Bidirectional light emitting charging system and method

Abstract

The invention provides a bidirectional light emitting charging system and method. A charging system is disclosed. The charging system may include a charging wire body and a light emitting diode (LED) strip. The LED strip may include a plurality of LEDs disposed at an outer surface of the charging line body. The LED strip may be configured to emit light in a plurality of modes. The charging system may also include a processor that may be communicatively coupled to the LED strip. The processor may be configured to obtain charging information associated with at least one of the vehicle and the charging station, and select a first mode from the plurality of modes based on the charging information. The processor may activate the LED strip in the first mode. The LED strip visually indicates the charging information associated with at least one of the vehicle and the charging station in the first mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to bidirectional luminous charging systems and methods, and more particularly, to charging systems and methods configured to visually indicate charging information. Background Art

[0002] Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular. Electric vehicles (EVs) operate on electrical energy, and vehicle users charge the vehicle battery using an EV charger.

[0003] Sometimes, during charging of a vehicle, charging may be interrupted and the vehicle may stop receiving charge from the charger or charging station. The user may not be aware of such instances / problems until the user returns to the vehicle or views an application (or "app") associated with the vehicle on a user device. Thus, the user may not receive any indication associated with the situation from a remote location or if the user does not have access to the user device. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present disclosure describes a bidirectional luminous charger system that can be configured to visually indicate charging information to a user. The system may include a charging cable body and a light emitting diode (LED) strip. The charging cable body may be configured to transfer charge / power from a charging station to a vehicle, or from a vehicle to a charging station (or between two vehicles). The LED strip may include a plurality of LEDs that may be disposed on an outer surface of the charging cable body. The LED strip may be configured to emit light in a plurality of different modes. The system may also include a charger management unit ("unit") that may be configured to obtain charging information from at least one of the vehicle and the charging unit. In response to obtaining the charging information, the unit may be configured to select a mode from a plurality of modes, and may activate the LED strip in the selected mode to visually indicate charging information to a user.

[0005] In some aspects, the charging information may include, but is not limited to, the charging direction (e.g., whether charge is transferred from the vehicle to the charging station or from the charging station to the vehicle), the current vehicle state of charge (SoC) level, the charging speed, charging fault information (e.g., the type of fault if there is a fault while charging the vehicle), the charging rate, etc.

[0006] In some aspects, the unit may retrieve / obtain from a memory a mapping of a plurality of modes to a plurality of light illumination patterns associated with LEDs included in the LED stripe. In response to retrieving / obtaining the mapping, the unit may determine the light illumination pattern associated with the selected mode, and may activate the LED stripe in the selected mode based on the determined light illumination pattern.

[0007] In further aspects, the unit may be configured to obtain input from an external device and may control the LED strip operation based on the obtained input. The external device may include, but is not limited to, a proximity sensor, a user device, a third-party device, etc. In some aspects, the unit may obtain user preferences and may control the LED strip operation based on the user preferences.

[0008] The present disclosure discloses a system that provides a user with a visual indication associated with charging information, which can enable the user to conveniently understand the vehicle charging status. For example, the system can provide a visual indication when there may be a fault in charging the vehicle, or can indicate the current SOC level. In addition, the system can illuminate the charging line, which can enable the user to clearly see / view the charging line and thus prevent the user from tripping (e.g., at night).

[0009] These and other advantages of the present disclosure are provided in detail herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and / or components other than those shown in the accompanying drawings, and some elements and / or components may not be present in various embodiments. The elements and / or components in the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, singular and plural terms may be used interchangeably, depending on the context.

[0011] Figure 1 An environment is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented.

[0012] Figure 2 A block diagram of a charging system according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0013] Figure 3A and Figure 3B Depicted are visual indications associated with a charging fault in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Depicted are visual indications associated with charging direction in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Depicted are visual indicators associated with vehicle state of charge (SoC) levels in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 6 Depicted are visual indicators associated with vehicle SoC levels and charging rates in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 7 Depicted is a flow chart of a method for providing a visual indication associated with charging information in accordance with the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the disclosure are shown and which are not intended to be limiting.

