JP2016001955A - Vehicle charger - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle charger capable of reducing user burden at the time of charging facility introduction.SOLUTION: A vehicle charger includes: a plug cable 24 that receives power from an electric outlet 14; a power supply cable 26 that supplies the power received at the plug cable 24 to an air conditioner 12; a remote controller 32 that controls the air conditioner 12; a charge/discharge circuit 16 that supplies the power received at the plug cable 24 as charging power of a vehicle accumulator battery through a charging plug cable 30; an allowable current monitoring circuit 20 that monitors the power received at the plug cable 24; a used current monitoring circuit 22 that monitors the power supplied to the current monitoring circuit 22 by the power supply cable 26; and a peak-control control unit 18 that controls at least one of driving of the air conditioner 12 and the charging current on the basis of the monitoring result in such a manner the power does not exceed the allowable power of the electric outlet 14.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle charging device for charging a storage battery mounted on a vehicle.

  In recent years, the spread of vehicles such as hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles equipped with a storage battery for traveling has been increasing. Along with this, various techniques for charging a storage battery mounted on a vehicle have been proposed.

  For example, according to Patent Document 1, charging means that can be connected to an AC power source to supply power to a storage battery, and at least one of electric power usage charge information of electric equipment, storage battery charging status, and power usage fee information for each power supply time zone. There has been proposed an electric device that includes an electric power supply control unit that controls electric power supplied to the charging unit, and controls electric power used by the electric device and the charging unit so that the branch breaker is not interrupted.

  Specifically, in Patent Document 1, a charging plug for charging a storage battery mounted on a vehicle is connected to an electric device such as an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, an outdoor unit of an electric water heater, a hot water storage tank, or a lighting device such as a garage. A charging outlet is provided to control the electric power used by the electrical equipment and the charging means so that the branch breaker does not shut off.

JP 2011-019363 A

  However, in order to install a charging facility for charging a storage battery of a vehicle, a power source of the charging facility is required. However, when installing an electric device equipped with a charging means described in Patent Document 1, when building a new building, etc. In addition, it is necessary to provide a power supply outdoors in anticipation of the introduction of charging equipment, or to provide a power supply for the electrical equipment outdoors when the electrical equipment is introduced, which increases the burden on the user.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described facts, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle charging device that can reduce the burden on the user when introducing the charging equipment.

  In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle charging device according to claim 1 is connectable to an outlet installed in a house for supplying electric power to an electric device, and receives power supplied from the outlet. The power receiving means is connectable to the power receiving plug of the electric device, and the power receiving means supplies the electric power received by the power receiving means to the electric device, the electric device control means for controlling the electric device, and the electric power received by the power receiving means. Charging power supply means for supplying power as charging power for a storage battery mounted on a vehicle; power monitoring means for monitoring the power received by the power receiving means and the power supplied to the electrical equipment by the power supply means; Based on the monitoring result of the power monitoring means, the charging power supply means and the electric machine so as not to exceed the allowable power of the outlet. And a, a power control means for controlling at least one of the control means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the power receiving means that can be connected to the outlet installed in the house to supply power to the electric device receives the electric power supplied from the outlet.

  In the power supply means connectable to the power receiving plug of the electric device, the power received by the power receiving means is supplied to the electric device.

  The electric device control means controls the electric device. The electrical device control means includes, for example, a general-purpose remote controller capable of learning a remote control signal attached to the electrical device, and controls the operation of the electrical device via the remote controller. Alternatively, as in the invention described in claim 3, when the electric device includes a general-purpose communication interface, the operation of the electric device may be controlled via the communication interface.

  In the charging power supply means, the power received by the power receiving means is supplied as the charging power of the storage battery mounted on the vehicle, and in the power monitoring means, the power received by the power receiving means and the power supplied to the electrical equipment by the power supply means are Each is monitored.

  Then, the power control means controls at least one of the charging power supply means and the electric equipment control means so as not to exceed the allowable power of the outlet based on the monitoring result of the power monitoring means. Thus, power can be supplied to the electric device and the storage battery mounted on the vehicle can be charged without exceeding the allowable power of the outlet installed in the house.

  Further, since the vehicle charging device can be interposed between the outlet and the power receiving plug of the electric device, the vehicle charging device can be easily and inexpensively installed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user when introducing the charging equipment.

  When the electric device control means is controlled as in the invention described in claim 4, the electric power control means is configured to return the operation of the electric equipment to the original state when charging of the storage battery is completed. You may make it further control an apparatus control means.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a vehicle charging device that can reduce the burden on the user when introducing the charging facility.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the vehicle charging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st example of the process performed in the peak control control part of the vehicle charging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd example of the process performed by the peak control control part of the vehicle charging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the modification of the vehicle charging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a solid line indicates a power line, and a dotted line indicates an information line.

