Vehicle and control device

Abstract

A vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a power supply circuit capable of supplying electrical power to each of a plurality of external devices via a plurality of power supply terminals, and capable of detecting the supplied current to each of the plurality of external devices; and a control circuit capable of, if the total value of the supplied currents exceeds a threshold value, stopping the supply of electrical power via the power supply terminal which has the lowest priority among the plurality of power supply terminals, on the basis of a predetermined priority order.

Description

Vehicle and control device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle capable of supplying power to an external device, and a control device used in such a vehicle.

[0002] Some vehicles, such as automobiles, are capable of supplying power to external devices. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a power supply device that has multiple power supply terminals and stops supplying power to the external devices based on the SOC (State Of Charge) of a high-voltage battery of the vehicle.

[0003] JP 2012-16197 A

[0004] A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a power supply circuit and a control circuit. The power supply circuit is capable of supplying power to a plurality of external devices via a plurality of power supply terminals and detecting a supply current to each of the plurality of external devices. The control circuit is capable of stopping the supply of power via a power supply terminal having a lower priority among the plurality of power supply terminals based on a predetermined priority when a total value of the supply current exceeds a threshold.

[0005] A control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that, when power is supplied to a plurality of external devices via a plurality of power supply terminals, stops supplying power via a power supply terminal having a lower priority among the plurality of power supply terminals based on a predetermined priority when a total value of supply currents to the plurality of external devices exceeds a threshold.

[0006] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one embodiment and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation based on priority data in the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of restoring power supply in the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a vehicle according to a modified example. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a vehicle according to another modified example. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of the vehicle shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation based on priority data in the vehicle shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a vehicle according to another modified example.

[0008] In vehicles capable of supplying power to external devices, it is desirable to improve user convenience, and further improvements in convenience are expected.

[0009] It is desirable to provide a vehicle and a control device that can improve user convenience.

[0010] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following description illustrates one specific example of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. For example, each element, including numerical values, shapes, materials, parts, the position of each part, and the connection method of each part, is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Furthermore, in the following exemplary embodiments, components not described in independent claims based on the highest concept of the present disclosure are optional and may be provided as needed. The drawings are schematic and are not intended to be drawn to scale. Throughout this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same function and configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Furthermore, components not directly related to one embodiment of the present disclosure are not shown in the drawings.

[0011] <Embodiment> [Configuration Example] Fig. 1 illustrates a configuration example of a vehicle (vehicle 1) according to one embodiment. Vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle. Vehicle 1 is configured to be able to supply AC power to multiple external devices 91 (two external devices 91A and 91B in this example). Each of external devices 91A and 91B is an AC power-based device, such as a mobile phone charger, a laptop personal computer, a lighting device, or an electric kettle. Vehicle 1 includes a high-voltage battery 11, relays 12A and 12B, a fuse 13, a low-voltage battery 14, an inverter 15, multiple AC outlets 16 (AC outlets 16A and 16B in this example), a power supply switch 17, a communication gateway device 41, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 42, and a wireless communication device 43.

[0012] The high-voltage battery 11 is configured to store power used when the vehicle 1, which is an electric vehicle, travels and power to be supplied to a plurality of external devices 91. The voltage VBH output by the high-voltage battery 11 is, for example, 400 V. Note that the voltage VBH is not limited to this voltage and may instead be, for example, 300 V. The high-voltage battery 11 is connected to an inverter (not shown) that drives a motor and to the inverter 15 via a voltage line for the voltage VBH and a ground line. When the vehicle 1 travels, the high-voltage battery 11 supplies DC power to the inverter (not shown) that drives the motor. Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 supplies power to the external devices 91, the high-voltage battery 11 supplies DC power to the inverter 15.

[0013] The relays 12A and 12B are configured to be able to turn on and off the power supply from the high-voltage battery 11 to the inverter 15. The relay 12A is provided on the voltage line of the voltage VBH, and the relay 12B is provided on the ground line. The operations of the relays 12A and 12B are controlled by, for example, the ECU 42.

[0014] The fuse 13 is configured to protect the high-voltage battery 11 and the inverter 15 from overcurrent. The fuse 13 is provided on the voltage line of the voltage VBH. Although the fuse 13 is provided in this example, the present invention is not limited to this, and a breaker may also be provided.

