CN113400965B

CN113400965B - Charging device for vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN113400965B
Application number: CN202110280907.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 渡边悠
Original assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-16
Filing date: 2021-03-16
Publication date: 2024-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2041-03-16
Also published as: JP7055828B2; CN113400965A; JP2021150980A

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle charging device. A vehicle charging device (10) is provided with a charging port (22), a lock actuator (24) having a lock pin (50), a position detection sensor (60), and a control device (26). A control device (26) acquires the vehicle speed of the vehicle (12), determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, and executes an operation check of the lock actuator (24) when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined speed. In the operation check, the control device (26) transmits an operation instruction to the lock actuator (24) and determines whether the lock actuator (24) is normal or failed based on whether the position of the lock pin (50) detected by the position detection sensor (60) is located at the position of the operation instruction. Accordingly, the failure of the lock actuator can be more favorably determined by a simple configuration.

Description

Charging device for vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vehicle charging device having a lock actuator for locking a power source side connector connected during charging.

Background

A vehicle such as an electric vehicle has a charging port for externally charging a battery in the vehicle, and a lock actuator for locking a power source side connector connected during charging is provided in the charging port. For example, in japanese patent laid-open No. 5610087, the lock pin of the lock actuator is inserted into the hole of the power supply side connector by moving the lock pin, thereby preventing the power supply side connector from being pulled out.

Further, the vehicle charging device disclosed in japanese patent application laid-open No. 5610087 has a detection unit for detecting whether or not the lock pin has moved to a predetermined position, and if the lock pin has not moved to the predetermined position, a failure of the lock actuator is detected, and if there is a failure, charging is not possible.

Disclosure of Invention

However, the lock pin may not move to a predetermined position due to deformation of a latch (latch) of the power supply side connector, or may not enter a hole of the power supply side connector due to insufficient fitting of the power supply side connector (so-called half-fitted state). In this way, when the lock pin cannot be brought into the predetermined position, the lock actuator itself is judged to be in a failure state even if it is normal, and whether the lock actuator itself is in failure or the power supply side connector is in a problem cannot be judged.

The present invention relates to a technique of the above-described vehicle charging device, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle charging device that can more favorably determine a failure of a lock actuator with a simple configuration.

In order to achieve the above object, a technical scheme of the present invention is as follows: a vehicle charging device includes a charging port of a vehicle, a lock actuator, a position detection sensor, and a control unit, wherein the charging port of the vehicle is connected to a power source side connector for an external power source; the lock actuator has a locking member that moves between a locking position for locking the power supply-side connector and a non-locking position for releasing the locking of the power supply-side connector; the position detection sensor is used for detecting the position of the clamping component; the control unit is configured to control an operation of the lock actuator, the control unit acquires a vehicle speed of the vehicle, determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, and executes an operation check of the lock actuator when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, wherein the control unit transmits an operation command to the lock actuator in the operation check, and determines whether the lock actuator is normal or failed based on whether or not a position of the lock member detected by the position detection sensor is located at the position of the operation command.

The vehicle charging device can further satisfactorily determine the failure of the lock actuator by a simple configuration.

The above objects, features and advantages should be easily understood by the following description of the embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing a state of charge of a vehicle in which a vehicle charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. Fig. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing an operation check of a vehicle on which the vehicle charging device of fig. 1A is mounted when the vehicle is traveling.

Fig. 2A is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the lock pin is located at the non-locking position in the first lock mechanism. Fig. 2B is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the lock pin is located at the locking position in the first lock mechanism.

Fig. 3A is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the lock pin is located at the non-locking position in the second lock mechanism. Fig. 3B is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the lock pin is located at the locking position in the second lock mechanism.

Fig. 4A is a functional block diagram of the control device. Fig. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing a status register (status register) built in the control device.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the control device at the start of charging.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow of the control device at the time of the end of charging.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow of the control device during traveling.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing performed by the control device of fig. 7 when the vehicle is traveling.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, by way of preferred embodiments.

As shown in fig. 1A, a vehicle charging device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle 12 such as an electric car, and is capable of charging a battery 14, which is also mounted on the vehicle 12, from outside the vehicle 12. In fig. 1A, a four-wheel vehicle is illustrated as the vehicle 12 provided with the vehicle charging device 10, but the vehicle charging device 10 may be applied to a vehicle other than the four-wheel vehicle (for example, a two-wheel vehicle or the like) by making appropriate changes. The vehicle charging device 10 is not limited to application to electric vehicles, and may be applied to vehicles that can be charged from the outside, such as plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The vehicle 12 includes the battery 14 and the motor 16 for running, and the motor 16 is rotationally driven by discharging (supplying) electric power from the battery 14 to roll the wheels W. For example, the motor 16 is provided in a front compartment (front compartment) 18 of the vehicle 12 to transmit rotational driving force to front wheels Wf as driving wheels. The driving wheels of the vehicle 12 may be rear wheels Wr. The upper portion of the installation site (front cabin 18) of the motor 16 is covered with a front hood 20.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle charging device 10 is provided in the front compartment 18 at a position above the motor 16 in the vehicle height direction. However, the installation position of the vehicle charging device 10 is not particularly limited, and may be provided near a bumper (bumper) or on one side in the vehicle width direction at the front portion of the vehicle 12, or may be provided on the rear side in the vehicle length direction of the vehicle 12.

