Charging management device

Abstract

To prevent charging of a battery from being unintentionally stopped.SOLUTION: A charging management device comprises: a first line connected onto one end side of a predetermined line, and connected to a facility side power supply in a charging facility when a vehicle connector and a device connector are connected to each other; a second line connected onto the other end side of the predetermined line, and connected to a ground of the charging facility when the vehicle connector and a facility connector are connected to each other; and a power supply feed switching circuit connected onto the one end side and the other end side of the predetermined line. Then, the power supply feed switching circuit having the first switch and the second switch is constituted in such a manner that a current flows from a vehicle side power supply to the first line via the second switch when a voltage of the first line drops during external charging, and the current flows from the predetermined line to the ground of a vehicle via the first switch when connection between the second line and the ground of the charging facility is released during the external charging.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charge management device. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been proposed in the past in which a vehicle inlet is connected to a battery via a vehicle contactor and the vehicle inlet has a control device, and when the vehicle inlet is connected to a charge / discharge connector of a charge / discharge cable assembly connected to an EVPS equipped with a power conversion device, the battery is charged using power from the power conversion device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this technology, a control signal circuit provided in the vehicle between the vehicle inlet and the control device has an operation start / stop line for turning on the vehicle contactor when current is flowing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-63738 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described vehicle, if the voltage of the operation start / stop line drops due to a poor connection between the charge / discharge connector and the vehicle inlet while the battery is being charged, and current stops flowing through the operation start / stop line, the vehicle contactor may turn off and battery charging may stop. The main purpose of the charge management device disclosed herein is to prevent battery charging from being unintentionally stopped. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The charge management device of the present disclosure employs the following measures to achieve the above-mentioned primary object: The charge management device of the present disclosure includes a power storage device, a vehicle connector, and a relay that is provided between the power storage device and the vehicle connector and that closes when a predetermined line is energized, and when the vehicle connector is connected to an equipment connector of a charging equipment and the relay is on, the charge management device is capable of external charging to charge the battery using power from the charging equipment, and includes a first line that is connected to one end of the predetermined line and that is connected to an equipment-side power source of the charging equipment when the vehicle connector and the equipment connector are connected, and a second line that is connected to the other end of the predetermined line and that is connected to the vehicle connector. The charging equipment includes a second line that is connected to the ground of the charging equipment when the connector and the equipment connector are connected, and a power supply switching circuit connected to the one end and the other end of the specified line, wherein the power supply switching circuit has a first switch and a second switch, and is configured so that when the voltage of the first line drops during external charging, current flows from a vehicle-side power source to the first line via the second switch, and when the connection between the second line and the ground is released during external charging, current flows from the specified line to the ground of the vehicle via the first switch.

[0006] The charging management device of the present disclosure includes a first line connected to one end of a predetermined line and connected to the equipment power supply of the charging equipment when the vehicle connector and the equipment connector are connected, a second line connected to the other end of the predetermined line and connected to the ground of the charging equipment when the vehicle connector and the equipment connector are connected, and a power supply switching circuit connected to one end and the other end of the predetermined line. The power supply switching circuit has a first switch and a second switch, and is configured so that when the voltage of the first line drops during external charging, current flows from the vehicle power supply to the first line via the second switch, and when the connection between the second line and the charging equipment ground is released during external charging, current flows from the predetermined line to the vehicle ground via the first switch. This makes it possible to prevent unintended stopping of battery charging. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electric vehicle 10 equipped with a charging management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and a charging facility 80. FIG. [Figure 2] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the electric vehicle 10 of the embodiment during external charging. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation during external charging in an electric vehicle of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A mode (embodiment) for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electric vehicle 10 equipped with a charge management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and a charging facility 80. As shown in the figure, the electric vehicle 10 includes a battery 12 (power storage device), a vehicle connector 14, relays 18p and 18n, a relay R11, lines 20 and 30 (first and second lines), photocouplers 24 and 34, a power supply switching circuit 40, a line 36, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle ECU") 70. In the embodiment, the lines 20 and 30 and the power supply switching circuit 40 mainly correspond to the "charge management device."