[0019] Figure 1 An exemplary environment 100 is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented. Environment 100 may include a vehicle 105, which may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Vehicle 105 may take the form of any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as an SUV, a car, a crossover, a van, a minivan, a bus, a truck, etc. In addition, vehicle 105 may be a manually driven vehicle and / or may be configured to operate in a partially or fully autonomous mode. In other aspects, vehicle 105 may be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). When vehicle 105 is a PHEV, vehicle 105 may be equipped with an internal combustion engine, which may be employed alone or in combination with other energy sources to propel vehicle 105.

[0020] The vehicle 105 may include a traction battery or battery pack (not shown) that can provide energy for vehicle propulsion. The battery can be charged by an external power source 110. The external power source 110 can be a charging point / unit (hereinafter referred to as a charging station 110). The charging station 110 can be connected to a connection device 115, which can connect the charging station 110 and the vehicle 105. The connection device 115 may include a charging line 120, which may include a light emitting diode (LED) strip having a plurality of LEDs, and the plurality of LEDs may be configured to emit light in a variety of modes. The connection device 115 may also include a charging coupler 125, which can be inserted into the vehicle 105 to support vehicle charging. In some aspects, power can be transferred from the charging station 110 to the vehicle 105 via the charging line 120 and the charging coupler 125.

[0021] Although Figure 1 One aspect is depicted in which the charging coupler 125 is connected / associated with the charging station 110 , but in some aspects, the charging coupler 125 may be connected / associated with an off-board system (e.g., an electrical grid, a home appliance, another vehicle, etc.). If the off-board system is another vehicle, the vehicle 105 may be charged via the charging coupler 125 , which enables energy to be transferred from the other vehicle to the vehicle 105 .

[0022] When the user 130 desires to charge the vehicle 105, the user 130 may plug the charging coupler 125 into a vehicle connector (not shown) located in the vehicle 105. The vehicle connector may include a plurality of vehicle charger pins that may be configured to receive power from the charging coupler 125, thereby enabling vehicle charging. In some aspects, the vehicle connector may be a bidirectional connector and may be configured to transfer power from the vehicle 105 to an off-board system. In a similar manner, the charging coupler 125 may be a bidirectional connector that may receive power from the vehicle 105 and may transfer power from the vehicle 105 to an off-board system.

[0023] In some aspects, the charging station 110 may be a publicly available electrified vehicle charging station that may belong to a third party. The charging station 110 may be configured to supply alternating current (AC) power or direct current (DC) power to the vehicle 105. DC power can enable rapid charging of the vehicle battery. In other words, DC power can provide sufficient charge to the vehicle battery in a relatively short duration (e.g., 50% in 10 to 15 minutes). In some aspects, the vehicle 105 may include a power converter (not shown), such as an AC to DC converter, a DC to DC converter, and the like. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that an AC to DC converter can be used to convert AC power from the charging station 110 into DC power that can be supplied to the vehicle battery. In addition, a DC to DC converter can be used to convert a first DC voltage into a second DC voltage for different vehicle functions.

[0024] Environment 100 may also include a charging system (in Figure 2 In some aspects, the charging system can be attached to the charging station 110. In other aspects, the charging system can be a part of the charging station 110. In additional aspects, a portion of the charging system can be a part of the charging station 110. The charging system can be connected to one or more external devices via one or more networks, such as a user device (not shown) associated with the user 130, a third party device (e.g., Amazon TM Alexa TM ), servers, etc. The server may be associated with a third-party company or operator that may manage the operation of the charging station.

[0025] The network described above illustrates an example communication infrastructure in which the connected devices discussed in various embodiments of the present disclosure may communicate. The network may be and / or include the Internet, a private network, a public network, or other configurations operating using any one or more known communication protocols, such as, for example, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.11, and cellular technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPDA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and Fifth Generation (5G), to name a few examples.

