Electrified vehicle

Abstract

To provide an electrified vehicle that can suppress a large current from instantaneously flowing through an in-vehicle charger.SOLUTION: An electrified vehicle includes an in-vehicle charger for performing external power feeding, an operation unit operated by a user at the time of power feeding, a switching unit that connects the in-vehicle charger and an in-vehicle battery by the operation unit being in contact, and a regulating unit that restricts contact between the operation unit and the switching unit when a first relay mechanism used for the operation of a high-voltage system of the electrified vehicle is connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electric vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vehicle that is provided with a changeover switch for starting external power feeding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-069832 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As in Patent Document 1, when the connection between the vehicle battery and the vehicle charger is switched using a selector switch, if the selector switch is operated while the relay mechanism on the vehicle side is on, there is a risk that a large current will instantaneously flow through the vehicle charger.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide an electric vehicle that can prevent a large current from instantaneously flowing through an on-board charger. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electric vehicle according to the present disclosure includes an on-board charger for supplying power to the outside, an operation unit operated by a user when supplying power, a switching unit that connects the on-board charger and an on-board battery when the operation unit comes into contact with the switching unit, and a regulating unit that regulates contact between the operation unit and the switching unit when a first relay mechanism used to operate the high-voltage system of the electric vehicle is connected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, by providing a regulating unit that regulates contact (connection) between the operating unit and the switching unit when the first relay mechanism is on (connected), it is possible to prevent a large current from flowing instantaneously through the on-board charger. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a circuit including an on-board battery and an on-board charger in an electric vehicle according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the restricting unit when the second relay mechanism is on in the electric vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the restricting unit when the second relay mechanism is off in the electric vehicle according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An electric vehicle 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 are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] An example of an electric vehicle according to the embodiment is a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). This electric vehicle supplies electric power generated by the vehicle itself to an external electric vehicle (for example, an electric vehicle (Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV))) via an on-board charger. This allows the electric vehicle to perform rescue charging for an electric vehicle that has run out of power.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the electric vehicle 1 includes an on-board battery 11, a fuse 12, an on-board charger 13, an operation unit 14, a switching unit 15, and a power cable 16. Note that Fig. 1 illustrates only the components necessary to realize the present invention from the actual configuration of the electric vehicle 1, and omits the illustration of other components (for example, an inverter, a motor, etc.).

[0012] The vehicle battery 11 is, for example, a fuel cell (FC). Note that the electric vehicle 1 may be equipped with a battery other than a fuel cell as the vehicle battery 11 (for example, any battery other than a fuel cell, such as a lithium ion battery, an all-solid-state battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a lead-acid battery). The fuse 12 is connected to the vehicle battery 11, and when a large current flows instantaneously through a circuit including the vehicle battery 11 and the vehicle charger 13, the fuse 12 cuts off the circuit.

[0013] The on-board charger 13 is mounted on the electric vehicle 1 and supplies power (external power supply) to, for example, an external electric vehicle.

[0014] The operation unit 14 is a changeover switch for performing external power feeding. The operation unit 14 is operated by a user (for example, a driver) of the electric vehicle 1 when feeding power from the on-board charger 13 to an external electric vehicle. For example, a switch, button, etc. corresponding to the operation unit 14 is provided inside the vehicle compartment of the electric vehicle 1. When the user presses the switch, etc., the operation unit 14 moves closer to the switching unit 15.

[0015] When the operation unit 14 is in contact, the switching unit 15 electrically connects the in-vehicle charger 13 and the in-vehicle battery 11. When the operation unit 14 is not in contact, the switching unit 15 releases the electrical connection between the in-vehicle charger 13 and the in-vehicle battery 11.

[0016] Power cable 16 is used to connect in-vehicle battery 11, fuse 12, in-vehicle charger 13, operation unit 14, and switching unit 15. In Fig. 1, the arrow shown on power cable 16 indicates the direction of current flowing through power cable 16.

[0017] Here, a first relay mechanism (not shown) is provided in the electric vehicle 1. This first relay mechanism is a relay used when operating a high-voltage system (for example, a drive system such as a motor) in the electric vehicle 1 using power from the on-board battery 11.

[0018] An example of the first relay mechanism is a relay that is provided between the fuel cell and the high-voltage system in the electric vehicle 1, and turns on / off the current between them.

[0019] When the first relay mechanism is on (connected), a high voltage is generated in the power cable 16. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 1, if a user operates the operation unit 14 in this state and brings the operation unit 14 into contact with the switching unit 15, a large current will instantaneously flow from the vehicle battery 11 to the vehicle charger 13, causing the fuse 12 to break.

[0020] Therefore, in the electric vehicle 1, in order to prevent physical contact between the operating unit 14 and the switching unit 15 when a high voltage is generated, a restricting unit 17 is provided between the operating unit 14 and the switching unit 15, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0021] The restricting portion 17 restricts contact between the operating portion 14 and the switching portion 15 when the first relay mechanism is on (connected). The restricting portion 17 includes an electromagnetic coil 171, a moving portion 172, and an elastic member 173.

