Automatic vehicle fast charging device

Abstract

The present invention provides a fast-charging device for automobiles that displays the charging status of the vehicle's power supply. [Solution] The rapid charging device C is configured such that the first to fourth LED f group members 160a to 160d are arranged to correspond along the vertical direction of the light-diffusing display panel 150. As the charge rate range to which the charge rate of the drive power supply belongs moves from the first charge rate range to the third charge rate range, the area displayed on the light-diffusing display panel moves to the lower lateral area, the lower and middle lateral areas, and the lower, middle and upper lateral areas. This transition of the display area on the light-diffusing display panel allows for clear visual confirmation of the charging progress of the drive power supply.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rapid charging device for automobiles suitable for charging a drive power source of an electric motor, which is a prime mover mounted on an automobile such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, for example, a secondary battery (rechargeable battery) such as a lithium-ion battery.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in this type of rapid charging device for automobiles, for example, a rapid charger and a rapid charging device for electric vehicles described in Patent Document 1 below have been proposed. The rapid charging device described in Patent Document 1 includes a separate type rapid charging stand.

[0003] The rapid charging stand includes a main body housing and an operation display panel, and this operation display panel is provided on the upper part of the main body housing. Here, the operation display panel includes, for example, a start button, a stop button, an emergency stop button, an input screen with icons for the user to input and operate necessary information during charging, and an operation display unit for displaying the operating state of the rapid charging stand.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the above-described rapid charging stand, since it takes 30 minutes or more to charge the above-described drive power source, the situation often occurs that the above-described user leaves the rapid charging stand for some reason. Therefore, it is desirable for the user to be able to easily visually recognize the display content of the operation display unit even at a position away from the charging stand.

[0006] Furthermore, if the fast-charging station is already reserved or currently out of order, it is desirable that new users of the fast-charging station be able to easily see the display content of the operation display section on the control panel, which shows the operating status of the fast-charging station, even when they are located some distance away from the station.

[0007] However, charging at a fast-charging station is typically done through the user's operation of the control panel. Therefore, it is naturally assumed that the user will be positioned close to the control panel, and the display surface of the control panel, including the operation display, is set to be small. This is presumably because there is no need for the display surface of the control panel, including the operation display, to be large enough to be clearly visible from a distance from the fast-charging station.

[0008] For these reasons, even if a user attempts to view the display content of the operation display unit from a distance, they will not be able to see the content, and therefore will not be able to recognize the charging status of the drive power supply. Similarly, they will not be able to see whether the unit is reserved or malfunctioning. As a result, the above-mentioned requests cannot be met.

[0009] On the other hand, although the type of operation display panel is not described in Patent Document 1, it is presumed that the operation display panel is, for example, a liquid crystal panel. However, the liquid crystal itself in this liquid crystal panel cannot emit light. Therefore, a backlight is required separately for the liquid crystal panel to emit light. In addition, color filters (red, green, and blue) are required separately for color display using the liquid crystal panel.

[0010] Therefore, in order to address the above issues, the present invention aims to provide a rapid charging device for automobiles that utilizes multiple full-color self-luminous elements to diffuse the composite color light emitted from each of the multiple full-color self-luminous elements over a wide diffusion area, converting it into diffuse color light, and uses this diffuse composite color light to display the charging status of the automobile's power supply. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In solving the above problems, the automotive charging device according to the present invention is applied to an automobile equipped with a group of prime mover batteries as a drive power source (BT), as described in claim 1.

[0012] In the said automotive charging device, A housing (100) erected on an installation surface, a control unit (U) housed within the housing, and a display panel member (Dm) provided on at least one of the two opposing walls (120a, 120b) of the housing so as to constitute one wall portion thereof, It comprises a charging connector member (190) attached to the housing, The display panel member comprises a light-diffusing display panel (150) and at least first, second, and third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group members (160a to 160d) located on the back side of the light-diffusing display panel. The first, second, and third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members each have a plurality of full-color self-emitting elements (162) dispersed along their longitudinal direction, and are arranged along the light-diffusing display panel in a lateral direction, and are spaced apart from each other from the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to the first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member, corresponding to the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel. The control unit is A charging means (PS, 200) for charging the power supply, As an operation is performed to start charging the drive power supply, connector connection determination means (412, 415, 420) determine whether or not the charging connector (190a) of the charging connector member is connected to the charging connector receiving part of the vehicle, Following the determination of the above connection by the connector connection determination means, an inquiry means (422) queries the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) for the current charging status of the drive power supply, When the query means receives at least the current charge rate and charging current command value of the drive power supply from the electronic control unit as a result of the query, the setting means (424) sets the charge rate and charging current command value as the initial charge rate and initial charging current command value, A charging control means (425) controls the charging means to start charging the drive power supply based on the initial charging current command value of the drive power supply, A charge rate range determination means (430, 436, 446, 462) determines which of the first to third charge rate ranges the charge rate of the drive power supply is within, based on a charge rate characteristic defined such that the charge rate of the drive power supply increases over at least a first to third sequentially increasing charge rate range as the charging time progresses, When the charge level of the drive power supply is within the above-mentioned first charge level range, a first emission control means (434) controls the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to emit composite color light of a predetermined color toward the lower lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel, When the initial charge level of the drive power supply is within the second charge level range, or when the charge level of the drive power supply increases from a charge level within the first charge level range to within the second charge level range, a second emission control means (444) controls each of the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members to emit composite color light of the predetermined color toward the lower and middle lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel, respectively. The system includes a third emission control means (460) that controls the multiple full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third, second, and first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members to emit composite color light of the predetermined color toward the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel, respectively, when the initial charge level of the drive power supply is within the third charge level range, or when the charge level of the drive power supply has increased from a charge level within the second charge level range to within the third charge level range. Light-diffusing display panels are Under the control of the first emission control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color emitted from multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member is incident on the lower lateral portion, the incident composite color light is diffused around the lower lateral portion and emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the first charge level range using the diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower lateral portion. Under the control of the second emission control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color emitted from each of the multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group members is incident on the lower and middle lateral portions, the incident composite color light is diffused around the lower and middle lateral portions and emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the second charge level range, using the diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower and middle lateral portions. Furthermore, under the control of the third emission control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color emitted from multiple full-color self-luminous elements of each of the third, second, and first longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group members is incident on each of the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions, the incident composite color light is diffused around each of the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions and emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the third charge level range.

[0013] According to this, the first to third longitudinal full-color self-emitting elements are arranged from the first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element to the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element, corresponding to the upper lateral portion to the lower lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel.

[0014] Under this arrangement, according to the above configuration, when the charge level of the drive power supply is within the first charge level range of the first to third charge level ranges of the charge level characteristics, the third longitudinal full-color self-luminescent element group member emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple self-luminescent elements onto the lower lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel.

[0015] Accordingly, the light-diffusing display panel diffuses the incident composite color light centered on its lower lateral portion and emits it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is being charged to a charge level within the first charge level range using diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color centered on the lower lateral portion.

[0016] Furthermore, when the charge level of the drive power supply is within the second charge level range of the charge level characteristics, each of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-luminescent element group members emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple self-luminescent elements onto the lower and middle lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel, respectively.

[0017] Accordingly, the light-diffusing display panel diffuses the incident composite color light around its lower and middle lateral portions, and emits it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color. This diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, centered around the lower and middle lateral portions, indicates that the drive power supply is being charged within the second charge rate range.

[0018] Furthermore, when the charge level of the drive power supply is within the third charge level range of the charge level characteristics, each of the third, second, and first longitudinal full-color self-luminescent element group members emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple self-luminescent elements onto the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel, respectively.

[0019] Accordingly, the light diffusing display panel diffuses the incident combined color light around each of its lower, middle, and upper horizontal portions, and emits it as diffused combined color light of a predetermined color, thereby displaying, by means of the diffused combined color light of the predetermined color centered around each of the lower, middle, and upper horizontal portions, that the driving power source is charged under a charging rate within the third charging rate range.

[0020] As described above, as the charging rate range to which the charging rate of the driving power source belongs shifts from the first charging rate range to the third charging rate range, the portions displayed by the light diffusing display panel shift to the lower horizontal portion, both the lower and middle horizontal portions, and all the lower, middle, and upper horizontal portions.

[0021] As a result, with such a shift in the display portion of the light diffusing display panel, the progress of charging of the driving power source can be clearly visually recognized.

[0022] Here, the light diffusing display panel diffuses the combined color light as described above from the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third to first full-color self-emitting element groups arranged as described above, and emits it as diffused combined color light of a predetermined color as described above, thereby displaying the charging status of the driving power source.

[0023] Therefore, by arranging the first to third full-color self-emitting element group members corresponding to the light diffusing display panel as described above, the charging status of the driving power source can be displayed using the light diffusing display panel.

[0024] Here, as described above, since the first to third full-color self-emitting element group members are arranged corresponding to the light diffusing display panel, the display surface of the light diffusing display panel can be used over a wide area to display the charging status of the driving power source. Therefore, even when the user of the rapid charging device is far away from the rapid charging device, the display content of the light diffusing display panel can be clearly visually recognized.

[0025] Further, according to the description of claim 2, the present invention provides a rapid charging device for an automobile according to claim 1. The first emission control means controls the emission of composite color light of the predetermined color, directed toward the lower lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel by multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member, to be intermittent when the charge level of the drive power supply is within the first charge level range. The second emission control means controls the emission of composite color light of the predetermined color directed toward the lower lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel by multiple full-color self-emitting elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to be continuous, and the emission of composite color light of the predetermined color directed toward the middle lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel by multiple full-color self-emitting elements of the second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to be intermittent, when the initial charge level of the drive power supply is within the second charge level range, or when the charge level of the drive power supply has increased from the charge level within the first charge level range to be within the second charge level range. The third emission control means controls the emission of composite color light of the predetermined color directed toward the lower and middle lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel by multiple full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-emitting elements of the group member, to be continuous when the initial charge level of the drive power supply is within the third charge level range, or when the charge level of the drive power supply has increased from within the second charge level range to within the third charge level range, and to control the emission of composite color light of the predetermined color directed toward the upper lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel by multiple full-color self-emitting elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to be intermittent. Light-diffusing display panels are Under the control of the first control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color, which is intermittently emitted from multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member, is incident on the lower lateral portion, the incident composite color light is intermittently diffused around the lower lateral portion and intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the first charge level range by the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower lateral portion. Under the control of the second emission control means, when composite color light of the predetermined color, continuously emitted from multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member, is incident on the lower lateral portion, the incident composite color light is continuously diffused around the lower lateral portion and continuously emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color. When composite color light of the predetermined color, intermittently emitted from multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the second longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member, is intermittently incident on the middle lateral portion, the incident composite color light is intermittently diffused around the middle lateral portion and intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color. Thus, the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower lateral portion and the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the middle lateral portion indicate that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the second charge level range. Furthermore, under the control of the third emission control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color, continuously emitted from multiple full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members, is continuously incident on each of the lower and middle lateral portions, the incident composite color light is continuously diffused around each of the lower and middle lateral portions and continuously emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, and intermittently emitted from multiple full-color self-emitting elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member. When the composite color light of the predetermined color is intermittently incident on the upper lateral portion, the incident composite color light is intermittently diffused around the upper lateral portion and intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color. This is characterized by the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower and middle lateral portions, and the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the upper lateral portion, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the third charge level range.

[0026] With this configuration, the light-diffusing display panel is When the charge level of the drive power supply is within the first charge level range, the composite color light of a predetermined color, intermittently emitted from multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member, is intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, mainly in the lower lateral direction. When the charge level of the drive power supply is within the second charge level range, the composite color light of a predetermined color continuously emitted from multiple full-color self-emitting elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member is continuously emitted as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, mainly in the lower lateral direction, and the composite color light of a predetermined color intermittently emitted from multiple full-color self-emitting elements of the second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member is intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, mainly in the lower lateral direction, Furthermore, when the charge level of the drive power supply is within the third charge level range, the composite color light of a predetermined color continuously emitted from multiple full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members is continuously emitted as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, mainly from the lower and middle lateral portions, respectively, and the composite color light of a predetermined color intermittently emitted from multiple full-color self-emitting elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member is intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, mainly from the upper lateral portion.

[0027] Thus, when the charge level of the power supply is within the first charge level range, the light-diffusing display panel intermittently emits diffused composite color light from the lower lateral portion; when the charge level of the power supply is within the second charge level range, it continuously emits diffused composite color light from the lower lateral portion and intermittently emits diffused composite color light from the middle lateral portion; and when the charge level of the power supply is within the third charge level range, it continuously emits diffused composite color light from the lower and middle lateral portions and intermittently emits diffused composite color light from the upper lateral portion.

[0028] As a result, the charging status of the power supply can be more clearly observed through the intermittent emission of diffused composite color light from the light-diffusing display panel described above.

[0029] Furthermore, according to the description in claim 3, the present invention relates to the automobile rapid charging device described in claim 2, Under the control of the third emission control means, when the charge rate of the drive power supply increases beyond the third charge rate range and the drive power supply reaches a state close to full charge, the plurality of full-color self-light-emitting elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-light-emitting element group member are equipped with a fourth emission control means (481) that controls the intermittent emission of composite color light of the predetermined color to be emitted continuously. Under the control of the fourth emission control means, the light-diffusing display panel diffuses the composite color light of a predetermined color continuously emitted from multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member toward the upper lateral portion, centering on the upper lateral portion, and continuously emits it as diffuse composite color light having the predetermined color. This continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower and middle lateral portions, respectively, and the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the upper lateral portion, indicates that the drive power supply is in a near-fully charged state.

[0030] With this configuration, while achieving the same effects as the invention described in claim 2, the light-diffusing display panel can clearly indicate that the drive power supply is fully charged, under the control of the fourth control means.

[0031] Furthermore, according to the description in claim 4, the present invention relates to the automobile rapid charging device described in claim 1, The display panel component is configured to have heat sinks (140) arranged opposite each other at a distance on the back side of the light-diffusing display panel. The first, second, and third full-color self-luminous element group members are arranged along the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions corresponding to the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel of the heat sink, respectively. The heat sink is designed to dissipate heat generated during operation from the multiple full-color self-luminous elements of each of the first, second, and third full-color light-emitting element group members to the outside. The light-diffusing display panel is characterized by having its lateral central portion project outward in a curved shape.

[0032] With this configuration, the heat generated by the operation of each of the multiple self-luminous elements in the first to third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group members is efficiently dissipated by the heat dissipation panel, while the light-diffusing display panel, with its outwardly convex curved shape, can emit the diffused colored light not only forward but also to the left and right. As a result, the field of view of the light-diffusing display panel is further expanded to the left and right. Consequently, users of the rapid charging device can clearly see the display on the light-diffusing display panel not only from the front but also from the left and right.

[0033] Furthermore, according to claim 5, the present invention relates to the automotive charging device described in claim 1, The display panel member is the main display panel member and is equipped with a sub-display panel member (Ds), and is also equipped with flow intermittent light emission control means (435, 445, 461, 475, DP1~DP9), The secondary display panel member is formed to constitute a different part of one of the walls of the housing from the main panel member. The sub-display panel member includes a sub-display panel (170) with the display panel as the main display panel, and also includes at least first and second light-emitting guides (180a to 180i). The sub-display panel is provided with at least first and second through-holes (171-179) spaced apart from its bottom to its top. The first light-emitting light guide comprises at least one full-color self-emitting element (182b) and a light-guiding member (181) fitted into the first through-hole so as to guide composite color light of a predetermined color that is incident from the full-color self-emitting element. The second light-emitting light guide comprises at least one full-color self-emitting element (182b) and a light-guiding member (181) fitted into the second through-hole so as to guide the composite color light of the predetermined color incident from the full-color self-emitting element. The flow intermittent light emission control means sequentially, intermittently, and repeatedly controls the first and second full-color self-luminous elements and light guide members of the first and second light-emitting light guides, respectively, so that each of the first and second full-color self-luminous elements emits composite light of a predetermined color into the first and second light guide members as the drive power supply is charged by the charging means. The first and second light-emitting guides guide the combined color light emitted intermittently and sequentially from the first and second full-color self-emitting elements using the first and second light-guiding members, and emit it sequentially and intermittently as guided combined color light. The sub-display panel is characterized in that it displays that the drive power supply is charging, based on the composite color light that is intermittently emitted from the first and second light-emitting guides, so that the light flows sequentially from the first through-hole to the second through-hole.

[0034] With this configuration, the sub-display panel member displays on the sub-display panel that the drive power supply is being charged, based on the combined color light that is intermittently emitted from the first and second light-emitting guides under the control of the flow intermittent light emission control means, so that it flows sequentially and intermittently from the first through-hole to the second through-hole.

[0035] According to this, the flowing display by the sub-display panel is performed in conjunction with the display by the light-diffusing display panel described in claim 1, so that the charging status of the drive power supply can be viewed even more clearly.

[0036] Furthermore, according to the description in claim 6, the present invention relates to the automotive charging device described in claim 5, As the charge rate of the drive power supply increases beyond the third charge rate range and changes to a saturation trend, the flow intermittent control means reduces the intermittent control speed in accordance with the degree of the saturation trend of the charge rate, thereby reducing the intermittent emission speed of the composite color light from each of the first and second full-color self-luminescent elements. The sub-display panel is characterized in that it reduces the intermittent display speed for the indication that the drive power supply is charging in accordance with the decrease in the intermittent emission speed of the composite color light from each of the first and second full-color self-luminous elements.

[0037] With this configuration, the sub-display panel, under the control of the intermittent flow control means, reduces the intermittent display speed for the display indicating that the drive power supply is charging. As a result, the time when the drive power supply is nearing the end of charging can be clearly seen from the display on the sub-display panel. Consequently, the effects and advantages of the invention described in claim 4 can be further improved.

[0038] Furthermore, according to the description in claim 7, the present invention relates to the automotive charging device described in claim 1, Prior to or during the operation to start charging the drive power supply, a charge reservation determination means (410) determines whether or not a charge reservation is made, After the charging reservation determination means determines that a charging reservation exists based on a charging reservation operation by an electronic terminal, a charging reservation short-time-before determination means (413) determines whether or not it is a predetermined short time before the reservation time in the charging reservation, The system includes a charging reservation control means (414) that, upon determination by the charging reservation short-time pre-determination means that the predetermined short time is required, controls each of the multiple full-color self-light-emitting elements of the first, second, and third longitudinal full-color self-light-emitting element group members to emit composite color light of a reserved color that is different from the predetermined color. The light-diffusing display panel is characterized in that it diffuses the composite color light of the reserved colors from each of the first, second, and third full-color light-emitting element group members and emits it as diffuse composite color light so as to display the charge reservation across its entire display surface.

