JP2009175977A - Device for preventing failure to load electric connection code in vehicle and electric connection code - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for appropriately preventing a user from failing to load any electric connection code in vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The device 1 for preventing failure to load electric connection code in vehicle is loaded on a vehicle equipped with a connection terminal 35 to which one end 12 of an electric connection code 10, whose other end 16 is connected to a power source 50 outside a vehicle so as to be removable, is connected so as to be removable and a battery 80 connected to the connection terminal. The device 1 for preventing failure to load electric connection code in vehicle is provided with: a receiver 30 for receiving an electric wave from a transmitter 14 installed in the electric connection code; an information output means 32; and a control means 33 for, when the receiver is not able to receive any radio wave from the transmitter, outputting information directly or indirectly showing that the electric connection code is not loaded by the information output means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical connection cord on-board forgetting prevention device and an electrical connection cord for preventing a user from forgetting to mount an electrical connection cord.

Conventionally, in a hybrid vehicle that travels in combination with a driving motor that generates driving force by the power of the battery and an engine that generates driving force by the internal combustion engine, first charging means that is driven by the engine and charges the battery A hybrid vehicle is known that includes a second charging unit that charges a battery from a connection terminal provided in the vehicle in order to receive power supply from the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-110602 A

  In recent years, so-called plug-in hybrid vehicles have been proposed as vehicles that can receive electric power from an external power source such as a home AC power source. In this type of vehicle, when the remaining amount of the battery is insufficient, the battery can be charged by connecting one end of the electrical connection cord to an external power source. For this electrical connection cord, the other end (the end that is not connected to the external power source) is connected to the vehicle side (main body side) in a non-removable manner like the electrical connection cord of a general vacuum cleaner, for example. Is also possible. However, since this type of electrical connection cord is relatively long and heavy (that is, it leads to an increase in the weight of the vehicle), the other end is also configured to be removable from the vehicle-side terminal and stored outside the vehicle such as a garage. It is more convenient to do it. On the other hand, when the electric connection cord is configured to be able to be taken out of the vehicle as described above, if the user runs the vehicle while forgetting to mount the electric connection cord on the vehicle, the remaining battery power is insufficient during the running. However, there is a problem that the battery cannot be charged with the electric connection cord. In particular, electrical connection cords are often dedicated by power control such as matching of earth leakage breakers and EMC countermeasures such as conduction noise. Therefore, particularly in such a case, even if the user borrows an electric connection cord related to another vehicle, for example, the user may not be able to use it because of lack of versatility.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection cord on-board forgetting prevention device and an electrical connection cord that can appropriately prevent a user from forgetting to mount an electrical connection cord.

In order to achieve the above object, the electrical connection cord on-vehicle forgetting prevention device according to the first invention includes a connection terminal in which one end of the electrical connection cord is detachably connected to an external power source; Mounted on a vehicle including a battery connected to the connection terminal,
A receiver for receiving radio waves from a transmitter provided in the electrical connection cord;
Information output means;
Control means for outputting, by the information output means, information directly or indirectly indicating that the electrical connection cord is not mounted on the vehicle when the receiver cannot receive radio waves from the transmitter. Features.

2nd invention is the electrical connection cord vehicle forgetting prevention apparatus which concerns on 1st invention,
An input means for inputting an instruction to turn off the information output function by the information output means;
When the instruction is input by the input unit, the control unit regulates output of the information by the information output unit.

3rd invention is the electrical connection cord vehicle forgetting prevention apparatus which concerns on 2nd invention,
The input means includes a short pin insertion port or a switch provided in the vicinity of the connection terminal, and the instruction is input by inserting a short pin into the short pin insertion port or withdrawing from the short pin insertion port. Or by turning the switch on or off.

4th invention is the electrical connection cord vehicle forgetting prevention apparatus which concerns on either invention among 1st-3rd,
The control means determines whether or not the receiver can receive radio waves from the transmitter before the vehicle starts.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electrical connection cord on-vehicle forgetting prevention device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the receiver is a receiver used in a smart key system.

A sixth aspect of the invention is an electrical connection cord in which one end is detachably connected to an external power source and the other end is detachably connected to a vehicle-side connection terminal,
The electrical connection cord according to any one of the first to fifth aspects includes a transmitter for transmitting a radio wave that can be received by the receiver of the on-vehicle forgetting prevention device.