[0015] The low-voltage battery 14 is a so-called auxiliary battery, and is configured to store power to be supplied to various devices mounted on the vehicle 1. The voltage VBL output by the low-voltage battery 14 is, for example, 12 V. Note that the voltage VBL is not limited to this voltage and may alternatively be, for example, 5 V. The low-voltage battery 14 is connected to the inverter 15 via a voltage line for the voltage VBL and a ground line. The low-voltage battery 14 supplies DC power to a microcontroller 30 (described below) of the inverter 15.

[0016] The inverter 15 is configured to perform a power conversion operation to generate AC power based on DC power supplied from the high-voltage battery 11, and to supply the generated AC power to a plurality of external devices 91. The inverter 15 includes a power supply circuit 20 and a microcontroller 30.

[0017] The power supply circuit 20 includes a filter circuit 21, a DC / DC converter 22, a DC / AC inverter 23, a plurality of relays 24 (two relays 24A and 24B in this example), a plurality of filter circuits 25 (two filter circuits 25A and 25B in this example), and a plurality of current sensors 26 (two current sensors 26A and 26B in this example).

[0018] The filter circuit 21 is configured to remove noise contained in the DC voltage supplied from the high-voltage battery 11 .

[0019] The DC / DC converter 22 is configured to convert the 400 V DC voltage supplied from the filter circuit 21 into a 100 V DC voltage. The DC / DC converter 22 can start or stop operation based on an instruction from the microcontroller 30.

[0020] The DC / AC inverter 23 is configured to convert the 100 V DC voltage supplied from the DC / DC converter 22 into an AC voltage of 100 V. The DC / AC inverter 23 is capable of starting or stopping its operation based on an instruction from the microcontroller 30.

[0021] In this example, the DC / DC converter 22 converts a DC voltage of 400 V to a DC voltage of 100 V, and the DC / AC inverter 23 converts this DC voltage of 100 V to an AC voltage of 100 V, but the voltage is not limited to 100 V. This voltage can be, for example, a voltage corresponding to the voltage of the commercial power supply in the country or region where the vehicle 1 is used.

[0022] The relay 24A is configured to be able to turn on and off the power supply from the DC / AC inverter 23 to the filter circuit 25A. The relay 24B is configured to be able to turn on and off the power supply from the DC / AC inverter 23 to the filter circuit 25B. The relays 24A and 24B are configured to operate independently based on instructions from the microcontroller 30.

[0023] The filter circuit 25A is configured to remove noise contained in the AC voltage supplied from the DC / AC inverter 23 via the relay 24A. The filter circuit 25B is configured to remove noise contained in the AC voltage supplied from the DC / AC inverter 23 via the relay 24B.

[0024] Current sensor 26A is configured to detect a supply current supplied to external device 91A via AC outlet 16A. Current sensor 26B is configured to detect a supply current supplied to external device 91B via AC outlet 16B.

[0025] The DC / DC converter 27 is configured to convert the 400 V DC voltage supplied from the filter circuit 21 into a 12 V DC voltage. The DC / DC converter 27 supplies DC power to the microcontroller 30 and the low-voltage battery 14 via a voltage line of the voltage VBL.

[0026] In this example, DC / DC converter 27 converts the 400 V DC voltage supplied from filter circuit 21 into a 12 V DC voltage, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, DC / DC converter 27 may further convert the 12 V DC voltage supplied from low-voltage battery 14 into a 400 V DC voltage when vehicle 1 supplies power to multiple external devices 91. In this case, vehicle 1 can generate AC power based on the power of both high-voltage battery 11 and low-voltage battery 14 and supply the generated AC power to external devices 91.

[0027] The microcontroller 30 is configured to control the operation of the inverter 15 by supplying control signals to the DC / DC converter 22, the DA / AC inverter 23, the relays 24A and 24B, and the DC / DC converter 27. A direct current voltage of 12 V is supplied to the microcontroller 30 as a power supply voltage from the low-voltage battery 14 and the DC / DC converter 27. The microcontroller 30 has a power supply control unit 31 and a priority setting unit 32.