[0039] With this configuration, the light-diffusing display panel emits diffused composite color light by diffusing the composite color light of the respective reservation colors of the first, second, and third full-color light-emitting element group members so that the charging reservation is displayed across its entire display surface. Therefore, the light-diffusing display panel displays across its entire display surface that there is a charging reservation for the rapid charger and that the reservation time is approaching. Accordingly, visitors and those with charging reservations can clearly see that there is a charging reservation and that the time for charging is approaching based on this display.

[0040] Furthermore, according to the description in claim 8, the present invention relates to the automotive charging device described in claim 7, When the charging reservation determination means determines that there is no charging reservation operation by an electronic terminal, it includes a self-light-emitting element control means (411, DG1~DG4) that controls each of the multiple self-light-emitting elements in the first, second, and third full-color self-light-emitting element groups so that each of the multiple self-light-emitting elements intermittently emits composite color light of a predetermined color. The light-diffusing display panel is characterized in that it diffuses intermittent composite color light from multiple self-emissive elements of each of the first, second, and third full-color self-emissive elements and emits it as intermittent diffuse composite color light so that it indicates that it is in a charging standby state across its entire display surface.

[0041] With this configuration, if there is no charge reservation, the light-diffusing display panel, under the control of the self-luminous element control means, diffuses intermittently combined color light from multiple self-luminous elements of each of the first, second, and third full-color self-luminous element groups across its entire display surface and emits it as intermittently diffused combined color light, thereby indicating that the rapid charger is in a charging standby state. As a result, the fact that the rapid charger is in a charging standby state can be clearly seen from the entire display surface of the light-diffusing display panel.

[0042] Furthermore, according to the description in claim 9, the present invention relates to the automotive charging device described in claim 1, When a failure occurs in the control unit, the system is equipped with emission control means (500, 510, 520) that control each of the multiple full-color self-light-emitting elements of the first, second, and third full-color self-light-emitting element group members to emit composite color light in a warning color that is different from the predetermined color. The light-diffusing display panel is characterized in that, under the control of an emission control means, it diffuses the composite color light of the warning color from each of the multiple self-luminous elements of the first, second, and third full-color light-emitting element group members and emits it as diffuse composite color light, so as to display a malfunction of the control unit across its entire display surface.

[0043] With this configuration, when a malfunction occurs in the control unit, the light-diffusing display panel, under the control of the emission control means, diffuses the composite color light of the warning color from each of the multiple self-luminous elements of the first, second, and third full-color light-emitting element group members and emits it as diffuse composite color light. Here, the light-diffusing display panel displays the malfunction of the control unit across its entire display surface, so the user can clearly see the malfunction of the control unit, and consequently the malfunction of the rapid charging device, through the display on the panel.

[0044] The symbols in parentheses in the above-mentioned means indicate their correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0045] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a rapid charging device for electric vehicles according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the rapid charging device in relation to the parking space at the rapid charging station. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a front view showing the rapid charging device. [Figure 4] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the fast charger along the line 4a-4a in Figure 3, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the fast charger along the line 4b-4b in Figure 3. [Figure 5] This is a detailed cross-sectional view of the rapid charging device along line 5-5 in Figure 3. [Figure 6] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main display panel member along line 6-6 in Figure 3. [Figure 7] This is a configuration diagram showing the arrangement of the first to fourth full-color self-luminescent element group members on the heat sink of the rapid charging device of the above embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 3 is a partially enlarged front view showing the first light-emitting element together with the display panel of the sub-display panel member. [Figure 9] This is a cross-sectional view showing the first light-emitting guide along the line 9-9 in Figure 3, together with the display panel of the sub-display panel member. [Figure 10] This is a circuit diagram showing the control unit in the above embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the display charging control circuit (microcomputer), the operation panel, the main display panel member, and the sub-display panel member in the control unit. [Figure 12] Figure 11 is a detailed circuit diagram showing the driving circuits for the first to fourth LEDf groups of the main display panel component. [Figure 13] Figure 11 is a detailed circuit diagram showing the drive circuits for the first to ninth LEDf pairs of the sub-display panel member. [Figure 14] Figure 11 is a portion of a flowchart representing a computer program executed by the CPU of a microcomputer. [Figure 15] This is a portion of the flowchart representing the above computer program. [Figure 16] This is a portion of the flowchart representing the above computer program. [Figure 17] This is a portion of the flowchart representing the above computer program. [Figure 18] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the timer interrupt program executed by the CPU of the microcomputer. [Figure 19] Figure 10 is a graph showing the charging current characteristics, which represent the relationship between the charging current and charging time for the power supply of an electric vehicle. [Figure 20]Figure 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the charge level and charging time for the power supply of an electric vehicle, representing the charge level characteristic. [Figure 21] (a) is a time chart showing the blinking drive pulse signal output by the CPU of the microcomputer in Figure 11, (b) is a time chart showing the red, green, and blue PWM pulse signals output by the said CPU, (c) is a time chart showing the blinking drive pulse signal output by the said CPU, and (d) is a time chart showing the red and green PWM pulse signals output by the said CPU. [Figure 22] (a) is a time chart showing the phase shift drive pulse signal output by the CPU of the microcomputer in Figure 11, and (b) is a time chart showing the red, green, and blue PWM pulse signals output by the same CPU. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0046] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0047] Figure 1 shows one embodiment of a rapid charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention. The electric vehicle is equipped with a group of secondary batteries (for example, a group of lithium-ion batteries) as the power source for its motor, which is its prime mover. The rapid charging device plays the role of charging the power source of the electric vehicle, i.e., the group of secondary batteries. In this embodiment, the rapid charging device is denoted by the symbol C.

[0048] The rapid charging device C is installed in a rapid charging station (not shown), and the rapid charging device C comprises a housing 100 and a control unit U, as shown in any of Figures 1 to 4.

[0049] As shown in Figure 1, the housing 100 comprises a base 110 and a housing body 120. As shown in Figure 1, the base 110 comprises a bottom wall 111, a front wall 112, a rear wall 113, and left and right side frame columns 114 (only the left side frame column 114 is shown in Figure 1), and the base 110 is installed on the site (not shown) of the rapid charging station by its bottom wall 111. The front wall 112 and the rear wall 113 extend upward from the center of the base 111, facing each other at a distance. The left and right side frame columns 114 are sandwiched between the left and right ends of the front wall 112 and the rear wall 113, and together with the bottom wall 111, the front wall 112 and the rear wall 113, form the base 110.

[0050] As shown in Figure 1, the housing body 120 is erected on the base 110, and the housing body 120 is composed of a front wall 120a, a rear wall 120b, and an inverted U-shaped frame 120c. Accordingly, the front wall 120a is connected at its lower end to the upper end of the front wall 112 of the base 110 and extends upward from that lower end. The rear wall 120b is connected at its lower end to the upper end of the rear wall 113 of the base 110, and extends upward from its lower end via the inverted U-shaped frame 120c so as to face the front wall 120a.

[0051] The inverted U-shaped frame 120c is connected at the lower ends of its left and right side legs 115 (only the left side leg 115 is shown in Figure 1) to the upper ends of the left and right side frame columns 114 of the base 110, and the left and right side legs 115 extend upward from their respective lower ends. The left and right side legs 115 are connected at their respective extended ends to the left and right side ends of the connecting part 116, and together with the connecting part 116, they constitute the inverted U-shaped frame 120c.

[0052] Here, the inverted U-shaped frame 120c is sandwiched between the left and right ends and upper end of the front wall 120a and the left and right ends and upper end of the rear wall 120b, and together with the front wall 120a and the rear wall 120b, constitutes the housing body 120. In this embodiment, the rapid charging device C is installed in the rapid charging station, as shown in Figure 2, with its main display panel member Dm (described later) and display panel 150 (described later) located on the parking space S side.

[0053] Furthermore, the rapid charging device C includes a main display panel member Dm and a sub-display panel member Ds, as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 3. In this embodiment, the main display panel member Dm and the sub-display panel member Ds together constitute the front wall 120a of the housing body 100. The main display panel member Dm constitutes the upper portion of the front wall 120a, and the sub-display panel member Ds constitutes the portion of the front wall 120a excluding the portion corresponding to the main display panel member Dm (the upper portion) (hereinafter referred to as the lower portion) (see Figure 1 or Figure 3).

[0054] The main display panel member Dm is responsible for displaying the charging status of the electric vehicle's power supply. As shown in any of Figures 3, 4(a), 5, 6, and 7, the main display panel member Dm comprises a holding structure 130, a heat sink 140, a display panel 150, and first to fourth longitudinal full-color self-luminescent element group members 160a to 160d. In this embodiment, the electric vehicle and its power supply will be denoted by the symbols EV and BT, respectively (see Figure 10). The display panel 150 will also be referred to as the main display panel 150 below.

[0055] As shown in Figure 5, the holding structure 130 is composed of a plate beam 130a, a plurality of strip-shaped rims 130b to 130h, and a frame member 130i. The plate beam 130a is formed from a rectangular metal plate (for example, a stainless steel plate). The plurality of strip-shaped rims 130b to 130h are each formed from a strip-shaped metal plate (for example, a strip-shaped stainless steel plate), and each of these strip-shaped rims 130b to 130h is formed to hold the heat sink 140 in the curved cross-sectional shape shown in Figure 5, according to its respective width (vertical width shown in Figure 5).

[0056] Specifically, the multiple strip-shaped rims 130b to 130h are formed on the beam plate 130a so as to extend parallel to each other from the inner surface of the beam plate 130a toward the heat sink 140. Of the multiple strip-shaped rims 130b to 130h, both strip-shaped rims 130b and 130h are formed so as to extend from the left end and right end of the beam plate 130a toward the left end and right end of the heat sink 140, respectively. The remaining strip-shaped rims 130c to 130g of the multiple strip-shaped rims 130b to 130h extend parallel to each other toward the heat sink 140 from positions at predetermined intervals (equal intervals of 1 / 6) along the left-right direction of the beam plate 130a, between the two strip-shaped rims 130b and 130h. Furthermore, the strip-shaped rim 130e extends from the center of the beam plate 130a in the left-right direction toward the left-right center (top) of the heat sink 140.

[0057] Since the heat sink 140 is formed in a curved shape as described later, in the multiple strip-shaped rims 130b to 130h, the strip-shaped rim 130e is formed such that its width has an extension length from the center of the left-right width of the beam plate 130a to the left-right center of the heat sink 140.

[0058] Furthermore, since both strip-shaped rims 130d and 130f are provided in positions symmetrical to each other with respect to the strip-shaped rim 130e, both strip-shaped rims 130d and 130f are formed to have the same extension length for each width, from each position shifted to the left or right by a distance of 1 / 6 of the left-right width from the center of the left-right width of the beam plate 130a to each part of the heat sink 140 that is shifted to the left or right by a distance of 1 / 6 of the left-right width from the center of the left-right width of the beam plate 130a.

[0059] Furthermore, since the two strip-shaped rims 130c and 130g are provided on the left and right outer sides of the two strip-shaped rims 130d and 130f, in symmetrical positions with respect to the strip-shaped rim 130e, the two strip-shaped rims 130c and 130g are formed to have the same extension length at each width, from each position shifted laterally by a distance of 2 / 6 of the left-right width from the center of the left-right width of the beam plate 130a to each part of the heat sink 140 that is shifted laterally by a distance of 2 / 6 of the left-right width from the center of the left-right width of the heat sink 140, with respect to each position shifted laterally by a distance of 2 / 6 of the left-right width from the center of the left-right width of the beam plate 130a. The remaining two strip-shaped rims 130b and 130h are formed to have the same extension length at each width, from each left and right end of the beam plate 130a to each left and right end of the heat sink 140.

[0060] The frame member 130i is formed as a rectangular annular frame body from a strip of metal plate (for example, stainless steel plate) so as to have left and right side frames 131 (see Figure 5) and upper and lower side frames 132 (see Figure 6).

[0061] In the frame member 130i, of the left and right side frames 131, the left frame 131 is formed in a U-shape in cross-section by a longitudinal vertical left frame portion 131a and front and rear left sleeve frame portions 131b extending to the right from both front and rear ends of the vertical left frame portion 131a.

[0062] On the other hand, the right frame 131 is formed to have a configuration symmetrical to that of the left frame 131, with reference to the left-right central portion of the frame member 130i. Accordingly, the right frame 131 is formed to have a vertical right frame portion and front and rear right sleeve frame portions corresponding to the vertical left frame portion 131a and front and rear left sleeve frame portions 131b of the left frame 131.

[0063] Here, the vertical right frame portion and the front and rear right sleeve frame portions of the right frame 131 are denoted by reference numerals 131a and 131b, respectively, similar to the vertical left frame portion 131a and the front and rear left sleeve frame portions 131b of the left frame 131. The vertical right frame portion 131a of the right frame 131 faces the vertical left frame portion 131a of the left frame 131. The front and rear right sleeve frame portions 131b of the right frame 131 extend from both the front and rear ends of the vertical right frame portion 131a toward the front and rear left sleeve frame portions 131b of the left frame 131.

[0064] Furthermore, in the frame member 130i, of the upper and lower side frames 132, the upper frame 132 is connected at both its left and right ends so as to be perpendicular to the upper ends of the left and right side frames 131. The upper frame 132 comprises a longitudinal horizontal upper frame portion 132a, a pair of upper front sleeve frame portions 132b extending downward from the front end of the horizontal upper frame portion 132a, and a pair of lower rear sleeve frame portions 132c extending downward from the rear end of the horizontal upper frame portion 132a.

[0065] Here, the distance between the pair of upper front sleeve frame sections 132b is selected to a value that allows the upper end of the main display panel 150 to be clamped. Also, the distance between the pair of upper rear sleeve frame sections 132c is selected to a value that allows the upper end of the heat sink 140 to be clamped.

[0066] On the other hand, the lower frame 132 is connected at both its left and right ends so as to be perpendicular to the lower ends of the left and right side frames 131. The lower frame 132 is formed to have a symmetrical configuration with respect to the vertical center of the frame member 130i. Accordingly, the lower frame 132 is formed to have a horizontal lower frame portion, a pair of lower front sleeve frame portions, and a pair of lower rear sleeve frame portions, corresponding to the horizontal upper frame portion 132a, a pair of upper front sleeve frame portions 132b, and a pair of lower rear sleeve frame portions 132c of the upper frame 132.

[0067] Here, the horizontal lower frame portion, the pair of lower front sleeve frame portions, and the pair of lower rear sleeve frame portions of the lower frame 132 are denoted by reference numerals 132a, 132b, and 132c, respectively, similar to the horizontal upper frame portion 132a, the pair of upper front sleeve frame portions 132b, and the pair of lower rear sleeve frame portions 132c of the upper frame 132.

[0068] Furthermore, the spacing between the pair of lower front sleeve frame sections 132b is selected to a value that allows the lower end of the main display panel 150 to be clamped (same value as the spacing between the pair of upper front sleeve frame sections 132b). Also, the spacing between the pair of lower rear sleeve frame sections 132c is selected to a value that allows the lower end of the heat sink 140 to be clamped (same value as the spacing between the pair of upper rear sleeve frame sections 132c).

[0069] The heat sink 140 is formed from, for example, an aluminum plate, and is press-formed into a curved shape that gently protrudes toward its front side (upward in Figure 5), as shown in Figure 5. As a result, the heat sink 140 is assembled to each of the strip-shaped rims 130b to 130h of the holding structure 130 so as to contact the extended ends of each strip-shaped rim 130b to 130h from its back surface.

[0070] The assembly configuration of the heat sink 140 formed in this manner to the holding structure 130 will be explained in detail. At both of its left and right ends, as shown in Figure 5, the heat sink 140 is sandwiched together with the two strip-shaped ribs 130b and 130h of the holding structure 130, between the rear of the vertical left frame portion 131a of the left frame 131 and the rear of the vertical right frame portion 131a of the right frame 131 of the frame member 130i of the holding structure 130 (see Figure 5). The thickness of the heat sink 140 is sufficient to properly dissipate the heat generated from each LEDf 162 of the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d, which will be described later. The material used to form the heat sink 140 is not limited to an aluminum plate, but any metal plate capable of performing heat dissipation is acceptable.

[0071] Here, the left end of the beam plate 130a is fixed to the rear left sleeve frame portion 131b of the left frame 131 from its inner side, and the strip-shaped rim 130b is fixed to the rear of the vertical left frame portion 131a of the left frame 131 from its inner side. On the other hand, the right end of the beam plate 130a is fixed to the rear right frame portion 131b of the right frame 131 from its inner side, and the strip-shaped rim 130h is fixed to the rear of the vertical right frame portion 131a of the right frame 131 from its inner side.

[0072] The main display panel 150 is made of a milky white acrylic plate having a predetermined thickness, and is processed to have a curved shape similar to that of the heat sink 140. In this configuration, the main display panel 150 is assembled within the frame member 130i of the holding structure 130 so as to be positioned parallel to and opposite to the heat sink 140 (see Figure 5). In this embodiment, the main display panel 150 has a rectangular shape and external dimensions similar to those of the heat sink 140.

[0073] Here, we will explain the rationale for adopting an acrylic plate as the forming material for the main display panel 150. Considering that the light emitted by each of the multiple full-color light-emitting diodes 162, which are used as multiple full-color self-luminous elements in the first to fourth full-color self-luminous element group members 160a to 160d described above, is highly directional colored light, the purpose is to diffuse this highly directional colored light over as wide an area as possible inside the main display panel 150 to improve the visibility of the display content of the main display panel 150. In this embodiment, the forming material for the main display panel 150 is not limited to an acrylic plate, but may be a synthetic resin plate that has the function of appropriately diffusing incident colored light. Also, the color of the acrylic plate is not limited to milky white, but may be any color that can be perceived as soft by the human eye. In this embodiment, colored light refers to light with color.

[0074] The assembly configuration of the main display panel 150 to the holding structure 130 will be described as follows: The main display panel 150 is sandwiched at both its left and right ends between the front of the vertical left frame portion 131a of the left frame 131 and the front of the vertical right frame portion 131a of the right frame 131 of the frame member 130i, as shown in Figure 5. Here, the predetermined thickness of the acrylic plate is sufficient to effectively diffuse the highly directional composite color light from each full-color light-emitting diode 162 (for example, 10 mm). In this embodiment, composite color light refers to color light obtained by mixing multiple different color lights.

[0075] Furthermore, the main display panel 150 is assembled within the frame member 130i at a predetermined distance from the heat sink 140, so that it is sandwiched between the front left sleeve frame portion 131b of the left frame 131 and the front right sleeve frame portion 131b of the right frame 131, respectively, at the front ends of both its left and right ends, from the inner side. Note that since the acrylic plate expands and contracts with temperature changes, when assembling the main display panel 150 to the frame member 130i, cushioning components (not shown) capable of absorbing the expansion and contraction of the main display panel 150 are incorporated between each of the top, bottom, left, and right ends of the main display panel 150 and the assembly portions of each end to the frame member 130i.

