Vehicle and charging equipment for a vehicle

Abstract

Charging device for a vehicle (1) comprising the following: - a charging port (10) with a charging connector (20) to which a power supply connector (31) can be attached for supplying external power; - a locking element (11) for opening and closing the charging port (10); - a light emitter (13) for emitting light to illuminate the charging connector (20) when a predetermined condition is met; and - a light emission control (130) that controls the light emitter (13) by sending a light emission control signal and a switch-off control signal to the light emitter (13), characterized by the fact that while the light emitter (13) emits light, the light emission control (130) is designed to at least detect: - whether the locking element (11) is open or closed; - whether the vehicle (1) is traveling at a predetermined speed or at a speed above that speed; - whether the ignition switch of the vehicle (1) is turned on or not; - whether a door of the vehicle (1) is locked or not; and - whether or not an external power supply is initiated; wherein the light emission control (130) is configured to stop the emission of light by the light emitter (13) when at least any of the following conditions are met: that the locking element (11) is closed, the vehicle (1) is traveling at the predetermined speed or a speed above that speed, the ignition switch of the vehicle (1) is turned on as a process to make the vehicle ready to drive, the door of the vehicle (1) is locked, and the supply of external current is started, wherein the light emitter (13) is arranged in a position opposite an outer plate (14) such that when the light emitter (13) emits light, the light is emitted towards an inner surface of the outer plate (14), is reflected from an inner surface of the outer plate (14) and thus illuminates the charging connector (20) and its surroundings.

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle that can be charged with electric power supplied from an external power supply, and to a charging device for a vehicle. 2. Relevant state of the art

[0002] Conventional vehicles are primarily gasoline-powered vehicles, which use gasoline as fuel, and refueling is typically performed at a dedicated gas station equipped with refueling facilities. In contrast, with an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like, which is charged by supplying electricity from an external power source, charging can be performed at an increasingly large number of locations.

[0003] In other words, charging does not require the use of a dedicated power supply, but can be performed by drawing power from, for example, a household power supply installed in a house or the like, in a garage. Thus, charging can be performed in a location where no lighting is present, unlike a gas station or the like.

[0004] A charging connector for receiving power has various terminals to prevent electric shock, etc. Therefore, when connecting a power supply connector to the charging connector during charging, the respective terminals must be connected precisely.

[0005] Furthermore, to prevent electrical leakage caused by rainwater, the connection area of ​​the charging connector connected to the power supply connector is often arranged horizontally or oriented downwards from the horizontal. Therefore, the operation of coupling the power supply connector to the charging connector is likely to be difficult if performed at night or in the dark.

[0006] To address this problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication JP 2011-183860 A discloses a vehicle configured to illuminate a power receiving connector (the charging connector) using a light source during charging processing. In this vehicle, the light source (a light emitter) is illuminated or turned on when an outer cover covering the power receiving connector is opened, and is extinguished or turned off when a power supply connector (the power supply connector) is connected (coupled) to the power receiving connector.

[0007] Furthermore, JP 4 894 611 B2 discloses a vehicle having a configuration for indicating the position of a charging port (the charging connector) by turning on a light emitter upon receipt of a predetermined identification signal, and turning off the light emitter when a charging connector (the power supply connector) is coupled to the charging port.

[0008] By illuminating the charging connector in this way when the cover covering the charging connector is opened or the predetermined identification signal is received, the position of the charging connector can be identified at the start of charging. Furthermore, by turning off the light emitter when the charging connector and the power supply connector are coupled, unnecessary power consumption can be suppressed.

[0009] However, in certain cases, an operator may believe that the charging connector and the power connector are mated, while in reality, a certain terminal has not been mated, or a mating angle is so inappropriate that the connectors are incompletely mated. In such cases, the mating is released to perform the mating process again.

[0010] In such a case, if the light emitter is designed to be turned off upon coupling of the charging connector and the power supply connector, the light emitter is turned off even if charging is not performed due to the incomplete coupling, and as a result, it is difficult for the operator to check for coupling misalignment or the like.

[0011] Furthermore, if the pairing process is attempted multiple times, repeatedly turning the light emitter on and off, the efficiency of the process will be compromised. Therefore, if the condition for turning off the light emitter is that the charging connector and the power supply connector are paired, a problem may occur during the charging process.

