Charger for electric vehicles

• US 10,128,682 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeong, Han-Uk, Kim, Yang-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Arun C
• Application Number:
  US15/253,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 320107
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/40 responsive to ratio of voltage and current
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/18 for batteries; for accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/16 Regulation of the charging current or voltage by variation of field
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments relate to a charger body of a charger for electric vehicles. In some embodiments, a charger body may include an internal line resistor disposed between the wall outlet and the first connector, one end of internal line resistor being connected to the wall outlet and the other end of the internal line resistor being connected to the first connector; a switch, one end of the switch being connected to the first connector and the other end of the switch being connected to one end of the internal line resistor; relays, one end of each of the relays being connected to the first connector and the switch and the other end of each of the relays being connected to the second connector; and a controller controlling operation of the switch and the relays depending on a predetermined operation mode.

Claims

1. A charger for electric vehicles, the charger comprising:

a first connector configured to be connected to a socket of a mains electricity power source;

a second connector configured to be connected to a device to be charged;

a charger body configured to be disposed between the first connector and the second connector and configured to control the flow of the mains electricity supplied from the first connector,

wherein the charger body comprises;

an internal line resistor configured to be disposed between a wall outlet and the first connector, one end of the internal line resistor configured to be connected to the wall outlet and the other end of the internal line resistor configured to be connected to the first connector;

a switch, one end of the switch configured to be connected to the first connector and the other end of the switch configured to be connected to one end of the internal line resistor;

relays, one end of each of the relays configured to be connected to the first connector and the switch and the other end of each of the relays configured to be connected to the second connector;

a controller configured to control the switch and the relays based at least on a predetermined operation mode;

mains electricity line resistors disposed on an internal line of the mains electricity power source; and

contact resistors disposed in the first connector and in contact with the socket,

wherein an overall line resistance is determined by the mains electricity lines resistors, the contact resistors and the internal line resistor.

2. The charger of claim 1, wherein the operation mode comprises:

a first operation mode wherein the mains electricity is supplied to a first path including the device to be charged, the device connected to the second connector to supply charge power to the device to be charged, and

a second operation mode wherein the mains electricity is supplied to a second path including the internal line resistor in order to check a condition of an internal line of the charger.

3. The charger of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the operation mode to be the second operation mode based at least on a predetermined event,

wherein the predetermined event comprises at least one of:

the device to be charged is connected to the second connector,

a predetermined period of time includes elapsed, or

a chargeable time based at least on whether the a predetermined charge condition has elapsed.

4. The charger of claim 3, wherein the controller, in the second operation mode, is further configured to detect a line voltage and a line current flowing through the internal line resistor to detect the overall line resistance based on the detected line voltage and line current, and determine the condition of the internal line depending on the overall line resistance.

5. The charger of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to allow the charge power to be supplied based at least on a charge condition required by the device to be charged if the overall line resistance is equal to or less than a first reference value, and set a charge condition for charging the device to be charged if the overall line resistance is larger than the first reference value.

6. The charger of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the overall line resistance is equal to or less than a second reference value if the overall line resistance is larger than the first reference value, set a charge condition for supplying the charge power to the device to be charged based at least on the overall line resistance if the overall line resistance is equal to or less the second reference value, and interrupt supplying the charge power to the device to be charged.

7. The charger of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to set a chargeable time wherein the charge power is supplied to the device to be charged, the device connected to the second connector and allow the charge power to be supplied during the chargeable time if the overall line resistance is larger than the first reference value and equal to or less than the second reference value,

wherein the chargeable time increases as the overall line resistance is closer to the first reference value and decreases as the overall line resistance is closer to the second reference value,

wherein the controller is further configured to check a charge current required by the device to be charged, and adjust the set chargeable time based at least on the checked charge current, and

wherein the chargeable time decreases as the checked charge current increases.

8. The charger of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to turn on the relays and turn off the switch in the first operation mode, and turn off the relays and turn on the switch in the second operation mode.

9. The charger of claim 1, wherein the condition of the internal line is determined by a condition of a line inside the charger, a condition of the internal line of the mains electricity power source, and connection between the first connector and the socket.