阅读说明：本技术 用于控制车辆电池充电的方法和设备 (Method and apparatus for controlling charging of vehicle battery ) 是由 李祥圭 卞荣灿 于 2020-12-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及用于控制车辆电池充电的方法和设备。控制车辆电池充电的设备可以包括：车辆充电装置,其配置为生成比设置于车辆外部的电动车辆供电设备的充电电压更高的升压电压,并且对存储用于驱动车辆的电力的电池进行充电；以及车辆控制单元,其配置为在通过升压电压对电池充电时,确定传输利用电动车辆供电设备所执行的对电池进行充电的信息的电力线通信是否关闭,所述电动车辆供电设备设置于车辆外部并且向车辆充电装置提供充电电压。(The invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery. The apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery may include: a vehicle charging device configured to generate a boosted voltage higher than a charging voltage of an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside a vehicle and charge a battery that stores electric power for driving the vehicle; and a vehicle control unit configured to determine whether power line communication that transmits information to charge the battery performed with an electric vehicle power supply apparatus that is provided outside the vehicle and that supplies a charging voltage to the vehicle charging device is turned off, when the battery is charged with the boosted voltage.)

1. A method of controlling charging of a vehicle battery, the method comprising:

checking, by a vehicle control unit, whether power line communication that transmits information for charging a vehicle battery between an electric vehicle power supply apparatus and the vehicle control unit is off when the vehicle battery storing electric power for driving a vehicle is charged with a boosted voltage higher than a charging voltage of the electric vehicle power supply apparatus, wherein the electric vehicle power supply apparatus is provided outside a vehicle and is configured to supply the charging voltage to a vehicle charging device that generates the boosted voltage;

reducing, by the vehicle control unit, an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus by using the vehicle charging device when it is determined that the power line communication is off;

determining, by a vehicle control unit, whether an input terminal voltage of a vehicle charging device reaches a voltage at which an electric vehicle supply equipment does not operate;

after the voltage of the input end of the vehicle charging device is determined to reach the voltage at which the electric vehicle power supply equipment does not work, the vehicle control unit determines whether the electric vehicle power supply equipment is closed or not according to the charging current output from the electric vehicle power supply equipment to the vehicle charging device;

and when the fact that the power supply equipment of the electric vehicle is turned off is determined, a main relay of a vehicle charging device is turned off by the vehicle control unit, and charging of a vehicle battery is stopped, wherein the main relay is connected to the vehicle battery.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to reduce an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus by using an inverter and a drive motor of the vehicle charging device, the inverter being connected to the main relay and the drive motor and controlling the drive motor.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to reduce the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus to 0 by using an inverter and a drive motor of the vehicle charging device, the inverter being connected to the main relay and the drive motor and controlling the drive motor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to linearly reduce the input terminal voltage to 0.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle supply equipment comprises a fast charger.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein upon determining that the charging current output from the electric vehicle supply equipment to the vehicle charging device is 0, the vehicle control unit is configured to determine that the electric vehicle supply equipment is off.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power line communication is determined to be off when the power line signal is not received by the vehicle control unit, when the power line signal is not received by the vehicle control unit within a predetermined period of time, or when the strength of the power line signal received by the vehicle control unit is less than or equal to a predetermined strength.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control unit comprises:

a processor; and

a non-volatile storage medium having a program recorded thereon for executing the method of claim 1 and being executed by a processor.

9. An apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery, the apparatus comprising:

a vehicle charging device configured to generate a boosted voltage higher than a charging voltage of an electric vehicle power supply apparatus and charge a vehicle battery that stores electric power for driving a vehicle;

a vehicle control unit including a processor and configured to determine whether or not power line communication that transmits information of charging of a vehicle battery performed with an electric vehicle power supply apparatus is turned off when the vehicle battery is charged with a boosted voltage, wherein the electric vehicle power supply apparatus is provided outside a vehicle and configured to supply a charging voltage to a vehicle charging device,

wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to reduce an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus by using the vehicle charging device when it is determined that the power line communication is off,

the vehicle control unit is configured to determine whether an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device reaches a voltage at which the electric vehicle supply equipment does not operate,

after determining that the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging apparatus reaches a voltage at which the electric vehicle supply equipment does not operate, the vehicle control unit is configured to determine whether the electric vehicle supply equipment is turned off based on a charging current output from the electric vehicle supply equipment to the vehicle charging apparatus,

when it is determined that the electric vehicle power supply equipment is turned off, the vehicle control unit is configured to turn off a main relay of a vehicle charging device, which is connected to the vehicle battery, and stop charging of the vehicle battery.