[0012] JP H06-325834 A discloses a charging connector in which a vehicle-side housing is housed inside a charging chamber arranged in a vehicle body. A lamp is arranged on a side surface of the chamber and is turned on and off according to the opening / closing of an opening / closing lid. Furthermore, a fluorescent ink is applied to an edge of a charging connector-side housing. When the opening / closing lid of the charging chamber is opened, the vehicle-side housing is brightly illuminated by the light from the lamp, while in the charging connector-side housing, light is emitted from the fluorescent ink that previously stored light, allowing their positions to be detected.

[0013] DE 43 30 721 C1 discloses a method and a device for controlling vehicle interior lighting. The method provides for the respective switching on and / or off process to be dimmed, with the dimming parameters, such as the switching on or off dimming time or the desired final brightness, being specified depending on the vehicle state that activates the control process. The device for implementing the method includes a central lighting control unit that controls a lighting device via a controllable switch depending on signals from a sensor group according to a program sequence stored in a program memory.

[0014] JP 2012-130 189 A discloses a charging connector for an electric vehicle. It includes an illumination portion located on a bottom surface of a housing portion, including a light-emitting diode and a cover that covers the outer periphery of the light-emitting diode. A lens portion is provided in the cover. The illumination portion illuminates a charging socket portion and its surroundings from below.

[0015] US 2010 / 0 045 450 A1 discloses a vehicle configured to utilize electrical energy supplied by an external energy source, comprising: a power receiving unit for receiving the electrical energy; a detection unit for detecting an identification signal emitted by a transmitter; and a display unit for displaying a position of the power receiving unit. The display unit is configured to perform an operation when the identification signal detected by the detection unit matches a value specific to the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and the object of the present invention is to provide a charging device for a vehicle and to provide a vehicle equipped with such a charging device, in which unnecessary power consumption during charging processing can be suppressed without impairing the convenience of charging.

[0017] The problem is solved by a charging device having the features of claim 1. Furthermore, the problem is solved by a vehicle having the features of claim 2. Furthermore, the problem is solved by a vehicle having the features of claim 3.

[0018] The present invention is particularly suitable for use in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawings show: Fig. 1 a view of an overall configuration of a vehicle; Fig. 2 a perspective view of a charging port; Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of the charging port; Fig. 4 a perspective view of a power supply nozzle; Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating input and output signals to and from a light emission controller; Fig. 6 is a view for explaining light emission processing; and Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B are plan views for explaining a configuration of a charging port according to modified embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] Fig. Figure 1 shows a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 1 has a charging device 2 provided inside the vehicle and a charging port 10 arranged at the rear of the vehicle body. It should be noted that the vehicle 1 may be an electric vehicle, in which case the vehicle is powered by an electric motor, or a hybrid vehicle, in which case the vehicle is powered by an internal combustion engine or an electric motor, or both of these engines.

[0022] The charging device 2 can be charged with power from an external power supply and supplies the power charged therein as drive energy to the vehicle 1.

[0023] The charging port 10 is an opening formed at the rear of the vehicle body and can be opened and closed by means of an outer flap 11 coupled to an opening edge of the charging port 10 via a hinge. A charging connector 20 connected to the charging device 2 is provided inside the charging port 10, and lamps 13 serving as light emitters of the present invention are provided on inner walls of the charging port 10.

[0024] The lamp 13 is formed, for example, by a light-emitting diode. In this embodiment, the charging port 10 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body, but it is not limited to this position; it can also be provided at any location on the front, front, or rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, the lamp 13 according to the present embodiment is a light-emitting diode, but it can also be formed by another light source, such as an incandescent lamp.

[0025] As in Fig. As shown in FIG. 2, the charging port 10 is opened by opening the outer lid or the outer closure member 11. An outer lid opening / closing detector 50 for detecting the opening and closing of the outer lid 11 is provided at the hinge part of the outer lid 11. The outer lid opening / closing detector 50 is connected to a light emission controller 130, which will be described later.

[0026] The outer flap 11 is half-opened by operating a charging port opening lever provided on a driver's seat of the vehicle 1. The half-opened outer flap 11 is then fully opened manually by an operator, after which a charging operation can be performed.

[0027] The charging connector 20 can be opened and closed by an inner flap 12, which is coupled to the area near a connection terminal of the charging connector 20 via a hinge. When the inner flap 12 is opened, the connection terminal of the charging connector 20 is exposed, allowing a power supply port 30 to be coupled thereto.

[0028] The charging connector 20 is connected to the charging device 2 via a lead cable not shown in the drawings, so that power is supplied to the charging device 2 from an external power supply via the coupled charging connector 20 and the power supply nozzle 30.