  The vehicle charging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment obtains power from an outlet 14 installed in a house to supply power to an air conditioner 12 as an electric device, and charges a storage battery mounted on the vehicle. . The outlet 14 is a dedicated circuit (200V, 20A) branched from a household distribution board (not shown). The power supply to the air conditioner 12 is such that the power supplied from the outlet 14 is supplied via the vehicle charging device 10.

  The vehicle charging device 10 includes a charger / discharger circuit 16, a peak control control unit 18, an allowable current monitoring circuit 20, and a usage current monitoring circuit 22.

  A plug cable 24 that can be connected to the outlet 14 is connected to the charger / discharger circuit 16. The plug cable 24 receives the power supplied from the outlet 14 and supplies it to the charger / discharger circuit 16. Alternatively, the vehicle charging device 10 may be provided with an outlet for receiving power, and the outlet of the vehicle charging device 10 and the outlet 14 may be connected using a plug cable 24 such as a general-purpose extension cord.

  In addition, a power supply cable 26 for supplying power to the air conditioner 12 is connected to the charger / discharger circuit 16. The power feeding cable 26 can be connected to a power receiving plug 28 of the air conditioner 12, and supplies the power received by the charger / discharger circuit 16 from the outlet 14 to the air conditioner 12. As for the power supply cable 26, a power supply outlet is provided in the vehicle charging device 10, and the power supply cable 26 such as a general-purpose extension cord is used to connect the outlet of the vehicle charging device 10 and the power receiving plug 28 of the air conditioner 12. You may make it do.

  Further, the charger / discharger circuit 16 is connected with a charging plug cable 30 for charging a storage battery of the vehicle. When the charging plug cable 30 is connected to the vehicle, the storage battery mounted on the vehicle is charged. It has become so.

  The peak control control unit 18 monitors the power supplied from the outlet 14 and the power used by the air conditioner 12 and at least one of charging the storage battery and operating the air conditioner 12 so as not to exceed the allowable power of the outlet 14. To control.

  Specifically, the peak control control unit 18 is connected with an allowable current monitoring circuit 20 for monitoring the power supplied from the outlet 14 and a use current monitoring circuit 22 for monitoring the power used in the air conditioner 12. ing. The allowable current monitoring circuit 20 monitors the current flowing through the plug cable 24 as power supplied from the outlet 14. In addition, the use current monitoring circuit 22 monitors the current (use current of the air conditioner) flowing through the power supply cable 26 as the power used by the air conditioner 12.

  In addition, a general-purpose remote controller 32 is connected to the peak control controller 18. As the remote controller 32, a remote controller that can learn signals usable in the air conditioner 12 is applied. That is, the remote control 32 learns the remote control signal attached to the air conditioner 12, and the peak control control unit 18 controls the air conditioner 12 via the remote control 32. Note that the connection between the remote controller 32 and the peak control control unit 18 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle charging device 10 is provided outdoors, and a plug cable 24 is connected to an indoor outlet 14 through a through-hole 34 provided for passing an air conditioner pipe. The power feeding cable 26 is connected to the power receiving plug 38 of the air conditioner 12. When the peak control control unit 18 and the remote control 32 are connected by wire, the remote control 32 is installed indoors, and the peak control control unit 18 and the remote control 32 are connected via the through hole 34.

  That is, the vehicle charging device 10 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the vehicle charging device 10 is interposed between the outlet 14 used in the air conditioner 12 and the power receiving plug 28 of the air conditioner 12.

  In addition, the vehicle charging device 10 can supply electric power of a storage battery mounted on the vehicle to an electric device such as an air conditioner 12 in an emergency such as a power failure. For example, a switch may be provided so that electric power is supplied from the vehicle to the electric device by a switch operation or the like. Alternatively, when it is detected by the allowable current monitoring circuit 20 that the current supplied from the outlet 14 is cut off, switching is performed so that power is supplied from the storage battery mounted on the vehicle to the electrical equipment such as the air conditioner 12. May be.

  Then, the specific process performed in the peak control control part 18 of the vehicle charging device 10 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a first example of processing performed in peak control control unit 18 of vehicle charging apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The process of FIG. 2 starts when a storage battery mounted on the vehicle is charged. For example, it is started when it is detected that a charging plug for charging the vehicle is connected, or when a button for instructing charging is operated.

  In step 100, the peak control control unit 18 determines whether or not the current supplied from the outlet 14 (hereinafter referred to as “use current”) is within the circuit allowable current. That is, the peak control control unit 18 determines whether or not the current used is within the circuit allowable current based on the monitoring result of the allowable current monitoring circuit 20. The electric circuit allowable current is determined in advance by a current allowed by the outlet 14 (for example, 20 A). If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 102, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 104.

