JP7138037B2 - charging device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to charging devices.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, technology related to charging devices for vehicles is known. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a charging device that moves a power plug connected to a charging cable along a long power supply duct. In this charging device, by moving the power plug, a constant distance is maintained between the electric vehicle and the power plug, thereby suppressing an increase in the cable length of the charging cable.

JP 2012-105474 A

In recent years, especially in electric vehicles, as the capacity of the battery increases, the cable that connects the charging device to the vehicle tends to become thicker, making it difficult for the user to manage the cable. Therefore, shortening of the cable length of the charging device is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to shorten the cable of a charging device that supplies electric power to a battery of a vehicle.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a charging device capable of charging a vehicle battery, comprising an input cable connected to an external power supply and a charging plug connected to the vehicle. a power supply circuit to which the input cable and the output cable are connected and which supplies power from the external power source to the charging plug; and a housing that houses the power supply circuit. wherein the housing is at least partly placed in the ground or placed on the ground surface with its longitudinal direction along the ground surface, and is movable in a direction along the ground surface; It is characterized by

Moreover, it is preferable to further include cooling means for cooling at least one of the surface and the inside of the housing using cooling water.

Moreover, it is preferable that the cooling means uses rainwater as the cooling water.

Moreover, it is preferable that the housing is watertightly sealed.

Moreover, it is preferable that the housing has a housing portion that houses the charging plug and the output cable.

a communication unit for acquiring charging request information for the battery of the vehicle; acquiring charging request information for the battery from the communication unit; and stopping power supply from the power supply circuit based on the charging request information. and a control circuit for causing the current to flow.

The power supply circuit includes a plurality of power receiving units to which the output cables are connected, and a power supply unit that is connected to the external power supply via the input cables and supplies power to the power receiving units by contactless power supply. wherein the power receiving units are housed one by one in the housing different from the power feeding unit, and the housing housing the power feeding unit is positioned to supply power from the power feeding unit to each power receiving unit. preferably movable in a direction along the ground surface.

Moreover, it is preferable that the vehicle is an electric vehicle.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION The charging device concerning this invention is effective in the ability to shorten the cable of a charging device which supplies electric power to the battery of a vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the outline of the charging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement configuration of the charging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the charging device according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the arrangement configuration of the charging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the charging device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement configuration of the charging device according to the second embodiment.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, embodiment of the charging device concerning this invention is described in detail based on drawing. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the charging device according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement configuration of the charging device according to the first embodiment, and FIG. It is a perspective view showing an example of a charging device concerning one embodiment. A charging device 100 according to the first embodiment is provided in a parking lot 1 . The charging device 100 supplies electric power from an external power source 10 provided in the parking lot 1 to the batteries of automobiles (not shown) parked in each section 1a of the parking lot 1, particularly electric automobiles, to charge the batteries. . Note that the object to be charged by the charging device 100 is not limited to an electric vehicle, and includes various vehicles equipped with a battery. The vehicle may be, for example, a hybrid vehicle having an engine and an electric motor, an electric motorcycle, a hybrid railway vehicle, an electrically assisted bicycle, or the like. In this embodiment, the external power supply 10 is a commercial AC power supply.

The charging device 100 includes an authentication device 15, an input cable 20A, an output cable 20B, a charging plug (coupler) 20C, a power supply circuit 30, and a housing 40.

The authentication device 15 is a device as an interface for a user to input authentication information, and is provided in the parking lot 1 separately from the housing 40 (not shown in FIG. 2). The authentication device 15 can read authentication information from an IC card in which user authentication information is recorded, for example. The authentication information includes information on the user's authority to use charging device 100 and information on the vehicle used by the user (for example, battery type, etc.).

Further, the authentication device 15 is provided with an instruction operation unit through which the user inputs an instruction for charging the battery with the charging device 100 . The instruction operation unit may be any operation unit such as a touch panel type. The authentication device 15 acquires the battery charging request information when the user inputs an instruction for charging the battery. The charging request information includes, for example, information such as a user-specified charging time and a request to charge the battery to a specified charging rate. Note that the authentication device 15 may be omitted and the functions of the authentication device 15 may be provided in the housing 40 . In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 3, an operation unit 80 having the same functions as the authentication device 15 (reading function of authentication information, instruction operation unit) is provided on the upper surface 40a of the housing 40. FIG.

The input-side cable 20A and the output-side cable 20B are connected to the feeding circuit 30 and exposed outside the housing 40 . The input side cable 20A is connected to the external power supply 10 . The output side cable 20B is provided with a charging plug 20C. The charging plug 20C is connected to a vehicle (not shown).

