JP5796717B2 - Electric vehicle charging control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging control device for an electric vehicle that charges a battery through an insertion plug that is inserted into an outlet of a commercial power source.

  An electric vehicle uses a commercial power source (Japan: single-phase 100V, 200V) for general households to charge a large-capacity battery mounted on the vehicle. This charging is called normal charging as opposed to rapid charging. In many ordinary charging systems, when a cable with a plug at the end is connected to the charging port of an electric vehicle, and the plug at the end of the cable is plugged into an outlet in a general household, it is controlled by the on-board controller. Thus, electric power is supplied from the outlet to the battery, and the battery is charged in a predetermined manner.

For normal charging, it is recommended to install a dedicated outlet considering safety and the burden of charging power, but it is often performed outside the home where a dedicated outlet cannot be expected. For ordinary charging outside the home, it is also assumed that the existing general household outlet is used as it is.
In the case of the normal charging, since a large current (10A or more) is energized for a long time, if a contact failure occurs at the connection between the plug and the outlet due to a malfunction on the outlet side, heat is generated between the plug and the outlet. This causes the plug and outlet to overheat and deteriorate (thermal deterioration). In particular, thermal degradation due to a large current is excessive, and it tends to lead to replacement of the plug (with the cable) or repair of the outlet, which is a considerable burden on the user. As described above, a technique has been proposed in which a temperature sensor is provided in an insertion plug, and when the insertion plug is overheated, the leakage sensor built in the cable is opened by detecting the temperature with the temperature sensor to stop charging.

JP 2010-11050 A (FIG. 9)

When this technology is applied to the charging of an electric vehicle, the plug plug for overheating is certainly sufficient, but sometimes the charging of the battery is impaired and it is not appropriate for the electric vehicle.
In other words, the heat generated between the plug and the outlet has many problems on the outlet side and may occur temporarily during charging and stay there (temporarily), or when it occurs continuously during charging. There is also. In the case of continuous heat generation, it is effective to stop charging for safety. However, in a temporary case, charging is stopped even though heat generation is eliminated. In this case, the charging operation is performed again from the beginning. Normally, normal charging is a long-time operation (for example, about 7 hours at 200 V and about 14 hours at 100 V), so if it is stopped halfway, the charging time will be prolonged.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to secure a safety against a problem on the outlet side of a commercial power supply, and to charge time when a temporary (temporary) temperature rise occurs between the plug and the outlet. An object of the present invention is to provide a charging control device for an electric vehicle that can perform charging without prolonging the operation time.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature of the connection portion between the plug and the outlet, and charging control for controlling the battery to be charged with electric power from a commercial power source. When charging the battery, when an abnormal temperature rise is detected by the temperature detection sensor, the power is temporarily reduced by the power reduction means for reducing the power supplied to the battery, and charging with the power reduced by the power reduction means. When the determination means determines whether the abnormal temperature rise at the temperature detection sensor is temporary or continuous, and the determination means determines that the temperature rise is temporary, the power reduced by the power reduction means is increased. When the determination means determines that the temperature rise is continuous, it has a countermeasure means for stopping charging.

  According to this configuration, even when heat is generated between the plug and the outlet when the battery is charged, if the heat indicates a temporary sign (temporary), charging is not stopped and charging is continued. If the fever shows continuous signs of plug and outlet deterioration, stop charging. That is, depending on the sign of heat generation, charging is stopped and charging is continued. As a result, while ensuring the safety against the malfunction of the original outlet, charging is performed without prolonging the charging time when a temporary (temporary) temperature rise occurs between the plug and outlet. Can be done.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in order to prepare for an abnormal state, the coping means further stops charging when coping with a temporary temperature rise exceeds a predetermined number of times.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the charging time is prolonged when a temporary (temporary) temperature rise occurs between the plug and the outlet while ensuring the safety against the malfunction on the outlet side. It can be charged without The normal charging that requires a long current (for example, about 7 hours at 200 V and about 14 hours at 100 V) with a large current can be efficiently charged because the frequency of interruption is suppressed halfway. According to the invention, when the countermeasure against the temporary temperature rise is repeatedly performed, it can be determined that there is another factor causing the abnormality, the charging is stopped, and the abnormal state is dealt with.

