KR101728275B1 - A charger for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a portable charger for a vehicle, comprising: a plurality of LEDs displaying a current amount; a signal output part outputting a pulse corresponding to an input of a current setting button; and an operation control part sequentially lighting the plurality of LEDs so that the current amount corresponding to the number of inputs of the pulse is displayed. The operation control part performs self-diagnosis whether or not an internal error occurs if a pulse holding time exceeds a predetermined reference time when the pulse is inputted, and controls error information to be displayed in at least one of a color pattern among the plurality of LEDs when the internal error occurs.

Description

A charger for electric vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable charger for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a portable charger for a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a portable charger for a vehicle, To a portable charger that is easy to display.

An electric vehicle is an automobile which is operated by electricity, and can be roughly divided into a battery-powered electric vehicle and a hybrid electric vehicle.

Here, a pure electric vehicle is driven by only electricity and is generally called an electric vehicle. And hybrid electric vehicles are meant to run on electricity and fossil fuels. Such an electric vehicle is provided with a battery for supplying electricity for running. Particularly, in the case of a plug-in type hybrid electric vehicle of a pure electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, the battery is charged by a current supplied from an external power source to drive the electric motor.

In general, a portable charger for a vehicle may include a charger body, a first connector connected to the charger body and connected to a commercial power source, and a second connector connected to the charger body and connected to the electric vehicle.

At this time, the charger main body may be provided with a current setting button for setting the amount of current and a plurality of LEDs for indicating the amount of current.

In recent years, studies are underway to enable a user to easily check whether an internal error has occurred in a portable charger for a vehicle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a portable charger for a vehicle which can easily display error information when an error occurs by performing a self diagnosis for confirming an internal error by using a plurality of LEDs for displaying the amount of current before and after charging the vehicle battery .

A portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a plurality of LEDs for displaying a current amount, a signal output unit for outputting a pulse corresponding to an input of a current setting button, and a plurality of LEDs And the operation control unit automatically diagnoses whether an internal error has occurred when the holding time of the pulse exceeds a set reference time at the time of the pulse input, And may be displayed in a color pattern of at least one of the plurality of LEDs.

The first LED among the plurality of LEDs displays the current amount from the lowest current amount to the maximum current amount, and the last LED among the plurality of LEDs can display only the maximum amount of current.

The remaining LEDs between the first LED and the last LED among the plurality of LEDs can sequentially display the amount of current when the amount of current is within a range where the amount of current is larger than the minimum amount of current and less than the maximum amount of current.

The plurality of LEDs may emit at least two lights among green light, blue light, and red light.

The signal output unit may output the pulse having the number and the holding time corresponding to the number of inputs and the input duration of the current setting button.

Wherein the operation control unit comprises: an LED driver for supplying driving power to the plurality of LEDs so that the amount of current is displayed; a pulse checking unit for checking the number and the holding time of the pulses; And a controller for controlling the LED driver to display the error information corresponding to the error when the internal error occurs.

The LED driver may supply the driving power to at least one of the plurality of LEDs so that the amount of current and the error information are displayed under the control of the controller.

The pulse checking unit may include a number checking unit for counting the number of pulses when the pulse is input, a time checking unit for checking the holding time of the pulse, a time for determining whether the holding time of the pulse exceeds the reference time And a second signal corresponding to the number of pulses when the holding time of the pulse does not exceed the reference time, And a signal transmission unit for transmitting the signal to the control unit.

The controller may perform the self-diagnosis when the first signal is input to control the error information corresponding to the error to be displayed when the internal error occurs.

The controller may control the driving power to be supplied to a predetermined number of LEDs among the plurality of LEDs according to the amount of current when the second signal is input.

The portable charger according to the present invention may further include a display LED that indicates whether the internal error has occurred, and the operation control unit may display an error occurrence by turning on the display LED when the internal error occurs.

The operation control unit may further include a storage unit for storing the error information.

Wherein the operation control unit further includes a communication unit that communicates with at least one of an external device and a wired or wireless communication, and the communication unit, when receiving the information request signal from the external device, transmits an information response signal including the error information .

The portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention can automatically detect whether an internal error has occurred by performing a self diagnosis according to the input duration time when the current setting button is input, And the LEDs are displayed by a plurality of LEDs for displaying, there is an advantage that convenience and reliability of the product can be enhanced.