The power feeding circuit 30 is a circuit to which the input side cable 20A and the output side cable 20B are connected and which feeds power from the external power supply 10 to the charging plug 20C. As shown in FIG. 1, the power supply circuit 30 includes an AC/DC converter 31, a switching device 32, an AC measurement circuit 33, a control pilot circuit 34, a proximity switch circuit 35, a wireless communication module 36, and a control circuit. circuit 37;

The AC/DC converter 31 converts AC power supplied from the external power supply 10 via the input cable 20A into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the wireless communication module 36 and the control circuit 37 . The switching device 32 is a switching device that turns on and off the connection between the power supply circuit 30 and the output side cable 20B. The switchgear 32 is switching-controlled by a control circuit 37 .

The AC measurement circuit 33 is a sensor that measures the voltage of the power supplied from the power supply circuit 30 to the output side cable 20B. Control pilot circuit 34 is a circuit for notifying the vehicle of power that can be supplied from charging device 100 to the vehicle. The control pilot circuit 34 is connected to the control circuit 37 and is also connected to the charging plug 20C via the output cable 20B. The control pilot circuit 34 receives information on power that can be supplied from the control circuit 37, and outputs a signal to the vehicle while the charging plug 20C is connected to the vehicle. Proximity switch circuit 35 is a circuit that detects that charging device 100 is connected to the vehicle via charging plug 20C. A detection signal from the proximity switch circuit 35 is output to the control circuit 37 .

The wireless communication module 36 wirelessly communicates with the authentication device 15 and acquires charging request information from the authentication device 15 . The wireless communication module 36 outputs the acquired charging request information to the control circuit 37 . Although only one housing 40 is shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of housings 40 may be arranged corresponding to other sections of the parking lot 1 . In this case, the wireless communication modules 36 of the power supply circuits 30 accommodated in the respective housings 40 wirelessly communicate with each other to exchange information.

The control circuit 37 is an arithmetic unit, that is, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls the power supply circuit 30 as a whole. The control circuit 37 acquires charging request information for the battery of the vehicle via the wireless communication module 36 and the authentication device 15 . Also, the control circuit 37 acquires a detection signal indicating that the charging plug 20C is connected to the vehicle from the proximity switch circuit 35 . When control circuit 37 receives a signal indicating that charging device 100 is connected to the vehicle, control circuit 37 outputs information on power that can be supplied to the vehicle via control pilot circuit 34 . Then, when the control circuit 37 acquires the charging request information for the battery of the vehicle, it turns on the opening/closing device 32 to supply electric power from the charging device 100 to the vehicle. On the other hand, if the control circuit 37 does not acquire the charging request information for the vehicle battery via the wireless communication module 36 and the authentication device 15, or if the proximity switch circuit 35 indicates that the charging plug 20C is connected to the vehicle, When the signal is not received, the opening/closing device 32 is turned off to stop the power supply from the charging device 100 to the vehicle. In addition, the control circuit 37 acquires the voltage measured by the AC measurement circuit 33, and when the acquired voltage is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, turns off the switching device 32 to stop the power supply from the charging device 100 to the vehicle. Let

The control circuit 37 also turns off the switching device 32 to stop the power supply from the charging device 100 to the vehicle even when the charging of the battery of the vehicle is completed. As described above, the control circuit 37 acquires battery charging request information, and the charging request information includes, for example, a user-specified charging time and a request to charge the battery up to a user-specified charging rate. It contains information such as Therefore, when the charging request information includes the charging time specified by the user, the control circuit 37 stops the power supply from the charging device 100 to the vehicle when the specified charging time elapses after the start of charging. If the charging request information includes a request to charge the battery up to the charging rate specified by the user, the control circuit 37 receives a signal input from the charging plug 30C that the battery has reached the specified charging rate. and the current value supplied from the power supply circuit 30 . Thereby, when the battery reaches the specified charging rate, the power supply from the charging device 100 to the vehicle can be stopped.

Note that the charging device 100 may perform either normal charging or quick charging in which charging is performed in a shorter time than normal charging. When performing normal charging, charging device 100 supplies AC power from external power supply 10 to output-side cable 20B and charging plug 20C. In this case, the supplied AC power is converted into DC power by an AC/DC converter provided in the automobile and supplied to the battery. On the other hand, charging device 100 is provided with an AC/DC converter (not shown) capable of converting AC power from external power supply 10 into DC power when configured to perform rapid charging. Charging device 100 converts AC power from external power supply 10 into DC power by an AC/DC converter (not shown), and supplies the DC power to output side cable 20B and charging plug 20C. In this case, the supplied DC power is supplied to the battery without going through the AC/DC converter provided in the automobile. It is possible to determine which of normal charging and quick charging is requested based on the information input to the authentication device 15 .

