JP2012186948A - Charging cable for electric propulsion vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easy to operate charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle which is protected against theft and prevents damage to an automobile.SOLUTION: The charging cable used for charging a battery of an electric propulsion vehicle having a unique identification number include: a power plug connectable to a power outlet of a commercial power supply in a removable manner; a charging coupler connectable to the electric propulsion vehicle; and a control device. The control device includes: reception means for receiving the identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle in a removable manner; input means operable by a user to input the identification number; and storage means for storing the input identification number. When the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle is charged from the power outlet, the identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle is received via the reception means, and only when the identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle matches the identification number stored in the storage means, the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle is permitted to be charged.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging cable used for charging a secondary battery (battery) mounted on an electric propulsion vehicle (for example, an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle).

  In recent years, the development of electric propulsion vehicles as described above has been progressing at a rapid pace as environmentally friendly automobiles. The charging infrastructure for electric propulsion vehicles includes household charging facilities that use household power sources at the end of the power grid. It is roughly classified into two types of public charging facilities that are provided in urban areas or under the road surface, etc. and are premised on the use of an unspecified number of people.

  In consideration of convenience, a household charging facility is essential for the spread of electric propulsion vehicles, and therefore, a slow charging facility using a 100V or 200V commercial power supply has begun to be introduced in general homes and business establishments.

  In the case of a household charging facility, a charging cable is used for charging a battery of an electric propulsion vehicle to connect a power outlet of a commercial power source and a connector on the electric propulsion vehicle.

  This charging cable includes a power plug connected to a power outlet of a commercial power source and a charging coupler connected to a connector on the electric propulsion vehicle, and a power source disposed on the outer wall of a house when charging the battery. Used with the power plug inserted into the outlet. In addition, in the case of household charging equipment, it takes a long time to complete charging of the battery, so it is assumed that charging of the battery is mainly performed outdoors at night, but even if it is performed in the daytime In many cases, a person is absent while the battery is being charged.

  Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the theft of the charging cable, and the charging coupler is provided with a lock device to prevent the charging cable from being stolen during charging, and the connection state between the battery and the external power supply during charging Has been proposed to detect that the charging coupler is pulled out from the vehicle during charging and to issue an alarm (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-159814 A

  However, although the charging cable described in Patent Document 1 has a certain effect on theft during charging, the charging cable when not in use is left connected to the power outlet or removed from the power outlet. It is also assumed that the charging cable is left alone, and there is still a problem of being stolen.

  In addition, when a bad quality charging cable is used to charge a car battery, there is a problem that the car breaks down.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and prevents the charging cable from being stolen by not permitting the use of a third party other than the owner of the automobile. An object of the present invention is to provide a charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle that can easily prevent a failure and can be easily operated.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a charging cable used for charging a battery of an electric propulsion vehicle having a unique personal identification number, and is a power source that is detachably connected to a power outlet of a commercial power source. A plug, a charging coupler that is detachably connected to the electric propulsion vehicle, and a control device, the control device receiving means for receiving the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle, and a user operating to input the personal identification number Input means, storage means for storing the input personal identification number, and when charging the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle from the power outlet, the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle is received via the reception means, Control means for permitting charging of the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle is provided only when the number and the password stored in the storage means match.

  According to the present invention, the charging of the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle is permitted only when the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle matches the personal identification number of the charging cable. The charging cable cannot be used, and the charging cable can be prevented from being stolen.

  In addition, by using the charging cable according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a failure of the automobile due to the use of a charging cable with poor quality.

  Further, since the password is only required to be input once into the charging cable, no complicated operation is required.

Schematic diagram in the case of charging a battery of an electric propulsion vehicle from a commercial power supply of a general household using the electric propulsion vehicle charging cable according to the present invention Schematic block diagram of the charging cable shown in FIG. Flow chart showing the charging operation using the charging cable Another flowchart showing the charging operation using the charging cable Yet another flowchart showing the charging operation using the charging cable

  The present invention relates to a charging cable used for charging a battery of an electric propulsion vehicle having a unique personal identification number, and a power plug that is detachably connected to a power outlet of a commercial power source, and is attached to and detached from the electric propulsion vehicle. A charging coupler that is freely connected and a control device are provided, the control device receiving means for receiving the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle, input means for operating the user to input the personal identification number, and input Storage means for storing a personal identification number, and when charging the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle from a power outlet, the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle is received via the reception means, and the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle is stored in the storage means. Only when the stored passwords match, charging of the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle is permitted.

  With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the use of the charging cable by a third party who does not know the password, and to prevent the charging cable from being stolen, with a simple operation of inputting the password to the charging cable only once. be able to. In addition, by using the charging cable according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a failure of the automobile due to the use of a charging cable with poor quality.