The vehicle charging device 10 includes a charging port 22, a lock actuator 24, and a control device 26 (control unit), wherein the charging port 22 is connected to a power source side connector 32 of an external power source 30; the lock actuator 24 is for maintaining connection of the power source side connector 32; the control device 26 is used for controlling the action of the lock actuator 24. On the other hand, the device of the external power source 30 for charging the vehicle charging device 10 has a power source device 34 (power source), a wire harness 36, and the power source side connector 32, wherein the wire harness 36 has flexibility, and one end portion thereof is connected to the power source device 34; the power source side connector 32 is connected to the other end portion of the harness 36.

The charging port 22 is provided on the rear side of the opening/closing body 20a that can be opened and closed with respect to the front hood 20. As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the charging port 22 has a concave hub space 40 and a plurality of terminal spaces 42, wherein the hub space 40 is used for disposing a hub (hub) 38 of the power source side connector 32 when the charging port 22 is connected to the power source side connector 32; the plurality of terminal spaces 42 communicate with the hub space 40, and are inserted with a plurality of terminals 44 protruding from the hub 38, respectively.

In the connected state of the power source side connector 32, the hub 38 is partially inserted into the hub space 40. As shown in fig. 2A and 3A, a connection detection sensor 28 for detecting connection of the power supply side connector 32 to the charging port 22 is provided on the charging port 22. For example, the connection detection sensor 28 is provided in a wall portion 40a constituting the hub space 40, and transmits the contact of the hub 38 when the power source side connector 32 is connected as a detection signal. The method for detecting the connection of the power supply-side connector 32 is not particularly limited, and for example, the connection may be identified by communication between the control device 26 and the power supply-side connector 32.

The plurality of terminals 44 of the power supply-side connector 32 include a pair of electrode terminals, a ground terminal, a communication terminal (all not shown), a locking terminal 46 (a locked portion), and the like. Fig. 1A, 2B, and 3B show two of the plurality of terminals 44 of the power source side connector 32, and one of the terminals is used as a locking terminal 46 for convenience of description. The position, shape, number, and the like of each terminal 44 are not particularly limited as long as they are provided in an appropriate manner corresponding to the specification for charging the vehicle 12 with respect to the power source side connector 32.

The plurality of terminal spaces 42 of the charging port 22 are also configured by positions, shapes, and numbers corresponding to the specifications for charging the vehicle 12. A connection metal member, not shown, is provided in the terminal space 42a, into which the pair of electrode terminals, the ground terminal, and the communication terminal are inserted, in the plurality of terminal spaces 42, and is in electrical contact with these terminals 44.

The lock actuator 24 is provided in the terminal space 42b into which the lock terminal 46 of the power supply-side connector 32 is inserted. The lock actuator 24 has a lock pin 50 and a lock operation portion 52, wherein the lock operation portion 52 is connected to the control device 26 and moves the lock pin 50 under the control of the control device 26.

The lock pin 50 is configured as a rod-shaped member extending in a predetermined length. The lock pin 50 is moved by the lock operation portion 52 between a locking position P1 for locking the power supply side connector 32 and a non-locking position P2 for releasing the locking of the power supply side connector 32.

The lock operation portion 52 may be provided with an appropriate mechanism for advancing and retreating the lock pin 50 between the locking position P1 and the non-locking position P2. For example, as shown in fig. 2A, the lock operation portion 52 may be configured to be electromagnetic in which power is supplied to a solenoid (solenoid) 54 to operate the lock pin 50. Alternatively, the locking operation unit 52 may be configured by a ball screw type structure that converts a rotational force of a not-shown locking motor into a linear motion (advancing and retreating movement) of the locking pin 50. The lock operation portion 52 can be configured by a cylinder structure that moves the lock pin 50 forward and backward by fluid pressure, a structure using a magnet, or the like.

The lock mechanism 56 for fixing (preventing the disconnection) the power supply side connector 32 by the lock actuator 24 is not particularly limited, and various structures can be applied. Next, with reference to fig. 2A to 3B, two types of lock mechanisms 56 (a first lock mechanism 56A and a second lock mechanism 56B) will be representatively described.

When the lock pin 50 is moved to the locking position P1, the first locking mechanism 56A shown in fig. 2A and 2B fixes the power source side connector 32 by inserting the lock pin 50 into the hole 47 provided in the locking terminal 46A of the power source side connector 32. That is, the locking terminal 46A is formed with a hole 47 along the moving direction of the locking pin 50 (in fig. 2A, the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the terminal space 42).

The lock actuator 24 is provided at a side portion of the terminal space 42 into which the lock terminal 46A is inserted. In this case, the lock actuator 24 moves the locking terminal 46A freely along the extending direction in the terminal space 42 in a state where the tip end of the lock pin 50 is located at the non-locking position P2. On the other hand, the lock actuator 24 moves the lock pin 50 to the locking position P1 through the insertion hole 47, so that the locking terminal 46A (i.e., the power source side connector 32) cannot be moved. For example, in the locking position P1, the tip of the lock pin 50 is inserted into the recess 42b1 of the wall portion on the opposite side of the wall portion where the lock operation portion 52 is provided.

The second locking mechanism 56B shown in fig. 3A and 3B has a latch 48 on the locking terminal 46B of the power source side connector 32, and has a protrusion 43 on the wall of the terminal space 42 for the latch 48 to be engaged. Accordingly, the second locking mechanism 56B prevents the release of the engagement between the stopper pin 48 and the protruding portion 43 when the locking pin 50 is moved to the locking position P1. For example, the stopper pin 48 of the power supply-side connector 32 is provided on the side portion on the tip end side in the extending direction of the locking terminal 46B. The protruding portion 43 of the terminal space 42 is formed to be inclined toward the front in the insertion direction, while the engaging surface of the stopper pin 48 is formed on the rear side in the insertion direction of the protruding portion 43 of the terminal space 42.

