Electric vehicle

Abstract

To provide an electric vehicle that is provided with a plurality of charging ports, which is configured so that safety of the charging ports can be enhanced.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle disclosed in the specification is provided with a battery and a plurality of charging ports. Charging plugs of a charging device that supplies electric power to the battery can be connected to the charging ports respectively. The charging ports have lids respectively. In the electric vehicle disclosed in the specification, when the lid of any charging port remains open, the lids of the other charging ports are locked. In the electric vehicle, the plurality of lids are prevented from opening simultaneously, which can secure high safety.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to electric vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] An electric vehicle includes an electric motor that drives the wheels and a battery that supplies power to the electric motor. An electric vehicle that can charge the battery from an external power source includes a charging port to which a charging plug of the power source is connected. The electric vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes multiple charging ports. Each charging port is provided with a cover. In the electric vehicle of Patent Document 1, if multiple covers are open, the controller of the electric vehicle prohibits charging to ensure safety. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-39337 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the electric vehicle of Patent Document 1, multiple lids can be opened simultaneously. If multiple lids are prevented from being opened simultaneously, higher safety can be ensured. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The electric vehicle disclosed in this specification includes a battery and a plurality of charging ports. Each charging port can be connected to a charging plug of a charging device that supplies power to the battery. Each charging port has a lid. In the electric vehicle disclosed in this specification, while the lid of any one of the charging ports is open, the lids of the remaining charging ports are locked. In the electric vehicle disclosed in this specification, multiple lids cannot be opened at the same time, ensuring high safety.

[0006] Details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in this specification are described in the following "Forms for Carrying Out the Invention". [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart of a lid control executed by a controller of the electric vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart of a modified example of the lid control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] An electric vehicle 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the electric vehicle 2, and Fig. 2 shows a side view of the electric vehicle 2.

[0009] The electric vehicle 2 includes an electric motor 3 that drives the wheels, an inverter 4, a battery 5, and a controller 6. The battery 5 supplies power to the electric motor 3. The DC power of the battery 5 is converted to AC power by the inverter 4 and then supplied to the electric motor 3. A boost converter may be connected between the battery 5 and the inverter 4.

[0010] The battery 5 can be charged by a power source external to the electric vehicle 2. The electric vehicle 2 has multiple charging ports (a first charging port 12 and a second charging port 22). The first charging port 12 and the second charging port 22 are connected to the battery 5 via a common power cable 19 and a relay 7. When a charging plug of an external power source is connected to the first charging port 12 or the second charging port 22 and the relay 7 is closed, power from the external power source is supplied to the battery 5. In other words, the battery 5 is charged by the external power source.

[0011] The first charging port 12 is provided on a side surface of the electric vehicle 2. More specifically, a recess 11 is provided on a side surface of the electric vehicle 2, and the first charging port 12 is disposed in the recess 11. The opening of the recess 11 is closed by a lid 13. The lid 13 can be opened and closed. In other words, the lid 13 opens and closes the first charging port 12. The lid 13 is provided with a locking mechanism 14. The locking mechanism 14 can hold the lid 13 in a closed state (i.e., a locked state). In the locked state, the user cannot open the lid 13. When the lock is released, the user can open the lid 13. The release of the lock may be referred to as unlocking below. The controller 6 controls the locking mechanism 14 to put the lid 13 in a locked state or an unlocked state.

[0012] An example of the locking mechanism 14 is as follows. A ring is provided on the inside of the lid 13, and a hook is provided on the vehicle body. The hook advances and retreats relative to the ring by an actuator. When the hook engages with the ring, the lid 13 is locked. That is, the user cannot open the lid 13. When the hook disengages from the ring, the lid 13 is unlocked. That is, the user can open the lid 13. The hook advances and retreats by, for example, a solenoid. The hook advances and retreats according to a command from the controller 6. That is, the controller 6 can control the locking and unlocking of the lid 13.

