Transmission System for Charging the Traction Batteries of an Electrically Driven Motor Vehicle

• US 20120280652A1
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Welschholz, Joerg
• Granted Patent: US 9,145,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/10 Registration, licensing, or like devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• 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 system for charging an electric vehicle includes a vehicle-side transformer part arranged behind a license plate of the vehicle. The vehicle-side transformer part couples with a charging station-side transformer part through the license plate when the charging station-side transformer part is arranged in front of the license plate such that electrical energy can be transferred through the transformer parts to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for charging an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle-side transformer part arranged behind a license plate of the vehicle;

wherein the vehicle-side transformer part couples with a charging station-side transformer part through the license plate when the charging station-side transformer part is arranged in front of the license plate such that electrical energy can be transferred through the transformer parts to the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the vehicle-side transformer part is arranged against an inner side of the license plate.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein:

the vehicle-side transformer part couples with the charging station-side transformer part when the charging station-side transformer part is arranged against an outer side of the license plate opposite to the vehicle-side transformer part whereby the transformer parts sandwich the license plate.

4. A system for charging an electric vehicle parked at a charging station, the system comprising:

a charging station-side transformer part associated with a coupler of the charging station; and

a vehicle-side transformer part associated with the vehicle and arranged behind a license plate of the vehicle;

wherein the transformer parts couple together when the coupler is attached to the vehicle such that energy can be transferred from the charging station through the transformer parts to the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the vehicle-side transformer part is arranged against an inner side of the license plate.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the charging-side transformer part is arranged against an outer side of the license plate opposite to the vehicle-side transformer part whereby the transformer parts sandwich the license plate with the transformer parts being coupled together through the license plate.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:

the coupler is placed on the outer side of the license plate such that the charging-side transformer part is arranged against the outer side of the license plate.

8. A system for charging an electric vehicle, the system comprising:

a license plate having a front surface and a rear surface;

a charging station-side transformer part arranged adjacent the front surface of the license plate; and

a vehicle-side transformer part arranged adjacent the rear surface of the license plate opposite to the charging station-side transformer part;

wherein the transformer parts are inductively coupled together through the license plate such that energy can be transferred through the transformer parts to the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the transformer parts physically sandwich the license.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein:

a majority portion of the license plate is a non-electrically conductive material.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the majority portion of the license plate is plastic.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the license plate includes ferromagnetic material regions.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the ferromagnetic material regions are located in the license plate where the transformer parts are opposite from one another.

14. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

a coupler connected to the charging station-side transformer part;

wherein the coupler is positioned near the front surface of the license plate such that the charging station-side transformer part is arranged adjacent the front surface of the license plate.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the coupler includes a bearing surface attachable to the front surface of the license plate, wherein dimensions of the bearing surface of the coupler correspond to dimensions of the front surface of the license plate.