The lock actuator 24 is configured to: the lock 50, which has entered the locking position P1, contacts the opposite side surface of the locking terminal 46B from the formation site of the lock pin 48 on the inner side of the terminal space 42B in which the locking terminal 46B is inserted. That is, the lock pin 50 is pulled back from the terminal space 42B in the state of being located at the non-locking position P2, whereby the locking terminal 46B is allowed to freely move in the extending direction in the terminal space 42B. At this time, the locking terminal 46B is elastically deformed as a whole by the stopper pin 48 hitting the convex portion 43, and can pass over the convex portion 43.

On the other hand, in a state where the stopper pin 48 and the convex portion 43 of the locking terminal 46B are hooked to each other, the locking pin 50 moves to the locking position P1 and presses the opposite side surface of the locking terminal 46B, whereby elastic deformation of the locking terminal 46B is prevented, and hooking of the stopper pin 48 to the convex portion 43 is reinforced. Accordingly, the locking terminal 46B (power source side connector 32) cannot move.

Then, the vehicle charging device 10 is configured to: the check of the operation of the lock actuator 24 provided to the charging port 22 as described above (i.e., confirmation of normal or failure) is performed. In particular, as shown in fig. 1B, the vehicle charging device 10 performs an operation check of the lock actuator 24 during traveling of the vehicle 12.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 4A, the vehicle charging device 10 has a plurality of position detection sensors 60 and a vehicle speed sensor 62 in addition to the control device 26 as a structure for performing an operation check, wherein the position detection sensors 60 are used for detecting the positions of the lock pins 50 of the lock actuators 24; the vehicle speed sensor 62 is used to detect the speed of the vehicle 12.

In order to detect the current position (the locking position P1, the non-locking position P2) of the lock pin 50, a plurality of position detection sensors 60 are provided at two locations of the wall portion of the terminal space 42b constituting the locking terminal 46 (see also fig. 2A and 3A). The control device 26 recognizes the position of the lock pin 50 based on the signals of the position detection sensors 60. For example, the control device 26 recognizes the movement of the lock pin 50 to the lock position P1 based on the signal of the lock pin 50 detected by the position detection sensor 60a at the lock position P1. In contrast, the control device 26 recognizes the movement of the lock pin 50 to the non-locking position P2 based on the signal that the lock pin 50 is not detected by the position detection sensor 60b at the non-locking position P2.

The position detection sensor 60 is not limited to the above-described structure, and may have various structures. For example, the position detection sensor 60 may be a sensor (encoder or the like) that continuously detects the advance and retreat amount of the lock pin 50.

The vehicle speed sensor 62 can be applied to a known device (a wheel speed sensor for detecting the number of revolutions of a drive wheel or a driven wheel, a vehicle speed meter of an instrument panel, or the like) provided to the vehicle 12. The control device 26 recognizes the current vehicle speed from the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 62. The control device 26 is not limited to the configuration that receives the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 62, and may be configured to receive information on the vehicle speed (for example, the target driving force, the number of rotations, and the like of the motor 16 for running) from another vehicle-mounted device and calculate the vehicle speed internally.

As shown in fig. 2A to 4A, the control device 26 of the vehicle charging device 10 is configured as a computer (ECU: electronic Control Unit) having a processor (processor) 70, a memory 72, a timer 74, and an input/output interface 76. The control device 26 is connected to various sensors such as the connection detection sensor 28, the position detection sensor 60, and the vehicle speed sensor 62, and also connected to the lock actuator 24 and the notification unit 64. The control device 26 can output an operation command (power control pulse, power pulse, etc.) to the lock actuator 24 to control the operation of the lock pin 50.

For example, in a normal state in which charging or operation checking is not performed, the control device 26 is in a state in which the lock pin 50 is in standby at the non-locking position P2. When the battery 14 is charged via the vehicle charging device 10, the control device 26 operates the lock actuator 24 when the power source side connector 32 is connected to the charging port 22. Accordingly, the control device 26 moves the lock pin 50 to the locking position P1 to fix the power source side connector 32. After the battery 14 is charged, the control device 26 operates the lock actuator 24 to move the lock pin 50 to the non-locking position P2, thereby disengaging the power supply-side connector 32 from the charging port 22.

The control device 26 according to the present embodiment is configured to perform an operation check of the lock actuator 24. For this operation check, the control device 26 reads and executes a program, not shown, stored in the memory 72 by the processor 70 to construct a functional block diagram shown in fig. 4A. Specifically, in the control device 26, a charge-time lock actuator control unit 80 and a travel-time lock actuator control unit 82 are built, and a status register 84 for managing the status of the lock actuator 24 is built.

The status register 84 has a plurality of flags (flag) for monitoring a normal or trouble for a locking operation when the lock pin 50 moves from the non-locking position P2 to the locking position P1 and an unlocking operation when the lock pin 50 moves from the locking position P1 to the non-locking position P2. Specifically, as shown in fig. 4B, a lock temporary normal flag F1, a lock temporary fault flag F2, a lock normal determination flag F3, a lock fault determination flag F4, an unlock normal determination flag F5, and an unlock fault determination flag F6 are set in the status register 84. The status register 84 is appropriately reset in response to a state such as a drive stop operation (Ignition off) in addition to the switching of the respective flags under the instruction of the charge-time lock actuator control unit 80 and the travel-time lock actuator control unit 82.