[0009] The positive and negative terminals of battery 12 are connected to vehicle connector 14 via power lines 16p, 16n, relays 18p, 18n, and power lines 17p, 17n, respectively. Vehicle connector 14 is configured to be connectable to equipment connector 84 of charging equipment 80. Relays 18p, 18n are each configured as normally open relays that are closed when current flows through lines 19p, 19n (predetermined lines), connecting power lines 16p, 16n and power lines 17p, 17n. Lines 19p, 19n are connected to line 20. Relay R11 is controlled by vehicle ECU 60 and connects and disconnects lines 19p, 19n and line 30.

[0010] The lines 20 and 30 are connected to the vehicle connector 14. The photocouplers 24 and 34 include photodiodes 24a and 34a and phototransistors 24b and 34b, respectively. The anode of the photodiode 24a is connected to the line 20 via a resistor Ra, and the cathode is grounded. The anode of the photodiode 34a is connected to the line 20, and the cathode is connected to the line 30 via a resistor Rb. The phototransistors 24b and 34b are connected to the vehicle ECU 60. One end of the line 36 is grounded, and the other end is connected to the vehicle connector 14.

[0011] The power supply switching circuit 40 includes a relay R12, a line 42, switches Qa and Qb, resistors Rc and Rd, and diodes Da and Db. The relay R12 is controlled by the vehicle ECU 60 and connects and disconnects the line 30 and the switch Qa. The switch Qa is configured as an NPN-type bipolar transistor. The collector of the switch Qa is connected to the line 30 via the relay R12, the emitter is grounded, and the base is connected to the line 42 via the resistor Rd. The switch Qb is configured as a P-channel metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). The source of the switch Qb is connected to a power supply VBa (e.g., a 12 V power supply), the drain is connected to the anode of the diode Db, and the gate is connected to the line 42. The resistor Rc is connected to the source of the switch Qb and the power supply VBa and to the line 42. The resistor Rd is connected to the base of the switch Qa and to the line 42. The anode of diode Da is connected to line 20, and the cathode is connected to line 42. The anode of diode Db is connected to the drain of switch Qb, and the cathode is connected to line 20 and the anode of diode Da.

[0012] The vehicle ECU 60 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports, various drive circuits, and various logic ICs. The vehicle ECU 60 receives signals from various sensors, such as the voltage VB and current IB of the battery 12 from a voltage sensor and a current sensor, and signals from photocouplers 24 and 34. The vehicle ECU 60 controls relays R11 and R12.

[0013] The charging equipment 80 is installed at a charging point such as a home or a charging station, and includes a power supply device 82, an equipment connector 84, lines 88 and 89, a relay R21, lines 90 and 91, a relay R22, a line 92, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as the "equipment ECU") 94.

[0014] The power supply device 82 of the charging facility 80 is connected to a facility connector 84 via power lines 86p, 86n, and is configured to convert AC power from the power grid into DC power, adjust the voltage (power), and output the DC power to the power lines 86p, 86n. The facility connector 84 is configured to be connectable to the vehicle connector 14 of the electric vehicle 10. When the facility connector 84 and the vehicle connector 14 are connected, the power lines 86p, 86n are connected to the power lines 16p, 16n, respectively.

[0015] Line 88 is connected to power source VBb (e.g., a 12V power source). Line 89 is connected to facility connector 84 and is connected to line 20 when facility connector 84 and vehicle connector 14 are connected. Relay R21 is controlled by facility ECU 94 and connects and disconnects lines 88 and 89. Line 90 is grounded. Line 91 is connected to facility connector 84 and is connected to line 30 when facility connector 84 and vehicle connector 14 are connected. Relay R22 is controlled by facility ECU 94 and connects and disconnects lines 90 and 91. Line 92 is grounded and connected to facility connector 84 and is connected to line 36 when facility connector 84 and vehicle connector 14 are connected.

