Charging control method using vehicle-to-load (V2L) function

Abstract

The invention relates to a charge control method using a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function. In an embodiment, an embodiment of a charge control method includes determining, by a charge controller, whether electrical coupling of a vehicle unit of a vehicle with a ground unit of a ground device is completed; checking, by the charge controller, whether to perform DC charging or AC charging based on completion of the electrical coupling; and providing V2L discharge function electricity by controlling, by the charge controller, an on-board charger for AC charging or a junction box for DC charging based on the check.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a charging control technology, and more specifically, to a charging control method that enables real-time use of vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality while charging an electric vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, vehicle-to-load (V2L) communication for electric vehicles offers the advantage of being able to use the vehicle's electrical energy anytime, anywhere. Therefore, even outdoors, as long as the vehicle supports V2L functionality, anyone can easily connect the V2L connector to the vehicle's charging port and use electrical loads such as household appliances or tools.

[0003] However, when the V2L function is overused, the high-voltage battery's state of charge becomes insufficient, severely limiting vehicle movement. This causes inconvenience and anxiety for users.

[0004] For example, it can be very difficult for a user to get home if they move to an outdoor campsite far from home and their high-voltage battery is undercharged due to overuse of vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Various embodiments of this disclosure are proposed to address the above-mentioned problems and are intended to provide a control method for charging a vehicle when using a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function.

[0006] In addition, various embodiments of this disclosure aim to provide a charging control method that can solve the inconvenience and anxiety caused by using V2L functionality.

[0007] To implement these embodiments, this disclosure provides a charging control method for charging a vehicle when using V2L functionality.

[0008] The charging control method includes: determining, via a charging controller, whether the docking (also referred to as electrical connection or connection) between the ground unit and the vehicle unit of the automatic charging device is completed; upon completion of docking, checking via the charging controller whether it is DC charging or AC charging; and, based on whether the result of the check is DC charging or AC charging, controlling via the charging controller the on-board charger for AC charging or the junction box for DC charging to use the V2L function.

[0009] In addition, the control includes: in the case of AC charging, operating the on-board charger to a charging mode for charging the battery via the charging controller, and operating the junction box to a disconnected state.

[0010] In addition, the AC power supplied by the vehicle unit can be provided to the on-board charger located in the AC charging current path and the manual charging unit located in the V2L discharging current path.

[0011] Additionally, the disconnected state prevents electrical connections between the manual charging unit and the battery, as well as between the vehicle unit and the battery.

[0012] In addition, the control includes: in the case of DC charging, operating the on-board charger to discharge mode and operating the junction box to be in the on state via the charging controller.

[0013] In addition, the DC power supplied through the vehicle unit is only supplied to the junction box located on the DC charging current path.

[0014] In addition, the charging controller uses the on-board charger to convert the DC power from the battery into AC power, and supplies the converted AC power to the manual charging unit located on the V2L discharge current path.

[0015] Additionally, the ON state connects the vehicle unit to the battery electrically.

[0016] In addition, when not charging, the charging controller keeps the junction box in the disconnected state.

[0017] Additionally, the control includes: determining whether AC charging or DC charging is complete via the charging controller; and releasing the docking between the ground unit and the vehicle unit via the charging controller when AC charging or DC charging is complete.

[0018] In addition, the ground unit can be a discrete type that is connected to the off-vehicle charger via a cable, or an integrated embedded type that is integrated with the off-vehicle charger and embedded in the ground.

[0019] In addition, determining whether AC charging or DC charging is complete includes: using the charging controller to determine whether the docking was successful or failed based on a preset number of docking retries.

[0020] According to this disclosure, users can use the V2L function in real time while charging.

[0021] In addition, this disclosure can improve the convenience of charging for users and / or the productivity of vehicles.