The charge-time lock actuator control unit 80 controls the operation of the lock actuator 24 when the battery 14 is charged from the external power supply 30, and manages the state (operation result) of the lock actuator 24 at the time of charging via the state register 84. That is, the charge-time lock actuator control unit 80 outputs a lock instruction (an operation instruction for operating the lock pin 50 (locking member)) to the lock actuator 24 before the start of charging, thereby executing the lock operation of the lock actuator 24. Similarly, the charge-time lock actuator control unit 80 outputs an unlock command (an operation command for operating the lock pin 50 (locking member)) to the lock actuator 24 after the charge to execute the unlock operation of the lock actuator 24.

In addition, the charge-time lock actuator control unit 80 determines whether the function of the lock operation is normal or faulty based on the position detection of the lock pin 50 at the time of the lock operation, and appropriately switches the lock temporary normal flag F1 and the lock temporary fault flag F2. Here, the trouble when the lock pin 50 moves to the locking position P1 includes a case where the lock pin 50 cannot move due to a failure of the lock actuator 24 itself and a case where the lock pin 50 cannot move due to a failure of the power source side connector 32 or a connection failure. For example, as described above, the lock pin 50 cannot be moved in a state where the terminal 44 of the power source side connector 32 is deformed or the like, or in a state where the power source side connector 32 is not sufficiently fitted. Accordingly, the control device 26 manages the possibility of the normal or failure of the locking action of the lock actuator 24 by selectively turning on or off the lock temporary normal flag F1 and the lock temporary failure flag F2 for the result of the locking action.

Then, the charge-time lock actuator control unit 80 determines whether the function of the unlock operation is normal or faulty based on the position detection of the lock pin 50 at the time of the unlock operation, and appropriately switches the unlock normal determination flag F5 and the unlock fault determination flag F6. That is, when the lock pin 50 located at the lock position P1 is moved to the non-lock position P2, there is little possibility that the power source side connector 32 may be broken or the connection may be broken, and therefore it can be estimated that the trouble generated here is due to the breakdown of the lock actuator 24 itself. Accordingly, the control device 26 manages the failure of the unlocking action of the lock actuator 24 by selectively turning on or off the unlocking normal determination flag F5 and the unlocking failure determination flag F6 with respect to the result of the unlocking action.

On the other hand, while the vehicle 12 is traveling, the traveling lock actuator control unit 82 performs an operation check to control the operation of the lock actuator 24 at that time, and manages the state (operation result) of the lock actuator 24 via the state register 84. When the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the traveling lock actuator control unit 82 outputs a lock command to the lock actuator 24 to perform a lock operation, and outputs an unlock command to the lock actuator 24 to perform an unlock operation.

In addition, the traveling lock actuator control portion 82 determines whether the function of the lock operation is normal or failed based on the position detection of the lock pin 50 at the time of the lock operation, thereby selectively turning on or off the lock normal determination flag F3 and the lock failure determination flag F4. Thus, it is possible to estimate that the failure of the locking operation of the locking pin 50 during traveling is a failure of the locking actuator 24 itself.

However, the lock pin 50 may not be movable due to vibration or the like during traveling. Therefore, the lock actuator control unit 82 includes a lock operation failure counting unit 82a for counting failure confirmations of the lock operation during traveling, and if the counted number of failure confirmations is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times, the failure of the lock operation function is finally determined. Then, the control device 26 uses the lock normal determination flag F3 and the lock failure determination flag F4 for the result of the lock operation, thereby managing the failure of the lock operation of the lock actuator 24. The number of times of failure confirmation held by the lock operation failure counting section 82a is configured to be reset when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. The number of times of failure confirmation may be appropriately reset in response to the result of the determination of the operation check, the establishment of other conditions such as the execution of the drive stop operation, or the like.

As described above, since the function of confirming the unlocking operation can be performed during charging, the operation check during traveling mainly confirms the normal or failure of the locking operation. The control device 26 is configured not to necessarily perform the operation check when one of the lock normal determination flag F3 and the lock failure determination flag F4 is determined. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can suppress unnecessary operation inspection, and can reduce power consumption accompanying the operation inspection.

The vehicle charging device 10 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above, and an example of the operation (processing flow) thereof will be described below.

First, a flow of processing of the vehicle charging device 10 when the battery 14 of the vehicle 12 is charged from the external power source 30 will be described with reference to fig. 5. As described above, when the power source side connector 32 of the external power source 30 is connected to the charging port 22 to perform charging, the vehicle charging device 10 operates the lock actuator 24 to fix the power source side connector 32.

Specifically, the control device 26 is put into a sleep state when the driving of the vehicle 12 is stopped (ignition off). At this time, the lock actuator 24 basically stands by the lock pin 50 at the non-locking position P2. In addition, the control device 26 determines the connection of the power supply side connector 32 based on the received detection signal of the connection detection sensor 28 in the sleep state (step S1). When the connection of the power source side connector 32 is recognized in step S1 (yes in step S1), the control device 26 outputs a lock instruction to the lock actuator 24 to start the locking of the lock actuator 24 (step S2). Based on the lock instruction, the lock actuator 24 performs a locking operation of bringing the lock pin 50 located at the non-locking position P2 into the locking position P1.