10. The apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to: an input terminal voltage of a vehicle charging device output from an electric vehicle power supply apparatus is reduced by using an inverter and a drive motor of the vehicle charging device, the inverter being connected to a main relay and the drive motor and controlling the drive motor.

11. The apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to: an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus is reduced to 0 by using an inverter and a drive motor of the vehicle charging device, the inverter being connected to the main relay and the drive motor and controlling the drive motor.

12. The apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to: the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus is linearly decreased to 0.

13. The apparatus for controlling vehicle battery charging according to claim 9, wherein the electric vehicle supply apparatus comprises a quick charger.

14. The apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to determine that the electric vehicle supply equipment is turned off when it is determined that the charging current output from the electric vehicle supply equipment to the vehicle charging device is 0.

15. The apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to claim 9, wherein it is determined that the power line communication is off when the power line signal is not received by the vehicle control unit, when the power line signal is not received by the vehicle control unit within a predetermined period of time, or when the intensity of the power line signal received by the vehicle control unit is less than or equal to a predetermined intensity.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to vehicles, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery.

Background

An electric vehicle uses a battery pack as a power source, and uses a motor (the motor is an electric motor driven by the voltage of the battery pack) to generate driving force, and the motor operates as an electric motor in the case of being powered by a battery, and operates as a generator in the case of braking the vehicle, so that the motor converts regenerative energy generated during braking into electric energy, and supplies the converted electric energy to the battery pack as a charging voltage.

A battery pack mounted to an electric vehicle is generally formed of 25 or more modules connected in series, and is charged by using a commercial power supply in a case where a State of charge (SOC) value of the battery pack cannot ensure stable travel to a destination after an end of an operation or during the operation.

An eco-friendly Vehicle, for example, an Electric Vehicle (EV) or a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), charges a battery using an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) provided In a charging station.

The information disclosed in this background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information constitutes relevant art that is already known to a person skilled in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to provide a method and apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery configured to prevent a main relay of a vehicle charging device connected to an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) outside a vehicle from being fused and an overvoltage from being generated in a capacitor provided at a neutral point of the charging device when Power Line Communication (PLC) between the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) outside the vehicle and a vehicle controller is turned off in a case where the vehicle battery is charged with a boosted voltage (e.g., 800V) higher than a charging voltage (e.g., 400V) of the electric vehicle supply equipment (e.g., a rapid charger) outside the vehicle.

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to a method of controlling charging of a vehicle battery, the method including: checking, by a vehicle control unit, whether power line communication that transmits information for charging a battery between an electric vehicle power supply apparatus that is provided outside a vehicle and that supplies a charging voltage to a vehicle charging device that generates a boosted voltage is turned off, when the battery that stores electric power for driving the vehicle is charged with the boosted voltage that is higher than the charging voltage of the electric vehicle power supply apparatus that is provided outside the vehicle; reducing, by a vehicle control unit, an input terminal voltage of a vehicle charging device output from an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside a vehicle by using the vehicle charging device that supplies a boosted voltage when power line communication is off; determining, by a vehicle control unit, whether an input terminal voltage of a vehicle charging device reaches a voltage at which an electric vehicle supply equipment provided outside a vehicle does not operate; determining, by the vehicle control unit, whether the electric vehicle supply equipment disposed outside the vehicle is turned off based on a charging current output from the electric vehicle supply equipment disposed outside the vehicle to the vehicle charging device after determining that the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device reaches a voltage at which the electric vehicle supply equipment does not operate; when an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle is turned off, a main relay of the vehicle charging device is turned off by the vehicle control unit, and charging of the battery is stopped.