The housing 40 accommodates the power supply circuit 30 . The housing 40 is watertightly sealed to the extent that it can be used underwater. The sealing of the housing 40 is preferably, for example, a protection class of IPX8 in the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standard. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 40 is buried in the ground except for its upper surface 40a. That is, the upper surface 40a of the housing 40 is exposed to the ground surface G. As shown in FIG. However, the housing 40 may be partially buried in the ground and exposed to the ground surface G in the vicinity of the upper surface 40a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 40 has an input-side cable 20A connected to the external power supply 10 inserted into the housing 40 from the side. The insertion portion of the input cable 20A is watertight. As described above, since the housing 40 is buried in the ground, the portion of the input cable 20A that is inserted into the housing 40 is routed in the ground. The input side cable 20A is exposed above the ground surface G in the middle and connected to the external power supply 10 . Moreover, in this embodiment, the input side cable 20A is configured so that its length can be adjusted. For example, in the middle of the input cable 20A, a bend may be provided, or a retractable storage section may be provided.

In addition, the housing 40 exposes the output cable 20B to which the charging plug 20C is connected to the outside from the upper surface 40a. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the housing 40 has an accommodating portion 41 that accommodates the charging plug 20C and the output side cable 20B. The housing portion 41 is formed on the upper surface 40 a of the housing 40 . The accommodating portion 41 may accommodate the entire exposed output-side cable 20B and the charging plug 20C as long as it can be fixed to the housing 40 .

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the charging device 100 is configured so that the housing 40 can move along the ground surface G. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, charging device 100 includes moving rails L1 and L2 that are arranged to face each other. In this embodiment, the moving rails L1 and L2 are arranged so as to sandwich the housing 40 in the ground. The moving rails L1 and L2 extend side by side along the continuously arranged sections 1a. Housing 40 of charging device 100 is arranged to be movable along movement rails L1 and L2. That is, the housing 40 can move on the movement rails L1 and L2. As described above, since the input cable 20A is configured to be able to expand and contract in the ground, it can expand and contract along with the movement of the housing 40 so as not to hinder movement. The movement of the housing 40 may be performed manually by the user, or a driving device for moving the housing 40 may be provided, and the user may input a movement instruction to an operation unit (not shown), thereby automatically moving the housing 40. You can move it.

The charging device 100 further includes a cooling section (cooling means) 50 . The cooling unit 50 has a cooling water flow path 51 provided on the side surface of the housing 40 . The cooling water flow path 51 is connected to the reservoir 55 . The storage part 55 is a tank that stores rainwater. The cooling unit 50 is configured to supply rainwater stored in the storage unit 55 by a pump (not shown) to the cooling water flow path 51 as cooling water. The cooling water flow path 51 allows heat exchange between the side surface of the housing 40 and the cooling water. Since the housing 40 is watertight, the heat exchange between the side surface of the housing 40 and the cooling water may be performed by directly supplying the cooling water to the side surface of the housing 40, or by supplying the cooling water to a pipe (not shown). Heat may be exchanged between the piping and the side surface of the housing 40 by flowing it. Thereby, the housing 40 that accommodates the power supply circuit 30 can be cooled. Note that heat transfer may be improved by filling the internal space of the housing 40 with a resin material. Further, the cooling water flow path 51 may move together with the housing 40 when the housing 40 is moved along the movement rails L1 and L2, or may be arranged in advance along the movement rails L1 and L2. It may be formed so as to be able to exchange heat with the housing 40 wherever the housing 40 is located.

As described above, the charging device 100 according to the embodiment includes the input cable 20A connected to the external power supply 10, the output cable 20B provided with the charging plug 20C connected to the vehicle, and the input cable 20A. and the output cable 20B are connected, a power supply circuit 30 for supplying power from the external power supply 10 to the charging plug 20C, and a housing 40 that houses the power supply circuit 30. It is placed underground and is movable in a direction along the ground surface G.

