Charging control device

Abstract

To provide a charging control device capable of suppressing a flicker phenomenon even when a plurality of chargers is mounted on a vehicle.SOLUTION: A charging control device 1 includes an ECU 6. When the number of a plurality of chargers in operation is decreased according to power from an inlet 2, the ECU 6 increases charging power of at least one predetermined charger of the plurality of chargers and decreases the charging power of at least one other charger with time, and when the charging power of the other charger becomes smaller than a predetermined value, stops the other charger.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging control device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technique for determining the charging power of a power storage device mounted on a vehicle according to the output current of a charger and the required power of the vehicle. In this technique, the charger is controlled so that power is supplied from a commercial power source to the vehicle with a power command value that changes stepwise by an amount smaller than a predetermined power change amount toward the vehicle required power, thereby suppressing the occurrence of a flicker phenomenon in the commercial power source.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 only assumes one charger provided in the vehicle, and does not assume at all the case where a plurality of chargers are mounted on the vehicle, and a technique for suppressing the flicker phenomenon in the case where a plurality of chargers are mounted on the vehicle has been demanded.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a charging control device capable of suppressing a flicker phenomenon even when a plurality of chargers are mounted on a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a charging control device according to the present disclosure is a charging control device that controls charging of a vehicle, and includes a processor that controls charging power from an inlet to a plurality of chargers. When the processor decreases the number of operating chargers among the plurality of chargers according to the power from the inlet, the processor increases the charging power of at least one predetermined charger among the plurality of chargers and decreases the charging power of at least one other charger over time. When the charging power of the other charger becomes less than a predetermined value, the other charger is stopped.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, even when a plurality of chargers are mounted on a vehicle, an effect of suppressing a flicker phenomenon can be achieved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 6

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Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, a vehicle equipped with a charging control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the components in the following embodiments include those that can be replaced and are easy for those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same. Also, each drawing referred to in the following description only schematically shows the shape, size, and positional relationship to the extent that the content of the present disclosure can be understood. That is, the present disclosure is not limited to only the shapes, sizes, and positional relationships illustrated in each drawing.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) 〔Configuration of Charging Control Device〕 FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the functional configuration of the charging control device according to Embodiment 1. The charging control device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided in a vehicle such as an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), and a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle).

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the charging control device 1 includes an inlet 2, a first charger 3, a second charger 4, a battery 5, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 6. In Embodiment 1, the case where two chargers, the first charger 3 and the second charger 4, are mounted on the vehicle will be described, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it can also be applied when there are multiple chargers, for example, three or more chargers.

[0012] The inlet 2 is electrically connected to each of a first charger 3 and a second charger 4 arranged in parallel. The inlet 2 is electrically connected to an external commercial power source such as a charging stand via a cable (not shown), and outputs charging power supplied from the commercial power source to the first charger 3 or the second charger 4.

[0013] Each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 is electrically connected to the inlet 2 and the battery 5. Each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 converts AC power from the inlet 2 into DC power under the control of the ECU 6 and outputs it to the battery 5. Also, each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 converts the DC power output from the battery 5 into a predetermined voltage under the control of the ECU 6 and outputs it to a motor generator (not shown) or an AC 100V outlet. Further, each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 controls the charging power output to the battery 5 according to a charging power command instructing the charging power from the ECU 6. Note that each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 can slowly change the charging power with a certain time elapsed even if the charging power command is steep due to constraints such as stability and performance. Here, the charging power command being steep means a state by the on / off of a pulsed signal. Also, slowly changing the charging power with a certain time elapsed means a straight line or a curve that changes over time. Note that in the following, when referring to both the first charger 3 and the second charger 4, it is simply referred to as the charger.

[0014] The battery 5 is configured using, for example, a lithium-ion secondary battery or a nickel-metal hydride secondary battery. The battery 5 is electrically connected to the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. The battery 5 outputs charging power to the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 under the control of the ECU 6.