The vehicle control unit may reduce an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle by using an inverter that is connected to the main relay and the drive motor and controls the drive motor and the drive motor of the vehicle charging device.

The vehicle control unit may reduce an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device, which is output from an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle, to 0 by using an inverter that is connected to the main relay and the drive motor and that controls the drive motor and the drive motor of the vehicle charging device.

The electric vehicle supply equipment provided outside the vehicle may include a quick charger.

The vehicle control unit may determine that the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle is turned off when a charging current output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle to the vehicle charging device is 0.

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to provide an apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery, including: a vehicle charging device configured to generate a boosted voltage higher than a charging voltage of an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside a vehicle and charge a battery that stores electric power for driving the vehicle; and a vehicle control unit configured to determine whether power line communication that transmits information of charging the battery performed with an electric vehicle power supply apparatus that is provided outside the vehicle is turned off when the battery is charged with the boosted voltage, and supplies the charging voltage to a vehicle charging device, wherein, when the power line communication is turned off, the vehicle control unit is configured to reduce an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device, which is output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle, by using the vehicle charging device that supplies the boosted voltage, the vehicle control unit determines whether the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device reaches a voltage at which the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle does not operate, after the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device reaches a voltage at which the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle does not operate, the vehicle control unit determines whether or not an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle is turned off based on a charging current output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle to a vehicle charging device, and when the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle is turned off, the vehicle control unit turns off a main relay of the charging device and stops charging of the battery.

The vehicle control unit may reduce an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle by using an inverter that is connected to the main relay and the drive motor and controls the drive motor and the drive motor of the vehicle charging device.

The vehicle control unit may reduce an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device, which is output from an electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle, to 0 by using an inverter that is connected to the main relay and the drive motor and that controls the drive motor and the drive motor of the vehicle charging device.

The electric vehicle supply equipment provided outside the vehicle may include a quick charger.

The vehicle control unit may determine that the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle is turned off when a charging current output from the electric vehicle power supply apparatus provided outside the vehicle to the vehicle charging device is 0.

The method and apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention may prevent a main relay of a vehicle charging device connected to an electric vehicle power supply apparatus outside a vehicle from being fused and an overvoltage from being generated in a capacitor mounted at a neutral point of the charging device when Power Line Communication (PLC) between the electric vehicle power supply apparatus outside the vehicle and a vehicle control unit is turned off in a case where the vehicle battery is charged with a boosted voltage higher than a charging voltage of the electric vehicle power supply apparatus outside the vehicle.

The method and apparatus of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in detail in the accompanying drawings and the following embodiments incorporated herein, which together serve to explain certain principles of the invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flowchart for describing a method of controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for describing an apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery to which the method for controlling charging of a vehicle battery shown in fig. 1 is applied.

It is to be understood that the drawings are not to scale, but are to graphically simplify the presentation of the various features to illustrate the underlying principles of the invention. The specific design features of the invention disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and configurations, will be determined in part by the particular application and environment of use contemplated.

In the drawings, like or equivalent parts of the invention are designated by reference numerals throughout the several views of the drawings.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that the description is not intended to limit the invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the other hand, the present invention is intended to cover not only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

For a fuller understanding of the invention and the objects attained by practice of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention.

The present invention will be described in detail below by describing exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of known configurations or functions incorporated herein will be omitted when it is judged that the detailed description may make the subject matter of the present invention unclear. Throughout the specification, like reference numerals appear in each of the figures to denote like elements.

The terminology used in the exemplary embodiments of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Unless specifically described to the contrary in the context, singular expressions include plural expressions. In exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the terms "comprises" and "comprising," when used in this specification, are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and groups thereof.

Throughout the following description and claims, when an element is described as being "coupled" to another element, it may be "directly coupled" to the other element or "electrically coupled" or "mechanically coupled" to the other element via a third element.

All terms (including technical or scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless they are defined differently. Terms defined in general dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning that matches the meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The high-voltage battery of the electric vehicle according to the related art is charged by a rapid Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) provided outside the vehicle. The voltage range of the fast EVSE currently in use is 400V. In order to charge the battery of the vehicle with a voltage of 800V in the future, a device configured to boost a voltage of 400V to 800V is required, which may be a multiple charging system using a motor and an inverter. A vehicle battery including a multiple charging system may be charged by an EVSE outputting 400V and an EVSE outputting 800V.