[0076] Furthermore, the first to fourth full-color self-luminous element group members 160a to 160d are arranged on the heat sink 140 at intervals in the vertical direction from its surface (the side facing the main display panel 150), as shown in Figure 7.

[0077] Since the first to fourth full-color self-luminous element group members 160a to 160d all have the same configuration, the configuration of the first full-color self-luminous element group member 160a will be explained using it as an example.

[0078] The first full-color self-luminous element group member 160a is composed of a strip-shaped flexible wiring board 161 and a plurality of full-color light-emitting diodes 162 that are used as a plurality of full-color self-luminous elements. In this embodiment, the full-color light-emitting diodes 162 are also simply referred to as LEDf162. Accordingly, the first full-color self-luminous element group member 160a is also referred to as the first LEDf group member 160a. This means that the first LEDf group member 160a is composed of a flexible wiring board 161 and a plurality of LEDf162. The plurality of LEDf162 of the first LEDf group member 160a will also be referred to as the first LEDf group 162 below.

[0079] In the first LEDf group member 160a, the flexible wiring board 161 is arranged on its back surface along the left-right direction of the heat sink 140 on the upper side of the curved surface of the heat sink 140. The reason for adopting the flexible wiring board 161 is that, as described above, the heat sink 140 is formed in a shape that curves gently toward the main display panel 150 in the left-right direction. Therefore, if the flexible wiring board 161 is flexible, it can be uniformly and easily attached to the curved surface of the heat sink 140 along its left-right direction on its back surface.

[0080] The first LEDf group 162, that is, the first set of LEDf 162, is arranged on a strip-shaped flexible wiring board 161 at predetermined intervals (for example, at equal intervals) from its surface along its entire length (see Figure 7). Here, each LEDf in the first LEDf group 162 is composed of a red light-emitting diode, a green light-emitting diode, and a blue light-emitting diode. In this embodiment, the red light-emitting diode, green light-emitting diode, and blue light-emitting diode will be referred to as LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb, respectively (see Figure 12).

[0081] These LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb each function to emit highly directional red, green, and blue light, which are the three primary colors of light, according to the intensity (luminance) corresponding to the current flowing into them. Accordingly, LEDf162 combines the red light from LEDr, the green light from LEDg, and the blue light from LEDb and emits a composite color light. Here, the color of this composite color light is adjusted by the ratio of the current flowing into LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb.

[0082] Furthermore, the remaining second to fourth LEDf group members 160b, 160c, and 160d each have the same configuration as the first LEDf group member 160a. Note that the multiple LEDf 162 in each of the second to fourth LEDf group members 160b, 160c, and 160d are also referred to as the second to fourth LEDf groups 162, similar to the first LEDf group 162.

[0083] To explain the assembly configuration of the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d with respect to the heat sink 140, the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d are arranged sequentially from the first LEDf group member 160a to the fourth LEDf group member 160d, along the lateral boundary plate portion of each adjacent five-part plate section (hereinafter also referred to as each five-part plate section) obtained by dividing the heat sink 140 into five equal parts along its vertical direction, starting from the surface side (see Figure 7).

[0084] In other words, if the five equally divided plate sections described above are considered as the first to fifth five equally divided plate sections, extending from the top to the bottom of the heat sink 140 as shown in Figure 7, then the first LEDf group member 160a is fixed along its left-right direction to the lateral boundary plate section between the first and second five equally divided plate sections (hereinafter also referred to as the first lateral boundary plate section), and the second LEDf group member 160b is fixed along its left-right direction to the lateral boundary plate section between the second and third five equally divided plate sections (hereinafter also referred to as the second lateral boundary plate section). Furthermore, the third LEDf group member 160c is fixed along its left-right direction to the lateral boundary plate portion between the third and fourth five-part plate portions (hereinafter also referred to as the third lateral boundary plate portion), and the fourth LEDf group member 160d is fixed along its left-right direction to the lateral boundary plate portion between the fourth and fifth five-part plate portions (hereinafter also referred to as the fourth lateral boundary plate portion). In addition, in the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d, each flexible wiring board 161 is fixed from its surface side to each of the first to fourth lateral boundary plate portions of the heat sink 140, as shown in Figure 7.

[0085] Furthermore, the main display panel component Dm is equipped with first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4, as shown in Figures 11 and 12. Since the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4 all have the same configuration, the configuration of the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 will be explained using it as an example.

[0086] As can be seen in Figure 11, the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the first LEDf group member 160a. As shown in Figure 12, the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 includes an LEDr group drive circuit section 163, an LEDg group drive circuit section 164, and an LEDb group drive circuit section 165.

[0087] As shown in Figure 12, the LEDr group driving circuit section 163, in conjunction with the inverter 166a, base resistor 166b, and bipolar transistor 166, is a circuit section that drives each of the multiple LEDf 162 that constitute the first LEDf group 162 of the first LEDf group member 160a. In this embodiment, the multiple LEDf 162 are common to the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d, but as described above, these multiple LEDf 162 are also referred to as the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 in the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d.

[0088] Here, the inverter 166a inverts the various drive pulse signals (described later) output from the microcomputer 300 via connection terminal 4 (see Figure 12) and outputs them as inverted drive pulse signals to the bipolar transistor 166 via base resistor 166b. The bipolar transistor 166 receives the inverted drive pulse from base resistor 166b at its base and performs a switching operation, turning on and off when the inverted drive pulse is at a high level and low level, respectively.

[0089] As shown in Figure 12, the LEDr drive circuit 163 includes a field-effect transistor (hereinafter referred to as MOSFET) 163a. ​​The MOSFET 163a is connected at its gate to the collector of a bipolar transistor 166 via gate resistors 163b and 163c. The MOSFET 163a is also connected at its drain to the positive terminal of a DC power supply E via the LEDr of multiple LEDf 162 (in this case, multiple LEDf 162 of the first LEDf group 162) and the drain resistor 163d. The LEDr of the multiple LEDf 162 are connected in parallel with each other.

[0090] However, the MOSFET 163a is turned on each time the bipolar transistor 166 is turned off by inputting a red PWM pulse signal (described later), which specifies the red color light output from the microcomputer 300 via connection terminal 1 (see Figure 12), through the collector resistor 166c and both gate resistors 163b and 163c. Consequently, each LEDr of the multiple LEDf162 is turned on by applying a DC voltage from the DC power supply E through the drain resistor 163d and emits a highly directional red color light.

[0091] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, the LEDg group driving circuit section 164 includes a MOSFET 164a, which is connected at its gate to the collector of the bipolar transistor 167 via gate resistors 164b and 164c. The MOSFET 164a is also connected at its drain to the positive terminal of the DC power supply E via each LEDg of the multiple LEDf 162 (multiple LEDf 162 of the first LEDf group 162) and the drain resistor 164d. Note that each LEDg of the multiple LEDf 162 is connected in parallel with each other (see Figure 12).

[0092] However, each time the bipolar transistor 167 is turned off by receiving the inverting drive pulse from the base resistor 166b mentioned above at its base, the MOSFET 164a is turned on by receiving a green PWM pulse signal (described later) at its gate, which specifies the green color light output from the microcomputer 300 via connection terminal 2 (see Figure 12), through the collector resistor 167a and both gate resistors 164b and 164c. Consequently, each LEDg of the multiple LEDf162 is turned on by applying a DC voltage from the DC power supply E via the drain resistor 164d and emits a highly directional green color light.

[0093] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, the LEDb group driving circuit 165 includes a MOSFET 165a, which is connected at its gate to the collector of the bipolar transistor 168 via gate resistors 165b and 165c. The MOSFET 165a is also connected at its drain to the positive terminal of the DC power supply E via each LEDb of the multiple LEDf 162 (multiple LEDf 162 of the first LEDf group 162) and the drain resistor 165d. Note that each LEDb of the multiple LEDf 162 is connected in parallel with each other (see Figure 12).

[0094] However, each time the bipolar transistor 168 is turned off by receiving an inverting drive pulse from the base resistor 166b mentioned above at its base, the MOSFET 165a is turned on by receiving a blue PWM pulse signal (described later) at its gate, which specifies the blue color light output from the microcomputer 300 via connection terminal 3 (see Figure 12), through the collector resistor 168a and both gate resistors 165b and 165c. Consequently, each LEDb of the multiple LEDf162 is turned on by applying a DC voltage from the DC power supply E via the drain resistor 165d and emits a highly directional blue color light.

[0095] In this way, the highly directional red, green, and blue colored lights emitted from each LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb of the multiple LEDf162 constituting the first LEDf group 162 are combined based on the red PWM pulse signal, green PWM pulse signal, and blue PWM pulse signal described above, as described later, and adjusted to be a highly directional combined colored light of a predetermined color emitted from each of the multiple LEDf162. The color of this combined colored light is set by the pulse width (duty cycle) of the red PWM pulse signal, green PWM pulse signal, and blue PWM pulse signal described above.

[0096] In the remaining second to fourth LEDf group driving circuits DG2 to DG4, the second LEDf driving circuit DG2 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the second LEDf group member 160b, the third LEDf driving circuit DG3 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the third LEDf group member 160c, and the fourth LEDf driving circuit DG4 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the fourth LEDf group member 160d.

[0097] These second to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG2 to DG4 each have the same circuit configuration as LEDf group drive circuit DG1, as shown in Figure 12. Accordingly, these second to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG2 to DG4 each operate in the same way as LEDf group drive circuit DG1. In each of these second to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG2 to DG4, as in the case of LEDf group drive circuit DG1, the highly directional red, green, and blue colored light emitted from each LEDr, each LEDg, and each LEDb of the multiple LEDf162 (each of the multiple LEDf162 in the second to fourth LEDf groups 162) is combined based on the red PWM pulse signal, green PWM pulse signal, and blue PWM pulse signal described above, as described later, and adjusted to be a highly directional combined colored light of a predetermined color emitted from each LEDf162 of the second to fourth LEDf groups 162. The color of the composite light is set by the pulse width (duty cycle) of the red PWM pulse signal, green PWM pulse signal, and blue PWM pulse signal described above.

[0098] The first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d, configured as described above, are driven by the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4 as described above, and each emits highly directional composite color light from multiple LEDf 162 constituting each of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 as light of the same color, from positions corresponding to the first to fourth lateral boundary plate portions of the heat sink 140 described above toward the corresponding lateral boundary panel portions (described later) of the main display panel 150 at those positions.

[0099] Here, if we consider the first to fifth panel sections of the heat sink 140 of the main display panel 150 to correspond to the first to fifth five-part divisions, then the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d are arranged along the first to fourth lateral boundary plate sections of the heat sink 140, as described above.

[0100] Therefore, the multiple LEDf162 constituting the first LEDf group 162 of the first LEDf group member 160a emit their respective composite color light toward the lateral boundary panel portion between the first and second panel portions of the main display panel 150 (hereinafter also referred to as the first lateral boundary panel portion), and the multiple LEDf162 constituting the second LEDf group 162 of the second LEDf group member 160b emit their respective composite color light toward the lateral boundary panel portion between the second and third panel portions of the main display panel 150 (hereinafter also referred to as the second lateral boundary panel portion).

[0101] Furthermore, the multiple LEDf162 constituting the third LEDf group 162 of the third LEDf group member 160c emit their respective composite color light toward the lateral boundary panel portion between the third and fourth panel portions of the main display panel 150 (hereinafter also referred to as the third lateral boundary panel portion), and the multiple LEDf162 constituting the fourth LEDf group 162 of the fourth LEDf group member 160d emit their respective composite color light toward the lateral boundary panel portion between the fourth and fifth panel portions of the main display panel 150 (hereinafter also referred to as the fourth lateral boundary panel portion).

[0102] However, when the highly directional composite color light from the multiple LEDf162 constituting the first LEDf group 162 is incident on the first lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150, the highly directional composite color light is diffused within the main display panel 150 from its first lateral boundary panel portion into the first and second panel portions. Similarly, when the highly directional composite color light from the multiple LEDf162 constituting the second LEDf group 162 is incident on the second lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150, the highly directional composite color light is diffused within the main display panel 150 from its second lateral boundary panel portion into the second and third panel portions.

[0103] Furthermore, when highly directional composite color light from multiple LEDf162 constituting the third LEDf group 162 is incident on the third lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150, the highly directional composite color light is diffused within the main display panel 150 from its third lateral boundary panel portion into the third and fourth panel portions. Similarly, when highly directional composite color light from multiple LEDf162 constituting the fourth LEDf group 162 is incident on the fourth lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150, the highly directional composite color light is diffused within the main display panel 150 from its fourth lateral boundary panel portion into the fourth and fifth panel portions.

[0104] In this way, the combined color light from each of the multiple LEDf 162 constituting the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 is dispersed and diffused within the main display panel 150, resulting in diffused combined color light that is diffused throughout the main display panel 150. Unlike the highly directional combined color light emitted by the LEDf 162, this diffused combined color light is less harmful to the human eye. Furthermore, since the acrylic plate forming the main display panel 150 is milky white, this diffused combined color light is even gentler on the human eye.

[0105] Furthermore, as described above, the main display panel 150 has a curved cross-section that curves outward in a gently protruding shape. Therefore, the colored light emitted from the entire surface of the main display panel 150 spreads outwards in accordance with this curved cross-section. Consequently, an even wider field of view of the main display panel 150 can be ensured.

[0106] Next, the configuration of the sub-display panel Ds will be described. The sub-display panel Ds is responsible for indicating that the drive power supply BT of the electric vehicle EV is charging. The sub-display panel Ds comprises a display panel 170 and first to ninth light-emitting guides 180a to 180i (see Figure 1 or Figure 3). In this embodiment, the display panel 170 is also referred to as the sub-display panel 170 below.

[0107] The sub-display panel 170 is formed from a metal plate having a predetermined thickness (for example, 1 mm), and the metal plate is formed to be curved outward in a curved cross-section, as shown in Figure 4(b). A stainless steel plate is used as the metal plate. In this embodiment, the metal plate is a stainless steel plate, but the metal plate is not limited to a stainless steel plate; for example, an iron plate or an aluminum plate may also be used.

[0108] The sub-display panel 170 is provided with first to ninth V-shaped slits 171 to 179, as shown in either Figure 1 or Figure 3. The first to ninth V-shaped slits 171 to 179 are formed by cutting out the same V shape along the left-right center of the sub-display panel 170, at predetermined intervals (for example, the same intervals) in the vertical direction, as shown in either Figure 1 or Figure 3.

[0109] Here, the first to ninth V-shaped slits 171 to 179 are each configured in a V-shape with left and right slit portions 171a to 179a, as shown in Figure 3. In the left and right slit portions 171a to 179a, the left and right slit portion 171a extends in a V-shape from its boundary. In the remaining left and right slit portions 172a to 179a, each of the left and right slit portions extends in a V-shape from its boundary.

[0110] Since the first to ninth light-emitting guides 180a to 180i all have the same configuration, as shown in Figures 1, 3, and 8, the configuration of the first light-emitting guide 180a will be explained using it as an example.

[0111] The first light-emitting light guide 180a is assembled within the first V-shaped slit 171 of the sub-display panel 170, as shown in any of Figures 1, 3, and 8. The first light-emitting light guide 180a is composed of a V-shaped light guide plate 181 and a full-color self-luminous element counter member 182, as shown in any of Figures 8 and 9.

[0112] The light guide plate 181 is formed by processing a strip-shaped transparent acrylic plate into a V-shape, and the light guide plate 181 is formed in a V-shape by left and right light guide plate portions 181a. Here, the left light guide plate portion 181a is press-fitted into the left slit portion 171a of the first slit 171 of the sub-display panel 170, and extends from the boundary portion of the left slit portion 171a with the right slit portion 171a toward the extended end of the left slit portion 171a. On the other hand, the right light guide plate portion 181a is press-fitted into the right slit portion 171a of the first slit 171 of the sub-display panel 170, and extends from the boundary portion of the right slit portion 171a with the left slit portion 171a toward the extended end of the right slit portion 171a.

[0113] The full-color self-luminous element pair member 182 comprises a pair of wiring boards 182a and a pair of full-color self-luminous elements 182b. Here, the full-color self-luminous element 182b refers to a full-color light-emitting diode 182b. Accordingly, the full-color light-emitting diode 182b will be indicated by LEDf182b as described above. The full-color self-luminous element pair member 182 is also called the LEDf pair member 182.

[0114] The LEDf-compatible member 182 is composed of a pair of wiring boards 182a and a pair of LEDf182b. In the pair of LEDf182b, one LEDf182b is mounted on one of the wiring boards 182a, and the other LEDf182b is mounted on the other wiring board 182a.

[0115] Furthermore, one wiring board 182a and one LEDf 182b are also referred to as the left wiring board 182a and the left LEDf 182b, respectively. Similarly, the other wiring board 182a and the other LEDf 182b are also referred to as the right wiring board 182a and the right LEDf 182b, respectively. In addition, the LEDf pair member 182 is also referred to as the left and right LEDf members 182.

[0116] In the LEDf member 182 (left and right LEDf members 182) configured in this way, the left LEDf member 182 is fitted into the extended end of the left slit portion 171a of the slit 171 of the auxiliary display panel 170.

[0117] In this case, the left LEDf member 182 is mounted on the inner surface of the extended end of the left slit portion 171a. Furthermore, the LEDf 182b of the left LEDf member 182 is fitted between the left wiring board 182a and the extended end of the left light guide plate portion 181a of the light guide plate 181.

[0118] The fitting is designed so that the composite color light emitted from the LEDf182b of the left LEDf member 182 is incident into the left light guide plate portion 181a from its extended end. This means that the composite color light from the LEDf182b of the left LEDf member 182 is guided by the left light guide plate portion 181a from its extended end toward the boundary with the right light guide plate portion 181a.

[0119] On the other hand, the right-side LEDf member 182 is fitted into the extended end of the right-side slit portion 171a of the slit 171 of the sub-display panel 170. In this case, the right-side wiring board 182a of the right-side LEDf member 182 is mounted on the inner surface of the extended end of the right-side slit portion 171a.

[0120] Furthermore, the LEDf182b of the right-side LEDf member 182 is fitted between the right-side wiring board 182a and the extended end of the right-side light guide plate portion 181a of the light guide plate 181. This fitting is configured so that the composite color light emitted from the LEDf182b of the right-side LEDf member 182 is incident into the right-side light guide plate portion 181a from its extended end. This means that the composite color light from LEDf182b of the right LEDf member 182 is guided by the right light guide plate portion 181a from its extended end toward the boundary with the left light guide plate portion 181a.

[0121] Under the above configuration, the first light-emitting light guide 180a emits the combined color light from the left and right side light guide plate portions 181a of its light guide plate 181 as a V-shaped combined color light within the first slit 171, and then emits it in front of the sub-display panel 170.

[0122] Furthermore, in each of the left and right LEDf members 182, LEDf182b has the same configuration as LEDf described in the main display panel member Dm above. Accordingly, the red, green, and blue light-emitting diodes constituting each LEDf182b of the left and right LEDf members 182 are referred to as LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb, respectively, as described above.