  Preferably, when the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle does not match the personal identification number stored in the storage means, the control means stores unauthorized use information in the storage means, and prohibits the use of the charging cable thereafter. The charging cable can be prevented from being stolen.

  If the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle and the personal identification number stored in the storage means do not match when connected to the home LAN via the power plug, the control means is visually or audibly connected to the terminal device in the home. It does not matter if you inform them. Thereby, the theft of the charging cable can be prevented in advance.

  Further, when charging the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle from the power outlet, the password is input via the input means, and when the input password matches the password stored in the storage means, the control means Charging the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle is permitted.

  With this configuration, even if the car and the charging cable are stolen at the same time, third parties other than the owner will not be able to use the car and the charging cable. Can do.

  Further, the control means may not permit the charging of the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle when a mismatch between the entered personal identification number and the personal identification number stored in the storage means occurs continuously a predetermined number of times. . Thereby, a human error such as an incorrect input of the password can be allowed.

  Further, when the charging of the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle is completed, the receiving means receives the charging completion signal output from the electric propulsion vehicle, and the control means prohibits the use of the charging cable thereafter, thereby After the charging of the car battery of another car is completed, charging of the car battery of another car by a third party can be prevented.

  Further, by re-entering the password through the input means, the control means can easily re-use the charging cable by canceling the prohibition of use of the charging cable.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 shows a state in which a battery of an electric propulsion vehicle C is charged from a commercial power source of a general household B using the electric propulsion vehicle charging cable A according to the present invention.

  An electric propulsion vehicle C shown in FIG. 1 is an electric vehicle including a traveling motor 2, an inverter 4, a battery 6, and a charging device 8 that are electrically connected to each other. The electric vehicle as an example of the electric propulsion vehicle C is hereinafter simply referred to as an “automobile” in the present embodiment, and the electric propulsion vehicle according to the present invention connected via the connector 10 connected to the charging device 8. The charging cable A is hereinafter simply referred to as “charging cable”.

  The charging cable A is used to charge the battery 6 mounted on the automobile C by connecting the power outlet 12 provided on the outer wall of the house and the automobile-side connector 10.

  The power outlet 12 is a waterproof outlet that prevents a short circuit of electrodes due to rainwater or the like, and is connected to a commercial power source (not shown) that supplies a single-phase two-wire AC 100V.

  On the other hand, the charging cable A connects the power plug 14 that can be detachably connected to the power outlet 12, the charging coupler 16 that is connected to the connector 10 of the automobile C and supplies power, and the power plug 14 and the charging coupler 16. And a control cable 20 provided in the middle of the connection cable 18 and having a control means (for example, a microcomputer) 20a.

  The power plug 14 has a temperature sensor (for example, a resistance temperature detector) 14a as temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the power plug 14 embedded therein, and a temperature signal output from the temperature sensor 14a. Is input to the control means 20 a of the control device 20.

  The control device 20 further includes an opening / closing means 22 (see FIG. 2) such as a relay for opening / closing an electric path between the power plug 14 and the charging coupler 16, and a leakage detecting means (see FIG. 2) for detecting a leakage by monitoring the current flowing through the electric path. Not shown).

  In the charging system for an electric propulsion vehicle configured as described above, when the power plug 14 is connected to the power outlet 12, power from the commercial power supply is supplied to the control device 20 of the charging cable A. In addition, since the opening / closing means 22 is in an on state in the initial state, the power from the commercial power source is supplied to the charging coupler 16, and the charging coupler 16 is connected to the connector 10 of the automobile C, thereby The battery 6 is charged via the via.

  In addition, a current value flowing from the power plug 14 to the battery 6 of the automobile C via the charging coupler 16 during charging is controlled by the charging device 8. The electric power charged in the battery 6 is supplied to the traveling motor 2 via the inverter 4 so that the vehicle C can travel.

  The power plug 14 is usually made of plastic, and if the heat resistant temperature is 65 ° C., the charging cable A according to the present invention sets a threshold value (eg, 50 ° C.) lower than the heat resistant temperature, and the temperature sensor 14a When the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the on / off means 22 is kept on. On the other hand, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14a exceeds the threshold value, the control means 20a cuts off the electric circuit via the open / close means 22 and The power supply from the power source to the car C is stopped.

  When the leakage detection means detects leakage, the control means 20a similarly cuts off the electric circuit via the opening / closing means 22 and stops supplying power from the commercial power source to the vehicle C.

  Next, the charging cable A will be further described with reference to FIG. 2 showing a block diagram of the charging cable A according to the present invention. The charging cable A includes a power plug 14, and a power path between the power plug 14 and the charging coupler 16. In addition to the opening / closing means 22 for opening and closing, the charging coupler 16, the control means 20a incorporated in the control device 20, the receiving means 24 for receiving information from the vehicle C, and the input of the personal identification number Input means 26 such as a keyboard and a touch panel, and storage means 28 such as a memory.

