Charge control apparatus, movable body, and charge control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016325633-A1
Application number	US-201615135721-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 22, 2016
Priority date	May 7, 2015
Publication date	Nov 10, 2016
Grant date	—

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 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, wherein the predetermined setting range is from a voltage corresponding to a remaining capacity associated with the first maximum value to a full charge voltage.

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 remaining capacity associated with the first maximum value.

5 . The charge control apparatus according to claim 1 , 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.

6 . 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 .

7 . 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 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, the charge control method comprising:
setting a charge termination voltage of the battery in a range between a voltage corresponding to a remaining capacity 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.

Assignees

• Yoshida Masaaki
• Yanagita Hideo
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshida Masaaki
• Yanagita Hideo

Classifications

• B60W50/082

  Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling · 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

• B60W2540/215

  Selection or confirmation of options · CPC title

• Y10S903/903

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

• B60L58/12

  responding to state of charge [SoC] · CPC title