[0123] The remaining second to ninth light-emitting guides 180b to 180i are each composed of a light guide plate 181 and full-color self-emitting element members 182 on both the left and right sides, similar to the first light-emitting guide 180a. With this configuration, the remaining second to ninth light-emitting guides 180b to 180i are each fitted into the second to ninth slits 172 to 179 of the sub-display panel 170, using the left and right LEDf members 182 which are full-color self-emitting element members 182 on both the left and right sides, in the same manner as the first light-emitting guide 180a is fitted into the first slit 171.

[0124] Accordingly, the second to ninth light-emitting guides 180b to 180i, within the second to ninth slits 172 to 179, respectively, emit V-shaped combined color light guided by a light guide plate 181 in front of the sub-display panel 170, similar to the first light-emitting guide 180a.

[0125] Furthermore, the sub-display panel member Ds is equipped with first to ninth LEDf pair drive circuits DP1 to DP9, as shown in Figure 11. Here, the first to ninth LEDf pair drive circuits DP1 to DP9 all have the same configuration. Accordingly, the configuration of the first LEDf pair drive circuit DP1 among the first to ninth LEDf pair drive circuits DP1 to DP9 will be explained using it as an example.

[0126] The first LEDf pair driving circuit DP1 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the first light-emitting guide 180a (see Figure 11). As shown in Figure 13, the first LEDf pair driving circuit DP1 includes an LEDr pair driving circuit section 183, an LEDg pair driving circuit section 184, and an LEDb pair driving circuit section 185.

[0127] As shown in Figure 13, the LEDr pair drive circuit section 183, in conjunction with the inverter 186a, base resistor 186b, and bipolar transistor 186, is a circuit section that drives the LEDr of each LEDf 182b of the left and right LEDf pair members 182 of the first light-emitting body 180a.

[0128] Here, the inverter 186a inverts the phase shift drive pulse signal (described later) output from the microcomputer 300 via connection terminal 8 (see Figure 13) and outputs it as an inverted phase shift drive pulse signal to the bipolar transistor 186 via base resistor 186b. The bipolar transistor 186 receives the inverted phase shift drive pulse from base resistor 186b at its base and performs switching operation, turning on and off when the inverted phase shift drive pulse is at a high level and low level.

[0129] As shown in Figure 13, the LEDr drive circuit section 183 includes a MOSFET 183a, which is connected at its gate to the collector of a bipolar transistor 186 via gate resistors 183b and 183c. Furthermore, the drain of the MOSFET 183a is connected to the positive terminal of the DC power supply Ea via the LEDr of each LEDf 182b of the left and right LEDf members 182 of the first light-emitting body 180a and the drain resistor 183d. Note that the LEDr of each LEDf 182b on both sides are connected in parallel (see Figure 13).

[0130] In the LEDr drive circuit 183 configured in this way, the MOSFET 183a is turned on each time the bipolar transistor 186 is turned off by receiving a red PWM pulse signal (described later) output from the microcomputer 300 via the connection terminal 5 (see Figure 13) through its gate, via the collector resistor 186c and both gate resistors 183b and 183c. Consequently, each LEDr of the two LEDs f182b is turned on by having a DC voltage applied from the DC power supply Ea via the drain resistor 183d, and emits a highly directional red light.

[0131] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 13, the LEDg drive circuit section 184, in conjunction with the inverter 186a, base resistor 186b, and bipolar transformer 187, is a circuit section that drives the LEDg of each LEDf 182b of the left and right LEDf members 182 of the first light-emitting body 180a.

[0132] Here, the bipolar transistor 187 receives an inverting phase shift drive pulse from the base resistor 186b at its base and performs a switching operation, turning on and off when the inverting phase shift drive pulse is at a high level or low level.

[0133] The LEDg drive circuit section 184 includes a MOSFET 184a, which is connected at its gate to a collector resistor 187a via gate resistors 184b and 184c. The MOSFET 184a is also connected at its drain to the positive terminal of the DC power supply Ea via the LEDg of each LEDf182b of the left and right LEDf members 182 of the first light-emitting body 180a and the drain resistor 184d. The LEDg of each LEDf182b of the left and right LEDf members 182 are connected in parallel to each other (see Figure 13).

[0134] In the LEDg drive circuit 184 configured in this way, the MOSFET 184a is turned on each time the bipolar transistor 187 is turned off by receiving a green PWM pulse signal (described later) output from the microcomputer 300 via connection terminal 6 (see Figure 13) through its gate via the collector resistor 187a and both gate resistors 184b and 184c. Consequently, each LEDg of both LEDf 162 is turned on by applying a DC voltage from the DC power supply Ea via the drain resistor 184d and emits a highly directional green light.

[0135] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 13, the LEDb pair drive circuit section 185, in conjunction with the inverter 186a, base resistor 186b, and bipolar transformer 188, is a circuit section that drives each LEDb of each LEDf182b of the left and right LEDf pair members 182 of the first light-emitting light guide 180a.

[0136] The LEDb drive circuit section 185 includes a MOSFET 185a, which is connected at its gate to a collector resistor 188a via gate resistors 185b and 185c. The MOSFET 185a is also connected at its drain to the positive terminal of the DC power supply Ea via each LEDb of each LEDf 182b of the left and right LEDf members 182 of the first light-emitting body 180a and via a drain resistor 185d. Note that each LEDb of each LEDf 182b of the left and right LEDf members 182 is connected in parallel with each other (see Figure 13).

[0137] In the LEDb drive circuit 185 configured in this way, the MOSFET 185a is turned on each time the bipolar transistor 188 is turned off by receiving a blue PWM pulse signal (described later) output from the microcomputer 300 via the connection terminal 7 (see Figure 13) through its gate, via the collector resistor 188a and both gate resistors 185b and 185c. Consequently, each LEDb of both LEDf 182b is turned on by applying a DC voltage from the DC power supply Ea via the drain resistor 185d and emits a highly directional blue light.

[0138] However, in the first LEDf drive circuit DP1, the highly directional red, green, and blue colored lights emitted from each LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb of the left and right LEDf182b of the first light-emitting light guide 180b are combined based on the red PWM pulse signal, green PWM pulse signal, and blue PWM pulse signal described above, as described later, and adjusted to be highly directional combined colored light emitted from each of the left and right LEDf182.

[0139] The remaining second to ninth LEDf pair drive circuits DP2 to DP9 each have the same circuit configuration as the first LEDf pair drive circuit DP1, as shown in Figure 13. Accordingly, the second to ninth LEDf pair drive circuits DP2 to DP9 each operate in the same manner as the first LEDf pair drive circuit DP1.

[0140] In the second to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP2 to DP9, the second LEDf drive circuit DP2 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the second light-emitting guide 180b, the third LEDf drive circuit DP3 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the third light-emitting guide 180c, and the fourth LEDf drive circuit DP4 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the fourth light-emitting guide 180d (see Figure 11).

[0141] Furthermore, the fifth LEDf drive circuit DP5 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the fifth light-emitting guide 180e, the sixth LEDf drive circuit DP6 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the sixth light-emitting guide 180f, the seventh LEDf drive circuit DP7 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the seventh light-emitting guide 180g, the eighth LEDf drive circuit DP8 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the eighth light-emitting guide 180h, and the ninth LEDf drive circuit DP9 is connected between the microcomputer 300 and the ninth light-emitting guide 180i (see Figure 11).

[0142] Accordingly, in each of the second to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP2 to DP9, similar to the case with the first LEDf drive circuit DP1, the highly directional red, green, and blue colored lights emitted from each LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb of the left and right LEDf182b of the second to ninth light-emitting guides 180b to ninth light-emitting guides 180h are combined based on the red PWM pulse signal, green PWM pulse signal, and blue PWM pulse signal described above, as described later, and adjusted to be highly directional combined colored light emitted from each of the left and right LEDf182.

[0143] Furthermore, the rapid charging device C is equipped with a charging connector member 190, as shown in Figure 1. The charging connector member 190 comprises a charging connector 190a and a charging cord 190b. The charging connector 190a is housed in a concave connector housing (not shown) provided in the longitudinal middle portion of the left leg portion 115 of the inverted U-shaped frame 120c of the housing 100, as shown in Figure 1.

[0144] The charging connector 190a is provided with a normally open connector switch 191, which turns on when the charging connector 190a is connected to the connector receiving portion (not shown) of an electric vehicle (EV), generating a connector connection signal.

[0145] The connector cord 190b is formed by coaxially housing wiring within a tube made of a flexible electrical insulating material. The connector cord 190b is connected to the charging connector 190a at its base end, and extends from its base end and is inserted into the inverted U-shaped frame 120c through an opening 115a formed in the other longitudinal intermediate portion of the left leg 115 of the inverted U-shaped frame 120c so as to be pullable out.

[0146] The charging cord 190b is fixed at an appropriate location within the inverted U-shaped frame 120c at its extended end. The connector switch 191 is connected to the display charging control circuit 300 (described later) of the control unit U within the inverted U-shaped frame 120c via the above wiring, and the connector switch 191 outputs its connector connection signal to the display charging control circuit 300 via the above wiring.

[0147] Next, the configuration of the control unit U required to control the drive power supply BS, the main display panel member Dm, and the sub-display panel member Ds of the electric vehicle EV will be described.

[0148] As shown in Figure 10, the control unit U includes a charging control circuit 200 and a display charging control circuit 300.

[0149] The charging control circuit 200, also known as the power module, is composed of a three-phase full-wave rectifier circuit 210, a DC-DC converter 220, and a diode 230. The three-phase full-wave rectifier circuit 210 converts the three-phase AC voltage from the commercial three-phase AC power supply PS into a DC voltage through full-wave rectification.

[0150] The DC-DC converter 220 consists of a step-up / step-down DC-DC converter. The DC-DC converter 220 operates under switching operation in response to a PWM pulse signal (described later) from the semiconductor switching element display charge control circuit 300, converting the DC voltage from the three-phase full-wave rectifier circuit 210 to an appropriate DC voltage and outputting it. Accordingly, the DC-DC converter 220 outputs a DC current (for example, 200A) based on its output DC voltage and the three-phase AC power of the commercial three-phase AC power supply PS.

[0151] Furthermore, the diode 230 conducts (turns on) when the output DC voltage from the DC-DC converter 220 is applied to it, and this output DC voltage is applied to the drive power supply BT of the electric vehicle EV via both contactor CTs. In other words, the DC-DC converter 220 supplies its DC current as a charging current (200A) to the drive power supply BT via the diode 230 and both contactor CTs.

[0152] Next, the configuration of the display and charging control circuit 300 will be described. As shown in either Figure 10 or Figure 11, the display and charging control circuit 300 is connected between the DC power supply 300a, the DC-DC converter 220 of the charging control circuit 200, the main display panel member Dm, the sub-display panel member Ds, and the electronic control unit ECU of the electric vehicle EV.

[0153] Here, as shown in Figure 11, the display charging control circuit 300 is connected to the charging start operation unit 151, the charging stop operation unit 152, and the emergency stop operation unit 153 of the operation panel TP, as well as to the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d of the main display panel member Dm, and is also connected to the first to ninth light-emitting light guides 180a to 180i of the sub-display panel member Ds.

[0154] The control panel TP functions as a touch panel and is located in a suitable place on the housing 100 of the rapid charger C (for example, in the middle of the left leg portion 115 of the frame 120c). The charging start operation unit 151 is touched by the user when they start using the rapid charger C and generates a charging start operation signal. The charging stop operation unit 152 is touched by the user when they stop charging the rapid charger C and generates a charging stop signal. The charging stop operation unit 152 also serves as the charging end operation unit, which is touched when the rapid charger C finishes charging and generates a charging end signal. The emergency stop operation unit 153 is operated when an emergency occurs with the rapid charger C and generates an emergency stop signal.

[0155] The display and charging control circuit 300 is comprised of a microcomputer. In this embodiment, the microcomputer is denoted by reference numeral 300, similar to the display and charging control circuit 300.

[0156] The microcomputer 300, using its CPU (not shown), executes a computer program according to the flowcharts shown in Figures 14 to 17, performing various calculations necessary for controlling the charging control circuit 200, the main display panel member Dm, and the sub-display panel member Ds. The microcomputer 300 also executes an interrupt program according to the flowchart shown in Figure 18, performing calculations regarding the presence or absence of a malfunction in the control unit U. This interrupt program is a timer interrupt program initiated by a timer (not shown) provided in the microcomputer 300. This timer is set to reset and start after each predetermined interrupt time (for example, 2 milliseconds). The computer program and timer interrupt program described above are pre-loaded and stored in the ROM (not shown) of the microcomputer 300.

[0157] In this embodiment configured as described above, when power is supplied to the rapid charging device C from the commercial three-phase AC power supply PS, the rapid charging device C is put into an operating state. Accordingly, the three-phase AC voltage is input from the commercial three-phase AC power supply PS to the charging control circuit 200 and the DC power supply 300a of the control unit U.

[0158] When the three-phase AC voltage is input to the DC power supply 300a in this manner, the DC power supply 300a generates a predetermined DC voltage (for example, 5V) and inputs it to the display charging control circuit 300 (microcomputer 300). The microcomputer 300 then starts executing the computer program according to the flowcharts in Figures 14 to 17.

[0159] Furthermore, upon this start, the timer begins timing the predetermined interrupt period. Upon completion of the timing of the predetermined interrupt period, the CPU begins executing the timer interrupt program according to the flowchart in Figure 18.

[0160] Here, the timer is reset each time the predetermined interrupt time has finished, and the timer starts again, repeating this operation. In other words, the CPU executes the timer interrupt program interrupt each time the timer finishes running while the computer program is in operation.

[0161] As described above, once the computer program starts executing, step 410 (see Figure 14) determines whether or not a charging reservation has been made. If there is no operation to make a charging reservation by the customer using their smartphone (not shown) or microcomputer (not shown), step 410 determines NO. Subsequently, in the next charging standby processing routine 411, the charging standby process, in other words, the customer charging standby process, is performed.

[0162] In the charging standby processing routine 411, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see Figure 21(b)) required for each LEDf 162 of each LEDf group 160a to 160d of the main display panel member Dm to emit pink composite color light are output by the CPU of the microcomputer 300 via the respective connection terminals 1, 2, 3, and 4 to the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4, each with a period Ts (see Figure 21(b)).

[0163] In this embodiment, the conduction and non-conductivity of a self-luminous element (e.g., a light-emitting diode) are also referred to as on and off. Furthermore, the illumination and cessation of the light-emitting element are also referred to as lighting and extinguishing. Here, the repeated lighting and extinguishing is also referred to as blinking. In addition, the conduction and non-conductivity of a transistor (described later) are also referred to as on and off.

[0164] In this embodiment, in order to specify the color of the composite light described above as pink, the duty cycles of the red PWM pulse signal Sr and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are both set to 100%, and the duty cycle of the green PWM pulse signal Sg is set to 50%. Therefore, the pulse width of the green PWM pulse signal Sg is half the pulse width of the red PWM pulse signal Sr and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see Figure 21(b)).

[0165] Furthermore, the blinking drive pulse signal Sp is output by the CPU via the connection terminal 4 to the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4 with a period T (for example, 2 seconds) (see Figure 21(a)). The duty cycle of the blinking drive pulse signal Sp is set to, for example, 50%.

[0166] As described above, when the blinking drive pulse signal Sp, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4, each bipolar transistor 166 to 168 in these first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4 repeatedly turns on and off (switches) in response to the blinking drive pulse signal Sp output sequentially from the CPU.

[0167] Then, in each of the first to fourth LEDf group driving circuits DG1 to DG4, the LEDr group driving circuit section 163, the LEDg group driving circuit section 164, and the LEDb group driving circuit section 165 (see Figure 12) operate as follows.

[0168] First, in the LEDr group driving circuit section 163, the MOSFET 163a turns on each time the bipolar transistor 166 is turned off, in response to the red PWM pulse signal Sr from the CPU. Then, each LEDr of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 turns on each time the MOSFET 163a is turned on, based on the DC voltage from the DC power supply E.

[0169] Consequently, a DC current corresponding to the duty cycle (100%) of the red PWM pulse signal Sr flows from the DC power supply E into the LEDr of each LEdf162 in the first to fourth LEDf groups 162. As a result, each LEDr lights up with a strong, directional red light at a brightness proportional to the amount of DC current flowing into it, each time the MOSFET 163a is turned on.

[0170] Furthermore, in the LEDg group driving circuit 164, the MOSFET 164a turns on each time the bipolar transistor 167 is turned off, in response to the green PWM pulse signal Sg from the CPU. Then, each LEDf 162 of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 turns on each time the MOSFET 164a is turned on, based on the DC voltage from the DC power supply E.

[0171] Consequently, a DC current corresponding to the duty cycle (50%) of the green PWM pulse signal Sg flows from the DC power supply E into the LEDg of each LEDf162 in the first to fourth LEDf groups 162. As a result, each LEDg lights up with a highly directional green light at a brightness proportional to the amount of DC current flowing into it, each time the MOSFET 164a is turned on.

[0172] Furthermore, in the LEDb group driving circuit 165, the MOSFET 165a turns on each time the bipolar transistor 168 is turned off, in response to the blue PWM pulse signal Sb from the CPU. Then, each LEDf 162 of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 turns on each time the MOSFET 165a is turned on, based on the DC voltage from the DC power supply E.

[0173] Consequently, a DC current corresponding to the duty cycle (100%) of the blue PWM pulse signal Sb flows from the DC power supply E into the LEDb of each LEDf162 in the first to fourth LEDf groups 162. As a result, each LEDb lights up with a highly directional blue light at a brightness proportional to the amount of DC current flowing in, each time the MOSFET 165a is turned on.

[0174] As described above, when each of the multiple LEDf162 constituting the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 lights up with red, green, and blue light at its LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb respectively, each time MOSFETs 163a, 164a, and 165a are turned on, the multiple LEDf162 mix and adjust the red, green, and blue light so that it becomes a highly directional pink composite color light, according to the brightness corresponding to the amount of current flowing into each of the LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb mentioned above.

[0175] Here, as described above, each MOSFET 163a, 164a, and 165a repeatedly switches based on the duty cycle of the blinking drive pulse signal Sp, so that each of the multiple LEDs 162 in the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 blinks with the pink, highly directional composite color light.

[0176] In this manner, each highly directional composite colored pink light that flashes is emitted from multiple LEDf 162 constituting each of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 toward the main display panel 150. Consequently, the main display panel 150 diffuses the flashing composite colored pink light from the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d and emits it as a flashing diffused composite colored pink light.

[0177] This means that the main display panel 150 will flash a pink, diffused composite color light to indicate the charging standby state. As a result, the fact that the rapid charger C is in a charging standby state can be visually confirmed by the flashing pink display on the main display panel 150.