An electrical connection cord on-vehicle forgetting prevention device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is an electrical connection cord in which one end is detachably connected to an external power source and the other end is detachably connected to a vehicle-side connection terminal;
A receiver mounted on a vehicle for receiving radio waves from a transmitter provided in the electrical connection cord;
Information output means mounted on the vehicle;
Control means mounted on the vehicle,
The control means outputs, when the receiver cannot receive the radio wave from the transmitter, information that directly or indirectly indicates that the electrical connection cord is not mounted on the vehicle by the information output means. Features.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the electrical connection cord vehicle forgetting prevention apparatus and electrical connection cord which can prevent appropriately a user forgetting to carry an electrical connection cord on board are obtained.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an electrical connection cord on-vehicle forgetting prevention device 1 according to the present invention and related components.

  The electric connection cord on-vehicle forgetting prevention device 1 is mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle is preferably a so-called hybrid vehicle or electric vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle includes a power output device 90. In the case of a hybrid vehicle, the power output device 90 includes an engine and an electric motor, and generates power necessary for driving the vehicle based on a command received from a control device (not shown). The power output device 90 includes a circuit such as an inverter, converts AC power from a commercial power source (home AC power source) 50 received by the connection terminal 35 of the charging outlet 34 into DC power, and converts the DC power. DC power is output to the battery 80. The power output device 90 may include a generator (alternator) or the like.

  The battery 80 is a rechargeable battery, and may be composed of a capacitive load such as a nickel metal hydride battery, a lead battery, a lithium ion battery, or an electric double layer capacitor. The battery 80 generates DC power and supplies it to the power output device 90 and other electric loads. Battery 80 stores DC power received from power output device 90.

  The charging outlet 34 may be installed at an appropriate location on the vehicle body (for example, outside the vehicle body such as an instrument panel, a glove box, or a fuel inlet protected by a fuel lid). The charging outlet 34 includes a connection terminal 35 to which a charging plug 12 of a charging cord 10 described later is electrically connected. The connection between the connection terminal 35 and a charging plug 12 of the charging cord 10 described later is realized in a detachable form.

  The charging cord (electrical connection cord) 10 functions to electrically connect the commercial power supply 50 outside the vehicle and the charging outlet 34 on the vehicle side (as a result, the battery 80 and other electric loads). The charging cord 10 includes an outlet plug 16 at one end and a charging plug 12 at the other end. The outlet plug 16 is electrically connected to a commercial power supply 50 outside the vehicle, typically by being inserted into an outlet hole. The electrical connection between the outlet plug 16 and the commercial power source 50 is realized in a detachable form. The charging cord 10 may be a cord dedicated for power supply control such as matching of earth leakage circuit breakers and EMC countermeasures such as conduction noise. The commercial power source 50 may be a commercial power source (power outlet) installed in a facility such as a garage or a charging station, or may be a generator prepared on site.

  When the outlet plug 16 of the charging cord 10 is connected to the commercial power source 50 and the charging plug 12 of the charging cord 10 is connected to the charging outlet 34 (connection terminal 35) on the vehicle side, the connection terminal 35 of the charging outlet 34 is connected. The electric power from the commercial power source 50 is supplied. At this time, the battery 80 can be charged by the power from the commercial power supply 50 via the power output device 90.

  The charging cord 10 includes a transmitter 14 that transmits radio waves. The transmitter 14 may be built in the charging plug 12 as shown in FIG. The transmitter 14 may be configured to periodically transmit radio waves, or may be configured as a communication device that transmits radio waves in response to reception of a request signal from a smart receiver 30 described later.

  The electrical connection cord on-vehicle forgetting prevention device 1 includes a smart receiver 30 and an indicator 32 as main components. The smart receiver 30 is provided in a vehicle interior (a space inside the outer plate of the vehicle, and thus including, for example, a door inner space inside the door outer panel), and transmits radio waves from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10. Receive. The smart receiver 30 can receive radio waves from the charging cord 10 that can be placed in any position in the vehicle interior (including not only the passenger space but also a storage space such as a trunk room or a glove box). You may mount in several places. Alternatively, when the recommended storage location of the removed charging cord 10 exists in the vehicle interior, the smart receiver 30 is installed at a location where radio waves can be received from the charging cord 10 placed in the recommended storage location. May be.

  In this example, a smart receiver 30 used in a so-called smart key system is used as means for receiving radio waves from the transmitter 14. Thereby, the electrical connection cord in-vehicle forgetting prevention device 1 can be configured without requiring addition of a new receiver. However, other receivers may be used instead of the smart receiver 30.

