Charging apparatus for vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a highly practical vehicle charging apparatus. A vehicle charging device provided with a charger (14) provided in a charging area (12) is configured so as to: determine an appropriate position, which is a position at which a charged vehicle should be positioned during charging, on the basis of at least one of vehicle information, which is information about the charged vehicle (C) that is a vehicle to be charged, and physical properties of a charging cable (16) provided in the charger; based on the appropriate position, the charging vehicle is guided or the charging vehicle and the charger are moved relative to each other (42, 44). Since the charging vehicle can be parked at an appropriate position relative to the charger in the charging area, the connector (18) of the charging cable can be easily connected to the socket.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a charging device for charging a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] A vehicle to be charged (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "charging vehicle") is parked at a charging area and charged with a battery of the vehicle such as an electric automobile using a charger provided in the area. In detail, a connector of a front end of a charging cable possessed by the charger is connected to a charging port (sometimes referred to as "charging terminal") provided in the charging vehicle. Since the configuration of the charging port differs depending on the vehicle, in the technology described in the following document, for example, it is instructed to park the charging vehicle at which charging area and in which orientation.

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-257914

[0004] In the above document, the charging area and the orientation of the charging vehicle are specified, but it is also conceivable that the charging port is variously configured, and depending on the case of the charging cable, even if the charging vehicle is parked in accordance with these specifications, connection of the connector to the charging port is difficult. In detail, there can be a case where the charging cable cannot reach depending on the position of the charging port, or in the case where the charging cable is hard, the cable cannot be smoothly separated and connection of the connector is difficult. That is, in a vehicle charging device, there is much room for improvement in practicality by modification. The present application is accomplished in view of such actual circumstances, and the object thereof is to provide a vehicle charging device with high practicality. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to solve the above object, a vehicle charging device of the present application is provided with a charger provided in a charging area, wherein the vehicle charging device is configured to determine a position where a charging vehicle should be located at the time of charging, that is, an appropriate position, based on at least one of information of the charging vehicle, that is, vehicle information, and a property of a charging cable possessed by the charger, and to guide the charging vehicle based on the appropriate position or to move the charging vehicle relative to the charger.

[0006] According to the vehicle charging device of the present application, since the charging vehicle can be parked at an appropriate position relative to the charger in the charging area, the connector of the charging cable can be easily connected to the charging port.

[0007] The "vehicle information" in the present application is, for example, the length, width, and the like of the dimensions of the charging vehicle, the position of the inlet in the charging vehicle, and the like. The position of the inlet includes not only the front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle, but also the position in the height direction. In the case where a plurality of types of inlets are provided, the vehicle information can include the position and type of each inlet. The "physical properties of the charging cable" include the length, diameter dimension, hardness (flexibility, ease of bending, ease of twisting), and the like. For example, in the case where the charger performs high-speed charging, the charging cable becomes thick and hard due to the built-in cooling liquid pipe or thick covering, or the like. In particular, at low temperatures, the charging cable becomes hard and is quite difficult to separate, and the relative position of the charging vehicle and the charger is strictly required.

[0008] The "appropriate position" does not refer to which charging area should be parked in, but refers to which position should be parked in within the charging area. The appropriate position includes not only the position in the front, rear, left, and right directions of the vehicle, but also the orientation of the vehicle, that is, the concept of whether the vehicle should be parked facing forward or backward in the charging area. In addition, the appropriate position refers to the position relative to the charger, that is, the relative position of the vehicle and the charger. Among them, the determined appropriate position can also be a position including a certain degree of allowance, that is, an appropriate range.

[0009] In the "guidance" of the charging vehicle, for example, various methods including notifying the driver of the orientation of the parking of the charging vehicle in the area, making the driver recognize the appropriate position by projecting the appropriate position into the charging area, making the driver recognize the moving direction, moving distance when moving the charging vehicle to the appropriate position, making the driver recognize the positional relationship between the charger and the charging vehicle when moving to the appropriate position, and the like. That is, various means for appealing to the driver's senses such as images, sounds, and the like can be used. The "relative movement" of the charging vehicle and the charger includes, for example, moving the charging vehicle by a carrying member or the like, moving the charger itself relative to the charging vehicle located at a fixed position, and the like. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a vehicle charging device of an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the appropriate position of the charging vehicle, the guidance means for guiding the charging vehicle to the appropriate position, and the functions of the controller possessed by the vehicle charging setting device.