[0178] Furthermore, since the period T of the blinking drive pulse signal Sp described above is 2 seconds, the blinking of each LED f162 in the first to fourth LED f groups f162, and consequently the blinking indication of the charging standby state by the main display panel 150, can be performed relatively slowly and gradually.

[0179] In the main display panel member Dm, as is clear from the above, the flashing composite color light (currently, a highly directional flashing composite color light of pink) from each of the multiple LEDf162 constituting the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 is dispersed and diffused within the main display panel 150. As a result, the highly directional flashing composite color light of pink from each of the multiple LEDf162 is diffused throughout the main display panel 150, becoming a flashing diffused composite color light.

[0180] Accordingly, the main display panel 150 can display the charging standby status on its entire display surface based on the flashing diffuse composite color light described above. Under this display, a person wishing to use the rapid charger C can clearly see the charging standby status displayed on the main display panel 150, even from a distance away from the rapid charger C.

[0181] Here, the highly directional colored light from each of the multiple LEDf162 constituting the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 is converted into diffused composite colored light by the main display panel 150 under the light diffusion function of the milky white acrylic plate that forms it, as described above. Therefore, the charging standby status display on the main display panel 150 can be viewed by the user of the rapid charging device C in a gentle light that is not harmful to their eyes.

[0182] Furthermore, as described above, the main display panel 150 is formed in a gently convex curved shape toward the front, so the display surface of the main display panel 150 can be clearly seen not only from the front but also from the left and right directions. As a result, the fact that the rapid charging device C is in a charging standby state can be clearly seen from a wide field of view based on the display on the main display panel 150, which is based on a pink flashing diffuse composite color light.

[0183] After the charging standby processing routine 411 has finished processing as described above, the next step 412 determines whether or not to start charging. If the result in step 412 is NO, the computer program returns to step 410.

[0184] On the other hand, at this stage, charging reservations are made using the customer's smartphone or microcomputer. Along with this operation, the charging reservation time is entered using the customer's smartphone or microcomputer. This operation information (the fact that a charging reservation is being made and the charging reservation time) is transmitted to the microcomputer 300 and temporarily stored in the RAM (not shown) of the microcomputer 300.

[0185] However, based on the operation information described above, if a determination of YES is made in step 410, that is, if a charging reservation is made, then in step 413, it is determined whether or not it is 30 minutes before the charging reservation time. In this embodiment, "30 minutes" is used for "30 minutes before the charging reservation time" because, for example, rapid charging by the rapid charging device C takes 30 minutes, and therefore it is necessary to prohibit the use of the rapid charging device C 30 minutes before the charging reservation time.

[0186] At this point, if the time is, for example, 1.5 hours before the charging reservation time, it is not yet 30 minutes before the charging reservation time, so step 413 determines NO, and the charging standby processing routine 411 is performed as described above.

[0187] Conversely, if the time is 30 minutes before the scheduled charging time, step 413 will determine YES, and then the charging reservation display processing routine 414 will be executed.

[0188] In the charging reservation processing routine, the CPU outputs red PWM pulse signals Br and green PWM pulse signals Bg (see Figure 21(d)) to the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4, each with a period Tb (milliseconds) (see Figure 21(d)), which are required for each of the multiple LEDf162 in the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 to light up with a yellow composite color light. Here, in order to specify the composite color light as yellow, the duty cycles of both the red PWM pulse signal Br and the green PWM pulse signal Bg are set to 100%.

[0189] Furthermore, a blinking drive pulse signal Bp (see Figure 21(c)) is output by the CPU to the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4 with a period T (for example, 2 seconds).

[0190] As described above, when the blinking drive pulse signal Bp, the red PWM pulse signal Br, and the green PWM pulse signal Bg are output to the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4, the bipolar transistors 166 and 167 in these first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4 repeatedly switch in response to the blinking drive pulse signal Bp output sequentially from the CPU.

[0191] Accordingly, in each of the first to fourth LEDf group driving circuits DG1 to DG4, the LEDr group driving circuit section 163 and the LEDg group driving circuit section 164 operate as follows. In the LEDb group driving circuit section 165, even if the bipolar transistor 168 switches in response to the blinking drive pulse signal Bp, the MOSFET 165a remains off because there is no blue drive pulse signal.

[0192] However, in the LEDr group driving circuit 163, the MOSFET 163a turns on each time the bipolar transistor 166 is turned off, in response to the red PWM pulse signal Br from the CPU. Then, each of the multiple LEDf 162 of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 turns on at its LEDr, based on the DC voltage from the DC power supply E each time the MOSFET 163a is turned on.

[0193] Consequently, a DC current corresponding to the duty cycle (100%) of the red PWM pulse signal Br flows from the DC power supply E into each of the multiple LEDs in the first to fourth LEDf groups 162. As a result, each of these LEDs lights up with a highly directional red light at a brightness proportional to the amount of DC current flowing into it, each time the MOSFET 163a is turned on.

[0194] Furthermore, in the LEDg group driving circuit 164, the MOSFET 164a turns on each time the bipolar transistor 167 is turned off, in response to the green PWM pulse signal Bg from the CPU. Then, each of the multiple LEDf 162 constituting the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 turns on at LEDg, based on the DC voltage from the DC power supply E, each time the MOSFET 164a is turned on.

[0195] Consequently, a DC current corresponding to the duty cycle (100%) of the green PWM pulse signal Bg flows from the DC power supply E into each LEDg of the multiple LEDf162 constituting each of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162. As a result, each LEDg lights up with a highly directional green light at a brightness proportional to the amount of DC current flowing into it, each time the MOSFET 164a is turned on.

[0196] As described above, in the reservation processing routine 414, when multiple LEDf162 constituting each of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 are lit with red and green light at their respective LEDr and LEDg, the multiple LEDf162 constituting each of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 mix and adjust the respective red and green light to form a composite color light with strong yellow directionality according to their respective brightness levels.

[0197] As a result, each of the multiple LEDf162 constituting the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 emits the yellow composite color light to the main display panel 150 while flashing each time the MOSFETs 163a and 164a are turned on and off based on the period T of the flashing drive pulse signal Bp.

[0198] Accordingly, each of the yellow flashing composite color lights is diffused within the main display panel 150 from its first to fourth boundary portions, as described above, and emitted from the entire display surface of the main display panel 150 as yellow flashing diffuse composite color light. This means that the main display panel 150 flashes the charging reservation based on the yellow flashing diffuse composite color light across its entire display surface.

[0199] As a result, even when the vehicle is located some distance from the rapid charger C, the fact that it is 30 minutes before the scheduled charging time for the rapid charger C can be clearly seen through the flashing display on the main display panel 150, which is based on a flashing yellow diffuse composite color light across the entire display surface.

[0200] Furthermore, after the charging standby processing routine 411 is performed without a charging reservation, or after the charging reservation display processing routine 414 is performed under a charging reservation, it is determined in step 412 or step 415 whether or not a charging start operation is performed.

[0201] Here, we assume that an electric vehicle (EV) is parked in parking space S (see Figure 2) for charging using a rapid charging device C. Furthermore, the driver of the electric vehicle (EV) is either the person who made the charging reservation for rapid charging device C as described above, or a person who requests charging using rapid charging device C without making a reservation. Hereafter, the person who made the charging reservation or the person who requests charging will also be referred to as the user of rapid charging device C.

[0202] When the user touches the charging start operation unit 151 on the operation panel TP of the rapid charging device C, the operation panel TP generates a charging start operation signal from the charging start operation unit 151 and outputs it to the CPU. Since the output of this charging start operation signal requests the start of charging, it is determined to be YES in step 412 or 415.

[0203] As described above, if the result in either step 412 or 415 is determined to be YES, the computer program proceeds to the next step 420, as it has reached the stage where charging of the electric vehicle's (EV) drive power supply BT begins.

[0204] However, in step 420, it is determined whether or not the charging connector is connected. At this stage, when the charging connector 190a of the charging connector member 190 of the rapid charging device C is removed from the recessed connector housing portion of the housing 100 and connected to the connector receiving portion of the electric vehicle EV, the charging connector switch 191 (see Figure 10) turns on, generates a connector connection signal, and outputs it to the CPU.

[0205] Accordingly, since the output of the connector connection signal indicates a connection of the charging connector, the result is determined to be YES in step 420. Based on this determination, in the LEDf-off process of the first to fourth LEDf group members in step 421, multiple LEDf 162 of each of the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d are turned off together.

[0206] Specifically, when the process proceeds from the charging standby processing routine 411 to step 420, the output of the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, the blue PWM pulse signal Sb, and the blinking drive pulse signal Sp from the CPU is stopped. Also, when the process proceeds from the charging reservation processing routine 414 to step 420, the output of the red PWM pulse signal Br, the green PWM pulse signal Bg, and the blinking drive pulse signal Bp from the CPU is stopped. Accordingly, multiple LEDs 162 in each of the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d are turned off.

[0207] After the lights are turned off, the computer program proceeds to the next drive power supply status query processing routine 422. In the query processing routine 422, the CPU queries the electronic control unit ECU (see Figure 10) of the electric vehicle EV via CAN communication regarding the state of the drive power supply BT at the stage when the computer program proceeds to the processing of the query processing routine 422 (hereinafter also referred to as the initial query processing stage). The contents of the query include, for example, the charge state, voltage (also referred to as battery voltage), and charge rate of the drive power supply BT at the initial query processing stage, as well as the command value of the charging current required to charge the drive power supply BT at the initial query processing stage (also referred to as the charging current command value).

[0208] After the processing of the above-described drive power status inquiry processing routine 422, step 423 determines whether or not the inquiry content has been received. At this stage, if the CPU has received the charge permission signal, charge rate signal, and charge current command value signal along with the voltage signal from the electronic control unit ECU of the electric vehicle (EV) via CAN communication based on the above-described inquiry content, the determination in step 423 is YES.

[0209] Here, the charge permission signal indicates that the charge control device 200 is permitted to charge the drive power supply BT after the initial query processing stage described above. The charge rate signal indicates the charge rate of the drive power supply BT at the time of the initial query processing stage described above. The charge current command value signal indicates the charge current command value required to charge the drive power supply BT at the time of the initial query processing stage described above. The voltage signal indicates the battery voltage of the drive power supply BT at the time of the initial query processing stage described above.

[0210] Following the determination of YES in step 423, the next step 424 performs the following processing: permission to charge from the initial query processing stage onward, and setting of the battery voltage, charge rate, and charge current command value in the initial query processing stage. This setting processing is performed based on the query received in step 423. Specifically, the setting processing for permission to charge the drive power supply BT, and the setting of the charge rate, charge current command value (e.g., 200A), and battery voltage in the initial query processing stage of the drive power supply BT are performed. Here, the charge rate, charge current command value, and battery voltage after this setting processing are referred to as the initial charge rate, initial charge current command value, and initial battery voltage, corresponding to the initial query processing stage. The setting processing refers to the storage processing to the RAM.

[0211] In this embodiment, the drive power supply BT of the electric vehicle EV has the charging current characteristics shown in Figure 19. These charging current characteristics represent the relationship between the charging current and charging time of the drive power supply BT. In these charging current characteristics, the charging current tends to remain at, for example, 200A until the charging time reaches 30 minutes (until the charge level of the drive power supply BT increases to, for example, 80%), and then decreases sharply. The reason why the charging current decreases sharply when the charge level reaches 80% is that when the charge level reaches 80%, the voltage of the drive power supply BT (battery voltage) tends to saturate.

[0212] Next, the charging start processing routine 425 is executed. In this charging start processing routine, following the set processing in step 424, a PWM pulse signal is output by the CPU to the DC-DC converter 220 of the control unit U.

[0213] Furthermore, when the DC-DC converter 220 receives a DC voltage input from the three-phase full-wave rectifier circuit 210, the DC-DC converter 220 switches using its semiconductor switching elements in response to the PWM pulse signal from the CPU mentioned above. Through this switching operation, the DC-DC converter 220 controls the DC voltage of the three-phase full-wave rectifier circuit 210 to a constant current value according to the initial charging current command value mentioned above, and flows it into the drive power supply BT. This means that charging of the drive power supply BT begins.

[0214] Specifically, the CPU compares the initial charging current command value with the detected current value by a current sensor (not shown) and adjusts the pulse width of the PWM pulse signal so that the difference between the initial charging current command value and the detected current value decreases. Accordingly, the PWM pulse signal having the adjusted pulse width is output by the CPU to the semiconductor switching element of the DC-DC converter 220.

[0215] In response to the output of a PWM pulse signal to the semiconductor switching element of the DC-DC converter 220, the DC-DC converter 220 switches according to the pulse width of the PWM pulse signal adjusted as described above, and controls the DC voltage of the three-phase full-wave rectifier circuit 210 to a constant current value according to the initial charging current command value described above, and supplies it to the drive power supply BT to charge the drive power supply BT. The current sensor described above detects the output current value of the DC-DC converter 220 (see Figure 10) and outputs it to the CPU.

[0216] As described above, the DC-DC converter 220 applies the DC voltage from the three-phase full-wave rectifier circuit 210 to the drive power supply BT of the electric vehicle EV via the diode 230 and the contactor CTs of the electric vehicle EV. Under this application, the DC-DC converter 220 charges the drive power supply BT with a constant current by controlling the DC current from the three-phase full-wave rectifier circuit 210 with a constant current. At this time, the DC-DC converter 220 flows the constant current value into the drive power supply BT as the initial charging current command value (200A).

[0217] As described above, after the charging start processing routine 425 is performed, in the next step 430 (see Figure 15), it is determined whether the initial charge level is within the first charge level range SOC1 (see Figure 20).

[0218] In this embodiment, the drive power supply BT has the charge rate characteristics shown in Figure 20. These charge rate characteristics represent the relationship between the charge rate of the drive power supply BT and the charging time. In these charge rate characteristics, the charge rate increases linearly from 0% to 80% as the charging time progresses, but tends to saturate above 80%.

[0219] Therefore, in this embodiment, the charge level characteristics are applied by dividing the charge level range, which consists of a charge level of 0% to 80%, into first to fourth charge level ranges SOC1 to SOC4.

[0220] Of the first to fourth charge level ranges SOC1 to SOC4, the first charge level range SOC1 refers to the charge level range of 0% or more and less than 20%, the second charge level range SOC2 refers to the charge level range of 20% or more and less than 40%, the third charge level range SOC3 refers to the charge level range of 40% or more and less than 60%, and the fourth charge level range SOC4 refers to the charge level range of 60% or more and less than 80%. These charge level characteristics are pre-stored in readable format in the ROM of the microcomputer 300.

[0221] However, if the initial charge rate in step 424 is within the first charge rate range SOC1, the determination in step 430 is YES. Accordingly, in the next charge rate / charging current command value query processing routine 431, the CPU queries the electronic control unit ECU of the electric vehicle EV via CAN communication for the current charge rate (also called the current charge rate) and the charging current command value (also called the current charging current command value) of the drive power supply BT.

[0222] Subsequently, in step 432, it is determined whether or not the query content has been received. At this stage, if the CPU has received the charge rate and charge current command values ​​from the electronic control unit (ECU) of the electric vehicle (EV) via CAN communication based on the above query content, the determination in step 432 will be YES.

[0223] However, in response to the determination of YES in step 432, in the update process of the charge rate and charge current command value in the next step 433, the charge rate is updated from the initial charge rate to the current charge rate (hereinafter also referred to as the first current charge rate), and the charge current command value is updated from the initial charge current command value to the current charge current command value.

[0224] After the processing in step 433, in the next step 434, the fourth LEDf group is flashed. In this flashing process, the fourth LEDf group 162, which is the LEDf group of the fourth LEDf group member 160d of the main display panel member Dm, is flashed. In other words, each LEDf 162 of the fourth LEDf group 162 is driven to flash repeatedly with a composite pink light.

[0225] Specifically, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see Figure 21(b)) required for each of the multiple LEDf 162 constituting the fourth LEDf group 162 of the fourth LEDf group member 160d, as described in the charging standby routine 411, to light up with a composite pink color, are output by the CPU to the fourth LEDf group drive circuit DG4 via the respective connection terminals 1, 2, and 3 (see Figure 12) at a period Ts (see Figure 21(b)).

[0226] Furthermore, the aforementioned blinking drive pulse signal Sp (see Figure 21(a)) is output by the CPU to the fourth LEDf group drive circuit DG4 via connection terminal 4 (see Figure 12).

[0227] When the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the fourth LEDf group drive circuit DG4 along with the blinking drive pulse signal Sp, each bipolar transistor 166 to 168 in the fourth LEDf group drive circuit DG4 repeatedly switches in response to the blinking drive pulse signal Sp output sequentially from the CPU.

[0228] Accordingly, in the fourth LEDf group drive circuit DG4, each of the multiple LEDf 162 constituting the fourth LEDf group 162 emits a pink flashing composite color light to the main display panel 150, similar to the case in the charging standby processing routine 411.

[0229] Therefore, the main display panel 150 receives pink flashing composite color light from the fourth LEDf group 162 at its fourth lateral boundary panel portion, diffuses it with respect to the fourth lateral boundary panel portion, and emits it as pink flashing diffuse composite color light.

[0230] Accordingly, the main display panel 150 flashes a pink, diffuse composite color light centered on its fourth lateral boundary panel area to indicate that the charge level of the drive power supply BT is within the first charge level range SOC1. This makes it possible to visually confirm that charging is taking place within the first charge level range SOC1 of the drive power supply BT.

[0231] Next, the flow blinking processing routine 435 for the LEDf pairs of the first to ninth light-emitting guides is performed. In the processing of the flow blinking processing routine 435, both LEDf 182b of each of the first to ninth light-emitting guides 180a to 180d of the sub-display panel member Ds are driven to blink sequentially in a flowing manner from the first light-emitting guide 180a to the ninth light-emitting guide 180i with a pink composite color light. In this embodiment, flow blinking in the flow blinking processing routine refers to blinking that is visible as flowing light. Furthermore, flow blinking means flowing intermittent light emission, or in other words, intermittent light emission that is visible as flowing light.

[0232] Specifically, the red PWM pulse signal Fr, the green PWM pulse signal Fg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Fb (see Figure 22(b)) required to illuminate the left and right LEDs f182b of each of the first to ninth light-emitting guides 180a to 180i with a combined pink color light are output by the CPU to the first to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP1 to DP9 via the respective connection terminals 5 to 7 (see Figure 13) at a period Tf (see Figure 22(b)) (see Figure 11).

[0233] Here, the duty cycles of the red PWM pulse signal Fr and the blue PWM pulse signal Fb are the same as the duty cycles (100%) of the red PWM pulse signal Sr and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb described above. Also, the duty cycle of the green PWM pulse signal Fg is the same as the duty cycle (50%) of the green PWM pulse signal Sg.