[0026] The charging system may be configured to obtain charging information associated with at least one of the vehicle 105 and the charging station 110. In response to obtaining the charging information, the system may select an operating mode associated with an LED strip (associated with the charging cord 120), and may select the operating mode to activate the LED strip to provide a visual indication associated with the charging information to the user 130. In some aspects, the charging information may include, but is not limited to, the charging direction (e.g., whether charge is transferred from the vehicle 105 to the charging station 110 or from the charging station 110 to the vehicle 105), the current vehicle state of charge (SoC) level, the charging speed, charging fault information (e.g., if there is a fault while charging the vehicle 105, the type of fault), the charging rate, etc.

[0027] As an example, the charging system may obtain charging fault information (which may be part of the charging information) and may determine the fault type based on the obtained information. In response to determining the fault type, the charging system may select a mode associated with the fault type and may illuminate the LED strip based on the fault type. For example, the charging system may illuminate the LED strip in a predefined color (such as red) to visually indicate the fault type to the user 130.

[0028] In another example, the charging system can obtain information associated with the state of charge (SoC) level from the vehicle 105 and can illuminate the LED strip so that the LED strip can visually indicate the SoC level. For example, the charging system can illuminate half the length of the line to indicate a 50% SoC level to the user 130. Details of the system are described below in conjunction with subsequent figures.

[0029] The vehicle 105 , user 130 , and charging system implement and / or perform operations as described herein in this disclosure in accordance with the owner's manual and safety guidelines.

[0030] Figure 2 1 depicts a block diagram of an example charging system 200 according to the present disclosure. The charging system 200 (hereinafter referred to as system 200) may include a charging line 202 and a charging management unit 204 communicatively coupled to the charging line 202. The charging line 202 may be combined with the above Figure 1The charging cord 202 may be configured to transfer charge / power from the charging station 110 to the vehicle 105 or from the vehicle 105 to the charging station 110 (or between two vehicles). As described above, the charging cord 202 may include an LED strip (described below) that may operate in a plurality of operating modes (“modes”), and the charging management unit 204 may be configured to select a mode from the plurality of modes and activate the LED strip in the selected mode.

[0031] In some aspects, the charging cable 202 may include a charging cable body 206, which may include a copper / ground wire 208 (also including insulation), such as Figure 2 The copper / ground wire 208 may be enclosed by a sheath 212 , which may be part of the charging cable body 206 .

[0032] As described above, the charging cable 202 may also include an LED strip 214, which may be disposed at the outer surface of the charging cable body. In some aspects, the LED strip 214 may include a plurality of LEDs (e.g., discrete LEDs). In an exemplary aspect, the LED strip 214 may include red, green, and blue (RGB) LEDs. The LED strip 214 may be configured to operate or emit light in a variety of modes. The LED strip 214 may be disposed along the entire length of the charging cable body and may provide visual indications over the entire length of the charging cable body. In some aspects, the LED strip 214 may be configured to cover the entire circumference of the charging cable body. In other aspects, the LED strip 214 may be configured to partially cover the circumference of the charging cable body.

[0033] The charging cable 202 may also include a housing 216, which may be configured to enclose the charging cable body 206 and the LED strip 214. The LED strip 214 may be disposed between the charging cable body 206 and the housing 216. Additionally, as described above, the LED strip 214 may be disposed within the housing 216 along the entire length of the charging cable body. The housing 216 may be an outer layer, which may be made of any material, including but not limited to silicone, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyl, and the like.

[0034] As described above, the system 200 may include a charge management unit 204 that may be communicatively coupled to the LED strip 214. In some aspects, the charge management unit 204 may include a transceiver 218, a processor 220, and a memory 222, which may be communicatively coupled to one another. The memory 222 may be configured to store a mapping of a plurality of operating modes associated with the LED strip 214 and a plurality of light illumination patterns associated with a plurality of LEDs included in the LED strip 214. The plurality of light illumination patterns include at least one of: an LED color, an LED brightness or illumination level, an LED pulse pattern, an LED pulse pattern speed, a count of LEDs to be illuminated in the LED strip 214, and the like.

[0035] The processor 220 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (e.g., memory 222 and / or Figure 2 The processor 220 may utilize the memory 222 to store programs and / or store data in code form to perform various aspects of the present disclosure. The memory 222 may be a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores charging management program code. The memory 222 may include any one or a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.), and may include any one or more non-volatile memory elements (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.).