The EVSE and the electric vehicle exchange information by using Power Line Communication (PLC). The information exchanged includes the start and end of vehicle charging and the charging current/voltage.

During fast charging, when no PLC is established between the EVSE and the electric vehicle, the EVSE has no signal received from the electric vehicle, so that the amount of current output from the EVSE is gradually reduced. Therefore, the electric vehicle starts to stop the charge preparation. When the communication is cut off, the electric vehicle measures the charging current of the EVSE, and when the charging current is less than or equal to 5A, the electric vehicle turns off the main relay for protecting the high-voltage battery. However, when the charging current is greater than 5A, the electric vehicle turns off the relay immediately after 5 seconds from the measurement time point. Therefore, a situation in which the relay of the vehicle is turned off occurs in a state in which the charging current flows. When a relay of a vehicle is turned off in a state where a charging current flows, the relay may generate a fusing fault. Further, during charging, when the electrical path is cut off by the relay being turned off, the current output from the EVSE enters a capacitor (neutral point capacitor) provided at the neutral point of the vehicle charging device, thereby generating an overvoltage.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart for describing a method of controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for describing an apparatus for controlling charging of a vehicle battery to which the method for controlling charging of a vehicle battery shown in fig. 1 is applied.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in a checking operation 100, a Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) or a Vehicle controller 220 may provide a charging voltage to a Vehicle charging apparatus generating a boosted voltage when a battery 232 storing electric power for driving a Vehicle is charged with the boosted voltage (e.g., 800V) higher than a charging voltage (e.g., 400V) of an EVSE provided outside the Vehicle (e.g., an electric Vehicle), and check (determine) whether a PLC transmitting information for charging the battery between the EVSE250 and the VCU 220 provided outside the Vehicle is turned off.

For example, the information for charging the battery may include charge start information, charge end information, a charge current, or a charge voltage. For example, a case where the PLC is off (not executing the PLC) may include: the VCU 220 receives no power line signal, does not receive a power line signal for a time equal to or longer than a predetermined time period, or receives a power line signal having an intensity less than or equal to a predetermined intensity.

When power line communication is off, the EVSE250 may reduce the charging current output to the vehicle charging device through the output 252 of the EVSE 250. As with a fast charger that performs fast charging, the EVSE250 may perform current control for charging the battery 232.

As shown in fig. 2, the vehicle may include: a Vehicle Control Module (VCM)200, a Vehicle Controller (VCU)220, a Battery Management System (BMS)230, and a motor control unit (or motor controller) 240, the Vehicle Control Module (VCM)200 including a Charging Control Module (CCM)210 that performs PLC with an EVSE 250; a Battery Management System (BMS)230 includes a battery (e.g., a high voltage battery) 232 that stores electric power for driving the vehicle and manages the battery; the motor control unit (or motor controller) 240 includes a drive motor 244 that drives the vehicle and controls the drive motor.

The vehicle charging apparatus includes the BMS 230 and the MCU 240, and may be a multi-charger for charging the battery 232 with a boosted voltage or a charging voltage. An operation embodiment of the vehicle charging device is included in korean patent application laid-open No.10-2019-0040120 (U.S. patent publication No. us 2019/0109462).

The BMS 230 may include: a battery 232, a main relay for protecting the battery 232, a first relay (800V relay), a second relay ((-) terminal relay), and a third relay (e.g., 400V); a first relay (800V relay) for charging the battery with a boosted voltage (e.g., 800V); the second relay ((-) terminal relay) is arranged on a grounding wire of the vehicle charging device; the third relay (400V) is used to charge the battery with a charging voltage (e.g., 400V). In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the BMS 230 may omit (exclude) the battery 232.

The MCU 240 may include: the inverter 242, the drive motor 244, a capacitor connected between input terminals of the inverter 242, and a capacitor (neutral-end capacitor) provided at a neutral point of the drive motor. The inverter 242 may include switches, such as Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs). In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the MCU 240 may omit (exclude) the driving motor 244.

