vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technique which can prevent a wrong diagnosis of the existence of an abnormality when a vehicle is charged from an external power source.SOLUTION: A vehicle includes: a battery; a power supply part configured to be capable of supplying electric power from the battery to an external load; a charge port unit having a charge inlet that a charge connector used for charging the battery with an external power source is attached to and detached from; and a control part configured to control operation of a movable part included in the charge port unit. When external power supply processing of supplying electric power from the power supply part to the external load is executed, the control part controls the movable part of the charge port unit to physically prohibit the charge connector from being connected to the charge inlet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known technology for charging a vehicle's battery using an external power source by connecting a charging connector to a charging inlet provided in the vehicle. Also, there is known a vehicle equipped with a power supply unit capable of supplying power from the battery to an external load. Related technology is disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-100185 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Supplying power from the battery to an external load via the power supply unit can cause voltage fluctuations at the terminals of the charging inlet. Furthermore, when connecting the charging connector to the charging inlet to start charging, the charging cable may be diagnosed for various abnormalities (e.g., a welded CCID relay). If the charging connector is connected to the charging inlet while power is being supplied from the power supply unit and a diagnosis is performed, the voltage fluctuations at the terminals of the charging inlet may result in a false diagnosis that an abnormality has occurred in the charging cable. As a result, charging may be prohibited. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The vehicle disclosed in this specification includes a battery, a power supply unit configured to supply power from the battery to an external load, a charge port unit having a charge inlet to which a charge connector for charging the battery from an external power source is attached and detached, and a control unit that controls the operation of a movable unit of the charge port unit. When an external power supply process is performed to supply power from the power supply unit to the external load, the control unit controls the movable unit of the charge port unit to physically prohibit the charge connector from being connected to the charge inlet.

[0006] According to the above configuration, when the external power supply process is being performed, the charging connector cannot be connected to the charging inlet. This prevents a diagnosis of an abnormality in the charging cable from being performed during the external power supply process. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which an abnormality is erroneously diagnosed as occurring due to the external power supply process. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a charging system 1. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a charging port unit 11. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a charging port unit 11. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the vehicle 10 in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the vehicle 10 in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In one example vehicle disclosed in this specification, the movable portion of the charging port unit may further include a lid configured to be movable between a closed position that covers the charging inlet and an open position that exposes the charging inlet. The movable portion of the charging port unit may further include a locking device that secures the lid in the closed position. When an external power feeding process is started with the lid in the closed position, the control unit may activate the locking device to secure the lid in the closed position and prohibit release of the locking device while the external power feeding process continues. With this configuration, the charging inlet can be kept covered by the lid during the external power feeding process. It is possible to prevent a charging connector from being connected to the charging inlet during the external power feeding process.

[0009] In one example vehicle disclosed in this specification, the charging port unit may further include a first actuator that moves the lid between a closed position and an open position. When an external power feeding process is started with the lid in the open position, the control unit may activate the first actuator to move the lid to the closed position. With this configuration, if the lid is in the open position when the external power feeding process is started, the lid can be automatically closed. This makes it possible to reliably create a state in which a charging connector cannot be connected to the charging inlet during the external power feeding process.

[0010] In an example vehicle disclosed in the present specification, the movable portion of the charging port unit may include an engaging member configured to be movable between an engaging position where the engaging member engages with the charging connector and a disengaging position where the engaging member is disengaged from the charging connector. The movable portion of the charging port unit may include a second actuator that moves the engaging member between the engaging position and the disengaging position. When the external power feeding process is started and the charging connector is not connected to the charging inlet, the control unit may activate the second actuator to move the engaging member to the engaging position. With this configuration, if the charging connector is not connected when the external power feeding process is started, the engaging member can be automatically moved to the engaging position. The engaging member positioned in the engaging position can prevent the charging connector from being connected to the charging inlet. This makes it possible to create a state in which the charging connector cannot be connected to the charging inlet during the external power feeding process. [Example]

[0011] (Configuration of charging system 1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a charging system 1. The charging system includes a vehicle 10, a charging cable 30, and an external power source 40. The configuration of vehicle 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is a vehicle that can run on power from a battery 17. Examples of vehicle 10 include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. Vehicle 10 includes a charging port unit 11, a filter circuit 12, a voltmeter 13, a relay 14, a power conversion circuit 15, a capacitor 16, a battery 17, a control unit 18, and a power supply unit 19.

[0012] The configuration of charging port unit 11 will be described using Figures 2 and 3. Figures 2 and 3 are schematic enlarged views of charging port unit 11. Figure 2 shows a state in which lid 20 is in a closed position that covers charging inlet 25. Figure 3 shows a state in which lid 20 is in an open position that exposes charging inlet 25.