[0022] In addition, according to this disclosure, the embedded ground unit (GU) with integrated charger installed at outdoor campsites can provide users with a new user experience (UX) / user interface (UI). Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the configuration of an electric vehicle charging system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram showing the configuration of vehicle charging equipment in an electric vehicle.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a view illustrating an operational concept of AC charging in a vehicle using an automatic charging device (ACD) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a view illustrating an operational concept of DC charging using an ACD in a vehicle according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 5 and Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a charging control method using vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0028] Figure 7 This is an operational flowchart illustrating the charging communication sequence between an off-board charger, a ground unit, a vehicle unit, and a charging controller according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The above-described objects, features, and advantages will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and thus those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains will be able to readily implement the technical spirit of this disclosure. In describing this disclosure, detailed descriptions of known technologies related to this disclosure will be omitted where it is determined that such detailed descriptions may unnecessarily obscure the main points of this disclosure.

[0030] In the following description, exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same or similar parts.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an electric vehicle charging system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. (Refer to...) Figure 1 The electric vehicle charging system 100 may include a charging device 110 for receiving power from a power source 10 and providing charging power, and a vehicle 120 for receiving charging power from the charging device 110. In this case, the power source 10 may be an AC power grid, and the vehicle 120 may be an electric vehicle. The power source 10 supplies a voltage of 110V or 220V.

[0032] The charging device 110 may be an electric vehicle charging device (EVSE). Therefore, the charging device 110 may include an off-board charger 111, a controller 112, etc. In this case, the charging device 110 may include a ground unit (GU) 113 for supporting an automatic connection method. Specifically, the automatic connection method may be an automatic charging device-underbody (ACD-U).

[0033] The ground unit 113 is a separate unit configured separately from the off-board charger 111 and connected by a cable. Alternatively, the ground unit 113 can be an integrated embedded unit that is integrated with the off-board charger 111 and embedded in the ground.

[0034] The off-board charger 111 can be used to receive AC power from the power source 10, convert the AC power into charging power, and supply charging power to the vehicle. The off-board charger 111 can be a bidirectional charger. For this purpose, a rectifier, DC power supply, etc., can be configured.

[0035] The controller 112 can be used to control the off-board charger 111. For this purpose, the controller 112 may include a microprocessor, a microcomputer, communication circuitry, memory, a display, and input devices. The display may be a touchscreen, etc. Therefore, both input and output devices are feasible. Of course, the input device may be a button, a microphone, etc.

[0036] When charging is performed using an automatic connection method, ground unit 113 can be docked / electrically connected to vehicle unit (VU) (not shown) mounted on the bottom of vehicle 120.

[0037] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle charging equipment 200 in the electric vehicle 120. (Refer to...) Figure 2 The vehicle charging device 200 may include a manual charging unit 210, a vehicle unit 220, a charging controller 230, a junction box 240, an on-board charger 250, etc.

[0038] The manual charging unit 210 can be connected to the charging connector of the charging device 110 to send charging power and / or control signals. The manual charging unit 210 may include a Combined Charging System 1 (CCS1) type charging port, a CCS2 type charging port, and / or a North American Charging Standard (NACS) type charging port. Of course, the shape of the manual charging unit 210 can vary depending on whether slow charging or fast charging is required.

[0039] The manual charging unit 210 may have multiple terminals (not shown) that are fixed to a number of pins (not shown) formed on the charging connector of the charging device 110. Of course, the pins and terminals may be formed differently depending on whether it is a CCS1 type, CCS2 type, or NACS type.

[0040] Although Figure 2 Although not explicitly shown, a detection block (not shown) may be provided to detect whether the charging connector (not shown) is correctly connected to the manual charging unit 210 and generate a detection signal. That is, when the charging connector is not correctly connected to the manual charging unit 210, the detection block can be used to detect this situation and send a detection signal to the charging controller 230.

[0041] In this case, the detection block can be implemented by measuring the distance difference between the charging connector and the manual charging unit 210 using a proximity sensor, infrared sensor, or similar method. Alternatively, the detection block can be implemented by detecting the minute current and voltage flow when the charging connector and the manual charging unit 210 are connected using a current sensor, voltage sensor, or similar method.