[0016] The equipment ECU 94 includes a microcomputer with a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports, as well as various drive circuits and logic ICs. The equipment ECU 94 receives signals from various sensors and controls the power supply device 82 and relays R21 and R22.

[0017] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation during external charging, in which the battery 12 of the electric vehicle 10 is charged using power from the power supply device 82 of the charging facility 80. As shown in the figure, when the vehicle connector 14 and the facility connector 84 are connected (status: "Vehicle not connected" → "Vehicle connected"), the facility ECU 94 switches the relay R21 from off to on. The vehicle ECU 60 detects the on / off state of the relay R21 based on a signal from the photocoupler 24. Next, the vehicle ECU 60 and the facility ECU 94 exchange information (status: "Information exchange before charging starts"). Then, the vehicle ECU 60 and the facility ECU 94 perform an insulation diagnosis of the electric vehicle 10 and the charging facility 80 (status: "Connector lock insulation diagnosis"). At this time, the facility ECU 94 and the vehicle ECU 60 turn on relays R22, R11, and R12 in this order. Vehicle ECU 60 detects the on / off state of relay R22 based on a signal from photocoupler 34. When relays R21, R22, and R11 are on, current flows from power supply VBb to ground via line 88, relay R21, line 89, line 20, lines 19p and 19n, relays R11, line 30, line 91, relay R22, and line 90. Currents Irp and Irn in lines 19p and 19n turn on relays 18p and 18n, connecting power lines 16p and 16n to power lines 17p and 17n, enabling charging of battery 12. Current IB then flows from power supply device 82 to battery 12, starting charging of battery 12 (status: "charging"). At this time, switch Qb is off, and no power is consumed from power supply VBa. Furthermore, due to the parasitic resistance between the collector and emitter of the switch Qa, no current (bypass current) flows from the line 30 to the ground via the relay R12 and the switch Qa.

[0018] If a momentary power outage occurs due to poor contact between line 20 and line 89, for example, when a user touches vehicle connector 14 or facility connector 84 while battery 12 is being charged, i.e., if voltage V20 on line 20 drops and current I20a from the vehicle connector 14 side of line 20 decreases (time t1), the gate-source voltage Vgs of switch Qb increases, turning switch Qb on, and voltage V20 on line 20 becomes lower than the voltage of power supply VBa by the voltage drop across switch Qb and diode Db. Current I20b flows from power supply VBa to line 20 via switch Qb and diode Db, and currents Irp and Irn flow through lines 19p and 19n, keeping relays 18p and 18n on. This allows battery 12 to continue charging. Subsequently, when voltage V20 returns and current I20a returns (time t2), the gate-source voltage Vgs of switch Qb drops, turning switch Qb off and current I20b to zero. However, current I20a continues to flow due to current I20a, keeping relays 18p and 18n on. Times t3 and t5 are the same as time t1, and times t4 and t6 are the same as time t2. As charging of battery 12 continues, if a charging stop condition is met, such as when the state of charge (SOC) of battery 12 reaches a predetermined value, power supply from charging equipment 80 is stopped (status: "charging output stopped"), each relay is diagnosed for welding (status: "welding diagnosis"), and the voltage at the output terminal is checked (status: "output terminal voltage check"). At this time, vehicle ECU 60 and equipment ECU 94 turn off relays R12, R11, R22, and R21 in this order. Then, various communications are terminated (status: "communication terminated").

[0019] The above description deals with an instantaneous power outage caused by poor contact between line 20 and line 89 while charging battery 12. In contrast, when an instantaneous power outage occurs due to poor contact between line 30 and line 91, a current (bypass current) flows from power source VBb to ground via line 88, line 89, line 20, lines 19p and 19n, relay R11, line 30, relay R12, and switch Qa, thereby holding relays 18p and 18n in the on state. This allows charging of battery 12 to continue.

