KR20150075745A - Charger and method for managementing a chagrge connector of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for managing a charging connector according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a step of performing a user authentication; a step of supplying charging power to a battery when a charging connector is connected to a charging socket of the battery according to the result of performing the user authentication; a step of stopping the supply of the charging power when an ending event for the charging action is detected; a step of detecting a setting state of the charging connector; and a step of ending the charging action when the detected setting state of the charging connector is a normal state. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method can prevent damage to the charging connector occurring according to poor setting of the charging connector in advance by informing a manager or a user of information about the setting state of the charging connector. The present invention also informs the user of the right directions of using the charger.

Description

CHARGER AND METHOD FOR MANAGEMENT A CHAGRAGE CONNECTOR OF THE SAME

The present invention relates to a charger, and more particularly, to a charger having an alarm function depending on whether a connector provided in a charger is stowed or not, and a connector management method thereof.

Electric vehicles are cars that use batteries and electric motors without petroleum fuels and engines. Electric vehicles were first produced in 1873, but they were not put to practical use due to technical limitations such as heavy weight of batteries and charging time.

On the other hand, electric vehicles were produced in small quantities from the United States until the mid-1920s with advantages such as simple structure, durability, and easy operation. In recent years, regulations on exhaust emissions from vehicles have been rising due to environmental pollution (pollution) problems in the United States and Europe, and oil prices are soaring that electric vehicles are attracting attention as next-generation vehicles. In other words, electric vehicles using pollution-free electric energy are able to fundamentally solve environmental problems such as harmful exhaust gas and noise of internal combustion engines that occupy about 70% of air pollution factors, The resource life can be extended more than twice.

Accordingly, various technologies related to electric vehicles have been developed since 1990. In other words, automobile manufacturers are developing a variety of technologies to improve the relatively low battery capacity, long charge time, short travel distance, and slow running speed, which are technical problems of electric vehicles.

Recently, in order to overcome the long charging time which is one of the problems of electric vehicles, an interface part for a charging infrastructure for charging electric vehicles has been developed. The interface component for the electric vehicle charging infrastructure includes a charging interface module and a charging stand that connect the vehicle to an external power system and supply electric energy to the vehicle using electric power as an electric power source. The charging stand is a device that corresponds to the existing lubrication equipment, and includes a power control device and a charge monitoring device for linking the electric automobile with the commercial AC power system.

1 is a view for explaining a charging system according to the prior art.

1, the charging system includes an electric vehicle 20 connected to a charger 10 and a charging cable 30 of the charger, and receives electric power supplied from the charger 10 to charge the battery .

The electric vehicle 20 receives power from the battery BATTERY and controls the electric motor by a motor controller represented by an inverter INVERTER to achieve an optimum efficiency and replaces the engine with an electric motor It is a completely eco-friendly automobile with no emissions of gas.

The charger 10 is connected to the electric vehicle 20 and supplies electric power to the battery of the electric vehicle 20 at the request of the electric vehicle 20.

The charger 10 senses that the electric vehicle 20 is connected to the charging cable and accordingly supplies electric power to the electric vehicle 20 through the charging cable in response to a charging request requested from the driver of the electric vehicle 20 .

The charger 10 selectively supplies AC power or DC power to the electric vehicle according to the type of the charging cable.

At this time, the charger 10 includes a slow charger for supplying the AC power and a rapid charger for supplying DC power.

The electric vehicle 20 is connected to a charger of either a slow charger or a rapid charger according to a desired charging type.

The charger 10 charges money by using the amount of electric power to be charged and time, and payment is made through the card reader.

The charging cable 30 receives information on the battery state or connection state of the electric vehicle through the signal cable, not the electric power cable, so that the charging condition for charging the battery of the electric vehicle is configured by the charging device.

When the battery is completely charged, the charger is configured to receive a charging connector connected to the charging cable on a base provided in the charger main body.

However, when the user disconnects the charging connector from the electric vehicle after the charging operation is completed, the charging terminal is configured such that charging is completed even if the charging connector is not placed on the charging stand.

Accordingly, there is a problem in that the charging connector may be left in a state where it is not mounted on the cradle, and there is no way to recognize the charging connector even if the charging connector is left in place, .

