JP2010004620A - Charger for vehicle and charging system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more easily charge an on-board battery at a charging speed according to a user's desire. <P>SOLUTION: A charger for vehicles includes: a charging current amount controller 11 capable of varying a current supplied from a power supply device 2 into multiple different current amounts and supplying it to an on-board battery 3; and a charge control ECU 12 that instructs the charging current amount controller 11 to which one of the current amounts the current supplied from the power supply device 2 should be varied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle charging device and a vehicle charging system used for charging an in-vehicle battery.

Conventionally, a technique for charging an in-vehicle battery of a plug-in vehicle with a current supplied from the outside of the vehicle is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for connecting an electric outlet to a battery charger of an electric vehicle and supplying power to the battery charger. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for supplying current from a household power source to a vehicle-mounted battery via a charger for charging.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-7860 JP-A-10-136510

  However, in the technologies disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the charging speed depends on the amount of charging current supplied from a power supply device such as an electrical outlet or a household power supply, so unless the power supply device is changed, There has been a problem that the vehicle-mounted battery cannot be charged at a charging speed according to the user's request.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle charging device that makes it possible to more easily charge an in-vehicle battery at a charging speed according to a user's request. Another object is to provide a vehicle charging system.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the vehicle charging device according to claim 1 is mounted on a plug-in vehicle that is a vehicle that charges an in-vehicle battery with a current supplied from the outside of the vehicle, and the outside of the plug-in vehicle. A charging device for a vehicle that charges the in-vehicle battery of the plug-in vehicle with a current supplied from the vehicle, wherein the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle is changed into a plurality of types of current amounts to the in-vehicle battery. The charging current amount switching means that can be supplied, and an instruction as to which of the plurality of types of current amounts the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle is changed to, the charging current amount And a switching instruction unit for the switching unit.

  According to this, the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle is changed by the charging current amount switching means to the current amount according to the instruction from the switching instruction means among the plurality of types of current amounts, and the in-vehicle battery Charging can be performed. Since the charging speed of the in-vehicle battery also changes by changing the amount of charge used for charging the in-vehicle battery, according to the above configuration, the charging speed of the in-vehicle battery can also be switched according to the instruction from the switching instruction means. Further, if the instruction from the switching instruction means is an instruction to switch to a charging speed according to the user's desire, it is possible to charge the in-vehicle battery at a charging speed according to the user's desire.

  Furthermore, according to the above configuration, the charging speed of the in-vehicle battery can be switched on the vehicle charging device side mounted on the plug-in vehicle without depending on the current supply source outside the plug-in vehicle. Even when a general household power source is used as a current supply source, the charging speed of the in-vehicle battery can be switched.

  Therefore, according to the above configuration, the vehicle-mounted battery can be more easily charged at a charging speed according to the user's wishes.

  In the vehicle charging device according to claim 2, a setting input from a user indicating which of the plurality of types of current amounts is to be changed from a current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle is received. A setting input receiving means is further provided, and the switching instruction means is configured to change the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle to an amount of current according to the setting input received from the user by the setting input receiving means. It is characterized in that it is performed on the charging current amount switching means.

  According to this, the vehicle-mounted battery can be charged by changing the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle to a current amount according to the user's wish among a plurality of types of current amounts. Therefore, according to the above structure, the vehicle-mounted battery can be charged at a charging speed according to the user's desire.

  The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 3 further includes relay means for supplying current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle to the charging current amount switching means while increasing the current amount stepwise. It is said.

  According to this, even when a large current used for charging the in-vehicle battery is supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle, damage to the charging current amount switching means can be reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the setting input accepting unit accepts the setting input made by the user via the communication terminal and sends the setting input to the switching instruction unit via the in-vehicle LAN. It is characterized by telling.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the setting input receiving means transmits the setting input to the switching instruction means via a dedicated conductive cable.

  According to the fourth and fifth aspects, it is possible to more easily charge the in-vehicle battery at the charging speed according to the user's desire.

