electric vehicles

Abstract

This invention relates to an electric vehicle that suppresses user discomfort when charging is incomplete at the predetermined end time or when charging is completed after the predetermined end time. The electric vehicle includes a battery storage device, a charger that uses electricity from an external power source to charge the battery storage device, and a control device that controls the charger. The control device calculates the required charging time before the charger begins charging the battery storage device and uses this time to calculate the predetermined end time. If charging is incomplete at the predetermined end time, the control device obtains a reason for the incomplete charging; if charging is completed after the predetermined end time, the control device obtains a reason for the delayed completion of charging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to electric vehicles, and more specifically, to electric vehicles equipped with a charger that uses electricity from an external power source to charge an onboard energy storage device. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional electric vehicles have been proposed that, in cases where the charging device is controlled by the user to stop charging (external charging) of an energy storage device that uses power from an external source without the user's intervention, such as in the event of a charging malfunction, output a message indicating that external charging has been stopped to the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this electric vehicle, if the charging device is controlled by the user to stop external charging due to an action such as unlocking a door locking device, the output of a message indicating that external charging has been stopped to the user is not performed. Therefore, the message is delivered to the user with minimal disruption while suppressing any annoyance the user might feel from the notification that external charging has stopped.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-27687 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, in the aforementioned electric vehicles, when charging takes longer than the scheduled time due to factors such as a drop in external power supply voltage, but the charging process ends normally, no notification is given to the user. Consequently, users sometimes feel confused about why charging takes so long.

[0008] The main objective of the electric vehicle of the present invention is to suppress the sense of unease that users experience when charging is not completed at the predetermined end time of charging or when charging is completed after the predetermined end time of charging.

[0009] Methods for solving problems

[0010] The electric vehicle of the present invention employs the following means to achieve the aforementioned main objectives.

[0011] The electric vehicle of the present invention comprises a battery storage device, a charger for charging the battery storage device using electricity from an external power source, and a control device for controlling the charger, characterized in that...

[0012] The control device calculates the required charging time before the charger charges the energy storage device, and uses the required charging time to calculate the predetermined time for the end of charging.

[0013] The control device obtains a reason for incomplete charging when the charging of the energy storage device is not completed at the predetermined charging end time, or obtains a reason for delayed charging completion when the charging of the energy storage device is completed after the predetermined charging end time.

[0014] In the electric vehicle of the present invention, the control device controlling the charger calculates the required charging time before the charger charges the energy storage device and uses the required charging time to calculate the predetermined charging end time. For example, when charging starts immediately, the required charging time can be added to the current time to calculate the predetermined charging completion time. When the user sets a completion time (completion set time), the predetermined charging completion time can be calculated by subtracting the sum of the required charging time and the margin time from the completion set time. Furthermore, the control device obtains the incomplete charging reason when the energy storage device is not fully charged at the predetermined charging end time, and obtains the delay reason for the charging delay when the charging of the energy storage device is completed after the predetermined charging end time. Thus, by reporting the obtained incomplete charging reason and delay reason to the user, situations that cause the user to feel uncomfortable when the charging is not fully charged at the predetermined charging end time or when the charging is completed after the predetermined charging end time can be suppressed.

[0015] In the electric vehicle of the present invention, the control device may obtain at least one of the following factors as the incomplete factor or the delayed factor: a temperature drop in the energy storage device and a voltage drop on the external power supply side. This is based on the fact that if the temperature of the energy storage device drops or a voltage drop occurs on the external power supply side, the time required for the energy storage device to complete charging becomes longer.

[0016] In the electric vehicle of the present invention, the control device can store the incomplete cause or the delay cause. This allows the stored incomplete cause and delay cause to be read out to address situations where charging is not completed at the predetermined charging end time, or where charging is completed after the predetermined charging end time. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram showing the structure of an electric vehicle 20 as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram showing an example of a power conversion circuit 52.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a charging process performed by the electronic control unit 70. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Next, examples will be used to illustrate the methods for implementing the present invention.

[0021]

Example

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram showing the structure of an electric vehicle 20 as an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the electric vehicle 20 of this embodiment includes a motor 32, an inverter 34, a battery 36, a boost converter 40, a high-voltage side power line 42, a low-voltage side power line 44, a system main relay 38, a charger 50, a charging power line 51, a vehicle-side access port 54, and an electronic control unit 70. A connector 254 for a commercial power supply 220 is connected to the vehicle-side access port 54 via a charging cable 120.