[0028] The power supply control unit 31 is configured to control the operation of the DC / DC converter 22, the DC / AC inverter 23, and the relays 24A and 24B, thereby controlling the power supply operation of the inverter 15. The power supply control unit 31 manages the state of the power supply switch 17. The power supply control unit 31 controls the operation of the relays 24A and 24B based on the state of the power supply switch 17, instruction data transmitted from the smartphone 92, and the detection results of the current sensors 26A and 26B, thereby enabling the power supply to the external device 91A connected to the AC outlet 16A and the power supply to the external device 91B connected to the AC outlet 16B to be individually controlled.

[0029] Priority setting unit 32 is configured to generate priority data DT indicating which AC outlet 16 is to be prioritized for power supply when the total value of current supplied from AC outlets 16A, 16B exceeds the current value (threshold value) that vehicle 1 can supply. In this example, priority setting unit 32 generates priority data DT based on instruction data transmitted from smartphone 92.

[0030] Each of the AC outlets 16A, 16B is configured to allow a power plug of an external device 91 to be inserted therein. The power plug of the external device 91A is inserted into the AC outlet 16A, and the power plug of the external device 91B is inserted into the AC outlet 16B. The vehicle 1 supplies AC power to the external devices 91A, 91B via the AC outlets 16A, 16B. The AC outlets 16A, 16B are grounded to the housing of the vehicle 1. The AC outlets 16A, 16B may be provided inside or outside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1.

[0031] The power supply switch 17 is configured to receive a user operation to instruct whether the inverter 15 should supply power to the multiple external devices 91. The power supply switch 17 is configured using, for example, a push button switch. The power supply control unit 31 of the microcontroller 30 manages the state of the power supply switch 17 by changing the state of the power supply switch 17 between an ON state and an OFF state each time the user presses the push button.

[0032] The communication gateway device 41 is configured to control communications between various devices in the vehicle 1. The communication gateway device 41 is connected to the microcontroller 30, the ECU 42, and the wireless communication device 43.

[0033] The ECU 42 is configured to control the overall operation of the vehicle 1 by supplying control signals to various devices in the vehicle 1 .

[0034] The wireless communication device 43 is configured to perform wireless communication using, for example, 5G (5th Generation) mobile phone communication. In this example, the wireless communication device 43 is configured to communicate with the smartphone 92 via a mobile phone base station and the Internet. While mobile phone communication is used in this example, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the wireless communication device 43 may communicate with the smartphone 93 using, for example, a wireless local area network (LAN) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0035] The smartphone 92 is a high-function mobile phone having a telephone function and an Internet connection function. Application software related to the vehicle 1 is installed on the smartphone 92. By executing this application software, the smartphone 92 can accept user operations instructing which AC outlet 16 to enable and which AC outlet 16 to prioritize for power supply. In response, the smartphone 92 transmits instruction data related to these instructions to the vehicle 1. In addition, the display device of the smartphone 92 can display which AC outlet 16 is enabled for power supply and which AC outlet 16 is prioritized for power supply.

[0036] Here, the power supply circuit 20 corresponds to a specific example of "power supply circuit" in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The AC outlets 16A and 16B correspond to a specific example of "plurality of power supply terminals" in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The external devices 91A and 91B correspond to a specific example of "plurality of external devices" in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The microcontroller 30 corresponds to a specific example of "control circuit" in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wireless communication device 43 corresponds to a specific example of "communication circuit" in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The smartphone 92 corresponds to a specific example of "communication terminal" in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The relays 24A and 24B correspond to a specific example of "plurality of switches" in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] [Operation and Function] Next, the operation and function of the vehicle 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0038] (Overview of Overall Operation) First, the operation of the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . Relays 12A and 12B turn on and off the power supply from the high-voltage battery 11 to the inverter 15. The fuse 13 protects the high-voltage battery 11 and the inverter 15 from overcurrent. The inverter 15 performs power conversion to generate AC power based on DC power supplied from the high-voltage battery 11, and supplies the generated AC power to multiple external devices 91. The power supply switch 17 accepts a user operation to instruct whether the inverter 15 should supply power to the multiple external devices 91. The communication gateway device 41 controls communications between various devices in the vehicle 1. The ECU 42 controls the overall operation of the vehicle 1 by supplying control signals to the various devices in the vehicle 1. The wireless communication device 43 communicates with a smartphone 92 via a mobile phone base station and the Internet.