[0234] Furthermore, the phase-shift drive pulse signals F1 to F9 (see Figure 22(a)) are output by the CPU to the first to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP1 to DP9, respectively. Here, as shown in Figure 22(a), each of the phase-shift drive pulse signals F1 to F9 is identified by a single phase-shift drive pulse signal.

[0235] In each of these single phase-shift drive pulse signals F1 to F9, the phase difference (phase shift) between the preceding phase-shift drive pulse signal (e.g., phase-shift drive pulse signal F1) and the succeeding phase-shift drive pulse signal (phase-shift drive pulse signal F2) is Pd (see Figure 22(a)). The phase difference between the preceding phase-shift drive pulse signal F9 and the succeeding phase-shift drive pulse signal F1 is also Pd.

[0236] Therefore, the phase-shift drive pulse signals F1 to F9 are sequentially delayed by a phase difference Pd from F1 to F9, and are output by the CPU via the connection terminal 8 (see Figure 13) to the first to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP1 to DP9. The duty cycle of each of the phase-shift drive pulse signals F1 to F9 (pulse width of the phase-shift drive pulse signal / phase difference Pd) is, for example, 50%.

[0237] In this manner, when the red PWM pulse signal Fr, the green PWM pulse signal Fg, the blue PWM pulse signal Fb, and the phase-shift drive pulse signals F1 to F9 are output to the first to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP1 to DP9, the first to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP1 to DP9 operate as follows in their respective LEDr drive circuit section 183, LEDg drive circuit section 184, and LEDb drive circuit section 185.

[0238] First, in the first LEDf drive circuit DP1, the bipolar transistor 186 turns off in response to the phase-shifted drive pulse signal F1 from the CPU (see Figure 22(a)), and the LEDr drive circuit 183 turns on at its MOSFET 183a in response to the red PWM pulse signal Fr from the CPU (see Figure 22(b)).

[0239] Accordingly, the left and right LEDs 182b of the LEDf-pair member 182 of the first light-emitting light guide 180a are each turned on based on the DC voltage from the DC power supply Ea, and emit a highly directional red light. (See LEDr, Figure 13)

[0240] Furthermore, in the first LEDf drive circuit DP1, the bipolar transistor 187 turns off in response to the phase-shifted drive pulse signal F1 from the CPU, causing the LEDg drive circuit 184 to turn on at its MOSFET 184a in response to the green PWM pulse signal Fg (see Figure 22(b)) from the CPU.

[0241] Accordingly, the left and right LEDs f182b of the LEDf-pair member 182 of the first light-emitting light guide 180a are each LEDg (see Figure 13) and are turned on based on the DC voltage from the DC power supply Ea, emitting a highly directional green light.

[0242] Furthermore, in the first LEDf pair drive circuit DP1, the bipolar transistor 188 turns off in response to the phase-shifted drive pulse signal F1 from the CPU, and the LEDb pair drive circuit 185 turns on at its MOSFET 185a in response to the blue PWM pulse signal Fb (see Figure 22(b)) from the CPU.

[0243] Accordingly, the left and right LEDs 182b of the LEDf-pair member 182 of the first light-emitting light guide 180a are turned on based on the DC voltage from the DC power supply Ea, and emit a highly directional blue light. (See Figure 13)

[0244] In this way, when each LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb of the left and right LEDf182b of the LEDf-pair member 182 of the first light-emitting light guide 180a emits red, green, and blue light respectively, the left and right LEDf182b mix and adjust the red, green, and blue light to form a composite color light. Here, the duty cycles of the red PWM pulse signal Fr and the blue PWM pulse signal Fb are 100%, and the duty cycle of the green PWM pulse signal Fg is 50%, so the color of the composite color light is pink.

[0245] Thus, the left and right LEDs 182b of the LEDf-pair member 182 of the first light-emitting body 180a each emit pink composite light under the duty cycle of the phase-shift drive pulse signal F1. In other words, the left and right LEDs 182b each light up when the phase-shift drive pulse signal F1 is at a high level and turn off when it is at a low level.

[0246] Accordingly, in the light guide plate 181 of the first light-emitting body 180a, the left light guide plate portion 181a guides the pink composite light from the left LED f182b, while the right light guide plate portion 181a guides the pink composite light from the right LED f182b. As a result, the sub-display panel 170 emits the pink composite light from the light guide plate 181 as pink guided composite light to the outside in the first light-emitting body 180a.

[0247] Furthermore, the remaining second to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP2 to DP9 operate as follows in their respective LEDr drive circuit sections 183, LEDg drive circuit section 184, and LEDb drive circuit section 185.

[0248] In the phase-shift drive pulse signals F2 to F9 output from the CPU to the second to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP2 to DP9, the output timing of the subsequent phase-shift drive pulse signal by the CPU relative to the preceding phase-shift drive pulse signal is delayed by a phase difference Pd compared to the output timing of the preceding phase-shift drive pulse signal. In this embodiment, the phase difference Pd is set to, for example, 100 milliseconds.

[0249] Therefore, in the second to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP2 to DP9, the timing at which each bipolar transistor 186, 187, and 188 turns off based on the phase-shift drive pulse signals F2 to F9 is delayed by a phase difference Pd sequentially from phase-shift drive pulse signal F2 to phase-shift drive pulse signal F9.

[0250] Accordingly, in the LEDr-to-LEDr drive circuit section 183, LEDg-to-LEDr drive circuit section 184, and LEDb-to-LEDr drive circuit section 185 of the second to ninth LEDf-to-LEDr drive circuits DP2 to DP9, the off-timing of each bipolar transistor 186, 187, and 188 is sequentially delayed according to the delay of each output timing from the phase-shift drive pulse signal F2 to the phase-shift drive pulse signal F9.

[0251] Therefore, the timing at which MOSFETs 183a, 184a, and 185a turn on in response to the red PWM pulse signal Fr, the green PWM pulse signal Fg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Fb, respectively, is sequentially delayed by a phase difference Pd from the second LEDf drive circuit DP2 to the ninth LEDf drive circuit DP9.

[0252] Therefore, in each of the second to ninth light-emitting light guides 180a to 180i, the timing at which a pair of LEDs f182b lights up when the phase-shift drive pulse signals F2 to F9 are at a high level and turns off when they are at a low level is sequentially delayed according to the delay in the output timing from the CPU from the phase-shift drive pulse signal F2 to the phase-shift drive pulse signal F9. Accordingly, in each of the second to ninth light-emitting light guides 180a to 180i, the timing at which the light guide plate 181 emits pink light guide composite color light to the outside is also sequentially delayed.

[0253] As can be seen from the above explanation, in each of the first to ninth light-emitting guides 180a to 180i, the left and right LEDs 182b of the LEDf-pair member 182 flash sequentially in a flowing manner from the first light-emitting guide 180a to the ninth light-emitting guide 180i with a phase difference Pd and a duty cycle of 50% using a composite pink light.

[0254] This means that the sub-display panel 170 indicates that the drive power supply BT is charging by flashing pink composite light in a flowing manner using its light-emitting light guides 180a to 180i as described above. In this embodiment, the basis for the flowing flashing can be achieved by the phase difference Pd between the preceding phase-shift drive pulse signal and the subsequent phase-shift drive pulse signal in the phase-shift drive pulse signals F1 to F9, and the duty cycle values ​​of each phase-shift drive pulse signal.

[0255] After the processing of the first to ninth LEDf-to-current blinking processing routines 435 described above, in the next step 440 (see Figure 15), it is determined whether the charge level has increased to within the second charge level range. Here, if the current charge level of the drive power supply BT is communicated to the CPU via CAN communication by the electronic control unit ECU of the electric vehicle EV that it has increased to within the second charge level range SOC2, the determination in step 440 is YES.

[0256] On the other hand, if the result in step 430 is NO, then in the next step 436, it is determined whether the initial charge level is within the second charge level range. Here, if the initial charge level in step 424 is within the second charge level range SOC2 (see Figure 20), the determination in step 436 is YES.

[0257] In this way, if the determination in step 440 or 436 is YES, the next charge rate / charge current command value query processing routine 441 queries the electronic control unit ECU for the current charge rate and charge current command value via CAN communication, similar to the processing in the charge rate / charge current command value query processing routine 431 described above. Then, in the determination process in step 442 to determine whether or not the query content has been received, and in the update process of the charge rate / charge current command value in step 443, the same processing as the determination process in step 432 and the update process in step 433 described above is performed.

[0258] However, in step 442 described above, based on the receipt of the inquiry, it is determined to be YES, and in the charge rate and charge current command value update process in step 443 described above, the initial charge rate in step 424 or the first current charge rate updated in step 433 is newly updated to the current charge rate (hereinafter referred to as the second current charge rate), and the initial charge current command value in step 424 or the updated current charge current command value in step 433 is newly updated as the current charge current command value at the current stage. After the update process in step 443, in the next step 444 (see Figure 16), the fourth LEDf group lighting process and the third LEDf group blinking process are performed.

[0259] Of the fourth LEDf group lighting process and the third LEDf group flashing process, the fourth LEDf group lighting process involves lighting the fourth LEDf group 162 of the fourth LEDf group member 160d of the main display panel member Dm. In other words, each LEDf 162 of the fourth LEDf group 162 is driven to light up with a pink composite color light.

[0260] Specifically, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, green PWM pulse signal Sg, and blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see FIG. 21(b)) in the charging standby processing routine 411 are output by the CPU to the fourth LEDf group driving circuit DG4 via each connection terminal 1, 2, and 3 (see FIG. 12) at a period Ts (see FIG. 21(b)).

[0261] Also, a lighting drive pulse signal different from the above-described blinking drive pulse signal Sp is output by the CPU to the fourth LEDf group driving circuit DG4 via the connection terminal 4. Here, the duty ratio of the lighting drive pulse signal is set to 100%.

[0262] When the red PWM pulse signal Sr, green PWM pulse signal Sg, and blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the fourth LEDf group driving circuit DG4 together with the above-described lighting drive pulse signal, in the fourth LEDf group driving circuit DG4, the inverter 166a inverts the lighting drive pulse signal and inputs it to the bases of the bipolar transistors 166 to 168 via the base resistor 166b. Accordingly, the bipolar transistors 166 to 168 are maintained in the OFF state under the duty ratio of 100% of the lighting drive pulse signal.

[0263] Thus, in the fourth LEDf group driving circuit DG4, when the bipolar transistors 166 to 168 are in the OFF state, the plurality of LEDf 162 constituting the fourth LEDf group 162 are lit with a pink composite color light, respectively, which is different from the case in the process of step 434. Here, the lighting corresponds to the plurality of LEDf 162 constituting the fourth LEDf group 162 continuously emitting a pink composite color light during the pulse width corresponding to the duty ratio of 100% of the lighting drive pulse signal, and can also be said to be continuous lighting.

[0264] On the other hand, in the third LEDf group blinking process, the third LEDf group 162 of the third LEDf group member 160c of the main display panel member Dm is driven to repeat blinking with a pink composite color light at each of its LEDf 162.

[0265] Specifically, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see Figure 21(b)), which are required for the multiple LEDf 162 constituting the third LEDf group 162 of the third LEDf group member 160d described in the charging standby routine 411 to light up with a composite pink color, are output by the CPU to the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3 via connection terminals 1, 2, and 3 (see Figure 12) with a period Ts (see Figure 21(b)). In addition, the blinking drive pulse signal Sp (see Figure 21(a)) is output by the CPU to the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3 via connection terminal 4 (see Figure 12).

[0266] When the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the third LEDf group drive circuit DG4 along with the blinking drive pulse signal Sp, the bipolar transistors 166 to 168 in the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3 repeatedly switch in response to the blinking drive pulse signal Sp output sequentially from the CPU.

[0267] Accordingly, in the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3, each of the third LEDf group 162 blinks with a pink composite color light, similar to the case in the charging standby processing routine 411.

[0268] As described above, in step 444, when the fourth LEDf group 162 of the fourth LEDf group drive circuit DG4 lights up continuously with a pink composite color light at each of its LEDf 162, and the third LEDf group 162 of the third LEDf group member 160c blinks with a pink composite color light at each of its LEDf 162, the main display panel 150 receives continuous pink light from the fourth LEDf group 162 at its fourth lateral boundary panel portion, which diffuses around the fourth lateral boundary panel portion and continuously emits pink diffused composite color light. At the same time, the main display panel 150 receives pink blinking composite color light from the third LEDf group member 160c at its third lateral boundary panel portion, which diffuses around the third lateral boundary panel portion and emits pink blinking diffused composite color light.

[0269] As a result, the main display panel 150 can visually confirm that charging in the first charge level range SOC1 has been completed and that charging in the second charge level range SOC2 has begun for the power supply BT.

[0270] Furthermore, in conjunction with the processing in step 444 described above, the first to ninth LEDf pair blinking processing routines 445 perform the same processing as the first to ninth LEDf pair blinking processing routines 435 described above.

[0271] Accordingly, in the first to ninth LEDf paired flow blinking processing routines 445, the sub-display panel 170 displays that the drive power supply BT is charging by blinking pink composite light guided light in a flowing manner as described above using its light-emitting guides 180a to 180i, in the same manner as the processing in the first to ninth LEDf paired flow blinking processing routines 435.

[0272] According to the above, the main display panel 150 continuously displays with diffused composite pink light corresponding to the pink colored light from each LEDf162 of the fourth LEDf group member 160d, and intermittently displays with diffused composite pink light corresponding to the blinking of the pink colored light from each LEDf162 of the third LEDf group member 160c, and the sub-display panel 170 indicates that the drive power supply BT is charging, so as to flow through the first to ninth light-emitting guides 180a to 180i.

[0273] As a result, the fact that the charge level of the power supply BT is in the second charge level range SOC2 and that the power supply BT is charging can be clearly seen from the display on both the main display panel 150 and the sub-display panel 170.

[0274] Subsequently, in step 450, it is determined whether the charge level has increased to within the third charge level range. Here, if the current charge level of the drive power supply BT is communicated to the CPU via CAN communication by the electronic control unit ECU of the electric vehicle EV to have increased to within the third charge level range SOC3, the determination in step 450 is YES.

[0275] On the other hand, if the result in step 436 is NO, then in step 446, it is determined whether the initial charge level is within the third charge level range SOC3. If the initial charge level in step 424 is within the third charge level range SOC3, then the determination in step 446 is YES.

[0276] Thus, if the determination in step 450 or step 446 is YES, the next charge rate / charge current command value query processing routine 451 queries the electronic control unit ECU for the current charge rate and charge current command value via CAN communication, similar to the processing in the charge rate / charge current command value query processing routine 441 described above.

[0277] Subsequently, in the determination process in step 452 and the update process of the charge rate and charge current command value in step 453, the same processes as described above are performed as the determination process in step 442 for whether or not the inquiry content has been received and the update process of the charge rate and charge current command value in step 443. Accordingly, in step 452, based on the receipt of the inquiry content, it is determined to be YES, and in step 453, the initial charge rate in step 424 or the updated second current charge rate in step 443 is newly updated as the current charge rate (hereinafter, the third current charge rate), and the initial charge current command value in step 424 or the updated current charge current command value in step 443 is newly updated as the current charge current command value at the current stage.

[0278] Once the processing in step 453 is completed, the following step 460 will involve the lighting of the third and fourth LEDf groups and the blinking of the second LEDf group.

[0279] In the fourth LEDf group lighting process, the multiple LEDf 162s constituting the fourth LEDf group 162 of the fourth LEDf group member 160d are each continuously lit with pink composite color light in the same manner as in step 444.

[0280] Furthermore, in the third LEDf group lighting process, multiple LEDs 162 constituting the third LEDf group 162 of the third LEDf group member 160c of the main display panel member Dm are driven to light up continuously with a composite pink light.

[0281] In this drive process, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see Figure 21(b)) from the charging standby processing routine 411 are output by the CPU to the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3 via connection terminals 1, 2, and 3 (see Figure 12) at a period Ts (see Figure 21(b)).

[0282] Further, the above-described lighting drive pulse signal is output from the CPU to the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3 via the connection terminal 4.

[0283] When the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3 together with the above-described lighting drive pulse signal, in the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3, the inverter 166a inverts the lighting drive pulse signal and inputs it to the bases of the bipolar transistors 166 to 168 via the base resistor 166b. Accordingly, the bipolar transistors 166 to 168 are maintained in the OFF state under the duty ratio of the lighting drive pulse signal of 100%.

[0284] Thus, in the third LEDf group drive circuit DG3, when the third LEDf group 162 is in the OFF state of the bipolar transistors 166 to 168, each LEDf 162 of the third LEDf group 162 lights up with a pink composite color light. Here, the lighting corresponds to the fact that the plurality of LEDf 162 constituting the third LEDf group 162 continuously emit a pink composite color light during the pulse width corresponding to the duty ratio of 100% of the lighting drive pulse signal, and can be said to be continuous lighting.

[0285] On the other hand, in the second LEDf group blinking process, the plurality of LEDf 162 constituting the second LEDf group 162 of the second LEDf group member 160b of the main display panel member Dm are each driven to blink with a pink composite color light.

[0286] In the drive process, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see FIG. 21(b)) required for the plurality of LEDf 162 constituting the second LEDf group 162 of the second LEDf group member 160b to light up with a pink composite color light as described in the charge standby routine 411 are each output from the CPU to the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2 via the connection terminals 1, 2, and 3 (see FIG. 12) at a period Ts (see FIG. 20(b)).

[0287] Furthermore, the aforementioned blinking drive pulse signal Sp (see Figure 21(a)) is output by the CPU to the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2 via connection terminal 4 (see Figure 12).

[0288] When the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2 along with the blinking drive pulse signal Sp, each bipolar transistor 166 to 168 in the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2 repeatedly switches in response to the blinking drive pulse signal Sp output sequentially from the CPU.

[0289] Accordingly, in the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2, the second LEDf group 162 blinks with a pink composite color light at each LEDf 162, similar to the case in the charging standby processing routine 411.

[0290] As described above, in step 460, when the multiple LEDf162 constituting each of the third and fourth LEDf groups 162 of the third and fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG are continuously lit with pink composite color light, the main display panel 150 is continuously illuminated with pink composite color light from the multiple LEFdf162 constituting each of the third and fourth LEDf groups 162 at its third and fourth lateral boundary panel portions.

[0291] Accordingly, the main display panel 150 continuously diffuses the pink incident illumination composite color light around its third and fourth lateral boundary panel portions, and continuously emits pink illumination diffused composite color light.

[0292] Furthermore, as described above, in step 460, when the multiple LEDf162 constituting the second LEDf group 162 of the second LEDf group member 160b flashes with pink composite color light, the main display panel 150 receives flashing pink diffuse composite color light from the multiple LEDf162 constituting the second LEDf group 162 at its second lateral boundary panel portion. Accordingly, the main display panel 150 diffuses the incident flashing diffuse composite color light of pink around its second lateral boundary panel portion and emits it as flashing diffuse composite color light of pink.