[0023] The electric motor 32 is configured as a synchronous electric generator, having a rotor with embedded permanent magnets and a stator wound with three-phase coils. The rotor of the electric motor 32 is connected to a drive shaft 26 via a differential gear 24, which is connected to drive wheels 22a and 22b.

[0024] The converter 34 is connected to the motor 32 and to the high-voltage side power line 42. The converter 34 is configured as a well-known converter circuit with 6 transistors and 6 diodes.

[0025] The storage battery 36 is configured as a lithium-ion secondary battery or a nickel-metal hydride secondary battery, and is connected to the low-voltage side power line 44.

[0026] The boost converter 40 is connected to the high-voltage side power line 42 and the low-voltage side power line 44, forming a well-known buck-boost converter circuit with two transistors, two diodes and a reactor.

[0027] A high-voltage side capacitor 46 is connected to the positive and negative busbars of the high-voltage side power line 42. A low-voltage side capacitor 48 is installed on the positive and negative busbars of the low-voltage side power line 44. A system main relay 38 is installed on the low-voltage side power line 44. The system main relay 38 has a positive side relay SMRB installed on the positive busbar of the low-voltage side power line 44, a negative side relay SMRG installed on the negative busbar of the low-voltage side power line 44, and a pre-charging circuit formed by connecting a pre-charging resistor R and a pre-charging relay SMRP in series, bypassing the negative side relay SMRG. A DC / DC converter 82 is connected to the low-voltage side power line 44, which exchanges power with the auxiliary power line 84, which is connected to an auxiliary battery 86 and an auxiliary machine (not shown).

[0028] The charger 50 includes a charging power line 51 with one end connected to the low-voltage side power line 44 near the boost converter 40 side (motor 32 side) of the system main relay 38 and the other end connected to the vehicle-side inlet 54, and a power conversion circuit 52 installed on the charging power line 51. The power conversion circuit 52 is a known power conversion circuit that converts AC power from the commercial power supply 20 into DC power at a desired voltage capable of charging the battery 35. For example, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the power conversion circuit 52 can use a power conversion circuit that includes a commercial power supply side AC / DC conversion circuit 52a that converts AC power from commercial power supply 220 into DC power of the desired voltage, a smoothing capacitor 52b, a DC / AC conversion circuit 52c that converts DC power into AC power, a transformer 52d, and a battery side AC / DC conversion circuit 52e that converts AC power into DC power.

[0029] In addition to the charging power line 51, the vehicle-side inlet 54 is connected to a vehicle-side grounding wire 57 (one end grounded), a vehicle-side connection wire 58 (one end connected to the electronic control unit 70), a vehicle-side communication wire 60 (one end connected to the electronic control unit 70), and a cover signal wire 62 (one end connected to the cover sensor 56 installed in the vehicle-side inlet 54 and the other end connected to the electronic control unit 70). The vehicle-side grounding wire 57 and the vehicle-side connection wire 58 are connected via a resistor. The cover sensor 56 is a sensor that detects whether the cover covering the vehicle-side inlet 54 is open or closed.

[0030] With the vehicle connector 154a of the charging cable assembly 120 connected to the vehicle-side inlet 54 and the power connector 154b of the charging cable assembly 120 connected to the power-side connector 254 on the commercial power supply 220 side, the charger 50 uses the power from the commercial power supply 220 to charge the battery 36.

