DESC:Technical field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to charging systems, and more particularly to the electric vehicle charging systems which uses the alternating current for charging the electric vehicles.
Background and prior art
The electric vehicles uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion, which are basically powered through a collector system by electricity from off-vehicle sources, or may be self-contained with a battery, solar panels or an electric generator to convert fuel to electricity.
The battery electric vehicles use electricity stored in a battery pack to power an electric motor and turn the wheels. When depleted, the batteries are recharged using grid electricity, either from a wall socket or a dedicated charging unit. The electric cars have the added benefit of home recharging. A 240-volt outlet, similar to those used for clothes dryers, can charge an electric vehicle overnight. Fully-charged, most electric cars which are battery powered have a driving range of between 70 to 100 miles. This is the reason the number of public and workplace charging stations are increasing, which can provide charging capacity to the electric vehicles.
The power which is used to charge the electric vehicles comes from the grid, which is always AC power. When charging the electric vehicles, the power needs to be converted from AC to DC, which is done by a converter. The electric vehicles have such converters inside the vehicle. The most common charging method for electric vehicles is with a plug. When plugging an electric vehicle into a normal charge point, the power gets converted inside the vehicle, and then is stored in to the battery. The speed with which the electric vehicle charges mainly depends on the output power of the charge point, as well as the convertor’s capabilities to convert the power to DC. This method is the most suitable and commonly used method mainly for use in parking spots, where the electric vehicles will stay parked for 20 minutes or longer.
There are several systems which are developed which provide different systems and methods used for charging the electric vehicles, among which few are disclosed below.
US patent application 20040169489A1 by Arizona Public Service Co discloses a charger, vehicle with charger, and method of charging. Stationary and on-board battery chargers, methods of charging batteries, electric-vehicle chargers, and vehicles with chargers, including electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. Chargers may automatically charge at the correct battery voltage for various types of batteries. Chargers have variable AC power supplies controlled by digital controllers, isolation transformers, and rectifiers. Transformers may be foil-type, and may have copper foil. Power supplies may be variable-frequency generators and the controllers may control the frequency. Electric vehicle chargers may have card readers, and vehicles may have batteries and a charger. Methods of charging include identifying the battery type and gradually increasing the charging at different rates of increase while monitoring charging voltage, charging current, or both, until a current lid is reached. Charging may occur at constant current and then at constant voltage.
WIPO patent application number 2013097810A1 by Liang Shuyuan et.al discloses electric automobile, and alternating current charging communication method and charging pile for same. The method comprises: detecting whether a charging gun of a charging pile and an electric automobile are connected (S101); if connected, collecting a current value and a voltage value of a power battery of the electric automobile, calculating a charging control parameter according to the collected current value and voltage value, and setting a switch control quantity according to the charging control parameter (S102); controlling on and off of a plurality of paths of charging switches according to the switch control quantity, so as to send a carrier signal to the charging pile (S103); and after receiving the carrier signal, the charging pile parsing the carrier signal to obtain charging information of the electric automobile (S104). The method may implement large-power charging, reduce the charging cost, facilitate popularization of the electric automobile, and have simplicity and applicability.
US patent application 20130049674A1 by Qualcomm Inc discloses integrated photo voltaic solar plant and electric vehicle charging station and method of operation, which uses renewable energy sources as broadband AC to DC conversion. In one aspect, an apparatus configured for charging an electric vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes a power supply circuit configured to convert direct current received from a renewable power source into alternating current. The alternating current is having a frequency. The apparatus further includes a power transmit circuit configured to receive the alternating current from the power supply circuit and to provide power to charge the electric vehicle using the alternating current. The power transmit circuit is further configured to substantially resonate at the frequency of the alternating current.
There are several disadvantages with the existing systems which are listed below. The Electric vehicles which are currently in use consists of single and fixed connector options, i.e., it could either have a 3-pin 15Amp domestic socket or a 3-pin industrial IEC 60309 socket or IEC 62196 Mennekes (a.k.a Type2 socket). Specific instructions have to be followed to use the socket types, and the protocols vary with every local and global manufacturer of electric vehicles.
Also, the electric vehicle charges which are currently in use modular design and has separate KWH meter and the same is an intermediate entity between input power source and corresponding load. A poor power quality often leads to voltage fluctuation and spikes resulting in damaging the KWH meter which affects overall system functioning, which has to be rectified.
Another issue with the existing systems is that the electric vehicles have fixed power sourcing capacity which limits its load current requirement at either 16Amp (3.2KW) or 32Amp (7KW). And these chargers have either an Ethernet connection or a GSM communication protocol for transferring the data, which increases the number of hardware components used in the process. In case of poor GSM network or non-availability of internet connectivity, the existing electric vehicle chargers use RFID cards to switch ON/OFF the charging system, which most often get damaged and become non-functional due to environmental constraints.
