JP2022039340A - Charger - Google Patents

Abstract

To achieve stable charging at the charging of an electric vehicle using a charger provided outside the electric vehicle.SOLUTION: A portable charger 2 includes: an AC plug 21 configured to receive AC power supplied from an external power supply 3; an AC/DC converter 23 which executes power conversion operation to convert AC power from the AC plug 21 into DC power in order that a current supplied from the external power supply 3 to the AC plug 21 does not exceed a current capacity value; a DC connector 24 configured to output DC power from the AC/DC converter 23 to an inlet 11 provided on a vehicle 1; and an operation unit 25 which sets the current capacity value used for power conversion operation by the AC/DC converter 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present disclosure relates to a charger, and more specifically to a charger for charging a vehicle.

Currently, commercially available electric vehicles (plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, etc.) are equipped with a charger. The charger converts alternating current (AC) power supplied from an external power supply facility (external power source) into direct current (DC) power for charging an in-vehicle battery.

In the future, it is expected that DC charging type external power supplies (so-called quick charging devices) will become widespread. When using a quick charging device, AC / DC conversion is not required, so it is conceivable that an in-vehicle AC / DC charger is not always necessary depending on the user. Therefore, instead of the AC / DC charger provided in the vehicle, a portable charger (so to speak, a portable charger) has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-6618 (Patent Document 1)).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-6618 Patent No. 6086044

Generally, when a conventional in-vehicle charger is connected to an external power source (such as a charging device installed at home or a public charging stand), communication is performed between the vehicle and the external power source, and charging conditions, etc. Various information about is exchanged. This information includes information on the maximum current (current capacity value) that can be supplied to the vehicle from an external power source.

On the other hand, when a portable charger is connected to an external power source, the charger cannot grasp the current capacity value of the external power source unless communication between the charger and the external power source is performed. Further, in the assumed usage mode of the charger, the external power supply to be connected may differ depending on the usage opportunity of the charger. Therefore, it is not preferable to set the current capacity of the external power supply to a fixed value. Therefore, with the start of charging, a current exceeding the current capacity value may flow from the external power source toward the charger. As a result, it is possible that the breaker of the external power supply may be tripped and the vehicle may not be able to continue charging.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to realize stable charging in charging an electric vehicle provided outside the electric vehicle.

(1) A charger according to a certain aspect of the present disclosure includes an AC connector, a power conversion device, a DC connector, and a current setting unit. The AC connector is configured to receive AC power supplied from an AC power source. The power conversion device executes a power conversion operation of converting AC power from the AC connector into DC power so that the current supplied from the AC power supply to the AC connector does not exceed the set value. The DC connector is configured to output DC power from the power converter to an inlet provided in the vehicle. The current setting unit sets the set value used for the power conversion operation by the power conversion device.

In the configuration of (1) above, the value set by the current setting unit provided in the charger is a set value (may be the maximum value or a target value) for limiting the supply current from the AC power supply. May be present). In the example described later, the charger can set the set value according to the user operation or the value detected by the current sensor. Therefore, the charger can acquire an appropriate set value without acquiring the set value used for the power conversion operation of the power conversion device from the AC power source. Therefore, according to the configuration of (1) above, the vehicle can be stably charged by using the charger.

(2) The charger further includes a notification unit configured to notify the user of the operating state of the power conversion device.

According to the configuration of (2) above, the operating state of the power conversion device can be directly notified to the user from the charger without using the notification unit (vehicle-mounted display or the like) of the vehicle.

According to the present disclosure, stable charging can be realized in charging an electric vehicle using a charger provided outside the electric vehicle.

It is a figure which shows schematic the whole structure of the charging system which uses the charger which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle and the portable charger in Embodiment 1 in more detail. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the current setting part. It is a flowchart which shows the charge control by the portable charger which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle 1 and the portable charger in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the charge control by the portable charger which concerns on Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[Embodiment 1]
<Overall configuration of charging system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a charging system in which the charger according to the first embodiment is used. With reference to FIG. 1, the charging system 9 includes a vehicle 1, a portable charger 2, and an external power source 3.

The vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle (EV) in the present embodiment. However, the vehicle 1 may be, for example, a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV) as long as it is a vehicle configured to be able to be charged by the power supplied from the external power source 3 (so-called external charging). Alternatively, it may be a fuel cell vehicle (FCV).