With this configuration, at least a part of housing 40 is arranged underground, so that the degree of freedom in arranging charging device 100 (housing 40) is improved. That is, it becomes easier to arrange the housing 40 so as not to interfere with the automobile. As a result, charging device 100 (housing 40 ) can be placed closer to the vehicle parked in parking lot 1 , for example. Thereby, shortening of the output side cable 20B can be achieved. Further, since the housing 40 is movable, the housing 40 can be moved close to the cars parked in each section 1a. As a result, it is possible to shorten the length of the output cable 20B while charging vehicles parked in a plurality of compartments 1a with one charging device 100. FIG.

In addition, a cooling unit 50 (cooling means) that cools the surface of the housing 40 using cooling water is further provided. With this configuration, charging device 100, which is placed underground and is difficult to be cooled by natural wind, can be cooled by cooling water. Note that the cooling unit 50 is not limited to cooling the surface of the housing 40 . The cooling unit 50 may have pipes through which cooling water flows through the inside of the housing 40 so as to exchange heat between the pipes and the power supply circuit 30 inside. The cooling unit 50 may cool both the surface and the inside (power feeding circuit 30) of the housing 40 by heat exchange with cooling water.

Also, the cooling unit 50 uses rainwater as cooling water. With this configuration, it is possible to efficiently cool charging device 100 using rainwater. However, the cooling unit 50 may use water other than rainwater or another cooling medium.

Further, the housing 40 is watertightly sealed. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of water, foreign matter, microorganisms, etc. into the housing arranged in the ground.

Further, the housing 40 has an accommodating portion 41 that accommodates the charging plug 20C and the output side cable 20B. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the charging plug 20C and the output-side cable 20B from interfering with the user when the housing 40 is moved.

Also, a wireless communication module 36 (communication unit) for acquiring charging request information of a battery of an automobile (vehicle), and acquiring battery charging request information from the wireless communication module 36, and based on the charging request information, from the power supply circuit 30 and a control circuit 37 for stopping the supply of power.

With this configuration, when charging of the battery is completed, charging can be automatically terminated without bothering the user. As a result, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the operation of the charging plug and the movement of the housing 40 along the movement rails L1 and L2 are automatically performed using, for example, a robot.

Also, the vehicle is preferably an electric vehicle. With this configuration, in the charging device 100 for charging an electric vehicle, which tends to have a battery with a large capacity, the length of the cable can be shortened.

In the first embodiment, the housing 40 is buried in the ground, but the arrangement configuration of the housing 40 is not limited to this. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the arrangement configuration of the charging device according to the first embodiment. The charging device 100A shown in FIG. 4 is placed on the ground surface G with the housing 40 extending along the ground surface G in the longitudinal direction X. As shown in FIG. That is, the housing 40 is placed horizontally on the ground surface G instead of vertically. As described above, when the housing 40 is placed horizontally on the ground surface G, the degree of freedom in arranging the housing 40 can be increased compared to when it is placed vertically. Shortening can be achieved. That is, it becomes easier to arrange the housing 40 so as not to interfere with the automobile. Also in the charging device 100A, the housing 40 is movable on the movement rails L1 and L2. As a result, the housing 40 can be moved to the vicinity of the cars parked in each of the compartments 1a. 20B can be shortened.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a charging device 200 according to a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the charging device according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement configuration of the charging device according to the second embodiment. Charging device 200 has power supply circuit 60 instead of power supply circuit 30 . Further, charging device 200 has housings 71 and 72 instead of housing 40 .

The power feeding circuit 60 has a plurality of power receiving units 61 and a power feeding unit 62 . Power receiving unit 61 is connected to output cable 20B and charging plug 20C. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the power supply unit 62 includes an AC/DC converter 31, a switchgear 32, an AC measurement circuit 33, and a control pilot circuit 34, similar to the power supply circuit 30 of the first embodiment. , a proximity switch circuit 35 , a wireless communication module 36 and a control circuit 37 . The power feeder 62 is connected to the input cable 20A.

In addition, the power supply unit 62 can supply power from the external power supply 10 to the power reception unit 61 by contactless power supply. Moreover, the power receiving unit 61 and the power feeding unit 62 can exchange signals in a non-contact manner. Specifically, the power feeding unit 62 can transmit the signal of the control pilot circuit 34 to the power receiving unit 61 by contactless transmission. Also, the power supply unit 62 can receive a signal to the proximity switch circuit 35 from the power reception unit 61 .

