Plug-in battery charging booster for electric vehicle

• US 20080180058A1
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Gonzales, Philip M., To, Viet Q., Stanek, Joseph, Lee, Josephine S., Patel, Bijal
• Application Number:
  US11/699,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180058A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00428 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/06 using only one supply
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/31 for starting of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/34 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A system for charging an electric storage battery in an electric vehicle includes a first converter electrically connectable to a first source of AC electric power, for converting AC from the first power source to a first DC output, a second converter electrically connectable to a second source of AC electric power that is out of phase relative to the first AC power source, for converting AC from the second power source to a second DC output, and a regulator electrically coupled to the first DC output, the second DC output and the battery, for producing and charging the battery with a third DC output having a higher voltage than the voltage of the first and the second DC outputs.

Claims

1. A system for charging an electric storage battery in an electric vehicle comprising:

a first converter electrically connectable to a first source of AC electric power, for converting AC from the first power source to a first DC output;

a second converter electrically connectable to a second source of AC electric power that is out of phase relative to the first AC power source, for converting AC from the second power source to a second DC output; and

a regulator electrically coupled to the first DC output, the second DC output and the battery, for producing and charging the battery with a third DC output having a higher voltage than the voltage of the first and the second DC outputs.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first converter and second converter and regulator are located onboard the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a compressor for an air conditioning system located in the vehicle; and

a motor driveably connected to the compressor and electrically coupled to the battery.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an electric heating element located in the vehicle and electrically coupled to the battery.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a heating system containing a fluid and located in the vehicle; and

a motor driveably connected to a pump for circulating the fluid through the heating system.

6. A system for charging an electric storage battery in an electric vehicle comprising:

a first source of AC electric power;

a second source of AC electric power that is out of phase relative to the first source;

a first converter electrically connected to the first source of AC electric power for converting AC from the first source to a first DC output;

a second converter electrically connected to the second source of AC electric power for converting AC from the second power source to a second DC output;

a regulator electrically coupled to the first DC output, the second DC output and the battery for producing and charging the battery with a third DC output having a higher voltage than the voltage of the first and the second DC outputs; and

a controller for applying a pulse on the first converter and determining whether a corresponding pulse is present on the second converter, thereby determining whether the first and second power sources are connected to the same converter.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a selector controlled manually for indicating a desired delay in performing a battery charge, and wherein the controller further schedules a period during which the battery is charged by the system in response to input to the selector.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller further causes the time rate of power flow to the battery from the charging system to increase at a rate that is sufficiently slow to avoid overloading the power supply and opening a circuit breaker in the power supply.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller further monitors the magnitude of a difference in a load on the first power source and a load on the second power source.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller further monitors the state of charge of the battery, and terminates battery charging when said state of charge reaches a predetermined magnitude.

11. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

a compressor for an air conditioning system located in the vehicle; and

a motor driveably connected to the compressor and electrically coupled to the battery.

12. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

an electric heating element located in the vehicle and electrically coupled to the battery.

13. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

a heating system containing a fluid and located in the vehicle; and

a motor driveably connected to a pump for circulating the fluid through the heating system.

14. In a system for charging an electric storage battery in a electric vehicle that includes a first converter electrically connectable to a first source of AC electric power, a second converter electrically connectable to a second source of AC electric power that is out of phase relative to the first AC power source, and a regulator electrically coupled to the first DC output and the second DC output, a method comprising the steps of:

using the regulator to produce a third DC output having a higher voltage than the voltage of the first and the second DC outputs;

coupling the battery to the third DC output; and

using the third DC output to increase the state of charge of the battery.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

using the battery to drive a motor driveably connected to an air conditioning in a system for controlling the temperature of ambient air in a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

using the battery to heat an electric heating element located in a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

using the battery to drive a pump that circulates fluid in a passenger compartment of the vehicle.