[0042] Vehicle unit 220 may be a unit installed on a vehicle to charge the vehicle's battery using an ACD and installed at the bottom of the vehicle to serve as a conventional manual charging port (side / front entrance). In this case, vehicle unit 220 can be connected to ground unit 113 via docking / electrical connection, which is mounted on the charging equipment. When ground unit 113 configured on automatic charging equipment 110 is connected to vehicle unit 220 configured on vehicle 120, charging power and / or control signals can be transmitted between charging equipment 110 and vehicle 120.

[0043] Therefore, the ground unit 113 and the vehicle unit 220 are components of the ACD, and the ACD-U can be used as the ACD.

[0044] The charging controller 230 can perform charging control via at least one of DC charging and AC charging.

[0045] In this configuration, the charging controller 230 can use signals received via the control pilot (CP), proximity detection (PD), and / or ground (GND) line to determine whether it is DC charging or AC charging. For example, the charging controller 230 can use the CP duty cycle to select between DC charging and AC charging.

[0046] In this case, the charging controller 230 can use CCS1, CCS2, or NACS type for charging control based on the detection signal. That is, the charging controller 230 can control the junction box 240 and / or the on-board charger 250 depending on whether the manual charging unit 210 is CCS1, CCS2, or NACS type.

[0047] Therefore, the charging controller 230 may include a microcomputer, a microprocessor, electronic circuits, communication circuits, a memory, etc. Additionally, the charging controller 230 may include a vehicle controller (not shown), which is a higher-level controller or can be communicatively connected to the vehicle controller to send and receive data.

[0048] The memory can be configured as non-volatile memory and / or volatile memory, such as solid-state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives, flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), phase-change RAM (PRAM), and magnetic RAM (MRAM), and volatile memory such as DRAM, synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), and double data rate SDRAM (DDR-SDRAM).

[0049] Junction box 240 can supply DC power to the battery (not shown) or prevent the supply of DC power to the battery.

[0050] The on-board charger 250 is installed in the vehicle 120 to receive AC power and convert it into DC power for charging. Electric vehicle charging is typically divided into slow charging and fast charging. Slow charging is the method of converting AC power into DC power to charge the battery.

[0051] In contrast, fast charging is a method that allows the battery to be charged directly using high DC voltage without the need for a car charger.

[0052] Of course, the on-board charger 250 can be a bidirectional charger. Therefore, the on-board charger 250 can operate in charging or discharging mode. For this purpose, the on-board charger 250 may include power factor correction (PFC), an AC-DC converter, a rectifier, etc.

[0053] Figure 3 This is a view illustrating an operational concept when using ACD 113 and 220 for AC charging in a vehicle according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. (Refer to...) Figure 3 AC power lines 301 and 302 include L1 line 301 and N line 302 for AC power, and DC power lines 303 and 304 include DC- line 303 and DC+ line 304.

[0054] Of course, although Figure 3 It is not explicitly shown, but there are CP lines, PD lines and PE (i.e., GND) lines, which are connected to the charging controller 230 through the manual charging unit 210 and the vehicle unit 220.

[0055] The manual charging unit 210 includes a peripheral charging door 310-1 and a peripheral charging port 310-2, and the peripheral charging door 310-1 is used to open or close the peripheral charging port 310-2 in an open-close manner. Of course, when a contact sensor (not shown in the figure) is installed on the peripheral charging door 310-1 and is opened or closed, the open or closed state can be sent to the charging controller 230.

[0056] The peripheral charging door 310-1 and peripheral charging port 310-2 can be formed on the front surface, rear surface, side surface, etc. of the vehicle. A charging connector (not shown) is connected to the peripheral charging port 310-2.

[0057] The types of charging connectors and charging ports commonly used are shown in the table below.

[0058] Table 1

[0059] L1 AC power L2 / N AC power CP Control Pilot PD Proximity detection PE Grounding DC+ Electricity supply (+) DC- Power supply (-)

[0060] Reference Figure 3 The vehicle unit 220 includes a lower charging door 350-1 and a lower charging port 350-2, and the lower charging door 350-1 is used to open or close the lower charging port 350-2 in an opening and closing manner.