(Patent Document 1) KR 10-2009-0130273 A

(Patent Document 2) KR 10-2008-0029466 A

In the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a notification function depending on whether or not the charging connector is stowed so that the charging connector can be prevented from being left in a stowed state in advance.

It is to be understood that the technical objectives to be achieved by the embodiments are not limited to the technical matters mentioned above and that other technical subjects not mentioned are apparent to those skilled in the art to which the embodiments proposed from the following description belong, It can be understood.

A method of managing a charge connector according to an embodiment includes: performing user authentication; Supplying charging power to the battery when the charging connector is connected to the charging socket of the battery according to the user authentication result; Stopping the supply of the charging power when an ending event for the charging operation is sensed; Sensing a mounting state of the charging connector; And terminating the charging operation when the sensed state of the charging connector is in a normal state.

The method further includes a step of waiting for the completion of the charging operation when the detected state of the charging connector is in a bad state and outputting information requesting a normal mounting of the charging connector.

In addition, if the detected state of the charging connector is in a bad state, transmitting the user information according to the performed user authentication to the management server is further included.

The method may further include transmitting a message to the at least one of the manager of the charge connector and the user using the charge connector to inform the charge connector that the charge connector is in a poor state based on the user information transmitted to the management server.

The method further includes changing a state of the charging connector to a locked state when the sensed state of the charging connector is in a bad state, and in the locked state, charging of the battery using the charging connector is impossible.

The method may further include storing information of a user using the charge connector and history information of the charge connector with respect to the user, wherein the history information includes information on the state of the charge connector, The information is later reflected in the user authentication performance.

Meanwhile, a charger according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a charger main body; A charging connector connected to said charger body; A receptacle on which the charging connector is mounted; And a sensing sensor installed on the cradle, for sensing whether the charging connector is normally mounted.

In addition, an output unit for outputting information for requesting a normal mounting of the charging connector is formed in the charging main body, when the charging connector is detected as a poor charging state through the detection sensor.

In addition, the charger main body is further provided with a lock device for restricting use of the charger until the charging connector is normally mounted on the cradle.

In addition, the output unit is additionally provided with information indicating that the previous charging operation is not terminated until the charging connector is normally mounted on the cradle.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, not only the administrator and the user are informed of the state of the charging connector, but also it is possible not only to prevent the charging connector damage and the safety accident caused by the poor mounting of the charging connector , You can tell the user how to use the charger correctly.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, even if the charging of the battery is completed, the charging connector can not be completed when the charging connector is in the improperly mounted state, so that the user can know the proper use of the charger, Safety accidents can be prevented in advance.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the charging connector is in a poorly mounted state, the use of the charger is disabled so that the manager can efficiently manage the charger.

1 is a view for explaining a charging system according to the prior art.
2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a detailed configuration diagram of the charger of FIG.
4 is a view showing the external appearance of the charger 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
5 to 8 are flowcharts illustrating steps of a method for managing a charge connector in a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions in the embodiments of the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention of the user, the intention or the custom of the operator. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

Combinations of the steps of each block and flowchart in the accompanying drawings may be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be embedded in a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus so that the instructions, which may be executed by a processor of a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, Thereby creating means for performing the functions described in the step. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer usable or computer readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to implement the functionality in a particular manner so that the computer usable or computer readable memory It is also possible to produce manufacturing items that contain instruction means that perform the functions described in each block or flowchart illustration in each step of the drawings. Computer program instructions may also be stored on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment so that a series of operating steps may be performed on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer- It is also possible for the instructions to perform the processing equipment to provide steps for executing the functions described in each block and flowchart of the drawings.

Also, each block or each step may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing the specified logical function (s). It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions mentioned in the blocks or steps may occur out of order. For example, two blocks or steps shown in succession may in fact be performed substantially concurrently, or the blocks or steps may sometimes be performed in reverse order according to the corresponding function.

2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the charging system includes a charger 100, a management server 200, and an upper server 300.

The charger 100 supplies the charging power to the battery of the electric vehicle when charging is requested by the user as the electric vehicle enters.

The management server 200 manages the charger 100.

The charger 100 and the management server 200 periodically communicate with each other to exchange various information.

For example, the charger 100 may transmit to the management server 200 information about its current state (during charging, waiting for charging, or completion of charging).

