Electrically operated vehicle having charging cable

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an electrically operated vehicle having an electrical charging cable, by which a vehicle-side accumulator is chargeable by a vehicle-external power supply network in a charging procedure, wherein the charging cable can be unplugged from a vehicle-side terminal at least after completion of the charging procedure, in particular independently and without locking. According to the disclosure, the vehicle and/or the charging cable has a check function, which enables a charging cable usage if a usage authorization is present and blocks the charging cable usage if a usage authorization is not present.

Claims

1. An electrically operated vehicle comprising: an electrical charging cable, by which a vehicle-side accumulator is chargeable by a vehicle-external power supply network in a charging procedure, wherein the charging cable is automatically unlocked at a vehicle-side terminal after completion of the charging procedure so as to allow the charging cable to be unplugged from the vehicle-side terminal, wherein the vehicle and/or the charging cable has a check function, which enables a charging cable usage if a usage authorization is present and blocks the charging cable usage if a usage authorization is not present; and wherein a counter unit is associated with the check function, which, if an invalid ID code (ID.sub.L) is detected and/or if a non-authorization is present, increments a numeric value by 1 until reaching a maximum value, and wherein the check function enables the charging cable usage at a numeric value less than the maximum value, and does so in spite of the presence of a non-authorization, and wherein the check function only blocks the charging cable usage upon reaching the maximum value.

2. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the check function has an identification unit and an enabling unit, wherein a charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) is compared in the identification unit to at least one vehicle-side ID code (ID.sub.F), and wherein, on the basis of this comparison, the identification unit generates an authorization signal (B) or a non-authorization signal (NB), which is applied to the signal input of the enabling unit, and wherein the enabling unit enables the charging cable usage if the authorization signal (B) is present and blocks the charging cable usage if the non-authorization signal (NB) is present.

3. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the charging cable has a charging cable control unit or E-box, and wherein the charging cable control unit has a signal connection to the vehicle-side check function, in particular a power line communication, wherein the charging cable is plugged into the vehicle-side terminal, to implement different charging functions during the charging procedure.

4. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) is stored in the charging cable control unit of the charging cable and is transmittable via the signal connection to the vehicle-side check function, and/or wherein the check function enables the charging cable usage if a valid charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) is present, or blocks the charging cable usage if at least one invalid charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) is present.

5. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein a list having a plurality of vehicle-side or charging-cable-side ID codes (ID.sub.F) is stored in the check function, which are compared during the check for authorization to the charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) and wherein enabling of the charging cable usage is performed in particular upon correspondence of the charging-cable-side ID code (IDL) with one of the vehicle-side ID codes (ID.sub.F).

6. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein a counter unit is associated with the check function, which, if an invalid ID code (ID.sub.L) is detected and/or if a non-authorization is present, increments a numeric value by 1 until reaching a maximum value, and wherein the check function enables the charging cable usage at a numeric value less than the maximum value, and does so in spite of the presence of a non-authorization, and wherein the check function only blocks the charging cable usage upon reaching the maximum value.

7. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein a list having a plurality of vehicle-side or charging-cable-side ID codes (ID.sub.F) is stored in the check function, which are compared during the check for authorization to the charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) and wherein enabling of the charging cable usage is performed in particular upon correspondence of the charging-cable-side ID code (IDL) with one of the vehicle-side ID codes (ID.sub.F).

8. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein a counter unit is associated with the check function, which, if an invalid ID code (ID.sub.L) is detected and/or if a non-authorization is present, increments a numeric value by 1 until reaching a maximum value, and wherein the check function enables the charging cable usage at a numeric value less than the maximum value, and does so in spite of the presence of a non-authorization, and wherein the check function only blocks the charging cable usage upon reaching the maximum value.

9. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein a list having a plurality of vehicle-side or charging-cable-side ID codes (ID.sub.F) is stored in the check function, which are compared during the check for authorization to the charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) and wherein enabling of the charging cable usage is performed in particular upon correspondence of the charging-cable-side ID code (IDL) with one of the vehicle-side ID codes (ID.sub.F).

10. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the list of ID codes (ID.sub.F1 to ID.sub.F4) stored in the check function can be updated, for example, by an online module installed in the vehicle or by using the online access of a mobile telephone.

11. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein a counter unit is associated with the check function, which, if an invalid ID code (ID.sub.L) is detected and/or if a non-authorization is present, increments a numeric value by 1 until reaching a maximum value, and wherein the check function enables the charging cable usage at a numeric value less than the maximum value, and does so in spite of the presence of a non-authorization, and wherein the check function only blocks the charging cable usage upon reaching the maximum value.

12. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging cable usage comprises charging the vehicle via the charging cable, and wherein the check function checks an association between the charging cable and the vehicle and/or between the charging cable and an owner of the vehicle.

13. An electrically operated vehicle comprising: an electrical charging cable, by which a vehicle-side accumulator is chargeable by a vehicle-external power supply network in a charging procedure, wherein the charging cable is automatically unlocked at a vehicle-side terminal after completion of the charging procedure so as to allow the charging cable to be unplugged from the vehicle-side terminal, wherein the vehicle and/or the charging cable has a check function, which enables a charging cable usage if a usage authorization is present and blocks the charging cable usage if a usage authorization is not present; and wherein the check function has an identification unit and an enabling unit, wherein a charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) is compared in the identification unit to at least one vehicle-side ID code (ID.sub.F), and wherein, on the basis of this comparison, the identification unit generates an authorization signal (B) or a non-authorization signal (NB), which is applied to the signal input of the enabling unit, and wherein the enabling unit enables the charging cable usage if the authorization signal (B) is present and blocks the charging cable usage if the non-authorization signal (NB) is present.

14. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the charging cable has a charging cable control unit or E-box, and wherein the charging cable control unit has a signal connection to the vehicle-side check function, in particular a power line communication, wherein the charging cable is plugged into the vehicle-side terminal, to implement different charging functions during the charging procedure.

15. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 14, wherein the charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) is stored in the charging cable control unit of the charging cable and is transmittable via the signal connection to the vehicle-side check function, and/or wherein the check function enables the charging cable usage if a valid charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) is present, or blocks the charging cable usage if at least one invalid charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) is present.

16. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein a list having a plurality of vehicle-side or charging-cable-side ID codes (ID.sub.F) is stored in the check function, which are compared during the check for authorization to the charging-cable-side ID code (ID.sub.L) and wherein enabling of the charging cable usage is performed in particular upon correspondence of the charging-cable-side ID code (IDL) with one of the vehicle-side ID codes (ID.sub.F).

17. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 16, wherein the list of ID codes (ID.sub.F1 to ID.sub.F4) stored in the check function can be updated, for example, by an online module installed in the vehicle or by using the online access of a mobile telephone.

18. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein a counter unit is associated with the check function, which, if an invalid ID code (ID.sub.L) is detected and/or if a non-authorization is present, increments a numeric value by 1 until reaching a maximum value, and wherein the check function enables the charging cable usage at a numeric value less than the maximum value, and does so in spite of the presence of a non-authorization, and wherein the check function only blocks the charging cable usage upon reaching the maximum value.

19. The electrically operated vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the charging cable usage comprises charging the vehicle via the charging cable, and wherein the check function checks an association between the charging cable and the vehicle and/or between the charging cable and an owner of the vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described hereafter on the basis of the appended figures.

(2) In the figures:

(3) FIG. 1 shows a very schematic illustration of an electrically operated vehicle, the accumulator of which is connected via an electrical charging cable to a charging station, and

(4) FIG. 2 shows, in a block diagram, a check function component associated with a vehicle-side charging control unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIGS. 1 and 2 are only illustrated very schematically to the extent necessary to comprehend the invention. Thus, an electrically operated vehicle having an accumulator 1, which supplies an electric drive of the vehicle with electrical energy, is shown in FIG. 1. An accumulator control unit 3 and a vehicle-side charging socket 5 are associated with the accumulator 1.

(6) A charging procedure is indicated in FIG. 1, in which a charging cable 7 is plugged both into the vehicle-side charging socket 5 and also into a vehicle-external charging station 9, by means of which the accumulator 1 is chargeable. During the charging procedure, the charging cable 7 is secured against being pulled out via a locking unit (not shown) in the vehicle-side charging socket 5. After completion of the charging procedure, in contrast, the charging cable 7 is automatically unlocked, so that the charging cable 7 can be pulled out of the vehicle-side charging socket 5 in a simple manner (without additional driver-side actuation of a locking element).

(7) In FIG. 1, the charging cable 7 has a charging cable control unit 11, which is, during the charging procedure, for example, in a power line communication 12 (FIG. 2) with the accumulator control unit 3 to implement different charging functions during the charging procedure (for example, ULK-High, ULK-Basic). According to the invention, a charging-cable-side identification code ID.sub.L is additionally stored in the charging cable control unit 11. On the basis of the charging-cable-side identification code ID.sub.L, it is checked in a check function module 13 of the accumulator control unit 3 indicated in FIG. 2 whether an authorization is present to use the charging cable 7 or not.

(8) As shown in FIG. 2, the check function module 13 has an identification unit 15, an enabling unit 17, and a counter unit 19. The identification unit 15 has a signal connection 12 (i.e., power line communication) on the input side to the charging cable control unit 11. The charging-cable-side identification code ID.sub.L is transmitted to the identification unit 15 via the signal connection 12. The charging-cable-side identification code ID.sub.L is compared therein to a list, consisting of a plurality of vehicle-side identification codes ID.sub.F1 to ID.sub.F4, which are stored in the check function module 13. If the charging-cable-side identification code ID.sub.L corresponds to one of these vehicle-side identification codes ID.sub.F1 to ID.sub.F4, the identification unit 15 generates an authorization signal B. Otherwise, the identification unit 15 generates a non-authorization signal NB. The respective signal B, NB is applied to the signal input of the enabling unit 17. This unit generates an enabling signal F if a valid charging-cable-side identification code ID.sub.L has been recognized in the identification unit 15 (i.e., if an authorization signal B has been generated). Otherwise, the enabling unit 17 generates a blocking signal S, using which the charging cable usage is blocked. The blocking signal S or the enabling signal F, respectively, is applied to the signal input of the accumulator control unit 3.

(9) In one refinement of the above invention, the counter unit 19 can additionally be associated with the check function module 13. This counter unit increments a numeric value by one upon detecting an invalid charging-cable-side identification code ID.sub.L, and does so until reaching a maximum value. As long as the numeric value is less than the maximum value, the enabling unit 17—in spite of the presence of an invalid charging-cable-side identification code ID.sub.L—generates an enabling signal F, using which the charging cable usage is enabled. The enabling unit 17 only generates a blocking signal S, to suppress the charging cable usage, upon reaching the maximum value.