[0061] Junction box 240 is disposed between manual charging unit 210 / vehicle unit 220 and battery 310 to supply DC power to battery 310 or block the supply of DC power. For this purpose, junction box 240 has a first wiring switch element 341 and a second wiring switch element 342 formed parallel to each other.

[0062] That is, the first wiring switch element 341 is connected to the DC+ line 304, and the second wiring switch element 342 is connected to the DC- line 303. The first wiring switch element 341 and the second wiring switch element 342 are mainly used as power relays. Therefore, the first wiring switch element 341 and the second wiring switch element 342 include a contact portion 341-1 and a coil 341-2 formed as an operating contact portion 341-1.

[0063] Of course, semiconductor switching elements such as the following can be used as the first wiring switching element 341 and the second wiring switching element 342: field effect transistor (FET), metal oxide semiconductor FET (MOSFET), insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), power rectifier diode, thyristor, gate disconnectable (GTO) thyristor, alternating current transistor (TRIAC), silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), integrated circuit (IC), etc.

[0064] Specifically, as semiconductor devices, bipolar or power MOSFET devices can be used. Power MOSFET devices operate at high voltage and high current, and unlike ordinary MOSFETs, they have a double-diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (DMOS) structure.

[0065] The first wiring switch element 341 and the second wiring switch element 342 are connected to the charging controller 230 via a control line 305. Therefore, the first wiring switch element 341 and the second wiring switch element 342 perform on / off operations according to the on / off signals from the charging controller 230.

[0066] Reference Figure 3 The on-board charger 250 is disposed between the manual charging unit 210 / vehicle unit 220 and the battery 310 to convert AC power to DC power and supply DC power to or block the supply of DC power to the battery 310. For this purpose, an on / off switch element 361 may be configured at the input and / or output terminals of the on-board charger 250. Therefore, the on / off switch element 361 is used to conduct or block AC power or DC power through the operation of the on / off switch element 361.

[0067] Therefore, when using the ACD for AC charging, the on-board charger 250 operates only in the charging mode for charging the battery 310 and does not involve the use of the V2L function. That is, the AC power supplied by the ACD is supplied to both the external charging port 310-1 located on the V2L discharge current path and the on-board charger 250 on the AC charging current path.

[0068] Therefore, AC power can be supplied to household appliances through the V2L connector (not shown) connected to the external charging port 310-1. Of course, the junction box 240 is operated to the disconnected state at this time. This disconnected state prevents electrical connection between the manual charging unit 210 and the battery 310, and between the vehicle unit 220 and the battery 310.

[0069] Battery 310 includes battery cells (not shown) configured in series and / or parallel, and the battery cells can be high-voltage battery cells for electric vehicles, such as nickel-metal hydride battery cells, lithium-ion battery cells, lithium polymer battery cells, lithium-sulfur battery cells, sodium-sulfur battery cells, and all-solid-state battery cells. Generally, a high-voltage battery refers to a battery used to power an electric vehicle and having a high voltage of 100V or higher. However, this disclosure is not limited to this; low-voltage batteries are also possible.

[0070] Of course, battery 310 may include a battery management system (BMS). A BMS improves energy efficiency and extends battery life by optimizing the management of electric vehicle batteries. By monitoring battery voltage, current, and temperature in real time, it prevents overcharging and discharging, thereby improving battery stability and reliability.

[0071] exist Figure 3 The text describes the application of ACD to charging and V2L functions when using CCS1 type vehicles, but it can be similarly applied to vehicles using CCS2 type and vehicles using NACS type.

[0072] Figure 4 This is a view illustrating an operational concept when DC charging is performed in a vehicle 120 using ACDs 113 and 220 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. (Refer to...) Figure 4 When using the V2L function during DC charging with ACD, the on-board charger 250 operates in discharge mode to utilize the V2L function. That is, the on-board charger 250 converts DC power from the battery 310 to AC power and releases the AC power to support the V2L function. Of course, the junction box 240 remains connected during this time. In this configuration, the junction box 240 electrically connects the vehicle unit 220 to the battery 310.

[0073] The DC power provided by vehicle unit 220 is supplied only to junction box 240 located on the DC charging current path. Of course, the DC power from battery 310 is converted into AC power by on-board charger 250 and supplied to manual charging unit 210 located on V2L discharge current path.