  The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 6 further includes current time information acquisition means for acquiring information of current time, wherein the switching instruction means uses current supplied from outside the plug-in vehicle as current time information. The charging current amount switching unit is instructed to change the current amount according to the current time information acquired by the acquiring unit.

  Thereby, it becomes possible to reduce an electricity bill by switching an electric current amount according to the time zone when electricity bills are cheap, such as at night.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device for a vehicle according to the present invention, wherein the charging amount information acquisition unit acquires information on the charging amount of the in-vehicle battery and the charging amount information of the in-vehicle battery acquired by the charging amount information acquisition unit. In addition, when the vehicle battery is charged with the amount of current supplied from the charge current amount switching means to the vehicle battery, a charge time for calculating a time estimated to take until the vehicle battery is fully charged is calculated. It is characterized by comprising: a calculation means; and a presentation instruction means for causing the user to present information indicating the time taken to fully charge the in-vehicle battery calculated by the charging time calculation means.

  According to this, when the on-vehicle battery is charged with the current amount currently supplied by the charging current amount switching means, the user presents information indicating the time estimated to take until the in-vehicle battery is fully charged. Therefore, the user can instruct the switching of the charging rate based on the presentation of this information.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device for a vehicle according to the present invention, wherein the charging amount information acquisition unit acquires information on the charging amount of the in-vehicle battery, and the charging amount information of the in-vehicle battery acquired by the charging amount information acquisition unit. In addition, for each of the plurality of types of current amounts that can be supplied from the charging current amount switching means to the vehicle-mounted battery, the vehicle-mounted battery is charged when the vehicle-mounted battery is charged with each of the plurality of types of current amounts. A charging time calculating means for calculating a time estimated to take until the battery is fully charged; and a time required to fully charge the in-vehicle battery calculated by the charging time calculating means for each of the plurality of types of current amounts. It is characterized by comprising presentation instruction means for presenting information to be presented to the user.

  According to this, when the in-vehicle battery is charged with each current amount that can be supplied by the charging current amount switching means, the user presents information indicating the time estimated to take until the in-vehicle battery is fully charged. Therefore, the user can instruct the switching of the charging speed based on the presentation of these pieces of information.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, the vehicle charging device is installed outside the plug-in vehicle on which the vehicle charging device according to any one of the above and the vehicle charging device are mounted. It includes a power supply device that supplies current to the vehicle charging device, and an in-vehicle battery that is charged by the current supplied from the vehicle charging device.

  According to this, it becomes possible to charge the vehicle-mounted battery more easily at a charging speed according to the user's request.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle charging system 100 to which the present invention is applied. A vehicle charging system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a vehicle charging device 1, a power supply device 2, an in-vehicle battery 3, a battery monitoring unit 4, and a communication terminal 5. In addition, the vehicle charging device 1 includes a charging current amount controller 11, a charging control ECU 12, an interface (IF) unit 13, and a current time information acquisition unit 14. The vehicle charging device 1, the in-vehicle battery 3, and the battery monitoring unit 4 are mounted on the vehicle 6. The vehicle 6 is a plug-in vehicle, such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle that obtains electric power for traveling by supplying electric power from the outside of the vehicle, and is a vehicle that charges a vehicle-mounted battery with a current supplied from the outside of the vehicle. To do.

  The power supply device 2 is a power supply source installed outside the vehicle 6 and supplies a current to the vehicle charging device 1 through a charging cable that is a power supply line. As the power supply device 2, it is possible to use a known charging stand or a commercial power source (that is, a household power source) supplied to the home.

  The in-vehicle battery 3 is a known in-vehicle rechargeable battery in which one or a plurality of battery cells are built in, and is charged by a current supplied from the vehicle charging device 1.

  The battery monitoring unit 4 is an ECU that monitors the charge amount of the in-vehicle battery 3. Specifically, the battery monitoring unit 4 monitors the SOC (state of charge) of the in-vehicle battery 3 and sends this SOC to the charging control ECU 12 of the vehicle charging device 1.

