External charging system

Abstract

To provide an external charging system which reduces failure risks of SMR.SOLUTION: An external charging system of a vehicle capable of charging an on-vehicle driving battery from an external charging facility comprises: a charger which is arranged in the vehicle and receives electric power from the external charging facility; a System Main Relay (SMR) in which a state between the driving battery and the charger can be switchable between a connection state and a cut-off state; and a controller which transmits, to the SMR during traveling of the vehicle, upon requested for charging a power storage device with power from the external charging facility by a user of the vehicle during traveling of the vehicle, the request for switching to the connection state. The controller starts charging of the stopped vehicle with the power from the external charging facility without switching the SMR to the cut-off state after transmitting the switching request to the connection state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an external charging system for a vehicle for charging an electric storage device of the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-130207 is a known technical document related to an external charging system. This publication describes a vehicle that automatically shuts off the vehicle power supply and terminates the IG-ON state if the duration of the SMR being non-conductive and the charging cable being disconnected exceeds a threshold during the IG-ON state, in which the vehicle's ECU is activated but the PCU is not driven. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-130207 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the more frequently an SMR is switched during external charging of a vehicle, the higher the risk of SMR failure. For this reason, there is a need to reduce the number of times an SMR is switched. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is an external charging system for a vehicle that can charge an onboard drive battery from an external charging facility, and includes: a charger that is provided on the vehicle and receives power from the external charging facility; an SMR that can switch the state between the drive battery and the charger between a connected state and a disconnected state; and a control unit that, when a vehicle user requests that the drive battery be charged using the external charging facility while the vehicle is in motion, sends a request to the SMR to switch to the connected state while the vehicle is in motion; and after sending the request to switch to the connected state, the control unit begins charging the stopped vehicle from the external charging facility without switching the SMR to the disconnected state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to each aspect of the present invention, when a vehicle user requests that the drive battery be stopped and charged using external charging equipment while the vehicle is in motion, a request is made to the SMR to switch to a connected state, and after the request to switch to a connected state is sent, charging from the external charging equipment of the stopped vehicle begins without switching the SMR to a disconnected state.This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary SMR switching and reduce the risk of SMR failure, compared to conventional devices that switch the SMR to a disconnected state once before charging when the vehicle is stopped. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an external charging system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a graph showing various states of a moving vehicle until charging is completed. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of an external charging system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an external charging system 1 according to one embodiment. The external charging system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is mounted on a vehicle capable of charging a drive battery 31 of the vehicle from an external charging facility 2, and is a system that controls external charging. The vehicle is, for example, a hybrid vehicle (HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle). The vehicle may be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) or an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle).

[0010] The drive battery 31 is a power storage element configured to be chargeable and dischargeable. The drive battery 31 is configured to include cells of a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a lead-acid battery, or a storage element such as an electric double layer capacitor. The drive battery 31 supplies electric power to generate driving force for the vehicle via a PCU (Power Control Unit) (not shown).

[0011] The external charging equipment 2 is a so-called charging stand. The external charging equipment 2 is equipped with charging equipment that meets a predetermined standard. In this embodiment, the external charging equipment 2 is equipment that is capable of contactless power supply. Note that the external charging equipment 2 may also be equipment that performs wired contact power supply. The external charging equipment 2 may be AC ​​charging or DC charging. The external charging equipment 2 has server equipment that is capable of wireless communication with the vehicle. There are no particular limitations on the method of wireless communication. The wireless communication may be Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Tread, Zigbee (registered trademark), or the like.

[0012] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the external charging system 1. The external charging system 1 includes a charging integration ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10, an HV-ECU 11, a charger 20, and a charging pack assembly 30.

[0013] The charging integrated ECU 10 is an electronic unit (controller) that performs overall control of charging of the vehicle. The charging integrated ECU 10 is connected to various ECUs via a CAN (Controller Area Network). The charging integrated ECU 10 is also connected to a charging switch 10a provided near the driver's seat of the vehicle. The charging switch 10a is a switch that is turned on when a vehicle user (e.g., the driver) wishes to charge the vehicle. While the vehicle is traveling, the charging integrated ECU 10 transmits an SMR connection request to the HV-ECU 11 when the vehicle and external charging equipment 2 are connected via wireless communication and the user has turned on the charging switch 10a (when the user has made a charging request). The SMR connection request is a request to switch to a connection state that enables power supply from the external charging equipment 2 to the drive battery 31.

[0014] The HV-ECU 11 is an electronic control unit (control unit) for a hybrid vehicle. The HV-ECU 11 controls the drive system of the vehicle using, for example, a power distribution algorithm. The HV-ECU 11 is connected to the charging integration ECU 10 and a battery ECU 33 (described later) via a CAN.

