Charge control apparatus, movable body, and charge control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10046652-B2
Application number	US-201615135721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2016
Priority date	May 7, 2015
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A charge control apparatus includes a battery having a first maximum value, a minimum value, and a second maximum value of an output density, in an output characteristic indicating a relationship between a remaining capacity and the output density of the battery, the minimum value being on a lower remaining capacity side than the first maximum value and the second maximum value being on a lower remaining capacity side than the minimum value; and a charge control unit configured to stop charging the battery when a voltage of the battery reaches a charge termination voltage set in a predetermined setting range. The predetermined setting range is from a voltage corresponding to a remaining capacity associated with the first maximum value to a full charge voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charge control apparatus comprising:
a battery having a first maximum value, a minimum value, and a second maximum value of an output density, in an output characteristic indicating a relationship between state of charge and the output density of the battery, the minimum value corresponding to a first state of charge that is lower than a second state of charge corresponding to the first maximum value, and the second maximum value corresponding to a third state of charge that is lower than the first state of charge to which the minimum value corresponds; wherein each state of charge expresses a ratio of an amount of charged electricity to a rated electricity amount of the battery; and
a charge control unit configured to stop charging the battery when a voltage of the battery reaches a charge termination voltage set in a predetermined setting range, wherein
the predetermined setting range is from a voltage corresponding to the second state of charge associated with the first maximum value to a full charge voltage;
wherein a material of an electrode of the battery includes a lithium vanadium phosphate having Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 as a basic skeleton or an analogous compound formed by modifying part of a structure of the lithium vanadium phosphate.

2. The charge control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the charge control unit includes a first charging mode and a second charging mode, and
the charge termination voltage in the second charging mode is less than or equal to the charge termination voltage in the first charging mode.

3. The charge control apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the battery;
a temperature acquiring unit configured to acquire the temperature;
an accepting unit configured to accept a selection of the first charging mode or the second charging mode;
a storage unit configured to store a first voltage setting table in which a temperature referred to in the first charging mode is associated with the charge termination voltage, and a second voltage setting table in which a temperature referred to in the second charging mode is associated with the charge termination voltage; and
a charge termination voltage setting unit configured to refer to the first voltage setting table or the second voltage setting table corresponding to a selected one of the first charging mode or the second charging mode, and to set the charge termination voltage associated with the temperature acquired by the temperature acquiring unit.

4. The charge control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the charge termination voltage associated with the highest temperature in the second voltage setting table, is the voltage corresponding to the second state of charge associated with the first maximum value.

5. A movable body comprising:
the battery;
a motor configured to operate by power supplied from the battery;
an internal combustion; and
the charge control apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. A charge control method of a battery having a first maximum value, a minimum value, and a second maximum value of an output density, in an output characteristic indicating a relationship between state of charge and the output density of the battery, the minimum value corresponding to a first state of charge that is lower than a second state of charge corresponding to the first maximum value, and the second maximum value corresponding to a third state of charge that is lower than the first state of charge to which the minimum value corresponds, wherein each state of charge expresses a ratio of an amount of charged electricity to a rated electricity amount of the battery the charge control method comprising:
setting a charge termination voltage of the battery in a range between a voltage corresponding to the second state of charge associated with the first maximum value and a full charge voltage; and
stopping charging the battery when a voltage of the battery reaches the charge termination voltage;
wherein a material of an electrode of the battery includes a lithium vanadium phosphate having Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 as a basic skeleton or an analogous compound formed by modifying part of a structure of the lithium vanadium phosphate.

Assignees

• Yoshida Masaaki
• Yanagita Hideo
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshida Masaaki
• Yanagita Hideo

Classifications

• B60L58/12

  responding to state of charge [SoC] · CPC title

• B60W2540/215

  Selection or confirmation of options · CPC title

• Y10S903/903

  having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor · CPC title

• B60W20/13 Primary

  in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion · CPC title

• B60W50/082

  Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling · CPC title