JP2013038996A - Vehicle charger and charging wire communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle charger and a charging wire communication system that reliably complete arranging charging wire communication to be ready prior to starting a charging operation by means of CPLT signals.SOLUTION: A vehicle charger includes connected means and control means. The connected means includes: a charging contact part having a connector connected to a charging cable, used for charging an on-vehicle power storage device; and a CPLT signal contact part for inputting and outputting CPLT signals. The control means communicates with vehicle external equipment if it is possible to communicate with the vehicle external equipment through the charging contact part and the charging cable, and controls the electrical potential of the CPLT signal contact part. After shifting the electrical potential of the CPLT signal contact part from a first electrical potential to a second electrical potential, the control part starts preparation process for communicating with the vehicle external equipment, and requests an external power source to start charging operation by shifting the electrical potential of the CPLT signal contact part from the second potential to a third potential after the completion of the preparation process.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle charging device that receives power supply for charging an in-vehicle power storage device from an external power source, and a charging line communication system that performs communication via a power supply line between a vehicle and an external facility.

  In recent years, with increasing environmental awareness, practical application and research of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles have been promoted. These vehicles are equipped with a secondary battery for traveling, and this secondary battery is charged by the output of the engine in the case of a hybrid vehicle. In the case of an electric vehicle, a dedicated charging facility or a general household is used. It has been proposed to connect a secondary battery to an external power source such as a power outlet.

  Also, in the case of a hybrid vehicle, it is expected that energy efficiency is improved by charging a secondary battery by connecting a cable to an external power source. This is because the power generation efficiency of commercial power is better than the power generation efficiency of the engine.

  Thus, a vehicle that can charge a secondary battery by an external power supply is called a plug-in vehicle or the like.

  Also, in recent years, power line communication technology for carrying a communication signal on a power supply line and integrating the power line and the communication line has been put into practical use. A system using this technology is called a power line communication system.

  Patent Document 1 describes a device that performs charging while performing authentication using power line communication with a power supply device outside the vehicle. In this device, when the power supply side charge monitoring device is connected to the power supply facility side, the PLC modem in the power supply side charge monitoring device operates and the vehicle side PLC modem can communicate with the power supply facility side ( Communication is established). And if it will be in the state which can communicate, after passing a vehicle user's authentication process, the connection relation inside a vehicle is switched so that the electrical cable for charge may be connected to an internal charging circuit.

  Note that various standards are established by Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 regarding charging of plug-in vehicles. In the standards according to these documents, a control pilot signal (hereinafter referred to as a CPLT signal) is transmitted and received between the external power source and the plug-in vehicle through a signal line parallel to the charging cable. The CPLT signal indicates the connection state of the charging cable, the availability of power supply from the external power source to the vehicle, the rated current, and the like depending on the state.

JP 2007-252016 A

“SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler” (USA), SAE Standards, SAE International, November 2001 “General Requirements for Conductive Charging Systems for Electric Vehicles”, Japan Electric Vehicle Association Standard (Japan Electric Vehicle Standard), March 29, 2001

  By the way, when charging control is performed in accordance with the IEC-61851-1 standard, establishment of communication and transmission / reception of necessary information within 3 seconds after a charging request is made from the vehicle side to the charging facility by lowering the potential of the CPLT signal. It is necessary to complete preparation processing such as authentication. However, after the potential of the CPLT signal is lowered, the supply of AC power may not be stabilized due to the start of supply of AC power, and communication may not be established promptly. As a result, the preparation process may not be completed within 3 seconds.

  In this respect, since the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 does not perform control using the CPLT signal in the first place, it cannot perform charge control in accordance with the IEC-61851-1 standard.

  The present invention is to solve such a problem, and provides a vehicle charging device and the like that can reliably complete a preparation process for charge line communication before the start of charging by a CPLT signal. The main purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention provides:
A vehicle charging device mounted on a vehicle and receiving power supply for charging an in-vehicle power storage device from an external power source,
A connector connected to a charging cable used for charging by the external power source is connected, and has a charging contact part used for charging the in-vehicle power storage device, and a CPLT signal contact part for inputting and outputting a CPLT signal. Connected means;
Control means for controlling the potential of the contact portion for the CPLT signal and communicating with the facility outside the vehicle when communication with the facility outside the vehicle via the charging contact portion and the charging cable is possible. ,
The control means, after changing the potential of the contact portion for the CPLT signal from the first potential to the second potential, starts a preparation process of communication with the facility outside the vehicle, and after the preparation process is completed, A charge request is made to the external power source by changing the potential of the contact portion for the CPLT signal from the second potential to a third potential.
It is a charging device for vehicles.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, after the potential of the contact portion for the CPLT signal is changed from the first potential to the second potential, the preparation processing for communication with the facility outside the vehicle is started and the preparation processing is completed. After that, since the external power supply is requested by changing the potential of the contact portion for the CPLT signal from the second potential to the third potential, the charging line communication preparation process is surely performed before the start of charging by the CPLT signal. Can be completed.