[0029] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, left and right inner walls of the charging port 10 are formed at positions recessed to the left and right, respectively, from an opening provided in an outer wall 14 of the vehicle 1. A lamp 13 is arranged on each of the left and right inner walls. The charging connector 20 is illuminated by direct light emitted by the lamps 13, while the emission of direct light to the outside of the charging port is blocked by the outer plate 14.

[0030] As a result, the operator performing charging processing can obtain confirmation of the position of the charging connector 20 at night or in the dark without being dazzled by light emitted directly into the eyes. The turning on and off of the lamps 13 is controlled by the light emission controller 130, which is provided in the vehicle 1 and serves as an electronic control unit (ECU) for controlling the light emission from the lamps 13.

[0031] Furthermore, the charging connector 20 is provided with six connection terminals (sockets), namely charging sockets 21 and 22 serving as terminals for a power cable, a connection detection socket 23 serving as a terminal for a connection detection signal line, a charging start signal / charging stop signal socket 24 serving as a terminal for a charging start signal / charging stop signal line, a charging control signal socket 25 serving as a terminal for a charging control line, and a grounding socket 26.

[0032] Furthermore, the connection terminal of the charging connector 20 is provided horizontally or in a nearly horizontal angular orientation to prevent the occurrence of electric leakage current when rainwater or the like penetrates into the charging connector 20 through the connection terminal.

[0033] As in Fig. 4, the power supply nozzle 30 is formed by a power supply connector 31 which can be coupled to the charging connector 20, a handle 32 to be grasped by the operator and a power supply cable 33 which can be connected to the external power supply.

[0034] The power supply connector 31 is provided with six connection terminals (pins), namely charging pins 41 and 42, a connection detection pin 43, a charging start signal / charging stop signal pin 44, a charging control signal pin 45, and a grounding pin 46.

[0035] By simultaneously inserting the various pins into the various corresponding sockets provided in the charging connector 20, the charging connector 20 can be coupled to the power supply connector 31 so that power can be supplied from the external power supply to the charging device 2 via the power supply cable 33.

[0036] As described above, the charging terminal of the charging connector 20 is provided horizontally or in a nearly horizontal angular orientation, and thus the operator whose line of sight passes diagonally across the charging connector 20 during the charging processing must accurately perform the insertion operation of the various terminals in a state where the various connection terminals of the charging connector 20 are not easily seen.

[0037] However, by illuminating the charging connector 20 and its surroundings using the lamps 13, the operation for coupling the charging connector 20 and the power supply connector 31 can be easily performed.

[0038] As in Fig. 5, the vehicle 1 further includes a vehicle speed detector 51 for detecting a traveling speed of the vehicle 1 and an ignition detector 52 for detecting whether an ignition switch serving as a switch of an ignition device of the internal combustion engine and a starting device of the electric motor of the vehicle 1 (when the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, the ignition switch functions only as a switch of a device for actuating the electric motor) is in the ON position or not.

[0039] The vehicle 1 further has a door lock detector 53 for detecting whether or not respective doors or flaps of the vehicle 1 have been locked, and a charging start detector 54 for detecting whether or not a voltage has been applied to the charging sockets 21 and 22 of the charging connector 20.

[0040] The exterior door opening / closing detector 50, the vehicle speed detector 51, the ignition detector 52, the door lock detector 53, and the charging start detector 54 are connected to the input side of the light emission controller 130 such that respective detection signals therefrom are input to the light emission controller 130.

[0041] In addition, the lamps 13 are connected to the output side of the light emission controller 130, so that a light emission control signal and a switch-off control signal are output to the lamps 13.

[0042] Next, the Fig. 6 describes a light emission process carried out with the lamps 13 by the light emission control 130. A Fig. The processing sequence illustrated in Figure 6 is executed at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 4 milliseconds).

[0043] First, in step S11, the light emission controller 130 determines whether or not an "open" detection signal has been input from the outer door opening / closing detector 50. The outer door opening / closing detector 50 continuously outputs the "open" detection signal while the outer door 11 is open.

[0044] In other words, in this step, the light emission controller 130 determines whether the outer door 11 is open or not. If the detection signal "open" has been input from the outer door opening / closing detector 50, the processing proceeds to step S12, and if the detection signal "open" has not been input from the outer door opening / closing detector 50, or in other words, if the outer door 11 is closed, the processing proceeds to step S17.

[0045] When the outer door 11 is open, the light emission controller 130 executes processing to cause the lamps 13 to emit light by outputting the light emission control signal to the lamps 13 in step S12.