[0013] The locking mechanism 14 is also equipped with a sensor that detects the state (open or closed) of the lid 13. The controller 6 can know whether the lid 13 is open or closed based on the data from the sensor of the locking mechanism 14.

[0014] Enlarged views of the dashed rectangle A in FIG. 1 are shown in rectangles A1 and A2. Rectangle A1 shows a state in which the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 is closed. Rectangle A2 shows a state in which the lid 13 is open and a charging plug 81 is connected to the first charging port 12. If the lid 13 is in an unlocked state, the user can open the lid 13. The user opens the lid 13 and inserts the charging plug 81 of the external power source 80 into the first charging port 12. When the controller 6 closes the relay 7, power is supplied from the external power source 80 to the battery 5 through the charging plug 81, the first charging port 12, the common power cable 19, and the relay 7. That is, the battery 5 is charged with the power of the external power source 80.

[0015] The second charging port 22 will be described. The second charging port 22 is provided on the bottom surface of the electric vehicle 2. More specifically, a recess 21 is provided on the bottom surface of the electric vehicle 2, and the second charging port 22 is arranged in the recess 21. The opening of the recess 21 is closed by a lid 23. The lid 23 can be opened and closed. In other words, the lid 23 opens and closes the second charging port 22. The lid 23 is provided with a locking mechanism 24 and an actuator 25. The locking mechanism 24 can hold the lid 23 in a closed state (i.e., a locked state). In the locked state, the user cannot open the lid 23. The structure of the locking mechanism 24 may be the same as the structure of the locking mechanism 14.

[0016] The lid 23 is opened and closed by an actuator 25. The lid 23 (actuator 25) is opened and closed by a command from the controller 6. In other words, the lid 23 (actuator 25) is opened and closed by remote control of the controller 6.

[0017] The controller 6 also controls the locking mechanism 24 to lock or unlock the lid 23. The locking mechanism 24 is also equipped with a sensor that detects the state (open or closed) of the lid 23. The controller 6 can know whether the lid 23 is open or closed based on data from the sensor of the locking mechanism 24.

[0018] A user can insert a charging plug into the first charging port 12. Meanwhile, the second charging port 22 allows an external power source 90 to automatically connect a charging plug 91 to the second charging port 22.

[0019] 2 are shown in rectangles B1 and B2. Rectangle B1 shows the state in which the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 is closed. Rectangle B2 shows the state in which the lid 23 is open and the charging plug 91 is connected to the second charging port 22.

[0020] The external power source 90 is provided with a vehicle position sensor 92. The vehicle position sensor 92 notifies the external power source 90 when the electric vehicle 2 stops at a predetermined position. The external power source 90 sends a charging command to the controller 6 of the electric vehicle 2. The controller 6, which receives the charging command, sends a command to the locking mechanism 24 to unlock the lid 23. The controller 6 then sends a command to the actuator 25 to open the lid 23. That is, the lid 23 is opened by the actuator 25, triggered by communication from the external power source 90 to the controller 6 (communication related to charging execution).

[0021] When the external power source 90 detects that the lid 23 is opened, it moves the charging plug 91 and connects the charging plug 91 to the second charging port 22. The external power source 90 is equipped with an actuator (not shown) that moves the charging plug 91.

[0022] When the charging plug 91 is connected to the second charging port 22, the controller 6 closes the relay 7. Meanwhile, the external power supply 90 outputs power. The power of the external power supply 90 is supplied to the battery 5 through the charging plug 91, the second charging port 22, the common power cable 19, and the relay 7. That is, the battery 5 is charged with the power of the external power supply 90.

[0023] When the battery 5 reaches full charge, the external power source 90 removes the charging plug 91 from the second charging port 22. The controller 6 opens the relay 7 to close the lid 23. The controller 6 sends a command to the locking mechanism 24 to lock the lid 23.