  In the charging cable A according to the present invention, when the personal identification number is input via the input unit 26, the input personal identification number is stored in the storage unit 28.

  Similarly, an input means (not shown) such as a touch panel for inputting a personal identification number is also provided in the car C in which the battery 6 is charged via the charging cable A, and this input means is used. The password is also entered and registered in the car C in advance. The charging cable A can be used only after the personal identification number of the car C matches the personal identification number of the charging cable A.

  FIG. 3 shows a flowchart showing the charging operation according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The charging operation will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S1, it is determined whether or not the power plug 14 of the charging cable A is connected to the power outlet 12, and the charging coupler 16 of the charging cable A is connected to the connector 10 of the automobile C. If connected, the process proceeds to step S2. If not connected, the process returns to step S1.

  In step S2, the personal identification number of the automobile C is obtained via the receiving means 24, and in step S3, the control means 20a checks the obtained personal identification number of the automobile C with the personal identification number of the charging cable A. If it is determined that the personal identification number of the automobile C and the personal identification number of the charging cable A match, the process proceeds to step S4, and if not, the charging of the battery 6 of the automobile C is not permitted, and FIG. End the flow.

  In step S4, power is supplied from the power outlet 12 to the battery 6 of the car C. In step S5, it is determined whether or not the charging is completed. If the charging is completed, the flow of FIG. If charging is not completed, the process returns to step S5.

  As described above, in the case of the charging cable A according to the present invention, the charging of the battery 6 of the automobile C is permitted only after the personal identification number of the automobile C and the personal identification number of the charging cable A match, Since the charging of the battery 6 of the car C is not permitted unless the personal identification number of the charging cable A matches, even if the charging cable A is stolen, the personal identification number of the charging cable A is not known. The person cannot charge the battery of another vehicle using the charging cable A, and as a result, the charging cable A can be prevented from being stolen.

  In addition, since it is indispensable to input a personal identification number for charging the battery 6 of the car C, it is impossible to use a bad quality charging cable that does not require a personal identification number. Car failure can be prevented.

  Furthermore, there is no need to provide a physical locking mechanism on the charging cable A, and since authentication with the car C is automatically performed, the car can be simply operated by inputting the password once when the charging cable A is purchased. The C battery 6 can be charged.

  In the above embodiment, the input of the personal identification number to the charging cable A and the input of the personal identification number to the automobile C are performed separately, but only the automobile C is inputted with the personal identification number. When the charging coupler 16 of the charging cable A is connected to the connector 10 of the car C at the first use of the charging cable A, the personal identification number registered in the car C is supplied to the charging cable A via the receiving means 24. You may make it take in and register to the memory | storage means 28. FIG.

  Conversely, a password is entered and registered only in the charging cable A, and when the charging coupler 16 of the charging cable A is connected to the connector 10 of the car C at the first use of the charging cable A, it is registered in the charging cable A. The obtained personal identification number can be taken into the car C and registered in the storage means provided in the car C. In this case, the control device 20 needs to include transmission / reception means for performing bidirectional information communication with the vehicle C instead of the reception means 24.

  Moreover, it can replace with the flowchart of FIG. 3 and a charging operation can also be performed as shown by the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 4, if it is determined in step S3 that the personal identification number of the car C and the personal identification number of the charging cable A do not match, in step S6, the storage means 28 or another storage means (for example, non-volatile) The unauthorized use information is recorded in the memory), and not only the charging of the battery 6 of the car C is not permitted, but the subsequent use of the charging cable A is prohibited.

  The prohibition of use of the charging cable A is canceled by re-inputting the password through the input means 26.

  Furthermore, it is connected to the home LAN via the power plug 14, and the unauthorized use of the charging cable A is notified visually or audibly by displaying unauthorized use information on the terminal device in the home or making a warning sound. You can also.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the charging operation according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Since the configuration other than this flowchart is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment described above, only the differences will be described below.

  In Embodiment 1 described above, the input of the personal identification number to the charging cable A is only the first time. However, in this embodiment, the personal identification number is input to the charging cable A using the charging cable A. Therefore, even if the car C and the charging cable A are stolen at the same time, use by a third party other than the owner of the car C and the charging cable A is not permitted.

  First, in step S11, it is determined whether or not the power plug 14 of the charging cable A is connected to the power outlet 12, and the charging coupler 16 of the charging cable A is connected to the connector 10 of the automobile C. If connected, the process proceeds to step S12. If not connected, the process returns to step S11.

