WO2018105809A1

WO2018105809A1 - Portable charger for electric car

Info

Publication number: WO2018105809A1
Application number: PCT/KR2017/000849
Authority: WO
Inventors: 최승우
Original assignee: 엘에스산전 주식회사
Priority date: 2016-12-07
Filing date: 2017-01-25
Publication date: 2018-06-14

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable charger for an electric car and, more particularly, to a portable charger for an electric car, which calculates the difference between temperature values converted by a pair of temperature sensors in real time, thereby recognizing the situation regarding overheating inside the plug and the charger and accordingly adjusting the amount of charging current. A portable charger for an electric car according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plug connected to a power supply; and a control box connected to the plug, wherein the plug comprises a positive electrode plug pin, a neutral electrode plug pin, a first temperature sensor installed adjacent to the positive electrode plug pin, and a second temperature sensor installed adjacent to the neutral electrode plug pin; and the control box comprises a control portion capable of performing a calculation using temperature values transferred from the first and second temperature sensors as basic data, determining whether the first and second temperature sensors are abnormal or not on the basis of the calculation result, and adjusting the amount of charging current.

Description

Portable Charger for Electric Vehicles

The present invention relates to a portable charger for an electric vehicle, and more particularly, an electric vehicle for recognizing an overheating condition inside a plug and a charger and adjusting a charging current amount by calculating a difference between temperature values converted in real time by a pair of temperature sensors. Relates to a portable charger.

In general, electric vehicles are charged using a charger. Chargers include a fixed charger, such as a fixed installation in a car charging station, and a portable charger (sometimes called a cordset or coupler) for home use or on the go.

1 is a conceptual diagram of charging an electric vehicle using a portable charger. Plug the plug 4 of the portable charger 3 into a wall socket 2 of the vehicle charging station 1 and the connector 6 of the portable charger 3 into the charging inlet 9 of the electric vehicle 8. ). The portable charger 3 is provided with a control box 5 between the plug 4 and the connector 6 and is responsible for various kinds of monitoring and control, such as controlling current, monitoring leakage current, and overcurrent protection. Further, a cable 7 is connected between the plug 4 and the control box 5 and between the control box 5 and the connector 6, respectively.

As such, when a portable charger for an electric vehicle is used, a large amount of current may flow from the power supply to increase the plug pin temperature in the plug 4. In order to prevent this accident, a technology has been developed to control the amount of current flowing through the plug pin according to the plug pin temperature.

See prior art US8729856 'Thermal Wall Plug Sensing and Control'. 2 is a block diagram of the prior art. The prior art comprises an energy source 1, a wall outlet 2, a plug assembly 4. The wall outlet 2 has positive and

neutral sockets

2a and 2b and the plug assembly 4 has positive and neutral connectors 4a and 4b and plug pins. In addition, the plug assembly 4 is provided with a temperature sensor 4c to measure the temperature between the pair of connectors 4a and 4b. A positive wire 4d and a neutral wire 4e are connected to each positive connector 30 and the neutral electrode connector 4b. In addition, a pair of

sensor wires

4f and 4g may be connected to the charging system 10 of the electric vehicle 9 to constitute a circuit.

According to the prior art, when the plug 4 is connected to the wall outlet 2 to charge the electric vehicle, the temperature of the connectors (plug pins) 4a and 4b rises due to a large amount of current. At this time, the temperature sensor 4c installed inside the plug transmits the plug temperature information to the charger control unit 5, and the charger control unit 5, when the temperature value exceeds a predetermined value (predefined value, threshold value) Depending on the value, the charging current is reduced by a stair stepped technique or other means to lower the temperature to prevent electrical safety accidents that may occur.

By the way, in the temperature measurement and control according to the prior art, since only one temperature sensor is provided, it may be difficult to determine when the temperature sensor itself fails. That is, although a short circuit and an open state of the sensor are distinguished, it is difficult to determine when a drift occurs in the temperature sensor. This can cause errors or errors in control.

In addition, the temperature sensor present in the plug may be damaged by heat and pressure during the injection molding process during plug manufacture or may be affected by performance.

In addition, since installation of the sensor is difficult, it is difficult to uniformly secure the insulation distance between the plug pin and the temperature sensor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a portable charger for an electric vehicle that can maintain a consistent performance by detecting performance distortion due to a short circuit or open state of the sensor as well as drift. .

A portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plug connected to a power source and a control box connected to the plug, wherein the plug comprises: a positive plug pin; Neutral pole plug pins; A first temperature sensor installed adjacent to the positive plug pin; And a second temperature sensor installed adjacent to the neutral plug pin, wherein the control unit performs calculation based on temperature values transmitted from the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor as basic data, The controller may determine whether the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are abnormal based on a calculation result, and may control a charging current amount.