[0024] While the lid of any one of the multiple charging ports (first charging port 12 and second charging port 22) is open, the controller 6 locks the lids of the remaining charging ports. This process prevents the lids of multiple charging ports from being open at the same time, ensuring high safety even when the charging ports are located in places that are difficult to see.

[0025] A control flowchart for the covers of the multiple charging ports is shown in Fig. 3. The process in Fig. 3 starts when a "charging" switch provided at the driver's seat of the electric vehicle 2 is turned on. The controller 6 starts the process in Fig. 3 when a "charging" switch provided at the driver's seat of the electric vehicle 2 is turned on.

[0026] First, the controller 6 unlocks the lids of all the charging ports (lid 13 of the first charging port 12 and lid 23 of the second charging port 22) (step S11). As described above, the controller 6 can send a command to the locking mechanism 14 to lock or unlock the lid 13. The controller 6 can also send a command to the locking mechanism 24 to lock or unlock the lid 23. The process of step S11 unlocks all the lids. The user can open the lid 13 of the first charging port 12, and the external power source 90 can open the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 via the controller 6.

[0027] The controller 6 monitors the state (open / closed state) of the lids of all the charging ports (steps S12, S13). As described above, the locking mechanism 14 has a sensor that detects the open / closed state of the lid 13, and the locking mechanism 24 has a sensor that detects the open / closed state of the lid 23, and data from both sensors is sent to the controller 6. If the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 is open (step S12: YES), the controller 6 locks the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 (step S15). If the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 is open (steps S12: NO, S13: YES), the controller 6 locks the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 (step S14). The controller 6 continues to monitor the open / closed state of the lids until any of the lids is opened (steps S12: NO, S13: NO).

[0028] When the cover of any one of the charging ports is opened, the covers of the remaining charging ports are locked by the process in Figure 3. This prevents the covers of multiple charging ports from being opened at the same time.

[0029] A flowchart of the cover control of the modified example is shown in Fig. 4. The process of Fig. 4 is a process that can deal with a malfunction in which the covers of both charging ports are opened for some reason. Steps S11 to S14 are the same as the flowchart of Fig. 3.

[0030] If the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 is open in step S12 (step S12: YES), the controller 6 checks the state of the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 (step S21). If the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 is closed, the controller 6 locks the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 and ends the process (steps S21: NO, S22).

[0031] On the other hand, if the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 is open and the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 is also open (steps S12: YES, S21: YES), the controller 6 checks whether or not the charging plug 91 is connected to the second charging port 22 (step S23). If both the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 and the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 are open, some kind of malfunction has occurred. If the charging plug 91 is still not connected to the second charging port 22 (step S23: NO), the controller 6 closes the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 and locks the lid 23 (steps S24, S25). This process resolves the malfunction.

[0032] On the other hand, if the charging plug 91 is connected to the second charging port 22 (step S23: YES), the controller 6 executes error processing and ends the process (step S26). A case where step S23 is YES is when the user opens the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 even though the charging plug 91 is connected to the second charging port 22. In this case, the malfunction is not resolved, so the controller 6 executes error processing. The error processing is, for example, the controller 6 opening the relay 7 and outputting a notice (a warning lamp or a warning sound) indicating that a malfunction has occurred.

[0033] Some features of the electric vehicle 2 of the embodiment are listed below. While any of the covers of the multiple charging ports (cover 13 of the first charging port 12 and cover 23 of the second charging port 22) is open, the controller 6 locks the covers of the remaining charging ports. The electric vehicle 2 of the embodiment has two charging ports (first charging port 12 and second charging port 22). With the technology disclosed in this specification, the electric vehicle may have more than two charging ports (and their covers).

[0034] The lid 23 of the second charging port 22 is opened when communication (communication related to charging) from the external power source to the controller 6 is used as a trigger. The second charging port 22 is provided on the bottom of the electric vehicle 2. The second charging port 22 is a charging port for automatic charging and cannot be opened by the user. The first charging port 12 is a port into which the user inserts the charging plug 81. The lid 13 of the first charging port 12 only needs to be provided somewhere other than the bottom of the electric vehicle, and can be opened by the user.

