1. A vehicle charging device (10) having a charging port (22) of a vehicle (12), a lock actuator (24), a position detection sensor (60), and a control unit (26),

the charging port of the vehicle is connected to a power source side connector (32) of an external power source (30);

the lock actuator has a locking member (50) that moves between a locking position (P1) in which the power source side connector is locked and a non-locking position (P2) in which the locking of the power source side connector is released;

the position detection sensor is used for detecting the position of the clamping member;

the control part is used for controlling the action of the locking actuator,

the charging device for a vehicle is characterized in that,

the control unit acquires a vehicle speed of the vehicle, determines whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, and performs an operation check of the lock actuator when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed,

in the operation check, the control unit transmits an operation command to the lock actuator to determine whether the lock actuator is normal or defective, based on whether the position of the lock member detected by the position detection sensor is located at the position of the operation command.

2. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 1,

the control unit has a failure counting unit (82a) for counting the number of failure confirmations of the lock actuator,

the control unit ends the operation check when the lock actuator is normal in the operation check,

on the other hand, when the lock actuator has failed in the operation check, the control unit adds the failure confirmation count of the failure counting unit and retransmits the operation command to the locking member, and when the failure confirmation count is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the control unit specifies the failure of the lock actuator and ends the operation check.

3. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 2,

the control unit resets the failure confirmation count of the failure counting unit when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed before the operation check is completed,

when the vehicle speed is again equal to or higher than the predetermined speed after the reset, the control unit starts the operation check from the beginning.

4. The charging device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

when the lock actuator fails in response to the operation command at the time of connection of the power source side connector, the control unit turns on a temporary failure flag (F2),

the control unit executes the operation check only when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed and the temporary failure flag is on.

5. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 4,

when the control unit transmits the operation command for moving the locking member to the locking position to the lock actuator at the time of connection of the power source side connector and the operation of the lock actuator is failed, the control unit turns on the temporary failure flag,

on the other hand, when the control unit transmits the operation command for moving the locking member to the non-locking position to the lock actuator and the operation of the lock actuator is failed, the control unit determines that the function for moving the locking member to the non-locking position is failed.

6. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 4,

the control unit turns off the temporary failure flag when it is determined that the lock actuator is normal by the operation check.

7. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 4,

when the power source side connector is connected, the control unit turns on a temporary normal flag (F1) when the operation command for moving the locking member to the locking position is transmitted to the lock actuator and the operation of the lock actuator is normal,

when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed and the temporary normal flag is on, the control unit determines that the function of moving the locking member to the locking position is normal, and returns the temporary normal flag to off.

8. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 1,

the control unit turns on a normal determination flag (F3) in response to the determination of the normality of the lock actuator, and turns on a failure determination flag (F4) in response to the determination of the failure of the lock actuator by the operation check,

the control portion does not perform the operation check if the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag is set to on.

9. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 8,

when a drive stop operation of the vehicle is performed while the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag is set on, the control portion sets the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag set on to off.

10. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 1,

the power source side connector has a stopper pin (48) for engaging with the charging port,

when the charging port is connected, the locking member prevents the latch from being disengaged as the latch moves to the locking position.

11. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 1,

the power source side connector has a hole (47) into which the locking member can enter,

when the charging port is connected, the locking member enters the hole portion in accordance with the movement to the locking position, thereby fixing the power source side connector.

12. The charging device for a vehicle according to claim 1,

the vehicle has the charging port and a motor (16) for running on the lower side of a front hood (20).

Background

A vehicle such as an electric automobile has a charging port for charging a battery in the vehicle from the outside, and a lock actuator for locking a power source side connector connected at the time of charging is provided at the charging port. For example, in japanese patent laid-open No. 5610087, the locking pin is inserted into the hole of the power-supply-side connector by moving the locking pin of the locking actuator, thereby preventing the power-supply-side connector from being pulled out.

Further, the vehicle charging device disclosed in japanese patent application laid-open No. 5610087 includes a detection unit for detecting whether or not the lock pin has moved to a predetermined position, and determines that the lock actuator has failed when the lock pin has not moved to the predetermined position, and cannot be charged when there is a failure.

Disclosure of Invention

However, the reason why the lock pin does not move to the predetermined position is that a lock pin (latch) of the power-supply-side connector is deformed, or the lock pin does not enter a hole of the power-supply-side connector due to a state in which the power-supply-side connector is not sufficiently fitted (so-called half-fitted state). As described above, there is a problem that, when the lock pin cannot enter the predetermined position, even if the lock actuator itself is normal, it is determined that the lock actuator itself is in a failure state, and it is impossible to determine whether the lock actuator itself is in failure or whether the power-source-side connector is in failure.

The present invention relates to the technology of the vehicle charging device, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle charging device capable of more favorably determining a failure of a lock actuator with a simple configuration.

In order to achieve the above purpose, one technical solution of the present invention is: a charging device for a vehicle, which has a charging port of the vehicle to which a power source side connector of an external power source is connected, a lock actuator, a position detection sensor, and a control unit; the lock actuator has a locking member that moves between a locking position where the power source side connector is locked and a non-locking position where the locking of the power source side connector is released; the position detection sensor is used for detecting the position of the clamping member; the control unit is configured to control an operation of the lock actuator, and the control unit acquires a vehicle speed of the vehicle, determines whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, and executes an operation check of the lock actuator when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, and in the operation check, the control unit transmits an operation command to the lock actuator, and determines whether or not the lock actuator is normal or defective, based on whether or not the position of the lock member detected by the position detection sensor is located at the position of the operation command.