  The communication terminal 5 is a device capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the IF unit 13 of the vehicle charging device 1. When the communication terminal 5 receives a setting input of a charging rate from the user via an operation input unit (not shown), the communication terminal 5 transmits a signal according to the setting input (hereinafter referred to as a setting input signal) via the IF unit 13. To the charging control ECU 12 of the vehicle charging device 1 described later. In this embodiment, as an example, there are three types of setting inputs for the charging speed: “fast charging”, “medium speed charging”, and “low speed charging”, and the setting input signals corresponding to these three types are used. Will be described below. Note that the transmission / reception of information between the communication terminal 5 and the IF unit 13 may be performed by wireless communication or may be performed by wired communication. As the communication terminal 5, for example, a mobile phone or a personal data assistance (PDA) can be used.

  In addition, when the communication terminal 5 receives an input requesting notification of the time required until the vehicle-mounted battery 3 is fully charged (hereinafter referred to as a notification request input) from the user via the operation input unit, A signal according to this (hereinafter referred to as a notification request signal) is sent to the charging control ECU 12 via the IF unit 13.

  The charging current amount controller 11 of the vehicular charging device 1 changes the current supplied from the power supply device 2 to any one of a plurality of types of current amounts in accordance with instructions from the charging control ECU 12, so that the in-vehicle battery 3. To supply. Therefore, the charge current amount controller 11 functions as the charge current amount switching means in the claims. The charging current amount controller 11 is provided separately from the in-vehicle battery 3 and the charging control ECU 12.

  In the present embodiment, the charge current amount controller 11 is provided separately from the in-vehicle battery 3 and the charge control ECU 12. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and is provided integrally with the in-vehicle battery 3 or the charge control ECU 12. It may be a configuration.

  Here, the charge current amount controller 11 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the charging current amount controller 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the charge current amount controller 11 includes an AC / DC converter 61, changeover switches 62a to 62c, a large current rating adapter 63a, a medium current rating adapter 63b, and a small current rating adapter 63c.

  The AC / DC converter 61 converts an alternating current supplied from the power supply device 2 into a direct current. The current converted into direct current by the AC / DC converter 61 is sent to the changeover switches 62a to 62c.

  The changeover switches 62a to 62c are switches that change in accordance with an instruction from the charge control ECU 12. Specifically, when the current sent from the AC / DC converter 61 (that is, the current supplied from the power supply device 2) is supplied to the large current rated adapter 63a, the changeover switch 62a is turned on, and the changeover switch is turned on. 62b and 62c are turned off. Further, when the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is supplied to the medium current rating adapter 63b, the changeover switch 62b is turned on and the changeover switches 62a and 62c are turned off. Further, when the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is supplied to the small current rating adapter 63c, the changeover switch 62c is turned on and the changeover switches 62a and 62b are turned off.

  The large current rating adapter 63a, the medium current rating adapter 63b, and the small current rating adapter 63c pass a certain amount of current, respectively. The large current rating adapter 63a, the medium current rating adapter 63b, and the small current rating adapter 63c It is designed so that the amount of current passed in order increases. For example, the large current rating adapter 63a, the medium current rating adapter 63b, and the small current rating adapter 63c may be configured by regulators having different amounts of current to be passed, or may be configured by resistors having different resistances. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the AC / DC converter 61 is provided between the power supply device 2 and the changeover switches 62a to 62c is shown, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the AC / DC converter 61 may be provided in each of the large current rating adapter 63a, the medium current rating adapter 63b, and the small current rating adapter 63c.

  When the charging control ECU 12 of the vehicle charging device 1 receives a setting input signal from the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13, the charging control ECU 12 instructs switching of the changeover switches 62 a to 62 c according to the setting input signal. Specifically, when the setting input signal is a signal corresponding to “fast charging”, the changeover switches 62a to 62c are used to change the current supplied from the power supply device 2 as described above to the large current rating adapter 63a. Instructs to switch to the state of switching to the flow. When the setting input signal is a signal corresponding to “medium speed charging”, the changeover switches 62a to 62c cause the current supplied from the power supply device 2 as described above to flow to the medium current rating adapter 63b. Instruct to switch to the case. When the setting input signal is a signal corresponding to “low speed charging”, the changeover switches 62a to 62c are caused to flow the current supplied from the power supply device 2 as described above to the small current rating adapter 63c. Instruct to switch to Therefore, the charge control ECU 12 functions as a switching instruction unit in the claims.