Also, the charger 100 can transmit information on the user who has performed the charging to the management server 200. [

The management server 200 stores and manages the information provided from the charger 100 and may transmit a control signal to the charger 100 to control the operating state of the charger 100 accordingly.

For example, the management server 200 authenticates the user information provided from the charger 100, and if the authentication is normally performed, transmits a signal notifying the charger 100 of the start of charging On the contrary, if the authentication is performed abnormally, a signal for stopping the use of the charger 100 may be transmitted to the charger 100.

The management server 200 also communicates with the upper server 300 and receives various information for managing the charger 100.

For example, the management server 200 may receive detailed information on the user using the charger 100 from the upper server 300.

Accordingly, the upper server 300 may be a server that stores user detailed information.

This will be described in more detail below.

3 is a detailed configuration diagram of the charger of FIG.

3, the charger 100 includes a charging connector 110, a charging connector stationary state detecting unit 120, a charging connector locking unit 130, a network communication unit 140, a power calculating unit 150, A charging unit 160, a charging unit 170, and a control unit 180.

The charger 100 configured as described above is connected to an electric driving vehicle (for example, an electric vehicle), thereby supplying charging electric power to a battery provided in the electric driving vehicle.

More specifically, the charging connector 110 is connected to the main body of the charger 100 through a cable, thereby forming a power supply line between the main body of the charger 100 and the battery of the electric vehicle through the cable do.

The charging connector 110 is connected to the main body of the charger 100 through a cable to receive charging power from the main body of the charger 100 and the other end is inserted into a charging socket provided in the electric vehicle, And supplies a charging power to the battery provided in the electric vehicle.

The cable connected to the charging connector 110 may have a length that can be sufficiently extended to match the position of the electric vehicle and may be wound in a circular state again by pressing the button after use.

The user inserts the charge connector 110 provided in the charger 100 into a socket provided on a side portion or a front / rear portion of the electric vehicle, receives power from the charger 100, The battery can be charged.

The charging connector 110 may include a power supply pin for supplying charging electric power to the battery of the electric vehicle through the cable, and a power supply pin for communicating with the electric vehicle and storing battery information (for example, And the like.

The charging connector stationary state detecting unit 120 detects the stationary state of the charging connector 110.

The charging connector stationary state detecting unit 120 may be constituted by a sensing sensor and is preferably installed in a cradle (to be described later) provided in the charger 100. [

The charging connector stationary state detecting unit 120 may detect a stationary state depending on whether the charging connector 110 is stationary or not and transmit a detection signal for the detected stationary state to the control unit 180 .

The charging connector locking portion 130 is a locking device that locks the charging connector 110 to make the charging connector 110 unusable by the user or to unlock the charging connector 110 So that the charging connector 110 can be used by the user.

When the charging connector 110 is locked by the charging connector locking part 130, the user can not operate the charging device 100, so that the battery can not be charged in the locked state.

Meanwhile, a display window is formed on the body of the charger 100, and various operation information of the charger 100 can be provided to the user through the display window.

At this time, the various operation information may be provided through a display window as described above, or may be provided through a speaker.

The various operation information may include a charging line, an idle charging station, an expected charging time, a charging progress progress, a charging amount, customer information, and the like.

The network communication unit 140 performs data communication with the server in a network environment. Here, the server may be a management server that manages a plurality of chargers installed in a charging station, and may alternatively be provided with a charging server for charging a charging charge or an A / S through checking a charged electric car Service center.

The network communication unit 140 may include at least one of Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), IrDA, Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and Digital Living Network Alliance (Wi-Fi), Wibro (wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), and the like. ) Based on the wireless network communication protocol.

The electric power calculating unit 150 calculates the amount of electric power supplied to the battery of the electric vehicle through the charging connector 110. That is, the electric energy calculation unit 150 measures the electric energy consumed by charging from the power supply end to the lower end.

The charge switching unit 160 interrupts the electric power supplied to the battery of the electric vehicle through the charge connector 110. In other words, the charge switching unit 160 continuously supplies power to the battery or cuts off the supplied power.

The charging unit 170 includes a user authentication unit, thereby starting charging and terminating charging through user authentication, and charges a charge according to the amount of power calculated through the power-amount calculating unit 150. [

The controller 180 controls the overall operation of the charger 100.