[0020] The operation of the electric vehicle 10 of the embodiment equipped with the power supply switching circuit 40 during external charging has been described. Next, the operation of the electric vehicle 10 of the comparative example not equipped with the power supply switching circuit 40 during external charging will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in the figure, if an instantaneous power interruption occurs during charging of the battery 12 due to poor contact between the line 20 and the line 89, i.e., the voltage V20 of the line 20 drops to zero and the current I20a from the vehicle connector 14 side of the line 20 drops to zero (time t1), the currents Irp and Irn of the lines 19p and 19n drop to zero, the relays 18p and 18n are turned off, and charging of the battery 12 is interrupted. Thereafter, when the voltage V20 recovers and the current I20a is restored, the currents Irp and Irn flow through the lines 19p and 19n, the relays 18p and 18n are turned on, and charging of the battery 12 is resumed. Times t3 and t5 are the same as time t1, and times t4 and t6 are the same as time t2. From this, it can be seen that the electric vehicle 10 of the embodiment equipped with the power supply switching circuit 40 can prevent the charging of the battery 12 from being unintentionally stopped, compared to the electric vehicle of the comparative example not equipped with the power supply switching circuit 40.

[0021] The charge management device of the embodiment described above includes a power supply switching circuit 40. As a result, when an instantaneous power interruption occurs due to poor contact between line 20 and line 89 or the like, causing a drop in voltage V20 on line 20 and a drop in current I20a from the vehicle connector 14 side of line 20 to a value of zero, switch Qb is turned on, causing current I20b to flow from power source VBa to line 20 via switch Qb and diode Db, currents Irp and Irn to flow through lines 19p and 19n, keeping relays 18p and 18n on and continuing charging of battery 12. Furthermore, when an instantaneous power interruption occurs due to poor contact between line 30 and line 91 or the like, a current (bypass current) flows from power source VBb to ground via lines 88, 89, 20, lines 19p and 19n, relay R11, line 30, relay R12, and switch Qa, keeping relays 18p and 18n on and continuing charging of battery 12. In this way, it is possible to prevent charging of the battery 12 from being stopped unintentionally.

[0022] The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the "Means for Solving the Problem" section will be explained. In the embodiment, the battery 12 corresponds to the "power storage device," the vehicle connector 14 corresponds to the "vehicle connector," the relays 18p and 18n correspond to the "relay," the line 20 corresponds to the "first line," the line 30 corresponds to the "second line," and the power supply switching circuit 40 corresponds to the "power supply switching circuit." The switch Qa corresponds to the "first switch," and the switch Qb corresponds to the "second switch."

[0023] The above describes the forms for implementing the present disclosure using embodiments, but the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments in any way, and it goes without saying that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0024] The present disclosure is applicable to industries such as the manufacturing industry of charge management devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 10 Electric vehicle, 12 Battery, 14 Vehicle connector, 18p, 18n Relay, 20, 30 Line, 40 Power supply switching circuit, Qa, Qb Switch.

Claims

[Claim 1] A charge management device comprising: a power storage device; a vehicle connector; and a relay that is provided between the power storage device and the vehicle connector and that closes when a current flows through a predetermined line, wherein when the vehicle connector and an equipment connector of a charging equipment are connected and the relay is on, the charge management device is capable of external charging that charges the battery using electric power from the charging equipment, a first line connected to one end of the predetermined line and connected to an equipment-side power supply of the charging equipment when the vehicle connector and the device connector are connected; a second line connected to the other end of the predetermined line and connected to the ground of the charging equipment when the vehicle connector and the equipment connector are connected; a power supply switching circuit connected to the one end and the other end of the predetermined line; Equipped with the power supply switching circuit has a first switch and a second switch, and is configured so that when a voltage of the first line drops during the external charging, a current flows from a vehicle-side power supply to the first line via the second switch, and when a connection between the second line and the ground of the charging equipment is released during the external charging, a current flows from the predetermined line to the ground of the vehicle via the first switch. Charging management device.

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