  Further, when the charging control ECU 12 receives a notification request signal from the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13, the charging control ECU 12 charges at the currently set charging speed based on the SOC sent from the battery monitoring unit 4. The time required until the vehicle-mounted battery 3 is fully charged is calculated. Then, the charging control ECU 12 sends information on the calculated time required to fully charge the in-vehicle battery 3 (hereinafter referred to as charging completion time) to the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13. Therefore, the charging control ECU 12 functions as a charging current amount information acquisition unit and a charging time calculation unit.

  Further, when the charging control ECU 12 detects that the charging of the in-vehicle battery 3 is completed based on the SOC sent from the battery monitoring unit 4, a signal for notifying that the charging of the in-vehicle battery 3 is completed. (Hereinafter referred to as a charging completion signal) is sent to the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13.

  Further, the charging control ECU 12 instructs switching of the changeover switches 62a to 62c in accordance with the information on the current time sent from the current time information acquisition unit 14 described later, and switches the amount of current passed through the charging current amount controller 11. . As a specific example, when the current time corresponds to the night time when the electricity rate is set to be low, the current supplied from the power supply device 2 as described above is changed to a large current by using the changeover switches 62a to 62c. An instruction for switching to the rated adapter 63a is given, and the amount of current passed through the charge current amount controller 11 is increased. In addition, when the current time corresponds to the daytime when the electricity rate is set to be high, the changeover switches 62a to 62c are used to change the current supplied from the power supply device 2 as described above to the small current rating adapter 63c. In order to switch to the current flow, the charging current controller 11 reduces the amount of current passed.

  According to this, the electric charge is reduced by increasing the amount of current used for charging at a time when electricity charges are cheap such as at night and reducing the amount of current used for charging during a time when electricity charges are high such as daytime. be able to.

  When the communication terminal 5 receives the information about the charging completion time from the charging control ECU 12 via the IF unit 13, the communication terminal 5, for example, “1 hour remaining until the charging is completed” until the charging is completed according to the information on the charging completion time. Is displayed on the display unit (not shown). Therefore, the charge control ECU 12 also functions as a presentation instruction unit in the claims. In response to the display of the remaining time until the completion of charging, the user can input a new charging speed setting to the operation input unit of the communication terminal 5 in order to change the charging speed.

  The IF unit 13 of the vehicle charging device 1 is an interface that mediates the exchange of information between the communication terminal 5 and the charge control ECU 12, and performs charge control on a setting input signal and a notification request signal received from the communication terminal 5. It sends to ECU12. Therefore, the IF unit 13 functions as a setting input receiving unit. Further, the IF unit 13 sends the information on the charging completion time and the charging completion signal received from the charging control ECU 12 to the communication terminal 5. The IF unit 13 exchanges a setting input signal, a notification request signal, information on a charging completion time, and a charging completion signal with the charging control ECU 12 through the in-vehicle LAN. Further, the IF unit 13 may be configured to use a transmission / reception unit of a navigation device.

  The current time information acquisition unit 14 of the vehicle charging device 1 acquires current time information at the current position of the vehicle 6 and sends the acquired current time information to the charging control ECU 12. In addition, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure which acquires the information of the present time in the present position of the vehicle 6 from a navigation apparatus, for example.

  Next, the operation flow in the communication terminal 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the communication terminal 5. In addition, this flow is when the connection between the power supply device 2 and the vehicle charging device 1 via the charging cable is performed and communication between the vehicle charging device 1 and the communication terminal 5 becomes possible. Be started.

