Recharging installation for the electric conduction recharging of a vehicle

• US 10,654,363 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
• Original Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
• Inventors: Hourtane, Jean-Luc, Maurin, Francois, Nevot, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trischler, John T
• Application Number:
  US15/445,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20170253135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/42 for collecting current from individual contact pieces connected to the power supply line
• 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 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/36 Single contact pieces along the line for power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• 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

An installation for recharging an energy storage means, such as a battery of an electric vehicle, by conduction of energy from an electric power source to the energy storage means, where the battery is electrically connected to an on-board device and provided with a plurality of electric contacts, and on the ground, a ground device, combined with the on-board device, is connected to the electric power source and includes a plurality of electric contacts, each electric contact of the ground device being able to be put into contact with a corresponding contact of the on-board device, and the installation being able to safely apply an electric recharging power issued by the electric power source to the battery, where the plurality of electric contacts of the on-board device and of the ground device exclusively includes a phase contact and neutral contact.

Claims

1. An installation for electric conduction recharging, comprising:

an on board device, provided on board a vehicle equipped with an electric energy storage means, the on-board device being electrically connected to the electric energy storage means and equipped with two electric contacts consisting of a first phase contact and a first neutral contact; and

a ground device, provided on the ground, configured to cooperate with the on board device, the ground device being connected to an electric power source and equipped with two electric contacts consisting of a second phase contact and a second neutral contact, each of the electric contacts of the ground device being able to make contact with a corresponding one of the electric contacts of the on board device,

the on board device and the ground device being configured to apply an electric recharging power delivered by the electric power source to the electric energy storage means,

the first neutral contact being electrically connected to a chassis of the vehicle, and

the second neutral contact of the ground device being electrically connected to a ground connection; and

a ground connection controlling means for checking, during operational application of the electric recharging power to the electric energy storage means, that i) the first neutral contact of the on board device is in electrical contact with the second neutral contact of the ground device and ii) that the first phase contact of the on board device is in electric contact with the second phase contact of the ground device,

the ground connection controlling means including;

a transmitter, equipped with one of the ground device and the on board device, that applies an electric test signal to an electric circuit including the first and second phase contacts and the first and second neutral contacts, and

a receiver, equipped with the other of the ground device and the on board device, that receives the electric test signal only when an effective contact exists between the first and second phase contacts and an effective contact between the first and second neutral contacts, and that transmits a signal of reception of the electric test signal towards the transmitter.

2. The installation of claim 1, wherein the signal of reception is transmitted by means of a wireless link established between a wireless communication module of the on board device and a wireless communication module of the ground device.

3. The installation of claim 1, dedicated to a vehicle of a tyre vehicle type, a chassis of which is normally electrically insulated from the ground.

4. The installation of claim 1, wherein the ground device is arranged in a space provided in the ground such that the second phase contact and the second neutral contact are located beneath the on board device of the vehicle.

5. The installation of claim 1, wherein the first phase contact and the first neutral contact are arranged on an underside of the chassis of the vehicle in a manner so as to be brought into connection with the second phase contact and the second neutral contact of the ground device located beneath the vehicle.

6. The installation of claim 1, wherein the first neutral contact of the on board device includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and the first phase contact of the on board device includes a third electrode and a fourth electrode, the first and third electrodes forming input terminals of a first circuit for applying an electric recharging power to the energy storage means, and the second and fourth electrodes forming input terminals of a second circuit for establishing a ground connection and for controlling said ground connection during the application of the electric recharging power to the electric energy storage means, the second circuit being part to the ground connection controlling means.

7. The installation of claim 6, wherein none of the first, third, second, and fourth electrodes are not electrically connected when the onboard device is not in contact with the ground device.

8. The installation of claim 1, wherein the ground device disconnects itself from the electric power source when the electric test signal transmitted by the transmitter is not received by the receiver, or when the signal of reception of the electric test signal transmitted by the receiver is either not received by the transmitter or is indicative of a break of the electric contact between the first and second neutral contacts or the first and second phase contacts.

9. The installation of claim 8,

wherein the on board device includes a connection between the first phase contact and the first neutral contact, consisting of a wave trap circuit in series with a primary of a first transformer, a secondary of said first transformer connected to the receiver, and

wherein the ground device includes a connection between the second phase contact and the second neutral contact, consisting of a wave trap circuit in series with a primary of a second transformer, a secondary of said second transformer connected to the transmitter.

10. The installation of claim 1, wherein:

the ground device includes a pad, located in a roadway, the pad being flush with a surface of said roadway, and the pad bearing the second phase contact and the second neutral contact of the ground device, and

the on board device includes at least one current collector that bears the first phase contact and first neutral contact of the on board device, the current collector being mounted on the vehicle so as to be movable relative to a chassis of the vehicle so as to be displaced towards the pad in order to establish the electric contact between the contacts of the on board device and the ground device.

11. The installation of claim 10, wherein the on board device is mounted under a body of the vehicle, the vehicle having to be placed above the pad, such that the pad is located inside a ground footprint of the vehicle, in order to allow the establishment of an electric contact between the contacts of the ground device and on board device.

12. An installation for electric conduction recharging, comprising:

an on board device, provided on board a vehicle equipped with an electric energy storage means, the on-board device being electrically connected to the electric energy storage means and equipped with two electric contacts consisting of a first phase contact and a first neutral contact; and

a ground device, provided on the ground, configured to cooperate with the on board device, the ground device being connected to an electric power source and equipped with two electric contacts consisting of a second phase contact and a second neutral contact, each of the electric contacts of the ground device being able to make contact with a corresponding one of the electric contacts of the on board device,

the on board device and the ground device being configured to apply an electric recharging power delivered by the electric power source to the electric energy storage means,

the first neutral contact being electrically connected to a chassis of the vehicle, and

the second neutral contact of the ground device being electrically connected to a ground connection; and

a ground connection controlling means for checking, during operational application of the electric recharging power to the electric energy storage means, that i) the first neutral contact of the on board device is in electrical contact with the second neutral contact of the ground device and ii) that the first phase contact of the on board device is in electric contact with the second phase contact of the ground device,

the ground connection controlling means including;

a transmitter, equipped with one of the ground device and the on board device, that applies an electric test signal to an electric circuit including the first and second phase contacts and the first and second neutral contacts, and

a receiver, equipped with the other of the ground device and the on board device, that receives the electric test signal only when an effective contact exists between the first and second phase contacts and an effective contact between the first and second neutral contacts, and that transmits a signal of reception of the electric test signal towards the transmitter,

wherein the ground device disconnects itself from the electric power source when the electric test signal transmitted by the transmitter is not received by the receiver, or when the signal of reception of the electric test signal transmitted by the receiver is either not received by the transmitter or is indicative of a break of the electric contact between the first and second neutral contacts or the first and second phase contacts,

wherein the on board device includes a connection between the first phase contact and the first neutral contact, consisting of a wave trap circuit in series with a primary of a first transformer, a secondary of said first transformer connected to the receiver, and

wherein the ground device includes a connection between the second phase contact and the second neutral contact, consisting of a wave trap circuit in series with a primary of a second transformer, a secondary of said second transformer connected to the transmitter.