Electric charging system
View Patent ↗In an electric charging system, an electric charger and an electric vehicle is connected via a charging cable, and charging power is provided to a battery of the electric vehicle via the charging cable. The electric charger calculates a voltage drop based on a supply current Is of the electric charger and an electric resistance of the charging cable. The electric charger compares a supply voltage of the electric charger with a determination value, and, if the supply voltage reaches the determination value, determines that the battery is charged to a fully-charged state. The determination value is updated by adding the voltage drop to a preset determination base value so as to take the voltage drop of the charging cable into account.
1. An electric charging system that connects an electric charger and an electric vehicle via a charging cable and charges an electric storage device mounted on the electric vehicle, the electric charging system comprising:
an electric charger, comprising:
a power converter configured to convert AC power received from an external power source to DC power, and comprising a positive electrode and a negative electrode electrically connected to two power supply lines, respectively,
a supply-side voltage sensor connected to the two power supply lines and configured to detect supply voltage values,
a charging controller comprising a supply-side processor communicable with a vehicle controller mounted on the electric vehicle and the supply-side voltage sensor, and
a housing accommodating the power converter, the supply-side voltage sensor, and the charging controller, and provided outside of and separately from the electric vehicle; and
a charging cable comprising:
a free edge including power supply connectors electrically connected to the power converter with the two power supply lines, the power supply connectors being connectable to charging connectors of the electric vehicle,
a fixed edge fixed to the housing, and
an elongated portion extended between the free edge and the fixed edge, and provided outside of and separately from the electric vehicle;
wherein the supply-side processor is configured to:
when the power supply connectors are connected to charging connectors of the electric vehicle, cause the electric charger to supply the DC power to the electric vehicle through the charging cable at detected supply voltage values, cause the electric vehicle to receive the DC power at receiving side voltage values, and receive the detected supply voltage values from the supply-side voltage sensor;
generate detected supply voltage data indicating a change of the detected supply voltage values with respect to time;
generate processed supply voltage data by subjecting the detected supply voltage data to a filtering process;
when the power supply connectors are connected to the charging connectors of the electric vehicle, communicate with the vehicle controller, and receive receiving side voltage data indicating a change of the receiving side voltages with respect to time from the vehicle controller;
by temporarily varying a change rate of the detected supply voltage values with respect to time, generate a first feature point corresponding the varying of the change rate in the processed supply voltage data at a first time, and generate a second feature point corresponding the varying of the change rate in the receiving side voltage data at a second time;
calculate a time lag between the first time and the second time;
calculate a voltage difference between the supply voltage and the receiving side voltage based on the time lag, the processed supply voltage data and the receiving side voltage data; and
cause the electric charger to terminate supplying the DC power to the electric vehicle after determining that a charge state of the electric vehicle has reached a determination value.
2. The electric charging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the supply-side processor is further configured to calculate a conduction resistance of the charging cable based on the voltage difference, and calculate a determination value base on the conduction resistance of the charging cable, and
wherein the conduction resistance is an electric resistance or an impedance of the charging cable.
3. The electric charging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the elongated portion of the charging cable comprises a communication line, and
wherein the receiving side voltage data are transmitted to the electric charger via the communication line in the charging cable.
4. The electric charging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the supply-side processor is configured to:
by temporarily raising a change rate of the detected supply voltage values with respect to time, generate a first peak in the processed supply voltage data as the first feature point at the first time, and generate a second peak in the receiving side voltage data as the second feature point at the second time.
5. The electric charging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the supply-side processor is configured to:
by temporarily raising a change rate of the detected supply voltage values with respect to time, generate a first inflection point in the processed supply voltage data as the first feature point at the first time, and generate a second inflection point in the receiving side voltage data as the second feature point at the second time.
6. The electric charging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the supply-side processor is configured to:
eliminate one or more noise effects in the detected supply voltage data, by
generating the processed supply voltage data by subjecting the detected supply voltage data to the filtering process.
7. A method for charging of an electric vehicle, comprising:
supplying DC power to the electric vehicle from the electric charging system according to claim 1 .