[0036] The transceiver 218 may be configured to receive information / input from one or more devices or systems. For example, the transceiver 218 may be configured to receive charging information from the charging station 110 and / or the vehicle 105 at a predefined frequency. In some aspects, the transceiver 218 may receive charging information when the charging station 110 may be attached to the vehicle 105 via the charging cable 202. As described above, the charging information may include, but is not limited to, the charging direction (e.g., whether the charge is transferred from the vehicle 105 to the charging station 110 or from the charging station 110 to the vehicle 105), the vehicle SoC level, the charging speed, the charging fault information (e.g., the charging fault type), the charging rate, etc. In other aspects, the transceiver 218 may be configured to receive charging information from user devices and third-party devices (e.g., Amazon TM Alexa TM ) obtain input. The input may include user instructions / preferences associated with the operation of the LED strip.

[0037] In operation, when charging station 110 may be attached to vehicle 105 via charging cable 202, processor 220 may obtain charging information from transceiver 218. In response to obtaining the charging information, processor 220 may select a mode (e.g., a first mode) from a plurality of modes associated with LED strip 214 based on the obtained charging information to optimally operate LED strip 214. Processor 220 may then activate LED strip 214 in the first mode (or selected mode). In some aspects, when LED strip 214 is operated in the first mode, LED strip 214 may be configured to visually indicate charging information associated with at least one of vehicle 105 and charging station 110.

[0038] In some aspects, the processor 220 may also be configured to obtain / retrieve a mapping of the plurality of modes to the plurality of light illumination patterns from the memory 222. In response to obtaining the mapping, the processor 220 may determine (from the plurality of illumination patterns) a light illumination pattern associated with the first mode for the plurality of LEDs included in the LED strip 214 based on the mapping. The processor 220 may then activate the LED strip 214 in the first mode based on the determined light illumination pattern to provide a visual indication associated with the selected / first mode. Details of the visual indications associated with different scenes / modes are described below in conjunction with subsequent figures.

[0039] Figure 3A and Figure 3B An example visual indication associated with a charging fault according to the present disclosure is depicted. As described above, processor 220 may obtain charging information (with charging fault information) from charging station 110 and / or vehicle 105. In response to obtaining the charging information, processor 220 may determine a fault in charging vehicle 105 based on the charging information. Processor 220 may then select a mode (e.g., a first mode) from a plurality of modes of LED strip 214 based on the fault determination.

[0040] In additional aspects, in response to determining that there may be a fault with charging the vehicle 105, the processor 220 can determine a type of fault based on the charging information. In some aspects, the processor 220 can select a first mode based on the determined type of fault. In response to selecting the first mode, the processor 220 can activate the LED strip 214 in a first mode to visually indicate the fault (and the determined type of fault).

[0041] In some aspects, processor 220 may determine that a charging failure may have occurred due to charging station 110 based on the obtained charging information. In response to determining that a failure may have occurred due to charging station 110, processor 220 may select a mode (e.g., a second mode) associated with a failure occurring due to charging station 110. In response to the second mode selection, processor 220 may identify an LED lighting pattern associated with the second mode (e.g., by using a mapping stored in memory 222). Processor 220 may then cause LED strip 214 to illuminate in the second mode so that LED strip 214 may indicate to user 130 that there may be a failure in charging station 110. For example, processor 220 may cause LED strip 214 to emit light in a predefined color (and intensity) (e.g., red) to visually indicate to user 130 that the failure may be due to charging station 110, such as Figure 3A In some aspects, the processor 220 can activate the LED over the entire length of the charging line to indicate a fault. In other aspects, the processor 220 can cause the LED to emit a flashing red light to visually indicate a fault in the charging station 110.

[0042] In another aspect, processor 220 may determine that a proximity / pilot fault may exist based on the obtained charging information. In such a scenario, processor 220 may cause LED strip 214 to emit light in another color (e.g., orange (as an example)) to visually indicate to user 130 that a proximity / pilot fault may have occurred, such as Figure 3B Similar to the above aspect, also in this aspect, the processor 220 can activate the LED throughout the length of the charging cable to indicate the fault to the user 130. In another aspect, the processor 220 can cause the LED to emit a flashing orange light to visually indicate the fault.