[0013] The charging port unit 11 includes a cover 20, a first motor 21, a locking device 22, an engaging member 23, a second motor 24, and a charging inlet 25. The first motor 21 is an actuator that moves the cover 20 between a closed position and an open position. The locking device 22 includes a locking pin 22p. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover 20 can be fixed in the closed position by engaging the locking pin 22p with the cover 20.

[0014] Engagement member 23 is configured to be movable between an engagement position P1 (dotted line in FIG. 3) and a release position P2 (solid line in FIG. 3). Second motor 24 is an actuator that moves engagement member 23 between engagement position P1 and release position P2. When charging connector 31 is connected to charging inlet 25, engagement member 23 can be engaged with charging connector 31 by positioning engagement member 23 at engagement position P1 (see FIG. 1). This allows the connection between charging connector 31 and charging inlet 25 to be locked. Furthermore, engagement between engagement member 23 and the charging connector can be released by positioning engagement member 23 at release position P2.

[0015] Charging inlet 25 is a portion where charging connector 31 for charging battery 17 from external power supply 40 is attached and detached. Charging inlet 25 has a first terminal T1 and a second terminal T2. As shown in FIG. 1 , first terminal T1 and a first AC terminal AT1 of power conversion circuit 15 are connected by a first power line L1. Second terminal T2 and a second AC terminal AT2 of power conversion circuit 15 are connected by a second power line L2.

[0016] Filter circuit 12a, voltmeter 13, relay 14, and filter circuit 12b are arranged on the connection path between charging inlet 25 and power conversion circuit 15. Filter circuits 12a and 12b are circuits that remove noise contained in power conversion circuit 15 and the like, and prevent noise from leaking outside the vehicle. Filter circuits 12a and 12b are connected to reference voltage GND. Various circuit configurations can be used for filter circuits 12a and 12b, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0017] Voltmeter 13 is a component that detects AC voltage. Voltmeter 13 is connected to the high-level reference voltage part VH-GND. That is, second terminal T2 of charging inlet 25 is connected to the high-level reference voltage part VH-GND via voltmeter 13. Relay 14 is a C-contact relay. Relay 14 allows the connection destination of power conversion circuit 15 to be selected between charging inlet 25 and power supply unit 19.

[0018] The power conversion circuit 15 is a power conversion circuit capable of converting AC power applied between the first AC terminal AT1 and the second AC terminal AT2 and DC power applied between the first DC terminal DT1 and the second DC terminal DT2. The power conversion circuit 15 may be, for example, a known PFC (power factor correction) circuit. Since a known configuration can be used for the power conversion circuit 15, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0019] The DC first terminal DT1 is connected to a battery 17 via a positive line PL. The DC second terminal DT2 is connected to the battery 17 via a negative line NL. The battery 17 is a rechargeable DC power supply. The battery 17 includes a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. The negative line NL is connected to a high-level reference voltage part VH-GND. A high-voltage voltage VH is output to the positive line PL. The high-voltage voltage VH may be, for example, about 400 V. Various circuits (e.g., a DC-DC converter) (not shown) may be disposed on the connection path between the power conversion circuit 15 and the battery 17. The capacitor 16 is connected between the DC first terminal DT1 and the DC second terminal DT2. The capacitor 16 has a function of smoothing voltage fluctuations between the positive line PL and the negative line NL.

[0020] Power supply unit 19 is a component to which various external loads 50 can be connected. For example, a single-phase 100V outlet can be used for power supply unit 19. Power supply unit 19 is configured to be able to supply power from battery 17 to external load 50. Specifically, DC power from battery 17 is converted by power conversion circuit 15 into single-phase AC power for home use and output from power supply unit 19.

[0021] Control unit 18 receives detection signals from various sensors (not shown) and controls the entire vehicle by outputting control signals to various devices included in vehicle 10. Control unit 18 also controls the operation of movable parts (lid body 20, first motor 21, locking device 22, engaging member 23, and second motor 24) of charging port unit 11. Note that in FIG. 1, various signal paths are indicated by dotted arrows.

[0022] The charging cable 30 includes a charging connector 31, a CCID (Charging Circuit Interrupt Device) 32, a plug 33, and an electric wire portion 34. The plug 33 is connected to a power outlet 42 of an external power supply 40. The charging connector 31 is connected to a charging inlet 25 of the vehicle 10. The electric wire portion 34 is a power line for transmitting power from the external power supply 40 to the vehicle 10.