[0015] The ECU6 is realized by using a memory and a processor having hardware. The hardware includes, for example, a memory, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The ECU6 calculates the charging power of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 from the power for charging the battery 5, and based on the calculation result, outputs a charging power command for instructing the start, stop, and charging power of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. For example, the ECU6 calculates the total charging power for charging the battery 5 based on the SOC (State of Charge) of the battery 5, and outputs a charging power command corresponding to the charging power of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 from the calculated total charging power to each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. Further, the ECU6 outputs stop information for stopping the output of the charging power to at least one of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 and operation number switching information for instructing the switching of the number of operating chargers to the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. In the first embodiment, the ECU6 functions as a processor.

[0016] 〔Switching Process of the Number of Operating Chargers〕 Next, the switching process when the ECU 6 switches the number of operating chargers will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the charging power command output by the ECU 6 and time. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the charging power and time of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the charging power command output by the ECU 6 to each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. Also, in FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the charging power. Further, in FIG. 2, the broken line L1 shows the time change of the first charging power command from the ECU 6 to the first charger 3, and the broken line L2 shows the time change of the second charging power command from the ECU 6 to the second charger 4. Furthermore, in FIG. 3, the broken line L11 shows the total charging power obtained by adding the charging power of the first charger 3 and the charging power of the second charger 4, the broken line L12 shows the charging power of the first charger 3, and the broken line L13 shows the charging power of the second charger 4.

[0017] First, as shown by the broken lines L1 and L2 in FIG. 2, when each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 is outputting charging power, the case of stopping the operation of the second charger 4 will be described. At this time, the ECU 6 gradually decreases the second charging power command and outputs it to the second charger 4. When the charging power of the second charger 4 becomes less than a predetermined value, the ECU 6 stops the second charging power command (at time t1) and outputs stop information to the second charger 4. Further, the ECU 6 outputs the first charging power command and the operating number switching information to the first charger 3 so that the charging power output by the first charger 3 becomes the charging power obtained by adding the charging power corresponding to the decrease amount of the charging power output by the second charger 4.

[0018] As shown by the broken lines L11 to L13 in FIG. 3, the second charger 4 gradually reduces the charging power from the operation stop time t1 in accordance with the second charging power command. On the other hand, as shown by the broken lines L11 and L12 in FIG. 3, the first charger 3 gradually increases the charging power so as to be the total charging power (refer to the broken line L11) output to the battery 5 by each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 immediately before the operation stop time t1 in accordance with the first charging power command, and outputs it to the battery 5 (refer to the broken line L12).

[0019] Thereafter, as shown by the broken line L1 in FIG. 2, the ECU 6 gradually reduces the first charging power command and outputs it to the first charger 3. In this case, as shown by the broken line L12 in FIG. 3, the first charger 3 gradually reduces the charging power and outputs it to the battery 5. Thereby, when switching the number of operating chargers, it is possible to prevent the total charging power of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 from changing suddenly, so that the flicker phenomenon can be suppressed.

[0020] Further, when the ECU 6 completely stops each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4, it stops each of the first charging power command and the second charging power command. In this case, each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 rapidly reduces the charging power. Thereby, the safety during charging can be ensured.

[0021] According to the first embodiment described above, the ECU 6 outputs the second charging power command to the second charger 4 in a stepwise manner and stops the second charging power command at the operation stop time t1, while the first charger 3 outputs the first charging power command so that the charging power output by the first charger 3 is the sum of the charging power output by the second charger 4 and the charging power corresponding to the decrease amount of the charging power output by the second charger 4. Thereby, when switching the number of operating chargers, it is possible to prevent the total charging power of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 from changing suddenly, so that the flicker phenomenon can be suppressed.

[0022] Further, when the ECU 6 completely stops each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4, by stopping each of the first charging power command and the second charging power command, since each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 rapidly reduces the charging power, the safety during charging can be ensured.

