ADD-ON COMMUNICATION APPARATUS ATTACHED TO IN-CABLE CHARGING CONTROL DEVICE AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130342164A1
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Inventors: CHOI, Seung Woo
• Granted Patent: US 9,184,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• 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 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0034 using reverse polarity correcting or protecting circuits mechanical means of polarity protection H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

Disclosed is an add-on communication apparatus attached to an in-cable charging control device integrated with a cable assembly to charge an electric vehicle. The add-on communication apparatus includes a first communication module to make wireless communication with a terminal, a second communication module to make wireless communication with the in-cable charging control device, and a control module. The control module receives a command from the terminal through the first communication module, generates a first control command based on the command, and transmits the first control command to the in-cable charging control device through the second communication module.

Claims

1. An add-on communication apparatus attachable to an in-cable charging control device integrated with a cable assembly for charging an electric vehicle, the add-on communication apparatus comprising:

a first communication module to make wireless communication with a terminal;

a second communication module to make wireless communication with the in-cable charging control device; and

a control module,

wherein the control module receives a command from the terminal through the first communication module, generates a first control command based on the command, and transmits the first control command to the in-cable charging control device through the second communication module.

2. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module receives configuration information from the terminal through the first communication module,

generates a second control command corresponding to an additional control command of the first control command based on the setting information, and

transmits the second control command to the in-cable charging control device through the second communication module.

3. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the configuration information comprises configuration information about an acceptable amount of charging,

the command represents starting of the charging of the electric vehicle,

the first control command represents starting of the charging of the electric vehicle,

the second control command represents stopping of the charging of the electric vehicle, and

the control module generates the second control command if a quantity of power supplied to the electric vehicle reaches the acceptable amount of charging.

4. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 3, wherein the configuration information about the acceptable amount of charging comprises configuration information about an acceptable amount of charging in a home area and configuration information about an acceptable amount of charging in a public area, and

wherein the control module generates the second control command if a present position is in the home area and the quantity of the power supplied to the electric vehicle reaches the acceptable amount of charging in the home area, and generates the second control command if the present position is in the public area and the quantity of the power supplied to the electric vehicle reaches the acceptable amount of charging in the public area.

5. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the command represents starting of the charging of the electric vehicle.

6. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control module obtains a present position of the electric vehicle, and generates the first control command based on the command and the present position.

9. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module receives a response to the first control command from the in-cable charging control device through the second communication module, and transmits the response to the terminal through the first communication module.

10. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 9, wherein the command represents a request for charging-related information of the electric vehicle, and the response comprises the charging-related information of the electric vehicle.

11. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 10, wherein the charging-related information of the electric vehicle comprises at least one of information about the electric vehicle and information about the cable assembly.

12. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 11, wherein the information about the cable assembly comprises at least one of information about a charging operation of the cable assembly, information about a use history of the cable assembly, state information about the cable assembly, and information about failure of the cable assembly.

13. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 12, wherein the state information about the cable assembly comprises at least one of information about a state of a relay in the cable assembly, information about a fusion state of the relay, information about a temperature of the cable assembly, information about electric leakage of the cable assembly, information about disconnection of the cable assembly, and information about a surrounding environment of the cable assembly.

14. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 11, wherein the information about the electric vehicle comprises at least one of an initial charging state, a present charging state, a charging start time, an estimated charging finish time, an actual charging finish time, charging status information about the electric vehicle, charging error information about the electric vehicle, information about a quantity of power supplied to the electric vehicle, and information about an intensity of a current applied to the electric vehicle.

7. The add-on communication apparatus of 6, wherein a set of values which can be represented by the present position of the electric vehicle comprises a home area and a public area.

8. The add-on communication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control module generates the first control command representing starting of the charging of the electric vehicle at a low-speed charging mode if the present position is in the home area, and generates the first control command representing starting of the charging of the electric vehicle at a high-speed charging mode if the present position is in the public area.

15. An operating method of an add-on communication apparatus attachable to an in-cable charging control device integrated with a cable assembly for charging an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a command from a terminal;

generating a first control command based on the command; and

transmitting the first control command to the in-cable charging control device.

16. The operating method of claim 15, wherein a set of values which can be represented by the command comprises at least one of starting of the charging of the electric vehicle, stopping of the charging of the electric vehicle, and requesting for charging-related information of the electric vehicle.

17. The operating method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving configuration information from the terminal;

generating a second control command corresponding to an additional control command of the first control command based on the setting information; and

transmitting the second control command to the in-cable charging control device.

18. The operating method of claim 17, wherein the generating of the second control command corresponding to the additional control command of the first control command based on the configuration information comprises:

checking whether an execution operation of the first control command is finished;

monitoring a charging state of the electric vehicle if the execution operation of the first control command is not finished;

checking whether the additional control command for the in-cable charging control device is required based on at least one of the charging state of the electric vehicle and the setting information; and

generating the second control command corresponding to the additional control command based on the configuration information and the charging state of the electric vehicle.

19. The operating method of claim 18, wherein the charging state of the electric vehicle comprises a quantity of power supplied to the electric vehicle, and the configuration information comprises information about an acceptable amount of charging, and

wherein the checking whether the additional control command is required comprises comparing the quantity of power supplied to the electric vehicle with the acceptable amount of charging.

20. The operating method of claim 19, wherein the checking whether the additional control command is required by comparing the quantity of power supplied to the electric vehicle with the acceptable amount of charging comprises:

determining that the additional control command is necessary if the quantity of the power supplied to the electric vehicle reaches the acceptable amount of charging; and

determining that the additional control command is unnecessary if the quantity of the power supplied to the electric vehicle is less than the acceptable amount of charging.