  The smart receiver 30 includes a microcomputer 33 inside. The microcomputer 33 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like connected to each other via a bus (not shown). The ROM stores programs and data executed by the CPU.

  The microcomputer 33 controls communication of the smart receiver 30 and controls the lighting state of the indicator 32. Note that some or all of the functions of the microcomputer 33 described below may be realized by other in-vehicle ECUs (for example, smart ECUs).

  The indicator 32 can be electronically controlled in a lighting state (on / off), and may be configured by an LED lamp, for example. The indicator 32 is provided at an appropriate location in the passenger compartment, and may be provided, for example, on an instrument panel or in a meter.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of main processing realized by the microcomputer 33 of the smart receiver 30 of the present embodiment. The processing shown in FIG. 2 is preferably executed before the vehicle starts after the user gets into the vehicle. For example, the process shown in FIG. 2 may be activated when an ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on. In the case of an electric vehicle, it may be activated when a vehicle power-on button (start switch) is operated.

  In step 100, it is determined whether or not the charging cord 10 is present in the passenger compartment by determining whether or not the smart receiver 30 has received radio waves from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10. For example, when the transmitter 14 is configured to periodically transmit radio waves, it may be determined whether or not radio waves are received from the transmitter 14 within a period corresponding to one transmission cycle of the radio waves. Good. Further, when the transmitter 14 is configured as a communication device that transmits radio waves in response to reception of a request signal from the smart receiver 30, the transmitter is transmitted within a predetermined period after the request signal is transmitted from the smart receiver 30. It may be determined whether or not a radio wave (response signal) is received from 14. In this example, since the smart receiver 30 also realizes communication with the smart key, the radio wave (signal, frequency, amplitude, etc.) of the transmitter 14 can be distinguished from the radio wave of the smart key on the smart receiver 30 side. It is comprised so that.

  In this step 100, when a radio wave is received from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10, it is determined that the charging cord 10 is present in the passenger compartment, and the process ends. In this case, the process of step 110 is skipped and no alarm is output. On the other hand, if the radio wave is not received from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10, it is determined that the charging cord 10 does not exist in the passenger compartment (that is, forgetting to mount the vehicle), and the process proceeds to step 110.

  In step 110, the indicator 32 is turned on to output an alarm for forgetting to mount the vehicle. Here, the lighting state of the indicator 32 means that the charging cord 10 is not mounted on the vehicle, and this is well known to the user by, for example, a user manual.

  According to the processing shown in FIG. 2 described above, when the charging cord 10 is not present in the vehicle interior, the charging cord 10 is connected to the user before starting the vehicle by turning on the indicator 32. Information that prompts you to bring it into the room can be provided. As a result, even though the commercial power supply 50 exists and can be charged at the destination, it is impossible to charge due to forgetting to bring the charging cord 10 and to drive with the engine (or to drive the electric vehicle). In such a case, it is possible to appropriately prevent the situation from occurring.

  By the way, although the above-mentioned warning function for forgetting to mount the charging cord 10 is highly convenient, for example, even when the vehicle only travels a short distance and does not require charging at the destination, it is disadvantageous in terms of weight increase. If the cord 10 is not mounted on the vehicle, it may not be possible to prevent the alarm from sounding and it may be bothersome. Therefore, the electrical connection cord in-vehicle forgetting prevention device 1 may have a configuration that can turn off the in-vehicle forgetting warning function of the charging cord 10 as desired by the user. Hereinafter, this will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.

  The electric connection cord on-vehicle forgetting prevention device 1 further includes a short pin insertion port 37 to which the short pin 36 is detachably connected as an input means for inputting an instruction to turn off the on-board forgetting warning function of the charging cord 10. . The short pin 36 can be inserted into a short pin insertion port 37 having a short pin terminal connected to the smart receiver 30. When the short pin 36 is inserted into the short pin insertion port 37, two short pin differences The short pin terminals respectively formed in the insertion port 37 conduct through the short pin 36 and are detected by the smart receiver 30. In this example, it is assumed that the short pin 36 being inserted into the short pin insertion port 37 corresponds to an input of an instruction to turn off the in-car forgotten warning function of the charging cord 10, which is, for example, a user It is made known to the user by a manual or the like. Alternatively, this may be done by voice guidance or the like when the charging plug 12 of the charging cord 10 is removed from the connection terminal 35 of the charging outlet 34 or at the time of the processing of step 220 (alarm output) described later. May be output.