[0043] In an additional aspect, the processor 220 may determine that there may be a problem with the connection of the charging coupler 125 and the vehicle connector based on the obtained charging information. In such a case, the processor 220 may illuminate the LED strip 214 in a predefined pattern to visually indicate to the user 130 that the user 130 may not have properly connected the charging coupler 125.

[0044] The above-described LED lighting patterns / colors are exemplary in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Processor 220 may cause LED strip 214 to illuminate in any other lighting pattern or color without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Depicted is an example visual indication associated with charging direction according to the present disclosure. Figure 2As described, charging cable 202 (eg, charging cable body 206) may be configured to transfer charge from charging station 110 to vehicle 105, or from vehicle 105 to charging station 110 (or between two vehicles). Also, as described above, the charging information may include a charging direction.

[0046] Figure 4A depicts a scenario in which charge may be transferred from charging station 110 to vehicle 105, and Figure 4B A scenario is depicted in which charge may be transferred from vehicle 105 to charging station 110. In some aspects, processor 220 may obtain information associated with a charging direction from charging station 110 and / or vehicle 105 (e.g., from charging information). In response to obtaining the charging direction, processor 220 may select a mode (e.g., a third mode) for LED strip 214 based on the charging direction, and may select the third mode to activate LED strip 214 to visually indicate the charging direction to user 130.

[0047] In some aspects, in response to the third mode selection, the processor 220 may identify a lighting pattern associated with the third mode by using a mapping stored in the memory 222. The processor 220 may then cause the LED strip 214 to illuminate in the determined lighting pattern so that the LED strip 214 may indicate the charging direction. In some aspects, the LED strip 214 may emit a predefined color (at a predefined intensity) to indicate that there is a charge transfer via the charging line 202, and a pulse pattern may be generated using a plurality of LEDs included in the LED strip 214 to indicate the charging direction. For example, when charge may be being transferred from the charging station 110 to the vehicle 105 (e.g., Figure 4A ), LED strip 214 may indicate a flow of light pulses from charging station 110 toward vehicle 105. Similarly, when charge may be being transferred from vehicle 105 to charging station 110 (as shown in FIG. Figure 4B ), LED strip 214 may indicate a stream of light pulses from vehicle 105 toward charging station 110. In further aspects, processor 220 may obtain information associated with a charging rate (e.g., an amount of charge added per unit time) from the charging information, and may cause an animation via a plurality of LEDs to visually indicate the charging rate to user 130. When the charging rate may be low, the animation may move at a first speed, and when the charging rate may be high, the animation may move at a second speed.

[0048] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Depicted are example visual indicators associated with vehicle state of charge (SoC) levels according to the present disclosure. In some aspects, Figure 5A depicts a scenario in which charge may be being transferred from charging station 110 to vehicle 105, and Figure 5BA scenario is depicted in which charge may be being transferred from vehicle 105 to charging station 110 .

[0049] Processor 220 may obtain information associated with a current SoC level of the vehicle battery (e.g., from charging information that processor 220 may obtain from vehicle 105). In response to obtaining the current SoC level, processor 220 may select a mode (e.g., the fourth mode) based on the determined current SoC level, and may activate LED strip 214 in the selected mode to visually indicate the current SoC level.

[0050] In some aspects, in response to the fourth mode selection, the processor 220 may identify a lighting pattern associated with the fourth mode by using a mapping stored in the memory 222. The processor 220 may then cause the LED strip 214 to illuminate with the determined lighting pattern so that the LED strip 214 may indicate the current SoC level to the user 130.

[0051] For example, processor 220 may cause LED strip 214 to activate a set or predetermined LED count to indicate the current SoC level. The LED count may correspond to the current SoC level. For example, when the current SoC level may be 50%, LED strip 214 may illuminate LEDs located in half of the length of the charging line. In another aspect, processor 220 may cause LED strip 214 to emit different colors of light based on the current SoC level. For example, when the SoC level may be 50%, LED strip 214 may emit blue light in half of the length of the charging line, and when the SoC level may be 100%, green light may be emitted in the entire length of the charging line.