When the lock actuator 24 moves (when the lock instruction is executed), the control device 26 counts the lock operation time of the lock pin 50 by the lock actuator 24 by counting the time by the timer 74 (step S3). Then, the control device 26 determines whether or not the lock pin 50 has moved to the locking position P1 based on the detection signal of the position detection sensor 60 (step S4). If the lock pin 50 has not moved to the locking position P1 (no in step S4), the process proceeds to step S5, and if the lock pin 50 has moved to the locking position P1 (yes in step S4), the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S5, control device 26 compares the counted lock operation time with a preset lock period threshold value. If the lock operation time does not exceed the lock period threshold value (no in step S5), the process returns to step S3, and the following similar processing is repeated. On the other hand, when the lock operation time exceeds the lock period threshold value (yes in step S5), the routine proceeds to step S6.

The case where the lock operation time exceeds the lock period threshold means that the lock pin 50 is not moved to the lock position P1 before the lock period threshold is reached, and in this case, a failure with respect to locking of the lock actuator 24 may occur. Therefore, in step S6, the control device 26 sets the lock temporary failure flag F2 of the status register 84 to on (from 0 to 1). The control device 26 may be configured to: when the lock pin 50 cannot be moved to the locking position P1, the lock pin 50 is temporarily returned to the non-locking position P2, and the locking operation is performed again, that is, the locking operation is performed a plurality of times. In this case, the control device 26 sets the lock temporary failure flag F2 to on when the lock pin 50 does not move to the lock position P1 even when the predetermined number of lock operations are performed.

Conversely, the case where the lock pin 50 moves to the lock position P1 within the lock period threshold value means that the locking operation of the lock actuator 24 is normally performed. Therefore, in step S7, the control device 26 sets the lock temporary normal flag F1 of the status register 84 to on.

Then, the vehicle charging device 10 supplies electric power from the external power source 30 to the battery 14, that is, performs charging, regardless of the state of the lock actuator 24 (step S8). Even if the lock actuator 24 is temporarily failed, the charging of the battery 14 can be performed as long as the electrode terminal of the power source side connector 32 is electrically conducted to the charging port 22. In addition, during charging, the vehicle charging device 10 can monitor whether or not charging of the battery 14 is being performed by monitoring changes in the amount of electric power supplied to the battery 14 and the amount of charge. Therefore, in the case where the battery 14 is not charged, the user can be informed that the charging is not performed.

Next, a flow of processing of the vehicle charging device 10 at the time of the end of charging will be described with reference to fig. 6. The vehicle charging device 10 determines whether or not an appropriate end condition regarding the end of charging of the battery 14 is satisfied (step S11), and ends charging according to the satisfaction of the end condition. For example, the end condition includes that the charge amount (SOC) of the battery 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and that the user recognizes the removal operation of the power supply side connector 32.

When the charging is completed, the control device 26 outputs an unlock instruction to the lock actuator 24 (step S12) to unlock the lock actuator 24 from the lock terminal 46. In response to the unlock command, the lock actuator 24 moves the lock pin 50 located at the lock position P1 back to the non-lock position P2.

When the lock actuator 24 moves (after the unlock command is executed), the control device 26 counts the time of the unlock operation of the lock pin 50 by the lock actuator 24 by counting the time by the timer 74 (step S13). Then, the control device 26 determines whether or not the lock pin 50 has moved to the non-locking position P2 based on the detection signal of the position detection sensor 60 (step S14). When the lock pin 50 is not moved to the non-locking position P2 (no in step S14), the process proceeds to step S15, and when the lock pin 50 is moved to the non-locking position P2 (yes in step S14), the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S15, control device 26 compares the counted unlock operation time with a preset unlock period threshold. If the unlocking operation time does not exceed the unlocking period threshold (step S15: NO), the process returns to step S13, and the following similar processing is repeated. On the other hand, when the unlocking operation time exceeds the unlocking period threshold (yes in step S15), the routine proceeds to step S16.

The case where the unlocking operation time exceeds the unlocking period threshold means that the lock pin 50 is not moved to the non-locking position P2 before the unlocking period threshold is reached, and in this case, a failure concerning unlocking of the lock actuator 24 occurs. Accordingly, in step S16, the control device 26 sets the unlock failure determination flag F6 of the status register 84 to on. That is, when an abnormality occurs in the unlocking operation, since a failure of the lock actuator 24 itself can be almost exclusively assumed, the temporary failure is not determined, and the failure of the unlocking function of the lock actuator 24 is determined.

Conversely, the case where the lock pin 50 moves to the non-locking position P2 within the unlocking period threshold means that the unlocking operation of the lock actuator 24 is normally performed. Therefore, in step S17, the control device 26 sets the unlock normal determination flag F5 of the status register 84 to on.

Next, a flow of processing of the vehicle charging device 10 during running of the vehicle 12 will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8. As described above, the vehicle charging device 10 is configured to perform the operation check of the lock actuator 24 while the vehicle 12 is traveling.

Specifically, the vehicle charging device 10 determines whether or not the lock temporary normal flag F1 is on after the start of the running of the vehicle 12 (step S21). The case where the lock temporary normal flag F1 is on means that the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 is normally performed at the time of charging. Therefore, in the case where the lock temporary normal flag F1 is on (step S21: yes), the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, control device 26 acquires the vehicle speed from the detection signal of vehicle speed sensor 62, and determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed threshold. When the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined speed threshold (yes in step S22), the lock normal determination flag F3 is turned on after a predetermined time has elapsed (step S23). At this time, the control device 26 sets the lock temporary normal flag F1 to off (from 1 to 0). That is, when the lock temporary normal flag F1 is on, the control device 26 determines that the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 is normal without operating the lock actuator 24 when the vehicle 12 is running.