Herein, the control unit calculates a difference value between the temperature values transmitted from the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, and reduces or stops the amount of current charged when the difference value exceeds the reference value. .

The plug may further include a sensor housing that surrounds and supports the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.

In addition, the sensor housing is characterized in that formed of an insulating material.

The control box may further include first and second analog to digital converters respectively connected to the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.

The control box may further include first and second switches connected to the positive plug pin and the neutral plug pin, respectively.

The control box may further include a charging current controller configured to adjust the amount of current to be charged when the difference value exceeds the first reference value.

In addition, when the difference in the temperature value exceeds the second reference value, the charging current controller is characterized in that the charging stops.

The display apparatus may further include a display unit which displays the current amount charged by the controller when it is reduced or stopped.

The apparatus may further include third and fourth temperature sensors installed adjacent to the first and second switches.

The control unit may calculate a difference value between the temperature values transmitted from the third temperature sensor and the fourth temperature sensor, and reduce or stop the charging current when the difference value exceeds a set value. .

According to the portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, the electrical safety may be improved by reducing or stopping the charging current using the temperature difference information between two plug pins instead of the plug temperature.

By measuring not only the temperature difference of the plug pins in the plug but also the temperature difference of the contact portion inside the charger main body (control box), the safety of the charger main body can be guaranteed.

In addition to short-circuit and open of the sensor, performance distortion caused by deviation can be judged to ensure more stable and consistent performance.

The sensor housing is provided to prevent damage caused by temperature and pressure during the plug injection molding operation, and to maintain a constant insulation distance between the plug pin and the temperature sensor.

1 is a block diagram of a charging system using a portable charger for an electric vehicle according to the prior art.

2 is a block diagram of a charging system according to the prior art.

3 is a block diagram of a portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view of a plug applied to a portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view of a sensor housing applied to a portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a graph showing the temperature change according to the charging time in the portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a block diagram of a portable charger for an electric vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to explain in detail enough to enable those skilled in the art to easily carry out the invention, and thus the present invention. It is not intended that the technical spirit and scope of the invention be limited.

3 is a block diagram of a portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 and 5 are perspective views of a plug and a sensor housing applied to a portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to the drawings will be described in detail for the portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the portable charger for an electric vehicle including a plug 20 connected to a power source and a control box 50 connected to the plug 20, the plug ( 20, the positive plug pin 21; Neutral pole plug pin 22; A first temperature sensor 31 installed adjacent to the positive plug pin 21; And a second temperature sensor 32 disposed adjacent to the neutral plug pin 22, wherein the control box 50 includes the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32. The calculation is performed based on the temperature values T1 and T2 transmitted from the data, and the abnormality of the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32 is determined based on the calculation result, and the amount of charge current It includes a control unit 51 for controlling. Here, the controller 51 calculates a difference value ΔT between the temperature values T1 and T2 transmitted from the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32, and calculates the difference value of the temperature value. When (T) exceeds the set value V, the charging current may be reduced or stopped.

The plug 20 may be formed of an insulating material, formed of an injection molding, and have a fixed housing 28 having sufficient strength. The fixed housing 28 may be configured as a double of an external fixed housing and an internal fixed housing. This may be provided for assembly of internal components.

A part or inside of the fixed housing 28 may be provided with a plug pin housing 29. The plug pin housing 29 is provided to fix and support the positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22. The plug pin housing 29 has a pair of through-holes into which the positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22 can be inserted.

The positive plug pin 21 and the neutral (or negative) plug pin 22 are provided in the plug 20. The positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22 are provided to transmit a positive current and a neutral (or negative) current, respectively. The positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22 may be provided in pairs that are identical and symmetrical to each other. The positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22 may be formed of a metal having excellent current conductivity such as copper (Cu) or copper alloy.

The plug pins 21 and 22 are fitted to the power supply portion to conduct current. At this time, the current may be mainly used AC power. The

conductive wires

23 and 24 are connected to the plug pins 21 and 22, respectively. In this case, the

conductive wires

23 and 24 may be formed of a metallic cable made of a single cable or a stranded cable and a sheath formed of a material having insulation and flexibility.

The sensor housing 40 is provided. The sensor housing 40 supports the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32 stably, and serves to prevent damage or deformation from high temperature and high pressure during manufacturing.

The sensor housing 40 is preferably formed of an insulating material. The sensor housing 40 may be made of synthetic resin or porcelain material. The sensor housing 40 may be made of an aluminum oxide-based material and may exhibit high strength and excellent heat dissipation.

The sensor housing 40 is provided with

pin holes

41 and 42 into which both the positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22 can be inserted. Both sides of the sensor housing 40 may be partially cut off.