[0023] (Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 will be described. The charging control device according to Embodiment 2 has the same configuration as the charging control device 1 according to Embodiment 1, and only the processes to be executed are different. In the following, the procedures executed by the charging control device according to Embodiment 2 will be described. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the charging control device 1 according to Embodiment 1, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0024] [Switching process of the number of operating chargers] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the charging power command output by the ECU 6 and time. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the charging power of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 and time. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the charging power command output by the ECU 6 to each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. Further, in FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the charging power. Furthermore, in FIG. 4, the broken line L21 indicates the time change of the first charging power command from the ECU 6 to the first charger 3, and the broken line L22 indicates the time change of the second charging power command from the ECU 6 to the second charger 4. Still further, in FIG. 5, the broken line L31 indicates the total charging power obtained by adding the charging power of the first charger 3 and the charging power of the second charger 4, the broken line L32 indicates the charging power of the first charger 3, and the broken line L33 indicates the charging power of the second charger 4.

[0025] First, as shown by the broken lines L21 and L22 in FIG. 4, when each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 is outputting charging power, the case of stopping the operation of the second charger 4 will be described. At this time, from the time t2 when the ECU 6 determines to stop the second charger 4, the ECU 6 gradually increases and outputs the first charging power command to the first charger 3 while gradually decreasing and outputting the second charging power command to the second charger 4. Specifically, the ECU 6 gradually increases the first charging power command and outputs it to the first charger 3 so that the charging power becomes the charging power obtained by adding the charging power corresponding to the decrease amount of the charging power output by the second charger 4 to the charging power output by the first charger 3.

[0026] As shown by the broken lines L31 to L33 in FIG. 5, the second charger 4 gradually and stepwise decreases the charging power from the time t3 corresponding to the time t2 when the ECU 6 determines to stop the second charger 4 according to the second charging power command. On the other hand, as shown by the broken lines L31 and L32 in FIG. 5, the first charger 3 gradually and stepwise increases the charging power and outputs it to the battery 5 from the time t3 corresponding to the time t2 when the ECU 6 determines to stop the second charger 4 according to the first charging power command so that the total charging power (refer to the broken line L31) with which each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 charges the battery 5 is obtained.

[0027] Thereafter, as shown by the broken line L21 in FIG. 4, the ECU 6 gradually decreases the first charging power command and outputs it to the first charger 3. In this case, as shown by the broken line L32 in FIG. 5, the first charger 3 gradually decreases the charging power and outputs it to the battery 5. Thereby, when switching the number of operating chargers, it is possible to prevent the total charging power of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 from changing suddenly, so that the flicker phenomenon can be suppressed.

[0028] Further, when the ECU 6 fully stops each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4, it stops each of the first charging power command and the second charging power command. In this case, each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 rapidly decreases the charging power. Thereby, the safety during charging can be ensured.

[0029] According to the second embodiment described above, from the time t2 when the ECU 6 determines to stop the second charger 4, while gradually increasing and outputting the first charging power command to the first charger 3, the second charging power command is gradually decreased and output to the second charger 4. Thereby, when switching the number of operating chargers, it is possible to prevent the total charging power of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 from changing rapidly, so that the flicker phenomenon can be suppressed.

[0030] (Embodiment 3) Next, Embodiment 3 will be described. The charging control device according to Embodiment 3 is different from the configuration of the charging control device 1 according to Embodiments 1 and 2. In the following, after describing the configuration of the charging control device according to Embodiment 3, the processes executed by the charging control device according to Embodiment 3 will be described. Note that the same components as those of the charging control device 1 according to Embodiments 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0031] 〔Configuration of Charging Control Device〕 FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the functional configuration of the charging control device according to Embodiment 3. The charging control device 1A shown in FIG. 6 further includes a power distribution unit 7 in addition to the functional configuration of the charging control device 1 according to Embodiment 1. Further, the charging control device 1A further includes an ECU 6A instead of the ECU 6 of the charging control device 1 according to Embodiment 1.