[0023] The CCID 32 includes a CCID control unit 35 and a CCID relay 36. The CCID control unit 35 is a component for performing various types of charging control. The CCID control unit 35 controls the opening and closing of the CCID relay 36. The CCID control unit 35 also detects the voltages at the first terminal T1 and the second terminal T2 of the charging inlet 25. The CCID relay 36 is provided on the electric wire unit 34 and is controlled by the CCID control unit 35. When the CCID relay 36 is open, the power path within the charging cable 30 is interrupted. On the other hand, when the CCID relay 36 is closed, power can be supplied from the external power source 40 to the vehicle 10.

[0024] The external power supply 40 includes an AC power supply 41 and a power outlet 42. The AC power supply 41 may be, for example, an AC power system power supply provided by an electric utility company.

[0025] (Vehicle 10 operation) The operation of vehicle 10 will be described using the flowchart of Fig. 4. The process of Fig. 4 is started, for example, when the ignition switch is turned on. In step S10, control unit 18 determines whether or not an external power supply process for supplying power from power supply unit 19 to external load 50 is started. This determination may be made, for example, when an external power supply switch (not shown) is turned on. If a negative determination is made (S10: NO), the process waits, and if a positive determination is made (S10: YES), the process proceeds to step S20.

[0026] In step S20, the control unit 18 determines whether the cover 20 is in the closed position. This determination may be made by a sensor (not shown), or may be made based on the state of the first motor 21. If the determination is affirmative (S20: YES), the process proceeds to step S40.

[0027] In step S40, the control unit 18 activates the locking device 22 to fix the lid body 20 in the closed position (see FIG. 2). In addition, in step S50, the control unit 18 prohibits deactivation of the locking device 22. That is, the state in which the lock pin 22p is engaged with the lid body 20 cannot be released by a user operation. At this time, for example, a display (not shown) in the driver's seat may display information indicating that the lid body 20 cannot be unlocked.

[0028] In step S60, the control unit 18 determines whether the external power supply process has ended. This determination may be made, for example, when an external power supply switch (not shown) is turned off. If a negative determination is made (S60: NO), the process waits, and if a positive determination is made (S60: YES), the process proceeds to step S70. In step S70, the control unit 18 permits the release of the locking device 22. For example, a display (not shown) at the driver's seat may display information indicating that the lid body 20 can now be unlocked. Then, the process returns to step S10.

[0029] On the other hand, if the cover 20 is not in the closed position in step S20 (S20: NO), it is determined that the external power supply process has been started with the cover 20 in the open position, and the process proceeds to step S80. In step S80, the control unit 18 determines whether the charging connector 31 is connected to the charging inlet 25. This determination may be made by detecting the presence or absence of a signal transmitted from the charging cable 30 via a signal line (not shown). If the charging connector 31 is connected (S80: YES), the process returns to step S10, and if the charging connector 31 is not connected (S80: NO), the process proceeds to step S90. In step S90, the control unit 18 activates the second motor 24 to move the engaging member 23 to the engaging position P1 (see FIG. 3).

[0030] In step S100, the control unit 18 determines whether the external power supply process has ended. If a negative determination is made (S100: NO), the process waits, and if a positive determination is made (S100: YES), the process proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the control unit 18 activates the second motor 24 to retract the engaging member 23 to the release position P2 (see FIG. 3). The process then returns to step S10.

[0031] (Challenges and Effects) First, the problem will be explained. The charging cable 30 has a function for diagnosing whether various abnormalities have occurred in the charging cable 30 when the charging connector 31 is connected to the charging inlet 25. As an example, the charging cable 30 diagnoses whether the CCID relay 36 is welded. Specifically, when the charging connector 31 is connected, the CCID control unit 35 detects the voltage between the first terminal T1 and the ground voltage of the reference voltage part GND, and the voltage between the second terminal T2 and the ground voltage of the reference voltage part GND. If the detected voltage exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the CCID relay 36 has welded. In this case, the CCID control unit 35 prohibits charging through the charging cable 30.

[0032] Furthermore, during the external power supply process in which power is supplied from the battery 17 to the external load 50 via the power supply unit 19, the high-voltage DC voltage VH is converted into a single-phase AC voltage of 100 V by the switching operation of the power conversion circuit 15. The voltage fluctuations generated by this switching operation are transmitted to the reference voltage part GND. During this transmission, a voltage is generated at the high-level reference voltage part VH-GND. The high-level reference voltage part VH-GND is connected to the second terminal T2 of the charging inlet 25 via the voltmeter 13. Therefore, during the external power supply process, a voltage is generated at the second terminal T2.