In the first aspect of the present invention,
Whether the control means is capable of communicating with the facility outside the vehicle via the charging contact portion and the charging cable based on the duty ratio of the CPLT signal immediately after the connector is connected to the connected means. It is good also as a means to determine.

In order to achieve the above object, the second aspect of the present invention provides:
A vehicle charging device according to a first aspect of the present invention;
The external power source, the connector, and the external facility capable of communicating via the charging cable;
Is a charging line communication system.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the charging device for vehicles etc. which can complete the preparation process of charging line communication reliably before the start of charge by a CPLT signal can be provided.

1 is a system configuration example of a vehicle charging device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process performed by ECU50. It is a timing chart which shows transition of a CPLT signal, etc. in the period until the connector 120 and the inlet 20 are connected and charge is complete | finished. It is a figure which shows the connection relation centering on the contact 24 for CPLT signals.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle charging device of the present invention is a device mounted on a vehicle capable of charging an in-vehicle power storage device with an external power source. The in-vehicle power storage device may be one that supplies power to the traveling motor, or one that supplies power to the air conditioner, starter motor, etc., but for the purposes of the present invention, the in-vehicle power storage device that is charged by an external power source is among these Either may be sufficient. In the following description, it is assumed that the in-vehicle power storage device is a secondary battery (battery) that supplies power to the traveling motor.

  In addition, examples of a vehicle equipped with a battery that supplies electric power used as energy for traveling include a hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle. In the following description, the vehicle is applied to a hybrid vehicle.

[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a system configuration example of a vehicle charging device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle charging device 10 constitutes the charging line communication system 1 together with the external power source 100, the communication device 130, and the like.

  The vehicle charging device 10 includes an inlet 20, a charging circuit 30, a battery 40, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50 as main components.

  The vehicle charging device 10 and the external power supply 100 are connected to the inlet 20 by a connector 120 provided at the end of a cable 110 extending from the external power supply 100, thereby supplying power to the vehicle from the external power supply 100 and communication. Communication between the device 130 and the vehicle is enabled. The external power supply 100 and the communication device 130 are accommodated in the charging stand 140, for example.

  One end of the cable 110 is connected to the external power source 100 and the communication device 130, and a connector 120 is provided at the other end. The cable 110 has, for example, a configuration in which a pair of charging cables 111 and 112 are covered with a resin or the like.

  Power supply from the external power supply 100 to the vehicle charging device 10 is performed by, for example, power from a commercial power supply, that is, AC power of 50 [Hz] or 60 [Hz]. The external power source 100 may include a general household outlet, or may be a desk lamp facility having a dedicated power circuit or the like.

  Communication between the communication device 130 and the vehicle charging device 10 is performed using a frequency different from the frequency of the AC power via the charging cables 111 and 112. Hereinafter, the communication via the charging cables 111 and 112 is referred to as charging line communication as necessary.

  The connector 120 corresponds to each element of the cable 110 and has charging (and communication) contacts 121 and 122, a ground contact 123, a CPLT signal contact 124, and a cable connection signal transmission contact 125, which are insulators. The case is stored.

  The connector 120 also includes a connection detection mechanism 126 for detecting the connection between the connector 120 and the inlet 20 on the vehicle side, and a CPLT circuit 127 for generating a CPLT signal. The CPLT circuit 127 has a built-in voltage sensor for detecting the potential of the CPLT signal contact 124, and the ECU 50 has a built-in voltage sensor for detecting the potential of the CPLT signal contact 24.

  The inlet 20 corresponds to the contact of the connector 120 and has charging (and communication) contacts 21 and 22, a ground contact 23, a CPLT signal contact 24, and a cable connection signal transmission contact 25. It is stored in a case.

  Any connection mode between the connector 120 and the inlet 20 may be employed. For example, embodiments such as a knife / fork and a bellows are known.

