Charging station

• US 10,263,413 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Gellert, Remo
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US14/343,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20140217978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,778 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/50 Charging stations characterised by energy-storage or power-generation means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/20 for electronic equipment for converters H02H7/10; for electric measuring instruments G01R1/36; for dc voltage or current semiconductor regulators G05F1/569; for amplifiers H03F1/52; for electronic switching circuits H03K17/08
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A single-phase or multi-phase feed line is connected to a charging connection of the charging station, via which feed line the charge current flows to the charging connection of the charging station regardless of the load capacity identifier of the charge cable. An overload protection device is connected to and monitors the feed line. The overload protection device is an automatically switching overload protection device in which at least one identifier-specific trigger criterion is stored for each of at least two load capacity identifiers of the charging cable. The overload protection device is capable of automatically selecting the identifier-specific trigger criterion assigned to the load capacity identifier depending on the load capacity identifier of the charging cable, and of shutting off a switching device of the overload protection device arranged in the feed line depending on the selected trigger criterion.

Claims

1. A charging station comprising:

an electric charging connection configured to connect a charging cable of an electric vehicle;

the charging station configured to read, at the electric charging connection, a load capacity identifier specifying an electrical load capacity of the charging cable;

a polyphase feed line connected to the electric charging connection to carry a charging current to the electric charging connection of the charging station; and

an overload protection device with automatic switchover having a switching device configured to connect to the polyphase feed line and monitor the polyphase feed line to disconnect the charging current flowing through the feed line in response to an overload, the switching device comprising an individually and independently actuable switch for each phase of the polyphase feed line,

wherein the overload protection device selects an identifier-specific tripping criterion assigned to the load capacity identifier of the charging cable and stored in the overload protection device, monitors the individual phases of the polyphase feed line, compares each individual phase to the selected tripping criterion, and disconnects the polyphase feed line on the basis of any individual phase of the polyphase feed line exceeding the selected tripping criterion.

2. The charging station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overload protection device comprises a memory in which a plurality of identifier specific tripping criteria are stored, and the overload protection device comprises a calculation device which is connected to the memory and is configured to read from the memory, on the basis of the load capacity identifier of the charging cable, the identifier-specific tripping criterion which is assigned to the load capacity identifier and stored in the memory.

3. The charging station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overload protection device is directly connected to the electric charging connection and can read the load capacity identifier of the charging cable by itself.

4. The charging station as claimed in claim 2, wherein the overload protection device comprises a measuring device which is connected to the calculation device and determines a measured value that specifies a loading of the polyphase feed line, and transfers the measured value to the calculation device.

5. The charging station as claimed in claim 4, wherein the measuring device comprises a current measuring device that measures the charging current through the polyphase feed line.

6. The charging station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overload protection device with automatic switchover monitors a phase of the polyphase feed line.

7. The charging station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overload protection device is configured to determine that a particular phase of the polyphase feed line exceeds the selected tripping criterion, and in response, individually disconnect the actuable switch corresponding with the particular phase of the polyphase feed line independently of the actuable switches corresponding with the other phases of the polyphase feed line.

8. The charging station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overload protection device is configured to disconnect the phase of the polyphase feed line regardless of a symmetry of a charging current loading in a plurality of phases of the polyphase feed line.

9. The charging station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overload protection device comprises an interface module, and a control device of the overload protection device is connected to the interface module and changes the identifier-specific tripping criteria by remote parameter setting via the interface module.

11. The charging station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identifier-specific tripping criterion assigned to the load capacity identifier is selected from the group consisting of a maximum current value, a tripping characteristic, and a calculation guideline.

12. The charging station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identifier-specific tripping criterion is one of a plurality of identifier-specific tripping criteria assigned to the load capacity identifier of the charging cable.

10. A method for monitoring the charging process of a charging station comprising:

reading a load capacity identifier of a charging cable connected to an electric charging connection of the charging station;

monitoring a charging current in each phase of a polyphase feed line connected to the electric charging connection of the charging station;

assigning an identifier-specific tripping criterion on the basis of the load capacity identifier of the charging cable;

monitoring each phase of the polyphase feed line;

comparing each individual phase of the polyphase feed line to the selected tripping criterion,

determining, based on the comparing step, an overload in any individual phase of the polyphase feed line according to the selected tripping criterion; and

disconnecting the respective polyphase feed line in response to the overload of the individual phase of the polyphase feed line.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, comprising:

storing in a memory a plurality of identifier specific tripping criteria, and

reading from the memory, on the basis of the load capacity identifier of the charging cable, the identifier-specific tripping criterion which is assigned to the load capacity identifier and stored in the memory.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein reading the load capacity identifier of the charging cable connected to the electric charging connection of the charging station comprises reading the load capacity identifier by an overload protection device of the charging station connected directly to the electric charging connection.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10, comprising determining, by a measuring device of the charging station, a measured value that specifies a loading of the polyphase feed line.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, comprising measuring, by the measuring device of the charging station, a charging current through the polyphase feed line.

17. The method as claimed in claim 10, comprising:

determining, based on the comparing step, an overload in a particular phase of the polyphase feed line according to the selected tripping criterion; and

in response to the overload of the particular phase of the polyphase feed line, disconnecting the particular polyphase feed line independently of the other phases of the polyphase feed line.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, comprising disconnecting the particular polyphase feed line regardless of a symmetry of a charging current loading in the plurality of phases of the polyphase feed line.

19. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the identifier-specific tripping criterion assigned to the load capacity identifier is selected from the group consisting of a maximum current value, a tripping characteristic, and a calculation guideline.

20. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the identifier-specific tripping criterion is one of a plurality of identifier-specific tripping criteria assigned to the load capacity identifier of the charging cable.