  In step 102, the remote control 32 is controlled by the peak control control unit 18, and a suppression instruction for suppressing an output for suppressing the load to a certain level or less is output from the remote control 32 to the air conditioner 12. Is repeated. As the suppression instruction, for example, an instruction to increase the set temperature in the case of cooling and to decrease the set temperature in the case of heating is performed. Or you may make it perform the instruction | indication which reduces a ventilation volume. In the present embodiment, the determination in step 100 is affirmed by gradually adjusting the set temperature or adjusting the air volume.

  In step 104, the charging current is determined by the peak control control unit 18, and the process proceeds to step 106. The charging current is calculated by calculating the difference between the allowable current (the above-described circuit allowable current) and the current used in the air conditioner 12 detected by the use current monitoring circuit 22 (hereinafter referred to as device current), and the range not exceeding the difference. Is determined by taking a certain value.

  In step 106, the peak control control unit 18 controls the charger / discharger circuit 16 to start charging, and the process proceeds to step 108. That is, the peak control control unit 18 controls the charger / discharger circuit 16 so as to start charging the storage battery connected to the charging plug cable 30 with the charging current determined in step 104.

  In step 108, as in step 100, the peak control control unit 18 determines again whether or not the use current is within the circuit allowable current. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 102 described above. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 110.

  In step 110, it is determined by the peak control control unit 18 whether or not the charging is completed. The determination may be made, for example, by determining whether charging has been completed and charging has been stopped from the vehicle side, or whether the charger / discharger circuit 16 has been fully charged by monitoring the capacity of the storage battery. You may make it determine. The process waits until the determination is affirmed and proceeds to step 112.

  In step 112, the charger / discharger circuit 16 is controlled by the peak control control unit 18, and the process proceeds to step 114 where the charging is stopped.

  In step 114, the peak control controller 18 determines whether or not the battery is charged without peak control. In this determination, it is determined whether or not charging has been performed without performing the processing of step 102 described above. If the determination is negative, that is, if the processing of step 102 is performed and peak control is performed, step 116 is performed. If the result is negative, the process is terminated.

  In step 116, the peak control control unit 18 controls the remote controller 32, a suppression release instruction is transmitted from the remote controller 32, and the series of processing ends. That is, an instruction is given from the remote control 32 to the air conditioner 12 so as to return to the state before the instruction is issued from the remote control 32 in step 102.

  By performing the processing in this manner, it is possible to supply power to the air conditioner 12 and charge the storage battery mounted on the vehicle without exceeding the allowable current of the outlet 14.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the vehicle charging device 10 is interposed between the outlet 14 used in the air conditioner 12 and the power receiving plug 28 of the air conditioner 12, the vehicle charging device 10 can be easily and easily configured. It can be installed inexpensively. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user when introducing the charging equipment.

  In the process of FIG. 2, the charging current is first determined and the load of the air conditioner is suppressed to a certain level or less so that charging is performed at a constant charging current thereafter. The charging current may be changed in real time in response to the load fluctuation. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a second example of processing performed in peak control control unit 18 of vehicle charging apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the process of FIG. 3 is also started when the storage battery mounted in the vehicle is charged, as in the first example. Also, the same processing as in FIG. 3 will be described with the same reference numerals.

  In step 100, it is determined by the peak control control unit 18 whether or not the current used is within the circuit allowable current. That is, the peak control control unit 18 determines whether or not the current used is within the circuit allowable current based on the monitoring result of the allowable current monitoring circuit 20. The electric circuit allowable current is determined in advance by the current allowed by the outlet 14. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 102, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 104.

  In step 102, the remote control 32 is controlled by the peak control control unit 18, a suppression instruction for reducing the load on the air conditioner 12 is output from the remote control 32, the process returns to step 100, and the above processing is repeated. As the suppression instruction, for example, an instruction to increase the set temperature in the case of cooling and to decrease the set temperature in the case of heating is performed. Or you may make it perform the instruction | indication which reduces a ventilation volume. In the present embodiment, the determination in step 100 is affirmed by gradually adjusting the set temperature or adjusting the air volume.

  In step 104, the charging current is determined by the peak control control unit 18, and the process proceeds to step 105. The charging current is determined by calculating the difference between the allowable current (the above-described electric circuit allowable current) and the current used in the air conditioner 12 detected by the usage current monitoring circuit 22.

  In step 105, charging is performed with the charging current determined by the peak control control unit 18 controlling the charger / discharger circuit 16, and the process proceeds to step 107. That is, the peak control control unit 18 controls the charger / discharger circuit 16 so as to charge the storage battery connected to the charging plug cable 30 with the charging current determined in step 104.

