Vehicle charger and method for controlling power thereof

• US 9,694,705 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2014
• 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: Lee, Young Kook, Kong, Hun, Lee, Jae Won, Lee, Dong Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M'Baye
• Application Number:
  US14/682,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20160096441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 320104, 320109, 701 22
• 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 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• 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 vehicle charger is provided that receives power from electric vehicle supply equipment to charge a battery mounted within an electric. The charger includes a charging controller that is configured to execute a charging mode of the vehicle charger and a main power supplier that is configured to supply main power to the charging controller. In addition, an auxiliary power supplier is configured to supply battery power as auxiliary power when receiving a control pilot signal generated from the electric vehicle supply equipment. A power controller is configured to detect the control pilot signal and turn the main power supply and the auxiliary power supply on and off based on state information regarding the detected control pilot signal and a charging mode control signal output from the charging controller.

Claims

1. A vehicle charger receiving power from electric vehicle supply equipment to charge a battery mounted within a vehicle, comprising:

a charging controller configured to operate a charging mode of the vehicle charger;

a main power supplier configured to supply main power to the charging controller, wherein the main power is battery power output from the battery;

an auxiliary power supplier configured to supply the battery power as auxiliary power in response to receiving a control pilot signal generated from the electric vehicle supply equipment; and

a power controller configured to detect the control pilot signal when an engine of the electric vehicle stalls and turn the main power supply and the auxiliary power supply on and off based on state information regarding the detected control pilot signal and a charging mode control signal output from the charging controller,

wherein the auxillary power supplier supplies the battery power to the power controller in response to detecting the control pilot signal.

2. The vehicle charger according to claim 1, wherein the charging mode control signal includes a reserve mode entry signal and an off mode entry signal.

3. The vehicle charger according to claim 1, wherein the state information includes whether the control pilot signal is detected and a signal type.

4. The vehicle charger according to claim 3, wherein the signal type includes a constant voltage signal and a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal.

5. The vehicle charger according to claim 1, wherein the power controller includes:

a control pilot detector configured to detect the control pilot signal and output the state information regarding the control pilot signal based on a signal type; and

an on/off controller configured to enter a ready state when turned on by the auxiliary power supply and enter a next state based on the state information and the charging mode control signal in the ready state to output a main power control signal and an auxiliary power control signal based on the corresponding state.

6. The vehicle charger according to claim 5, wherein the on/off controller is configured to enable the main power supplier and the auxiliary power supplier when entering the ready state.

7. The vehicle charger according to claim 6, wherein the on/off controller is transitioned to a reserve state when an input of the control pilot signal is in the ready state and the on/off controller receives a reserve mode entry signal from the charging controller to disable the main power supplier.

8. The vehicle charger according to claim 7, wherein the on/off controller is configured to maintain the reserve state when a constant voltage control pilot signal is detected in the reserve state.

9. The vehicle charger according to claim 7, wherein the on/off controller is transitioned to the ready state when the control pilot signal detected in the reserve state is a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to turn on the main power supply and the auxiliary power supply.

10. The vehicle charger according to claim 7, wherein the on/off controller is transitioned to an off state when the control pilot signal is not detected in the reserve state to turn off the main power supply and the auxiliary power supply.

11. The vehicle charger according to claim 7, wherein the on/off controller is transitioned to an off state when there is no input of the control pilot signal in the ready state and the on/off controller receives an off mode entry signal from the charging controller to turn off the main power supply and the auxiliary power supply.

12. The vehicle charger according to claim 7, wherein the on/off controller is transitioned to the off state when there is no input of the control pilot signal in the ready state and an engine is in a turn off state to turn off the main power supply and the auxiliary power supply.

13. A method for controlling power of a vehicle charger, comprising:

entering, by a power controller, a ready state when an auxiliary power supplier supplies battery power to the power controller in response to sensing a control pilot signal generated from electric vehicle supply equipment;

receiving, by the power controller, a charging mode control signal and state information regarding a control pilot signal in the ready state;

determining, by the power controller, a next state based on the charging mode control signal and the state information; and

entering, by the power controller, the next state to output a power control signal based on the corresponding state,

wherein the power controller detects the control pilot signal when an engine of the electric vehicle stalls.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the next state is determined as any one selected from the group consisting of:

the ready state, a reserve state, and an off state.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

when the next state is the ready state, entering, by the power controller, the ready state to turn on a main power supply and an auxiliary power supply.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the outputting of the power control signal, when the power controller enters the reserve state, a main power supply is turned off and an auxiliary power supply is turned on.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the outputting of the power control signal, when the power controller enters the off state, a main power supply and an auxiliary power supply are turned off.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a power controller, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that enter a ready state when an auxillary power supplier supplies battery power to the power controller in response to sensing a control pilot signal generated from electric vehicle supply equipment;

program instructions that receive a charging mode control signal and state information regarding a control pilot signal in the ready state;

program instructions that determine a next state based on the charging mode control signal and the state information; and

program instructions that enter the next state to output a power control signal based on the corresponding state,

wherein the power controller detects the control pilot signal when an engine of the electric vehicle stalls.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein in the determining of the next state, the next state is determined as any one selected from the group consisting of:

the ready state, a reserve state, and an off state.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

program instructions that enter the ready state to turn on a main power supply and an auxiliary power supply when the next state is the ready state.