Conversion adapter

Abstract

This conversion adapter is connected between a charging inlet of a vehicle supporting a first charging method and a charging connector of a charging cable connected to a charging station supporting a second charging method, and is used for connecting a power line of the charging inlet and a power line of the charging cable. The conversion adapter includes: a housing; a first charging connector supporting the first charging method; a second charging connector supporting the second charging method; a power line connected to the first charging connector and the second charging connector, and placed in the housing; and a first EMC filter for suppressing common mode noise generated in the power line.

Description

Conversion adapter

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a conversion adapter.

[0002] When charging an electric vehicle such as an electric car, a charging station installed at the destination may be used. If the charging station has a different standard from the standard that the electric vehicle complies with, a conversion adapter is used (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

[0003] JP 2017-229230 A JP 2017-79542 A International Publication No. 2012 / 111081

[0004] A conversion adapter according to the present disclosure is connected between a charging inlet of a vehicle and a charging connector of a charging cable connected to a charging station, and connects a power line of the charging inlet to a power line of the charging cable. The conversion adapter includes a housing, a power line disposed within the housing, and an EMC filter that suppresses common-mode noise generated in the power line.

[0005] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a conversion adaptor according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a charging system including the conversion adaptor shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a connection state of electrical power lines and the like during charging in the charging system. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an EMC filter according to the first embodiment.

[0006] [Problem to be Solved by the Present Disclosure] An electric vehicle is provided with an EMC filter that suppresses common-mode noise generated when the vehicle is connected to a charging station and charging is performed. As described above, when the charging methods differ between the vehicle and the charging station, a conversion adapter is used to convert the interface. Typically, EMC filters are designed for electric vehicles assuming that they will be connected to charging stations of the same charging method. However, when an electric vehicle is connected to a charging station of a different charging method via a conversion adapter, the impedance component as seen from the charging inlet of the electric vehicle toward the charging station changes compared to when a conversion adapter is not used, which has led to a problem that common-mode noise may not be sufficiently suppressed.

[0007] Therefore, one of the objects is to provide a conversion adapter that can further suppress common mode noise when used.

[0008] Effect of the Present Disclosure According to the conversion adapter described above, common mode noise can be further suppressed when the conversion adapter is used.

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. A conversion adapter according to the present disclosure is (1) coupled between a charging inlet of a vehicle compatible with a first charging method and a charging connector of a charging cable connected to a charging station compatible with a second charging method, and connects a power line of the charging inlet to a power line of the charging cable. The conversion adapter includes a housing, a first charging connector compatible with the first charging method, a second charging connector compatible with the second charging method, power lines connected to the first charging connector and the second charging connector and disposed within the housing, and a first EMC filter that suppresses common-mode noise generated in the power lines.

[0010] Even when such a conversion adapter is connected between a charging inlet of a vehicle and a charging connector of a charging cable connected to a charging station, the first EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) filter provided in the conversion adapter can suppress common-mode noise generated in the power line.

[0011] (2) In the above (1), the first EMC filter may be replaceably attached to the housing. This allows the first EMC filter to be replaced according to the charging station's charging cable specifications and the vehicle specifications. This allows for more reliable charging.

[0012] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the first EMC filter may be disposed inside the housing. By doing so, the first EMC filter is disposed inside the housing, and therefore the first EMC filter can be protected by the housing. Therefore, stable use over a longer period of time can be ensured.

[0013] (4) In any of the above (1) to (3), the first EMC filter may suppress common-mode noise in conjunction with a second EMC filter provided in the vehicle that is compatible with the vehicle's charging method. This makes it possible to more reliably suppress common-mode noise.

[0014] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Next, an embodiment of the conversion adapter of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0015] (Embodiment 1) The configuration of a conversion adapter according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the conversion adapter according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a charging system including the conversion adapter shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the connection status of electrical power lines and the like during charging in the charging system. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an EMC filter according to embodiment 1.

[0016] Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, a charging system 10a including a conversion adapter 11a in the first embodiment is a charging system that charges an electric vehicle, in this embodiment, an electric vehicle 12a. In the present disclosure, charging is DC (direct current) charging. The charging system 10a includes the conversion adapter 11a and a charging stand 14a to which a charging cable 13a is connected. The charging cable 13a is connected to the charging stand 14a, which supports a second charging method different from a first charging method described below. A charging connector 15a for the charging cable, which has a handle, is provided at the end of the charging cable. If the charging method on the charging stand 14a differs from the charging method on the electric vehicle 12a, the conversion adapter 11a converts the charging method so that one of the charging methods matches the other. The electric vehicle 12a is equipped with a unit that suppresses common-mode noise, and a noise filter on the conversion adapter 11a and a noise filter on the electric vehicle 12a combine to suppress common-mode noise.