[0032] The power distribution unit 7 is realized by using a memory and a processor having hardware. The hardware includes, for example, a memory, a CPU, a DSP, and an FPGA. The power distribution unit 7 controls each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 under the control of the ECU 6A. Specifically, the power distribution unit 7 controls each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 so that the total charging power input from the inlet 2 follows the charging power command from the ECU 6A. More specifically, the power distribution unit 7 compares the charging power corresponding to the charging power command from the ECU 6A with a threshold value indicating the switching of the preset number of operating units. When the charging power corresponding to the charging power command is lower than the threshold value indicating the switching of the preset number of operating units, the power distribution unit 7 stops the operation of a charger that is not required to operate, for example, the second charger 4. In this case, the power distribution unit 7 controls the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 so that the charging power of the second charger 4 gradually decreases over time while the charging power of the first charger 3 gradually increases over time. Thereafter, when the charging power of the second charger 4 has sufficiently decreased, the power distribution unit 7 stops the second charger 4.

[0033] The ECU 6A is realized by using a memory and a processor having hardware. The hardware includes, for example, a memory, a CPU, a DSP, and an FPGA. When the ECU 6A stops charging either the first charger 3 or the second charger 4, the ECU 6A outputs a charging power command to the power distribution unit 7 so that the charging power of the first charger 3 or the second charger 4 decreases step by step.

[0034] 〔Processing for switching the number of operating chargers〕 Next, the processing when the power distribution unit 7 switches the number of operating chargers under the control of the ECU 6A will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the charging power of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 and time by the power distribution unit 7. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents charging power. Also, in FIG. 7, the broken line L41 indicates the total charging power obtained by adding the charging power output by the first charger 3 and the charging power output by the second charger 4, the broken line L42 indicates the charging power output by the first charger 3, and the broken line L43 indicates the charging power output by the second charger 4.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 7, the power distribution unit 7 controls each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 so that the total charging power input from the inlet 2 follows the charging power command from the ECU 6A. Specifically, the power distribution unit 7 compares the charging power corresponding to the charging power command from the ECU 6A with a threshold value LT1 indicating the switching of the preset number of operating units. As shown by the broken line L41 in FIG. 7, when the charging power corresponding to the charging power command from the ECU 6A falls below the threshold value LT1 (time t40), the operation of an unnecessary charger, for example, the second charger 4, is stopped. In this case, as shown by the broken line L42 and the broken line L43, the power distribution unit 7 controls the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 so that the charging power of the second charger 4 gradually decreases over time (see the broken line L43), and the charging power of the first charger 3 gradually increases over time (see the broken line L42). That is, the power distribution unit 7 controls each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 so that the total charging power decreases while synchronizing the decrease in the charging power of the second charger 4 and the increase in the charging power of the first charger 3. In this case, the power distribution unit 7 synchronizes the decrease in the charging power of the second charger 4 and the increase in the charging power of the first charger 3 in steps smaller than the increase / decrease steps of the second embodiment, and controls each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 so that the total charging power decreases. Then, when the charging power for charging by the second charger 4 has sufficiently decreased (time t41), the power distribution unit 7 stops the second charger 4. Thereby, even when the charging power control device 1A rapidly decreases the charging power of the second charger 4, the amount of rapid change in the charging power is reduced, and the influence on the flicker phenomenon can be suppressed.

[0036] According to the third embodiment described above, when stopping the charging of either the first charger 3 or the second charger 4, the ECU 6A outputs a charging power command to the power distribution unit 7 so that the charging power of the first charger 3 or the second charger 4 gradually decreases step by step. When the power distribution unit 7 stops the operation of the second charger 4, the power distribution unit 7 controls the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 so that the charging power of the second charger 4 gradually decreases over time and the charging power of the first charger 3 gradually increases over time. Thereby, even when the charging power of the second charger 4 rapidly decreases, the charging control device 1A can suppress the influence on the flicker phenomenon because the rapid change amount of the charging power is reduced.

