BATTERY CHARGING APPARATUS

• US 20120235626A1
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HL Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mando Corporation
• Inventors: OH, Sung Min, Moon, Tae Kyung, Moon, Hyung Tae, Hwang, Sun Min
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• 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 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/008 Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3353 having at least two simultaneously operating switches on the input side, e.g. "double forward" or "double (switched) flyback" converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33561 having more than one ouput with independent control
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33592 having a synchronous rectifier circuit or a synchronous freewheeling circuit at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• 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 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A battery charging apparatus includes a converting unit, first and second charging units and a switching unit. The converting unit separately convert AC power into a first voltage and a second voltage. The first charging unit drops the converted first voltage and charge a high voltage battery with the dropped first voltage. The second charging unit drops the converted second voltage or a third voltage of the high voltage battery, and charges an auxiliary battery with the dropped second or third voltage. The switching unit performs, in a first mode, the charging of the high voltage battery and the auxiliary battery by the AC power, and in a second mode, stops the charging of the high voltage battery by the AC power and performs the charging of the auxiliary battery by the third voltage.

Claims

1. A battery charging apparatus comprising:

a hybrid power converting unit configured to use a common transformer to separately convert AC power into a first voltage and a second voltage for charging a high voltage battery and an auxiliary battery;

a high voltage charging unit configured to drop the first voltage output from the hybrid power converting unit and charge the high voltage battery with the dropped first voltage;

an auxiliary voltage charging unit configured to drop the second voltage output from the hybrid power converting unit or a voltage of the high voltage battery, and charge the auxiliary battery with the dropped second voltage or the dropped voltage of the high voltage battery; and

a switching unit configured to switch an electrical connection between the AC power and the auxiliary voltage charging unit and switch an electrical connection between the high voltage battery and the auxiliary voltage charging unit, such that the second voltage generated by the conversion of the AC power or the voltage of the high voltage battery is selectively input to the auxiliary voltage charging unit,

wherein, in a first mode, the charging of the high voltage battery and the charging of the auxiliary battery by the AC power are performed by the switching operation of the switching unit, and

in a second mode, the charging of the high voltage battery by the AC power is stopped and the charging of the auxiliary battery by the voltage of the high voltage battery is performed by the switching operation of the switching unit.

2. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid power converting unit, the high voltage charging unit, the auxiliary voltage charging unit, and the switching unit are mounted on an on board charger (OBC).

3. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transformer includes a primary winding and secondary windings having different turns ratios for the power conversion into the first voltage and the second voltage.

4. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the second mode, the switching unit performs a switching operation to transfer the voltage of the high voltage battery to an input terminal of a primary winding of the transformer, such that the auxiliary voltage charging unit charges the auxiliary battery with the voltage of the high voltage battery.

5. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the second mode, the switching unit performs a switching operation to transfer the voltage of the high voltage battery to secondary windings of the transformer, such that the auxiliary voltage charging unit charges the auxiliary battery with the voltage of the high voltage battery.

6. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the switching unit comprises a first switching unit configured to switch the supply or interrupt of the AC power, and a second switching unit configured to switch the transfer of the voltage of the high voltage battery to the auxiliary voltage charging unit;

in the first mode, the first switching unit is switched to an ON state and the second switching unit is switched to an OFF state; and

in the second mode, the first switching unit is switched to an OFF state and the second switching unit is switched to an ON state.

7. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the transformer includes a primary winding and secondary windings having different turns ratios for the power conversion into the first voltage and the second voltage, and

the second switching unit transfers the voltage of the high voltage battery to an input terminal of the primary winding of the transformer.

8. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second switching unit is installed between both terminals of the high voltage battery and both input terminals of the primary winding of the transformer.

9. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the transformer includes a primary winding and second windings having different turns ratios for the power conversion of the first voltage and the second voltage; and

the second switching unit is installed to transfer the voltage of the high voltage battery to a secondary winding connected to the high voltage charging unit among the secondary windings of the transformer.

10. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second switching unit comprises a diode connected in a forward direction between a positive terminal of the high voltage battery and a secondary winding connected to the high voltage charging unit among the secondary windings of the transformer.

11. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rectifying unit configured to perform a rectification operation to convert the AC power into a DC voltage; and

a power factor correction (PFC) circuit configured to correct a power factor of the DC voltage and transfer the power-factor-corrected DC voltage to the hybrid power converting unit.

12. The battery charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high voltage charging unit and the auxiliary voltage charging unit comprise interleaved buck converters.