[0017] Charging cable 13a includes a plurality of electric lines, such as a positive power line 21a, a negative power line 22a, a ground line 23a, a first communication line 24a, a second communication line 25a, a first signal line 26a, a second signal line 27a, a third signal line 28a, and a fourth signal line 29a.

[0018] The electric vehicle 12a includes a vehicle charging inlet 16a compatible with the first charging method, which serves as a charging interface. The charging system 10a includes the charging inlet 16a of the electric vehicle 12a. The charging inlet 16a is provided with a charging socket 17a for vehicle charging, which is an insertion port for the charging connector 15a. The charging connector 15a is connected to this charging socket 17a to charge the electric vehicle 12a.

[0019] Charging inlet 16a is provided with multiple electrical lines corresponding to charging cable 13a. Charging inlet 16a includes electrical lines such as a positive power line 31a, a negative power line 32a, a ground line 33a, a first communication line 34a, a second communication line 35a, a first signal line 36a, and a second signal line 37a. Charging inlet 16a also includes a voltmeter 38a and a switch 39a provided on second signal line 37a.

[0020] The charging inlet 16a on the electric vehicle 12a side is equipped with thermistors 18a and 18b that detect temperature during charging, and an EMC filter 19a (second EMC filter) that suppresses common-mode noise generated in the power line when the charging socket 17a and charging connector 15a are connected during charging. If the thermistors 18a and 18b detect that the temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, the charging state is determined to be abnormal, and charging is stopped. The element values ​​of the EMC filter 19a are designed to sufficiently suppress common-mode noise when the electric vehicle 12a is connected to a charging station that uses the same charging method as the charging method used by the electric vehicle 12a.

[0021] If the charging cable 13a and the charging inlet 16a comply with the same standard, charging can be performed by directly connecting the charging connector 15a to the charging socket 17a. However, if the charging stand 14a, the charging cable 13a, the charging connector 15a, and the charging socket 17a comply with different standards, charging cannot be performed by directly connecting the charging connector 15a to the charging socket 17a. In this case, the conversion adapter 11a is used.

[0022] The conversion adapter 11a includes a housing 20a, specifically, a first charging connector 51a compatible with a first charging method, a second charging connector 52a compatible with a second charging method, and a conversion cable 53a. In other words, in this embodiment, the housing 20a included in the conversion adapter 11a includes the first charging connector 51a, the second charging connector 52a, and the conversion cable 53a. The first charging connector 51a and the second charging connector 52a are connected by the conversion cable 53a. The conversion cable 53a includes multiple electric wires, such as a positive power wire. The first charging connector 51a can be connected to the charging connector 15a. The opening 54a and the arrangement of the power wires exposed in the opening 54a comply with the same standards as those of the charging stand 14a, the charging cable 13a, and the charging connector 15a. The second charging connector 52a can be connected to the charging socket 17a. That is, the shape and arrangement of the protrusions 55a that are inserted into the charging socket 17a conform to the same standards as those of the charging socket 17a.

[0023] Conversion cable 53a has multiple electric lines corresponding to charging cable 13a. Conversion cable 53a includes electric lines such as positive power line 41a, negative power line 42a, ground line 43a for earthing, first communication line 44a, second communication line 45a, first signal line 46a, second signal line 47a, third signal line 48a, and fourth signal line 49a. Conversion cable 53a also includes a resistor 56a arranged between ground line 43a and first signal line 46a, a resistor 57a arranged in second signal line 47a, and a resistor 58a arranged between second signal line 47a and fourth signal line 49a.

[0024] In addition, by using a conversion adapter 11b of a standard compatible with electric vehicle 12b that complies with a different standard from electric vehicle 12a, and a conversion adapter 11c of a standard compatible with electric vehicle 12c that complies with yet another standard, it is possible to charge electric vehicle 12b and electric vehicle 12c from charging stand 14a.

[0025] The conversion adapter 11a includes an EMC filter 59a (first EMC filter) that suppresses common-mode noise generated in the power lines, specifically, the positive power line 41a and the negative power line 42a. In this embodiment, the EMC filter 59a is replaceably attached to the housing 20a. In this embodiment, the EMC filter 59a is provided within the second charging connector 52a. The EMC filter 59a includes, for example, a magnetic core disposed on the outer periphery of the two power lines, specifically, the positive power line 41a and the negative power line 42a, and an insulating holder that holds the magnetic core. Similarly, the conversion adapters 11b and 11c are provided with EMC filters 59b (first EMC filter) and 59c (first EMC filters).

