Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120091957 | CHARGING CABLE AND CHARGING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRICALLY POWERED VEHICLE - A charging cable includes a charging connector configured to be connectable to a vehicular inlet. The charging connector includes a lock button for locking the charging connector onto the charging inlet; a limit switch configured to be switchable, according to an operation onto the lock button, between a first state in which a control pilot wire and a ground wire are connected to each other and a second state in which a cable connection signal wire and the ground wire are connected to each other; and a lighting device configured to be capable of being driven according to a signal in a signal wire connected via a limit switch. | 04-19-2012 |
20120098490 | CHARGE CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRICALLY POWERED VEHICLE - A charging connector includes a lock button for locking the charging connector in a charging inlet, and a limit switch for electrically connecting a control pilot line and a ground line to each other in response to an operation of the lock button. The vehicle inlet includes a switch circuit for selectively connecting the control pilot line and the ground line with a resistance circuit, depending on whether a charging lid is open or closed. A CPU is configured to be able to supply a voltage to the control pilot line, and based on a potential of a control signal in accordance with presence/absence of voltage supply to the control pilot line, it detects the state of connection of a charging cable and the state of control pilot line. | 04-26-2012 |
20120123625 | POWER SOURCE SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC POWERED VEHICLE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR - At the time of external charging, an external charging relay is turned on, and a system main relay is turned off. Therefore, a main battery can be charged by electric power from an external power source, without applying an output voltage of the main battery to a PCU. At the time of external charging, basically, a power supply voltage for an auxiliary system (low voltage system) is generated by a sub DC/DC converter of a small capacity, while a main DC/DC converter of a large capacity used when vehicle is running is stopped. Only when the output of sub DC/DC converter is insufficient to cover the power consumption by the auxiliary system, an ECU operates the main DC/DC converter. Therefore, ECU and auxiliary load group can be operated reliably while efficiency of external charging is improved. | 05-17-2012 |
20120187759 | POWER SOURCE SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC POWERED VEHICLE - A PLG-ECU for external charging is provided separately from an HV-ECU for vehicle running, and configured to be capable of controlling external charging relays to be turned on/off. A sub DC/DC converter converting the output voltage of a charger into an auxiliary system voltage at the time of external charging is provided separately from a main DC/DC converter of large capacity used at the time of vehicle running. At the time of external charging, PLG-ECU can execute external charging without starting a vehicle running system while sub DC/DC converter can generate an auxiliary system voltage. Since external charging can be executed while system main relays each are kept turned off, a high voltage is not applied to components at the succeeding stage. Consequently, a main battery can be externally charged without exerting any influence on the durability and the life of each component of the vehicle running system. | 07-26-2012 |
20120274277 | VEHICLE - An externally chargeable vehicle which is charged with electric power from an external power supply includes an HV-ECU for controlling a power storage device during any of operation of the vehicle and external charging, and a PLG-ECU for controlling a charging device during external charging. With such a configuration, running and charging can be controlled while a function of the HV-ECU for controlling operation of the vehicle and a function of the PLG-ECU for external charging is prevented from becoming redundant. | 11-01-2012 |
20120299377 | POWER SOURCE SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC POWERED VEHICLE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - An electric powered vehicle is equipped with a main battery for storing electric power input to and output from a motor, and an auxiliary battery as a power source for an auxiliary system including a control system. A DC/DC converter converts an output voltage of the main battery to a level of an output voltage of the auxiliary battery. During operation, a BAT-ECU monitors states of charge of the main battery and the auxiliary battery and controls operation/stop of the DC/DC converter. When the electric powered vehicle is in a key-off state (running stop state), the BAT-ECU is intermittently operated, while an external charging system and a vehicle running system are stopped. | 11-29-2012 |
20120330489 | VEHICLE WITH EXTERNAL CHARGING - A vehicle can be charged by receiving electric power from an external power supply apparatus ( | 12-27-2012 |
20130088198 | ELECTRIC CHARGING SYSTEM AND ELECTRIC CHARGING METHOD - An electric charger converts electric power from an external electric power supply into charging electric power for an electricity storage apparatus. A PLG-ECU determines a charging schedule regarding charging current and charging duration for the electricity storage apparatus based on a necessary amount of charge that is an amount of charge needed in order to complete the charging of the electricity storage apparatus and a scheduled charging end time specified via an input portion, and controls the electric charger based on the charging schedule. The PLG-ECU determines the charging schedule based on a first current that is within the range of current suppliable from the external electric power supply and that is a minimum charging current that is needed in order to supply the necessary amount of charge to the electricity storage apparatus within the duration from the present time to the scheduled charging end time. | 04-11-2013 |
20130103203 | ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - A power supply ECU includes memory, a CPU, and a reset circuit. The CPU reads a program stored in the memory, and executes a process for controlling equipment based on the program. When a reset signal is input to the CPU, the CPU resets the process. The reset circuit outputs the reset signal to the CPU when the ignition switch is turned off while a rewrite command signal is input. | 04-25-2013 |
20130332019 | SHIFT-LOCK APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE - A PHV-ECU includes a power supply node, a switch and a CPU. A voltage is applied to the power supply node in accordance with a signal rendered active. When determining based on a connection state signal that a charging cable is unconnected or abnormal, the CPU turns on the switch. A shift-lock ECU includes output ports and a switch. A shift-lock solenoid of a lock release mechanism is connected between the output ports. When a brake signal is rendered active, the switch is turned on. | 12-12-2013 |
20140042966 | VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLE - A vehicle includes a power storage device, a power receiving unit for receiving power for charging the power storage device from an external power supply, an illumination unit for emitting light to the power receiving unit in response to a transistor attaining an on-state, and stopping the emission of light in response to the transistor attaining an off-state, and a microcomputer for controlling the transistor such that the transistor is turned off in response to connection between the external power supply and the power receiving unit, and the transistor is turned on in response to release of the connection between the external power supply and the power receiving unit. | 02-13-2014 |
20140232355 | VEHICLE CHARGING CONTROL APPARATUS AND VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME - A charger is configured to charge a power storage device. An ECU is configured to control charging of the power storage device by the charger. While charging of the power storage device is not executed, the ECU operates in a sleep mode in which power consumption is smaller than that in a wakeup mode in which charging control is being executed, until a pilot signal is detected. After charging of the power storage device is ended, the ECU operates in an intermittent activation mode in which a wait mode and the wakeup mode are regularly switched to each other, until stoppage of oscillation of the pilot signal is detected. | 08-21-2014 |
20140236379 | VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM AND VEHICLE CHARGING METHOD - In response to connection of a vehicle with an external power supply, a PLG-ECU performs a first charging operation of controlling a charger using a target value which is set to a state of charge lower than a predetermined full state of charge, until the state of charge of a power storage device reaches the target value. After the state of charge reaches the target value, the PLG-ECU stops charging of the power storage device, and restarts charging of the power storage device so that the state of charge reaches the predetermined full state of charge at a scheduled time to end charging which is specified through the use of an input unit. | 08-21-2014 |
20140292253 | VEHICLE COMPRISING BATTERY - A vehicle including a battery, a plug receiving portion for receiving a plug for supply an electric power to be charged in the battery or a plug for receiving an electric power discharged from the battery, a lid for closing the plug receiving portion and a light for illuminating the plug receiving portion. In the vehicle, when the state of the vehicle becomes a running mode indicating a state that the running of the vehicle is permitted, the light is turned off. | 10-02-2014 |