Vehicle conductive charge port having cooling infrastructure

• US 10,377,264 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lopez, Juan, Basoukeas, Nondo G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robbins, Jerry D
• Application Number:
  US14/610,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20160221458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change
• 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 vehicle conductive charge port is configured to conductively transfer charging current from an external source to the vehicle for charging a traction battery of the vehicle. A cooling system is configured to cool the charge port depending on a temperature of the charge port. The cooling system may use coolant and/or air to cool the charge port.

Claims

1. An assembly for charging a traction battery of a vehicle, comprising:

a charge port having input and output connection interfaces and configured to conductively transfer charging current via the connection interfaces from an external source to the vehicle;

a cold plate entirely encasing the charge port except for the connection interfaces, the cold plate having a chamber,

a cooling system configured to provide coolant through the chamber to cool the charge port.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the cooling system includes a temperature sensor configured to monitor a temperature of the charge port; and

the cooling system is further configured to provide coolant through the chamber to cool the charge port depending on the temperature of the charge port.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the chamber of the cold plate includes a coolant ingress port and a coolant egress port both in fluid communication with the cooling system.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein:

the cooling system further includes a heat exchanger configured to cool heated coolant.

5. A vehicle comprising:

a traction battery;

a charge port having input and output connection interfaces and configured to conductively transfer charging current via the connection interfaces from an external source to the traction battery;

a cold plate entirely encasing the charge port except for the connection interfaces, the cold plate having a chamber;

a cooling system configured to provide coolant through the chamber to cool the charge port.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 wherein:

the cooling system includes a temperature sensor configured to monitor a temperature of the charge port; and

the cooling system is further configured to provide coolant through the chamber to cool the charge port depending on the temperature of the charge port.

7. The vehicle of claim 5 wherein:

the chamber of the cold plate includes a coolant ingress port and a coolant egress port both in fluid communication with the cooling system.

8. An assembly for a vehicle, comprising:

a charge port having input and output connection interfaces, the output connection interface connected to an on-board charger of the vehicle which is connected to a traction battery of the vehicle, the charge port configured to conductively transfer electrical current via the connection interfaces from an external source to the on-board charter, for charging the traction battery, when a charge connector of the external source is plugged into the input connection interface;

a cold plate entirely encasing the charge port except for the connection interfaces, the cold plate having a chamber,

a cooling system configured to provide coolant through the chamber to cool the charge port.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein:

the cooling system includes a temperature sensor configured to monitor a temperature of the charge port; and

the cooling system is further configured to provide coolant through the chamber to cool the charge port depending on the temperature of the charge port.

10. The assembly of claim 8 wherein:

the chamber of the cold plate includes a coolant ingress port and a coolant egress port both in fluid communication with the cooling system.