In order to overcome the above mentioned shortcomings in the existing systems, there arises a need for an advanced AC electric vehicle charger which comes with a built-in IEC 60309 gun, and a swappable 3-pin domestic 15amp socket or IEC 62196 Mennekes, which can charge the electric vehicles without changing the hardware/software configuration.
Objects of the invention
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a universal solution for charging any kind of electric vehicles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system which is designed using SOC (system) which makes the overall system compact.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system with hardware containing inbuilt power supply unit with desired industrial protection.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system with inbuilt Bluetooth interface to operate the device using Bluetooth system.
Summary of the invention
The present invention discloses an alternating current electric vehicle charger with built-in IEC and swappable 15 Amp socket or IEC Mennekes. The charger device can be used with all types of electric vehicles. The alternating current electric vehicle charger device comprises of power section, protection section, communication system, and the sockets through which the electric vehicles can be charged. The power section is in connection with the protection section and the communication system, where the protection section offers protection of the device from high voltage, high current, surge, and E N monitoring. The power section is in connection with the communication system, where the communication can take place through GSM, 4G or Bluetooth. The power section powers the sockets through which the electric vehicles can be charged, which can be a domestic 15 Amp socket, IEC 15A socket or a Type 2 socket.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG 1 is the block diagram illustrating the internal architecture of the alternating current electric vehicle charger device.
FIG 2 is the top view of the power PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger.
FIG 3 is the bottom view of the power PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger.
FIG 4 is the top view of the communication PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger.
FIG 5 is the bottom view of the communication power PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger.
FIG 6 is the view of the display PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger.
Detailed description of the invention:
The present invention discloses an alternating current electric vehicle charger with built-in IEC Type 2 (Mennekes) plug/socket as well as swappable 15 Amp 3 pin domestic / IEC 3 pin industrial socket/plug. The charger device is designed in such a way so that irrespective of the electric vehicle socket and protocol requirements, the same internal technology can be used for dispensing power to a 3-pin 15Amp domestic socket/plug, 3-pin IEC industrial socket/plug as well as for Type-2 (Mennekes) socket/plug without changing the hardware/software configuration. According to the present invention, these connectors can be used either as an individual or in combination of any.
According to the present invention, these connectors can be used either as an individual or in combination of any. The hardware of the present invention ensures that there is no impact on the KWH metering or system functioning due to voltage fluctuation, where the hardware is highly robust. The electric vehicle charger can be integrated with Ethernet as well as GSM without changing/adding an external hardware, which enables the charger to be used with almost all types of electric vehicles.
FIG 1 is the block diagram illustrating the internal architecture of the alternating current electric vehicle charger device. FIG 1 discloses the internal architecture of the alternating current electric vehicle charger device which comprises of power section, protection section, communication system, and the sockets through which the electric vehicles can be charged. With reference to FIG 1, the power section has a switch-mode power supply circuit, that converts the power using switching devices that are turned on and off at high frequencies, and storage components such as inductors or capacitors to supply power when the switching device is in its non-conduction state. The power section is in connection with the protection section and the communication system, where the protection section offers protection of the device from high voltage, high current, surge, and Earth Neutral (EN) monitoring. EN monitoring basically measures the health of electrical earth on the basis of potential difference between Earth and Neutral. The electrical vehicle charger of the present invention have configurable presets of associated EN monitoring, unlike the fixed/default EN presets, as seen in the existing systems.
According to FIG 1, the power section is in connection with the communication system, where the communication can take place through GSM, 4G or Bluetooth. The power section powers the sockets through which the electric vehicles can be charged, which can be a domestic 15 Amp socket, IEC 15A socket or a Type 2 socket.
FIG 2 is the top view of the power PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger and FIG 3 is the bottom view of the power PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger. The power printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically connects electronic components or electrical components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from one or more sheet layers of copper laminated onto and/or between sheet layers of a non-conductive substrate. Components are soldered onto the PCB to both electrically connect and mechanically fasten them to it. The internal structure of the electric vehicle charger has a power section which contains the power PCB.
FIG 4 is the top view of the communication PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger and FIG 5 is the bottom view of the communication power PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger. The communication system consist the communication PCB which carries out the communication related functions, where communication can take place through GSM, 4G or Bluetooth.
FIG 6 is the view of the display PCB which is used in the electric vehicle charger. The display PCB carries out the functions related to display of parameters when the electric vehicle is charging. The Display PCB contains LED lights, resistor, capacitor, connectors, diode, IC, switches, and an LCD display, whose functions are carried out using the PCB.
The present invention discloses the product scope which discloses the hardware description of the electric vehicle charger with desired system specifications for various parameters.
Parameters
Hardware Description for Charge Grid Pro Desired System Specifications