In addition, the portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention transmits an information response signal including stored error information when an information request signal for requesting error information is received from an external device in an after-sales service, By solving the error according to the information, there is an advantage that maintenance can be performed accurately and easily in the after-sales service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing the exterior of a portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention; FIG.
2 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of a portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention.
3 is an operation diagram showing a normal operation of the vehicle portable charger according to the present invention.
4 is an operation diagram illustrating an operation when an internal error occurs in the portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention.
5 is a flowchart showing an operation method of a portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention.

The following merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Thus, those skilled in the art will be able to devise various apparatuses which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included in the concept and scope of the invention. Furthermore, all of the conditional terms and embodiments listed herein are, in principle, only intended for the purpose of enabling understanding of the concepts of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limited to such specifically recited embodiments and conditions do.

It is also to be understood that the detailed description, as well as the principles, aspects and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific embodiments thereof, are intended to cover structural and functional equivalents thereof. It is also to be understood that such equivalents include all elements contemplated to perform the same function irrespective of the currently known equivalents as well as the equivalents to be developed in the future, i.e., the structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing the exterior of a portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention; FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, a portable charger for a vehicle may include first and second connectors 110 and 120 and a charger body 130.

In an embodiment, the portable charger is described as a cord set type charger, but is not limited thereto.

The first connector 110 may be connected to the charger main body 130 and may be connected to a commercial power source and the second connector 120 may be connected to the charger main body 130 and may be connected to an electric vehicle,

Here, the first and second connectors 110 and 130 may be composed of three lines, one of which is a positive power line for supplying positive characteristic power and the other line is a negative characteristic power supply And the other line may be a communication line or a ground line, but is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, although the first and second connectors 110 and 130 are described as three lines, they may be composed of two lines, a positive power line and a negative power line, but are not limited thereto.

The charger main body 130 includes first to fifth LEDs (led1 to led5), a display LED (w_led), a power LED (v_led), a charging LED (c_led) and a current setting button I_b can do.

In the embodiment, five first to fifth LEDs (led1 to led5) are shown and described outside the charger main body 130, but the number of LEDs is not limited.

For example, when 16A is the maximum amount of current, the first LED led1 indicates 6A, the second LED led2 indicates 8A, the third LED led3 indicates 10A, (led4) indicates 12A, and the fifth LED (led5) can indicate 16A.

In this case, when the current amount is 8A, the first and second LEDs (led1 and led2) can be all lit up and displayed. If the current amount is 16A, the first to fifth LEDs (led1 to led5) .

That is, the first to fifth LEDs (led1 to led5) have only the first LED led1 when the amount of current is 6A, which is the minimum amount of current, and the second to fourth LEDs led2 to led4, If it is smaller than the maximum current amount, it can be turned on and displayed according to the sequentially set current amount.

Also, the first to fifth LEDs (led1 to led5) may emit light of at least two of green light, blue light, and red light, but are not limited thereto.

The display LED w_led is provided inside the charger main body 110 and can indicate whether an internal error has occurred according to control of a drive circuit or an module that performs an operation function of the charger.

That is, when the display LED w_led is lit, the user can visually confirm that an internal error has occurred in the portable charger.

In the embodiment, the display LED w_led is turned on to indicate whether an internal error has occurred, but a buzzer or a buzzer may be generated at the same time, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The power LED v_led may be turned on to notify that the commercial power is supplied through the first connector 110, or to inform that the portable charger is operating.

The charging LED c_led may be turned on through the second connector 120 to indicate that charging of the electric vehicle is performed with the amount of current indicated by at least one of the first through fifth LEDs led1 through led5.

The current setting button I_b may be input by the user to set the amount of current, or may be self-diagnosed to confirm the occurrence of an internal error.

At this time, the current setting button I_b may be a push type button, and other types of buttons may be used, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

2 is a control block diagram showing a control configuration of a portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the first to fifth LEDs (led1 to led5), the display LED (w_led), the power LED (v_led), the charge LED (c_led) It is possible to indicate a control configuration for performing an operation on the button I_b and performing various functions.

Referring to FIG. 2, the portable charger for a vehicle may include a signal output unit 210 and an operation control unit 240.

The signal output unit 210 may output a pulse corresponding to the input of the current setting button I_b to the operation control unit 240. [

That is, when the current setting button I_b is input, the signal output unit 210 internally switches to generate a high-level pulse.

Here, the pulse may have a number and a holding time corresponding to the number of inputs and the input duration of the current setting button I_b.

The operation control unit 240 may include an LED driving unit 260, a pulse verification unit 270, a storage unit 280, a communication unit 290, and a control unit 300.