[0012] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a charging vehicle position appropriating program executed in the vehicle charging device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Hereinafter, a vehicle charging device, as an embodiment of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, as a way of carrying out the present invention. In addition to the embodiments described below, the present invention can also be implemented in various ways, represented by the manner described in the above-mentioned "Summary of the Invention," through various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0014] [A] Composition of vehicle charging equipment

[0015] like Figure 1 As shown in (a), the vehicle charging device (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "charging device") of the embodiment is configured to include a charger 14 disposed next to a charging area (sometimes simply referred to as "area") 12 facing the vehicle passage 10. A charging cable 16 is provided on the charger 14, and a connector 18 is attached to the end of the charging cable 16 to connect to the socket (charging port) of the vehicle C being charged (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "charging vehicle C" or simply "vehicle C").

[0016] A relatively large display 20, display panel 22, and speaker 24 are installed on the inside of area 12. Multiple cameras 26 (only 2 are shown in the figure) are installed above area 12, and a projector 28 is installed directly above it.

[0017] To manage various controls related to the charging device, a computer-based controller 30 is built into the charger 14. Additionally, a temperature sensor 32 is installed in the charger 14 to detect the temperature of the charging cable 16. The controller 30 can communicate with a management center 34. The management center 34 has a database 36, which will be described later, and centrally manages multiple charging devices.

[0018] [B] Appropriate location for charging vehicles

[0019] Because the charging cable 16 of the charger 14 is of a specific length, the range that the connector 18 can reach is limited. That is, the range in which the connector of the vehicle C should be located during charging varies depending on the length of the charging cable 16.

[0020] Furthermore, the charger 14 is capable of high-speed charging, and the charging cable 16 has a built-in coolant pipe for cooling. Additionally, the rubber and other covering materials are also thick. Therefore, the charging cable 16 is relatively thick and stiff, making it difficult to use or handle. Especially when the temperature of the charging cable 16 is low due to low ambient temperatures, it becomes quite stiff and difficult to use.

[0021] If reference Figure 2illustrated in (a) of FIG. 9. For example, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 9, even if the charger 14 is too close to the position of the inlet I, the charging cable 16 cannot be smoothly separated, and the connection of the connector 18 to the inlet I becomes difficult. Further, as illustrated in (c) of FIG. 9, in the vehicle C in which the inlet I is disposed at the front, when parking forward, if parking deeper into the deep part of the area 12, the charging cable 16 cannot reach. On the other hand, as illustrated in (d) of FIG. 9, when parking at the near side of the charging area 12, although the charging cable 16 is long enough, the vehicle can possibly protrude into the vehicle passage 10. Therefore, in the vehicle C in which the inlet I is disposed at the front, it is preferable to park at the area 12 backward to perform charging. In the vehicle in which the inlet I is disposed at the right side, it is preferable to park at the area 12 forward, and in the vehicle in which the inlet I is disposed at the left side, it is preferable to park at the area 12 backward. Figure 2 Figure 2 Figure 2 Figure 2

[0022] In summary, the range of the proper position of the vehicle C in the area 12, in other words, the range of the proper relative position of the vehicle C to the charger 14, is determined according to the model of the vehicle C, that is, the disposition position of the inlet I, and the length of the charging cable 16. Among them, the range of the proper position (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "proper position range") differs according to the height at which the inlet I is disposed in the vehicle. Also, as described above, the proper position range of the vehicle C is also determined by the stiffness (one of physical properties) of the charging cable 16, and further, as described above, since the stiffness also varies according to the temperature of the charging cable 16, the proper position range varies according to the temperature of the charging cable 16.

[0023] Although it will be described later, in the present charging device, the range of the proper position of the charging vehicle C to the charger 14 is determined based on information (one of vehicle information) related to the disposition position of the inlet I and the temperature of the charging cable 16.