[0039] 2 shows an example of the operation of the inverter 15. The inverter 15 executes this process, for example, periodically. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the power plug of the external device 91A is plugged into the AC outlet 16A, and the power plug of the external device 91B is plugged into the AC outlet 16B.

[0040] First, the power supply control unit 31 checks whether the power supply switch 17 is in the ON state (step S101). The power supply control unit 31 manages the state of the power supply switch 17 by changing the state of the power supply switch 17 between the ON state and the OFF state each time the user presses the push button of the power supply switch 17. Based on this management information, the power supply control unit 31 checks whether the power supply switch 17 is in the ON state.

[0041] If the power supply switch 17 is in the ON state in step S101 ("Y" in step S101), the power supply control unit 31 turns on the relay 24 associated with the AC outlet 16 that has been set to "enabled" by the smartphone 92 among the multiple AC outlets 16, and turns off the relays 24 associated with the other AC outlets 16 (step S102). As a result, the inverter 15 supplies power to the external device 91 connected to the AC outlet 16 that has been set to "enabled."

[0042] For example, if a user operates smartphone 92 to "enable" AC outlet 16A and "disable" AC outlet 16B, power supply control unit 31 turns on relay 24A associated with AC outlet 16A and turns off relay 24B associated with AC outlet 16B. This causes inverter 15 to supply power to external device 91A connected to AC outlet 16A that is set to "enable," but does not supply power to external device 91B connected to AC outlet 16B that is set to "disable."

[0043] If the power supply switch 17 is in the OFF state in step S101 ("N" in step S101), the power supply control unit 31 turns off the relays 24 associated with all the AC outlets 16 (step S102). As a result, the inverter 15 does not supply power to any of the external devices 91.

[0044] This completes the process.

[0045] When the total value of the currents supplied to the plurality of external devices 91 exceeds a predetermined value, the inverter 15 stops supplying power through the AC outlets 16 with low priorities based on the priority data DT set by the priority setting unit 32. This operation will be described in detail below.

[0046] 3 shows an example of the operation of the inverter 15 based on the priority data DT. The inverter 15 executes this process, for example, periodically. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the power plug of the external device 91A is plugged into the AC outlet 16A, and the power plug of the external device 91B is plugged into the AC outlet 16B.

[0047] First, the power supply control unit 31 checks whether the total value of the supply current is greater than a threshold value (step S111). Specifically, current sensor 26A detects the supply current supplied to external device 91A via AC outlet 16A, and current sensor 26B detects the supply current supplied to external device 91B via AC outlet 16B. The power supply control unit 31 may filter the detected values ​​of current sensors 26A and 26B to reduce noise components contained in the detected values. The power supply control unit 31 calculates the total value of these detected values. Then, the power supply control unit 31 checks whether the total value of the supply current is greater than a threshold value.

[0048] If the total value of the supplied current is greater than the threshold value in step S111 ("Y" in step S111), the power supply control unit 31 turns off the relay 24 associated with the AC outlet 16 that has the lowest priority among the AC outlets 16 supplying power based on the priority data DT (step S112). Then, the process returns to step S111, and steps S111 and S112 are repeated until the total value of the supplied current becomes equal to or less than the threshold value.

[0049] If the total value of the supplied current is equal to or less than the threshold value in step S111 ("N" in step S111), the power supply control unit 31 checks whether all the relays 24 are in the OFF state (step S113). If any of the relays 24 is in the ON state ("N" in step S113), this process ends.

[0050] In step S113, if all the relays 24 are in the OFF state ("Y" in step S113), the power supply control unit 31 turns the power supply switch 17 to the OFF state (step S114).

[0051] This completes the process.

[0052] For example, if a user operates the smartphone 92 to set the priority of AC outlet 16A to "first priority" and the priority of AC outlet 16B to "second priority," the smartphone 92 transmits instruction data indicating this priority to the vehicle 1. The priority setting unit 32 of the vehicle 1 generates priority data DT indicating the priorities of AC outlets 16A and 16B based on this instruction data. In this example, AC outlet 16B has the lowest priority. Therefore, if the total value of the supply current is greater than the threshold, the power supply control unit 31 turns off the relay 24B associated with AC outlet 16B based on this priority data DT. This causes the inverter 15 to stop supplying power to external device 91B connected to AC outlet 16B and continue supplying power to external device 91A connected to AC outlet 16A.