The side view which shows the structure of the charge control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention with the vehicle body of an electric vehicle. Sectional drawing of the insertion plug shown to A part in FIG. The flowchart which shows the control in a charge control apparatus. The diagram which shows the plug temperature in the same control, and the state of electricity supply.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows a charge control device to which the present invention is applied, together with an electric vehicle equipped with the device.
The main structure of the electric vehicle will be described. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes the body of the electric vehicle. A cabin 2 and a cargo compartment 3 are formed in the vehicle body 1. A front seat 6 and a rear seat 7 on which passengers sit are installed on the floor 4 of the cabin 2. A battery 10 (for example, formed by connecting a large number of lithium ion battery cells) is provided below the floor 4 of the guest room 2. A traveling motor 13 that drives, for example, the rear wheel 12 of the front and rear wheels 11 and 12, together with the inverter 14, is provided below the floor 4 of the luggage compartment 3. The battery 10 is connected to the traveling motor 13 via the inverter 14 and drives the traveling motor 13 with the electric power stored in the battery 10.

  For example, a charging circuit unit 15 is provided below the rear seat 7. For example, a charging port 16 for normal charging is installed on one side in the vehicle width direction on the rear side of the vehicle body 1. A terminal portion (not shown) of the charging port portion 16 and the charging circuit portion 15 are connected. The terminal portion of the charging port 16 can be connected to a normal charging cable, that is, a long charging cable 18 having a commercial power outlet plug 17 (hereinafter simply referred to as a plug 15) at the tip. Yes. That is, when charging the battery 10 by normal charging, the connector portion 19 at the base end portion of the charging cable 18 is connected to the terminal portion of the charging port portion 16 of the electric vehicle parked as shown in FIG. Then, the cable 18 is routed to a point where the existing general household outlet 20 is located, and the plug 17 at the tip is connected to the outlet 20, and then the commercial power source (Japan: Phase 100V, 200V) is supplied from the outlet 20 to the battery 10 as charging power. That is, it has a structure in which normal charging is performed. Incidentally, 16a indicates a lid that opens and closes the charging port portion 16.

  This normal charging is controlled by a vehicle-mounted charging control device 23 (a portion surrounded by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 1). That is, the charging control device 23 includes, for example, a control unit 24 (for example, a combination of a CPU and a memory) installed under the rear seat 7 and the charging circuit unit 15 connected to the control unit 24. It is configured. The control unit 24 has a function of controlling the charging circuit unit 15 in accordance with a preset charging program and charging the battery 10 with power from the commercial power source. In addition, the charging control device 23 has a function of continuing charging or stopping charging in consideration of heat generated due to, for example, a malfunction on the outlet 20 side (such as a poor contact between the plug 17 and the outlet 20). Has been.

For example, the temperature detection sensor 25 is provided in the plug 17, for example, and the control unit 24 is set to continue charging or stop charging according to the sign of heat generated at the connection between the plug 17 and the outlet 20. It is composed of that.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, as the temperature detection sensor 25, for example, a thermocouple 27 is provided at each contact terminal 17 a of the plug 17, and an electromotive force of the thermocouple 27 is provided inside the main body 17 b of the plug 17. A configuration in which a temperature detection circuit unit 28 for detecting the temperature of the contact terminal 17a is provided is used. Among these, the temperature detection circuit unit 28 is connected to the control unit 24 using a transmission unit, for example, a signal line 29 inserted in the charging cable 18 (separate from the power line 18a for charging power). In other words, the detected temperature information output from the temperature detection circuit unit 28 is output to the control unit 24. Thus, for example, due to a problem on the outlet 20 side, heat is generated at a portion where the contact terminal 17a of the plug 17 and the contact terminal 20a of the outlet 20 (only part of which are shown in FIG. 1) are contacted, that is, at the connection portion. An abnormal temperature rise (overheating) is detected.

Incidentally, the detection temperature may be transmitted by superimposing a signal on the current flowing through the power line 18a of the charging cable 18 instead of the signal line 29, or transmitting the detection temperature wirelessly.
As a measure against an abnormal temperature increase (overheating), the control unit 24 detects the abnormal temperature increase that causes the plug plug 17 to overheat when the battery 10 is charged. Abnormal temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 25 by the power reduction function (corresponding to the power reduction means of the present application) that decreases during the time, specifically, the current value by a predetermined value, and charging with the reduced power. A determination function (determination means of the present application) that determines whether the increase is temporary (temporary) or continuous, and when it is determined that the temperature increase is temporary, the reduced power is increased. An increase (return) function for returning, and a stop function for stopping charging when it is determined that the temperature rise is continuous (both correspond to the coping means of the present application) are set. Further, in preparation for an abnormal state, the control unit 24 is also provided with a second stop function (stop means) that stops charging when a countermeasure against a temporary temperature rise is repeatedly performed.