The VCU 220 may be communicatively coupled to the VCM 200, the BMS 230, and the MCU 240 via a Controller Area Network (CAN). VCU 220 may include VCM 200, BMS 230, and MCU 240.

The VCU 220 may control the overall operation of the vehicle as an Electronic Control Unit (ECU). For example, VCU 220 may be one or more microprocessors or hardware (e.g., a microcomputer) including a microprocessor operated by a program (control logic), and the program may include a series of instructions for executing a method of controlling charging of a vehicle battery according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The instructions may be stored in a memory of the vehicle or VCU 220.

The devices that control charging of the vehicle battery may include the VCU 220 and the vehicle charging apparatus.

According to operation 120 shown in fig. 1, when the PLC is turned off, the VCU 220 may reduce an input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device output from the EVSE250 disposed outside the vehicle by using the vehicle charging device providing the boosted voltage. For example, the VCU 220 may linearly reduce the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device, which is output from the EVSE250 provided outside the vehicle, to 0V by using the driving motor 244 of the vehicle charging device that provides a boosted voltage and the inverter 242 (or the driving motor and the inverter connected to the driving motor) that controls the driving motor.

According to operation 130, the VCU 220 may determine whether the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device reaches a voltage at which the EVSE250 provided outside the vehicle does not operate (an operation lower limit voltage of the EVSE). When the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device decreases, the output voltage through the output 252 of the EVSE250 disposed outside the vehicle also decreases.

According to operation 140, after the input terminal voltage of the vehicle charging device reaches a voltage at which the EVSE250 does not operate, the VCU 220 may determine whether the EVSE250 disposed outside the vehicle is turned off based on a charging current output from the EVSE250 disposed outside the vehicle to the vehicle charging device. For example, the VCU 220 may determine that the EVSE250 disposed outside the vehicle is off when the charging current output from the EVSE250 disposed outside the vehicle to the vehicle charging device is 0A.

According to operation 150, when the EVSE250 disposed outside the vehicle is turned off, the VCU 220 may stop (interrupt) charging of the battery 232 by turning off the main relay of the vehicle charging device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a main relay of a vehicle charging device connected to an EVSE outside the vehicle from blowing and an overvoltage from being generated in a capacitor provided at a neutral point of the charging device.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the main relay is turned off, the 800V relay and the (-) terminal relay may also be turned off.

The constituent elements, "-unit", block, or module used in the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by software such as tasks, classes, subroutines, processes, objects, execution threads, and programs executed in predetermined regions of memory, or by a combination of software such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or hardware such as an ASIC. The constituent elements, "-units", etc. may also be included in a computer-readable storage medium, and a part thereof may be distributed in a plurality of computers.

In addition, control device-related terms such as "controller," "control unit," "control device," or "control module" refer to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor configured to perform one or more steps interpreted as an algorithmic structure. The memory stores algorithm steps, and the processor executes the algorithm steps to perform one or more processes of the methods according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by a nonvolatile memory configured to store an algorithm for controlling operations of various components of a vehicle or data on software commands for executing the algorithm, and a processor configured to perform the above operations using the data stored in the memory. The memory and the processor may be separate chips. Alternatively, the memory and the processor may be integrated in a single chip. The processor may be implemented as one or more processors.

The control means may be at least one microprocessor operated by a predetermined program which may include a series of commands for performing the methods included in the foregoing various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

The foregoing invention can also be embodied as computer readable codes on a computer readable recording medium. The computer readable recording medium is any data storage device that can store data which can be thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include: a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a Solid State Disk (SSD), a Silicon Disk Drive (SDD), a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, etc., and is implemented as a carrier wave (e.g., transmitted through the internet).

In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, each of the above-described operations may be performed by a controller, and the controller may be configured by a plurality of controllers or an integrated single controller.

For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "upper", "lower", "upward", "downward", "front", "rear", "back", "inner", "outer", "inward", "outward", "inner", "outer", "forward" and "rearward" are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. It will be further understood that the term "connected," or derivatives thereof, refers to both direct and indirect connections.

The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to make and use various exemplary embodiments of the invention and various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.