IN/Out Specifications
Ports/Terminals
Single phase 3 Wire Line In (Line In, Neutral, Earth)

Single phase 3 Wire Line Out (Line Out, Neutral, Earth ) Power Input (Phase to Neutral: 240V AC @ 50 Hz ; Tolerance: As per IS 12360 standards

Load: 240V AC (Phase to Neutral) @ Max 6/16/32 Amp Load Current (Configurable using software GUI) , Tolerance: As per IS 12360 standards

Charging connectors
Domestic 3 pin Socket: 240V @ 32 Amp Or IEC 60309 sockets: 240 V @ 32Amp Or Type 2 Socket with electronic lock & temperature sensor: 240 V @32Amp.
Reset Button
To reset whole system in case of any software hanging or any other associated unknown faults.
(PP, CP) Interface
Charger should have Proximity pilot and Control pilot terminal as per IEC 61851 standards for Type 2 socket. CP/PP interface and associated dependent operation should be disabling in case of IEC/ 3 pin socket option. The socket option can be recognise by hardware either by using dip switches or by providing input to any other software GUI interface.
Emergency switch interface
Changing should get turn off on pressing 240V@50Hz AC Mushroom headed Push button.

Status LED PCB Interface. Power x1, Charge x 1, Fault x1

Local cache Interface To showcase status of Power, Charging and fault status. The interface should be an external PCB which has all the LED status lights as per requirement.
All cloud parameters should store across local cache memory and can be accessible in CSV format. The storage database should over right after 1 week of time to optimize the memory space. The size of memory will be decided as per technical recommendation.

OLED/Colour LCD Display (Non touch) Interface
To connect standard non touch pad colour display of min 4.3" with SPI/I2C or any other recommended display interface. The display/interface should be select in such a way so that LCD display does not require any external PCB board. It should be directly connected with main controller board.
TFT LCD Display Interface
To connect touch pad TFT display with SPI/I2C or any other recommended interface. The interface should be select in such a way so that LCD display does not require any external PCB board. It should be
directly connected with main controller board
Ambient Temperature Range
0 to 55 deg C
PCB safety & environmental standards should qualify as per AIS 138 Part 1
Ambient Humidity

Ambient Pressure
5 to 95 %

86 KPA to 106 KPA
PCB safety & environmental standards should qualify as per AIS 138 Part 1 section 11.2
PCB safety & environmental standards should qualify as per AIS 138 Part 1 section 11.11.2.4
Environmental / Mechanical Specifications
Storage temperature
0 to 60 deg C
PCB safety & environmental standards should qualify as per IEC 61851 standards
Electronic Lock interface
For Type 2: Charger and the vehicle connector outlet to have provision for locking mechanism during charging to ensure the safety of the cable. For IEC/3 Pin: If plug is taken out (for more than 2 seconds) and then reinserted for charging, the charging-session will disconnect. A new session will be required to continue charging to ensure that no one can remove a vehicle being charged and insert their own cable and use the infrastructure, without
paying or at someone else’s account For Type 2 socket: The locking interface needs 4 signalling wire interfaces for locking and unlocking the type 2 socket electronic lock. 1. Actuator (Magnet controlled) signalling interface: S1: Lock at 12V, Unlock at 0V; S2: Lock at 0V, unlock at 12 V. 2. Position control (Micro switch) signalling interface: S3 & S4: Lock at 0V, Unlock at 12V. For IEC/3 Pin Socket: Software can be modified to meet the mentioned requirement by monitoring load current