[0293] As a result, the main display panel 150 indicates that charging of the drive power supply BT in the first and second charge rate ranges SOC1 and SOC2 has been completed, based on the continuous emission of pink diffuse composite color light centered on the third and fourth lateral boundary panel portions of the main display panel 150, and also indicates that the drive power supply BT is being charged in the third charge rate range SOC3, based on the intermittent emission of pink diffuse composite color light centered on the second lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150.

[0294] Furthermore, in conjunction with the processing of step 460 described above, the first to ninth LEDf pair blinking processing routines 461 perform the same processing as the first to ninth LEDf pair blinking processing routines 435 described above.

[0295] Accordingly, in the first to ninth LEDf paired flow blinking processing routine 461, the sub-display panel 170 displays intermittently with pink composite light guided by its light-emitting guides 180a to 180i in the same manner as the first to ninth LEDf paired flow blinking processing routine 435, indicating that the drive power supply BT is charging.

[0296] Based on the above, under the indication on the sub-display panel 170 that the drive power supply BT is charging, the user can clearly see that the charge level of the drive power supply BT has increased to within the third charge level range SOC3 through the continuous display based on the continuous emission of pink diffuse composite color light centered on each of the third and fourth lateral boundary panel areas by the main display panel 150, and through the intermittent display based on the intermittent emission of pink diffuse color light centered on the second lateral boundary panel area by the main display panel 150.

[0297] Furthermore, this type of visibility, similar to the indicator for the charging standby status, can be observed from a distance from the rapid charger C, using a gentle light that is not harmful to the user's eyes, and within a wide field of view.

[0298] After processing in step 461, in step 470, it is determined whether the charge level has increased to within the fourth charge level range. Here, if the current charge level of the drive power supply BT is communicated to the CPU via CAN communication by the electronic control unit ECU of the electric vehicle EV that it has increased to within the fourth charge level range SOC4, the determination in step 470 is YES.

[0299] Furthermore, if the result in step 446 is NO, the next step 462 determines whether the initial charge level is within the fourth charge level range. If the initial charge level in step 424 is within the fourth charge level range SOC4 (see Figure 20), the determination in step 462 is YES.

[0300] In this way, if the result in step 470 or step 462 is determined to be YES, the next charge rate / charge current command value query processing routine 471 queries the electronic control unit ECU for the current charge rate and charge current command value via CAN communication, similar to the processing in the charge rate / charge current command value query processing routine 451 described above. Subsequently, the determination processing in step 472 and the update processing of the charge rate / charge current command value in step 473 perform the same processing as the determination processing in step 452 for whether or not the query content has been received and the update processing of the charge rate / charge current command value in step 453 described above.

[0301] Accordingly, in step 472, based on the receipt of the inquiry, it is determined to be YES, and in step 473, the initial charge rate in step 424 or the third current charge rate updated in step 453 is updated to the current charge rate (hereinafter referred to as the fourth current charge rate), and the current charging current command value is updated to the current charging current command value. Once the update process in step 473 is completed, in the next step 474 (see Figure 17), the second to fourth LEDf group lighting process and the first LEDf group blinking process are performed.

[0302] In the third and fourth LEDf group lighting process, the third and fourth LEDf groups 162 of the third and fourth LEDf group members 160c and 160d are continuously lit with pink composite color light at each LEDf 162, in the same manner as the process in step 460.

[0303] Furthermore, in the second LEDf group lighting process, multiple LEDf 162s constituting the second LEDf group 162 of the second LEDf group member 160b of the main display panel member Dm are driven to light up continuously with a pink composite color light.

[0304] In this drive process, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see Figure 21(b)) from the charging standby processing routine 411 are each output by the CPU to the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2 via connection terminals 1, 2, and 3 (see Figure 12) with a period Ts (see Figure 21(b)). In addition, the aforementioned lighting drive pulse signal is output by the CPU to the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2 via connection terminal 4.

[0305] When the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2 along with the above-mentioned lighting drive pulse signals, the inverter 166a inverts the lighting drive pulse signals in the second LEDf group drive circuit DG2 and inputs them to the bases of each bipolar transistor 166-168 via the base resistor 166b. Consequently, each bipolar transistor 166-168 is kept off under a duty cycle of 100% for the lighting drive pulse signals.

[0306] However, in the second LEDf group driving circuit DG2, when each bipolar transistor 166~168 is in the off state, the LEDf162 constituting the second LEDf group 162 lights up with a pink composite color light. Here, this lighting corresponds to the multiple LEDf162 constituting the second LEDf group 162 continuously emitting a pink composite color light for a pulse width corresponding to a duty cycle of 100% of the above lighting drive pulse signal, and can be called continuous lighting.

[0307] On the other hand, in the flashing process of the first LEDf group, the first LEDf group 162 of the first LEDf group member 160a of the main display panel member Dm is driven to flash repeatedly with a pink composite color light at each of its LEDf 162.

[0308] Specifically, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see Figure 21(b)), which are required for the multiple LEDf 162 constituting the first LEDf group 162 of the first LEDf group member 160a described in the charging standby routine 411 to light up with a pink composite color light, are each output by the CPU to the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 via connection terminals 1, 2, and 3 (see Figure 12) with a period Ts (see Figure 21(b)). In addition, the blinking drive pulse signal Sp (see Figure 21(a)) is output by the CPU to the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 via connection terminal 4 (see Figure 12).

[0309] When the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 along with the blinking drive pulse signal Sp, each bipolar transistor 166 to 168 in the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 repeatedly switches in response to the blinking drive pulse signal Sp output sequentially from the CPU.

[0310] Accordingly, in the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1, each LEDf in the first LEDf group 162 blinks with a pink composite color light, similar to the case in the charging standby processing routine 411.

[0311] As described above, in step 474, when each of the second to fourth LEDf groups 162 of the second to fourth LEDf group members 160b to 160d is continuously lit with pink composite color light, the main display panel 150 receives continuous pink composite color light from multiple LEDf162 of each of the second to fourth LEDf groups 162 at its second to fourth lateral boundary panel portions. Consequently, the main display panel 150 continuously diffuses the pink composite color light around each of its second to fourth lateral boundary panel portions and continuously emits pink lit-diffuse composite color light.

[0312] On the other hand, in step 474 (see Figure 17), when the first LEDf group 162 of the first LEDf group member 160a flashes with a pink composite color light using its multiple LEDf 162s, the main display panel 150 is intermittently incident with pink composite color light from the multiple LEDf 162s of the first LEDf group 162 at its first lateral boundary panel portion. Consequently, the main display panel 150 diffuses this intermittently incident pink composite color light around its first lateral boundary panel portion and emits it as flashing pink diffused composite color light.

[0313] As a result, the main display panel 150 continuously displays that charging of the drive power supply BT in the first to third charge rate ranges SOC1 to SOC3 has been completed, based on the continuous emission of pink diffuse composite color light centered on the second to fourth lateral boundary panel portions of the main display panel 150, and intermittently displays that the drive power supply BT is charging in the fourth charge rate range SOC4, based on the intermittent emission of pink diffuse composite color light centered on the first lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150.

[0314] Furthermore, in conjunction with the processing in step 474 described above, the first to ninth LEDf pair blinking processing routines 475 perform the same processing as the first to ninth LEDf pair blinking processing routines 435 described above.

[0315] Accordingly, in the first to ninth LEDf paired flow blinking processing routines 475, the sub-display panel 170 displays that the drive power supply BT is charging by blinking pink composite light guided light in a flowing manner as described above using its light-emitting guides 180a to 180i, in the same manner as the processing in the first to ninth LEDf paired flow blinking processing routines 435.

[0316] Based on the above, under the indication on the sub-display panel 170 that the drive power supply BT is charging, the user can clearly see that the charge level of the drive power supply BT has increased to within the fourth charge level range SOC4 through continuous display based on the continuous emission of pink diffuse composite color light centered on each of the second to fourth lateral boundary panel areas by the main display panel 150, and through intermittent display based on the intermittent emission of pink diffuse color light centered on the first lateral boundary panel area by the main display panel 150. Furthermore, such visibility can be achieved from a distance from the rapid charger C, with a gentle light that is not harmful to the user's eyes, and from a wide field of view, similar to the display of the charging standby state.

[0317] Subsequently, in step 480, it is determined whether the charge level has increased beyond the fourth charge level range. Here, if the current charge level of the drive power supply BT is communicated to the CPU via CAN communication by the electronic control unit ECU of the electric vehicle EV that it has increased beyond the fourth charge level range SOC4, the determination in step 480 is YES. On the other hand, if the initial charge level is greater than a value within the fourth charge level range after the determination of NO in step 446, the determination in the next step 462 is NO.

[0318] If a YES determination is made in step 480 or a NO determination is made in step 462, the next charge rate / charge current command value query processing routine 480a queries the electronic control unit ECU for the current charge rate and charge current command value via CAN communication, similar to the processing in the charge rate / charge current command value query processing routine 471 described above.

[0319] Subsequently, in the determination process in step 480b and the update process of the charge rate and charge current command value in step 480c, the same processes as those described above are performed as the determination process in step 472 for whether or not the inquiry content has been received and the update process of the charge rate and charge current command value in step 473. Accordingly, in step 480b, it is determined to be YES based on the receipt of the inquiry content, and in the update process of the charge rate and charge current command value in step 480c, the current charge rate is newly updated as the current charge rate at the current stage (hereinafter, the fifth current charge rate), and the current charge current command value is newly updated as the current charge current command value at the current stage.

[0320] Once the update process in step 480c is completed, the first to fourth LEDf group lighting process is performed in the next step 481. In this process, the second to fourth LEDf group lighting process is performed, and the second to fourth LEDf groups 162 of the second to fourth LEDf group members 160b to 160d are continuously lit with a pink composite color light, in the same manner as in the process in step 474.

[0321] Furthermore, in the first LEDf group lighting process, multiple LEDf 162s constituting the first LEDf group 162 of the first LEDf group member 160a of the main display panel member Dm are driven to light up continuously with a pink composite color light.

[0322] In this drive process, the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb (see Figure 21(b)) from the charging standby processing routine 411 are each output by the CPU to the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 via connection terminals 1, 2, and 3 (see Figure 12) with a period Ts (see Figure 21(b)). In addition, the aforementioned lighting drive pulse signal is output by the CPU to the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 via connection terminal 4.

[0323] When the red PWM pulse signal Sr, the green PWM pulse signal Sg, and the blue PWM pulse signal Sb are output to the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 along with the above-mentioned lighting drive pulse signals, the inverter 166a inverts the lighting drive pulse signals in the first LEDf group drive circuit DG1 and inputs them to the bases of each bipolar transistor 166-168 via the base resistor 166b. Consequently, each bipolar transistor 166-168 is kept off under a duty cycle of 100% for the lighting drive pulse signals.

[0324] However, in the first LEDf group driving circuit DG1, with each bipolar transistor 166~168 in the OFF state, the first LEDf group 162 lights up continuously with a pink composite color light at each LEDf 162.

[0325] As described above, in step 481, when the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 of the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d are continuously lit with pink composite color light at each of their LEDf 162s, the main display panel 150 is continuously illuminated with pink composite color light from each of the multiple LEDf 162s of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 at the first to fourth lateral boundary panel portions.

[0326] Accordingly, the main display panel 150 continuously diffuses pink incident illumination composite color light from each of the multiple LEDs f162, centered on each of the first to fourth lateral boundary panel sections, and continuously emits pink illumination diffused composite color light.

[0327] As a result, the main display panel 150 continuously displays that charging of the drive power supply BT in the first to fourth charge rate ranges SOC1 to SOC4 has been completed, based on the continuous emission of pink diffuse composite color light centered on the first to fourth lateral boundary panel portions, and that the current charge rate at this stage is higher than the charge rate within the fourth charge rate range SOC4.

[0328] As a result, the user can visually confirm from the main display panel 150 that the charging of the drive power supply BT has been completed up to within the fourth charge level range SOC, and that the charge level of the drive power supply BT has increased beyond the charge level within the fourth charge level range SOC. This means that the user can visually confirm that the drive power supply BT is in a near-fully charged state.

[0329] Furthermore, this type of visibility, similar to the indicator for the charging standby status, can be observed from a distance from the rapid charger C, using a gentle light that is not harmful to the user's eyes, and within a wide field of view.

[0330] After the processing in step 481, the first to ninth LEDf are processed by the current blinking speed reduction processing routine 482. In this process, the phase difference Pd is adjusted to lengthen from 200 msec, 300 msec, ... to 1 second, depending on the degree of saturation of the charging current.

[0331] Accordingly, in the phase shift drive pulse signals F1 to F9, the output timing of the subsequent phase shift drive pulse signal by the CPU relative to the preceding phase shift drive pulse signal becomes later as the phase difference Pd increases compared to the output timing of the preceding phase shift drive pulse signal from the CPU.

[0332] Therefore, in each of the first to ninth LEDf drive circuits DP1 to DP9, the timing at which each bipolar transistor 186 to 188 turns off in response to the phase-shifted drive pulse signals F1 to F9 from the CPU becomes later as the phase difference Pd increases.

[0333] Consequently, the ON timing of each MOSFET 183a to 185a in the LEDr-to-drive circuit section 183, the LEDg-to-drive circuit section 184, and the LEDb-to-drive circuit section 185 becomes delayed in relation to the phase-shifted drive pulse signals F1 to F9, due to the delay in the timing of each ON state.

[0334] Accordingly, in the LEDr-to-LEDf drive circuit section 183, LEDg-to-LEDf drive circuit section 184, and LEDb-to-LEDf drive circuit section 185 of the first to ninth LEDf-to-LEDf drive circuits DP1 to DP9, the timing of each emission of pink composite color light emitted by each LEDf182b consisting of LEDr, LEDg, and LEDb of each LEDf-to-LEDf member 182 of the first to ninth light-emitting light guides 180a to 180i is also delayed.

[0335] Therefore, in the sub-display panel member Ds, the emission timing of each combined color light guided by the first to ninth light-emitting guides 180a to 180i becomes later as the phase difference Pd increases.

[0336] This means that the sub-display panel member Ds reduces the blinking speed of the pink composite color light guided by its light-emitting light guides 180a to 180i, thereby indicating that the sub-display panel 170 is nearing the saturation of the charge level of the drive power supply BT. This means that the sub-display panel 170, in conjunction with the near-full charge indication by the main display panel 150 described above, can display a near-full charge state of the drive power supply BT.

[0337] However, when the computer program proceeds to the next step 483, it is determined in step 483 whether or not charging is complete. If charging of the drive power supply BT is complete at this stage, the result in step 483 is YES.

[0338] Accordingly, in the next step 484, the first to fourth LEDf group lighting process and the first to ninth LEDf pair extinguishing process are performed. Here, the first to fourth LEDf group lighting process is the same as the first to fourth LEDf group lighting process in step 481. In addition, in the first to ninth LEDf pair extinguishing process, the CPU stops outputting red, green, and blue PWM pulse signals to the first to ninth LEDf pair drive circuits DP1 to DP9 via the respective connection terminals 5 to 7.

[0339] Based on the above, the main display panel 150 indicates the end of charging when the first to ninth light-emitting guides 180a to 180i of the sub-display panel 170 are turned off, and the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d each LEDf162 are lit based on a pink composite color light, as described above.

[0340] After the processing in step 484, in step 485, it is determined whether or not the charging connector should be removed. When the charging is completed as described above, the charging connector 190a of the connector member 190 is removed from the connector receiving portion of the electric vehicle EV, and the charging connector switch 191 turns off. Accordingly, the determination in step 485 becomes YES. The charging connector 190a that has been removed as described above is housed in the recessed connector housing portion of the housing 100.

[0341] Meanwhile, during the execution of the timer interrupt program described above, step 500 (see Figure 18) determines whether or not there is a fault. If a fault has occurred in the control unit U at this stage, the determination in step 500 will be YES. Then, in the charging stop process in the next step 510, the charging process of the drive power supply BT by the rapid charger C is stopped. Accordingly, in step 520, the charging stop blinking process for the first to fourth LEDf groups is performed.

[0342] Here, the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 are driven by the first to fourth LEDf group drive circuits DG1 to DG4 so that each LEDf 162 blinks with a composite orange color light.

[0343] Specifically, the CPU outputs a red PWM pulse signal with a 100% duty cycle and a green PWM pulse signal with a duty cycle of, for example, 70%, which are required to emit orange composite color light from each LEDf162 of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162, to the first to fourth LEDf drive circuits DG1 to DG4.

[0344] Furthermore, a new blinking drive pulse signal is output by the CPU to the first to fourth LEDf drive circuits DG1 to DG4 at a predetermined period.

[0345] In this manner, when a red PWM pulse signal with a 100% duty cycle and a green PWM pulse signal with a 70% duty cycle are output by the CPU to the first to fourth LEDf drive circuits DG1 to DG4 along with the new blinking drive pulse signals, each of the bipolar transistors 166 to 168 in each of the first to fourth LEDf drive circuits DG1 to DG4 repeatedly switches in response to the new blinking drive pulse signals output sequentially from the CPU via the inverter 166a and base resistor 166b.

[0346] Accordingly, in each of the first to fourth LEDf drive circuits DG1 to DG4, the LEDr group drive circuit section 163 and the LEDg group drive circuit section 164 operate as follows.

[0347] Specifically, in each of the first to fourth LEDf driving circuits DG1 to DG4, each time a bipolar transistor 166 to 168 is turned off, the LEDr group driving circuit 163 turns on the MOSFET 163a based on the aforementioned 100% duty cycle red PWM pulse signal output from the CPU via the connection terminal 1, and lights up the LEDr of each LEDf 162 of the LEDf group 162 (each of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162) with red light in conjunction with the turn-on.

[0348] In conjunction with this, the LEDg group driving circuit 164 turns on the MOSFET 164a based on the aforementioned 70% duty cycle green PWM pulse signal output from the CPU via the connection terminal 2, and in conjunction with this, the LEDg of each LEDf 162 in the LEDf group 162 (each of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162) lights up with green light.

[0349] Then, the red and green light are mixed at luminances corresponding to the amount of current flowing into each LEDr and each LEDg as described above. Accordingly, each LEDf162 of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 is mixed and adjusted to produce an orange composite color light according to the luminances of the red and green light.

[0350] Here, since each MOSFET 163a, 164a, and 165a turns on and off with each switching operation of each bipolar transistor 166 to 168, each LEDf 162 of the first to fourth LEDf groups 162 will blink with the orange composite color light in accordance with each on and off cycle of each MOSFET 163a, 164a, and 165a.

[0351] However, this orange composite color light is emitted from each LED f162 of the first to fourth LED f groups f162 to the main display panel 150. Consequently, the main display panel 150 diffuses the orange composite color light through each of its first to fourth lateral boundary panel portions, emitting it as diffuse orange composite color light.

[0352] This means that the main display panel 150 will flash an orange indicator of a malfunction in the rapid charger C based on an orange diffuse composite color light in response to the flashing of each LEDf 162 in the first to fourth LEDf groups 162.