[0053] If the total value of the supplied current is still greater than the threshold value after that, power supply control unit 31 turns off relay 24A associated with AC outlet 16A based on priority data DT. In this way, if the total value of the supplied current is greater than the threshold value, power supply control unit 31 sequentially turns off relay 24 associated with AC outlet 16 with the lowest priority among AC outlets 16 supplying power.

[0054] The threshold value is set based on, for example, the power supply capacity of the DC / DC converter 22, the power supply capacity of the DC / AC inverter 23, the discharge control limit power of the high-voltage battery 11, etc. The threshold value may be a fixed value or a variable value. If the threshold value is a variable value, the power supply control unit 31 can set the threshold value. The threshold value may change depending on, for example, the SOC of the high-voltage battery 11.

[0055] The threshold value may include a margin. The margin is set based on, for example, the response characteristics of the relays 24A and 24B. The margin may be a fixed value or a variable value.

[0056] In this way, the power supply control unit 31 individually controls the power supply to the external device 91A connected to the AC outlet 16A and the power supply to the external device 91B connected to the AC outlet 16B so that the total value of the supply current is below the threshold value.

[0057] For example, if the power supply to one of the two external devices 91 is stopped and then the supply current to the other external device 91, which had been continuing to receive power, decreases, the inverter 15 can restore the power supply to the two external devices 91 based on user operation, as shown below.

[0058] 4 shows an example of an operation for restoring the power supply in the inverter 15. The inverter 15 executes this process, for example, periodically.

[0059] First, the power supply control unit 31 checks whether there are both on-state relays 24 and off-state relays 24 (step S121). If all the relays 24 are off or if all the relays 24 are on ("N" in step S121), this process ends.

[0060] In step S121, if there are both relays 24 in the ON state and relays 24 in the OFF state ("Y" in step S121), the power supply control unit 31 checks whether the power supply switch 17 has been operated (step S122). If the power supply switch 17 has not been operated ("N" in step S122), this process ends.

[0061] In step S122, if the power supply switch 17 is operated ("Y" in step S122), the power supply control unit 31 turns on the relays 24 that are in the off state (step S123). That is, in this case, the power supply control unit 31 turns on all the relays 24 while maintaining the power supply switch 17 in the on state.

[0062] This completes the process.

[0063] In this way, the vehicle 1 is provided with a power supply circuit (power supply circuit 20) that can supply power to a plurality of external devices (two external devices 91A, 91B) via a plurality of power supply terminals (two AC outlets 16A, 16B) and that can detect the supply current to each of the plurality of external devices (two external devices 91A, 91B), and a control circuit (microcontroller 30) that can stop the supply of power via a power supply terminal that has a lower priority among the plurality of power supply terminals (two AC outlets 16A, 16B) based on predetermined priorities when the total supply current exceeds a threshold. This allows the user to be unconscious of the power consumption of the plurality of external devices, thereby improving user convenience.

[0064] For example, a campsite is a place where it is difficult to secure a power source, and users often use power supplied from the vehicle 1 to operate multiple external devices 91. For example, if a user wants to use a hot plate and charge an electronic device, the user connects the hot plate to AC outlet 16A and the electronic device to AC outlet 16B. In such a case, the total current supplied to the hot plate and the electronic device may exceed the current that the vehicle 1 can supply. In such a case, for example, if the priority of power supply to the electronic device via AC outlet 16B is lowered, the vehicle 1 can stop power supply to the electronic device while maintaining power supply to the hot plate. This allows the user to continue using the hot plate while putting off charging the electronic device. As a result, the vehicle 1 can improve user convenience.

[0065] The vehicle 1 is also provided with a communication circuit (wireless communication device 43) capable of communicating with a communication terminal (smartphone 92). The control circuit (microcontroller 30) is configured to set priorities based on instruction data transmitted from the communication terminal. This allows the user to select which AC outlet 16 to prioritize for power supply depending on the external devices 91A and 91B connected to the two AC outlets 16A and 16B, respectively. Specifically, for example, if the user wants to prioritize use of a hot plate, the user can set a higher priority for AC outlet 16A. If the user wants to prioritize charging of an electronic device, the user can set a higher priority for AC outlet 16B. As a result, the vehicle 1 can provide improved user convenience.