  In step 107, it is determined by the peak control control unit 18 whether or not charging is completed. The determination may be made, for example, by determining whether charging has been completed and charging has been stopped from the vehicle side, or whether the charger / discharger circuit 16 has been fully charged by monitoring the capacity of the storage battery. You may make it determine. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 112. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 100 and the above-described processing is repeated. That is, unlike the process of the first example of FIG. 2, step 104 is performed as needed to change the charging current according to the load of the air conditioner 12.

  In step 112, the charger / discharger circuit 16 is controlled by the peak control control unit 18, and the process proceeds to step 114 where the charging is stopped.

  In step 114, the peak control controller 18 determines whether or not the battery is charged without peak control. In this determination, it is determined whether or not charging has been performed without performing the processing of step 102 described above. If the determination is negative, that is, if the processing of step 102 is performed and peak control is performed, step 116 is performed. If the result is negative, the process is terminated.

  In step 116, the peak control control unit 18 controls the remote controller 32, a suppression release instruction is transmitted from the remote controller 32, and the series of processing ends. That is, an instruction is given from the remote control 32 to the air conditioner 12 so as to return to the state before the instruction is issued from the remote control 32 in step 102.

  Even if the processing is performed in this manner, the power supply to the air conditioner 12 and the charging of the storage battery mounted in the vehicle can be performed without exceeding the allowable current of the outlet 14 as in the processing of FIG. .

  In the above embodiment, the air conditioner 12 is controlled from the peak control control unit 18 using the general-purpose remote controller 32, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the air conditioner 12 includes a general-purpose communication interface, the peak control control unit 18 and the air conditioner 12 are directly connected via the communication interface 36 instead of the remote control 32 of FIG. You may do it. As the general-purpose communication interface 36, a wired interface may be applied, or a wireless interface may be applied. As an example, communication standards such as HA (Home Automation) and Econet Light can be applied. Depending on the communication interface 36, there is a case where only the on / off control of the air conditioner 12 can be performed. In this case, the on / off of the air conditioner 12 may be controlled in accordance with the allowable electric circuit current, or the charging current may be changed. You may make it do.

  Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the load of the air conditioner 12 is adjusted so as not to exceed the allowable circuit current in the processing of the first example of the peak control control unit 18 will be described. The example of controlling both the load of the air conditioner 12 and the charging current so as not to exceed the above has been described, but only the charging current may be controlled.

  Moreover, although said embodiment demonstrated the example which interposes the vehicle charging device 10 between the outlet 14 provided indoors, and the air conditioner 12 as an electric equipment, it does not restrict to this. For example, the vehicle charging device 10 may be interposed between an outlet provided outdoors and various electric devices. In the above-described embodiment, the air conditioner 12 is described as an example of the electric device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, you may make it apply other electric apparatuses, such as an electric water heater, illumination, and an electric heating apparatus.

  In the above embodiment, if the current used is not within the allowable circuit current (when denied in steps 100 and 108), the output of the air conditioner is suppressed. By performing the step of stopping, it may be ensured that the operating current is less than or equal to the allowable circuit current.

  In addition, the processing performed by the peak control control unit 18 in the above embodiment may be stored in a storage medium as a program so that it can be distributed, or may be processing performed by hardware.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle charging device 12 Air conditioner 14 Outlet 16 Charger / discharger circuit 18 Peak control control part 20 Permissible current monitoring circuit 22 Use electric current monitoring circuit 24 Plug cable 26 Power supply cable 28 Power receiving plug 30 Charging plug cable 32 Remote control 36 Communication interface

Claims (4)

A power receiving means that can be connected to an outlet installed in a house to supply electric equipment, and receives electric power supplied from the outlet;
Power supply means that is connectable to a power receiving plug of the electrical device, and that supplies the power received by the power receiving means to the electrical device;
Electrical equipment control means for controlling the electrical equipment;
Charging power supply means for supplying the power received by the power receiving means as charging power for a storage battery mounted on a vehicle;
Power monitoring means for monitoring the power received by the power receiving means and the power supplied to the electrical equipment by the power supply means;
Based on the monitoring result of the power monitoring means, power control means for controlling at least one of the charging power supply means and the electrical equipment control means so as not to exceed the allowable power of the outlet;
A vehicle charging device comprising:   The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein the electric device control means includes a general-purpose remote controller capable of learning a remote control signal attached to the electric device, and controls the operation of the electric device via the remote controller.   2. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein, when the electric device includes a general-purpose communication interface, the electric device control unit controls the operation of the electric device via the communication interface.   The electric power control means further controls the electric equipment control means so as to return the operation of the electric equipment to the original state when charging of the storage battery is completed when the electric equipment control means is controlled. Item 4. The vehicle charging device according to any one of Items 1 to 3.

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