On-vehicle charger

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle charger that can reduce the influence of electromagnetic waves on the external environment.SOLUTION: The on-vehicle charger is placed in an engine room and comprises a first charger and a second charger that is located on the hood side of the vehicle over the first charger.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle charger.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reducing electromagnetic waves (noise) given by a converter in an engine room (engine compartment) to vehicle accessories.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, only the influence of electromagnetic waves in the engine room is considered. For this reason, for example, when the hood of the engine room is opened, there is a possibility that electromagnetic waves radiated from the charger may affect the external environment.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle charger capable of reducing the influence of electromagnetic waves on the external environment.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The in-vehicle charger according to the present disclosure is disposed in an engine room, and includes a first charger and a second charger disposed closer to the hood side than the first charger.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, by arranging the chargers in two stages, the electromagnetic waves radiated from the lower charger can be kept away from the hood, so that the influence of the electromagnetic waves on the external environment can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The in-vehicle charger 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 by those skilled in the art and are easy to replace, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] (In-vehicle charger) The configuration of the in-vehicle charger according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The in-vehicle charger according to the embodiment is mounted on, for example, a hybrid vehicle (HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a battery electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle), etc.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle 1 including an in-vehicle charger according to an embodiment includes an engine room 11, a hood 12, a first charger 13, a second charger 14, a battery 15, and a control unit 16. In the figure, only the components essential for the in-vehicle charger according to the embodiment are illustrated among the components of the vehicle 1, and the illustration of other components is omitted.

[0012] The first charger 13 and the second charger 14 are housed in the engine room 11. Also, a hood 12 is attached to the upper part of the engine room 11. A hood opening / closing sensor 121 for detecting the opening and closing of the hood 12 is attached to the hood 12. Note that the attachment position of the hood opening / closing sensor 121 illustrated in Fig. 1 is an example, and it may be attached at a position different from that in the figure.

[0013] The first charger 13 is for supplying the electric power supplied from a charging adapter provided in an external charging stand to the battery 15. A charging circuit (power output circuit) is provided in the first charger 13.

[0014] The second charger 14 is for supplying the electric power supplied from a charging adapter provided in an external charging stand to the battery 15. A charging circuit (power output circuit) is provided in the second charger 14.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 are arranged in two upper and lower stages in the vertical direction (the height direction of the vehicle 1) in the engine room 11. That is, the second charger 14 is arranged on the hood 12 side (upper side) of the first charger 13.

[0016] Also, at least a part of the housing surface of the first charger 13 is arranged so as to overlap with the housing surface of the second charger 14 in a predetermined direction, that is, the vertical direction. That is, the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 are arranged such that a part of the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 overlaps when viewed from above (top view). In this way, since a part of the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 overlaps, the electromagnetic waves radiated from the lower first charger 13 can be shielded by the upper second charger 14 (on the hood 12 side), so that the influence of electromagnetic waves on the external environment can be reduced.

[0017] The battery 15 is, for example, a lithium-ion secondary battery in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked. This battery 15 is supplied with power from the first charger 13 and the second charger 14.

[0018] The control unit 16 is realized by, for example, a processor composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and a memory (main storage unit) composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or the like.

[0019] The control unit 16 restricts, as necessary, the power (hereinafter referred to as "output power" or "charging power") output from the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 to the battery 15. Specifically, the control unit 16 restricts the output power to the second charger 14, or the output power to the first charger 13 and the second charger 14, according to the open / closed state of the hood 12 detected by the hood open / close sensor 121.

[0020] When the control unit 16 detects, for example, by means of the hood opening / closing sensor 121 that the hood 12 is in the open state, it controls the output power of the second charger 14 to be smaller than the output power of the first charger 13. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3 for example, the control unit 16 does not limit the charging power of the first charger 13, but limits the charging power of the second charger 14. Note that "not limiting the charging power" means, for example, charging the battery 15 with the maximum power that the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 can output. Also, "limiting the charging power" means, for example, charging the battery 15 with a power less than the maximum power that the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 can output.