[0033] Therefore, if the charging cable 30 is connected to the charging inlet 25 while the external power supply process is in progress, the voltage values at the first terminal T1 and the second terminal T2 will be detected while a voltage is generated at the second terminal T2. This could result in the detected voltage exceeding the threshold, leading to a false detection that the CCID relay 36 is welded. As a result, there is a concern that charging via the charging cable 30 may become impossible. To solve this problem, it is conceivable to modify or add a component to the charging circuit configuration so that a voltage is not generated at the second terminal T2 while the external power supply process is in progress. However, modifying or adding a component to the charging circuit configuration is undesirable because it increases development and manufacturing costs.

[0034] Therefore, in the technology of this specification, when the external power feeding process is started (S10: YES) with the cover 20 in the closed position (S20: YES), the locking device 22 is activated to lock the cover 20 in the closed position (S40). Furthermore, while the external power feeding process continues, the locking device 22 is prohibited from being deactivated (S50). This allows the cover 20 to maintain the state in which the charging inlet 25 is covered during the external power feeding process. Because the charging connector 31 can be prohibited from being connected to the charging inlet 25 during the external power feeding process, it is possible to prevent a diagnosis of an abnormality in the charging cable 30 from being performed during the external power feeding process. It is possible to prevent a situation in which welding of the CCID relay 36 is erroneously detected without changing or adding to the charging circuit configuration.

[0035] Furthermore, with the technology described herein, if the charging connector 31 is not connected when the external power feeding process is started (S80: NO), the engaging member 23 can be automatically moved to the engaging position P1 (S90, see FIG. 3). Even when the cover 20 is open, the engaging member 23 positioned at the engaging position P1 can prevent the charging connector 31 from being connected to the charging inlet 25. This makes it possible to create a state in which the charging connector 31 cannot be connected to the charging inlet 25 during the external power feeding process. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which the CCID relay 36 is erroneously detected as having welded. [Example]

[0036] The operation of the vehicle 10 in the second embodiment will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 5. The same reference numerals are used to designate the common parts between the flow of the second embodiment (Fig. 5) and the flow of the first embodiment (Fig. 4), and the description thereof will be omitted. Steps specific to the embodiment will be distinguished by adding "a" to the end of the reference numeral.

[0037] If cover 20 is not in the closed position (S20: NO) and charging connector 31 is not connected to charging inlet 25 (S80: NO), the process proceeds to step S85a. In step S85a, control unit 18 activates first motor 21 to move cover 20 to the closed position. Then, the process proceeds to step S40, where locking device 22 is activated to fix cover 20 in the closed position (see FIG. 2).

[0038] (effect) In the technology of the second embodiment, if the lid 20 is in the open position when the external power feeding process is started (S20: NO), the lid 20 can be automatically closed. This makes it possible to reliably create a state in which the charging connector cannot be connected to the charging inlet during the external power feeding process.

[0039] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives alone is technically useful.

[0040] (Variation) The structures of the lid body 20, the locking device 22, and the engaging member 23 are not particularly limited, and various structures can be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1: Charging system 10: Vehicle 11: Charging port unit 15: Power conversion circuit 17: Battery 18: Control unit 19: Power supply unit 20: Lid 23: Engagement member 25: Charging inlet 30: Charging cable 32: CCID 35: CCID control unit 36: CCID relay 40: External power supply 50: External load

Claims

[Claim 1] A battery, a power supply unit configured to be able to supply power from the battery to an external load; a charging port unit having a charging inlet to which a charging connector for charging the battery from an external power source is attached and detached; a control unit that controls the operation of a movable unit of the charging port unit; Equipped with The movable portion of the charging port unit is a cover configured to be movable between a closed position that covers the charging inlet and an open position that exposes the charging inlet; a locking device that fixes the lid in the closed position; an engaging member configured to be movable between an engaging position where it engages with the charging connector and a releasing position where it is released from engagement with the charging connector; an actuator that moves the engagement member between the engagement position and the release position; It is equipped with The control unit when an external power supply process for supplying power from the power supply unit to the external load is started with the lid body in the closed position, the locking device is activated to fix the lid body in the closed position, and deactivation of the locking device is prohibited while the external power supply process is continuing, thereby physically prohibiting the charging connector from being connected to the charging inlet; the external power supply process is started with the cover in the open position, and when the charging connector is not connected to the charging inlet, the actuator is actuated to move the engaging member to the engaging position, thereby physically prohibiting the charging connector from being connected to the charging inlet.

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