Vehicle charging device

Abstract

This reduces the effort required from the user when aligning the charging cable's connector directly with the charging inlet. [Solution] A vehicle charging device comprising a charging cable to which a charging connector is attached and which is plugged into the charging inlet of an electric vehicle, and a charger that supplies charging power to the electric vehicle via the charging cable, wherein the device further comprises a fixing device that is movably supported by the charger and fixes a part of the charging cable, a moving device that moves the fixing device, and a control device that controls the moving device so that the fixing device moves to a target position based on the position of the charging inlet and cable information which is information about the charging cable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle charging device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of vehicle charging device, there has been proposed one including a charging cable having a charging connector that can be inserted into a charging inlet of an electric vehicle, and a charger (power supply unit) that supplies charging power to the electric vehicle via the charging cable (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this device, it is detected based on a captured image of a camera that the charging inlet of the electric vehicle is present in the vicinity, and the cover of the charging inlet is fully opened.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document Ⅰ

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described vehicle charging device, in order to make the charging connector of the charging cable face the charging inlet, the user needs to route the charging cable. Therefore, the user had to exert effort to route the charging cable.

[0005] The main object of the vehicle charging device of the present disclosure is to reduce the labor of the user when making the charging connector of the charging cable face the charging inlet.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle charging device of the present disclosure has taken the following means to achieve the above main object.

[0007] The vehicle charging device of the present disclosure A vehicle charging device comprising a charging cable to which a charging connector is attached for insertion into the charging inlet of an electric vehicle, and a charger that supplies charging power to the electric vehicle via the charging cable, A fixing device is movably supported by the charger and secures a portion of the charging cable, A moving device for moving the aforementioned fixing device, A control device that controls the moving device so that the fixing device moves to a target position based on the position of the charging inlet and cable information which is information about the charging cable, The gist of it is that it is equipped with the following features.

[0008] The vehicle charging device of this disclosure includes a fixing device that is movably supported by the charger and secures a portion of the charging cable, and a moving device that moves the fixing device. The moving device is controlled so that the fixing device moves to a target position based on the position of the charging inlet and cable information, which is information about the charging cable. As a result, a portion of the charging cable is secured in the correct position relative to the charging inlet, so that the length of the charging cable that the user has to route when aligning the charging connector of the charging cable with the charging inlet can be reduced. As a result, the effort required of the user when aligning the charging connector of the charging cable with the charging inlet can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the charging system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of what an electric vehicle V looks like when viewed from above with the charger and charging cable plugged in. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows an example of a control routine executed by the control device 30. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the charging system of this embodiment. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how an electric vehicle with a charger and charging cable plugged in looks when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the vertical, horizontal, and lateral directions are as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0011] The charging system 10 of this embodiment is configured to perform external charging, supplying charging power to a battery B mounted on an electric vehicle V, and comprises a charging device (vehicle charging device) 20, an imaging device 40, an information providing device 42, and a reservation management device 44. The electric vehicle V comprises a motor MG, a battery B, and a vehicle-side charger CH. The motor MG outputs power for driving. The battery B exchanges power with the motor MG via an inverter (not shown). The vehicle-side charger CH charges the battery B by converting the power supplied from the charging device 20 via a charging cable 22 inserted into a charging inlet CHin provided on the rear side of the vehicle into a voltage suitable for the battery B. Note that the charging inlet CHin is not limited to being provided on the rear side of the vehicle, but may also be provided on the front or rear of the vehicle.

[0012] The charging device 20 includes a charging cable 22, a charger 24, a suspension device 26, an actuator (moving device) 28, and a control device 30.

[0013] The charging cable 22 has one end attached to the charger 24 and the other end attached to a charging connector 23 that is shaped to plug into the charging inlet CHin of the electric vehicle V. The charging cable 22 is formed such that a portion of it on the charging connector 23 side is less flexible than the rest of it. This flexibility changes depending on the ambient temperature.

[0014] The charger 24 converts AC power from the commercial power source PS into DC power and supplies it to the battery B of the electric vehicle V via the charging cable 22. The charger 24 is controlled by the control device 30.

[0015] The suspension device 26 comprises a rail 26a attached to the top of the charger 24 and a fixing device 26b that is movably mounted on the rail 26a. The rail 26a is installed so as to extend forward from the main body in which the charger 24 is housed. A portion of the less flexible part of the charging cable 22 is fixed to the fixing device 26b. The fixing position of the charging cable 22 by the fixing device 26b is adjusted so that when the fixing device 26b moves on the rail 26a, excessive pulling force is not applied to the charging cable 22 on the side of the fixing device 26b toward the charger 24, and the charging connector 23 is positioned so that it can reach the charging inlet CHin sufficiently when a vehicle is parked within a predetermined range near the charging device 20.

[0016] The actuator 28 drives the fixture 26b to move the fixture 26b on the rail 26a. The actuator 28 is controlled by the control device 30.

