Battery charging status indicator for electric vehicle

• US 9,590,435 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2015
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Woo, Jung Hoon, Kim, Heon Cheol
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Shirley
• Application Number:
  US14/931,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20160233706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/00 Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A charging status indicator of an electric vehicle installed at one side of a charging status indicator cover to indicate a charging status of the electric vehicle as an illumination may include a lens-integrated lamp housing and a printed circuit board (PCB) housing which are vertically coupled to each other, a PCB installed in the PCB housing and having a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) mounted thereon, and a diffusion cap diffusing LED.

Claims

1. A charging status indicator of an electric vehicle installed at one side of a charging status indicator cover to indicate a charging status of the electric vehicle as an illumination, the indicator comprising:

a lens-integrated lamp housing and a printed circuit board (PCB) housing vertically coupled to each other;

a PCB installed in the PCB housing and having a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) mounted thereon; and

a diffusion cap diffusing LED light irradiated to a lens of the lamp housing while covering the LEDs on the PCB,

wherein a pattern portion for diffusing the LED light is formed at a bottom of the diffusion cap, and

wherein the pattern portion comprises;

a sparse pattern portion formed in a first region corresponding to a position of the LEDs and having a predetermined number of patterns on the first region; and

a dense pattern portion formed in a second region corresponding to a position between the LEDs and having a larger number of patterns than the predetermined number of the sparse pattern portion on the second region.

2. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein the lens of the lamp housing is formed in a quadrangular projection shape, and an upper end of the diffusion cap is received in the lens and positioned adjacent to the lens therein.

3. The charging status indicator of claim 2, wherein the lens of the lamp housing comprises a black smog lens in order to solve a vague reflection problem.

4. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein a heat sink thermal conductive film transferring heat generated from the LEDs and a microcomputer configured to be attached on the PCB to a heat sink side formed at a bottom of the PCB housing is attached to a bottom of the PCB and dissipation of the heat is performed by a thermal conducting method.

5. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein the LEDs comprise a Red, Green, Blue (RGB) LED in which the charging status is indicated through color conversion.

6. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein the lens of the lamp housing comprises a black smog lens in order to solve a vague reflection problem.

7. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein the diffusion cap is a rectangular cap in a lens shape of the lens-integrated lamp housing.

8. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein the sparse pattern portion is formed in a region corresponding to a directly upper portion of a portion where the LEDs are positioned in an upper region of the diffusion cap, and the dense pattern portion is formed in a region corresponding to a directly upper portion between the LEDs.

9. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein the pattern portion is formed in a dotted shape including a convex shape or a concave shape.

10. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein the diffusion cap has an edge portion formed in a rounded shape to reduce a refractive index difference, thereby improving uniform distribution of light irradiation and a shaded edge and increasing a volume of the lens.

11. The charging status indicator of claim 1, wherein the sparse pattern portion and the dense pattern portion are configured to extend toward the LEDs in a predetermined length.