[0024] [C] Guidance Means of Charging Vehicle

[0025] In order to make the relative position of the charger 14 to the vehicle C proper at the time of charging, in the present charging device, there is provided means (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "guidance means") for guiding the charging vehicle C to the proper position.

[0026] The display disk 22 is as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 10. For example, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 10, when the vehicle C is parked at the area 12, the display disk 22 is rotated to the position of the inlet I of the vehicle C, and the proper position of the vehicle C in the area 12 is displayed. Figure 2 ​​​​As shown in (e) of FIG. 6, display areas for "forward", "backward" regarding the parking direction, "go", "stop", "return" regarding the progress of the vehicle are set, and the driver of the vehicle C is notified by lighting the corresponding area. In addition, the same indication as the display dial 22, i.e., the indication regarding the direction of parking and the progress (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "go / stop indication") can be sounded from the speaker 24.

[0027] In the display 20, as shown in Figure 2 As shown in (f) of FIG. 6, a bird's-eye view image including the vehicle C at the current time and a display indicating the appropriate position as a target (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "appropriate position display PD". In the figure, the area is indicated by hatching) is displayed. The driver can locate the charging vehicle C at the appropriate position according to the image. Here, the appropriate position display PD also judges the direction of the vehicle C and the position of the inlet I. In addition, the bird's-eye view image is also transmitted to the vehicle C, and can be displayed on the display of the on-vehicle car navigation system of the vehicle C (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "car navigation"). Also, the appropriate position display PD described above is projected on the road surface of the area 12 to the actual position at the actual size from the projector 28. Here, the appropriate position display PD can display only the optimum position, or can display a range in which a certain degree of allowance is set with respect to the optimum position.

[0028] [D] Relative movement means of charging vehicle and charger

[0029] In the present charging device, in place of or in addition to the above-mentioned guidance means, a means for moving at least one of the charging vehicle C and the charger 14 to an appropriate relative position independently of the driving of the driver (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "relative movement means") can be provided. Only a simple explanation will be given, and specifically, a vehicle moving device 42 for the driver to mount the charging vehicle C on the carrying member 40 located at a prescribed position, and then drive the carrying member 40 to move the vehicle to an appropriate relative position; a charger moving device 44 for moving the charger 14 so that the vehicle C is located at an appropriate relative position after the driver moves the vehicle C to a prescribed position within the area 12 can be provided, as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG. 7, respectively. Figure 1 Figure 1

[0030] [E] Processing flow for relative position appropriate and functional configuration of controller

[0031] The above-mentioned processing for making the relative position of the charging vehicle C and the charger 14 appropriate at the time of charging (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "charging vehicle position appropriate processing") is executed by the controller 30 Figure 3 ​​The charging vehicle position appropriate procedure shown in the flowchart is performed. Hereinafter, the processing will be explained in accordance with the flowchart.

[0032] Since the vehicle C is standing at the position of the stop line 50 of the vehicle passage 10, the processing in accordance with the procedure starts with this standing as a trigger. In this processing, first, the image of the standing vehicle C is acquired in step 1 (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as "S1"), and the temperature of the charging cable 16 is detected by the temperature sensor 32 in S2. Next, in S3, the image information of the charging vehicle C, the charging cable temperature are sent to the management center 34.

[0033] The management center 34 confirms that this charging vehicle C is the vehicle which has made a charging reservation based on the image information, the charging cable temperature, and sends the information on the configuration of the inlet I of this vehicle C, the stiffness of the charging cable 16 to the charger 14 with reference to the database 36. The controller 30 receives these information in S4, and determines the position where the vehicle C should be located at the time of charging, that is, the appropriate position (is also a concept including the orientation of parking) based on these information and the information on the length of the charging cable 16 and the like which the controller 30 has itself in S5.