[0074] To understand, according to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The operating conditions of the vehicle charger 250 and junction box 240 are summarized as follows.

[0075] Table 2

[0076] part AC charging DC charging Car charger Charge Discharge Junction Box disconnect Connect

[0077] Figure 5 and Figure 6This is a flowchart illustrating a charging control method using V2L functionality according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure. (Refer to...) Figure 5 An attempt is made to establish a wireless communication connection between the charging device 110 and the vehicle 120 (operation S510). That is, an attempt is made to wirelessly communicate with the charging device 110 using a communication program installed in the vehicle. This communication program can be an application (app) installed in the vehicle or an app installed on the driver's terminal.

[0078] The driver then checks whether the wireless communication connection is complete (operation S520).

[0079] If the wireless communication connection is not completed during operation S520, vehicle 120 will retry the wireless communication connection and re-execute operations S510 and S520.

[0080] Conversely, if the wireless communication connection is established in operation S520, the vehicle 120 will move and stop (operation S530). That is, the vehicle 120 moves and stops, allowing the ground unit 113 and vehicle unit 220, acting as the ACD, to enter the docking range. Of course, stopping can be done manually or autonomously.

[0081] Afterwards, vehicle 120 checks whether the vehicle parking is complete (operation S540). That is, the vehicle's gear position (e.g., P gear) and ignition status (e.g., ignition off) can be considered to determine whether the vehicle parking is complete.

[0082] As a result of the inspection, if the vehicle parking is not completed during operation S540, operations S530 and S540 are re-executed.

[0083] In contrast, as a result of the inspection, when the vehicle parking is completed in operation S540, user authentication is performed, and parameter exchange is performed between vehicle 120 and charging device 110 (operation S550). During user authentication, authentication methods such as Plug and Play Charging (PnC) can be used. Therefore, charging and billing can be performed automatically without user intervention.

[0084] This parameter exchange allows you to check whether the onboard charger 111 of the charging device 110 is an AC charger or a DC charger. These parameters may include maximum charging power / voltage / current, current state of charge (SoC), target SoC, and departure time.

[0085] Then, the vehicle unit 220 and the ground unit 113 are docked (operation S560). That is, the vehicle unit and the ground unit constituting the ACD can automatically dock / electrically connect.

[0086] Reference Figure 6 The charging controller 230 checks whether the docking between the vehicle unit 220 and the ground unit 113 is complete (operation S610). To check whether the docking is complete, a contact sensor (not shown) can be configured on the vehicle unit (VU) and connected to the charging controller 230.

[0087] As a result, if the docking is not completed in operation S610, operations S560 to S610 are re-executed.

[0088] In contrast, as a definitive result, when docking is completed in operation S610, the charging controller 230 checks whether it is DC charging or AC charging (operation S620). Alternatively, docking can be performed based on a preset number of docking retries in operation S610, and if the number of retries is not exceeded, docking can be considered successful. Of course, if the number of retries is exceeded, docking can be considered a failure. In this case, the process can be terminated after final processing failure.

[0089] As a result of operation S620, DC charging is performed when DC charging is in progress. At this time, the on-board charger 250 operates in discharge mode, and the V2L function also operates (operations S630 and S631). That is, discharge mode is operated via the V2L connector. In other words, the on-board charger 250 operates only in discharge mode, and the junction box 240 is in the ON (i.e., OFF) state.

[0090] Then, the charging controller 230 checks whether DC charging is complete (i.e., DC charging is complete) (operation S633).

[0091] As a result of the inspection, if DC charging is not completed in operation S633, operations S630 to S633 are executed.

[0092] In contrast, when DC charging is completed in operation S633, the charging controller 230 ends DC charging, and the docking between the vehicle unit 220 and the ground unit 113 is released (operation S635).

[0093] On the other hand, during operation S620, as a result of the check, AC charging is performed instead of DC charging. At this time, the on-board charger 250 operates in charging mode, and the V2L function also operates (operations S640 and S641). That is, charging mode is run via the V2L connector. In other words, the on-board charger 250 only operates in charging mode, and the junction box 240 operates in a disconnected (i.e., open-circuit) state.