[0021] In this way, when the hood 12 is open, by reducing the output power of the second charger 14 close to the hood 12, the electromagnetic waves radiated from the second charger 14 are reduced, so that the influence of the electromagnetic waves on the external environment can be reduced. Also, by automatically detecting the opening and closing of the hood 12 and performing power limitation, the generation of electromagnetic waves can be effectively suppressed when the hood 12 is opened, so that the influence of the electromagnetic waves on the external environment can be reduced.

[0022] That is, when charging is performed with the hood 12 of the engine room 11 open, there is a risk of electromagnetic waves being radiated to the outside. The upper side (the second charger 14) of the charging circuits arranged in upper and lower stages has a high contribution rate to the radiation of these electromagnetic waves. Therefore, in the in-vehicle charger according to the embodiment, among the first charger 13 and the second charger 14, the charging power of the second charger 14 arranged on the upper side is limited.

[0023] On the other hand, the lower side (the first charger 13) of the charging circuits arranged in upper and lower stages has a low contribution degree to the radiation of electromagnetic waves. Therefore, in the in-vehicle charger according to the embodiment, among the first charger 13 and the second charger 14, the charging power of the first charger 13 arranged on the lower side is not limited. Thereby, since a large amount of power can be output from the first charger 13 to the battery 15, it is possible to suppress an increase in the charging time due to the limitation of the charging power of the second charger 14.

[0024] Further, when the control unit 16 detects that the hood 12 is in the open state by, for example, the hood opening / closing sensor 121, the charging powers of both the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 may be limited as shown in, for example, FIG. 4. Thereby, the influence of electromagnetic waves on the external environment can be reduced.

[0025] (Charging control method) The flow of the charging control method executed by the in-vehicle charger according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0026] First, the control unit 16 charges the battery 15 with a predetermined maximum power by the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 (step S1). Subsequently, the control unit 16 determines whether the hood 12 is in the open state through the hood opening / closing sensor 121 (step S2).

[0027] In step S2, when it is determined that the hood 12 is not in the open state (No in step S2), the control unit 16 limits the charging power to the second charger 14, or limits the charging powers to both the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 (step S3), and completes this process. On the other hand, in step S2, when it is determined that the hood 12 is in the open state (Yes in step S2), the control unit 16 continues to charge the battery 15 with the maximum power (step S4), and completes this process.

[0028] According to the in-vehicle charger according to the embodiment described above, by arranging the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 in two stages, the electromagnetic waves radiated from the first charger 13 in the lower stage can be kept away from the hood 12. Thereby, the influence of electromagnetic waves on the external environment can be reduced.

[0029] Here, in the charger mounted in the engine room, if charging is performed with the hood of the engine room open, there is a risk of electromagnetic waves being radiated to the outside. Therefore, in the in-vehicle charger according to the embodiment, when the hood 12 is open, the output power to the second charger 14, or the first charger 13 and the second charger 14 is restricted. Thereby, electromagnetic waves during charging can be suppressed, and necessary charging power can be ensured.

[0030] Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, a broader aspect of the present invention is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments expressed and described as 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.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0031] 1 Vehicle 11 Engine Room 12 Hood 121 Hood Open / Close Sensor 13 First Charger 14 Second Charger 15 Battery 16 Control Unit

Claims

1. It is arranged inside the engine room, a first charger, and a second charger arranged on the hood side rather than the first charger, and an in-vehicle charger comprising the same.

2. The in-vehicle charger according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the housing surface of the first charger overlaps the housing surface of the second charger in a predetermined direction.

3. The in-vehicle charger according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to control the output power of the second charger to be smaller than the output power of the first charger.

4. The control unit detects the open / closed state of the hood, and when it is detected that the hood is in an open state, limits the charging power of the first charger and the second charger. The in-vehicle charger according to claim 3.

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