Vehicle Charging Relay Control for PLC Communication Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing charging system for vehicles does not manage the transition between battery charging and communication via the charging cable effectively, leading to potential interruptions when charging ends while communication is still in progress.
Innovation Solution
A charging system that includes a relay on the charging cable, controlled by a control unit to maintain the connection for communication if it is still ongoing when battery charging is complete, ensuring uninterrupted Power Line Communication (PLC) by keeping the relay in an ON state if communication continues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the relay is turned OFF when charging ends, then power consumption is reduced and safety is improved, but communication may be interrupted if it is still in progress
Solution Approach 1:
The relay control strategy is made dynamic by adjusting its OFF timing based on the communication status. Instead of a fixed timing (immediately when charging ends), the relay control unit checks whether communication is still in progress and delays turning OFF the relay accordingly. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the system flexible enough to maintain communication reliability while still reducing power consumption and ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback by monitoring the communication status and using this information to control the relay timing. The relay control unit receives information about whether communication is ongoing and adjusts the relay OFF timing based on this feedback. This closed-loop control ensures that the relay remains ON long enough to complete communication while still turning OFF promptly when communication ends, thus resolving the contradiction between communication reliability and power consumption.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the relay is kept ON after charging ends, then communication continuity is maintained, but power consumption increases and safety risks arise
Solution Approach 1:
The relay ON duration is made dynamic rather than static. Instead of keeping the relay ON for a fixed extended period or turning it OFF immediately, the system adjusts the ON duration based on real-time communication status. The relay is kept ON only as long as necessary to complete communication, and then turned OFF promptly. This dynamic control resolves the contradiction by optimizing the balance between maintaining communication continuity and reducing unnecessary power consumption.
3Loss of energy
If the relay is turned OFF immediately when charging ends, then power consumption is minimized, but communication may be interrupted with data loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system takes preliminary action by checking the communication status before turning OFF the relay. Instead of blindly turning OFF the relay when charging ends, the relay control unit first determines whether communication is still in progress. If communication is ongoing, the relay is delayed in being turned OFF to allow complete data transmission. This preliminary check and conditional delay prevent communication interruption and data loss while still minimizing power consumption by not keeping the relay ON unnecessarily.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures reliable completion of communication through the charging cable by maintaining the connection until communication is fully finished, preventing interruptions during the charging process.
Implementation Method 1
The relay is provided on the charging cable. The control unit controls the relay so that the relay is in an ON state while the power storage device is charged by the charger.
Implementation Method 2
The charging cable is used for supplying electric power from the external power supply to the vehicle
Implementation Method 3
The communication unit uses the charging port and the charging cable as a communication path for communicating with a communication device external to the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a charging port, a charger, a motive power output device, a PLC processing unit, and a charging ECU. The charging port is configured so that a charging cable can be connected to the charging port. The PLC processing unit uses the charging port and the charging cable as a communication path for performing PLC-based communication with a PLC processing unit of a house. In the case where PLC-based communication has come to an end when external charging comes to an end, the charging ECU controls a relay of a CCID so that it is in OFF state and, in the case where PLC-based communication is continuing when external charging comes to an end, it maintains the relay of the CCID in ON state.