[0022] The electromagnetic coil 171 operates according to the state of a second relay mechanism of the electric vehicle 1. That is, when the second relay mechanism is on (connected), the electromagnetic coil 171 is in a conducting state. On the other hand, when the second relay mechanism is off (disconnected), the electromagnetic coil 171 is in a non-conducting state.

[0023] The second relay mechanism is a relay used to operate a low-voltage system (for example, an electrical system such as an air conditioner) in the electric vehicle 1. This second relay mechanism is linked to the first relay mechanism only when it is in the off state. In other words, when the second relay mechanism is on, the first relay mechanism is either in the on state or the off state. On the other hand, when the second relay mechanism is off, the first relay mechanism is always in the off state.

[0024] The moving unit 172 is, for example, a metal block bar that restricts contact between the operating unit 14 and the switching unit 15 under predetermined conditions. The moving unit 172 is configured, for example, in an L-shape as shown in Fig. 2. However, the material and shape of the moving unit 172 are not particularly limited as long as the function and operation of the moving unit 172 can be realized.

[0025] An elastic member 173 is attached to one side of the moving part 172. An electromagnetic coil 171 is disposed on the other side of the moving part 172. The moving part 172 is configured to be able to move toward and away from the electromagnetic coil 171, as shown in FIGS.

[0026] Elastic member 173 is for attracting moving part 172 to the side opposite to the side where electromagnetic coil 171 is arranged. As elastic member 173, for example, a spring or the like as shown in Figures 2 and 3 can be used. Furthermore, elastic member 173 is made of a member whose elastic force is smaller than the attracting force due to electromagnetic induction of electromagnetic coil 171 in a current-carrying state.

[0027] In the electric vehicle 1 equipped with such a regulating unit 17, when the second relay mechanism is turned on and the electromagnetic coil 171 is energized, the moving unit 172 is attracted to the electromagnetic coil 171 by electromagnetic induction, as shown in Fig. 2. As a result, even if the user manually operates the operating unit 14, the operating unit 14 comes into contact with (blocks into) the moving unit 172, and therefore contact between the operating unit 14 and the switching unit 15 is regulated.

[0028] 2, when the second relay mechanism is on, there is a possibility that the first relay mechanism is also on. Therefore, when the second relay mechanism is on, the restricting unit 17 uniformly restricts contact between the operating unit 14 and the switching unit 15, thereby more reliably suppressing the inflow of a large current.

[0029] Furthermore, in electric vehicle 1, when the second relay mechanism is turned off and electromagnetic coil 171 is de-energized, moving unit 172 returns to its original position on the opposite side of electromagnetic coil 171 due to the contraction force of elastic member 173, as shown in Fig. 3. As a result, when the user manually operates operation unit 14, operation unit 14 can be brought into contact with switching unit 15 without being obstructed by restriction unit 17, and external power supply from on-board charger 13 becomes possible.

[0030] 3, when the second relay mechanism is off, the first relay mechanism is also always off. Therefore, when the second relay mechanism is off, the restriction unit 17 does not perform restriction, so that external power feeding can be performed safely while suppressing the inflow of a large current.

[0031] In Figures 2 and 3, the regulating unit 17 is operated depending on the state of the second relay mechanism, but as long as it is possible to determine whether or not a high voltage is occurring, the regulating unit 17 may be operated by means other than the state of the second relay mechanism.

[0032] According to the electric vehicle of the embodiment described above, by providing the restricting unit 17 that restricts contact (connection) between the operation unit 14 and the switching unit 15 when the first relay mechanism is on (connected), it is possible to prevent a large current from flowing instantaneously through the on-board charger 13. Furthermore, according to the electric vehicle of the embodiment, by operating the moving unit 172 using the electromagnetic coil 171 that is energized when the second relay mechanism is on, it is possible to prevent a large current from flowing instantaneously through the on-board charger 13 without using an expensive new voltage-resistant element.

[0033] Further advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Thus, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1 Electric vehicles 11. Car battery 12. Fuse 13 On-board charger 14 Control section 15 Switching section 16 Power Cable 17 Regulatory Department 171 Electromagnetic Coil 172 Mobile Unit 173 Elastic Members

Claims

1. an on-board charger for supplying power to an external device; an operation unit that is operated by a user when power is supplied; a switching unit that connects the on-board charger and the on-board battery when the operation unit comes into contact with the on-board charger; a restricting unit that restricts contact between the operating unit and the switching unit when a first relay mechanism used to operate a high-voltage system of an electric vehicle is connected; An electric vehicle equipped with:

2. The restriction portion is an electromagnetic coil that is energized when a second relay mechanism used for operating a low-voltage system of the electric vehicle is on; a moving unit that restricts contact between the operation unit and the switching unit when the electromagnetic coil is energized and does not restrict contact between the operation unit and the switching unit when the electromagnetic coil is not energized; The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising:

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