Battery charging apparatus and battery charging method thereof

• US 9,595,843 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jeong Geun
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhou, Zixuan
• Application Number:
  US13/910,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20140021922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 320/137
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, 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: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 is a battery charging apparatus. The battery charging apparatus includes a charging plug receiving an AC power supplied from an outside, a plurality of charging units individually converting the AC power received through the charging plug into a DC power, a battery storing the DC power output through at least one of the charging units, and a charging control unit comparing a specification of the battery with specifications of the charging units, determining at least one of the charging units to be used for charging of the battery, and controlling the charging of the battery by the at least one charging unit that is determined.

Claims

1. A battery charging apparatus comprising:

a charging plug receiving an AC power supplied from an outside;

a plurality of charging units individually converting the AC power received through the charging plug into a DC power;

a battery storing the DC power output through at least one of the charging units and charged with the DC power; and

a charging control unit comparing a specification of the battery with specifications of the charging units, determining at least one of the charging units to be used for charging of the battery, and controlling the charging of the battery by the at least one determined charging unit,

wherein the specification of the battery comprises a charging power of the battery based on a capacity of the battery, and the specifications of the charging units comprise maximum output powers and maximum efficiency powers of the charging units,

wherein the maximum output powers and the maximum efficiency powers of the charging units are different from each other,

wherein the charging control unit performs the charging of the battery by exclusively actuating one charging unit having the maximum output power higher than the charging power of the battery if the charging unit having the maximum output power higher than the charging power of the battery is present,

wherein the charging control unit determines a plurality of charging units to be used for the charging of the battery based on the maximum efficiency powers of the charging units and performs the charging of the battery by actuating the determined charging units in parallel if the charging unit having the maximum output power higher than the charging power of the battery is absent, and

wherein the charging control unit determines combinations of output powers of the charging units equal to the charging power, checks average power efficiency when the output powers of the charging units are set through the combinations, sets the output powers of the charging units based on a combination representing a higher average power efficiency.

2. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charging control unit sets a power having a size equal to a size of the charging power of the battery as an output power of the charging unit that is exclusively actuated.

3. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charging control unit identifies a combination representing a maximum power efficiency among combinations of possible output powers, which are generated from the charging units, based on the charging power of the battery and individually sets output powers of the charging units actuated in parallel based on the identified combination.

4. The battery charging apparatus of claim 3, wherein the charging control unit stores combination information representing the maximum power efficiency based on a number of cases of the possible output powers for the charging power of the battery, and the combination information comprises information of the output powers that are set for the charging units, respectively.

5. A battery charging method comprising:

detecting a charging power of a battery based on a capacity of the battery;

comparing the charging power with specifications of a plurality of charging units, wherein the specifications of the charging units comprise maximum output powers and maximum efficiency powers of the charging units;

determining presence of a charging unit having a maximum output power higher than the detected charging power;

charging the battery by exclusively actuating one charging unit having the maximum output power higher than the charging power if the charging unit is present;

determining a plurality of charging units to be used for the charging of the battery based on the maximum efficiency powers of the charging units if the charging unit having the maximum output power higher than the charging power of the battery is absent; and

charging the battery by actuating the determined charging units in parallel,

wherein the determining the plurality of charging units comprises

determining combinations of output powers of the charging units equal to the charging power,

checking average power efficiency when the output powers of the charging units are set through the combinations, and

setting the output powers of the charging units based on a combination representing a higher average power efficiency.

6. The battery charging method of claim 5, wherein the charging of the battery by exclusively actuating the one charging unit comprises:

setting a power equal to the charging power of the battery as an output power of the charging unit that is exclusively actuated;

generating the output power by the charging unit that is exclusively actuated; and

charging the battery by supplying the generated output power to the battery.

7. The battery charging method of claim 5, wherein the charging of the battery by actuating the determined charging units in parallel comprises

generating the set output powers by the charging units, respectively;

and

charging the battery by supplying the generated output powers to the battery.

8. The battery charging method of claim 7, wherein the checking of the combinations of the possible output powers generated from the charging units based on the charging power of the battery comprises checking a number of cases that a sum of the possible output powers generated from the charging units is equal to the charging power of the battery.

9. The battery charging method of claim 7, further comprising storing combination information representing the maximum power efficiency according to the number of the cases for the charging power of the battery generated based on the capacity of the battery,

wherein the identifying of the combination representing the maximum power efficiency comprises identifying the combination representing the maximum power efficiency by using the stored combination information.