[0031] The charging cable assembly 120 includes a cable electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as the cable ECU) 130, a power supply circuit 132, a control pilot circuit 134, a vehicle connector 154a, a power supply connector 154b, a cable-side power line 151, a charging relay 152 installed on the cable-side power line 151, a cable-side grounding wire 157, a cable-side connecting wire 158, a connection switch 158a, and a cable-side temperature detection wire 162. If the vehicle connector 154a of the charging cable assembly 120 is connected to the vehicle-side access port 54 and the power supply connector 154b of the charging cable assembly 120 is connected to the power supply-side connector 254 on the commercial power supply 220 side, then the charging power line 51 is connected to the power supply-side power line 251 of the commercial power supply 220 via the cable-side power line 151. Furthermore, the vehicle-side grounding wire 57 is connected to the cable-side grounding wire 157, the vehicle-side connecting wire 58 is connected to the cable-side connecting wire 158, and the vehicle-side communication wire 60 is connected to the cable-side communication wire 160. Additionally, the cable-side temperature detection wire 162 is connected to the power-side temperature detection wire 262 of the temperature sensor 256 mounted on the power-side connector 254. The power circuit 132 is connected to the cable-side power line 151. When the power connector 154b, which becomes the charging cable device 120, is connected to the power-side connector 254 on the commercial power supply 220 side, and the cable-side power line 151 is connected to the power-side power line 251 of the commercial power supply 220, it converts the AC power supplied from the commercial power supply 220 into DC power of a specified voltage and supplies it to the cable ECU 130, etc. The control pilot circuit 134 has an oscillation circuit (not shown), which uses a control signal from the cable ECU 130 to change the duty cycle of the transmitted signal from the oscillation circuit and outputs it to the cable-side communication line 160. One end of the connection switch 158a is connected to the vehicle-side grounding wire 57, and the other end is connected via a resistor to the cable-side connection wire 158 connected to the vehicle-side connection wire 58. The two ends of the connection switch 158a are connected via a resistor. The connection switch 158a is configured as a push-button switch near the vehicle connector 154a, which is open when pressed. The cable ECU 130 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU (not shown), and includes a ROM for storing processing programs, RAM for temporarily storing data, input / output ports, and communication ports, in addition to the CPU. A cable-side temperature detection line 142 is connected to the cable ECU 130, and the cable ECU 130 receives a signal from the power connector temperature sensor 240 installed on the power connector 254. A signal from a leakage current detection circuit (not shown) installed on the cable-side power line 151 is also received by the cable ECU 130. A drive signal is output from the cable ECU 130 to the charging relay 152. Furthermore, the cable ECU 130 communicates with the control pilot circuit 134.Based on information obtained from the commercial power supply 220 (such as rated current, power connector temperature, etc.), the cable ECU 130 sends a control signal, which is the duty cycle of the charging current relative to the rated current, to the control pilot circuit 134. The control pilot circuit 134, based on the control signal received from the cable ECU 130, controls the duty cycle of the transmitted signal from the oscillation circuit and sends it to the electronic control unit 70 via the cable-side communication line 160 and the vehicle-side communication line 60. When the connection switch 158a is pressed and disconnected, the cable ECU 130 disconnects the charging relay 152 based on a signal from the electronic control unit 70 that detects the disconnection of the connection switch 158a.

[0032] The electronic control unit 70 is configured as a microprocessor centered on CPU 72. In addition to CPU 72, it also has ROM 74 for storing processing programs, RAM 76 for temporarily storing data, flash memory (not shown), input / output ports (not shown), and communication ports (not shown).

[0033] The electronic control unit 70 receives signals from various sensors via input ports. Examples of signals input to the electronic control unit 70 include the rotational position θm from a rotational position detection sensor (e.g., a rotary transformer) 32a that detects the rotational position of the rotor of the motor 32, the voltage VB from a voltage sensor 36a mounted between the terminals of the battery 36, and the current IB from a current sensor 36b mounted between the output terminals of the battery 36. Additionally, examples include the voltage VH from the high-voltage side capacitor 46 (high-voltage side power line 42) of the voltage sensor 46a mounted between the terminals of the high-voltage side capacitor 46, and the voltage VL from the low-voltage side capacitor 48 (low-voltage side power line 44) of the voltage sensor 48a mounted between the terminals of the low-voltage side capacitor 48. The inputs also include the supply voltage Vin from the voltage sensor 51a installed on the charging power line 51, the charging voltage Vchg from the voltage sensor 51b, the charging current Ichg from the current sensor 51b, and the voltage from the voltage sensor that detects the inter-terminal voltage of the smoothing capacitor 52b within the power conversion device 52. Additionally, the input port of the electronic control unit 70 is connected to a vehicle-side connection line 58 connected to the vehicle-side access port 54, and a cover signal line 62 from the cover sensor 56 installed on the vehicle-side access port 54. It should be noted that the electronic control unit 70 also functions as a vehicle drive control device, and therefore also receives information required for system start-up and driving control. Examples of this information include, for example, a start signal from starter switch 77, a gear position from a gear position sensor that detects the operating position of a shift lever (not shown), an accelerator pedal opening from an accelerator pedal position sensor that detects the amount of pressure applied to an accelerator pedal (not shown), a brake pedal position from a brake pedal position sensor that detects the amount of pressure applied to a brake pedal (not shown), and a vehicle speed from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown).

[0034] Various control signals are output from the electronic control unit 70 via the output port. Examples of signals output from the electronic control unit 70 include switching control signals to the transistors of the converter 34, switching control signals to the transistors of the boost converter 40, drive control signals to the system main relay 38, drive control signals to the charging relay 52, display signals to the display 78 located on the dashboard in front of the driver's seat, illumination signals to the ready indicator light 79, and switching control signals to the transistors of the DC / DC converter 82.