[0052] In some aspects, processor 220 may also obtain the charging direction and may combine the visual indication associated with the current SoC level with the visual indication associated with the charging direction to illuminate LED strip 214. When charge may be being transferred from charging station 110 to vehicle 105, processor 220 may illuminate (or cause to illuminate) a first group of LEDs / first LED count in a predetermined lighting pattern near charging station 110, such as Figure 5A . The first LED count may correspond to the current SoC level. In this manner, user 130 may get a visual indication showing that charge may be being transferred from charging station 110 to vehicle 105 and that the current SoC level may be 50% (e.g., when half of the length of the charging cable may be illuminated). In a similar manner, processor 220 may illuminate (or cause to illuminate) a second set of LEDs / second LED counts near vehicle 105 when charge may be being transferred from vehicle 105 to charging station 110, such as Figure 5BThe second count of the LEDs may correspond to the current SoC level or “remaining” SoC level in the vehicle 105 .

[0053] In some aspects, when charge may be being transferred from the charging station 110 to the vehicle 105, the LED strip 214 may indicate the percentage of vehicle charge (e.g., whether the vehicle 105 is 50% charged, 75% charged, etc.) by emitting different colors of light and illuminating a particular length of the charging line from a first line side / end. On the other hand, when charge may be being transferred from the vehicle 105 to the charging station 110, the LED strip 214 may indicate the percentage of charge remaining or remaining in the vehicle 105 (e.g., the remaining vehicle SoC level) by emitting different colors of light and illuminating a particular length of the charging line from a second line side / end (which may be opposite the first line side / end). In this manner, the charging line 202 may visually indicate the vehicle charging status in two scenarios: for example, when charge may be being transferred from the charging station 110 to the vehicle 105, and vice versa.

[0054] Figure 6 Depicted are example visual indications associated with a vehicle SoC level and a charging rate according to the present disclosure. As described above, the charging information may include a charging rate. The processor 220 may be configured to obtain the charging rate from the charging information, and may select / activate a mode of the LED strip 214 to visually indicate the charging rate via the LED strip 214. For example, the processor 220 may control the speed associated with the above-described animation to provide a visual indication associated with the charging rate to the user 130.

[0055] In some aspects, processor 220 may obtain charging information and may cause LED strip 214 to visually indicate multiple information simultaneously (e.g., SoC level, charging speed, charging direction, etc.). For example, processor 220 may cause LEDs included in LED strip 214 throughout the length of the charging line to illuminate at a first intensity (e.g., low intensity) to indicate that vehicle 105 may be charging (or that charge is being transferred via charging line 202). Additionally, processor 220 may cause LEDs in half the length of the charging line to illuminate at a second intensity (e.g., high intensity) to indicate the current SoC level. Additionally, processor 220 may cause LED strip 214 to visually indicate the charging direction, such as Figure 6 Using LED strip 214 to simultaneously display different charging information can help user 130 get an overall view of the charging status.

[0056] In further aspects, processor 220 may be configured to determine information associated with a charging speed (e.g., whether vehicle 105 may be charging using a fast / DC charger) by using the charging information. In response to determining the charging speed, processor 220 may cause LED strip 214 to visually indicate such charging speed information. For example, when vehicle 105 may be connected to a DC charger, LED strip 214 may emit light in a predetermined color (e.g., purple). In a similar manner, by illuminating LED strip 214 in different modes (simultaneously), LED strip 214 may visually indicate different information, such as information associated with a safety mode, a hands-free charging mode, etc.

[0057] In additional aspects, processor 220 can be configured to obtain input / user preferences from an external device (e.g., via transceiver 218). In response to obtaining the input / user preferences, processor 220 can operate LED strip 214 in one or more different operating modes. In an exemplary aspect, the external device can be a user device, a third-party device, a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, etc.

