving at the charging station using a communication part to obtain the charge/discharge amount of the battery.

3. The battery charging management system for the automated guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined area is an area where stopping of the automated guided vehicle is suppressed.

4. A battery charging management method for an automated guided vehicle that travels in an unpiloted manner by using a battery as a driving power source and performs a charging operation for the battery using a battery charger provided in a charging station, comprising

monitoring a charge/discharge amount of the battery;

setting a charging needlessness threshold voltage for the battery;

charging the battery using the battery charger when it is determined that a voltage of the battery of the automated guided vehicle arriving at the charging station is lower than the charging needlessness threshold voltage; and

lowering the charging needlessness threshold voltage during a particularly set time period,

wherein monitoring the charge/discharge amount of the battery comprises monitoring voltages of plural cells of the battery and the method further comprises stopping the automated guided vehicle by displaying an abnormal condition of the battery of the automated guided vehicle when any one of the voltages of the cells is lower than a predetermined voltage value, and

wherein the predetermined voltage value for determining the abnormal condition of the battery is lowered when the automated guided vehicle travels in a predetermined area, compared to a case where the vehicle travels in other areas.

5. The battery charging management method for the automated guided vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined area is an area where stopping of the automated guided vehicle is suppressed.