The sensor housing 40 is provided with a pair of

sensor grooves

43 and 44 into which the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32 can be inserted. The

sensor grooves

43 and 44 may be formed at the rear of the sensor housing 40. Since the sensor housing 40 is provided so that the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32 are inserted into the

sensor grooves

43 and 44, the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32 are It is insulated from the periphery. In addition, it is possible to maintain stable performance without damage or change of performance due to high temperature and high pressure generated when the

housings

28 and 29 of the plug 20 are formed.

A fixture 49 may be provided at one side of the sensor housing 40, particularly at a portion where the

pinholes

41 and 42 are formed. The fastener 49 fixes and supports the positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22 inserted into the

pinholes

41 and 42.

The sensor housing 40 fixes and supports the positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22 together with the plug pin housing 29. Accordingly, the positive electrode plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22 have a strong force against external force during use.

The first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32 are provided. In this case, the first temperature sensor 31 is inserted into the first sensor groove 43, and the second temperature sensor 32 is inserted into the second sensor groove 44. The

temperature sensors

31 and 32 may be sensors of a negative thermal coefficient (NTC) method or a positive threshold coefficient (PTC) method.

The first temperature sensor 31 is provided adjacent to the positive plug pin 21. The first temperature sensor 31 may be disposed close to the positive plug pin 21 without directly contacting it. Similarly, the second temperature sensor 32 is arranged in close contact with the neutral plug pin 22 without directly contacting it. Since the

temperature sensors

31 and 32 are inserted into the

sensor grooves

43 and 44, respectively, the position of the

temperature sensors

31 and 32 may be determined by adjusting the positions of the

sensor grooves

43 and 44. The first temperature sensor 31 measures the temperature of the vicinity of the positive plug pin 21, and the second temperature sensor 32 measures the temperature of the vicinity of the neutral plug pin 22. In this case, the values measured by the

temperature sensors

31 and 32 may be analog values.

The sensor leads 33 and 34 are connected to the

temperature sensors

31 and 32, respectively. The sensor leads 33 and 34 are connected to the controller 51 to transmit the temperature values T1 and T2 measured by the

temperature sensors

31 and 32. The neutral wire 35 is provided between the sensor leads 33 and 34. One end of each of the

temperature sensors

31 and 32 is connected to the neutral wire 35 to form a respective circuit.

The control box 50 may form a charger body or may be included in the charger body. The control box 50 adjusts the amount of current to be charged, performs preset calculations using the temperature value measured by the temperature sensor as data, and performs association, determination, and control functions such as determining whether the temperature sensor is abnormal. Can be.

The control box 50 may be provided with first and second analog-to-digital converters 53 and 54 connected to the first temperature sensor 31 and the second temperature sensor 32, respectively. In this case, the sensor leads 33 and 34 connect between the

temperature sensors

31 and 32 and the analog to digital converters 53 and 54. The current value generated by the

temperature sensors

31 and 32 is converted into a digital value via the analog-to-digital converters 53 and 54. Accordingly, the control unit 51 can perform digital processing such as calculation work.

The controller 51 calculates, determines, and controls the temperature values T1 and T2 measured by the

temperature sensors

31 and 32 as basic data. The controller 51 may perform calculation and determination based on the digital values input through the analog to digital converters 53 and 54. The control unit 51 calculates the difference value ΔT between the first temperature value T1 and the second temperature value T2, and when the difference value ΔT exceeds the reference value (set value) V, the charging current. Can be reduced or charging can be stopped. Here, assuming that the first reference value (setting value) for reducing the charging current is V1 and the second reference value for stopping charging is V2, the difference between the first temperature value T1 and the second temperature value T2 ( When ΔT exceeds the first reference value V1, a command for reducing the charging current is transmitted to the current controller 52, and if the difference between the first temperature value T1 and the second temperature value T2 is ΔT When the second reference value V2 is exceeded, charging is stopped.

The current controller 52 is provided. The current controller 52 may adjust the charging current input to the electric vehicle by receiving a command from the controller 51. That is, the charging current can be reduced or stopped. In this case, the reduction of the charging current may be processed by a pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme. That is, the amount of current can be adjusted according to the duty ratio. For details on the adjustment of the current amount by the duty ratio and the PWM method, reference may be made to related documents.

The control box 50 may further include first and

second switches

55 and 56 connected to the positive plug pin 21 and the neutral plug pin 22, respectively. The first switch 55 may open and close a current flowing in the positive plug pin 21, and the second switch 56 may open and close a current flowing in the neutral plug pin 22. When the difference value ΔT between the first temperature value T1 and the second temperature value T2 exceeds the second reference value V2, the controller 51 controls the first switch 55 and the second switch 56. It can be opened to prevent the circuit from charging current.