[0353] As described above, in this embodiment, the first to fourth LEDf groups 160a to 160d are arranged between the first to fourth lateral boundary plate portions of the heat sink 140 and the first to fourth lateral boundary panel portions of the main display panel 150.

[0354] Under this configuration, when the charge level of the drive power supply BT is within the first charge level range SOC1, the fourth longitudinal LEDf group member 160d emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple LEDs 162 onto the fourth lateral boundary panel portion of the light-diffusing display panel 150.

[0355] Accordingly, the main display panel 150 intermittently diffuses the incident composite color light around its fourth lateral boundary panel portion and intermittently emits diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply BT is being charged at a charge level within the first charge level range through the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color centered on the fourth lateral boundary panel portion.

[0356] Furthermore, when the charge level of the drive power supply BT is within the second charge level range SOC2, the fourth longitudinal LEDf group member 160d continuously emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple LEDf 162 onto the fourth lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150, while the third longitudinal LEDf group member 160c intermittently emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple LEDf 162 onto the third lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150.

[0357] Accordingly, the main display panel 150 continuously diffuses the incident composite color light around its fourth lateral boundary panel portion and continuously emits it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, and intermittently diffuses the incident composite color light around its third lateral boundary panel portion and intermittently emits it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color. Through the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color centered on the fourth lateral boundary panel portion and the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color centered on the third lateral boundary panel portion, the main display panel 150 indicates that the drive power supply BT is being charged at a charge level within the second charge level range SOC2.

[0358] Furthermore, when the charge level of the drive power supply BT is within the third charge level range SOC3, the fourth and third longitudinal LEDf group members 160d and 160c each continuously emit composite color light of a predetermined color from their multiple LEDf 162 onto the fourth and third lateral boundary panel portions of the main display panel 150, respectively, while the second longitudinal LEDf group member 160b intermittently emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple LEDf 162 onto the second lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150.

[0359] Accordingly, the main display panel 150 continuously diffuses the incident composite color light around each of its fourth and third lateral boundary panel portions and continuously emits it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, and intermittently diffuses the incident composite color light around its second lateral boundary panel portion and intermittently emits it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color. Through the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color around each of its fourth and third lateral boundary panel portions and the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color around its second lateral boundary panel portion, the main display panel 150 indicates that the drive power supply BT is being charged at a charge level within the third charge level range SOC3.

[0360] Furthermore, when the charge level of the drive power supply BT is within the fourth charge level range SOC4, each of the fourth, third, and second longitudinal LEDf group members 160d, 160c, and 160b continuously emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple LEDf 162 onto the fourth, third, and second lateral boundary panel portions of the main display panel 150, while the first longitudinal LEDf group member 160a intermittently emits composite color light of a predetermined color from its multiple LEDf 162 onto the first lateral boundary panel portion of the main display panel 150.

[0361] Accordingly, the main display panel 150 continuously diffuses the incident composite color light around each of its fourth, third, and second lateral boundary panel portions and continuously emits it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color, while intermittently diffusing the incident composite color light around the first lateral boundary panel portion and intermittently emitting it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color. Through the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color around each of the fourth, third, and second lateral boundary panel portions and the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color around the first lateral boundary panel portion, the main display panel 150 indicates that the drive power supply BT is being charged at a charge level within the fourth charge level range SOC4.

[0362] As described above, as the charge rate range to which the charge rate of the drive power supply BT belongs shifts from the first charge rate range SOC1 to the fourth charge rate range SOC4, the area displayed on the main display panel 150 shifts to the fourth lateral boundary panel area, the fourth and third lateral boundary panel areas, the fourth, third and second lateral boundary panel areas, and the fourth, third, second and first lateral boundary panel areas. As a result, the progress of charging of the drive power supply BT can be clearly observed through this shift in the display area of ​​the main display panel 150.

[0363] Here, the main display panel 150 displays the charging status of the drive power supply BT by diffusing the composite color light from each of the multiple LEDs f162 of the fourth to first LEDf groups arranged as described above and emitting it as diffuse composite color light of a predetermined color as described above. Therefore, even if the user of the rapid charger C is far away from the rapid charger C, the display contents of the main display panel 150 can be clearly seen.

[0364] Furthermore, in the main display panel member Dm, the first to fourth LEDF group members 160a to 160d are arranged on the heat sink 140 at intervals as described above. Consequently, even if multiple LEDf162 in each of the first to fourth LEDF group members 160a to 160d generate heat during operation, the thermal energy from this heat generation can be effectively dissipated to the outside by the heat sink 140. Therefore, the control unit U can operate smoothly without being affected by the heat generated by the multiple LEDf162.

[0365] Furthermore, as described above, since the main display panel 150 is formed in a gently convex curved shape toward the front, the display surface of the main display panel 150 can be clearly seen not only from the front but also from the left and right directions. As a result, the charging status of the drive power supply BT by the rapid charging device C can be clearly seen from a wide field of view based on the display of the main display panel 150, which is based on the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light or the continuous emission of diffuse color light.

[0366] The display on the main display panel 150 as described above is made by the emission of diffuse composite color light from the main display panel 150, based on the composite color light from each of the multiple LEDs f162 of the first to fourth LEDf group members 160a to 160d. In other words, the user will visually confirm the charging status of the drive power supply BT by the color of the emitted diffuse composite color light, based on the brightness of the diffuse composite color light emitted by the main display panel 150.

[0367] Therefore, since the color of the emitted diffuse composite color light is identified by different colors for each of the following: charging standby state, charging status, charging reservation, and malfunction, the user can clearly identify and visually confirm the charging status of the drive power supply BT and the status of the rapid charging device C (charging standby state, charging reservation, charging progress, control unit U malfunction, etc.) by the color of the emitted diffuse composite color light from the main display panel 150, even when far away from the rapid charging device C.

[0368] Furthermore, under the processing of the first to ninth LEDf-to-flow blinking processing routine 435, the sub-display panel 170, as described above, blinks with pink composite light guided light in a flowing manner using its light-emitting guides 180a to 180i, thereby indicating that the drive power supply BT is being charged.

[0369] Such displays are made in conjunction with the display of the charging status of the drive power supply BT by the display panel 150 described above. As a result, the user of the rapid charger C can easily see the progress of charging the drive power supply BT from the displays on both the main display panel 150 and the sub-display panel 170.

[0370] Furthermore, since the presence or absence of a malfunction in the control unit U is checked by executing the timer interrupt program shown in Figure 18, it is convenient that the presence or absence of a malfunction in the control unit U can be checked at any point during the execution of the computer program.

[0371] In carrying out the present invention, various modifications are possible, not limited to the embodiments described above. (1) The charging control device 200 described in the above embodiment may, instead of a DC-DC converter, employ a configuration consisting of, for example, an AC-DC converter, a DC-AC inverter, a boost type three-phase transformer circuit and an AC-DC converter. (2) The slits 171 to 179 of the sub-display panel 170 are not limited to a V-shape, but may be changed as appropriate, for example, to a straight shape, and may also be through holes, unlike each of the slits 171 to 179. (3) The number of LEDf group members referred to in the above embodiment is not limited to four, and may be changed as appropriate as needed. (4) The number of light-emitting guides in the above embodiment is not limited to nine, and may be increased or decreased as needed. The number of slits in the sub-display panel 170 may be increased or decreased in accordance with the increase or decrease in the number of light-emitting guides. (5) Instead of the light guide plate described in the above embodiment, for example, a light guide piece or, more generally, a light guide member having a three-dimensional shape capable of guiding light may be used. (6) In the above embodiment, the means for making a charging reservation is not limited to a smartphone or microcomputer, but may be any electronic terminal having a charging reservation function. (7) In the determination of "whether or not it is 30 minutes before the charging reservation time" in step 413 of the above embodiment, it is not limited to "30 minutes before," but is sufficient if it is longer than the maximum time required to charge the drive power supply BT, and may be set to, for example, "1 hour before" if necessary. (8) The present invention is not limited to electric vehicles as described in the above embodiments, but may also be applied to automobiles equipped with a drive power source, such as hybrid vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0372] BT...Power supply, DG1~DG9...LEDf group drive circuit, Dm...Display panel component, Ds...Sub-display panel component, ECU...Electronic control unit, PS...3-phase AC power supply, U...control unit, 100...housing 120a...front wall, 120b...rear wall, 140...heat sink, 150...main display panel, 160a~160d...LEDf group members, 162, 182b...LEDf, 170...Sub-display panel, 171~179...Slit, 180a~180i...Light-emitting light guide, 181...Light guide plate, 190...Charging connector component, 190a...Charging connector.

Claims

1. In a charging device applied to an automobile equipped with a group of batteries for driving the prime mover as a power source, A housing erected on an installation surface, a control unit housed within the housing, and a display panel member provided on at least one of the two opposing walls of the housing so as to constitute one wall portion thereof, The housing is equipped with a charging connector member, The display panel member comprises a light-diffusing display panel and at least first, second, and third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group members located on the back side of the light-diffusing display panel. The first, second, and third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members each have a plurality of full-color self-emitting elements dispersed along their longitudinal direction, and are arranged along the light-diffusing display panel in the lateral direction, and are spaced apart from each other from the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to the first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member, corresponding to the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel. The control unit is A charging means for charging the aforementioned power supply, As the operation to start charging the drive power supply is performed, a connector connection determination means determines whether or not the charging connector of the charging connector member is connected to the charging connector receiving portion of the automobile, Following the determination of the connection by the connector connection determination means, an inquiry means is provided to inquire with the vehicle's electronic control unit about the current charging status of the drive power supply. When the query means receives at least the current charge rate and charging current command value of the drive power supply from the electronic control unit as a result of the query, the setting means sets the charge rate and charging current command value as the initial charge rate and initial charging current command value, A charging control means that controls the charging means to start charging the drive power supply based on the initial charging current command value of the drive power supply, A charge rate range determination means for determining which of the first to third charge rate ranges the charge rate of the drive power supply is within, based on a charge rate characteristic defined such that the charge rate of the drive power supply increases over at least a first to third sequentially increasing charge rate range as the charging time progresses, When the charge level of the drive power supply is within a first charge level range, a first emission control means controls the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to emit composite color light of a predetermined color toward the lower lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel, When the initial charge level of the drive power supply is within the second charge level range, or when the charge level of the drive power supply increases from the charge level within the first charge level range to within the second charge level range, a second emission control means controls the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members to emit composite color light of a predetermined color toward the lower and middle lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel, respectively. When the initial charge level of the drive power supply is within the third charge level range, or when the charge level of the drive power supply increases from a charge level within the second charge level range to within the third charge level range, the system includes a third emission control means that controls each of the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the third, second, and first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members to emit composite color light of a predetermined color toward the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel, respectively. The aforementioned light-diffusing display panel is Under the control of the first emission control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color emitted from the plurality of full-color self-luminous elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member is incident on the lower lateral portion, the incident composite color light is diffused around the lower lateral portion and emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the first charge level range using the diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower lateral portion. Under the control of the second emission control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color emitted from the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members is incident on the lower and middle lateral portions, the incident composite color light is diffused around the lower and middle lateral portions and emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the second charge level range using the diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower and middle lateral portions. Furthermore, under the control of the third emission control means, when the composite color light of a predetermined color emitted from the plurality of full-color self-luminous elements of each of the third, second, and first longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group members is incident on each of the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions, the incident composite color light is diffused around each of the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions and emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the third charge level range.

2. The first emission control means controls the emission of composite color light of a predetermined color, directed toward the lower lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel by the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member, to be intermittent when the charge level of the drive power supply is within the first charge level range. The second emission control means controls the emission of composite color light of a predetermined color directed toward the lower lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel by the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to be continuous, and the emission of composite color light of a predetermined color directed toward the middle lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel by the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to be intermittent, when the initial charge level of the drive power supply is within the second charge level range, or when the charge level of the drive power supply has increased from the charge level within the first charge level range to be within the second charge level range. The third emission control means controls the emission of composite color light of a predetermined color directed toward the lower and middle lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel by the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members to be continuous, and the emission of composite color light of a predetermined color directed toward the upper lateral portion of the light-diffusing display panel by the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member to be intermittent. The aforementioned light-diffusing display panel is Under the control of the first control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color, which is intermittently emitted from the plurality of full-color self-luminous elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member, is incident on the lower lateral portion, the incident composite color light is intermittently diffused around the lower lateral portion and intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the first charge level range by the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower lateral portion. Under the control of the second emission control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color continuously emitted from the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the third longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member is incident at the lower lateral portion, the incident composite color light is continuously diffused around the lower lateral portion and continuously emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, and when the composite color light of the predetermined color intermittently emitted from the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member is incident at the middle lateral portion, the incident composite color light is intermittently diffused around the middle lateral portion and intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the second charge level range, through the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the lower lateral portion and the intermittent emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the middle lateral portion. Furthermore, under the control of the third emission control means, when the composite color light of the predetermined color, which is continuously emitted from the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of each of the third and second longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group members, is incident on the lower and middle lateral portions, each incident composite color light is continuously diffused around the lower and middle lateral portions and continuously emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, and the predetermined color light is intermittently emitted from the plurality of full-color self-emitting elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-emitting element group member. The rapid charging device for automobiles according to claim 1, characterized in that when composite color light is incident on the upper lateral portion, the incident composite color light is intermittently diffused around the upper lateral portion and intermittently emitted as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is charged to a charge level within the third charge level range by the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on each of the lower and middle lateral portions, and the intermittent emission of emitted diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the upper lateral portion.

3. Under the control of the third emission control means, when the charge rate of the drive power supply increases beyond the third charge rate range and the drive power supply reaches a state close to full charge, the plurality of full-color self-light-emitting elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-light-emitting element group member are equipped with a fourth emission control means that controls the intermittent emission of composite color light of the predetermined color to be emitted continuously. Under the control of the fourth emission control means, the light-diffusing display panel diffuses the composite color light of a predetermined color continuously emitted from the plurality of full-color self-luminous elements of the first longitudinal full-color self-luminous element group member toward the upper lateral portion, centering on the upper lateral portion, and continuously emits it as diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color, thereby indicating that the drive power supply is in a charging state close to full charge by the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on each of the lower and middle lateral portions, and the continuous emission of diffuse composite color light of the predetermined color centered on the upper lateral portion, as described in claim 2.

4. The display panel member is configured to have heat sinks arranged opposite each other at a distance on the back side of the light-diffusing display panel, The first, second, and third full-color self-luminescent element group members are each arranged along the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions corresponding to the lower, middle, and upper lateral portions of the light-diffusing display panel of the heat sink, The heat sink is configured to dissipate heat generated during the operation of each of the multiple full-color self-luminous elements of the first, second, and third full-color light-emitting element group members to the outside. The rapid charging device for automobiles according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-diffusing display panel is formed so as to protrude outward in a curved shape from its lateral central portion.

5. The aforementioned display panel member is a main display panel member and is equipped with a sub-display panel member, as well as flow intermittent light emission control means. The sub-display panel member is formed to constitute a different portion of one wall of the housing from the main panel member, The sub-display panel member includes the light-diffusing display panel as the main display panel, a sub-display panel, and at least a first and a second light-emitting guide. The aforementioned sub-display panel is provided with at least first and second through-holes spaced apart from its bottom to its top, The first light-emitting light guide comprises at least one full-color self-emitting element and a light-guiding member fitted into the first through-hole so as to guide composite color light of a predetermined color incident from the full-color self-emitting element. The second light-emitting light guide comprises at least one full-color self-emitting element and a light-guiding member fitted into the second through-hole so as to guide the composite color light of the predetermined color incident from the full-color self-emitting element. The full-color self-luminous elements and light guide members of the first and second light-emitting light guides are designated as the first and second full-color self-luminous elements and the first and second light guide members, respectively, and the flow intermittent light emission control means sequentially, intermittently, and repeatedly controls the first and second full-color self-luminous elements so that they emit composite color light of a predetermined color into the first and second light guide members as the drive power supply is charged by the charging means. The first and second light-emitting guides are configured such that the first and second light-guiding members guide the combined color light emitted intermittently and sequentially from the first and second full-color self-emitting elements and emit it sequentially and intermittently as guided combined color light. The automotive charging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sub-display panel is configured to indicate that the drive power supply is charging, based on the combined color light that is intermittently emitted from the first and second light-emitting light guides, such that the light flows sequentially from the first through-hole to the second through-hole.

6. As the charge rate of the drive power supply increases beyond the third charge rate range and changes to a saturation trend, the flow intermittent control means reduces the intermittent control speed in accordance with the degree of the saturation trend of the charge rate, thereby reducing the intermittent emission speed of the composite color light from each of the first and second full-color self-luminescent elements. The automotive charging device according to claim 5, characterized in that the sub-display panel reduces the intermittent display speed for the display indicating that the drive power supply is charging in accordance with the decrease in the intermittent emission speed of the composite color light from each of the first and second full-color self-luminous elements.

7. Prior to or during the operation to start charging the drive power supply, a charge reservation determination means for determining whether or not a charge reservation is made, After the charging reservation determination means determines that a charging reservation exists based on a charging reservation operation by an electronic terminal, the charging reservation short-time-before determination means determines whether or not it is a predetermined short time before the reservation time in the charging reservation, The system includes a charging reservation control means that, upon determination by the charging reservation short-time pre-determination means that the predetermined short-time pre-determination has been determined, controls each of the plurality of full-color self-light-emitting elements of the first, second, and third longitudinal full-color self-light-emitting element group members to emit composite color light of a reserved color that is different from the predetermined color, The automotive charging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-diffusing display panel is configured to diffuse the composite color light of the reserved color from each of the first, second, and third full-color light-emitting element group members and emit it as diffuse composite color light so as to display the charging reservation across its entire display surface.

8. When the charging reservation determination means determines that there is no charging reservation operation by the electronic terminal, it includes a self-light-emitting element control means that controls each of the multiple self-light-emitting elements in the first, second, and third full-color self-light-emitting element groups so that each of the multiple self-light-emitting elements intermittently emits composite color light of a predetermined color. The automotive charging device according to claim 7, characterized in that the light-diffusing display panel is configured to diffuse intermittently diffused composite color light from each of the plurality of self-light-emitting elements of the first, second, and third full-color self-light-emitting elements and emit it as intermittently diffused composite color light so as to indicate that the entire display surface is in a charging standby state.

9. When a malfunction occurs in the control unit, the system includes emission control means that controls each of the multiple full-color self-light-emitting elements of the first, second, and third full-color self-light-emitting element group members to emit composite color light in a warning color that is different from the predetermined color. The automotive charging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-diffusing display panel is configured to diffuse the composite color light of the warning color from each of the plurality of self-luminous elements of the first, second, and third full-color light-emitting element group members and emit it as diffuse composite color light under the control of the emission control means, so as to display a malfunction of the control unit across its entire display surface.

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