[0035] The electronic control unit 70 communicates with the control pilot circuit 134 of the charging cable assembly 120 via a communication line 60 connected to the communication port and a cable-side communication line 160. The electronic control unit 70 calculates the rechargeable current Iin, which can be supplied from the commercial power supply 220 to charge the battery 36, based on a transmission signal from the control pilot circuit 134 with duty cycle control, and calculates the rechargeable power (infrastructure power) Pin based on the rechargeable current Iin and the supply voltage Vin from the voltage sensor 51a. Furthermore, the electronic control unit 70 calculates the battery 36's state of charge (SOC) based on the cumulative value of the battery 36's current Ib from the current sensor 36b. The SOC is the percentage of electrical power that can be discharged from the battery 36 relative to the total capacity of the battery 36.

[0036] Next, the operation of the electric vehicle 20 configured in this embodiment, particularly the operation of charging the battery 36 using power from the commercial power supply 220, will be described. External charging of the battery 36 is performed when the commercial power supply 220 is connected to the vehicle-side inlet 54 of the electric vehicle 20 via the charging cable 120, either by the user instructing to schedule charging with the setting of the charging end time Tend, or by the user instructing to start charging immediately. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a charging process performed by the electronic control unit 70. This process is performed when the electric vehicle 20 is connected to a commercial power supply 220 via a charging cable 120 at the vehicle-side access port 54, thereby performing external charging of the battery 36.

[0037] When performing the charging process, the electronic control unit 70 first calculates the charging time Tchg (step S100). The charging time Tchg can be obtained by dividing the empty capacity of the battery 36 by the rechargeable power (infrastructure power) Pin. The empty capacity of the battery 36 can be obtained by multiplying the total capacity of the battery 36 by (100 - storage ratio SOC) / 100. The rechargeable power (infrastructure power) Pin can be calculated by multiplying the supply voltage Vin from the voltage sensor 51a by the rechargeable current Iin based on the transmission signal from the control pilot circuit 134, which is subject to duty cycle control.

[0038] Next, it is determined whether a charging end time Tend is set (step S110). The charging end time Tend is set by the user when the user instructs to schedule charging. If it is determined that a charging end time Tend is set, the charging start time Tstrt is set by subtracting the charging time Tchg plus the margin time α from the charging end time Tend (step S120), and the charging start time Tstrt is waited for to arrive (step S130), and charging begins (step S130). The margin time α can be, for example, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc. On the other hand, if it is determined that a charging end time Tend is not set, the charging end time Tend is calculated by adding the charging time to the current time (step S140), and charging begins (step S150). External charging of the battery 36 is performed by charging power set within the range of rated current and rated voltage. Specifically, the power conversion circuit 52 can be controlled to provide charging power that is suitable for charging the battery 36 at the charging voltage Vchg.

[0039] Once charging begins, a process is executed to obtain the charging status until external charging ends (steps S160 and S170). The charging status includes the charging current Ichg / charging voltage Vchg, the battery temperature Tb, etc.

[0040] When external charging is completed, it is determined whether the external charging was completed normally (step S180). External charging can end not only when the battery 36 is fully charged, but also midway through charging due to a user's charging completion instruction (switch operation) or an abnormality. Except for endings caused by an abnormality, these are considered normal endings. When external charging is determined to have ended normally, it is determined whether the ending was caused by charging completion and whether it occurred at the charging completion time (Tend) (steps S190, S200). If the ending was determined to be caused by charging completion and occurred at the charging completion time (Tend), the obtained charging status is recorded (step S240), and this process ends.

[0041] If, in step S190, it is determined that the termination was not caused by charging completion (but by the user's charging completion instruction (switch operation) during charging), the reason for the failure to complete charging (the reason for non-completion) is determined based on the obtained charging status and reported (step S210). The obtained charging status, including the determined reason for non-completion, is recorded (step S240), and the process ends. In this case, the reasons for non-completion, in addition to the user's charging completion instruction (switch operation), include charging failure due to a drop in the temperature of the battery 36 or a drop in the voltage on the commercial power supply 220 side. The report can be based on a report displayed on the display 78 or a report based on voice. For example, it can announce "Charging failed due to a drop in battery temperature," "Charging failed due to a drop in the voltage on the external power supply side," "Charging failed due to the user's charging completion instruction," etc. If, in step S200, it is determined that the charging is not completed at the charging end time Tend, the reason for the failure to complete charging at the charging end time Tend (delay reason) is determined based on the obtained charging status and reported (step S220). The obtained charging status, including the determined delay reason, is recorded (step S240), and the process ends. Delay reasons include delays in charging completion due to a drop in the temperature of the battery 36 or a drop in the voltage on the commercial power supply 220 side. The report can be based on a report displayed on the display 78 or a voice report; for example, it can announce, "Charging completion took time due to a drop in battery temperature," or "Charging completion took time due to a drop in the voltage on the external power supply side," etc.