The vehicle charging device can further favorably determine the failure of the lock actuator with a simple configuration.

The above objects, features and advantages should be readily understood by the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a charging state of a vehicle mounted with a vehicle charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1B is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation check during traveling of a vehicle mounted with the vehicle charging device of fig. 1A.

Fig. 2A is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the lock pin is located at the non-locking position in the first lock mechanism. Fig. 2B is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the lock pin is located at the locking position in the first locking mechanism.

Fig. 3A is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the lock pin is located at the non-locking position in the second lock mechanism. Fig. 3B is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the lock pin is located at the locking position in the second lock mechanism.

Fig. 4A is a functional block diagram of the control device. Fig. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing a status register (status register) built in the control device.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow of the control device at the start of charging.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow of the control device at the time of completion of charging.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow of the control device during traveling.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart following the flow of processing performed by the control device of fig. 7 during driving.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of examples of preferred embodiments.

As shown in fig. 1A, a vehicle charging device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle 12 such as an electric vehicle, and is capable of charging a battery 14 similarly mounted on the vehicle 12 from outside the vehicle 12. In fig. 1A, a four-wheel automobile is shown as the vehicle 12 provided with the vehicle charging device 10, but the vehicle charging device 10 may be applied to vehicles other than the four-wheel automobile (for example, a two-wheel automobile, etc.) by making appropriate changes. The vehicle charging device 10 is not limited to being applied to an electric vehicle, and may be applied to a vehicle that can be charged from the outside, such as a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

The vehicle 12 includes the battery 14 and the motor 16 for running, and the motor 16 is rotationally driven by discharging (supplying) electric power from the battery 14 to roll the wheel W. For example, the motor 16 is provided in a front compartment (front component) 18 of the vehicle 12 to transmit rotational driving force to front wheels Wf as driving wheels. Further, the drive wheels of the vehicle 12 may also be the rear wheels Wr. The upper portion of the installation portion (front compartment 18) of the motor 16 is covered with a front hood 20.

In the present embodiment, vehicle charging device 10 is provided in front compartment 18 at a position on the upper side in the vehicle height direction than motor 16. However, the installation position of the vehicle charging device 10 is not particularly limited, and may be provided near a bumper (bumper) or on one side surface in the vehicle width direction at the front portion of the vehicle 12, or may be provided on the rear side in the vehicle length direction of the vehicle 12, for example.

The vehicle charging device 10 has a charging port 22 to which a power source side connector 32 of an external power source 30 is connected, a lock actuator 24, and a control device 26 (control unit); the lock actuator 24 is used to maintain the connection of the power source side connector 32; the control device 26 is used to control the actuation of the lock actuator 24. Meanwhile, the external power supply 30 for charging the vehicle charging device 10 includes a power supply device 34 (power supply), a harness 36, and the power supply-side connector 32, wherein the harness 36 has flexibility and one end portion thereof is connected to the power supply device 34; the power source side connector 32 is connected to the other end of the wire harness 36.

The charging port 22 is provided on the back side of the opening/closing body 20a that can be opened and closed with respect to the front hood 20. As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the charging port 22 has a concave hub space 40 and a plurality of terminal spaces 42, wherein the hub space 40 is used to configure the hub (hub)38 of the power source side connector 32 when the charging port 22 is connected to the power source side connector 32; the plurality of terminal spaces 42 communicate with the hub space 40, and a plurality of terminals 44 protruding from the hub 38 are inserted therein.

In the connected state of the power-supply-side connector 32, the hub 38 is partially inserted into the hub space 40. As shown in fig. 2A and 3A, the charging port 22 is provided with a connection detection sensor 28 for detecting connection of the power source side connector 32 to the charging port 22. For example, the connection detection sensor 28 is provided on a wall portion 40a constituting the hub space 40, and transmits a detection signal indicating contact of the hub 38 when the power source side connector 32 is connected. The method of detecting the connection of power source-side connector 32 is not particularly limited, and the connection may be recognized by performing communication between control device 26 and power source-side connector 32, for example.

Examples of the plurality of terminals 44 of the power source side connector 32 include a pair of electrode terminals, a ground terminal, a communication terminal (none of which are shown), and a locking terminal 46 (a locking portion). In fig. 1A, 2B, and 3B, for convenience of explanation, two of the plurality of terminals 44 of the power source side connector 32 are shown, and one of them is used as a locking terminal 46. The position, shape, number, and the like of each terminal 44 of the power source side connector 32 are not particularly limited, and may be provided in an appropriate manner according to the charging specification of the vehicle 12.

The plurality of terminal spaces 42 of the charging port 22 are also formed by positions, shapes, and numbers corresponding to the charging specifications of the vehicle 12. A connection fitting, not shown, that electrically contacts the pair of electrode terminals, the ground terminal, and the communication terminal is provided in the terminal space 42a of the plurality of terminal spaces 42.

The lock actuator 24 is provided in the terminal space 42b into which the lock terminal 46 of the power supply source side connector 32 is inserted. The lock actuator 24 has a locking pin 50 and a locking actuation portion 52, wherein the locking actuation portion 52 is connected to the control device 26 and moves the locking pin 50 under the control of the control device 26.