The LED driving unit 260 may supply the driving power source lv to at least one of the first to fifth LEDs led1 to led5, the display LED w_led, the power LED v_led and the charging LED c_led.

The LED driving unit 260 supplies the driving power lv to at least one of the first through fifth LEDs led1 through led5 under the control of the controller 280 to control the current amount corresponding to the input of the current setting button I_b Error information corresponding to the error can be displayed when an internal error is generated by the self-diagnosis.

At this time, the LED driver 260 may be an LED driver, but is not limited thereto.

The pulse verification unit 270 may include a number verification unit 310, a time verification unit 320, a time determination unit 330, and a signal transfer unit 340.

The number checking unit 310 may cumulatively count the number of pulses input from the signal output unit 210. [

At this time, when the cumulative count according to the number of pulses becomes larger than the set cumulative count, the number verifying unit 310 can reset and accumulate the count again.

The time checking unit 320 can confirm the holding time of the pulse.

That is, the time verifying unit 320 checks the retention time of the pulse to check whether the current setting button I_b operates in accordance with the input duration of the current setting button I_b or whether to set the current amount.

The time determiner 330 may determine whether the retention time of the pulse checked by the time verifier 320 exceeds a reference time set for performing the self-diagnosis.

At this time, the time determiner 330 may transmit a determination signal s0 to the signal transmitter 240 as to whether the pulse retention time exceeds the reference time.

The signal transfer unit 340 transfers the first signal s1 to the controller 300 to perform the self-diagnosis when the pulse hold time exceeds the reference time according to the determination signal s0, If the retention time of the pulse does not exceed the reference time, the second signal s2 corresponding to the number of pulses may be transmitted to the controller 300.

The controller 300 performs the self-diagnosis when the first signal s1 is input, and when the internal error occurs, the error information corresponding to the error is displayed on at least one of the first through fifth LEDs led1 through led5 Can be controlled.

The controller 300 may control the driving power to be supplied to a predetermined number of the first to fifth LEDs led1 to led5 according to the amount of the current when the second signal s2 is input.

At this time, the control unit 300 may control the error information to be stored in the storage unit 280. FIG.

The storage unit 280 may transmit the accumulated error information to the controller 300 under the control of the controller 300, but is not limited thereto.

The communication unit 290 can receive the information request signal sf requesting the error information from the external device 370, that is, the monitoring device which confirms to receive the after-sales service, through the wireless communication.

Upon receiving the information request signal sf1, the communication unit 290 transmits the information request signal sf1 to the control unit 300 and transmits the information response signal sr including the error information stored in the storage unit 280 to the control unit 300 Can be transmitted to the external device 370.

After receiving the error resolution information sf_e for resolving the error from the external device 370, the communication unit 290 can transmit the error resolution information sf_e to the control unit 300. [

At this time, the control unit 300 can resolve the error when the error resolution information sf_e is transmitted.

In the embodiment, the controller 300 operates in accordance with the error resolution information sf_e to solve the error, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

Also, the internal error in the embodiment may be an algorithm, and may be various components existing within the portable charger, but is not limited thereto.

FIG. 3 is an operation diagram showing a normal operation of the vehicle portable charger according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an operation diagram showing an operation when an internal error occurs in the vehicle portable charger according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the portable charger for a vehicle includes first to fourth LEDs (led1 to led4) among the first to fifth LEDs (led1 to led5) by the number of times the user presses the current setting button I_b, Can be turned on to display the amount of current.

As shown in FIG. 3, the portable charger for a vehicle illuminates the first to fourth LEDs (led1 to led4), and can turn on the power LED (v_led) and the charged LED (c_led).

At this time, at least one of the power LED (v_led) and the charging LED (c_led) may be selectively turned on by the operation control unit 240, but is not limited thereto.

FIG. 4 illustrates that the self-diagnosis is performed during normal operation of the portable charger for a vehicle as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, the portable charger for a vehicle, when the user inputs the current setting button I_b, if the pulse holding time exceeds the set reference time, the first through fourth LEDs led1 through LED4 shown in FIG. led4) can be turned off.

After that, the portable charger for the vehicle can perform self-diagnosis to check whether an internal error has occurred.

The portable charger for a vehicle illuminates the display LED w_led so as to notify the occurrence of an internal error when an internal error is generated as a result of the self-diagnosis, and the error information corresponding to the error is at least one of the first to fifth LEDs It can be displayed as one.

