# US 10,479,209 B2 · Relay device including a restriction unit

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- Number: US 10,479,209 B2
- Document ID: US10479209B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/750,114
- Filed: 2016-07-28
- Published: 2018-08-23
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-08-05
- Assignees: AutoNetwork Technologies, Ltd.; Sumitomo Wiring Systensm Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd.; Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Yasuhiro Yabuuchi; Nobuyuki Nakagawa; Ryuichi Kamaga
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479209B2

## CPC

- B60L 3/0069: {relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current}
- B60L 3/04: Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H)
- B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer
- B60L 53/18: Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
- B60L 53/60: Monitoring or controlling charging stations
- B60L 53/62: in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
- H01M 10/44: Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00)
- H02J 7/00: Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
- H02J 7/04: Regulation of charging current or voltage
- H02J 7/663: {using battery or load disconnect circuits (H02J9/002 takes precedence)}
- H02J 7/90: Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
- H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- H02J 7/42: with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones
- H02J 7/47: Arrangements for checking compatibility or authentication between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
- H02J 7/62: against overcurrent
- H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV]
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations
- Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles
- Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A relay device provided in vehicle having a battery, converting control signal formats, and relaying same between: a first communications unit that sends and receives control signals in a first format relating to charging; and second communications unit that supplies DC voltage, is provided in a charging station that charges battery, and sends and receives control signals in a second format relating to charging. The relay device includes: a limiting unit that limits power supplied between charging station and battery, regardless of vehicle side control performed on control signals' basis; an acquisition unit that obtains DC voltage supplied by charging station and obtains the battery's voltage; a determination unit that determines whether the voltage difference between each obtained voltage is less than threshold value; and a release unit that releases the limits by limiting unit if a determination has been made that the voltage difference is less than threshold value.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A relay device converting a control signal related to charging from one format to another and relaying a converted control signal between a first communication unit that is provided on a vehicle having a battery and that sends and receives a control signal related to charging in a first format and a second communication unit that is provided on a charging station for supplying DC power to charge the battery and that sends and receives a control signal related to charging in a second format, comprising:
a restriction unit that restricts energization between the charging station and the battery regardless of control performed by the vehicle based on the control signal;
an acquisition unit that acquires a voltage value of the DC power supplied from the charging station and a voltage value of the battery;
a determination unit that determines whether or not a voltage difference between the voltage values acquired by the acquisition unit is less than a threshold; and
a release unit that releases restriction by the restriction unit if the determination unit determines that the voltage difference is less than the threshold, wherein
the vehicle is provided with a DC cutoff relay that cuts off DC power supplied from the charging station to the battery and a signal line that transmits a signal for opening or closing the DC cutoff relay,
the relay device comprises a signal cutoff relay that cuts off the signal, and
the restriction unit restricts the energization by changing a state of the signal cutoff relay to an interrupted state, and the release unit releases the restriction by changing a state of the signal cutoff relay to an energized state.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The relay device according to claim 1, further comprising a sending unit that sends, to the charging station, information for changing voltage of the DC power to be supplied from the charging station if the determination unit determines that the voltage difference is equal to or larger than the threshold.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The relay device according to claim 1, wherein
the vehicle is provided with a first DC cutoff relay that cuts off DC power supplied from the charging station to the battery,
the relay device further comprises a second DC cutoff relay that cuts off DC power supplied from the charging station to the battery regardless of control performed by the vehicle based on the control signal, and
the restriction unit restricts the energization by changing a state of the second DC cutoff relay to a cutoff state, and the release unit releases the restriction by changing a state of the DC cutoff relay to an energized state.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The relay device according to claim 1, further comprising a lock unit that locks a connector connecting the charging station with the vehicle.