[0066] [Effects] As described above, in this embodiment, a power supply circuit is provided that can supply power to a plurality of external devices via a plurality of power supply terminals and can detect the supply current to each of the plurality of external devices, and a control circuit is provided that can stop the supply of power via a power supply terminal having a lower priority among the plurality of power supply terminals based on a predetermined priority when the total value of the supply current exceeds a threshold value, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0067] In this embodiment, a communication circuit capable of communicating with a communication terminal is provided. The control circuit is then capable of setting priorities based on instruction data transmitted from the communication terminal. This improves user convenience.

[0068] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, two AC outlets 16 are provided, but this is not limiting. Instead, for example, three or more AC outlets 16 may be provided. This allows power to be supplied to a greater number of external devices 91. For example, if three AC outlets are provided, the inverter 15 would have three relays 24, three filter circuits 25, and three current sensors 26.

[0069] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, the smartphone 92 is configured to accept a user operation instructing which AC outlet 16 to enable and which AC outlet 16 to prioritize for power supply. However, this is not limited to this. Alternatively, for example, as in the vehicle 1A shown in FIG. 5 , a user interface provided in the vehicle 1A may accept these user operations. The vehicle 1A includes a user interface 44A. The user interface 44A is configured using, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, a touch panel, various buttons, and various indicators, and is configured to accept user operations and provide various information to the user. The user interface 44A can accept a user operation instructing which AC outlet 16 to enable and which AC outlet 16 to prioritize for power supply. The display device of the user interface 44A can display which AC outlet 16 is enabled for power supply and which AC outlet 16 is prioritized for power supply. Here, the user interface 44A corresponds to a specific but not limitative example of "operation input unit" in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment, one power supply switch 17 is provided, but this is not limited to this. Instead, for example, as in vehicle 1B shown in Fig. 6, two power supply switches 17 corresponding to two AC outlets 16 may be provided. Vehicle 1B includes power supply switches 17A and 17B and an inverter 15B.

[0071] Power supply switch 17A is configured to receive a user operation instructing whether inverter 15B supplies power to external device 91A via AC outlet 16A. Power supply switch 17B is configured to receive a user operation instructing whether inverter 15B supplies power to external device 91B via AC outlet 16B.

[0072] The inverter 15B includes a microcontroller 30B. The microcontroller 30B includes a power supply control unit 31B.

[0073] The power supply control unit 31B is configured to control the operation of the DC / DC converter 22, the DC / AC inverter 23, and the relays 24A and 24B to control the power supply operation of the inverter 15B. The power supply control unit 31B manages the states of the power supply switches 17A and 17B. The power supply control unit 31B can individually control the power supply to the external device 91A connected to the AC outlet 16A and the power supply to the external device 91B connected to the AC outlet 16B based on the states of the power supply switches 17A and 17B, instruction data transmitted from the smartphone 92, and the detection results of the current sensors 26A and 26B.

[0074] 7 shows an example of the operation of the inverter 15B. The inverter 15B executes this process, for example, periodically.

[0075] First, the power supply control unit 31B checks whether the power supply switch 17A is in the ON state (step S201).

[0076] If power supply switch 17A is in the ON state in step S201 ("Y" in step S201), power supply control unit 31B turns relay 24A to the ON state or the OFF state (step S202) depending on whether AC outlet 16A has been set to "enabled" by smartphone 92. Specifically, if AC outlet 16A has been set to "enabled" by smartphone 92, power supply control unit 31B turns relay 24A to the ON state, and if AC outlet 16A has been set to "disabled" by smartphone 92, power supply control unit 31B turns relay 24A to the OFF state.

[0077] In step S201, if the power supply switch 17A is in the OFF state ("N" in step S201), the power supply control unit 31B turns the relay 24A to the OFF state (step S203).

[0078] Next, the power supply control unit 31B checks whether the power supply switch 17B is in the ON state (step S204).

