Patent ID: 11894715
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  Y | IPC H

Claim 11:
12. A charge control method that is executed by a control device that controls charging of a battery based on electric power generated by a solar panel that generates electric power with sunlight, the charge control method comprising:
executing a first mode that is an indirect charge mode in which a process of charging a chargeable and dischargeable first battery with the electric power generated by the solar panel and a process of indirectly charging a chargeable and dischargeable second battery with electric power stored in the first battery are repeatedly executed depending on a state of charge of the first battery;
executing a second mode that is a direct charge mode in which the second battery is directly charged with the electric power generated by the solar panel; and
changing a charge mode between the first mode and the second mode based on at least a magnitude of the electric power generated by the solar panel,
wherein the control device is configured to change the charge mode at timing different from timing at which the magnitude of the generated electric power varies across a first threshold such that the control device selects one charge mode having a higher efficiency of use of the generated electric power than efficiency of use of the generated electric power of another charge mode, when the magnitude of the electric power generated by the solar panel varies across the first threshold at which a relationship, that is whether or not the efficiency of use of the generated electric power in the first mode is higher than the efficiency of use of the generated electric power in the second mode, changes.