The portable charger 2 is mounted on the vehicle 1 by the user as needed. Then, for example, when the vehicle 1 is charged while the vehicle 1 is out of the office, the vehicle 1 is taken out from the vehicle 1 and used. FIG. 1 illustrates a situation in which a vehicle 1 is about to be electrically connected to a connector 30 (for example, an outlet) of an external power supply 3 via a portable charger 2.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing in more detail the configurations of the vehicle 1 and the portable charger 2 according to the first embodiment. With reference to FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes an inlet 11, a voltage sensor 12, a current sensor 13, a charging relay 14, a battery 15, a PCU (Power Control Unit) 16, a motor generator 17, and power transmission. It includes a gear 18, a drive wheel 19, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10.

The inlet 11 is configured so that the DC connector 24 of the portable charger 2 can be inserted with mechanical connection such as fitting. With the insertion of the DC connector 24, the vehicle 1 and the portable charger 2 are electrically connected. Further, the ECU 10 of the vehicle 1 and the controller 20 of the portable charger 2 are connected by a communication line CL according to a communication standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network). This makes it possible to exchange various information (commands, messages, data, etc.) between the ECU 10 and the controller 20.

The voltage sensor 12 detects the DC voltage between the power lines between the inlet 11 and the charging relay 14, and outputs the detection result to the ECU 10. The current sensor 13 detects the current flowing through the power line and outputs the detection result to the ECU 10. The ECU 10 can calculate the power supplied from the portable charger 2 (charging power of the battery 15) based on the detection results of the voltage sensor 12 and the current sensor 13.

The charging relay 14 is electrically connected between the inlet 11 and the battery 15. When the charging relay 14 is closed according to the command from the ECU 10, power can be transmitted between the inlet 11 and the battery 15.

The battery 15 is an assembled battery including a plurality of cells (not shown). Each cell is a secondary battery such as a nickel metal hydride battery or a lithium ion battery. The battery 15 supplies electric power for generating the driving force of the vehicle 1. Further, the battery 15 stores the electric power generated by the motor generator 17.

The PCU 16 includes a converter and an inverter (neither shown). The PCU 16 drives the motor generator 17 using the electric power supplied from the battery 15 in accordance with a command from the ECU 10.

The motor generator 17 is an AC rotary electric machine. The output torque of the motor generator 17 is transmitted to the drive wheels 19 through the power transmission gear 18 to drive the vehicle 1. Further, the motor generator 17 can generate electricity by the rotational force of the drive wheels 19 during the braking operation of the vehicle 1. The electric power generated by the motor generator 17 is converted into the charging power of the battery 15 by the PCU 16.

The ECU 10 controls the devices so that the vehicle 1 is in a desired state according to the signals from the sensors and the like. The ECU 10 may be divided into a plurality of ECUs (for example, a battery ECU, an MG ECU, etc.) for each function.

The portable charger 2 converts the AC power supplied from the external power source 3 into DC power for charging the battery 15 mounted on the vehicle 1. The portable charger 2 includes an AC plug 21, a power line ACL, a voltage sensor 22, an AC / DC converter 23, a feeder line PL, NL, a DC connector 24, an operation unit 25, a charging lamp 26, and the like. The communication unit 27 and the controller 20 are included. These components are provided in a single housing (not shown).

The AC plug 21 is configured to be connected to a connector 30 (outlet or the like) of the external power supply 3. While connected to the connector 30, the AC plug 21 receives AC power supplied from the external power source 3. The AC plug 21 corresponds to the "AC connector" according to the present disclosure. The male / female of the "AC connector" is not particularly limited.

The power line ACL transmits AC power supplied from the external power supply 3 via the AC plug 21 to the AC / DC converter 23.

The voltage sensor 22 detects the voltage between the power lines ACL and outputs the detection result to the controller 20.

The AC / DC converter 23 converts AC power on the power line ACL into DC power for charging the battery 15 mounted on the vehicle 1 (power conversion operation). For the power conversion operation, information on the maximum current (current capacity) that can be supplied from the external power source 3 to the portable charger 2 is used. The larger the current capacity, the larger the power value converted by the power conversion operation. The power conversion by the AC / DC converter 23 may be executed by a combination of AC / DC conversion for improving the power factor and DC / DC conversion for adjusting the voltage level.

The feeder lines PL and NL transmit the DC power output from the AC / DC converter 23 to the DC connector 24.