[0079] If power supply switch 17B is in the ON state in step S204 ("Y" in step S204), power supply control unit 31B turns relay 24B to the ON state or the OFF state (step S205) depending on whether AC outlet 16B has been set to "enabled" by smartphone 92. Specifically, if AC outlet 16B has been set to "enabled" by smartphone 92, power supply control unit 31B turns relay 24B to the ON state, and if AC outlet 16B has been set to "disabled" by smartphone 92, power supply control unit 31B turns relay 24B to the OFF state.

[0080] If the power supply switch 17B is in the OFF state in step S204 ("N" in step S204), the power supply control unit 31B turns off the relay 24B (step S206). This completes the process.

[0081] 8 shows an example of the operation of the inverter 15B based on the priority data DT. The inverter 15B executes this process, for example, periodically.

[0082] First, the power supply control unit 31B checks whether the total value of the supply current is greater than the threshold value (step S211), as in the above embodiment (FIG. 3).

[0083] In step S211, if the total value of the supplied current is greater than the threshold value ("Y" in step S211), the power supply control unit 31B turns off the relay 24 associated with the AC outlet 16 with the lowest priority among the AC outlets 16 supplying power based on the priority data DT (step S212), as in the above embodiment (FIG. 3).

[0084] Then, the power supply control unit 31B turns off the power supply switch 17 associated with the AC outlet 16 having the lowest priority (step S213).

[0085] Then, the process returns to step S211, and steps S211 to S213 are repeated until the total value of the supplied current becomes equal to or less than the threshold value.

[0086] In step S211, if the total value of the supplied current is equal to or less than the threshold value ("N" in step S211), this process ends.

[0087] [Variation 4] In the above embodiment, two relays 24A, 24B corresponding to two AC outlets 16 are used to individually control the power supply to the external device 91A connected to the AC outlet 16A and the power supply to the external device 91B connected to the AC outlet 16B. However, this is not limited to this. Instead, for example, as in a vehicle 1C shown in FIG. 9 , two DC / AC inverters 23 corresponding to two AC outlets 16 may be used to individually control the power supply to the external device 91A connected to the AC outlet 16A and the power supply to the external device 91B connected to the AC outlet 16B. The vehicle 1C includes an inverter 15C. The inverter 15C includes a power supply circuit 20C and a microcontroller 30C.

[0088] The power supply circuit 20C has two DC / AC inverters 23A and 23B. The DC / AC inverter 23A is configured to convert the 100 V DC voltage supplied from the DC / DC converter 22 into a 100 V AC voltage and supply the converted 100 V AC voltage to the filter circuit 25A. The DC / AC inverter 23B is configured to convert the 100 V DC voltage supplied from the DC / DC converter 22 into a 100 V AC voltage and supply the converted 100 V AC voltage to the filter circuit 25B. The DC / AC inverters 23A and 23B operate independently based on instructions from the microcontroller 30C.

[0089] The microcontroller 30C includes a power supply control unit 31C. The power supply control unit 31C is configured to control the operation of the DC / DC converter 22 and the DC / AC inverters 23A and 23B to control the power supply operation of the inverter 15C. The power supply control unit 31C can enable power supply through the AC outlet 16A by operating the DC / AC inverter 23A, and can disable power supply through the AC outlet 16A by stopping the operation of the DC / AC inverter 23A. Similarly, the power supply control unit 31C can enable power supply through the AC outlet 16B by operating the DC / AC inverter 23B, and can disable power supply through the AC outlet 16B by stopping the operation of the DC / AC inverter 23B.

[0090] Here, the power supply circuit 20C corresponds to a specific example of "power supply circuit" in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The microcontroller 30C corresponds to a specific example of "control circuit" in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The DA / AC inverters 23A and 23B correspond to a specific example of "plurality of power supply circuits" in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] [Other Modifications] Two or more of these modifications may be combined.

[0092] Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is by no means limited to the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure is intended to encompass such modifications and variations to the extent that they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0093] For example, in the present embodiment, the present technology is applied to an electric vehicle, but the present technology is not limited to this. Instead, the present technology may be applied to a vehicle that runs on engine power, for example. In this case, the vehicle includes an engine and an alternator. The alternator generates electric power based on the engine power. The vehicle can supply this electric power to external devices.