Dimension
Desired Dimension: As per industry standards
The overall dimension should be Compaq as possible as.
Fault Protection
SC/Overload current Protection
To protect from sort circuit current or pre-defined over load current as per AIS 138 Part 1 standard. The over load current should be configurable and would be limited to 32Amp. Auto resume, when fault conditions are not present across Input terminal and the event has to store in an internal memory. An internal memory should get flushed off automatically after every 1 week.

Voltage Surge Protection
Enable during surge Voltage as per AIS 138 Part 1 standard
Auto resume, when fault conditions are not present across Input terminal and the event has to store in an internal memory. An internal memory should get flushed off automatically after every 1 week.
Under Voltage Protection
Enable during under Voltage as per AIS 138 Part 1 standard (Configurable through GUI)
Auto resume, when fault conditions are not present across Input terminal and the event has to store in an internal memory. An internal memory should get flushed off automatically after every 1 week.
Over Voltage Protection
Enable during over Voltage as per AIS 138 Part 1 standard
(Configurable through GUI)
Auto resume, when fault conditions are not present across Input terminal and the event has to store in an internal memory. An internal memory should get flushed off automatically after every 1 week.
Under Current Protection
Enable during under current as per AIS 138 Part 1 standard (Configurable through GUI)
Auto resume, when fault conditions are not present across Input terminal and the event has to store in an internal memory. An internal memory should get flushed off automatically after every 1 week.
Residual current protection
Double-pole breaking RCD of less than 30mA (As per section 7.4 of AIS 138 Part 1) is recommended.
Auto resume, when fault conditions are not present across Input terminal and the event has to store in an internal memory. An internal memory should get flushed off automatically after every 1 week.
Isolation Protection
Input and outputs should be isolated. Each output amongst R, Y & B should be individually isolated from each other to avoid cross talk. Insulation standards are defined in AIS 138 Part 1, clause 3.3.1.

Event Monitoring
Over temperature protection
Connector socket terminals to be mounted with temperature sensors to avoid burning of connectors.
Safety mechanism to trigger turn off the charging at temperature > 80°C. Once disconnected, the charging session terminates and the failure notification due to temp need to be sends to server/cloud.
Protective Earth (PE) Monitoring
Enable when PE/Earth (Ground) is not connected.
Auto resume, When fault conditions are not present across Input terminal and the event has to be store in an internal memory
Earth fault Monitoring Enable when voltage between Earth and Neutral will be greater than 3V (Configurable through GUI) Auto resume, When fault conditions are not present across Input terminal and the event has to be store in an internal memory
Batch KWH monitoring Input: Single Phase 2 Pole @ 230V @ 50 Hz (+/- 20%), Load: 100 Amp, Max no of digits: 7 Measuring accuracy class of KWH meter would be as per IEC 61851 standards

Monitoring/Display Parameters

LCD/Cloud Display Parameter
Batch KWH

Total KWH
To display batch KWH between start charging and stop charging event

To display accumulated KWH from installation date

EV connectivity

Fault To display weather vehicle is connected or not for Type 2 charger

To display associated fault if any
Start/Stop Time

Connectivity
To display the time stamp between start and stop charging

Online: If internet is connected, Offline: If internet is disconnected
Charging
Start: On start charging event; Stop: On stop charging event

Network
To display network health status

Power Status
To monitor power supply status

Network Status
To monitor network(Ethernet/GPRS) status

Zero Amp
To monitor weather EV/Load is connected or not

SPD Detect
To monitor surge fault event

PCB Temp
To monitor the device PCB and surrounding temperature

Socket Temperature
To monitor the socket temperature

PE Detect
To monitor weather PE is connected or not

Communication protocol
Communication
GSM/GPRS/3G/IOT/4G communication (Optional PCB 1 )
Charger should send data to cloud via Web Socket interface in JSON format. Hardware should be auto configurable for any GSM/GPRS/3G/4G/IOT sim network.