[0035] The multiple charging ports (first charging port 12 and second charging port 22) are directly connected by a common power cable 19. Using a common power cable for the multiple charging ports can reduce costs. Meanwhile, while the battery 5 is being charged using either the first charging port 12 or the second charging port 22, the lid of the remaining charging port cannot be opened, ensuring high safety.

[0036] When the second charging port 22 is provided on the bottom of the electric vehicle 2, it is extremely difficult for a user to touch the second charging port 22. Therefore, when the second charging port 22 is provided on the bottom of the electric vehicle 2, the electric vehicle 2 may have the following features. That is, the electric vehicle 2 has a first charging port 12 and a second charging port 22 to which a charging plug of a power source that supplies power to the battery 5 can be connected. The first charging port 12 and the second charging port 22 each have a lid (lid 13 and lid 23). The second charging port 22 is disposed on the bottom of the electric vehicle, and the first charging port 12 is disposed on a part other than the bottom. The controller 6 locks the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 while the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 is open. The controller 6 does not open the lid 23 of the second charging port 22 while the lid 13 of the first charging port 12 is open.

[0037] The electric vehicle 2 of the embodiment has two charging ports (first charging port 12 and second charging port 22). The electric vehicle may have three or more charging ports. At least one of the multiple charging ports (second charging port 22) is preferably a charging port for automatic charging. The cover of the charging port for automatic charging is provided with an actuator, and the cover of the charging port for automatic charging is opened and closed by remote control from an external power source (controller 6). Alternatively, the cover of the charging port for automatic charging is opened by a command from a controller of the electric vehicle. The charging port for automatic charging is preferably provided at the bottom of the electric vehicle. The first charging port can be opened by a user. The first charging port is arranged at a position other than the bottom of the electric vehicle, for example, on the side, front or rear of the electric vehicle.

[0038] When the lids of all the charging ports are closed, the lids of all the charging ports are locked or unlocked by a command from the controller 6. In the embodiment, when a "charging" switch provided at the driver's seat is turned on, the controller 6 unlocks the lids of all the charging ports. The controller 6 may switch between locking and unlocking the lids of all the charging ports in conjunction with the locking and unlocking of the doors of the electric vehicle 2. That is, when the doors are locked, the controller 6 locks the lids of all the charging ports. When the doors are unlocked, the controller 6 unlocks the lids of all the charging ports.

[0039] The "lid" may alternatively be referred to as a "charging lid" or a "charging port cover."

[0040] In this specification, an "electric vehicle" is an electric vehicle that includes an electric motor that drives the wheels and a battery that supplies power to the electric motor. In this specification, the term "electric vehicle" may include a hybrid vehicle that includes both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, and a fuel cell vehicle that includes both a battery and a fuel cell as power sources for the electric motor.

[0041] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described above in detail, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives is itself technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 2: Electric vehicle 3: Electric motor 4: Inverter 5: Battery 6: Controller 7: Relay 11, 21: Recess 12: First charging port 13, 23: Lid 14, 24: Locking mechanism 19: Common power cable 22: Second charging port 25: Actuator 80, 90: External power source 81, 91: Charging plug 92: Vehicle position sensor

Claims

1. A battery; a plurality of charging ports with lids to which charging plugs of a power source that supplies power to the battery can be connected; It is equipped with An electric vehicle, wherein while the lid of any one of the charging ports is open, the lids of the remaining charging ports are locked.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the lid of at least one of the charging ports is opened in response to a trigger of communication from the power source to the electric vehicle.

3. 3. The electric vehicle of claim 2, wherein the at least one charging port is provided at a bottom of the electric vehicle and the at least one other charging port is provided at a location other than the bottom of the electric vehicle.

4. 10. The electric vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least two of the charging ports are electrically connected in series.

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