[0046] As a result, the lamps 13 emit light, so that when the outer door 11 is half-open, the light penetrates through the charging port 10 to the outside, thus indicating the position of the charging port 10 to the operator. When the outer door 11 is fully open, the light illuminates the charging connector 20 and its periphery, thereby facilitating the process of coupling the charging connector 20 to the power supply connector 31. The lamps 13 continue to emit light until the power-off control signal is input.

[0047] While the lamps 13 are emitting light, the light emission controller 130 determines in a step S13 whether or not a vehicle speed detection signal has been input from the vehicle speed detector 51. The vehicle speed detector 51 outputs the vehicle speed detection signal after detecting that the vehicle 1 is traveling at a predetermined traveling speed (5 km / h in the present embodiment) or higher. In other words, the light emission controller 130 determines in this step whether or not the vehicle 1 is traveling at 5 km / h or higher.

[0048] When the vehicle speed detection signal has been input from the vehicle speed detector 51, the processing proceeds to step S17, and when the vehicle speed detection signal has not been input from the vehicle speed detector 51, the processing proceeds to step S14.

[0049] In step S14, the light emission controller 130 determines whether an ON signal has been input from the ignition detector 52, or in other words, whether the ignition switch is ON. If the ON signal has been input from the ignition detector 52, processing proceeds to step S17, and if the ON signal from the ignition detector 52 has not been input, processing proceeds to step S15.

[0050] In step S15, the light emission controller 130 determines whether or not a locking operation detection signal has been input from the door locking detector 53. The door locking detector 53 outputs the locking operation detection signal when an operation to lock any of the doors of the vehicle 1 is being executed. In other words, the light emission controller 130 determines whether or not an operation to lock any of the doors of the vehicle 1 has been executed.

[0051] The door lock detector outputs the lock operation detection signal when a door lock operation is being performed, and does not output this signal when the door is already locked. If the lock operation detection signal has been input from the door lock detector 53, processing proceeds to step S17, and if the lock operation detection signal has not been input, processing proceeds to step S16.

[0052] In step S16, the light emission controller 130 determines whether or not a charging start detection signal has been input from the charging start detector 54. The charging start detector 54 outputs the charging start detection signal upon detecting that current has been caused to flow along the power cable, so that a voltage is applied to the charging sockets 21 and 22, while it does not output the charging start detection signal when the charging connector 20 is merely coupled to the power supply connector 31.

[0053] In other words, the light emission controller 130 determines whether or not charging from the external power supply has started. If the charging start detection signal has been input from the charging start detector 54, the processing proceeds to step S17, and if the charging start detection signal has not been input, the light emission processing is terminated.

[0054] In step S17, the light emission controller 130 executes processing for turning off the lamps 13 by outputting the light-off control signal to the lamps 13. At this time, the lamps 13 are turned off when the outer lid 11 is closed, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at the predetermined speed or higher, when the ignition switch is turned on, when an operation to lock any of the doors is performed, or when charging of the external power supply is started. When this processing is completed, the light emission processing is terminated.

[0055] As described above, to perform the charging operation from the external power supply, the operator first opens the outer door 11 by operating the charging port opening lever provided on the driver's seat of the vehicle 1.

[0056] When this operation is performed, the outer door 11 is opened halfway, and the lamps 13 emit light that passes out through a gap in the half-open outer door 11. As a result, the operator can easily identify the position of the charging port 10 even at night or in the dark.

[0057] Next, the operator fully opens the outer flap 11, then opens the inner flap 12 to expose the charging connector 20, and then couples the power supply connector of the power supply nozzle 30 to the exposed charging connector 20.

[0058] The pins of the power supply connector 31 must be inserted into the respective sockets of the charging connector 20, but since the charging connector 20 and the surroundings thereof are illuminated by the lamps 13, the positioning and coupling can be carried out in a simple manner.

[0059] When the outer door 11 is closed, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at the predetermined speed, when the ignition switch is turned ON, when the door locking operation is performed, or when the charging operation starts, it can be determined that there is no longer any need to illuminate the charging connector 20 using the lamps 13, and for this reason, the lamps 13 are turned off.

[0060] In this way, unnecessary power consumption can be suppressed, and driving in a state where the lamps 13 continue to emit light can be prevented.

[0061] The Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B show configurations of the charging port 10 according to further embodiments of the present invention. Note that parts with similar configurations to those in the above-described embodiment have been designated by the same reference numerals.

[0062] In the Fig. In the charging connector 10 shown in Figure 7A, a lamp 13a is provided in a position opposite the outer plate 14 and near the charging connector 20. When the lamp 13a emits light, the light is emitted toward an inner surface of the outer plate 14.