[0034] The controller 30 performs the above-mentioned guidance processing based on the determined appropriate position in S6, or performs the relative movement processing in the case where the above-mentioned relative movement means is provided. The guidance processing is performed in accordance with a guidance processing subroutine. In the processing in accordance with this subroutine, first, in S11, the indication on the parking orientation is performed via the display 20, the display panel 22, the speaker 24. This indication is also sent to the charging vehicle C, and is displayed on the car navigation of this vehicle C. Next, in S12, the above-mentioned appropriate position display PD is projected to the road surface of the area 12 by the projector 28.

[0035] In the following S13, the position, the movement of the vehicle C is acquired, that is, monitored based on the image information of the camera 26. In the following S14, when it is determined that the vehicle C starts to enter the area 12, the above-mentioned advance / stop indication is performed via the display panel 22, the speaker 24 in S15, and the above-mentioned image containing the current position of the vehicle C and the appropriate position display PD is displayed on the display 20, the car navigation. These indication, image display are repeated until it is determined that the parking operation is completed in S16. The completion of the parking operation is determined in accordance with the fact that the ignition switch of the charging vehicle C is turned off, the door of the vehicle C is opened and closed, and the like.

[0036] If the parking action is deemed complete, in step S7, it is confirmed whether the vehicle C is in an appropriate position, specifically, whether it is within an appropriate range. If it is not in an appropriate position, a warning is issued in step S8 via display panel 22, speaker 24, and display 20. Although detailed explanation is omitted, if the parking action is restarted due to an inappropriate position, the guidance process is re-executed by operating a switch set on charger 14.

[0037] The relative movement processing is performed according to the relative movement processing subroutine. In this subroutine, firstly, in S21, the parking orientation is indicated as described above. In S22, placement instructions for positioning vehicle C are given via display panel 22, speaker 24, display 20, and car navigation system. If the relative movement means is vehicle moving device 42, the designated position is on transport component 40. Next, in S23, the movement of vehicle C is monitored. If it is determined in S24 that vehicle C has been placed, relative movement to the appropriate position is performed in S25. Specifically, in the case of vehicle moving device 42, transport component 40 operates to position vehicle C appropriately; in the case of charger moving device 44, charger 14 moves to position vehicle C appropriately relative to charger 14.

[0038] Given the relative positional appropriateness described above, such as Figure 2 As shown in (g), the controller 30 can be considered to have an appropriate vehicle position determination unit 60 that determines the appropriate position where the vehicle C should be located during charging based on vehicle information and the physical properties of the charging cable 16, which functions as a functional unit through the execution of S5, and a guidance / relative movement execution unit 62 that guides the vehicle C or moves the vehicle C relative to the charger 14 based on the appropriate position, which functions as a functional unit through the execution of S6.

[0039] [F] Variation Example

[0040] This charging device provides image display functionality to a projector 28, a display 20, a display panel 22, a speaker 24, and a car navigation system as a guidance means for vehicle C. The charging device involved in this invention may not have all of these features; that is, it may not have one or more of them. Furthermore, this charging device determines the appropriate charging position based on both vehicle information such as the socket location and the physical properties of the charging cable 16, such as the cable stiffness, but it may also determine the appropriate position based on either one. In this charging device, considering the need to adapt to new vehicles and changes in the specifications of the charging cable 16, the appropriate position is determined based on the socket location and charging cable stiffness determined in the management center 34. However, it is also possible that the charger 14 itself has a database, and the controller 30 itself determines these socket locations and charging cable stiffness.

[0041] Reference Signs List

[0042] 12: charging area; 14: charger; 16: charging cable; 20: display; 22: display panel; 24: speaker; 26: camera; 28: projector; 30: controller; 32: temperature sensor; C: charging vehicle; I: inlet; PD: proper position display; 60: proper vehicle position determining section; 62: guidance / relative movement executing section.

Claims

1. A charging device for a vehicle, comprising a charger provided in a charging area, wherein the charging device for a vehicle is configured to determine a position, i.e., a proper position, at which a charging vehicle should be located at the time of charging, based on at least one of information, i.e., vehicle information, of the charging vehicle to be charged and a property of a charging cable possessed by the charger, and to guide the charging vehicle or cause the charging vehicle to move relative to the charger based on the proper position.

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