[0015] When the HV-ECU 11 receives the SMR connection request from the charging integrated ECU 10, the HV-ECU 11 transmits an SMR operation request to the battery ECU 33. The SMR operation request is a request to operate the SMR 32, which will be described later.

[0016] The charger 20 is a device that receives power from the external charging facility 2. The charger 20 includes, for example, a power receiving coil for receiving power by contactless power feeding, a rectifier circuit, and a power conversion unit (for example, a DC-DC converter).

[0017] The charger 20 also has a communication function and a charger ECU 21 for wireless communication with the server of the external charging facility 2. The charger ECU 21 transmits a wireless communication connection signal to the charging integrated ECU 10 when the charger 20 is connected via wireless communication with the server of the external charging facility 2. For example, when a vehicle with the charging switch 10a turned on enters the charging area of ​​the external charging facility 2, the charger 20 establishes a wireless connection with the external charging facility 2.

[0018] The charging pack assembly 30 is a unit that includes a drive battery 31, an SMR (System Main Relay) 32, and a battery ECU 33. The SMR 32 is a unit that can switch the state between the drive battery 31 and the charger 20 between a connected state and a disconnected state. The connected state is a state in which the drive battery 31 and the charger 20 are connected. In the connected state, power flowing from the charger 20 is supplied to the drive battery 31. The disconnected state is a state in which the drive battery 31 and the charger 20 are disconnected.

[0019] The battery ECU 33 is an electronic unit that controls the supply of power to the drive battery 31. The battery ECU 33 operates the actuator of the SMR 32. When the battery ECU 33 receives an SMR operation request (an SMR operation request corresponding to an SMR connection request) from the HV-ECU 11, it operates the actuator of the SMR 32 to switch the state between the drive battery 31 and the charger 20 from a disconnected state to a connected state. Note that the battery ECU 33 may operate the actuator of the SMR 32 by directly transmitting the SMR operation request from the HV-ECU 11 to the SMR 32. The battery ECU 33 completes the switching of the SMR 32 while the vehicle is running.

[0020] After completing the switching of SMR 32 while the vehicle is traveling, external charging system 1 according to this embodiment maintains the connection between drive battery 31 and charger 20 without operating SMR 32 from the time the vehicle comes to a stop until charging of the vehicle is complete. In other words, external charging system 1 can avoid unnecessary disconnection of SMR 32 compared to conventional devices that confirm the user's intention to charge when connected to a charging inlet.

[0021] Figure 2 is a graph showing various states of a moving vehicle until charging is complete. The vertical axis of Figure 2 shows the HV control mode, charging switch information, SMR connection, and SMR operation request status. The horizontal axis of Figure 2 represents time.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, a traveling vehicle enters a charging area of ​​external charging equipment 2 where wireless power supply is possible, and charging begins. The HV control mode is the driving mode while the vehicle is traveling. After entering the charging area, the vehicle ends the comprehensive mode, stops, and switches to the charging mode. In the situation shown in FIG. 2, the charging switch information by the user is always ON. In other words, the user wants to charge the vehicle. The charging integrated ECU 10 detects that the charging switch information is ON.

[0023] In the situation shown in FIG. 2 , when the vehicle enters the charging area and the vehicle charger 20 and the server of the external charging equipment 2 are connected via wireless communication, the charger ECU 21 transmits a wireless communication connection signal to the charging integration ECU 10. By receiving the wireless communication connection signal, the charging integration ECU 10 recognizes that the vehicle charger 20 and the external charging equipment 2 are connected via wireless communication. The charging integration ECU 10 turns on an SMR connection request and transmits the request to the HV-ECU 11. Meanwhile, the HV-ECU 11 basically keeps the SMR operation request on to ensure operation authority of the SMR 32 while the vehicle is traveling. When the charging integration ECU 10 transmits the SMR connection request, the SMR connection request and SMR operation request are transmitted to the battery ECU 33, and the SMR 32 switches the state between the drive battery 31 and the charger 20 from a disconnected state to a connected state. During the vehicle's traveling and charging operation, the SMR connection request and the SMR operation request are linked, and the SMR 32 maintains the connected state.

[0024] 2, the charging integrated ECU 10 keeps the SMR connection request ON even when the vehicle switches from running to charging. After turning the SMR connection request ON while the vehicle is running, the charging integrated ECU 10 does not turn the SMR connection request OFF until charging is complete. This prevents the SMR 32 from being disconnected due to the vehicle being stopped after an operation to connect the SMR 32 while the vehicle is running is performed.