[0094] Then, the charging controller 230 checks whether AC charging is complete (i.e., AC charging is complete) (operation S643).

[0095] As a result of the inspection, if AC charging is not completed in operation S643, operations S640 to S643 are executed.

[0096] In contrast, when AC charging is completed in operation S643, the charging controller 230 ends AC charging, and the docking between the vehicle unit 220 and the ground unit 113 is released (operation S645).

[0097] Figure 7 This is an operational flowchart illustrating the charging communication sequence between the charging device 110, ground unit 113, vehicle unit 220, and charging controller 230 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. (Refer to...) Figure 7 First, wireless communication association is performed (operation S701). The primary wireless communication method is Wi-Fi, but it is not limited to this; infrared data communication (IrDA), wireless LAN, ZigBee, Bluetooth, LiFi, near field communication (NFC), etc., can also be used.

[0098] In this configuration, wireless communication can be established between the charging device 110 and the charging controller 230, with at least one of the ground unit 113 and the vehicle unit 220 potentially participating. In this configuration, the charging controller 230 can be a concept that includes a vehicle controller, which is a higher-level controller for controlling the entire charging controller 230, or it can be a concept communicatively connected to a vehicle controller. The charging device 110 can be an ACD-U type automatic connection charging device. Figure 7 For ease of understanding, the ground unit 113 and the charging device 110 are described separately.

[0099] The charging controller 230 sends a positioning request to the charging device 110 (operation S702) and executes a stop (operation S710).

[0100] The charging device 110, having received the location request, provides the location result to the vehicle (operation S711).

[0101] Based on the positioning results, the charging controller 230 determines whether the parking is in a dockable state, and when dockability is determined, the charging controller 230 sends a docking request to the charging device 110 (operation S713).

[0102] The charging device 110, having received the docking request, sends the docking request to the ground unit 113 (operation S720).

[0103] Ground unit 113, having received the docking request, performs docking with vehicle unit 220 (operation S721).

[0104] When docking is completed (i.e., based on docking completion), the ground unit 113 sends a docking completion response (i.e., docking registration) to the charging device 110 (operation S723), and the charging device 110, which has received the docking completion response, sends the docking completion response (i.e., docking registration) to the charging controller 230 (operation S730).

[0105] The charging controller 230, having received the docking completion response, sends a charging start request to the charging device 110 (operation S731), and the charging device 110, having received the charging start request, sends a charging start response to the charging controller 230 (i.e., charging start registration) (operation S733).

[0106] The charging controller 230 and the charging device 110, having received the charging start response, execute charging (operations S740 and S741).

[0107] When charging is complete, the charging controller 230 sends a charging end request to the charging device 110 (operation S743), and the charging device 110, having received the charging end request, sends a charging stop response to the charging controller 230 (i.e., charging stop registration) (operation S750).

[0108] The charging controller 230, having received the charging stop response, sends a docking release request to the charging device 110 (operation S751), and the charging device 110, having received the docking release request, sends a docking release request to the ground unit 113 (operation S753).

[0109] Ground unit 113, having received the docking release request, releases its docking with vehicle unit 220 (operation S760).

[0110] When docking is released, ground unit 113 sends a docking release completion response (i.e., docking release registration) to charging device 110 (operation S761), and ground unit 110, having received the docking release completion response, sends the docking release completion response to charging controller 230 (operation S763).

[0111] Furthermore, the operation of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in the form of program commands, which can be executed by various computer devices such as microprocessors, processors, and central processing units, and stored in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include, alone or in combination, program (command) code, data files, data structures, etc.