  First, in step S <b> 1, a CPU (not shown) of the communication terminal 5 determines whether or not a charging speed setting input from a user has been received by the operation input unit. And when it determines with having received the setting input of the charge rate from a user (it is Yes at step S1), it moves to step S2. If it is not determined that the charging speed setting input from the user has been received (No in step S1), the process proceeds to step S3. In step S2, a transmission / reception unit (not shown) of the communication terminal 5 transmits a setting input signal according to the setting input received by the operation input unit to the charging control ECU 12, and the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S <b> 3, the CPU of the communication terminal 5 determines whether or not a notification request input from the user has been received by the operation input unit. And when it determines with having received the notification request input from a user (it is Yes at step S3), it moves to step S4. If it is not determined that the notification request input from the user has been received (No in step S3), the process proceeds to step S5. In step S4, the transmission / reception unit of the communication terminal 5 transmits a notification request signal to the charging control ECU 12, and proceeds to step S5.

  In step S <b> 5, the CPU of the communication terminal 5 determines whether or not the transmission / reception unit of the communication terminal 5 has received information on the charging completion time. And when it determines with having received the information of charge completion time (it is Yes at step S5), it moves to step S6. If it is not determined that the charging completion time information has been received (No in step S5), the process returns to step S4 and the flow is repeated. In step S6, according to the information on the charging completion time received in step S5, the remaining time is displayed on the display unit of the communication terminal 5, and the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S <b> 7, the CPU of the communication terminal 5 determines whether or not the setting input of the charging rate from the user is accepted by the operation input unit. And when it determines with having received the setting input of the charge rate from a user (it is Yes at step S7), it returns to step S2 and repeats a flow. If it is not determined that the charging speed setting input from the user has been received (No in step S7), the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, the CPU of the communication terminal 5 determines whether or not the transmission / reception unit of the communication terminal 5 has received the charging completion signal (that is, whether or not charging has been completed). And when it determines with having received the charge completion signal (it is Yes at step S8), a flow is complete | finished. If it is not determined that the charge completion signal has been received (No in step S8), the process returns to step S1 and the flow is repeated.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, an operation flow in the charging control ECU 12 in accordance with an input from the user (charging speed setting input or notification request input) will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the charge control ECU 12. In addition, this flow is when the connection between the power supply device 2 and the vehicle charging device 1 via the charging cable is performed and communication between the vehicle charging device 1 and the communication terminal 5 becomes possible. Be started.

  First, in step S <b> 11, the charging control ECU 12 determines whether or not the charging control ECU 12 has received a setting input signal sent from the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13. When it is determined that the charging control ECU 12 has received the setting input signal (Yes in step S11), the process proceeds to step S12. If it is not determined that the charging control ECU 12 has received the setting input signal (No in step S11), the process proceeds to step S13. In the present embodiment, the following description will be given by taking as an example the case where the received setting input signal is a signal corresponding to “fast charging”.

  In step S12, switching of the changeover switches 62a to 62c is instructed according to the setting input signal received in step S11, and the process proceeds to step S13. In the example of the present embodiment, in accordance with a signal corresponding to “fast charging”, an instruction to turn on the changeover switch 62a and turn off the changeover switches 62b and 62c is given, and the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is set to a large current rating. Control is performed so as to flow through the adapter 63a.

  In step S <b> 13, the charging control ECU 12 determines whether or not the charging control ECU 12 has received the notification request signal sent from the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13. And when it determines with charge control ECU12 having received the notification request signal (it is Yes at step S13), it moves to step S14. If it is not determined that the charging control ECU 12 has received the notification request signal (No in step S13), the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S14, the charge completion time is calculated based on the SOC sent from the battery monitoring unit 4, and the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the information on the charging completion time calculated in step S14 is sent to the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13, and the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S <b> 16, the charging control ECU 12 determines whether or not the charging control ECU 12 has received the setting input signal sent from the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13. And when it determines with charge control ECU12 having received the setting input signal (it is Yes at step S16), it returns to step S12 and repeats a flow. If it is not determined that the charging control ECU 12 has received the setting input signal (No in step S16), the process proceeds to step S17.