[0037] (Embodiment 4) Next, Embodiment 4 will be described. The charging control device according to Embodiment 4 has the same configuration as the charging control device 1A according to Embodiment 3, and only the processes to be executed are different. In the following, the procedures executed by the charging control device according to Embodiment 4 will be described. Note that the same components as those of the charging control device 1A according to Embodiment 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0038] [Switching process for the number of operating chargers] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the charging power of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 and time by the power distribution unit 7. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents charging power. Also, in FIG. 8, the broken line L51 indicates the total charging power obtained by adding the charging power output by the first charger 3 and the charging power output by the second charger 4, the broken line L52 indicates the charging power output by the first charger 3, and the broken line L53 indicates the charging power output by the second charger 4. Further, in FIG. 8, a threshold value LT2 indicating the switching of the number of operating units is set to a value lower than the threshold value LT1 of the third embodiment (LT1 > LT2).

[0039] As shown in FIG. 8, the power distribution unit 7 controls each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 so that the total charging power input from the inlet 2 follows the charging power command from the ECU 6A. Specifically, the power distribution unit 7 compares the charging power corresponding to the charging power command from the ECU 6A with a threshold value LT2 indicating the switching of the preset number of operating units. As shown by the broken line L51 and the region Q1 in FIG. 8, when the charging power corresponding to the charging power command from the ECU 6A falls below the threshold value LT2 (time t5), the operation of an unnecessary charger, for example, the second charger 4, is stopped. In this case, as shown by the broken line L52 and the broken line L53, the power distribution unit 7 gradually decreases the charging power of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 over time (see the broken lines L52 and L53), and increases the charging power of the first charger 3 at the time (time t5) when the second charger 4 is stopped (see the broken line L52) to control the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. In this case, the threshold value LT2 indicating the switching of the number of operating units is set to a value lower than the threshold value LT1 in the third embodiment. Thereby, even when the charging power of the second charger 4 is rapidly decreased, the charging control device 1A can suppress the influence on the flicker phenomenon by reducing the rapid change amount of the charging power.

[0040] According to the fourth embodiment described above, when either the first charger 3 or the second charger 4 is stopped from charging, the ECU 6A outputs a charging power command to the power distribution unit 7 so that the charging power of the first charger 3 or the second charger 4 gradually decreases step by step. When the power distribution unit 7 stops the operation of the second charger 4, it gradually decreases the charging power of each of the first charger 3 and the second charger 4 over time, and increases the charging power of the first charger 3 at the time (time t5) when the second charger 4 is stopped (see the broken line L52) to control the first charger 3 and the second charger 4. Thereby, even when the charging power of the second charger 4 is rapidly decreased, the charging control device 1A can suppress the influence on the flicker phenomenon by reducing the rapid change amount of the charging power.

[0041] Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. The broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0042] As described above in detail with reference to the drawings, some embodiments of the present application are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in other forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the aspects described in the disclosure column of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0043] 1 Charging control device 2 Inlet 3 First charger 4 Second charger 5 Battery 6, 6A ECU 7 Power distribution unit

Claims

1. A charging control device for controlling the charging of a vehicle, comprising: a processor for controlling the charging power from an inlet to a plurality of chargers; wherein the processor: when reducing the number of operating chargers according to the power from the inlet, increases the charging power of at least one predetermined charger among the plurality of chargers, and while gradually decreasing the charging power of at least one other charger, when the charging power of the other charger becomes less than a predetermined value, stops the other charger; a charging control device.

2. The charging control device according to Claim 1, wherein the processor: determines whether to reduce the number of operating chargers among the plurality of chargers or to stop all of the plurality of chargers, and when it is determined to stop all of the plurality of chargers, rapidly reduces the power of each of the plurality of chargers; a charging control device.

3. The charging control device according to Claim 1, further comprising a power distribution unit for controlling the charging power output by each of the plurality of chargers, wherein the processor: outputs a charging power command instructing the total charging power obtained by adding up the charging powers output by each of the plurality of chargers to the power distribution unit, and the power distribution unit: when the total charging power corresponding to the charging power command is less than a threshold indicating a change in the number of operating chargers among the plurality of chargers, stops one or more of the plurality of chargers; a charging control device.

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