[0026] The EMC filter 59a includes a first connector 61a, a second connector 62a, a common choke coil 63a, a first capacitor 64a, a second capacitor 65a, a first power line 71a, a second power line 72a, and a third power line 73a. The first power line 71a is connected to the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a. The second power line 72a is connected to the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a. The third power line 73a is connected to the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a. The first power line 71a, the second power line 72a, and the third power line 73a are respectively disposed between the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a. That is, the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a are provided at both ends of the first power line 71a, the second power line 72a, and the third power line 73a. The first connector 61a and the second connector 62a are connection terminals of the EMC filter 59a, and are attached to the second charging connector 52a using the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a.

[0027] The common choke coil 63a is disposed to surround a portion of the first power line 71a and the second power line 72a. The first capacitor 64a is connected to the first power line 71a and the third power line 73a. The second capacitor 65a is connected to the second power line 72a and the third power line 73a. When the EMC filter 59a is attached to the second charging connector 52a, the first power line 71a is connected to the positive power line 41a, the second power line 72a is connected to the negative power line 42a, and the third power line 73a is connected to the ground line 43a.

[0028] According to the conversion adapter 11a, even when the conversion adapter 11a is connected between the charging inlet 16a of the electric vehicle 12a and the charging connector 15a of the charging cable 13a connected to the charging stand 14a, the EMC filter 59a provided in the conversion adapter 11a can suppress common mode noise generated in the power line.

[0029] In this embodiment, the EMC filter 59a is replaceably attached to the housing 20a. This allows the EMC filter 59a to be replaced according to the specifications of the charging cable 13a of the charging station 14a and the electric vehicle 12a, which is the vehicle. This allows for more reliable charging.

[0030] In this embodiment, the EMC filter 59a is disposed inside the housing 20a. Therefore, since the EMC filter 59a is disposed inside the housing 20a, the EMC filter 59a can be protected by the housing 20a, thereby ensuring stable use over a longer period of time.

[0031] In this embodiment, the EMC filter 59a includes a first connector 61a and a second connector 62a connected to the power lines of the conversion adapter 11a, a first power line 71a connected to the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a, a second power line 72a connected to the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a, and a third power line 73a connected to the first connector 61a and the second connector 62a. The third power line 73a is connected to a ground line. Therefore, earthing can be achieved by the third power line 73a connected to the ground line, allowing for safer charging.

[0032] In this embodiment, the EMC filter 59a suppresses common mode noise in conjunction with the EMC filter 19a of the vehicle that is compatible with the charging method of the vehicle, thereby more reliably suppressing common mode noise.

[0033] In this embodiment, the first power line 71a is connected to the positive power line 41a. The second power line 72a is connected to the negative power line 42a. This reliably suppresses common-mode noise generated in the positive power line 41a and the negative power line 42a, preventing erroneous detection by the thermistors 18a and 18b. This allows for more reliable charging.

[0034] Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the EMC filter is replaceably attached to the housing, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the housing and the EMC filter may be integrated into one unit.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the EMC filter is arranged inside the housing, but this is not limiting, and the EMC filter may be arranged outside the housing.

[0036] It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting in any respect. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0037] 10a Charging system 11a, 11b, 11c Conversion adapter 12a, 12b, 12c Electric vehicle 13a Charging cable 14a Charging stand 15a Charging connector 16a Charging inlet 17a Charging socket 18a, 18b Thermistor 19a EMC filter (second EMC filter) 59a, 59b, 59c EMC filter (first EMC filter) 20a Housing 21a, 31a, 41a Positive power line 22a, 32a, 42a Negative power line 23a, 33a, 43a Ground line 24a, 34a, 44a First communication line 25a, 35a, 45a Second communication line 26a, 36a, 46a First signal line 27a, 37a, 47a Second signal line 28a, 48a Third signal line 29a, 49a Fourth signal line 38a Voltmeter 39a Switch 51a First charging connector 52a Second charging connector 53a Conversion cable 54a Opening 55a Protrusion 56a, 57a, 58a Resistor 61a First connector 62a Second connector 63a Common choke coil 64a First capacitor 65a Second capacitor 71a First power line 72a Second power line 73a Third power line

Claims

1. A conversion adapter that is connected between a charging inlet of a vehicle compatible with a first charging method and a charging connector of a charging cable connected to a charging stand compatible with a second charging method, and connects a power line of the charging inlet and a power line of the charging cable, the conversion adapter including: a housing; a first charging connector compatible with the first charging method; a second charging connector compatible with the second charging method; power lines connected to the first charging connector and the second charging connector and disposed within the housing; and a first EMC filter that suppresses common mode noise generated in the power lines.

2. The conversion adaptor according to claim 1, wherein the first EMC filter is replaceably attached to the housing.

3. The conversion adaptor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first EMC filter is disposed within the housing.

4. A conversion adaptor as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first EMC filter suppresses the common mode noise in conjunction with a second EMC filter provided in the vehicle that corresponds to the charging method of the vehicle.

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