The DC connector 24 is configured so that it can be inserted into the inlet 11 of the vehicle 1. In the state of being inserted into the inlet 11, the DC connector 24 outputs the DC power from the AC / DC converter 23 to the inlet 11.

The operation unit 25 receives a user operation for the portable charger 2. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 25 is configured to accept user operations related to the power conversion operation by the AC / DC converter 23. A configuration example of the operation unit 25 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation unit 25 corresponds to the "current setting unit" according to the present disclosure.

The charging lamp (charging indicator) 26 notifies the user of the operating state of the AC / DC converter 23 according to a command from the controller 20. More specifically, the charging lamp 26 lights up when the AC / DC converter 23 is operating (that is, when the vehicle 1 is charged), while the charging lamp 26 is turned on when the AC / DC converter 23 is stopped (non-vehicle 1). Turns off when charging). This allows a user near the portable charger 2 to easily check the operating state of the AC / DC converter 23. The portable charger 2 may be provided with a small display (liquid crystal panel or the like) instead of the charging lamp 26. The operation unit 25 and the small display may be integrally configured as a touch panel.

The communication unit 27 transmits the operating state of the AC / DC converter 23 to the user's mobile terminal (smart phone or the like) according to the command from the controller 20. As a result, the user can confirm the operating state of the AC / DC converter 23 even from a place away from the portable charger 2. In addition, one or both of the charging lamp 26 and the communication unit 27 corresponds to the "notification unit" according to the present disclosure.

The controller 20 includes a processor 201 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 202 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output port 203. The controller 20 controls the components of the portable charger 2 based on the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 22, the signal from the operation unit 25, the signal from the vehicle 1, and the map and program stored in the memory 202. do. Specifically, the controller 20 controls the power conversion operation by the AC / DC converter 23, controls the lighting / extinguishing of the charging lamp 26, and controls the communication by the communication unit 27. The AC / DC converter 23 and the controller 20 correspond to the "power converter" according to the present disclosure.

<Current capacity setting>
In the charging system 9 configured as described above, when communication is not performed between the portable charger 2 and the external power supply 3, the portable charger 2 cannot grasp the current capacity value of the external power supply 3. Further, in the assumed usage mode of the portable charger 2, the external power supply 3 to be connected may be different for each usage opportunity of the portable charger 2. Therefore, it is not preferable to set the current capacity of the external power supply 3 to a fixed value. Therefore, with the start of charging, a current exceeding the maximum current (current capacity) that can be supplied from the external power supply 3 may flow from the external power supply 3 toward the portable charger 2. As a result, it is conceivable that the charging of the vehicle 1 cannot be continued due to a situation such as a power breaker tripping.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the current capacity of the external power supply 3 is set by using the operation unit 25, thereby limiting the maximum current that can be supplied from the external power supply 3.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the operation unit 25. With reference to FIG. 3, the operation unit 25 is configured to be capable of switching, for example, three types of current capacity values (maximum current values). Three buttons are illustrated in FIG. In this example, when the user operates the button on the left side of the figure, the current capacity is set to 8A. When the user operates the center button, the current capacity is set to 12A. When the user operates the button on the right side, the current capacity is set to 16A.

In Japan (which may be the United States), an external power supply (system power supply) that supplies single-phase 100V AC power usually has a current capacity of 12A. Further, the external power source for supplying single-phase 200V AC power has a current capacity of 16A. The current capacity of 8A corresponds to the European single-phase 100V AC power supply.

The user can determine the current capacity of the external power supply 3 when connecting the portable charger 2 and the external power supply 3. For example, a Japanese user determines that the current capacity is 12A when the external power supply 3 (for example, a household outlet) is a single-phase 100V AC power supply, and when the external power supply 3 is a single-phase 200V AC power supply, the current. It can be determined that the capacity is 16A. Then, the user sets the current capacity determined by himself / herself by operating the operation unit 25. As a result, even if communication between the portable charger 2 and the external power supply 3 is not performed, the current capacity of the external power supply 3 is set in the portable charger 2, and the current capacity of the external power supply 3 is supplied to the portable charger 2. The current can be limited so that the current does not become excessive.

<Charge control flow>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing charge control by the portable charger 2 according to the first embodiment. This flowchart (and the flowchart of FIG. 6 described later) is called from a main routine (not shown) and repeatedly executed, for example, at predetermined calculation cycles. Each step is realized by software processing by the controller 20, but may be realized by hardware (electric circuit) manufactured in the controller 20. Hereinafter, the step is abbreviated as S.