The lock pin 50 is configured as a rod-shaped member extending by a predetermined length. The lock pin 50 is moved by the lock operation portion 52 between a locking position P1 for locking the power-supply-side connector 32 and a non-locking position P2 for releasing the locking of the power-supply-side connector 32.

The lock operation unit 52 may be applied with an appropriate mechanism for moving the lock pin 50 forward and backward between the locking position P1 and the non-locking position P2. For example, as shown in fig. 2A, the lock operation portion 52 may be of an electromagnetic type structure in which electric power is supplied to a solenoid (solenoid)54 to operate the lock pin 50. Alternatively, the lock operation portion 52 may be of a ball screw type structure that converts a rotational force of a lock motor (not shown) into a linear motion (forward and backward movement) of the lock pin 50. The lock operation unit 52 can be applied to a cylinder structure in which the lock pin 50 is moved forward and backward by fluid pressure, a structure using a magnet, or the like.

The lock mechanism 56 for fixing (preventing the power source side connector 32 from coming off) by the lock actuator 24 is not particularly limited, and various configurations can be applied. Next, referring to fig. 2A to 3B, two kinds of lock mechanisms 56 (a first lock mechanism 56A and a second lock mechanism 56B) will be representatively described.

When the lock pin 50 is moved to the locking position P1, the first locking mechanism 56A shown in fig. 2A and 2B fixes the power-supply-side connector 32 by inserting the lock pin 50 into the hole 47 of the locking terminal 46A provided in the power-supply-side connector 32. That is, the locking terminal 46A is formed with a hole 47 along the moving direction of the lock pin 50 (in fig. 2A, the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the terminal space 42).

The lock actuator 24 is provided in a side portion of the terminal space 42 into which the lock terminal 46A is inserted. In this case, the lock actuator 24 moves the lock terminal 46A freely along the extending direction in the terminal space 42 in a state where the tip end of the lock pin 50 is located at the non-locking position P2. On the other hand, the lock actuator 24 passes through the insertion hole 47 and moves the lock pin 50 to the locking position P1, thereby disabling the movement of the lock terminal 46A (i.e., the power source side connector 32). For example, at the locking position P1, the tip end of the lock pin 50 is inserted into the recess 42b1 of the wall portion on the opposite side of the wall portion provided with the lock operation portion 52.

The second locking mechanism 56B shown in fig. 3A and 3B has a stopper pin (latch)48 on the locking terminal 46B of the power source side connector 32, and a projection 43 on a wall of the terminal space 42, into which the stopper pin 48 is hooked. Accordingly, the second lock mechanism 56B interferes with the release of the engagement of the stopper pin 48 with the protrusion 43 when the lock pin 50 is moved to the lock position P1. For example, the stopper pin 48 of the power source side connector 32 is provided at a side portion on the tip end side in the extending direction of the locking terminal 46B. The insertion direction of the projection 43 of the terminal space 42 is formed as an inclined surface on the front side, and the insertion direction of the projection 43 of the terminal space 42 is formed as a hooking surface of the stopper pin 48 on the rear side.

The lock actuator 24 is configured to: on the back side in the insertion direction of the terminal space 42B into which the locking terminal 46B is inserted, the lock 50 that has entered the locking position P1 comes into contact with the surface of the locking terminal 46B on the opposite side to the formation position of the stopper pin 48. That is, the lock pin 50 is pulled back from the terminal space 42B in the state of being located at the non-locking position P2, whereby the lock terminal 46B is movable along the extending direction in the terminal space 42B. At this time, the lock terminal 46B can go over the convex portion 43 by the stopper pin 48 hitting the convex portion 43 and elastically deforming as a whole.

On the other hand, in a state where the stopper pin 48 of the lock terminal 46B and the convex portion 43 are hooked to each other, the lock pin 50 moves to the locking position P1 and presses the opposite side surface of the lock terminal 46B, thereby preventing elastic deformation of the lock terminal 46B, and strengthening the hooking of the stopper pin 48 to the convex portion 43. Accordingly, the locking terminal 46B (power source side connector 32) cannot move.

Then, the vehicle charging device 10 is configured to: the operation check (i.e., the confirmation of the normality or the failure) of the lock actuator 24 provided in the charging port 22 is performed as described above. In particular, as shown in fig. 1B, the vehicle charging device 10 performs an operation check of the lock actuator 24 during the running of the vehicle 12.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 4A, the vehicle charging device 10 has, in addition to the control device 26 as a structure for performing the operation check, a plurality of position detection sensors 60 and a vehicle speed sensor 62, wherein the position detection sensors 60 are used to detect the position of the lock pin 50 of the lock actuator 24; the vehicle speed sensor 62 is used to detect the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12.

In order to detect the current position (the locking position P1, the non-locking position P2) of the lock pin 50, a plurality of position detection sensors 60 are provided at two locations of the wall portion of the terminal space 42b constituting the locking terminal 46 (see also fig. 2A and 3A). The control device 26 recognizes the position of the locking pin 50 based on the signals of the respective position detecting sensors 60. For example, the control device 26 recognizes the movement of the lock pin 50 to the lock position P1 based on the signal of the lock pin 50 detected by the position detection sensor 60a at the lock position P1. In contrast, the control device 26 recognizes the movement of the lock pin 50 to the non-latching position P2 according to the signal that the lock pin 50 is not detected by the position detection sensor 60b at the non-latching position P2.