On the other hand, when the lock temporary normal flag is off (no in step S21), it is determined in step S24 whether or not the lock temporary failure flag F2 is on. The lock temporary failure flag F2 is on when the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 is not normally performed during charging, and there is a possibility that the lock actuator 24 may fail. Therefore, if the lock temporary trouble flag F2 is on (yes in step S24), the routine proceeds to step S25, whereas if the lock temporary trouble flag F2 is off (no in step S24), the operation check during running is completed. The case where the lock temporary normal flag F1 is off and the lock temporary fault flag F2 is off means that no charging is performed after each flag is reset. The control device 26 may be configured to: in the case where the lock temporary normal flag F1 is off and the lock temporary failure flag F2 is off, the operation check is performed while the vehicle 12 is traveling. Accordingly, the state of the lock actuator 24 can be confirmed before charging is performed.

In step S25, control device 26 acquires the vehicle speed from the detection signal of vehicle speed sensor 62, and determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed threshold. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 performs the operation check of the lock actuator 24 at a stage when the vehicle 12 reaches a certain speed or higher, and thus the user can be restrained from hearing the sound of the lock actuator 24 during the operation check.

When the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the speed threshold (yes in step S25), the control device 26 outputs a lock instruction to the lock actuator 24 (step S26). Based on the lock instruction, the lock actuator 24 performs a locking operation of bringing the lock pin 50 located at the non-locking position P2 into the locking position P1.

Then, the control device 26 determines whether or not the lock pin 50 has moved to the locking position P1 based on the detection signal of the position detection sensor 60 (step S27). At this time, as in the process of the locking operation of the locking pin 50 at the time of charging, it is preferable that the determination period of the locking operation be defined by comparing the locking operation time with the locking period threshold value while the timing at the time of the locking operation is being executed. After the determination of the locking operation, the control device 26 outputs an unlock command to the lock actuator 24, thereby retracting the lock pin 50 from the locking position P1 to the non-locking position P2.

When the lock pin 50 moves to the lock position P1 (yes in step S27), the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 is normally performed. Therefore, in step S28, the control device 26 sets the lock normal determination flag F3 to on, and sets the lock temporary failure flag F2 to off. On the other hand, when the lock pin 50 does not move to the locking position P1 (step S27: no), the probability of failure of the lock actuator 24 increases. Therefore, in step S29, the control device 26 increases the number of times of failure confirmation by the lock operation failure counting section 82a by 1 time (increment).

Then, in step S30, the control device 26 determines whether or not the number of times of failure confirmation by the lock operation failure counting unit 82a is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. If the number of times of failure confirmation is smaller than the determination threshold (no in step S30), the routine returns to step S25, and the following similar processing is repeated. That is, the control device 26 again transmits an operation command for operating the lock pin 50, and again determines whether or not the lock pin 50 has moved to the locking position P1. When the flow returns to step S25, if the vehicle speed is smaller than the speed threshold (step S25: no), the flow proceeds to step S31, where the number of times of failure confirmation by the lock operation failure counter 82a is reset. After this reset, step S25 is repeated again. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can re-perform the operation check when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 decreases below the speed threshold.

On the other hand, when the number of times of failure confirmation is equal to or greater than the determination threshold value (yes in step S30), the routine proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the control device 26 sets the lock failure determination flag F4 to on, and sets the lock temporary failure flag F2 to off. Accordingly, the control device 26 can more reliably recognize a failure of the lock actuator 24.

The control device 26 sets an appropriate failure code corresponding to the failure determination of the lock actuator 24, and the notification unit 64 notifies the user of the occurrence of a failure of the lock actuator 24 based on the failure code (step S33). This allows the user to recognize that the lock actuator 24 of the vehicle charging device 10 has failed, and to appropriately cope with the failure.

In addition, during the running of the vehicle 12, the control device 26 confirms the states of the lock failure determination flag F4 and the lock normal determination flag F3. The control device 26 is configured to: the operation check is not performed in a state where one of the lock failure determination flag F4 and the lock normal determination flag F3 is on. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can avoid unnecessary operation checks after the state of the lock actuator 24 is determined.

When the lock normal determination flag F3 or the lock failure determination flag F4 is on, the control device 26 sets the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag that is on to off after the drive stop operation (ignition off) of the vehicle 12 is performed. Accordingly, when the drive start operation (ignition on) is performed after the drive of the vehicle 12 is stopped, the control device 26 can execute the above-described operation check.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in accordance with the gist of the present invention. For example, the fixing mechanism of the charging port 22 and the power source side connector 32 of the vehicle charging device 10 is not particularly limited, and for example, a structure in which a hook of the power source side connector 32 and a hook of the lock actuator 24 are hooked to each other may be adopted. The lock actuator 24 is not limited to the structure in which the locking terminal 46 is locked to the power supply side connector 32, and may be configured to lock the hub 38 and other terminals 44 (electrode terminal, ground terminal, communication terminal, etc.).

Further, for example, the vehicle charging device 10 is configured to perform a failure determination of the unlocking operation of the lock actuator 24 at the time of charging. However, since the unlocking operation is performed after the locking operation during the operation check at the time of traveling, the control device 26 can determine the normal or failure of the unlocking operation at this time and determine the normal or failure of the unlocking operation.

Technical ideas and effects that can be grasped from the above embodiments are described below.