[0063] The emitted light is reflected from an inner side of the outer plate 14, thus illuminating the charging connector 20 and its surroundings. In other words, the charging connector 20 is illuminated by indirect illumination from the lamp 13, while the direct light emission to the outside from the charging port 10 is blocked by the outer plate 14.

[0064] In the Fig. In the charging connector 10 shown in FIG. 7B, a lamp 13b is arranged on the inside of the outer plate 14 in a position diagonally opposite the charging connector 20. When the lamp 13b emits light, direct light is emitted in a diagonal direction toward the charging connector 20, illuminating the charging connector 20 and its surroundings. In this case, the lamp 13b emits light toward the inside of the charging connector 10, and thus no direct light is emitted toward the outside of the charging connector 10.

[0065] In the above-described embodiments, the lamp 13 (the lamp 13a and the lamp 13b) is turned off when any of the following conditions is met: closing of the outer door 11, traveling of the vehicle 1 at the predetermined speed, turning on the ignition switch, execution of the door locking operation, and start of charging.

[0066] However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the lamp 13 may, for example, also be turned off when several of the above-mentioned conditions are met or even after the lapse of a predetermined time after one of the conditions is met.

[0067] Furthermore, the lamp 13 is switched off after detecting that a current has been caused to flow through the power line, so that a voltage is applied to the charging sockets 21 and 22 (see step S16 in Fig. 6), however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the lamp 13 may also be extinguished when, for example, a communication signal indicating the start of charging is input from the charger 2 or the power supply port 30.

[0068] Furthermore, the lamp 13 is turned on when the outer flap 11 is opened (see step S11 in Fig. 6), however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the lamp 13 may also be turned on when another condition is met.

[0069] For example, the lamp 13 may be turned on when a light emission switch provided on a portable device of a keyless vehicle entry system, on the driver's seat, on the power supply port 30, or the like is operated, or when the power supply port 30 is brought close to the lamp 30. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle 2 charging device 10 Charging port 11 outer flap 12 inner flap 13, 13a, 13b lamp 14 Outer plate 20 charging connectors 21 Charging socket 22 Charging socket 23 Connection detection socket 24 Charging start signal / charging stop signal socket 25 Charging control signal socket 26 Grounding socket 30 power supply nozzles 31 power supply connectors 32 Handle 33 power supply cables 41 Charging pin 42 Charging pin 43 Connection detection pin 44 Charging start signal / charging stop signal pin 45 Charging control signal pin 46 Grounding pin 50 external flap opening / closing detector 51 Speed ​​detector 52 ignition detector 53 Door lock detector 54 Charging start detector 130 Light emission control

Claims

[1] Charging device for a vehicle (1), comprising: - a charging port (10) with a charging connector (20) to which a power supply connector (31) for supplying external power can be attached; - a closure element (11) for opening and closing the charging port (10); - a light emitter (13) for emitting light to illuminate the charging connector (20) when a predetermined condition is met; and - a light emission controller (130) which controls the light emitter (13) by outputting a light emission control signal and a switch-off control signal to the light emitter (13), characterized by , that while the light emitter (13) emits light, the light emission control (130) is designed to at least determine: - whether the closure element (11) is open or closed; - whether or not the vehicle (1) is traveling at a predetermined speed or a speed higher than that; - whether an ignition switch of the vehicle (1) is switched on or not; - whether a door of the vehicle (1) is locked or not; and - whether the external power supply is started or not; wherein the light emission controller (130) is configured to stop the emission of light by the light emitter (13) when at least any of the conditions that the shutter element (11) is closed, the vehicle (1) is traveling at the predetermined speed or above, the ignition switch of the vehicle (1) is turned on as a process for making the vehicle ready to drive, the door of the vehicle (1) is locked, and the supply of the external power is started, wherein the light emitter (13) is arranged in a position opposite an outer plate (14) such that when the light emitter (13) emits light, the light is emitted toward an inner surface of the outer plate (14), is reflected from an inner side of the outer plate (14), and thus illuminates the charging connector (20) and its surroundings. [2] Vehicle (1) with a charging device according to claim 1. [3] Vehicle (1) with a charging device according to claim 1, further comprising a door lock detector (53) for outputting a locking operation detection signal when an operation for locking the door of the vehicle (1) is carried out, wherein the light emission controller (130) is configured to stop the emission of light by the light emitter (13) when the locking operation detection signal is emitted, and wherein the door lock detector (53) does not output the lock operation detection signal when the door is already locked, and outputs the lock operation detection signal when an operation for locking the door is being performed.

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