Each power receiving unit 61 and power feeding unit 62 are accommodated in different housings. As shown in FIG. 6 , each power receiving unit 61 is accommodated in each housing 71 . Each power receiving unit 61 is arranged in each section 1 a of the parking lot 1 while being accommodated in the housing 71 . At least a portion of housing 71 that houses power receiving unit 61 is placed underground. An output-side cable 20B connected to the power receiving unit 61 extends from each housing 71 . In the second embodiment, the output-side cable 20B is partly buried in the ground, as indicated by the dashed line in FIG. As indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6, the output cable 20B is exposed from the ground surface G in the middle and has a charging plug 20C at its tip. Further, each section 1a is provided with a fixing pole 5 around which the output side cable 20B exposed on the ground surface G is wound. The output-side cable 20B is detachably attached to the fixing pole 5 at an attachment portion (not shown) while being wound around the fixing pole 5 .

On the other hand, the power feeding section 62 is accommodated in the housing 72 . Like the housing 40 of the first embodiment, the housing 72 is movable on movement rails L1 and L2 extending along each section 1a. In the second embodiment, the movement rails L1 and L2 are arranged on the housing 71 that houses the power receiving units 61 so that the power feeding unit 62 can transmit and receive signals to and from the power receiving units 61 in a non-contact manner. located nearby.

As described above, in the charging device 200 according to the second embodiment, the power supply circuit 60 is connected to the plurality of power receiving units 61 to which the output side cables 20B are connected, and to the external power supply 10 via the input side cables 20A. , and a power supply unit 62 that supplies power to the power reception unit 61 by contactless power supply. 71 is movable in a direction along the ground surface G toward a position where power is supplied from the power supply unit 62 to each power receiving unit 61 .

With this configuration, one charging device 200 can be used to charge vehicles parked in a plurality of sections 1a. Moreover, by embedding at least a part of the housing 71 that houses the power receiving unit 61 in the ground, the degree of freedom in arranging the power receiving unit 61 can be increased. As a result, the output side cable 20B can be provided at a position close to the automobile, and the length of the output side cable 20B can be shortened. Note that the power receiving unit 61 may be placed on the ground surface G so that the longitudinal direction X is along the ground surface G.

Also, a part of the output cable 20B is arranged underground, and only a part of the tip side where the charging plug 20C is provided is exposed to the ground surface G side. With this configuration, the user only needs to handle the output cable 20B exposed on the ground surface G side. That is, it is possible to shorten the output side cable 20B handled by the user. Note that the output cable 20B may be entirely exposed to the ground surface G. In that case, if the portion of the output cable 20B indicated by the dashed line in FIG. Therefore, the length of the output side cable 20B can be shortened.

1 Parking Lot 1a Section 5 Fixing Pole 10 External Power Supply 15 Authenticator 20A Input Side Cable 20B Output Side Cable 20C Charging Plug 30 Feeding Circuit 31 AC/DC Converter 32 Switchgear 33 AC Measurement Circuit 34 Control Pilot Circuit 35 Proximity Switch Circuit 36 wireless communication module 37 control circuit 40a upper surface 40, 71, 72 housing 41 housing portion 50 cooling portion 51 cooling water flow path 55 storing portion 60 power feeding circuit 61 power receiving portion 62 power feeding portion 80 operation portion 100, 100A, 200 charging device G ground Surface L1, L2 Moving rail

Claims (8)

A charging device capable of charging a vehicle battery,
an input-side cable connected to an external power supply;
an output-side cable provided with a charging plug connected to the vehicle;
a power supply circuit to which the input cable and the output cable are connected and which supplies power from the external power supply to the charging plug;
a housing that accommodates the power supply circuit;
with
The housing is at least partly placed in the ground, or placed on the ground surface with its longitudinal direction along the ground surface, and is movable in a direction along the ground surface.
A charging device characterized by: 2. The charging device according to claim 1, further comprising cooling means for cooling at least one of the surface and the interior of said housing using cooling water. 3. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein said cooling means uses rainwater as said cooling water. The charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing is watertightly sealed. 5. The charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the housing has an accommodating portion that accommodates the charging plug and the output cable. a communication unit that acquires charging request information for the battery of the vehicle;
a control circuit that acquires charge request information for the battery from the communication unit and stops power supply from the power supply circuit based on the charge request information;
The charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: The power supply circuit has a plurality of power receiving units to which the output cables are connected, and a power supply unit which is connected to the external power supply via the input cables and supplies power to the power receiving units by contactless power supply. death,
The power receiving units are housed one by one in the housing different from the power feeding unit,
The housing housing the power supply unit is movable in a direction along the ground surface toward a position where power is supplied from the power supply unit to each of the power receiving units.
The charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The charging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle.

Images