  The short pin insertion port 37 into which the short pin 36 is inserted is preferably provided in the charging outlet 34 and provided in the vicinity of the connection terminal 35. In this case, when the user removes the charging plug 12 of the charging cord 10 from the connection terminal 35 of the charging outlet 34, the user easily notices the presence of the short pin insertion port 37 and determines whether or not the future alarm function is necessary. Necessary operations can be performed accordingly. Also, the short pin 36 is preferably moored from the charging outlet 34 with, for example, a string in order to prevent loss.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another example of main processing realized by the microcomputer 33 of the smart receiver 30 of the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 3 is preferably executed before the vehicle starts after the user gets into the vehicle. For example, the process shown in FIG. 3 may be started when the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned on. In the case of an electric vehicle, it may be activated when a vehicle power-on button (start switch) is operated.

  In step 200, it is determined whether or not the short pin 36 exists in the short pin insertion port 37, that is, whether or not the short pin 36 is inserted in the short pin insertion port 37. If the short pin 36 is present in the short pin insertion port 37, it is determined that the user has an intention to turn off the warning function, and the process ends. In this case, since the processing after step 210 is skipped, no alarm is output even if the smart receiver 30 does not receive radio waves from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10. On the other hand, if the short pin 36 does not exist in the short pin insertion port 37, the process proceeds to step 210.

  In step 210, the smart receiver 30 determines whether or not the radio cord is received from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10, thereby determining whether or not the charging cord 10 exists in the passenger compartment. The process of step 210 may be the same as step 100 of FIG. In this step 210, when a radio wave is received from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10, it is determined that the charging cord 10 is present in the passenger compartment, and the process ends. In this case, the process of step 220 is skipped and no alarm is output. On the other hand, if the radio wave is not received from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10, it is determined that the charging cord 10 does not exist in the vehicle interior (that is, forgetting to mount the vehicle), and the process proceeds to step 220.

  In step 220, as in step 110 of FIG. 2 described above, the indicator 32 is turned on to output an alarm for forgetting to mount the vehicle.

  According to the process shown in FIG. 3 described above, as in the process of FIG. 2 described above, when the charging cord 10 is not present in the passenger compartment, the indicator 32 is turned on before starting the vehicle. An alarm that prompts the user to bring the charging cord 10 into the passenger compartment can be output. Further, even if the user stores the charging cord 10 which is disadvantageous from the viewpoint of weight increase in a garage or the like, if the alarm function is turned off by inserting the short pin 36 into the short pin insertion port 37, the alarm Can be prevented from bothering the user due to unnecessary alarms.

  In the process shown in FIG. 3, the process of step 200 and the process of step 210 may be executed in the reverse order. That is, first, it is determined whether or not the smart receiver 30 receives radio waves from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10, and when the smart receiver 30 does not receive radio waves from the transmitter 14 of the charging cord 10, It may be determined whether or not the short pin 36 exists in the short pin insertion port 37, and when the short pin 36 does not exist in the short pin insertion port 37, the process may proceed to step 220.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the transmitter 14 is built in the charging plug 12, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the transmitter 14 may be provided at a place where the charging cord 10 is freely selected. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the transmitter 14 may be incorporated in the leakage breaker 18 on the outlet plug 16 side of the charging cord 10 ′. Moreover, the transmitter 14 does not necessarily need to be incorporated, and may be a separate configuration that is attached or moored to the charging cord 10 so as not to be detached.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned Example, although the lighting state of the indicator 32 means forgetting in-vehicle installation, the reverse structure is also possible. That is, a configuration in which the off state of the indicator 32 means that the vehicle is forgotten is possible. In addition, such information is not limited to the lighting / extinguishing state of the indicator 32, and may be transmitted in another manner. For example, it may be transmitted by the difference in the color of the lamp, the number of lamps to be lit, or the like. Further, information transmission means other than the indicator 32 may be used. For example, it may be output using a buzzer or chime. In addition, a message such as “Please mount the charging cord” may be output by voice and / or image. When outputting such a message as an image, it may be output on a display of a navigation device that outputs a map display or a route guidance display as a video, or may be displayed on a HUD (head-up display) or the like. Or you may provide a driver | operator with a vibration using the vibrator etc. which are incorporated in a sheet | seat, for example. Further, it may be realized by suppressing start of the vehicle such as prohibition of engine start or not entering the travel mode.