In particular, when there is a request to start charging through user authentication, the control unit 180 causes the state of the charging connector 110 to be in the unlocked state through the charging connector locking unit 130, So that charging of the electric vehicle battery is performed.

In addition, the controller 180 controls the switching operation of the charge switching unit 160 to control the charge power supplied to the battery.

On the other hand, the controller 180 terminates the charging operation according to the state of the charging connector 110 when a charging completion event occurs (buffering of the battery or input of a charging completion command from the user).

To this end, the control unit 180 receives the information about the state of the charging connector 110 through the charging connector state-of-state detecting unit 120, and determines whether or not the charging operation is completed using the received state- .

That is, if the received docking condition information is information corresponding to the normal docking, the control unit 180 terminates the charging operation.

Conversely, if the received docking condition information is information corresponding to a defective docking condition, the control unit 180 waits until the charging connector 110 becomes a normal docking condition without ending the charging operation.

If the received docking status information is information corresponding to a bad docking, the control unit 180 provides notification information requesting the docking station 110 to be placed on the docking station, Let the mount be done.

If the received information on the stationary state is a bad station, the controller 180 transmits a signal to the management server 200 informing that the charging connector 110 is not normally mounted on the station.

At this time, if the charging connector 110 is not properly mounted, the control unit 180 locks the charging connector 110 through the charging connector locking unit 130, The charging operation through the charger 100 is limited.

On receiving the information indicating that the charging connector 110 is badly mounted, the management server 200 requests detailed information about the user using the charger 100 from the upper server 300.

When the detailed information of the requested user is received from the upper server 300, the management server 200 transmits a message requesting the user's terminal to hold the charging connector 110 using the received detailed information .

On the other hand, the management server 200 also transmits information informing the manager of the failure state of the charging connector 110 so that the management of the charger 100 can be performed quickly.

In addition, the management server 200 additionally transmits information (phone number or car number) about the user to the manager, and manages the information on the user accordingly.

Hereinafter, the operation of the charging system will be described in more detail.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, not only the administrator and the user are informed of the state of the charging connector, but also it is possible not only to prevent the charging connector damage and the safety accident caused by the poor mounting of the charging connector , You can tell the user how to use the charger correctly.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, even if the charging of the battery is completed, the charging connector can not be completed when the charging connector is in the improperly mounted state, so that the user can know the proper use of the charger, Safety accidents can be prevented in advance.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the charging connector is in a poorly mounted state, the use of the charger is disabled so that the manager can efficiently manage the charger.

4 is a view showing the external appearance of the charger 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the charger 100 includes a main body 190 and a holder 125 formed on one side of the main body 190.

The charging connector (110) is mounted on the cradle (125).

At this time, the charging connector fixing state detecting unit 120 may be formed on the mounting base 125. FIG.

Accordingly, the charging connector mounting state detecting unit 120 detects mounting state information indicating whether the charging connector 110 is normally or unstably mounted on the mounting base 125, and detects the mounting state information To the control unit 180.

5 to 8 are flowcharts illustrating steps of a method for managing a charge connector in a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the charger 100 performs user authentication (step 101). The user authentication may be performed by an authentication means including personal information such as a user's credit card or a resident registration card.

The charger 100 determines whether the user authentication has been normally performed or has been performed abnormally (operation 102).

That is, the charger 100 confirms whether the authentication means is a normal authentication means or an illegal authentication means. In addition, the charger 100 can determine that the authentication is performed abnormally if the user who performs the authentication is a user included in the management subject, even if the authentication means is normal authentication means. Here, the object to be managed may be a user who has completed charging without normally mounting the charging connector to be described later.

If the user authentication has been performed abnormally, the charger 100 provides notification information for notifying the user of the authentication error, so that the user authentication is performed again in operation 103.

If the user authentication is normally performed, the charger 100 cancels the lock of the charge connector 104 (step 104).

Thereafter, the charger 100 supplies the charging power to the connected battery through the charging connector 110 (step 106) when the charging connector 110 is connected to the socket of the battery (step 105).

The charger 100 determines whether a charge completion event has occurred (step 107). The charge completion event may correspond to a case where the battery is fully charged, or may correspond to a case where the user arbitrarily stops charging the battery.

When the charging completion event occurs, the charger 100 separates the charging connector 110 from the battery socket in step 108, and then the separated charging connector 110 (Step 109).