The technical scheme of the invention is as follows: a vehicle charging device 10 having a charging port 22 of a vehicle 12, a lock actuator 24, a position detection sensor 60, and a control unit (control device 26), wherein the charging port 22 of the vehicle 12 is connected to a power source side connector 32 of an external power source 30; the lock actuator 24 includes a locking member (lock pin 50) that moves between a locking position P1 in which the power supply side connector 32 is locked and a non-locking position P2 in which the locking of the power supply side connector 32 is released; the position detection sensor 60 is used for detecting the position of the locking component; the control unit (control device 26) is configured to control the operation of the lock actuator 24, and the control unit acquires the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12, determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, and if the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, executes an operation check of the lock actuator 24, and in the operation check, the control unit transmits an operation command for the locking member to the lock actuator 24, and determines whether the lock actuator 24 is normal or has failed based on whether the position of the locking member detected by the position detection sensor 60 is located at the position of the operation command.

According to the above, by performing the operation check of the lock actuator 24 when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed while the vehicle 12 is traveling, the vehicle charging device 10 can reliably determine whether the lock actuator 24 is normal or malfunctioning. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can identify whether the failure of the lock actuator 24, the failure of the power source side connector 32 side, or the connection failure is related to the failure of the lock mechanism 56 during charging. Further, the vehicle charging device 10 can eliminate the sound of the operation check by using the running sound or the like by executing the operation check when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, and thus can suppress the user's anxiety caused by hearing the sound of the operation check.

The control unit (control device 26) includes a failure counting unit (lock operation failure counting unit 82 a) for counting the number of times of failure confirmation of the lock actuator 24, and ends the operation check when the lock actuator 24 is normal during the operation check, and when the lock actuator 24 is failed during the operation check, the control unit adds the number of times of failure confirmation of the failure counting unit, and transmits an operation command to the locking member again, and when the number of times of failure confirmation is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times, the control unit determines the failure of the lock actuator 24 and ends the operation check. In this way, the vehicle charging device 10 counts the number of times of failure confirmation by executing the operation command for the locking member a plurality of times, thereby preventing erroneous judgment due to the influence of vibration or the like during traveling and improving the accuracy of the operation check.

When the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed before the completion of the operation check, the control unit (control device 26) resets the number of times of failure confirmation by the failure counting unit (lock operation failure counting unit 82 a), and when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined speed after the reset, the operation check is started from the beginning. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 performs the operation check of the lock actuator 24 in a stable state in which the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed for a certain period of time or longer, and therefore the accuracy of the check can be further improved.

When the lock actuator 24 fails in response to an operation command at the time of connection of the power supply-side connector 32, the control unit (control device 26) sets the temporary failure flag (lock temporary failure flag F2) to on, and performs an operation check only when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed and the temporary failure flag is on. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can suppress the number of operations of the lock actuator 24, suppress the consumption of electric power, and can extend the life of the lock actuator 24.

In addition, at the time of connection of the power source side connector 32, the control unit (control device 26) transmits an operation command to move the locking member (lock pin 50) to the locking position P1 to the lock actuator 24, and when the operation of the lock actuator 24 fails, the temporary failure flag (lock temporary failure flag F2) is turned on, and on the other hand, an operation command to move the locking member to the non-locking position P2 is transmitted to the lock actuator 24, and when the operation of the lock actuator 24 fails, a failure of the function to move the locking member to the non-locking position P2 is determined. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can perform the operation check at the time of traveling only in a situation where it is difficult to determine whether it is a failure of the lock actuator 24 itself or a failure or a successive failure of the power source side connector 32. Therefore, the vehicle charging device 10 can limit the number of operations of the lock actuator 24 to the minimum number required, further suppress the power consumption, and further extend the life of the lock actuator 24.

When the control unit (control device 26) determines that the lock actuator 24 is normal through the operation check, the temporary failure flag (lock temporary failure flag F2) is set to off. That is, in the case where it is determined that the lock actuator 24 is normal, no further operation check is required. Therefore, in the case where it is determined that the lock actuator 24 is normal, the vehicle charging device 10 does not perform further operation check by returning the temporary failure flag to off. As a result, the vehicle charging device 10 can limit the number of operations of the lock actuator 24 to the minimum number required, further suppress the consumption of electric power, and further extend the life of the lock actuator 24.

When the power source side connector 32 is connected, the control unit (control device 26) transmits an operation command to move the locking member (lock pin 50) to the locking position P1 to the lock actuator 24, and when the operation of the lock actuator 24 is normal, the temporary normal flag (lock temporary normal flag F1) is turned on, and when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed and the temporary normal flag is turned on, it is determined that the function of moving the locking member to the locking position P1 is normal, and the temporary normal flag is turned off. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 establishes the temporary lock normal flag instead of immediately determining that it is normal when charging, and determines that it is normal when driving, thereby enabling the failure to coincide with the normal determination timing.

The control unit (control device 26) sets the normal determination flag (lock normal determination flag F3) to on in response to the normal determination of the lock actuator 24 through the operation check, sets the failure determination flag (lock failure determination flag F4) to on in response to the determination of the failure of the lock actuator 24, and does not perform the operation check when the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag is on. That is, since the normal or failure state of the lock actuator 24 is not changed until the vehicle 12 performs the drive stop operation, the result of the operation check is determined, and even if the operation check is performed again, the result can be considered to be unchanged. That is, the vehicle charging device 10 can suppress the consumption of electric power and can extend the life of the lock actuator 24 by not performing the operation check after the failure determination flag or the normal determination flag is set to on.