  When the connector 120 is connected to the inlet 20 (time t1), the connection detection mechanism 126 mechanically detects this and performs a switch operation to connect the cable connection signal transmission contact 125 to the ground line 113.

  When the connector 120 is not connected to the inlet 20, the cable connection signal transmission contact 125 is in an open end state, and the potential of the cable connection signal transmission contact 25 is a reference potential generated on the vehicle side. On the other hand, when the connector 120 is connected to the inlet 20, the potential of the cable connection signal transmission contact 25 becomes zero due to a ground fault. The ECU 50 can detect the connection between the connector 120 and the inlet 20 based on the change in potential. The connection detection configuration is not limited to this, and the connection detection mechanism 126 may be configured by a pull-down resistor or the like, or may be another configuration such as a configuration that actively outputs a voltage signal. Also good.

  The charging circuit 30 includes, for example, a bridge circuit, a transformer, a rectifier circuit, and the like, and has a configuration capable of converting AC power into DC power. The charging circuit 30 is attached between the inlet 20 and the battery 40.

  The battery 40 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, or a lead storage battery. In addition, even when the vehicle to which the present invention is applied is an engine vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, the battery 40 is an electric double layer when the charging target is an auxiliary power storage device. It can be replaced with a capacitor such as a capacitor. Monitoring means such as a current sensor 40 </ b> A is attached to the battery 40, and the output value is transmitted to the ECU 50. As the monitoring means for the battery 40, a voltage sensor, a temperature sensor, a charging circuit 30 or the like can be considered.

  The battery 40 is connected to motors 41 and 42 (not shown), supplies electric power for driving these motors, and stores electric power generated when regenerative control is performed by the motors.

  The motors 41 and 42 are, for example, a three-phase AC motor generator including a rotor in which a permanent magnet is embedded and a stator having a Y-connected three-phase coil.

  The ECU 50 is, for example, a microcomputer in which a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like are connected to each other via a bus with a central processing unit (CPU) as a center. / O port, timer, counter etc. are provided. These functions will be described later. It is preferable that the ECU 50 has a gateway function between the communication device 130 and another ECU. Instead of the ECU 50, dedicated hardware (electronic circuit) may be provided.

[Motor drive control]
Here, the drive control of the motors 41 and 42 will be briefly described. The motors 41 and 42 are connected to the engine 44 and the axle via a planetary gear 43, for example. In this case, the motor 41 is connected to the sun gear of the planetary gear 43, the motor 42 is connected to the ring gear and the drive shaft of the planetary gear 43, and the engine 44 is connected to the pinion gear of the planetary gear 43.

  Output control of the motors 41 and 42 and the engine 44 is executed by a hybrid computer (not shown). The hybrid computer calculates the driver request torque requested by the driver through the accelerator operation based on the input accelerator opening, shift position signal, vehicle speed, etc., and multiplies this by the rotational speed of the drive shaft and a predetermined coefficient. The driver demand power is calculated. The rotational speed of the drive shaft is calculated based on a value from a rotation sensor (resolver) attached to the motor 42, for example. Then, the driver request power is added to the auxiliary machine request (electric power required by the electric air compressor and other electric equipment not directly related to traveling) input from the outside to calculate the output request.

  When the output request is less than the power that can be supplied by the battery 40, the motors 41 and 42 and the engine 44 are controlled so as to travel only by the power of the motor 42 (motor traveling). In this case, a value obtained by dividing the driver required torque by the gear ratio of the gear mechanism is the required torque of the motor 42.

  On the other hand, when the output request is greater than or equal to the power that can be supplied by the battery 40, the engine 44, the motor 41, and the motor 42 are driven to travel (engine / motor traveling). In this case, first, the required engine power is calculated by subtracting the power that can be supplied from the battery 40 from the output request. Then, the target torque and the target rotation speed that can realize the engine required power are searched for on the operation line that can operate the engine 44 with high energy efficiency.

  For the motor 41, the target rotational speed Ng * of the motor 41 is calculated based on the following equation (1) from the target rotational speed Ne * of the engine and the current rotational speed Nr of the ring gear. In the equation, ρ is the gear ratio of the planetary gear. Then, feedback control of the following equation (2) is performed so that the motor 41 is driven at the target rotational speed Ng *. In the equation, Tg * is a target torque to be output from the motor 41, Ng is an actual rotational speed of the motor 41, K1 is a gain of a proportional term, and K2 is a gain of an integral term.