At this time, the car portable charger can display the error information by combining at least one color pattern of the first to fifth LEDs (led1 to led5), but is not limited thereto.

For example, assuming that the first to third LEDs (led1) emit green light and the fourth and fifth LEDs (led4, led5) emit red light, The LEDs (led1, led3) and the fifth LED (led5) can be turned on.

At this time, the user can confirm that an error has occurred due to the lighting of the display LED (w_led), the contents of the error can be confirmed by turning on the first and third LEDs (led1, led3) and the fifth LED (led5) It can be confirmed that an error has occurred by turning on the indication LED (w_led).

5 is a flowchart showing an operation method of a portable charger for a vehicle according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the operation control unit 240 of the portable charger of the vehicle confirms the holding time of the pulse when the pulse corresponding to the input of the current setting button I_b is input (S410).

The operation control unit 240 determines whether the retention time of the pulse exceeds a preset reference time (S420).

The operation control unit 240 performs a self diagnosis to determine whether an internal error has occurred when the retention time of the pulse exceeds the reference time at step S430. When the internal error occurs, to the LED 5 (S430).

Thereafter, the operation control unit 240 may turn on the display LED w_led indicating the occurrence of the error (S440).

The operation control unit 240 transmits the information response signal sr including the error information to the external device 370 when the information request signal sf requesting the error information transmitted from the external device 370 is received (S450).

After receiving the error resolution information sf_e for resolving the error transmitted from the external device 370, the operation control unit 240 may resolve the error (S460).

The operation control unit 240 counts the number of the pulses if the retention time of the pulse does not exceed the reference time at step S470, To the fifth LED (led1 to led5) (S480).

In operation S490, the operation control unit 240 may control the first through fifth LEDs (led1 through led5) to display a set amount of current in the absence of the internal error (S490).

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims (13)

A plurality of LEDs for displaying an amount of current;
A signal output unit for outputting a pulse corresponding to an input of the current setting button; And
And an operation control unit for sequentially lighting the plurality of LEDs so that the amount of current corresponding to the number of pulses input is displayed,
The operation control unit,
A communication unit for communicating with at least one of an external device and a wired or wireless communication;
An LED driver for supplying driving power to the plurality of LEDs so that the amount of current is displayed;
A pulse checking unit for checking the number of pulses and the holding time; And
And a controller for performing a self-diagnosis when the retention time of the pulse exceeds a reference time and controlling the LED driver to display error information corresponding to an error when an internal error occurs,
Wherein,
Receiving an information request signal from the external device, transmitting an information response signal including the error information, receiving error resolution information corresponding to the information response signal from the external device, and transmitting the error resolution information to the control unit,
Wherein,
And corrects the error corresponding to the error information according to the error resolution information. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first one of the plurality of LEDs comprises:
The current amount is displayed from the lowest current amount to the maximum current amount,
Wherein the last one of the plurality of LEDs comprises:
And displays only the maximum amount of current. The method according to claim 1,
The remaining LEDs between the first LED and the last LED of the plurality of LEDs,
And the current amount is sequentially displayed if the current amount is in a range larger than the minimum current amount and less than the maximum current amount. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of LEDs comprises:
Green light, blue light, and red light. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the signal output section comprises:
And outputs the pulse having the number and the holding time corresponding to the number of inputs and the input duration of the current setting button. delete The method according to claim 1,
The LED driving unit includes:
And supplies the driving power to at least one of the plurality of LEDs so that the amount of current and the error information are displayed under the control of the control unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the pulse verification unit comprises:
A number verifying unit for accumulating and counting the number of pulses when the pulse is inputted;
A time checking unit for checking a holding time of the pulse;
A time determining unit for determining whether the holding time of the pulse exceeds the reference time; And
And transmits a second signal corresponding to the number of pulses to the control unit when the holding time of the pulse exceeds the reference time and transfers the first signal to the control unit if the holding time of the pulse does not exceed the reference time, And a signal transmission unit for transmitting the signal to the portable charger. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein,
And performs the self-diagnosis when the first signal is input to control the error information corresponding to the error to be displayed upon occurrence of the internal error. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein,
And controls the driving power to be supplied to a predetermined number of LEDs of the plurality of LEDs according to the amount of current when the second signal is input. The method according to claim 1,
And a display LED for indicating whether the internal error has occurred,
The operation control unit,
And when the internal error occurs, the display LED is lit to indicate occurrence of an error. The method according to claim 1,
The operation control unit,
And a storage unit for storing the error information. delete

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