In addition, in the case where the normal determination flag (lock normal determination flag F3) or the failure determination flag (lock failure determination flag F4) is on, the control portion (control device 26) sets the on normal determination flag or failure determination flag to off when the drive stop operation of the vehicle 12 is performed. During a period from the stop of driving to the start of driving, the lock actuator 24 may be changed to some extent. Therefore, by turning off the failure determination flag or the normal determination flag when the drive stop operation is performed, the vehicle charging device 10 can perform the operation check after the drive start operation, and confirm the normal or failure of the lock actuator 24.

The power supply-side connector 32 includes a stopper pin 48 engaged with the charging port 22, and the engagement of the stopper pin 48 is blocked by the movement of the locking member (locking pin 50) to the locking position P1 when the charging port 22 is connected. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can firmly prevent the power source side connector 32 from coming off the charging port 22 by the locking member. In addition, the vehicle charging device 10 can satisfactorily distinguish between a failure of the stopper pin 48, deformation of the power source side connector 32 itself, adhesion of foreign matter to the power source side connector 32, or the like, and a failure of the lock actuator 24.

The power supply side connector 32 has a hole 47 into which a locking member (lock pin 50) can enter, and the locking member enters the hole 47 in response to movement to the locking position P1 at the time of connection of the charging port 22, thereby fixing the power supply side connector 32. Even in this case, the vehicle charging device 10 can firmly prevent the power source side connector 32 from coming off the charging port 22 by the locking member. In addition, the vehicle charging device 10 can satisfactorily distinguish between the deformation of the power supply side connector 32, the connection failure of the power supply side connector 32 when foreign matter adheres to the power supply side connector 32, and the like, and the failure of the lock actuator 24.

The vehicle 12 further includes a charging port 22 and a motor 16 for running on the lower side of the front hood 20. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can cancel the sound of the operation check of the lock actuator 24 while traveling by the sound of the motor 16, and thus the user in the vehicle cabin can be made less audible.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging device (10) is provided with a charging port (22) of a vehicle (12), a lock actuator (24), a position detection sensor (60), and a control unit (26),

a power source side connector (32) of the charging port of the vehicle for connection of an external power source (30);

the lock actuator has a locking member (50) that moves between a locking position (P1) at which the power supply-side connector is locked and a non-locking position (P2) at which the locking of the power supply-side connector is released;

the position detection sensor is used for detecting the position of the clamping component;

the control part is used for controlling the action of the locking actuator,

the charging device for a vehicle is characterized in that,

the control unit acquires a vehicle speed of the vehicle, determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed, and executes an operation check of the lock actuator when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined speed,

In the operation check, the control unit transmits an operation command to the lock actuator, determines whether the lock actuator is normal or failed based on whether the position of the lock member detected by the position detection sensor is located at the position of the operation command,

the control section has a failure counting section for counting the number of times of failure confirmation of the lock actuator,

in the case where the lock actuator is normal in the work inspection, the control section ends the work inspection,

on the other hand, when the lock actuator fails during the operation check, the control unit adds the failure check times of the failure counting unit, and transmits the operation command to the locking member again, and when the failure check times are equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the control unit determines the failure of the lock actuator and ends the operation check.

2. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that,

when the vehicle speed is smaller than the predetermined speed before the end of the operation check, the control unit resets the failure confirmation number of times of the failure counting unit,

When the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed again after the reset, the control unit starts the operation check from the beginning.

3. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that,

when the lock actuator fails in response to the operation of the operation command at the time of connection of the power source side connector, the control section sets a temporary failure flag (F2) to ON,

the control unit executes the operation check only when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed and the temporary failure flag is set to on.

4. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that,

when the control unit transmits the operation command for moving the locking member to the locking position to the lock actuator and the operation of the lock actuator is failed during the connection of the power supply-side connector, the control unit turns on the temporary failure flag,

on the other hand, when the control unit transmits the operation command to move the locking member to the non-locking position to the lock actuator and the operation of the lock actuator is failed, the control unit determines that the function to move the locking member to the non-locking position is failed.

5. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that,

the control unit sets the temporary failure flag to off when it is determined that the lock actuator is normal by the operation check.

6. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that,

when the power source side connector is connected, the control part sends the action command for moving the locking component to the locking position to the locking actuator, and when the action of the locking actuator is normal, a temporary normal mark (F1) is set to be on,

when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed and the temporary normal flag is set to on, the control unit determines that a function of moving the locking member to the locking position is normal, and returns the temporary normal flag to off.

7. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that,

the control section sets a normal determination flag (F3) to on in accordance with a normal determination of the lock actuator through the operation check, and sets a failure determination flag (F4) to on in accordance with a determination of a failure of the lock actuator,

The control section does not perform the operation check in a case where the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag is set to on.

8. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that,

in the case where the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag is set to on, the control portion sets the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag set to on to off when a drive stop operation of the vehicle is performed.

9. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that,

the power supply side connector has a stopper pin (48) for engagement with the charging port,

when the charging port is connected, the locking member prevents the release of the engagement of the stopper pin in response to the movement to the locking position.

10. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that,

the power source side connector has a hole portion (47) into which the locking member can enter,

when the charging port is connected, the locking member enters the hole portion with movement to the locking position, thereby fixing the power supply side connector.

11. The vehicular charging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that,

the vehicle has the charging port and a motor (16) for running on the lower side of a front hood (20).