With these functions, when abnormal heat generation occurs between the plug 17 and the outlet 20 while the battery 10 is being charged, depending on the sign of the heat generation, charging stop and charging continuation can be used properly. This control is shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, and the behavior of the plug temperature value and charging power value (current value here) at that time is shown in FIG.
Next, control during charging of the battery 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  In other words, it is assumed that the electric vehicle is normally charged outside the home, for example, using the existing outlet 20 of the ordinary home. At this time, for example, the connector 19 at the base end of the charging cable 18 is connected to the terminal of the charging port 16 of the parked electric vehicle, and the charging cable 18 is connected to a general household outlet 20. It is drawn to a certain point, and the plug 17 at the tip is connected to the outlet 20 on the wall surface of the house. Thereby, the electric power of a commercial power supply (Japan: single phase 100V, 200V) is supplied to the vehicle-mounted battery 10 from the outlet 20 through the charging circuit unit 15, and charging is performed.

In the case of the existing household outlet 20, the resistance value may increase due to a malfunction on the outlet 20 side, for example, a poor contact with the plug 17 or the like.
Since normal charging is energized with a large current (10 A or more), if a contact failure occurs at the connection portion of the plug 17 and the outlet 20, the same portion generates heat, that is, the contact terminal 17a of the plug 17 and the outlet. Between the 20 contact terminals 20a, abnormal heat is generated, and the plug 17 and the outlet 20 are overheated.

At this time, the charging control device 23 controls the charging by monitoring the temperature of the plug 17 as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
That is, when charging of the battery 11 starts, the temperature at the connection portion between the plug 17 and the outlet 20 is detected through the thermocouple 27 and the temperature detection circuit unit 28 as shown in step S1 in FIG. When the same temperature is measured, the process proceeds to step S2, and it is determined whether or not there is an abnormal temperature rise. After step S2, control according to the determination result is performed.

  That is, a threshold for detecting an abnormal temperature of the plug 17 is set in advance in the control unit 24, for example, Tf (shown in FIG. 4), and the measured temperature values T and Tf in step S2 are set. Contrast with value. If it is normal, the measured temperature value T is lower than the Tf value, and the plug 17 and the outlet 20 are not overheated. That is, it is determined that there is no abnormal temperature rise. In response to the determination result, the process proceeds to step S3, where the process of continuing the charging in step S3 is performed, and the charging with a large current (10 A or more) is continued as it is.

On the other hand, abnormal heat generation occurs due to, for example, poor contact between the plug 17 and the outlet 20, and the temperature of the plug 17 rises abnormally until the temperature exceeds the Tf value as indicated by the α line in FIG. And
Then, step S2 determines with abnormal temperature rise having arisen from contrast with Tf value. In response to this determination result, the process proceeds to steps S5 and S6 through step S4 (determination based on the number of times), that is, the process of temporarily reducing the power value (power reduction means).

In this power value reduction process, for example, the current value β shown in FIG. 4 in step S5 is reduced to a charging current value I2 lower than the charging current value I1, and in step S6, the current value I2 is reduced. This is performed by continuing energization (charging) for a predetermined time, here Tm (shown in FIG. 4).
When the predetermined time Tm elapses, the control unit 24 detects the temperature of the insertion plug 17, that is, the temperature of the connection portion between the insertion plug 17 and the outlet 20 again through the thermocouple 27 and the temperature detection circuit unit 28 in the subsequent step S 7. . Further, in step S8, it is determined whether the abnormal temperature rise detected by the thermocouple 27 is caused by a temporary factor (temporary) or caused by a continuous factor.