[0094] The effects described in this specification are merely examples, and the effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects described in this specification. Therefore, other effects may be obtained with respect to the present disclosure.

[0095] Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the following aspects.

[0096] (1) A vehicle comprising: a power supply circuit capable of supplying power to a plurality of external devices via a plurality of power supply terminals and capable of detecting a supply current to each of the plurality of external devices; and a control circuit capable of stopping the supply of power via a power supply terminal of the plurality of power supply terminals having a low priority based on a predetermined priority when a total value of the supply current exceeds a threshold. (2) The vehicle described in (1) above, further comprising a communication circuit capable of communicating with a communication terminal, wherein the control circuit is capable of setting the priority based on instruction data transmitted from the communication terminal. (3) The vehicle described in (1) or (2) above, further comprising an operation input unit capable of receiving user operation, wherein the control circuit is capable of setting the priority based on an instruction from the operation input unit. (4) The vehicle according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the power supply circuit further includes a plurality of switches provided in a plurality of power supply paths respectively led to the plurality of power supply terminals and capable of individually turning on and off the supply of power via the plurality of power supply terminals, and the control circuit is capable of stopping the supply of power via a power supply terminal having a low priority among the plurality of power supply terminals by individually controlling the operation of the plurality of switches. (5) The vehicle according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the power supply circuit further includes a plurality of power supply circuits provided corresponding to the plurality of power supply terminals, respectively, and capable of individually generating power, and the control circuit is capable of stopping the supply of power via a power supply terminal having a low priority among the plurality of power supply terminals by individually controlling the operation of the plurality of power supply circuits. (6) The control device includes a control circuit that, when power is supplied to a plurality of external devices via a plurality of power supply terminals, stops the supply of power via a power supply terminal having a low priority among the plurality of power supply terminals based on a predetermined priority when a total value of supply currents to each of the plurality of external devices exceeds a threshold value.

[0097] The microcontroller 30 shown in FIG. 1 may be implemented by circuitry including at least one semiconductor integrated circuit, such as at least one processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or at least one field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The at least one processor may be configured to perform all or a portion of the various functions of the microcontroller 30 shown in FIG. 1 by reading instructions from at least one non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium. Such medium may take various forms, including, but not limited to, various magnetic media such as hard disks, various optical media such as CDs or DVDs, and various semiconductor memories (i.e., semiconductor circuits) such as volatile or non-volatile memories. Volatile memory may include DRAM and SRAM. Non-volatile memory may include ROM and NVRAM. An ASIC is an integrated circuit (IC) specialized to perform all or a portion of the various functions of the microcontroller 30 shown in FIG. 1. An FPGA is an integrated circuit that is designed to be configurable after manufacture to perform all or part of the various functions of the microcontroller 30 shown in FIG.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: a power supply circuit capable of supplying power to a plurality of external devices via a plurality of power supply terminals and capable of detecting a supply current to each of the plurality of external devices; and a control circuit capable of stopping the supply of power via a power supply terminal having a lower priority among the plurality of power supply terminals based on a predetermined priority when the total value of the supply current exceeds a threshold value.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a communication circuit capable of communicating with a communication terminal, wherein the control circuit is capable of setting the priority based on instruction data transmitted from the communication terminal.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an operation input unit capable of receiving user operations, wherein the control circuit is capable of setting the priority based on instructions from the operation input unit.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit further includes a plurality of switches provided in a plurality of power supply paths respectively leading to the plurality of power supply terminals, and capable of individually turning on and off the supply of power via the plurality of power supply terminals, and the control circuit is capable of individually controlling the operation of the plurality of switches to stop the supply of power via a power supply terminal having a lower priority among the plurality of power supply terminals.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit further includes a plurality of power supply circuits provided corresponding to the plurality of power supply terminals, each capable of individually generating electric power, and the control circuit is capable of individually controlling the operation of the plurality of power supply circuits to stop the supply of electric power via a power supply terminal having a low priority among the plurality of power supply terminals.

6. A control device including a control circuit that, when power is supplied to a plurality of external devices via a plurality of power supply terminals, can stop the supply of power via a power supply terminal with a lower priority among the plurality of power supply terminals based on a predetermined priority when the total value of the supply current to each of the plurality of external devices exceeds a threshold value.

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