  In step S17, based on the SOC sent from the battery monitoring unit 4, it is determined whether or not charging of the in-vehicle battery 3 has been completed (that is, it has been detected that charging of the in-vehicle battery 3 has been completed). Judgment. And when it determines with charge having been completed (it is Yes at step S17), it moves to step S18. If it is not determined that charging is complete (No in step S17), the process returns to step S1 and the flow is repeated.

  In step S18, the charging control ECU 12 sends a charging completion signal to the communication terminal 5 via the IF unit 13, and the flow ends.

  According to the above configuration, the in-vehicle battery 3 can be charged by changing the current supplied from the power supply device 2 to a current amount according to the charging speed desired by the user among a plurality of types of current amounts. it can. Since the charging speed of the in-vehicle battery 3 also changes by changing the amount of current used for charging the in-vehicle battery 3, according to the above configuration, the charging speed of the in-vehicle battery 3 can be switched to the charging speed desired by the user. Further, according to the above configuration, the charging speed of the in-vehicle battery 3 can be switched on the side of the vehicle charging device 1 mounted on the vehicle 6 without using the power supply device 2, so that Even when the power source for power is used as the power supply device 2, the charging speed of the in-vehicle battery 3 can be switched. In other words, a charging system with higher versatility than the conventional technology that cannot switch the charging speed unless the external current supply source is switched, such as a special outlet disclosed in Patent Document 1, is provided. be able to. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the in-vehicle battery 3 can be more easily charged at a charging speed according to the user's desire.

  In addition, the following merits occur when the charging speed can be switched. For example, when the charging speed is further increased, the time required to complete the charging of the in-vehicle battery 3 is shortened, which is effective when there is no time margin. In addition, when the charging speed is made slower, the amount of charge when the in-vehicle battery 3 is fully charged becomes larger than when the charging speed is made faster, which is effective when there is a margin in time. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is supplied to the AC / DC converter 61 of the charging current amount controller 11 as it is is shown, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the relay apparatus may further include a relay member that supplies the current supplied from the power supply device 2 to the AC / DC converter 61 of the charging current amount controller 11 while increasing the amount of current stepwise.

  Below, the structure in the case of providing the above-mentioned relay member is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a charging current amount controller 11a including the variable resistor 64 as the above-described relay member. The charge current amount controller 11a has the same configuration as the charge current amount controller 11 except that the variable resistor 64 is provided. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those shown in FIG. 2 used for the explanation of the charge current amount controller 11 are given the same reference numerals and explanation thereof is omitted.

  The variable resistor 64 supplies the current supplied from the power supply device 2 to the AC / DC converter 61 while increasing the amount of current stepwise. The variable resistor 64 gradually increases the amount of current supplied to the AC / DC converter 61 by decreasing the resistance in a stepwise manner in accordance with an instruction from the charging control ECU 12. Therefore, the variable resistor 64 functions as a relay unit in the claims. In this case, the charging control ECU 12 instructs to decrease the resistance of the variable resistor 64 step by step when a current is supplied from the power supply device 2 to the charging current amount controller 11a. In addition, the magnitude | size of the resistance initially set to the variable resistor 64 can be set arbitrarily. Further, the amount of reduction that is gradually reduced can be set arbitrarily, and may be constant or may not be constant.

  When a large current such as that used for charging a battery for traveling of a plug-in vehicle (in-vehicle battery 3 in the example of the present embodiment) is supplied from the power supply device 2, this large current is directly used as the AC / DC converter 61, If the changeover switches 62a to 62c, the large current rating adapter 63a, the medium current rating adapter 63b, and the small current rating adapter 63c are flown, the charge current amount controller 11 may be damaged, for example, the changeover switches 62a to 62c are welded. There is. On the other hand, according to the above configuration, the current amount of the current supplied from the power supply device 2 can be supplied to the AC / DC converter 61 while increasing in a stepwise manner. Damage can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the variable resistor 64 is provided in the charging current amount controller 11a as the above-described relay member is shown, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. The relay member described above may be a member that can increase the amount of current to be passed in stages, and may be configured to use a capacitor, for example.