  In the above-described embodiment, inserting the short pin 36 into the short pin insertion port 37 corresponds to an instruction to turn off the alarm, but the reverse configuration is also possible. That is, removing the short pin 36 from the short pin insertion port 37 may correspond to an instruction to turn off the alarm. Further, instead of the short pin 36, an operation switch may be set. The operation switch may be any type of switch such as a push button or a touch switch. Also in this case, turning on the operation switch may correspond to an instruction to turn off the alarm function, and conversely, turning off the operation switch may correspond to an instruction to turn off the alarm function. In any case, the operation switch is preferably provided in the charging outlet 34 (provided in the vicinity of the connection terminal 35). In this case, when the user removes the charging plug 12 of the charging cord 10 from the connection terminal 35 of the charging outlet 34, the user easily notices the presence of the operation switch and needs to respond to the necessity of a future alarm function. Operations can be performed. The instruction input for turning on / off the alarm function may be realized by applying a voice recognition technique such as voice input or an image recognition technique such as gesture.

  In the above-described embodiments, the vehicle is mainly assumed to be an automobile. However, the present invention can also be applied to other vehicles such as a motorcycle, a work machine, and a construction machine. In the case of work machines and construction machines, the range of movement during work is limited, unlike cars, so it is possible to charge while working by setting an appropriate length of charging cord 10, and It is also possible to operate the electric load using electric power directly from the commercial power source 50.

  In the above-described embodiment, the charging cord 10 may be directly connected to the commercial power source 50 outside the vehicle or the charging outlet 34 (connection terminal 35) on the vehicle side, for example, an extension cord or an adapter (for example, a power frequency). Or an adapter for adapting to a difference in outlet shape or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a system block diagram which shows one Example of the electrical connection cord vehicle forgetting prevention apparatus 1 by this invention, and its related component. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the main processes implement | achieved by the microcomputer 33 of the smart receiver 30 of a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows another example of the main processes implement | achieved by the microcomputer 33 of the smart receiver 30 of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the cord 10 'for charge by another Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical connection cord vehicle forgetting prevention apparatus 10 Charging cord 12 Charging plug 14 Transmitter 16 Outlet plug 18 Electrical leakage breaker 30 Smart receiver 32 Indicator 33 Microcomputer 34 Charging outlet 35 Connection terminal 36 Short pin 37 Short pin insertion port 50 Commercial power supply 80 battery 90 power output device

Claims (7)

An electrical connection cord mounted on a vehicle having a connection terminal in which the other end of the electrical connection cord whose one end is detachably connected to an external power supply and a battery connected to the connection terminal is connected to the vehicle. A device,
A receiver for receiving radio waves from a transmitter provided in the electrical connection cord;
Information output means;
Control means for outputting, by the information output means, information directly or indirectly indicating that the electrical connection cord is not mounted on the vehicle when the receiver cannot receive radio waves from the transmitter. A feature of the electrical connection cord on-board forgetting prevention device. An input means for inputting an instruction to turn off the information output function by the information output means;
The electrical connection cord on-vehicle forgetting prevention device according to claim 1, wherein, when the instruction is input by the input unit, the control unit regulates output of the information by the information output unit.   The input means includes a short pin insertion port or a switch provided in the vicinity of the connection terminal, and the instruction is input by inserting a short pin into the short pin insertion port or withdrawing from the short pin insertion port. Or the on-board forgetting device for electric connection cord according to claim 2, realized by turning on or off the switch.   The electrical connection cord in-vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means determines whether or not the receiver can receive radio waves from the transmitter before the vehicle starts. Forget prevention device.   The electric connection cord in-vehicle forgetting prevention device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the receiver is a receiver used in a smart key system. An electrical connection cord having one end detachably connected to an external power supply and the other end detachably connected to a connection terminal on the vehicle side,
An electrical connection cord comprising: a transmitter that transmits radio waves that can be received by the receiver of the electrical connection cord in-vehicle forgetting prevention device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. An electrical connection cord in which one end is detachably connected to the external power supply and the other end is detachably connected to the connection terminal on the vehicle side;
A receiver mounted on a vehicle for receiving radio waves from a transmitter provided in the electrical connection cord;
Information output means mounted on the vehicle;
Control means mounted on the vehicle,
The control means outputs, when the receiver cannot receive the radio wave from the transmitter, information that directly or indirectly indicates that the electrical connection cord is not mounted on the vehicle by the information output means. A feature of the electrical connection cord on-board forgetting prevention device.

Images