EV Charging Interface Fault Diagnosis Using Charger Pin Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for electric vehicles lack effective methods to diagnose faulty charging connectors and vehicle charger pins, leading to inconvenience and disruption in charging operations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize real-time information from vehicle charger pins to determine connection issues, perform self-diagnostic tests, and transmit notifications to users and servers to identify and report faulty connectors, enabling accurate fault detection and notification for proper action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional charging systems are used without diagnostic capabilities, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the reliability of charging operations deteriorates due to undetected faulty connectors
Solution Approach 1:
The charging connector performs self-diagnosis by automatically detecting faults in vehicle charger pins during the charging connection process. The system uses current draw measurements and resistance measurements to identify faulty pins without requiring external diagnostic equipment, enabling the system to self-verify its operational status and improve reliability through automated fault detection
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the charging connector continuously monitors electrical parameters (current draw, resistance) during connection and charging operations. When abnormal values are detected, the system provides feedback signals to alert the user about faulty connectors, enabling real-time monitoring and improving charging operation reliability through continuous diagnostic feedback
2Measurement precision
If diagnostic tests are performed to detect faulty connectors, then the measurement precision of connector status is improved, but the time required for charging operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary diagnostic measurements by checking current draw characteristics during the initial connection phase before full charging begins. This preliminary action allows the system to detect obvious faults early in the process, maintaining high measurement precision while minimizing time loss by identifying issues before committed charging time
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a tiered diagnostic approach where basic current draw monitoring is continuously performed during normal operation, and more extensive resistance measurements are only triggered when anomalies are detected. This partial action strategy maintains adequate measurement precision for routine operations while reducing overall diagnostic time by avoiding excessive testing in normal conditions
3Reliability
If real-time monitoring of vehicle charger pins is implemented, then the reliability of fault detection is improved, but the energy consumption of the charging system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs real-time monitoring through periodic measurements of current draw and resistance at strategically selected intervals during the charging process rather than continuous monitoring. This periodic action maintains reliable fault detection capability by sampling at critical moments while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to constant monitoring
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle including a plurality of vehicle charger pins that may be configured to connect with a charging connector is disclosed. The vehicle may further include a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver may be configured to receive real-time information associated with each vehicle charger pin when the vehicle may be charged using the charging connector. The processor may be configured to obtain the real-time information from the transceiver, and determine whether the charging connector may be improperly connected or a connection interface may be faulty based on the real-time information. Responsive to a determination that the connection interface may be faulty, the processor may be configured to perform a self-diagnostic test to determine whether a vehicle charger pin may be faulty or the charging connector may be faulty, and perform a predetermined action based on the self-diagnostic test.