Ethernet/LAN communication (Optional PCB 2 )
An Ethernet/LAN port is required in case cellular network option is not applicable

MOD Bus RS 485/CAN communication
All cloud parameter should be accessible using MOD bus RS 485/CAN interface.

Micro USB communication
To debug/configure the hardware using an external PC/Laptop

Bluetooth communication (Optional PCB 3 )
Charger should be turn on/ turn off using mobile's Bluetooth interface. Once user will move out from Bluetooth range, the charging should not stop and device should automatically connect when user will come across Bluetooth range. Bluetooth APP interface will display following option: Start, Stop, Batch KWH, Total KWH and will be under vendor's scope.
OTA communication
The hardware should configure/update over the air if required using same GUI

Backup Option
To provide backup power supply for LCD as well as Bluetooth communication module in case of power failure. At the same time power failure data notification need to display across LCD display. The charging resumes when power comes on. If the user wants to terminate the session during power failure, the user can turn off the charger using Bluetooth connection and can remove the plug. In case of power failure, there should be provision of rechargeable lead acid/LIion Battery backup which can be utilize over zero crossover time. Charging should be automatically cut-off on full charging of battery. The minimum required backup time would be 1 hour. In case battery drains out then a battery drained error signal

As the alternating current electric vehicle charger is adaptable with all types of electric vehicles, the load current requirement can be changed as per vehicle requirement without changing any hardware. Also the alternating current electric vehicle charger is an amalgamation of hardware and software design to switch ON/OFF without any physical interface by the customer.
The electric vehicle charger is designed to fulfill all the regulatory norms as per Indian Electric vehicle’s EVSE requirement. The charger follows global AC EVSE safety and standards requirement including all hardware, software and manufacturing constraints.
APPLICATIONS:
The electric vehicle charger device hardware is designed to utilize for other application/domains.
a. The electric vehicle charger device has an inbuilt MOD BUS interface so that it could be used as a Data logger with MOD Bus interface and can be used in SCADA applications.
b. The electric vehicle charger device has an inbuilt power supply unit with all desired industrial protection so the same hardware can be used for 12V SMPS applications.
c. The electric vehicle charger device has an inbuilt KWH meter with class 1.0 accuracy with MOD Bus interface so it can be utilize as a utility’s electricity meter application.
d. The electric vehicle charger device has an inbuilt event monitoring parameters which includes voltage, current, surge, earth fault so that can be used as a power protection unit.
e. The electric vehicle charger device has an inbuilt Bluetooth interface so all application which required Bluetooth interface to turn on/off the event, can be develop over same hardware platform.
According to the present invention, the electric vehicle charger is designed using SOC (System on Chip) design approach to make overall system compact, cost-effective and more robust.
,CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. The alternating current electric vehicle charger device, comprising:
a. a power section having a switch-mode power supply circuit, that converts the power using switching devices that are turned on and off at high frequencies, and storage components such as inductors or capacitors to supply power when the switching device is in its non-conduction state;
b. protection section which offers protection of the device from high voltage, high current, surge, and Earth Neutral (EN) monitoring; and
c. communication system where the communication can take place through GSM, 4G or Bluetooth.
wherein, the said power section, said protection section and the said communication system functions with the help of their respective printed circuit boards; and the charging stats can be checked on the display screen associated with the charger device,
2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the power section, the protection section and the communication section operates through the power printed circuit board, protection power printed circuit board, and communication power printed circuit board respectively.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said display PCB aides in operating LED lights, resistor, capacitor, connectors, diode, IC, switches, and an LCD display.
4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said charger device can be used irrespective of the electric vehicle socket and protocol requirements, which can be used for dispensing power to a 3-pin 15Amp domestic socket/plug, 3-pin IEC industrial socket/plug as well as for Type-2 (Mennekes) socket/plug without changing the hardware/software configuration.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hardware of the said charger device has no impact on the KWH metering or system functions due to voltage fluctuation.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the said device can be integrated along with Ethernet, GSM without requiring to change or add any external hardware.