Ng * = {(1 + ρ) · Ne * / − Nr} / ρ (1)
Tg * = previous Tg * + K1 · (Ng * −Ng) + K2 · ∫ (Ng * −Ng) dt (2)

  When the target torque Tg * of the motor 41 is determined, the torque (direct torque Ter) output to the ring gear by driving the engine 44 and the motor 41 is calculated by the following equation (3), and the direct torque Tor is calculated from the driver required torque. The target torque Tm * of the motor 42 is calculated by dividing the subtracted torque by the gear ratio of the gear mechanism.

  Ter = −Tg * / ρ (3)

  The target torques Tg * and Tm * calculated in this way are supplied to the inverter attached to each motor and reflected in the operation of each motor. The target torques Tg * and Tm * can take both positive and negative values. If the sign and the rotation direction of the motor (a certain direction is positive and the opposite direction is negative) match, In the case where the sign and the rotation direction of the motor do not coincide with each other, regeneration is performed (electric power is generated and the battery 40 is charged).

[Charge control]
The ECU 50 receives a cable connection signal and a CPLT signal (pilot signal) from the inlet 20. The ECU 50 performs charging and communication processing of the battery 40 based on the state of these signals.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the ECU 50. FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the transition of the CPLT signal and the like during a period from when the connector 120 and the inlet 20 are connected until charging is completed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a connection relationship centered on the CPLT signal contact 24. As illustrated, the CPLT circuit 127 includes, for example, a capacitor 127A, a resistor 127B, an oscillation circuit 127C, and a control circuit 127D for generating the first potential such as 12V described above. On the other hand, the inlet 20 includes, for example, a diode 20A, resistors 20B and 20C, and switches 20D and 20E.

  First, the ECU 50 stands by until the connection detection mechanism 126 is connected to the inlet 20 (S200). As described above, the connection of the connector 120 to the inlet 20 can be detected when the potential of the cable connection signal transmission contact 25 becomes zero.

  When the connector 120 is connected to the inlet 20, the ECU 50 connects the resistor 20B to the CPLT signal contact 24 with the switch 20D connected, and sets the CPLT signal contact 24 to the second potential (for example, 9 [V ] (S202; time t1 in FIG. 3). In the initial state (before the connection of the connector 120), the potential of the CPLT signal contact 124 is the first potential (for example, 12 [V]). Is also changed to the second potential. Note that the switch 20D may be omitted, and when the connector 120 is connected to the inlet 20, the potential of the CPLT signal contact 124 may be automatically lowered from the first potential to the second potential.

  The control circuit 127D monitors the potential of the CPLT signal contact 124. When the control circuit 127D detects that the potential of the CPLT signal contact 124 has decreased from the first potential to the second potential, the control circuit 127D operates the oscillation circuit 127C. The CPLT signal is oscillated at a constant frequency and duty ratio (time t2 in FIG. 3). As a result, the CPLT signal is a rectangular signal that oscillates between the second potential and the inverted potential of the first potential (for example, −12 [V]).

  Next, the ECU 50 measures the duty ratio DT of the CPLT signal (S204). Then, it is determined whether or not the measured duty ratio DT of the CPLT signal is within a predetermined range (for example, a specific duty ratio of 5% ± 2%, that is, between 3% and 7%) (S206).

  Here, the specific duty ratio of 5% indicates that the equipment such as the charging stand 140 existing at the end of the connector 120 can perform charging line communication (Hi level communication) using the charging cable 110. ing. ECU50 performs charge line communication using this. Various contents such as data relating to charging control, vehicle authentication, billing data, and the like are conceivable as contents transmitted and received by charging line communication. Note that the 2% margin is considered in consideration of the possibility that the CPLT signal does not become a clear rectangle due to the electrical characteristics of the charging cable 110 or the like.

  When the duty ratio DT of the CPLT signal is within the predetermined range, the ECU 50 performs a preparation process for charging line communication (S208). The charging line communication preparation process is a preparation process in a protocol called SECC discovery, for example, and may include exchange of IP addresses between the vehicle side and the charging station, ID setting for communication, definition of a PCT port, and the like.

  The ECU 50 waits until the preparation process for charging line communication is completed (S210). When the preparation process for the charge line communication is completed, the switch 20E is connected, the resistor 20B is connected to the CPLT signal contact 24, and the upper limit of the potential of the CPLT signal contact 24 is set to the third potential (for example, 6 [V Or 3 [V]) (S212; time t3 in FIG. 3). As a result, the upper limit of the potential of the CPLT signal contact 124 is also changed to the third potential.