[0017] The control device 30 includes a computer (not shown) with a CPU, ROM, RAM, HDD, input / output ports, communication ports, etc. The control device 30 receives input such as the ambient temperature Ta from the temperature sensor 32 that detects the ambient temperature via its input ports. The control device 30 outputs control signals for controlling the charger 24 and drive signals for the actuator 28 via its output ports. The control device 30 exchanges various information with the imaging device 40, the information providing device 42, and the reservation management device 44 via wireless or wired communication.

[0018] The imaging device 40 is configured as a camera capable of imaging the charging device 20 and the electric vehicle V parked near the charging device 20 from an oblique angle above. The imaging device 40 transmits the image data obtained from the imaging device to the control device 30 via communication.

[0019] The information providing device 42 is installed in an information center, which is a facility different from the facility where the charging device 20 is installed, and includes a computer (not shown) having a CPU, ROM, RAM, HDD, input / output ports, communication ports, etc. The information providing device 42 stores, as cable information Imc in the HDD, the information of the charging cable 22 used in the charging device 20, for example, the relationship between the length N of the portion with less distortion when the charging connector 23 faces the charging inlet CHin and the outside air temperature. The information providing device 42 exchanges various information with the control device 30 via communication.

[0020] The reservation management device 44 is installed in a reservation management center, which is a facility different from the facility where the charging device 20 is installed, and includes a computer (not shown) having a CPU, ROM, RAM, input / output ports, communication ports, etc. The reservation management device 44 stores in the HDD the reservation information for external charging from a portable terminal (not shown) carried by the electric vehicle V or the user U. The reservation information includes the position (longitude, latitude) of the reserved charging device 20, the vehicle type of the vehicle on which the user U boards, the number of the license plate, and the like. The reservation management device 44 exchanges various information with the control device 30 via communication.

[0021] In the charging system 10 configured in this way, when the charging connector 23 is aligned with and inserted into the charging inlet CHin of the electric vehicle V by the user U, the control device 30 controls the charging device 20 so that the power from the commercial power supply PS is supplied to the vehicle-side charger CH of the electric vehicle V via the charging device 20. The vehicle-side charger CH of the electric vehicle V that receives the power supply performs external charging to charge the battery B with the supplied power.

[0022] Next, the operation of the charging system 10 thus configured will be described, particularly the operation when moving the fixture 26b of the hoist 26. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a control routine executed by the control device 30. This routine is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals (for example, every few seconds). When starting this routine, the fixture 26b is located at the reference position Ps as the central position in the left - right direction of the rail 26a.

[0023] When this routine is executed, the control device 30 inputs the image data from the imaging device 40 via communication (S100). Based on the input image data, it is determined whether an electric vehicle V is parked in front of the charging device 20 (S110). The control device 30 inputs the image data from the imaging device 40 via communication and determines that it is parked when the image of the electric vehicle V is included in the image data. When the electric vehicle V is not parked in front of the charging device 20, the control device 30 ends this routine.

[0024] When the control device 30 determines in S110 that the electric vehicle V is parked in front of the charging device 20, it generates vehicle information Imv using the input image data and the outside air temperature Ta detected by the temperature sensor 32 (S120). The vehicle information Imv includes the outside air temperature Ta, the vehicle type, and the inlet positions Ai, Bi as the positions of the charging inlet CHin of the electric vehicle V in the left - right direction and the front - rear direction with respect to the charging device 20. The inlet positions Ai, Bi are derived by image analysis by the control device 30 based on the input image data.

[0025] Next, the control device 30 determines whether or not it is possible to communicate with the information providing device 42 (S130). In this determination, the control device 30 sends a communication confirmation signal to the information providing device 42, and if it receives a confirmation signal from the information providing device 42 within a predetermined time, it determines that communication with the information providing device 42 is possible. If the control device 30 does not receive a confirmation signal from the information providing device 42 within a predetermined time, it determines that communication with the information providing device 42 is not possible. When it determines that communication with the information providing device 42 is not possible, this routine is terminated.

[0026] When the control device 30 determines in S130 that it can communicate with the information providing device 42, it sends an information request signal Sreq to the information providing device 42 requesting the transmission of vehicle information Imv and cable information Imc (S140), and waits until it receives the cable information Imc (S150). Upon receiving the vehicle information Imv and the information request signal Sreq, the information providing device 42 derives the length N of the less flexible portion of the charging cable 22 corresponding to the ambient temperature Ta included in the vehicle information Imv from the cable information Imc stored in the HDD. The length N changes according to the ambient temperature Ta. Then, the information providing device 42 transmits the derived length N as cable information Imc to the control device 30.