Further, the position detection sensor 60 is not limited to the above-described structure, and various structures may be employed. For example, the position detection sensor 60 may be a sensor (such as an encoder) that continuously detects the amount of advance and retreat of the lock pin 50.

The vehicle speed sensor 62 can be applied to a known device (a wheel speed sensor for detecting the number of rotations of a drive wheel or a driven wheel, a speedometer of an instrument panel, or the like) provided in the vehicle 12. The control device 26 recognizes the current vehicle speed from the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 62. The control device 26 is not limited to the configuration of receiving the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 62, and may be configured to receive information on the vehicle speed (for example, the target driving force, the number of revolutions, and the like of the motor 16 for running) from another vehicle-mounted device and internally calculate the vehicle speed.

As shown in fig. 2A to 4A, the Control device 26 of the vehicle charging device 10 is configured as a computer (ECU) having a processor (processor)70, a memory 72, a timer 74, and an input/output interface 76. Various sensors such as the connection detection sensor 28, the position detection sensor 60, and the vehicle speed sensor 62 are connected to the control device 26, and the lock actuator 24 and the notification unit 64 are connected thereto. The control device 26 can output an operation command (a power control pulse, a power pulse, or the like) to the lock actuator 24 to control the operation of the lock pin 50.

For example, in a normal state where charging or operation check is not performed, the controller 26 is in a state where the lock pin 50 is in a standby state at the non-locking position P2. When the power source side connector 32 is connected to the charging port 22 during charging of the battery 14 via the vehicle charging device 10, the control device 26 operates the lock actuator 24. Accordingly, the control device 26 moves the lock pin 50 to the lock position P1 to fix the power-supply-side connector 32. After the battery 14 is charged, the control device 26 can disengage the power-supply-side connector 32 from the charging port 22 by operating the lock actuator 24 to move the lock pin 50 to the non-locking position P2.

The control device 26 according to the present embodiment is configured to perform an operation check of the lock actuator 24. For this operation check, the control device 26 reads and executes a program, not shown, stored in the memory 72 by the processor 70, thereby constructing a functional block diagram shown in fig. 4A. Specifically, the control device 26 is provided with a charging lock actuator control unit 80, a traveling lock actuator control unit 82, and a status register 84 for managing the status of the lock actuator 24.

The status register 84 has various flags (flag) for monitoring normal or malfunction with respect to the locking action when the lock pin 50 moves from the non-latching position P2 to the latching position P1 and the unlocking action when the lock pin 50 moves from the latching position P1 to the non-latching position P2. Specifically, as shown in fig. 4B, the status register 84 is provided with a lock temporary normal flag F1, a lock temporary failure flag F2, a lock normal determination flag F3, a lock failure determination flag F4, an unlock normal determination flag F5, and an unlock failure determination flag F6. The status register 84 is appropriately reset in accordance with the driving stop operation (Ignition off) or the like, in addition to switching of the flags under the instruction of the charging-time lock actuator control unit 80 and the traveling-time lock actuator control unit 82.

The charge-time lock actuator control unit 80 controls the operation of the lock actuator 24 when the battery 14 is charged from the external power supply 30, and manages the state (operation result) of the charge-time lock actuator 24 via the state register 84. That is, the lock actuator control unit 80 performs the locking operation of the lock actuator 24 by outputting a lock command (an operation command for operating the lock pin 50 (locking member)) to the lock actuator 24 before the start of charging. Similarly, the lock actuator control unit 80 performs the unlocking operation of the lock actuator 24 by outputting an unlocking command (an operation command for operating the lock pin 50 (locking member)) to the lock actuator 24 after charging.

Further, the lock actuator control unit 80 during charging determines whether the function of the lock operation is normal or failed based on the position detection of the lock pin 50 during the lock operation, and appropriately switches the lock temporary normal flag F1 and the lock temporary failure flag F2. Here, the trouble when the lock pin 50 moves to the locking position P1 includes a case where the lock pin 50 cannot move due to a failure of the lock actuator 24 itself and a case where the lock pin 50 cannot move due to a failure or a connection failure of the power source side connector 32. For example, as described above, the lock pin 50 cannot move in a state where the terminal 44 of the power source side connector 32 is deformed or the like, or in a state where the power source side connector 32 is not sufficiently fitted. Therefore, the control device 26 manages the possibility of normality or malfunction of the lock action of the lock actuator 24 by selectively turning on or off the lock provisional normal flag F1 and the lock provisional fault flag F2 with respect to the result of the lock action.

Then, the lock actuator control unit 80 determines whether the function of the unlocking operation is normal or failed based on the position detection of the lock pin 50 during the unlocking operation, and appropriately switches the unlocking normal determination flag F5 and the unlocking failure determination flag F6. That is, when the lock pin 50 located at the locking position P1 is moved to the non-locking position P2, since there is almost no possibility that a failure of the power source side connector 32 or a connection failure occurs, it can be estimated that the failure occurring here is due to a failure of the lock actuator 24 itself. Therefore, the control device 26 manages the failure of the unlocking action of the lock actuator 24 by selectively turning on or off the unlocking normal determination flag F5 and the unlocking failure determination flag F6 with respect to the result of the unlocking action.