The contact failure between the plug 17 and the outlet 20 may occur temporarily (contemporary) or may occur continuously.
For example, in the case where the heat generation like A in FIG. 4 is temporary (temporary), there is a sign that the heat generation is stopped while energizing at a low power value (I2) (Tm). Then, since the plug 17 and the outlet 20 are cooled by the heat escaping into the atmosphere, the plug temperature value α after the predetermined time Tm rapidly decreases. Here, the temperature value (Tf) for detecting the abnormal temperature Decrease to

  In addition, when the heat generation as shown in B in FIG. 4 does not stop and continues, the cause of the heat generation does not stop, and there is a sign that the heat generation continues from the connection portion between the plug 17 and the outlet 20. For this reason, while energization is performed at a low power value (I2) (Tm), overheating of the plug 17 and the outlet 20 is suppressed by energization at the low power value, but the temperature tends to be high. Even after the predetermined time Tm, the plug temperature value α remains elevated to a temperature exceeding the temperature value (Tf) for detecting the abnormal temperature.

That is, it is possible to safely determine whether the abnormal temperature detected by the thermocouple 27 is caused by a temporary factor (temporary) or caused by a continuous factor by charging under low power (step) S8).
If it is determined in step S8 that an abnormal temperature rise (heat generation) is a temporary sign (temporary), the process proceeds to step S9, where the charging power is increased, and here the original charging power is restored. That is, the current value I2 is restored to the current value I1. After returning, the process returns to step S3 through the counter in step S10, and charging with the original charging power is continued.

If it is determined in step S8 that an abnormal temperature rise is a continuous sign, it is determined that the plug 17 and the outlet 20 are likely to deteriorate due to overheating, and the charging in step S11 is immediately stopped. Proceed to the process to stop charging immediately.
When countermeasures are frequently taken in association with a temporary abnormal temperature rise, the countermeasures are performed by determining whether or not the abnormal temperature has exceeded a certain number of times in step S4. That is, in step S4, when the counter of step S10 exceeds a predetermined number of times (for example, about 3 times), it is determined that there is another cause of an abnormal temperature rise, and the process proceeds to step S11. , Stop charging and prepare for abnormal conditions.

When the charging is stopped, for example, an indicator is used to notify the user that there is an abnormality and prompt the user to eliminate it.
As described above, the normal charging of the electric vehicle is performed by the charging control device 23 according to the sign of the heat generated between the plug 17 and the outlet 20, so that the charging of the outlet 20 can be safely prevented. The battery can be charged without prolonging the charging time when a temporary (temporary) temperature rise occurs between the plug 17 and the outlet 20 while securing the reliability. In particular, normal charging, which requires a long current (for example, about 7 hours at 200 V and about 14 hours at 100 V) with a large current, can be efficiently charged because the frequency of interruption is suppressed halfway.

In addition, when the battery 10 is repeatedly charged against a temporary (temporary) temperature increase, it is determined that there are other abnormal factors, and charging is immediately stopped. Is expensive.
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in one embodiment, the insertion plug is provided with a thermocouple or the like to detect an abnormal temperature from the insertion plug. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other sensors, for example, a panel on the outlet side separate from the insertion plug, You may make it detect abnormal temperature from the outlet side using the temperature sensor which can be attached. Of course, an infrared sensor or the like may be used as the temperature sensor. Also, the charging cable may be a cable extending directly from the vehicle body, not a separate body.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Battery 15 Charging circuit part 17 Insertion plug 18 Charging cable 20 Outlet of commercial power supply 23 Charge control apparatus 24 Control part (Charge control part, electric power reduction means, determination means, countermeasure means)
25 Temperature Detection Sensor 27 Thermocouple 28 Temperature Detection Circuit

Claims (2)

An electric vehicle battery that is charged through a plug that can be connected to a commercial power outlet, and
A charge control device for an electric vehicle having a charge control unit for performing control of charging the battery with electric power from the commercial power source,
Provide a temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature of the connection part of the plug and the outlet,
The charge controller is
When the battery is charged, when an abnormal temperature rise is detected by the temperature detection sensor, power reduction means for temporarily reducing the power supplied to the battery;
Determination means for determining whether an abnormal temperature rise in the temperature detection sensor is temporary or continuous by charging with the power reduced by the power reduction means;
When the determination means determines that the temperature increase is temporary, the power reduced by the power reduction means is increased, and when the determination means determines that the temperature increase is continuous, charging is stopped. A charging control device for an electric vehicle.   2. The electric vehicle charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coping means further stops charging when coping with the temporary temperature rise exceeds a predetermined number of times. 3.

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