The control box 50 may further include a display unit 57 for stopping charging and displaying the difference when the difference value ΔT of the temperature value exceeds the specific range. Here, the display unit 57 may operate in conjunction with the first switch 55 or the second switch 56. That is, the first switch 55 may operate by connecting the display unit 57 when the difference value ΔT of the temperature value exceeds the first reference value V1 or the second reference value V2. Here, the first switch 55 may include an operation of opening the conductive line 23 when the difference value ΔT of the temperature value exceeds the second reference value V2. The display unit 57 may be exposed to the outside of the control box 50 to be easily installed by the user. The display unit 57 may be configured by sound means or light emitting means so that a user can recognize it.

6 is a graph showing a temperature change according to a charging time in the portable charger for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the plug 20 is inserted into a wall outlet to start charging the vehicle, the temperature increases at each of the plug pins 21 and 22 as time passes. At this time, since the current mainly flows through the positive plug pin 21, the temperature of the positive plug pin 21 rises faster than the temperature of the neutral plug pin 22. That is, the first temperature value T1 becomes higher than the second temperature value T2. In this case, the difference value ΔT may be calculated as a value obtained by subtracting the second temperature value T2 from the first temperature value T1. When the difference value ΔT exceeds the first reference value V1, the controller 51 commands the current controller 52 to decrease the charging current, and the difference value ΔT exceeds the second reference value V2. In this case, the controller 51 may stop charging the current to the current controller 52 or open the first and

second switches

55 and 56. Here, the difference value ΔT corresponding to the first reference value V1 is represented by ΔT1 and the difference value ΔT corresponding to the second reference value V2 is represented by ΔT2. If this is divided in the time domain, P1 may be represented as a normal charging section, P2 is a charging current decreasing section, and P3 is a charging stop section. P1 is a section where ΔT <V1, P2 is a section where V1 <ΔT <V2, and P3 is a section where ΔT> V2.

A portable charger for an electric vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The control box 50 may further include third and

fourth temperature sensors

37 and 38 installed adjacent to the first and

second switches

55 and 56. The third and

fourth temperature sensors

37 and 38 measure the temperature around the first switch 55 and the temperature around the second switch 56. The controller 50 may determine whether the battery is overheated by calculating a difference between the temperature around the first switch 55 and the temperature around the second switch 56. Accordingly, it is possible to determine whether the contact portion (switch) is overheated. The controller 50 may also measure the temperature state of the contact unit to measure whether the inside of the control box is overheated and to command a decrease or stop of charging. The contact part is the main part that receives heat together with the plug pin, so that temperature monitoring and abnormality can be detected.

By measuring not only the temperature difference of the plug pins in the plug but also the temperature difference of the contact portion inside the charger main body (control box), the safety of the charger main body can be ensured.

Embodiments described above are embodiments for implementing the present invention, and those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. That is, the protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

In the portable charger for an electric vehicle comprising a plug connected to a power source and a control box connected to the plug,

The plug,

Positive plug pin;

Neutral pole plug pins;

A first temperature sensor installed adjacent to the positive plug pin; And

And a second temperature sensor disposed adjacent to the neutral plug pin.

The control box,

The calculation is performed using the temperature values transmitted from the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor as basic data, and based on the calculation result, it is determined whether the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are abnormal and the amount of charging current is determined. Portable charger for an electric vehicle comprising an adjustable control.
The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit calculates a difference value between temperature values transmitted from the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, and reduces or stops the amount of current charged when the difference value exceeds a reference value. Portable charger for an electric vehicle, characterized in that.
The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the plug further comprises a sensor housing surrounding and supporting the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.
The portable charger of claim 3, wherein the sensor housing is formed of an insulating material.
The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the control box further comprises first and second analog-to-digital converters connected to the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, respectively.
The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the control box further comprises first and second switches respectively connected to the positive plug pin and the neutral plug pin.
The portable charger of claim 1, further comprising a charging current controller configured to adjust the amount of current to be charged when the difference value exceeds the first reference value.
The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the charging current controller stops charging when the temperature difference exceeds a second reference value.
The portable charger of claim 1, further comprising a display unit which displays a current amount charged by the controller when the amount of current charged or reduced is stopped.
The portable charger of claim 6, further comprising third and fourth temperature sensors disposed adjacent to the first and second switches.
The method of claim 10, wherein the control unit calculates a difference value between the temperature values transmitted from the third temperature sensor and the fourth temperature sensor, and reduces or stops the charging current when the difference value exceeds a set value. Portable charger for an electric vehicle, characterized in that.