On the other hand, during the running of the vehicle 12, the running-time lock actuator control unit 82 executes an operation check to control the operation of the lock actuator 24 at that time, and manages the state (operation result) of the lock actuator 24 via the state register 84. When the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, the lock actuator control unit 82 during travel outputs a lock command to the lock actuator 24 to perform a lock operation, and further outputs an unlock command to the lock actuator 24 to perform an unlock operation.

The travel-time lock actuator control unit 82 determines whether the lock operation function is normal or failed based on the position detection of the lock pin 50 during the lock operation, and selectively turns on or off the lock normal determination flag F3 and the lock failure determination flag F4. This makes it possible to estimate that the failure of the lock operation of the lock pin 50 during traveling is a failure of the lock actuator 24 itself.

However, the lock pin 50 may not be moved due to vibration during traveling. Therefore, the travel-time lock actuator control unit 82 includes a lock operation failure counting unit 82a for counting the failure confirmation of the lock operation, and finally determines the failure of the lock operation function when the counted number of failure confirmations is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. Then, the controller 26 manages the failure of the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 by using the lock normality determination flag F3 and the lock failure determination flag F4 with respect to the result of the lock operation. The number of times of failure confirmation held by the lock operation failure counting unit 82a is configured to be reset when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. The number of failure checks may be appropriately reset in accordance with the result of the determination of the operation check and the establishment of other conditions such as the driving stop operation.

As described above, since the function of checking the unlocking operation can be performed during charging, the operation check during traveling mainly checks whether the locking operation is performed normally or in a failure. Further, the controller 26 is configured to not necessarily perform the operation check when one of the lock normality determination flag F3 and the lock failure determination flag F4 is determined. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can suppress unnecessary operation checks, and can reduce power consumption associated with the operation checks.

The vehicle charging device 10 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above, and an example of the operation (process flow) thereof will be described in detail below.

First, a process flow of the vehicle charging device 10 when the battery 14 of the vehicle 12 is charged from the external power supply 30 will be described with reference to fig. 5. As described above, when the power source-side connector 32 of the external power source 30 is connected to the charging port 22 and charging is performed, the vehicle charging device 10 operates the lock actuator 24 to fix the power source-side connector 32.

Specifically, the control device 26 enters the sleep state when the driving of the vehicle 12 is stopped (ignition off). At this time, the lock actuator 24 basically causes the lock pin 50 to stand by at the non-locking position P2. In addition, the control device 26 determines the connection of the power source side connector 32 based on the detection signal of the connection detection sensor 28 received in the sleep state (step S1). If connection to the power source side connector 32 is recognized in step S1 (yes in step S1), the control device 26 outputs a lock command to the lock actuator 24 to start locking of the lock actuator 24 (step S2). In response to the lock command, the lock actuator 24 performs a locking operation to bring the lock pin 50 located at the non-locking position P2 into the locking position P1.

When the lock actuator 24 moves (when the lock command is executed), the controller 26 counts the time by the timer 74 to count the lock operation time of the lock pin 50 by the lock actuator 24 (step S3). Then, the control device 26 determines whether or not the lock pin 50 has moved to the locking position P1 based on the detection signal of the position detection sensor 60 (step S4). If the lock pin 50 has not moved to the locking position P1 (no at step S4), the process proceeds to step S5, and if the lock pin 50 has moved to the locking position P1 (yes at step S4), the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S5, the control device 26 compares the counted lock operation time with a preset lock period threshold value. If the lock operation time does not exceed the lock period threshold (no in step S5), the process returns to step S3, and the same process is repeated. On the other hand, if the lock operation time exceeds the lock period threshold (YES at step S5), the flow proceeds to step S6.

The case where the lock action time exceeds the lock period threshold value means that the lock pin 50 is not moved to the stuck position P1 before the lock period threshold value is reached, in which case a malfunction with respect to the locking of the lock actuator 24 may be generated. Therefore, in step S6, control device 26 sets lock temporary fault flag F2 of status register 84 to on (set from 0 to 1). Further, the controller 26 may be configured to: when the lock pin 50 cannot be moved to the locking position P1, the lock pin 50 is temporarily returned to the non-locking position P2 to perform the locking operation again, that is, the locking operation is performed a plurality of times. In this case, when the lock pin 50 is not moved to the locking position P1 even if the lock operation is performed a predetermined number of times, the control device 26 turns on the lock temporary failure flag F2.

In contrast, the case where the lock pin 50 moves to the lock position P1 within the lock period threshold value means that the locking action of the lock actuator 24 is normally performed. Therefore, in step S7, the control device 26 sets the lock provisional normal flag F1 of the status register 84 to on.

Then, regardless of the state of the lock actuator 24, the vehicle charging device 10 supplies electric power from the external power supply 30 to the battery 14, that is, performs charging (step S8). Even if a temporary failure occurs in the lock actuator 24, charging of the battery 14 can be performed as long as the electrode terminal of the power supply-side connector 32 is electrically conducted to the charging port 22. In addition, at the time of charging, the vehicle charging device 10 can monitor whether or not charging to the battery 14 is being performed by monitoring changes in the amount of power supplied to the battery 14 and the amount of charge. Therefore, in the case where the battery 14 is not charged, it is possible to notify the user that charging is not performed.