  As a result of the control, the charging line communication preparation process is completed when the charging request is made from the vehicle side to the charging facility by lowering the potential of the CPLT signal to the third potential. Therefore, after making a charging request from the vehicle side to the charging facility by lowering the potential of the CPLT signal required by the IEC-61851-1 standard, the precondition for completing the preparation process for the charging line communication is completed within 3 seconds. Can be satisfied.

  Next, the ECU 50 performs a vehicle authentication process with the charging station 140 (S214). The vehicle authentication process is a process of confirming that the vehicle can be properly supplied with power by transmitting the ID held by the vehicle to the charging stand 140 and collating it with the ID held on the charging stand 140 side. .

  On the charging stand 140 side, when the upper limit of the potential of the CPLT signal contact 124 is changed to the third potential and the vehicle authentication process ends normally, an instruction is given to a relay circuit (not shown), whereby the charging cables 111 and 112 Power supply (charging) is started (S216; time t4 in FIG. 3). As a result, as illustrated, the charging voltage in the charging cables 111 and 112 increases. Note that, after time t3, the duty ratio of the CPLT signal is changed to a value representing the rated current of the charging station 140.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S206 that the duty ratio DT of the CPLT signal is outside the predetermined range, the ECU 50 executes charge control using the CPLT signal (S218). Here, in the charge control using the CPLT signal, for example, the rated current of the charging station 140 is recognized using the duty ratio DT of the CPLT signal changed after the time t3, and the elapsed time from the time t4 and the charging station 140 are The charge amount multiplied by the rated current is compared with the rating and charge amount (SOC) of the battery 40. The ECU 50 determines the completion of charging on the vehicle side, and changes the charging request to OFF (for example, by increasing the potential of the CPLT signal contact 124 from the third potential to the second potential at time t5 in FIG. The charging stand 140 side is notified of the completion of charging). In response to this, on the charging stand 140 side, the oscillation of the CPLT signal is stopped and the power supply is stopped (t6 in FIG. 3).

  According to the vehicle charging device 10 of the present embodiment described above, the preparation process for communication with the charging station 140 is started after the potential of the CPLT signal contact 24 is changed from the first potential to the second potential. After the preparation process is completed, the external power supply 100 is requested to be charged by changing the potential of the CPLT signal contact 24 from the second potential to the third potential. The preparation process for line communication can be completed with certainty.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. And substitutions can be added.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Charging line communication system 10 Vehicle charging device 20 Inlet 20A Diode 20B, 20C Resistance 20D, 20E Switch 21, 22 Charging contact 23 Ground contact 24 CPLT signal contact 25 Cable connection signal transmission contact 30 Charging circuit 36 In-vehicle communication line 40 battery 41, 42 motor 43 planetary gear 44 engine 50 ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 External power supply 110 Cable 111, 112 Charging cable 113 Ground line 120 Connector 121, 122 Charging contact 123 Ground contact 124 CPLT signal contact 125 Cable connection signal transmission contact 126 Connection detection mechanism 127 CPLT circuit 127A Capacitor 127B Resistance 127C Oscillation circuit 127D Control circuit 130 Communication device 140 Charging stand

Claims (3)

A vehicle charging device mounted on a vehicle and receiving power supply for charging an in-vehicle power storage device from an external power source,
A connector connected to a charging cable used for charging by the external power source is connected, and has a charging contact part used for charging the in-vehicle power storage device, and a CPLT signal contact part for inputting and outputting a CPLT signal. Connected means;
Control means for controlling the potential of the contact portion for the CPLT signal and communicating with the facility outside the vehicle when communication with the facility outside the vehicle via the charging contact portion and the charging cable is possible. ,
The control means, after changing the potential of the contact portion for the CPLT signal from the first potential to the second potential, starts a preparation process of communication with the facility outside the vehicle, and after the preparation process is completed, A charge request is made to the external power source by changing the potential of the contact portion for the CPLT signal from the second potential to a third potential.
Vehicle charging device. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1,
Whether the control means is capable of communicating with the facility outside the vehicle via the charging contact portion and the charging cable based on the duty ratio of the CPLT signal immediately after the connector is connected to the connected means. Is a means of determining
Vehicle charging device. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1 or 2,
The external power source, the connector, and the external facility capable of communicating via the charging cable;
A charging line communication system including:

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