[0025] Next, the processing of the external charging system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the external charging system 1. This processing is executed while the vehicle is traveling.

[0026] 3, the charging integrated ECU 10 of the external charging system 1 determines in S10 whether the vehicle in motion and the external charging equipment 2 are connected via wireless communication. The charging integrated ECU 10 determines whether the vehicle and the external charging equipment 2 are connected via wireless communication based on a wireless communication connection signal from the charger ECU 21. If the charging integrated ECU 10 determines that the vehicle and the external charging equipment 2 are connected via wireless communication (YES in S10), the charging integrated ECU 10 proceeds to S11. If the charging integrated ECU 10 does not determine that the vehicle and the external charging equipment 2 are connected via wireless communication (NO in S10), the charging integrated ECU 10 ends the current process.

[0027] In S11, the charging integration ECU 10 determines whether the user has turned on the charging switch 10a. If the charging integration ECU 10 determines that the user has turned on the charging switch 10a (S11: YES), the charging integration ECU 10 proceeds to S12. If the charging integration ECU 10 does not determine that the user has turned on the charging switch 10a (S11: NO), the charging integration ECU 10 ends this processing.

[0028] In S12, while the vehicle is running, the charging integrated ECU 10 transmits an SMR connection request to the HV-ECU 11. Thereafter, the charging integrated ECU 10 proceeds to S13.

[0029] In S13, the external charging system 1 switches the state between the charger 20 and the drive battery 31 from a disconnected state to a connected state. The external charging system 1 sends an SMR operation request corresponding to the SMR connection request from the HV-ECU 11 to the battery ECU 33, and thereby operates the actuator of the SMR 32 so that the battery ECU 33 switches the state between the drive battery 31 and the charger 20 from a disconnected state to a connected state. The charging integration ECU 10 then proceeds to S14.

[0030] In S14, after the vehicle has stopped, the charging integrated ECU 10 starts charging while maintaining the connection state of the SMR 32. After that, the charging integrated ECU 10 proceeds to the normal charging process and ends this process.

[0031] According to the external charging system 1 of this embodiment described above, when a vehicle user requests charging of the drive battery 31 by the external charging facility 2 (by turning on the charging switch 10a) while the vehicle is traveling, an SMR connection request is made, and after transmitting a request to switch to the connected state, charging of the stopped vehicle from the external charging facility 2 begins without switching the SMR 32 to the disconnected state. This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary switching of the SMR 32 and reduce the risk of SMR failure, compared to conventional devices that switch the SMR 32 to the disconnected state once before charging when the vehicle is stopped. Furthermore, because the SMR 32 is already switched to the connected state while the vehicle is traveling, the charging sequence time can be shortened.

[0032] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms, including the above-described embodiments, with various modifications and improvements made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0033] The timing when the vehicle enters the charging area and the timing when the vehicle and the external charging facility 2 establish wireless communication may be different. The configuration of the ECU is an example, and the vehicle is not limited to a hybrid vehicle. It is not necessary to use multiple signals such as an SMR connection request and an SMR operation request, and it is sufficient that the configuration is capable of issuing a switch request to switch the SMR to a connected state, and that unnecessary shut-off of the SMR 32 is not performed when the vehicle is stopped or the charging inlet is connected.

[0034] The present invention is also applicable to systems that require SMR connection even during charging, such as when the external charging device 2 and the drive battery 31 are connected to a charging relay (CHR) and the auxiliary battery is connected to an SMR. For configurations in such cases, see JP 2015-104222 A. The present invention is also applicable to system configurations that require connection between the CHR and SMR when charging the drive battery, not for the purpose of charging the auxiliary battery. For configurations in such cases, see JP 2012-170286 A. Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable to systems in which a charger is connected to multiple CHRs, SMRs, and batteries in an optional charging configuration. For configurations in such cases, see International Publication No. WO 2011 / 099157 AI. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1...External charging system, 2...External charging equipment (external charging equipment), 20...Charger, 31...Drive battery, 32...SMR (System Main Relay).

Claims

[Claim 1] An external charging system for a vehicle capable of charging an on-board drive battery from an external charging facility, a charger provided in the vehicle and configured to receive power from the external charging facility; an SMR capable of switching the state between the driving battery and the charger between a connected state and a disconnected state; a control unit that, when a user of the vehicle requests charging of the drive battery by the external charging facility while the vehicle is traveling, transmits a request to switch to the connected state to the SMR while the vehicle is traveling; Equipped with The control unit, after transmitting the request to switch to the connected state, starts charging the stopped vehicle from the external charging facility without switching the SMR to the disconnected state.

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