Next, a process flow of the vehicle charging device 10 at the time of completion of charging will be described with reference to fig. 6. The vehicle charging device 10 determines whether or not an appropriate termination condition for terminating the charging of the battery 14 is satisfied (step S11), and terminates the charging in accordance with the satisfaction of the termination condition. For example, the end condition may be that the charge amount (SOC) of the battery 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the user recognizes the removal operation of the power source side connector 32.

When the charging is completed, the control device 26 outputs an unlock command to the lock actuator 24 (step S12) to unlock the lock actuator 24 from the lock terminal 46. In response to the unlock command, the lock actuator 24 retracts the lock pin 50 located at the lock position P1 to the non-lock position P2.

When the lock actuator 24 moves (after the lock release command is executed), the controller 26 counts the time by the timer 74 to count the time for which the lock actuator 24 is operated to release the lock pin 50 (step S13). Then, the control device 26 determines whether or not the lock pin 50 has moved to the non-locking position P2 based on the detection signal of the position detection sensor 60 (step S14). If the lock pin 50 has not moved to the non-locking position P2 (no in step S14), the process proceeds to step S15, and if the lock pin 50 has moved to the non-locking position P2 (yes in step S14), the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S15, the control device 26 compares the counted unlock operation time with a preset unlock period threshold value. If the unlock operation time does not exceed the unlock period threshold (no in step S15), the process returns to step S13, and the same process is repeated. On the other hand, if the unlock operation time exceeds the unlock period threshold (YES at step S15), the flow proceeds to step S16.

The case where the unlocking action time exceeds the unlocking-period threshold value means that the lock pin 50 is not moved to the non-latching position P2 before the unlocking-period threshold value is reached, in which case a malfunction regarding the unlocking of the lock actuator 24 is generated. Therefore, in step S16, the control device 26 sets the unlock failure determination flag F6 of the status register 84 to on. That is, when the unlocking operation is abnormal, since it is almost assumed that the lock actuator 24 itself is broken down, it is determined that the unlocking function of the lock actuator 24 is broken down without determining a temporary breakdown.

In contrast, the case where the lock pin 50 moves to the non-latching position P2 within the threshold during unlocking means that the unlocking action of the lock actuator 24 is normally performed. Therefore, in step S17, the control device 26 sets the unlock normal determination flag F5 of the status register 84 to on.

Next, a process flow of the vehicle charging device 10 during traveling of the vehicle 12 will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8. As described above, the vehicle charging device 10 is configured to perform the operation check of the lock actuator 24 while the vehicle 12 is traveling.

Specifically, the vehicle charging device 10 determines whether or not the lock provisional normal flag F1 is on after the start of the running of the vehicle 12 (step S21). The lock temporary normal flag F1 being on means that the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 is normally performed during charging. Therefore, in the case where the lock temporary normal flag F1 is ON (step S21: YES), the flow proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the control device 26 acquires the vehicle speed from the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 62, and determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed threshold. When the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed threshold (yes in step S22), the lock normality determination flag F3 is turned on after a further predetermined time has elapsed (step S23). At this time, the controller 26 turns off the lock provisional normal flag F1 (from 1 to 0). That is, when the lock provisional normal flag F1 is on, the control device 26 determines that the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 is normal without operating the lock actuator 24 while the vehicle 12 is traveling.

On the other hand, when the lock temporary normal flag is off (no in step S21), it is determined in step S24 whether the lock temporary failure flag F2 is on. The lock temporary failure flag F2 is turned on when the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 is not performed normally during charging, and there is a possibility that a failure occurs in the lock actuator 24. Therefore, if the lock temporary failure flag F2 is on (yes in step S24), the process proceeds to step S25, and if the lock temporary failure flag F2 is off (no in step S24), the operation check during traveling is ended. The case where lock temporary normal flag F1 is off and lock temporary failure flag F2 is off means that charging is not performed after each flag is reset. Further, the controller 26 may be configured to: in the case where the lock temporary normal flag F1 is off and the lock temporary failure flag F2 is off, the operation check is executed while the vehicle 12 is running. This makes it possible to check the state of the lock actuator 24 before charging.

In step S25, the control device 26 acquires the vehicle speed from the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 62, and determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed threshold. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 executes the operation check of the lock actuator 24 when the vehicle 12 reaches a certain speed or higher, and can suppress the user from hearing the sound of the lock actuator 24 during the operation check.

When the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the speed threshold (yes in step S25), the control device 26 outputs a lock command to the lock actuator 24 (step S26). In response to the lock command, the lock actuator 24 performs a locking operation to bring the lock pin 50 located at the non-locking position P2 into the locking position P1.

Then, the control device 26 determines whether the lock pin 50 is moved to the locking position P1 based on the detection signal of the position detection sensor 60 (step S27). In this case, as in the process of the locking operation of the lock pin 50 during charging, it is preferable to limit the determination period of the locking operation by comparing the locking operation time with the locking period threshold value while performing the timing of the locking operation. After the determination of the locking operation, the controller 26 outputs an unlock command to the lock actuator 24, thereby retreating the lock pin 50 from the locking position P1 to the non-locking position P2.

When the lock pin 50 moves to the locking position P1 (step S27: YES), the lock operation of the lock actuator 24 is normally performed. Therefore, in step S28, the control device 26 sets the lock normal determination flag F3 to on, and sets the lock temporary failure flag F2 to off. On the other hand, when the lock pin 50 does not move to the locking position P1 (step S27: NO), the probability of the lock actuator 24 malfunctioning increases. Therefore, in step S29, the control device 26 increases the number of times of failure confirmation by the lock operation failure counting unit 82a by 1 time (increment).