Claims

1. A charging control method, comprising: determining, by a charging controller, whether electrical coupling of a vehicle unit of a vehicle with a ground unit of a ground equipment is completed; checking, by the charging controller, whether to perform DC charging or AC charging based on the completion of the electrical coupling; and controlling, by the charging controller, a vehicle charger for the AC charging or a junction box for the DC charging to provide a V2L discharging function based on the checking. The controlling comprises:

2. The charge control method according to claim 1, wherein, operating, by the charging controller, the vehicle charger in a charging mode to charge a battery of the vehicle and operating the junction box in a disconnected state based on the AC charging. AC power received at the vehicle unit is supplied to the battery via the vehicle charger and a manual charging unit to provide the V2L discharging function.

3. The charge control method according to claim 2, wherein, The disconnected state prevents electrical connection between the manual charging unit and the battery and between the vehicle unit and the battery.

4. The charge control method according to claim 3, wherein, The controlling comprises:

5. The charge control method according to claim 2, wherein, operating, by the charging controller, the vehicle charger in a discharging mode and operating the junction box in a connected state based on the DC charging. DC power received at the vehicle unit is supplied only to the junction box.

6. The charge control method according to claim 5, wherein The charging controller converts DC power from the battery to AC power using the vehicle charger and supplies the converted AC power to a manual charging unit to provide the V2L discharging function.

7. The charge control method according to claim 5, wherein The connected state electrically connects the vehicle unit to the battery.

8. The charge control method according to claim 5, wherein, Based on a non-charging mode, the charging controller maintains the junction box in the disconnected state.

9. The charge control method according to claim 1, wherein, The controlling comprises:

10. The charge control method according to claim 1, wherein determining, by the charging controller, whether the AC charging or the DC charging is completed; and releasing, by the charging controller, the electrical coupling based on the completion of the AC charging or the DC charging. Determining whether the AC charging or the DC charging is completed comprises:

11. The charge control method according to claim 1, wherein determining, by the charging controller, whether the electrical coupling is successful or failed based on a preset number of coupling retries.

12. A charging control method for a vehicle, comprising: determining, by a charging controller of the vehicle, whether electrical coupling of a vehicle unit of the vehicle with a ground unit of a charging equipment is completed; checking, by the charging controller, whether to perform DC charging or AC charging based on the completion of the electrical coupling; when the AC charging is performed: operating a vehicle charger of the vehicle in a charging mode to charge a battery of the vehicle; maintaining a junction box in a disconnected state to prevent electrical connection between a manual charging unit and the battery; and supplying AC power received through the vehicle unit to both the vehicle charger and the manual charging unit to implement a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function; and when the DC charging is provided: operating the vehicle charger in a discharging mode; routing DC power received through the vehicle unit to the junction box to charge the battery based on the junction box being in a connected state; and ​ ​ ​ By the on-board charger, DC power from the battery is converted to AC power and the converted AC power is supplied to the manual charging unit to enable the V2L function.

13. The charging control method of claim 12, further comprising: determining, by the on-board charger, when charging is complete; and releasing the electrical coupling when charging is complete.

14. The charge control method according to claim 12, wherein, The vehicle unit is mounted to the bottom of the vehicle.

15. The charge control method according to claim 12, wherein, The vehicle unit includes: a lower charging door: moves between an open position and a closed position and receives control signals from the charging controller to automatically open based on electrical coupling with the ground unit; and a lower charging port protected by the lower charging door.

16. The charge control method according to claim 15, wherein The lower charging port includes: a plurality of electrical terminals to establish electrical connection with corresponding terminals of the ground unit; at least one power terminal to receive charging power from the ground unit; at least one communication terminal to exchange control signals with a charging device; and at least one ground terminal.

17. The charging control method according to claim 12, wherein Based on a non-charging mode, the charging controller maintains the junction box in the disconnected state.

18. The charging control method according to claim 12, wherein The disconnected state prevents electrical connection between the manual charging unit and the battery and between the vehicle unit and the battery.

19. The charging control method according to claim 15, wherein DC power received at the vehicle unit is only supplied to the junction box.

20. A charging controller, comprising: a controller: determines whether electrical coupling of a vehicle unit of a vehicle with a ground unit of a ground device is complete; based on completion of the electrical coupling, checks whether to perform DC charging or AC charging; and based on the check, controls an on-board charger for the AC charging or a junction box for the DC charging to provide a V2L discharge function.

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