  In the present embodiment, the charging current amount controller 11 is provided with three types of adapters (that is, a large current rating adapter 63a, a medium current rating adapter 63b, and a small current rating adapter 63c), thereby supplying power from the power supply device 2. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the configuration may be such that the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is changed into two types of current amounts and supplied to the in-vehicle battery 3 by providing two types of adapters in the charge current amount controller 11. By providing the charging current amount controller 11 with more than three types of adapters, the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is changed to more than three types of current amounts and supplied to the in-vehicle battery 3. It may be a configuration.

  Alternatively, the charging current amount controller 11 may be provided with one type of adapter so that the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is changed into a plurality of types of current amounts and supplied to the in-vehicle battery 3. In this case, a variable resistor may be used as the one type of adapter described above. Specifically, instead of providing the charging current amount controller 11 with three types of adapters and changeover switches 62a to 62c corresponding thereto, one type of variable resistor is provided, and this variable is changed according to an instruction from the charging control ECU 12. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which changes the electric current amount supplied to the vehicle-mounted battery 3 steplessly by changing resistance of a resistor.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration is shown in which the communication terminal 5 accepts the setting input of the charging speed from the user and sends the setting input signal according to the setting input to the charging control ECU 12 via the IF unit 13. It is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a charging speed setting input from a user is received by an operation switch group such as a navigation device mounted on the vehicle 6, and a setting input signal according to the setting input is sent to the charging control ECU 12 via the in-vehicle LAN. It may be. In this case, a group of operation switches such as a navigation device mounted on the vehicle 6 functions as a setting input receiving unit.

  In addition, for example, the setting input of the charging speed from the user is made to correspond to the setting input of the operation switch group (for example, “fast charging”, “medium speed charging”, “low speed charging” described above) provided in the vehicle 6 A type of operation switch), and a setting input signal according to this setting input is used for one-to-one communication between each operation switch and the charge control ECU 12 (that is, the operation switch and the charge control). The structure which sends to charge control ECU12 via the Zika line | wire which connects ECU12 may be sufficient.

  In this embodiment, the charging control ECU 12 calculates the charging completion time when charging is performed at the currently set charging speed, and displays the remaining time display of the communication terminal 5 according to the information on the charging completion time. Although the configuration of the display unit is shown, the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the charging control ECU 12 calculates the charging completion time when charging is performed not only at the currently set charging speed but also at each of the settable charging speeds, and is set according to the information on the charging completion time. The structure which performs the remaining time display in each case of the possible charging speed on the display part of the communication terminal 5 may be sufficient. For example, there are three types of charging speeds that can be set: “fast charging”, “medium speed charging”, and “low speed charging”, and the currently set charging speed is “medium speed charging”. If there is a charge, calculate the charge completion time when charging with `` fast charge '', `` medium speed charge '', and `` slow charge '', and follow the information on the charge completion time to `` fast charge '' ”,“ Medium speed charging ”, and“ low speed charging ”, the remaining time is displayed on the display unit of the communication terminal 5.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the communication terminal 5 received the information of charge completion time from charge control ECU12 via IF part 13, and showed the structure which displays a remaining time on a display part according to this information of charge completion time. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, in addition to the communication terminal 5, information on the charging completion time is received by a device having a display unit mounted on the vehicle 6 (for example, a navigation device having a display), and the remaining time is determined according to the information on the charging completion time. The display may be configured on the display unit.