Then, in step S30, the control device 26 determines whether or not the number of times of failure confirmation by the lock operation failure counting unit 82a is equal to or greater than a predetermined determination threshold. In the case where the number of failure confirmations is less than the determination threshold (no in step S30), the process returns to step S25, and the following similar process is repeated. That is, the control device 26 sends the operation command for operating the lock pin 50 again, and determines whether or not the lock pin 50 has moved to the locking position P1 again. When the vehicle speed is lower than the speed threshold value (no in step S25) in the case of returning to step S25, the flow proceeds to step S31, and the number of times of failure confirmation by the lock operation failure counter 82a is reset. After this reset, step S25 is repeated again. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can perform the operation check again when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12 decreases to be less than the speed threshold value.

On the other hand, if the number of failure confirmations is equal to or greater than the determination threshold (YES at step S30), the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the control device 26 turns on the lock failure determination flag F4 and turns off the lock temporary failure flag F2. Accordingly, the control device 26 can more reliably recognize the failure of the lock actuator 24.

The control device 26 sets an appropriate fault code corresponding to the time of determining the fault of the lock actuator 24, and the notification portion 64 notifies the user of the occurrence of the fault of the lock actuator 24 based on the fault code (step S33). Thus, the user can recognize that the lock actuator 24 of the vehicle charging device 10 has failed, and can appropriately respond to the failure.

In addition, while the vehicle 12 is traveling, the control device 26 confirms the states of the lock failure determination flag F4 and the lock normality determination flag F3. The controller 26 is configured to: the inspection is not performed in a state where one of the lock failure determination flag F4 and the lock normality determination flag F3 is on. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can avoid unnecessary work check after the state of the lock actuator 24 is determined.

When the lock normal determination flag F3 or the lock failure determination flag F4 is on, the control device 26 turns off the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag that has been on after the drive stop operation (ignition off) of the vehicle 12 is performed. Accordingly, the control device 26 can execute the above-described operation check when the drive start operation (ignition on) is performed after the drive of the vehicle 12 is stopped.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in accordance with the gist of the present invention. For example, the fixing mechanism of the charging port 22 and the power source side connector 32 of the vehicle charging device 10 is not particularly limited, and for example, a structure in which a hook of the power source side connector 32 and a hook of the lock actuator 24 are hooked to each other may be adopted. The lock actuator 24 is not limited to the structure for locking the lock terminal 46 to the power source side connector 32, and may be a structure for locking the hub 38 and the other terminals 44 (electrode terminal, ground terminal, communication terminal, etc.).

For example, the vehicle charging device 10 is configured to execute failure determination of the unlocking operation of the lock actuator 24 during charging. However, since the unlocking operation is performed after the locking operation in the operation check during traveling, the control device 26 can determine whether the unlocking operation is normal or faulty at that time, and can specify whether the unlocking operation is normal or faulty.

The technical ideas and effects that can be grasped from the above embodiments are described below.

The technical scheme of the invention is as follows: a charging device 10 for a vehicle, which has a charging port 22 of a vehicle 12, a lock actuator 24, a position detection sensor 60, and a control unit (control device 26), wherein the charging port 22 of the vehicle 12 is connected to a power source side connector 32 of an external power source 30; the lock actuator 24 has a locking member (lock pin 50) that moves between a locking position P1 where the power source side connector 32 is locked and a non-locking position P2 where the locking of the power source side connector 32 is released; the position detection sensor 60 detects the position of the locking member; the control unit (control device 26) controls the operation of the lock actuator 24, acquires the vehicle speed of the vehicle 12, determines whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed, and performs an operation check of the lock actuator 24 when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, and in the operation check, the control unit transmits an operation command to the lock actuator 24 to determine whether or not the lock actuator 24 is normal or defective based on whether or not the position of the lock actuator detected by the position detection sensor 60 is located at the position of the operation command.

According to the above, by performing the operation check of the lock actuator 24 when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed while the vehicle 12 is traveling, the vehicle charging device 10 can reliably determine whether the lock actuator 24 is normal or faulty. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can determine whether the lock actuator 24 is faulty, the power source side connector 32 is faulty, or the connection is faulty, with respect to the malfunction of the lock mechanism 56 during charging. Further, by executing the operation check when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed, the vehicle charging device 10 can cancel the sound of the operation check by the traveling sound or the like, and can suppress the uneasiness of the user caused by hearing the sound of the operation check.

The control unit (control device 26) has a failure counting unit (locking operation failure counting unit 82a) for counting the number of times of failure confirmation of the lock actuator 24, and ends the operation check when the lock actuator 24 is normal in the operation check, while, when the lock actuator 24 has failed in the operation check, the control unit adds the number of times of failure confirmation of the failure counting unit and retransmits the operation command to the locking member, and when the number of times of failure confirmation is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the control unit specifies the failure of the lock actuator 24 and ends the operation check. In this way, the vehicle charging device 10 can prevent erroneous determination due to the influence of vibration during traveling and the like by executing the operation command to the locking member a plurality of times and counting the number of failure checks, thereby improving the accuracy of the operation check.