[0058] For example, the processor 220 may obtain a user preference associated with an LED color to indicate different SoC levels, and may illuminate the LEDs included in the LED strip 214 based on the color of the user preference. Similarly, the processor 220 may receive a user preference to keep the LEDs off at night. In addition, the processor 220 may receive one or more LED strip operation instructions from a third-party device, and may control the LED strip operation based on the received instructions. For example, the processor 220 may receive an instruction to reduce the intensity of the LED strip 214 from a user device / third-party device. In response to receiving the instruction, the processor 220 may cause the LED strip 214 to reduce the intensity. In another example, the processor 220 may obtain input from a proximity sensor or a motion sensor (e.g., when the user 130 may be near the charging line 202), and may illuminate the LED strip 214 in a predefined pattern to enable the user 130 to see the charging line 202, and thus prevent adverse conditions caused by tripping based on the obtained input.

[0059] In further aspects, when a first vehicle may be connected to a second vehicle for vehicle-to-vehicle charging (and the first vehicle may be connected to the second vehicle via the charging system 200), the processor 220 may be configured to obtain charging information from the first vehicle (e.g., vehicle 105) and the second vehicle. In response to obtaining the charging information, the processor 220 may be configured to select / activate a mode of the LED strip 214 based on the charging information, and may visually indicate the charging information. For example, the LED strip 214 may illuminate in the manner described above to show the charging direction.

[0060] Figure 7 A flow chart of an example method 700 for providing a visual indication associated with charging information according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figures 1 to 6 ) to describe Figure 7 The following process is exemplary and is not limited to the steps described below. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer steps than shown or described herein, and may include the steps in an order different from the order described in the example embodiments below.

[0061] At step 702, method 700 may start. At step 704, method 700 may include obtaining, by processor 220, charging information associated with at least one of charging station 110 and vehicle 105. Figure 1 An example of charging information is described.

[0062] At step 706, method 700 may include selecting, by processor 220, a mode from a plurality of modes associated with LED strip 214 based on the charging information. For example, processor 220 may select a first mode when there may be a fault in charging station 110, may select a second mode when vehicle 105 may be connected to a DC charger (e.g., for fast charging), and so on.

[0063] At step 708 , method 700 may include activating, by processor 220 , LED strip 214 based on the selected mode. In the selected mode, LED strip 214 may visually indicate to user 130 charging information associated with vehicle 105 and / or charging station 110 .

[0064] At step 710 , method 700 may stop.

[0065] In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of the above disclosure, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc. in this specification indicate that the described embodiment may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but each embodiment may not necessarily include the specific features, structures, or characteristics. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when features, structures, or characteristics are described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not explicitly described, those skilled in the art will recognize such features, structures, or characteristics in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0066] In addition, where appropriate, the functions described herein may be performed in one or more of the following: hardware, software, firmware, digital components, or analog components. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) may be programmed to perform one or more of the systems and programs described herein. Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to specific system components. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, components may be referred to by different names. This document is not intended to distinguish between components that have different names but the same function.

[0067] It should also be understood that the word "example" as used herein is intended to be non-exclusive and non-limiting in nature. More specifically, the word "example" used herein indicates one of several examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is placed on the specific example described.

[0068] Computer-readable media (also referred to as processor-readable media) include any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) media that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such media may take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. A computing device may include computer-executable instructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or more computing devices (such as those listed above) and stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0069] With respect to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes may be practiced by performing the described steps in an order different from the order described herein. It should also be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, other steps may be added, or certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting the claims.

[0070] Therefore, it should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Upon reading the above description, many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided will be apparent. The scope should not be determined with reference to the above description, but should be determined with reference to the entire scope of the appended claims and equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is expected and anticipated that the technology discussed herein will develop in the future, and the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In short, it should be understood that the present application is capable of modification and change.

[0071] Unless explicitly indicated to the contrary in this article, all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meanings as understood by the skilled person described herein. Specifically, unless the claim states an explicit limitation to the contrary, the use of singular articles such as "one", "the", "said" and the like should be interpreted as describing one or more of the indicated elements. Unless otherwise specifically stated or understood in other ways within the context when used, conditional language such as, in particular, "can", "may", "can" or "may" is generally intended to express that certain embodiments may include certain features, elements and / or steps, while other embodiments may not include certain features, elements and / or steps. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments require each feature, element and / or step in any way.

