CHARGER FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20130335022A1
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Inventors: CHOI, Seung Woo
• Granted Patent: US 9,493,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A charger for an electric vehicle is provided. The charger supplies a current from a commercial power source to a battery of the electric vehicle. The charger includes a light emitting unit for displaying charging operation information of the charger, a communication unit for performing optical communication with an external device, and a control unit controlling the light emitting unit and the communication unit.

Claims

1. A charger for supplying a current from a commercial power source to a battery of an electric vehicle, the charger comprising:

a light emitting unit to display charging operation information of the charger;

a communication unit to perform optical communication with an external device; and

a control unit to control operations of the light emitting unit and the communication unit.

2. The charger of claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a plurality of guides to guide lights of the plurality of LEDs, respectively,

wherein the communication unit comprises a transmitter to transmit light and a receiver to receive light emitted from the external device, and

wherein some of the plurality of guides guide the light emitted from the LED and the light emitted from the transmitter.

3. The charger of claim 2, wherein others of the plurality of guides guide the light emitted from the external device toward the receiver.

4. The charger of claim 2, wherein the communication unit is disposed between two adjacent LEDs.

5. The charger of claim 2, wherein the communication unit and the plurality of LEDs are installed on a printed circuit board (PCB) to be separated from one another in a horizontal direction.

6. The charger of claim 2, wherein the some of the plurality of guides each comprises a first guiding part, an extended part extended from the first guiding part to be inclined, and a second guiding part extended from the extended part to be parallel to the first guiding part, and

wherein some or the entire of the first guiding part the second guiding part do not overlap one another in a light emitting direction of the LED.

7. The charger of claim 6, wherein the light emitted by the LED is directly emitted to the second guiding part, and

wherein the light emitted from the transmitter sequentially passes through the first guiding part, the extended part, and the second guiding part.

8. The charger of claim 3, wherein the others of the plurality of guides each comprises a first guiding part, an extended part extended from the first guiding part to be inclined, and a second guiding part extended from the extended part to be parallel to the first guiding part, and

wherein some or the entire of the first guiding part the second guiding part do not overlap one another in a light emitting direction of the LED.

9. The charger of claim 8, wherein the light emitted from the external device passes through the second guiding part, the extended part, and the first guiding part and arrives at the receiver.

10. The charger of claim 2, wherein the some of the plurality of guides guide the light emitted from the external device toward the receiver.

11. The charger of claim 10, wherein the some of the plurality of guides each comprises a first guiding part, an extended part extended from the first guiding part to be inclined, and a second guiding part extended from the extended part to be parallel to the first guiding part, and

wherein some or the entire of the first guiding part the second guiding part do not overlap one another in a light emitting direction of the LED.

12. The charger of claim 2, wherein the communication unit transmits or receives an infrared ray.

13. A charger for an electric vehicle, comprising:

a casing;

a PCB provided in the casing;

a plurality of LEDs installed on the PCB;

a communication unit installed on the PCB to perform optical communication with an external device;

a plurality of guides to guide lights of the plurality of LEDs, respectively; and

a control unit to control operations of the plurality of LEDs and the communication unit,

wherein some of the plurality of guides guide light emitted from one of the plurality of LEDs and light emitted from the communication unit.

14. The charger of claim 13, wherein the some of the plurality of guides are bent once or more,

wherein the light emitted from the LED passes through a part of the some of the plurality of guides, and

wherein the light emitted from the communication unit passes through the entire of the some of the plurality of guides.

15. The charger of claim 13, wherein others of the plurality of guides guide light emitted from the external device toward the communication unit.

16. The charger of claim 15, wherein the others of the plurality of guides are bent once or more,

wherein the light emitted from the LED passes through a part of the some of the plurality of guides, and

wherein the light emitted from the communication unit passes through the entire of the some of the plurality of guides.

17. The charger of claim 13, wherein the some of the plurality of guides guide light emitted from the external device toward the communication unit.