  In the present embodiment, the charging control ECU 12 instructs the charging current amount controller 11 according to the input from the user (setting input signal or notification request signal received by the IF unit 13), and supplies it to the in-vehicle battery 3. Although the configuration in which the amount of current is changed is shown, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the charging control ECU 12 may instruct the charging current amount controller 11 according to the SOC of the in-vehicle battery 3 to change the amount of current supplied to the in-vehicle battery 3. As a specific example, when the charge amount of the in-vehicle battery 3 is smaller than a predetermined amount, the amount of current supplied to the in-vehicle battery 3 is increased (for example, the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is changed to the large current rating adapter 63a). When the charge amount of the in-vehicle battery 3 is larger than a predetermined amount, the amount of current supplied to the in-vehicle battery 3 is reduced (for example, the current supplied from the power supply device 2 is supplied to the small current rating adapter 63c). The charging control ECU 12 automatically performs control that is presumed to meet the user's request.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the structure provided with the present time information acquisition part 14 in the vehicle charging device 1 was shown, it is not necessarily this, and it is the structure which does not provide the present time information acquisition part 14 in the vehicle charging device 1. There may be.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle charging system 100. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a charging current amount controller 11. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the communication terminal 5. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow in charge control ECU12. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the charging current amount controller 11a.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle charging device, 2 Power supply device, 3 Vehicle-mounted battery, 4 Battery monitoring unit, 5 Communication terminal, 6 Vehicle, 11 * 11a Charge current amount controller (charge current amount switching means) 12 Charge control ECU (switch instruction means) , 13 IF section (setting input reception means), 14 current time information acquisition section (current time information acquisition means), 61 AC / DC converter, 62a to 62c changeover switch, 63a large current rating adapter, 63b medium current rating adapter, 63c Small current rated adapter, 64 variable resistor (relay means), 100 vehicle charging system

Claims (9)

A vehicle that is mounted on a plug-in vehicle that is a vehicle that charges a vehicle-mounted battery with a current supplied from outside the vehicle, and that charges a vehicle-mounted battery of the plug-in vehicle with a current supplied from outside the plug-in vehicle. Charging device for
A charging current amount switching means capable of changing the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle into a plurality of types of current amounts and supplying the same to the in-vehicle battery;
Switching instruction means for instructing the charging current amount switching means to instruct which of the plurality of types of current amount the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle is changed to. A vehicle charging device. A setting input receiving means for receiving a setting input from a user indicating which of the plurality of types of current amounts is changed from a current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle;
The switching instruction means instructs the charging current amount switching means to change the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle to the current amount according to the setting input received from the user by the setting input receiving means. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1.   3. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a relay unit configured to supply a current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle to the charging current amount switching unit while increasing a current amount in a stepwise manner. Charging device.   The said setting input reception means receives the said setting input performed from a user via a communication terminal, and tells the said setting input to the said switching instruction | indication means via vehicle-mounted LAN, The Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1.   The charging apparatus for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the setting input receiving unit transmits the setting input to the switching instruction unit via a dedicated conductive cable. It further comprises current time information acquisition means for acquiring current time information,
The switching instruction unit instructs the charging current amount switching unit to change the current supplied from the outside of the plug-in vehicle to a current amount according to the current time information acquired by the current time information acquisition unit. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle charging device is a vehicle. Charge amount information acquisition means for acquiring information on the charge amount of the in-vehicle battery;
When the in-vehicle battery is charged with the amount of current supplied from the charging current amount switching means to the in-vehicle battery based on the information on the in-vehicle battery charge amount acquired by the charge amount information acquiring means. Charging time calculating means for calculating a time estimated to take until the vehicle battery is fully charged;
7. A display instruction unit for causing a user to present information indicating a time required until the vehicle-mounted battery is fully charged calculated by the charging time calculation unit. The vehicle charging device according to Item. Charge amount information acquisition means for acquiring information on the charge amount of the in-vehicle battery;
Based on the information on the charge amount of the in-vehicle battery acquired by the charge amount information acquisition means, for each of the plurality of types of current amounts that can be supplied from the charge current amount switching means to the in-vehicle battery, Charging time calculation means for calculating a time estimated to take until the vehicle battery is fully charged when charging the vehicle battery with each of a plurality of types of current amounts;
And a presentation instruction unit for causing the user to present information indicating the time taken to fully charge the in-vehicle battery calculated by the charging time calculation unit for each of the plurality of types of current amounts. The vehicle charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The vehicle charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A power supply device that is installed outside a plug-in vehicle equipped with the vehicle charging device and supplies current to the vehicle charging device;
And a vehicle-mounted battery that is charged by a current supplied from the vehicle charging device.

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