[0042] It should be noted that when it is determined in step S180 that external charging has not ended properly (it is an abnormal termination), the cause of the abnormal termination is determined based on the obtained charging status and reported (step S230), and the obtained charging status, including the cause of the abnormal termination, is recorded (step S240), and the process ends. The report can be based on a report displayed on the display 78 or a report based on voice, for example, it can announce "Charging has ended due to an abnormality. Please go to a sales store or repair shop for consultation."

[0043] In the electric vehicle 20 of the above-described embodiment, even if external charging is completed normally, if the charging of the battery 36 is not completed or if the charging of the battery 36 is completed after the charging end time Tend, the cause (cause of incomplete charging, cause of delay) is identified and reported. This helps to suppress any discomfort experienced by the user when charging is not completed at the charging end time Tend or when charging is completed after the charging end time Tend. Furthermore, the charging status is recorded including the identified causes (cause of incomplete charging, cause of delay, cause of abnormal termination). This allows the recorded charging status and causes (cause of incomplete charging, cause of delay, cause of abnormal termination) to be obtained at dealerships, repair shops, etc., and these situations can be addressed.

[0044] In the electric vehicle 20 of this embodiment, a commercial power source 220 is connected to the vehicle-side inlet 54 of the electric vehicle 20 using a charging cable device 120 for external charging. However, it is also possible to connect the connector on the external power source side to the vehicle-side inlet 54 of the electric vehicle 20 for external charging without using the charging cable device 120.

[0045] In the electric vehicle 20 of this embodiment, a commercial power supply 220 providing AC power is used as an external power source, but a DC power supply providing DC power can also be used as an external power source. In this case, the charger 50 can replace the power conversion circuit 52 and have a circuit that converts the power from the external power source into power of the desired voltage.

[0046] In the electric vehicle 20 of this embodiment, a battery 36 is used as an energy storage device, but any device capable of storing electricity can be used, such as a capacitor. The electric vehicle 20 of this embodiment includes a boost converter 40, but it may or may not include one.

[0047] In this embodiment, it is an electric vehicle 20 equipped with an electric motor 32. However, it could also be a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine in addition to the electric motor 32, or a vehicle equipped with a fuel cell.

[0048] The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiments and the main elements of the invention described in the means for solving the problem section will be explained. In the embodiments, the storage battery 36 corresponds to an "energy storage device", the charger 50 corresponds to a "charger", and the electronic control unit 70 corresponds to a "control device".

[0049] It should be noted that, since the embodiments are used to specifically illustrate one way of implementing the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" column, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiments and the main elements of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" column does not limit the elements of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" column. That is, the interpretation of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" column should be based on the description in that column, and the embodiments are merely specific examples of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" column.

[0050] The above examples illustrate how to implement the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such examples in any way, and can certainly be implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0051] Industrial availability

[0052] This invention can be applied to industries such as electric vehicle manufacturing.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising a battery storage device, a charger for charging the battery storage device using electricity from an external power source, and a control device for controlling the charger, characterized in that, The control device calculates the required charging time before the charger charges the energy storage device, and uses the required charging time to calculate the predetermined time for the end of charging. When the charging of the energy storage device normally ends, including when the charging of the energy storage device is ended due to a user's charging end instruction, when the charging of the energy storage device is ended at a charging end time set by the user, and when the charging of the energy storage device is ended due to the completion of charging, the control device acquires and reports, when the charging of the energy storage device is not completed at the predetermined charging end time, reasons for incomplete charging including reasons for incomplete charging caused by the user's charging end instruction, reasons for incomplete charging caused by a drop in battery temperature, and reasons for incomplete charging caused by a drop in voltage on the external power supply side; and when the charging of the energy storage device is completed after the predetermined charging end time, the control device acquires and reports, when the charging of the energy storage device is completed after the predetermined charging end time, reasons for delayed charging including reasons for delayed charging due to a drop in the temperature of the energy storage device and reasons for delayed charging due to a drop in voltage on the external power supply side.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The control device stores the incomplete reasons or the delayed reasons.

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