[0072] According to an embodiment, the external device comprises a user device.

[0073] According to the present invention, a charging system is provided, which has: a charging cable body; a light emitting diode (LED) strip, the LED strip including a plurality of LEDs arranged around the charging cable body, wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in a plurality of modes; and a processor, the processor being communicatively coupled to the LED strip, wherein the processor is configured to: obtain charging information associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station; determine a charging fault type associated with a fault when charging the vehicle based on the charging information; select a first mode from the plurality of modes based on the charging fault type; and activate the LED strip in the first mode, wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging fault type in the first mode.

[0074] According to an embodiment, the processor is further configured to: obtain a mapping of the multiple modes to a plurality of light illumination patterns, wherein the plurality of light illumination patterns include at least one of: LED color, LED brightness, LED pulse pattern, LED pulse pattern speed, and LED count to be illuminated in the LED strip; determine a light illumination pattern associated with the first mode based on the mapping; and start the LED strip in the first mode based on the light illumination pattern.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the invention is also characterized by a housing configured to enclose the charging cable body and the LED strip, wherein the LED strip is disposed within the housing along the length of the charging cable body.

[0076] According to the present invention, a method for indicating charging information includes: obtaining, by a processor, charging information associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station; selecting, by the processor, a first mode from a plurality of modes associated with a light emitting diode (LED) strip based on the charging information; and activating, by the processor, the LED strip in the first mode, wherein the LED strip includes a plurality of LEDs disposed at an outer surface of a charging cord body of a charging system, wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in the plurality of modes, and wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging information associated with at least one of the vehicle and the charging station in the first mode.

Claims

1. A charging system, comprising: Charging cable body; a light emitting diode (LED) strip, the LED strip comprising a plurality of LEDs disposed about the charging cord body, wherein the LED strip is configured to emit light in a plurality of patterns; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the LED strip, wherein the processor is configured to: obtaining charging information associated with at least one of a vehicle and a charging station; selecting a first mode from among the plurality of modes based on the charging information; and The LED strip is activated in the first mode, wherein the LED strip is configured to visually indicate the charging information associated with at least one of the vehicle and the charging station in the first mode.

2. The charging system of claim 1, further comprising a housing configured to enclose the charging cable body and the LED strip.

3. The charging system of claim 2, wherein the LED strip is disposed within the housing along a length of the charging cable body.

4. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtaining a mapping of the plurality of modes to a plurality of light illumination patterns, wherein the plurality of light illumination patterns comprises at least one of: LED color, LED brightness, LED pulse pattern, LED pulse pattern speed, and a count of LEDs to be illuminated in the LED strip; determining a light illumination pattern associated with the first mode based on the mapping; and The LED stripe is activated in the first mode based on the light illumination pattern.

5. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: determining a failure in charging the vehicle based on the charging information; and The first mode is selected based on a fault determination.

6. The charging system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a charging fault type based on the charging information in response to determining the fault, and wherein the processor selects the first mode based on the charging fault type.

7. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the charging cable body is configured to transfer charge from the charging station to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the charging station.

8. The charging system of claim 7, wherein the charging information includes a charging direction, and wherein the charging direction indicates whether the charge is transferred from the charging station to the vehicle or from the vehicle to the charging station.

9. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the charging information includes a current state of charge (SoC) level of the vehicle.

10. The charging system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: when the charge is transferred from the charging station to the vehicle, illuminating a first group of LEDs of the plurality of LEDs in the first pattern, wherein illumination of the first group of LEDs is based on the current SoC level; and When the charge is transferred from the vehicle to the charging station, a second group of LEDs of the plurality of LEDs are illuminated in the first pattern, wherein the illumination of the second group of LEDs is based on the current SoC level.

11. The charging system of claim 10, wherein the first set of LEDs is proximate the charging station and the second set of LEDs is proximate the vehicle.

12. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the charging information includes a charging speed.

13. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the charging information includes a charging rate.

14. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtain input from an external device; and Illumination of one or more LEDs of the plurality of LEDs is controlled based on the input.

15. The charging system of claim 14, wherein the external device comprises a motion sensor.

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