Prior to the start of execution of the flowchart, it is assumed that the inlet 11 of the vehicle 1 and the AC connector 24 of the portable charger 2 are connected. The controller 20 operates using the power supply voltage supplied from the vehicle 1. However, the portable charger 2 may include a built-in battery (not shown) so that the controller 20 can operate independently.

With reference to FIG. 4, in S101, the controller 20 determines whether or not the user operates the operation unit 25 to select the current capacity value of the external power supply 3. When the user selects one of the current capacity values by operating the operation unit 25 (YES in S101), the controller 20 uses the current of the external power supply 3 used for the power conversion operation of the AC / DC converter 23. The capacity value is set to a value selected by the user (S102).

On the other hand, when the user has not performed an operation for selecting the current capacity value on the operation unit 25 (NO in S101), the controller 20 uses the external power supply 3 used for the power conversion operation of the AC / DC converter 23. The current capacity value of is set to a specified value (default value) (S103). It is desirable to set the specified value other than the maximum value that can be selected by the operation of the operation unit 25. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the current capacity value can be set to a value other than 16A, for example, 12A.

After executing the process of S102 or S103, the controller 20 determines whether or not the connector 30 of the external power supply 3 and the AC plug 21 are connected (S104). Specifically, the controller 20 determines that the AC plug 21 is connected to the connector 30 of the external power supply 3 when the voltage value (however, a value other than 0) of the power line ACL is detected by the voltage sensor 22. can. If the AC plug 21 is not connected (NO in S104), the controller 20 returns the process to the main routine. As a result, a series of processes after S101 is repeated. When the AC plug 21 is connected (YES in S104), the controller 20 advances the process to S105.

In S105, the controller 20 determines whether or not the voltage value of the power line ACL detected by the voltage sensor 22 is within the normal range. When the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 22 is within the normal range (YES in S105), the controller 20 has various information (requested power from the vehicle 1, current on the vehicle 1 side) acquired by communication with the ECU 10 of the vehicle 1. The power supply from the portable charger 2 to the vehicle 1 is started (continues if the power supply has already started) based on the information regarding the limitation, etc. (S106). At this time, the supply current from the external power supply 3 to the portable charger 2 is suppressed to less than the current capacity. Further, the controller 20 turns on the charging lamp 26 (S107).

While the power is being supplied from the portable charger 2 to the vehicle 1, the controller 20 determines whether or not a charge stop request has been received from the vehicle 1 (S108). The controller 20 returns the process to S105 until the charge stop request is received from the vehicle 1, and continues the power supply to the vehicle 1 (NO in S108). Upon receiving the charge stop request from the vehicle 1 (NO in S108), the controller 20 terminates the power supply from the portable charger 2 to the vehicle 1 (S109). Further, the controller 20 turns off the charging lamp 26 (S110).

When the voltage of the power line ACL detected by the voltage sensor 22 is a value outside the normal range (NO in S105), for example, a breaker (not shown) provided in the external power supply 3 is activated to operate the external power supply 3 When the power supply to the portable charger 2 is interrupted, the controller 20 interrupts the power supply to the vehicle 1 (S111) and turns off the charging lamp 26 (S112).

Further, the controller 20 controls the communication unit 27 so as to notify the user that the power supply from the portable charger 2 to the vehicle 1 has been interrupted (charging of the vehicle 1 has been interrupted) (S113).

In S114, the controller 20 lowers the current capacity value used for the next power conversion operation of the AC / DC converter 23 from the current current capacity value. More specifically, the controller 20 sets the specified value set in the next process of S103 to a value smaller than the value set in the process of S103 this time, for example, by one step. As an example, when the current capacity is set to 12A in the processing of S103 this time, the controller 20 can set the specified value set in the processing of S103 next time to 8A.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the value selected by the operation performed by the user on the operation unit 25 is set as the current capacity value of the external power supply 3. That is, the portable charger 2 acquires the current capacity value of the external power supply 3 used for the power conversion operation of the AC / DC converter 23 from the user instead of the external power supply 3. By confirming the type of the external power supply 3, the user can set an appropriate current capacity value in the portable charger 2. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the portable charger 2 can stably charge the vehicle 1 according to an appropriately set current capacity value.