[0027] The control device 30, having received the cable information Imc, calculates the target position Y of the fixing device 26b (S150). The target position Y is calculated as the position in the left-right direction from the reference position Ps of the rail 26a. As shown in Figure 2, the target position Y is calculated using the inlet positions Ai and Bi included in the vehicle information Imv, the length N included in the cable information Imc, and the distance C, which is the distance in the front-rear direction between the rail 26a and the outlet of the charging cable 22 on the charger 24, using the following equation (1). The target position Y is the position where the user U does not need to exert much effort to route the charging cable 22 when the charging connector 23 of the charging cable 22 is facing the charging inlet CHin. The following equation (1) can be easily derived from Figure 2.

[0028] Y = Ai / (Bi - N) · C ···(1)

[0029] Once the control device 30 has set the target position Y, it waits until user U starts operating the charging cable 22 (S170). The control device 30 may determine that user U has started operating the charging cable 22 when it detects that user U has touched the charging connector 23 of the charging cable 22 using a touch sensor (not shown), or, if an operation button is installed on the charging connector 23, it may determine that user U has started operating the charging cable 22 when this operation button is operated.

[0030] Then, when user U starts operating the charging cable 22, the control device 30 controls the actuator 28 so that the position Pfix of the fixing device 26b becomes the target position Y, and that the fixing device 26b is fixed in the target position Y without moving (S180). This control allows the position of the fixing device 26b to be set to a position where the effort required of user U to route the charging cable 22 is reduced when the charging connector 23 of the charging cable 22 is facing the charging inlet CHin. This reduces the effort required of user U when facing the charging connector 23 of the charging cable 22 towards the charging inlet CHin.

[0031] Once the control device 30 controls the actuator 28 in this manner, it waits until the battery B has finished charging and the user U operates the cable again (S190). The control device 30 may also determine that the battery B has finished charging and the user U has operated the cable again when it detects from a sensor attached to the charging cable 22 that the charging connector 23 has disconnected from the charging inlet CHin. Alternatively, the control device 30 may input image data from the imaging device 40 and determine that the battery B has finished charging and the user U has operated the cable again based on the input image data.

[0032] When battery B is fully charged and user U operates the cable again, the control device 30 controls the actuator 28 so that the position Pfix of the fixing device 26b becomes the reference position Ps (S290), and terminates this routine. By setting the position Pfix of the fixing device 26b to the reference position Ps in this way, preparations can be made for the next movement of the fixing device 26b.

[0033] According to the charging device 20 of the embodiment described above, by controlling the actuator 28 so that the fixing device 26b moves to a target position Y based on the inlet positions Ai and Bi of the charging inlet CHin and the cable information Imc, the effort required of the user U when aligning the charging connector 23 of the charging cable 22 with the charging inlet CHin can be reduced.

[0034] In the embodiment described above, between S180 and S190, the connection between the charging inlet CHin and the charging connector 23 may be confirmed by a sensor or the like, the fixing device 26b may be released, image data may be input from the imaging device 40, the length N of the charging cable 22 may be calculated from the image data, and the ambient temperature Ta and length N may be transmitted to the information providing device 42. The information providing device 42, having received the length N and ambient temperature Ta, updates the cable information Imc stored in the HDD using the received length N and ambient temperature Ta. This allows the control device 30 to move the fixing device 26b more appropriately the next time.

[0035] In the above embodiment, steps S100 and S110 determine whether or not the electric vehicle V is parked in front of the charging device 20 based on image data from the imaging device 40. However, it is also possible to input reservation information from the reservation management device 44 via communication along with the image data from the imaging device 40, obtain the vehicle type and license plate number of the parked vehicle from the image data, and determine that the electric vehicle V is parked in front of the charging device 20 when the vehicle type and license plate number of the vehicle parked in front of the charging device 20 match the vehicle type and license plate number of a reserved vehicle.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the control device 30 calculates the target position Y, but the information providing device 42 may calculate the target position Y, and the control device 30 may receive the calculated target position Y.

[0037] Furthermore, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem is merely an example to specifically explain the form in which the embodiment implements the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem. In other words, the interpretation of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem should be based on the description in that section, and the embodiment is merely one specific example of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem.

[0038] Although the embodiments for implementing this disclosure have been described above, this disclosure is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and can of course be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of this disclosure. [Industrial applicability]

[0039] This disclosure can be used in industries such as the manufacturing of vehicle charging devices. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] 20 Charging device, 22 Charging cable, 24 Charger, 26b Fixing device, 28 Actuator, 30 Control device.

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle charging device comprising a charging cable to which a charging connector is attached for insertion into the charging inlet of an electric vehicle, and a charger that supplies charging power to the electric vehicle via the charging cable, A fixing device is movably supported by the charger and secures a portion of the charging cable, A moving device for moving the aforementioned fixing device, A control device that controls the moving device so that the fixing device moves to a target position based on the position of the charging inlet and cable information which is information about the charging cable, A vehicle charging device equipped with the following features.

Images