That is, after the charging is completed, the charger 100 determines whether or not the charging connector 110 is properly mounted on the holder of the charger main body.

When the charging connector 110 is in the stationary state, the charging operation is terminated (step 111). Otherwise, the charging operation of the charging connector 100 is terminated without ending the charging operation. And provides notification information (Step 110).

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the charger 100 detects the state of loading of the charging connector 110 (step 201).

Thereafter, when the charging connector 100 is in a poor state, the charger 100 waits for a while to terminate the charging operation that was being performed (step 204), and thereby acquires information on the user using the charger 100 To the management server 200 (step 205).

At this time, the information transmitted to the management server 200 may include information indicating that the charging state of the charging connector 110 is in a poor state, and user information acquired when performing the user authentication.

Meanwhile, when the charging connector 110 is in the stationary state, the charging operation of the charging device 100 is terminated (operation 203).

Referring to FIG. 7, the management server 200 receives information on the loading state of the charging connector 110 transmitted from the charging device 100 (step 301).

Thereafter, the management server 200 determines whether the received docking status information is bad docking status information or normal docking status information (Step 302, Step 302).

If the determined storage status information is the normal storage status information, the management server 200 stores the history of the charging operation performed through the charger 100 (operation 303).

If the checked state information is bad state information, the management server 200 transmits information indicating that the charge connector 110 is badly installed to the administrator and the user (step 305).

At this time, the information transmitted to the user may be a message requesting that the charging connector 110 be normally mounted.

The information transmitted to the administrator may be information that management of the charger 100 is required due to the fact that the charging connector 110 is not normally mounted, May also be included.

Also, the management server 200 stores the charging history including the user information (step 306).

Next, referring to FIG. 8, the charger 100 detects the state of the charging connector 110 (step 401).

Then, the charger 100 determines whether the detected state of the charging connector 110 is a normal state or a defective state (step 402).

If the state of the charging connector 110 is in a bad state, the charger 100 changes the state of the charging connector 110 to a locked state and the use of the charger 100 is stopped (Step 403).

If the state of the charging connector 110 is in a normal state, the charging device 100 may unlock the charging connector 110 and may be connected to the charger 100 at any time, Is used.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, not only the administrator and the user are informed of the state of the charging connector, but also it is possible not only to prevent the charging connector damage and the safety accident caused by the poor mounting of the charging connector , You can tell the user how to use the charger correctly.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, even if the charging of the battery is completed, the charging connector can not be completed when the charging connector is in the improperly mounted state, so that the user can know the proper use of the charger, Safety accidents can be prevented in advance.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the charging connector is in a poorly mounted state, the use of the charger is disabled so that the manager can efficiently manage the charger.

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 and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

100: Charger
110: Charging connector
120: Charging connector mounting status detector
130: Charging connector locking part
140: Network communication section
150:
160: Charge switching section
170: Charging part
180:
200: management server
300: parent server

Claims (6)

Performing user authentication;
Supplying charging power to the battery when the charging connector is connected to the charging socket of the battery according to the user authentication result;
Stopping the supply of the charging power when an ending event for the charging operation is sensed;
Sensing a mounting state of the charging connector;
And terminating the charging operation when the sensed state of the charging connector is in a normal state
A method of managing a charge connector. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of waiting for the end of the charging operation and outputting information requesting a normal mounting of the charging connector if the detected state of the charging connector is in a bad state
A method of managing a charge connector. The method according to claim 1,
And transmitting the user information according to the performed user authentication to the management server when the sensed state of the charging connector is in a bad state
A method of managing a charge connector. The method of claim 3,
Further comprising the step of transmitting a message to the at least one of the manager of the charging connector and the user using the charging connector to inform the charging connector that the charging connector is in a poorly mounted state based on the user information transmitted to the management server
A method of managing a charge connector. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising changing the state of the charging connector to the locked state when the sensed state of the charging connector is in a bad state,
In the locked state, when the battery can not be charged using the charging connector
A method of managing a charge connector. The method of claim 3,
Further comprising storing information of a user using the charge connector and history information of the charge connector for the user,
In the history information,
Wherein the charging connector includes information on a mounting state of the charging connector,
The history information is later reflected in the user authentication
A method of managing a charge connector.

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