Further, in general, in an in-vehicle charger, when the power supply from the external power source to the charger is interrupted due to the operation of a breaker provided in the external power source, a display such as MID (Multi-Information Display) provided in the vehicle is generally used. (Not shown) can be used to notify the user of the occurrence of an abnormality. The portable charger 2 according to the present embodiment is provided with a charging lamp 26 and a communication unit 27. Therefore, it is possible to directly notify the user of the occurrence of an abnormality from the portable charger 2 without using the in-vehicle display.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment, a configuration is described in which the user operates the operation unit 25, that is, the user manually sets the current capacity value of the external power supply 3. In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the controller 20 automatically sets the current capacity value of the external power supply 3 without requiring user operation.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 1 and the portable charger 2A according to the second embodiment. With reference to FIG. 5, the portable charger 2A is different from the portable charger 2 (see FIG. 2) according to the first embodiment in that the operation unit 25 is not provided. The controller 20 sets the current capacity value of the external power supply 3 by the value detected by the voltage sensor 22 in the voltage of the power line ACL instead of the value set by the user operating the operation unit 25. That is, in the second embodiment, the voltage sensor 22 and the controller 20 correspond to the "current setting unit" according to the present disclosure.

Since the configuration of the vehicle 1 is the same as the configuration of the vehicle 1 in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2), the description thereof will not be repeated.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing charge control by the portable charger 2A according to the second embodiment. With reference to FIG. 6, in S201, the controller 20 determines whether or not the connector 30 of the external power supply 3 and the AC plug 21 are connected. If the AC plug 21 is not connected (NO in S201), the controller 20 returns the process to the main routine. When the AC plug 21 is connected (YES in S201), the controller 20 advances the process to S202.

In S202, the controller 20 sets the current capacity information of the external power supply 3 to be used for charging the vehicle 1 according to the voltage of the power line ACL detected by the voltage sensor 22 in S201. An example including specific numerical values will be described.

When the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 22 indicates that the external power supply 3 is a single-phase 100V AC power supply, for example, when the effective value Veff of the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 22 is within a predetermined range including 100V. (For example, when −50V ≦ Veff ≦ 150V), the controller 20 sets the current capacity information of the external power supply 3 to 12A.

When the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 22 indicates that the external power supply 3 is a single-phase 200V AC power supply, for example, when the effective value Veff of the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 22 is within a predetermined range including 200V. (For example, when −150V <Veff ≦ 250V), the controller 20 sets the current capacity information of the external power supply 3 to 16A. It should be noted that these examples are only one of the specific examples in Japan, and the numerical values can be changed as appropriate.

Since the subsequent processing after S203 is the same as the processing after S105 in the first embodiment, the detailed description will not be repeated.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the current capacity value of the external power supply 3 is set based on the voltage value of the power line ACL detected by the voltage sensor 22. That is, the portable charger 2 sets the current capacity value of the external power supply 3 used for the power conversion operation of the AC / DC converter 23 according to the supply voltage from the external power supply 3. This is because there is a correlation between the supply voltage from the external power supply 3 and the current capacity value of the external power supply 3. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the portable charger 2 can stably charge the vehicle 1 according to the current capacity value set according to the supply voltage from the external power source 3.

The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered to be exemplary and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is set forth by the claims rather than the description of the embodiments described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

1 vehicle, 11 inlets, 12 voltage sensors, 13 current sensors, 14 charging relays, 15 batteries, 16 PCUs, 17 motor generators, 18 power transmission gears, 19 drive wheels, 10 ECUs, 2,2A portable chargers, 21 AC plugs. , 22 Voltage sensor, 23 AC / DC converter, 24 DC connector, 25 operation unit, 26 charging lamp, 27 communication unit, 20 controller, 201 processor, 202 memory, 203 input / output port, 3 external power supply, 30 connector, 9 Charging system, ACL power line, CL communication line, NL, PL power supply line.

Claims (2)

An AC connector configured to receive AC power supplied from AC power,
A power conversion device that executes a power conversion operation for converting AC power from the AC connector into DC power so that the current supplied from the AC power supply to the AC connector does not exceed a set value.
A DC connector configured to output DC power from the power conversion device to an inlet provided in the vehicle, and
A charger including a current setting unit for setting the set value used for the power conversion operation by the power conversion device. The charger according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit for notifying the user of the operating state of the power conversion device.

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