  In step S12, the personal identification number of the automobile C is obtained via the receiving means 24, and in step S13, the control means 20a checks the obtained personal identification number of the automobile C with the personal identification number of the charging cable A. If it is determined in step S13 that the personal identification number of the car C and the personal identification number of the charging cable A match, the process proceeds to step S14, and if the two do not match, the charging of the battery 6 of the car C is permitted. Instead, the flow of FIG. 5 ends.

  In step S14, the personal identification number is input through the input means 26 of the charging cable A. In step S15, the input personal identification number is compared with the personal identification number registered in the storage means 28 of the charging cable A. If it is determined that they match, the process proceeds to step S16. If they do not match, the process proceeds to step S17.

  In step S17, the personal identification number is re-input via the input means 26 of the charging cable A, and in step S18, the inputted personal identification number and the personal identification number registered in the storage means 28 of the charging cable A are collated. If it is determined that they match, the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if they do not match, the charging of the battery 6 of the automobile C is not permitted and the flow of FIG.

  In the flow from step S14 to step S18, since a human error may occur in inputting the personal identification number by the input means 26, a single error is allowed, and the charging cable A is used when the input errors are continuously overlapped. It is determined that it is used by a third party other than the owner, and charging of the battery by a third party is not permitted.

  Note that the input error is not limited to one time, but a predetermined number (for example, two or three times) of input errors is allowed, and charging of the vehicle battery is not permitted when input errors exceeding the predetermined number overlap. You may do it.

  In step S16, power is supplied from the power outlet 12 to the battery 6 of the car C. In step S19, it is determined whether or not the charging is completed. If the charging is completed, the flow of FIG. If the charging is not completed, the process returns to step S19.

  If it is determined in step S19 that charging has been completed, a charging completion signal is output from the charging device 8 of the vehicle C, and when the receiving unit 24 receives the charging completion signal, the control unit 20a performs subsequent charging cables. The use of A may be prohibited. In this case, the personal identification number is re-input to the charging cable A via the input means 26, and when the input personal identification number and the personal identification number of the car C match, the use prohibition of the charging cable A is canceled, and the battery of the automobile C Power supply to 6 is permitted.

  By setting in this way, after the charging of the battery 6 of the owner's car C is completed, a third party pulls out the charging cable A from the connector 10 of the car C that has been charged, and another car connector. It is possible to prevent charging by inserting the charging coupler 16 of the charging cable A.

  Note that the number of passwords that can be stored in the storage means 28 is not limited to one, and a plurality of password numbers may be stored corresponding to a plurality of vehicles owned.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although commercial power supply was set as AC 100V, it cannot be overemphasized that another AC voltage (for example, AC 200V) can also be used.

  The charging cable according to the present invention can prevent the charging cable from being stolen by not allowing the use of a third party other than the owner of the vehicle, and can prevent the vehicle from being broken. It is useful as a battery charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle that travels with a battery.

A Charging cable for electric propulsion vehicle B General household C Electric propulsion vehicle 2 Motor for driving 4 Inverter 6 Battery 8 Charging device 10 Connector 12 Power outlet 14 Power plug 14a Temperature sensor 16 Charging coupler 18 Connection cable 20 Control device 20a Control means 22 Open / close Means 24 Receiving means 26 Input means 28 Storage means

Claims (7)

A charging cable used to charge a battery of an electric propulsion vehicle having a unique PIN,
A power plug that is detachably connected to a power outlet of a commercial power source, a charging coupler that is detachably connected to the electric propulsion vehicle, and a control device, wherein the control device sets a personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle. A receiving means for receiving; an input means for operating the user to input a personal identification number; a storage means for storing the personal identification number input; and charging the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle from the power outlet. The electric propulsion vehicle password is received via the means, and charging of the electric propulsion vehicle battery is permitted only when the electric propulsion vehicle password matches the password stored in the storage means. A charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle. When the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle and the personal identification number stored in the storage means do not match, the control means stores unauthorized use information in the storage means, and prohibits subsequent use of the charging cable. The charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle according to claim 1. If the personal identification number of the electric propulsion vehicle does not match the personal identification number stored in the storage means when connected to the home LAN via the power plug, the control means visually or The charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle according to claim 2, wherein notification is made audibly. When charging the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle from the power outlet, the personal identification number is input via the input means, and the control is performed when the input personal identification number matches the personal identification number stored in the storage means. The charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means permits charging of the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle. The control means does not permit charging of the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle when a mismatch between the input security code and the security code stored in the storage means occurs continuously a predetermined number of times. The electric propulsion vehicle charging cable according to claim 4. When charging of the battery of the electric propulsion vehicle is completed, a charging completion signal output from the electric propulsion vehicle is received by the receiving unit, and the control unit prohibits the use of the subsequent charging cable. The charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The charging cable for an electric propulsion vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the control unit releases the prohibition of use of the charging cable by re-inputting a personal identification number through the input unit.

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