Further, when the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed before the completion of the operation check, the control unit (control device 26) resets the number of times of failure confirmation by the failure counting unit (lock operation failure counting unit 82a), and when the vehicle speed is equal to or more than the predetermined speed again after the reset, the operation check is started from the beginning. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 performs the operation check of the lock actuator 24 in a stable state in which the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed for a predetermined time or longer, and therefore the accuracy of the check can be further improved.

Further, when the lock actuator 24 malfunctions in response to the operation command during connection of the power-supply-side connector 32, the control unit (control device 26) turns on the temporary failure flag (lock temporary failure flag F2), and performs the operation check only when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed and the temporary failure flag is on. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can suppress the number of times the lock actuator 24 is operated, suppress power consumption, and extend the life of the lock actuator 24.

Further, at the time of connection of the power source side connector 32, the control unit (control device 26) transmits an operation command to move the locking member (locking pin 50) to the locking position P1 to the lock actuator 24, sets the temporary failure flag (locking temporary failure flag F2) to on when the operation of the lock actuator 24 fails, transmits an operation command to move the locking member to the non-locking position P2 to the lock actuator 24, and determines that the locking member has a failure in the function of moving the locking member to the non-locking position P2 when the operation of the lock actuator 24 fails. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can execute the operation check during traveling only in a situation where it is difficult to determine whether the lock actuator 24 itself is a failure or a continuous failure of the power source side connector 32. Therefore, the vehicle charging device 10 can limit the number of operations of the lock actuator 24 to the minimum number required, further suppress power consumption, and further extend the life of the lock actuator 24.

Further, the control unit (control device 26) turns off the temporary failure flag (lock temporary failure flag F2) when it is determined by the operation check that the lock actuator 24 is normal. That is, in the case where it is determined that the lock actuator 24 is normal, no further work check is required. Therefore, in the case where it is determined that the lock actuator 24 is normal, the vehicle charging device 10 does not perform further operation check by returning the temporary failure flag to off. As a result, the vehicle charging device 10 can limit the number of operations of the lock actuator 24 to the minimum number required, further suppress power consumption, and further extend the life of the lock actuator 24.

Further, at the time of connection of the power-supply-side connector 32, the control unit (control device 26) transmits an operation command to move the locking member (locking pin 50) to the locking position P1 to the lock actuator 24, turns on the temporary normal flag (locking temporary normal flag F1) when the operation of the lock actuator 24 is normal, and determines that the function of moving the locking member to the locking position P1 is normal and returns the temporary normal flag to off when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed and the temporary normal flag is on. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 does not immediately determine to be normal at the time of charging, but establishes the temporary lock normal flag and determines to be normal at the time of traveling, thereby enabling the failure to coincide with the determination timing of being normal.

The control unit (control device 26) turns on the normal determination flag (lock normal determination flag F3) in response to the determination of the normality of the lock actuator 24, turns on the failure determination flag (lock failure determination flag F4) in response to the determination of the failure of the lock actuator 24, and does not perform the operation check when the normal determination flag or the failure determination flag is on. That is, since the normal or failed state of the lock actuator 24 is not changed until the vehicle 12 performs the drive stop operation, once the result of the operation check is determined, the result may be regarded as not changed even if the operation check is executed again. That is, the vehicle charging device 10 can suppress the consumption of electric power and can extend the life of the lock actuator 24 by not executing the operation check after the failure determination flag or the normal determination flag is set to on.

When the normal determination flag (locked normal determination flag F3) or the failure determination flag (locked failure determination flag F4) is on and the drive stop operation of the vehicle 12 is performed, the control unit (control device 26) turns off the on normal determination flag or failure determination flag. During the period from the stop of the driving until the start of the driving, the lock actuator 24 may be changed in some way. Therefore, by turning off the failure determination flag or the normal determination flag when the drive stop operation is performed, the vehicle charging device 10 can perform the operation check after the drive start operation to confirm the normality or failure of the lock actuator 24.

The power source side connector 32 has a stopper pin 48 that engages with the charging port 22, and when the charging port 22 is connected, the locking member (lock pin 50) blocks the release of the engagement of the stopper pin 48 in accordance with the movement to the locking position P1. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can firmly prevent the power source side connector 32 from coming off the charging port 22 by the locking member. In addition, the vehicle charging device 10 can favorably discriminate between a failure when the stopper pin 48, the deformation of the power supply-side connector 32 itself, foreign matter adheres to the power supply-side connector 32, and the like, and a failure of the lock actuator 24.

The power source-side connector 32 has a hole 47 into which a locking member (locking pin 50) can enter, and when the charging port 22 is connected, the locking member enters the hole 47 with the movement to the locking position P1, thereby fixing the power source-side connector 32. Even in this case, the vehicle charging device 10 can firmly prevent the power source side connector 32 from coming off the charging port 22 by the locking member. In addition, the vehicle charging device 10 can favorably discriminate between a deformation of the power supply-side connector 32, a connection failure of the power supply-side connector 32 when foreign matter adheres to the power supply-side connector 32, and the like, and a failure of the lock actuator 24.

The vehicle 12 has a charging port 22 and a motor 16 for running on the lower side of a front hood 20. Accordingly, the vehicle charging device 10 can cancel the sound of the operation check of the lock actuator 24 during traveling by the sound of the motor 16, and thus the sound is less likely to be heard by the user in the vehicle cabin.