CHARGING DEVICES AND METHODS FOR CHARGING ELECTRICALLY POWERED VEHICLES

• US 20130063086A1
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Denis Alagic
• Inventors: Hooker, John Kenneth, Hall, Scott Jeffrey, Alagic, Denis, Kulkarni, Prerana Gajanan, Thomas, Cecilia Maria
• Granted Patent: US 9,475,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Charging devices and methods for charging electrically powered vehicles are disclosed. One example charging device includes a processor configured to at least partially control a state voltage and a detection circuit coupled to the processor. The detection circuit includes an energy storage device and a discharge circuit coupled to the energy storage device. The energy storage device is configured to be charged by the state voltage. The discharge circuit is configured to discharge said energy storage device in response to a discharge command from said processor. The processor is configured to determine a charging state associated with the electrically powered vehicle based on a voltage across said energy storage device.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A charging device for charging at least one electrically powered vehicle, said charging device comprising:

a state drive circuit configured to provide a state voltage;

a processor coupled to said state drive circuit, said processor configured to at least partially control the state voltage provided by said state drive circuit; and

a detection circuit coupled to said processor, said detection circuit including an energy storage device and a discharge circuit coupled to said energy storage device, said energy storage device configured to be charged by the state voltage, said discharge circuit configured to discharge said energy storage device in response to a discharge command from said processor;

wherein said processor is configured to determine a charging state associated with the electrically powered vehicle based on a voltage across said energy storage device.

32. The charging device of claim 31, wherein said discharge circuit comprises a series combination of a resistor and a switching device coupled in parallel with said energy storage device to discharge said energy storage device upon receiving the discharge command.

33. The charging device of claim 32, wherein said energy storage device comprises a capacitor.

34. The charging device of claim 32, wherein said switching device comprises at least one of a FET, an IGBT, a BJT, an SCR, and a diode.

35. The charging device of claim 31, wherein said processor is configured to provide a state voltage command, and said state drive circuit configured to supply the state voltage based on the state voltage command from said processor.

36. The charging device of claim 35, wherein the state voltage command comprises a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) signal.

37. The charging device of claim 31, wherein said detection circuit comprises an amplifier coupled between said energy storage device and said processor, said amplifier configured to supply the voltage across said energy storage device to said processor.

38. The charging device of claim 37, wherein said amplifier comprises an operational amplifier.

39. A charging station for charging at least one electrically powered vehicle, said charging station comprising:

a power source; and

a charging device coupled to said power source, said charging device comprising a processor, a state drive circuit coupled to said processor, and a detection circuit coupled to said processor;

said state drive circuit configured to provide a state voltage;

said detection circuit including an energy storage device and a discharge circuit configured to discharge said energy storage device in response to a discharge command, said energy storage device configured to be charged by the state voltage, said processor configured to determine a charging state associated with the electrically powered vehicle based on a voltage across said energy storage device;

wherein said charging device is configured to control energy transfer from the power source to the electrically powered vehicle based on the charging state associated with the electrically powered vehicle.

40. The charging station of claim 39, wherein said processor is configured to provide a state voltage command, and said state drive circuit configured to supply the state voltage based on the state voltage command from said processor.

41. The charging station of claim 39, wherein said state drive circuit comprises a positive voltage branch configured to supply a positive voltage as the state voltage and a negative voltage branch configured to supply a negative voltage as the state voltage.

42. The charging station of claim 41, wherein the positive voltage branch and the negative voltage branch are substantially balanced.

43. A method for charging at least one electrically powered vehicle, said method comprising:

charging an energy storage device of a charging device by a state voltage provided by at least one of the charging device and an electrically powered vehicle;

determining, by a processor, a voltage across the energy storage device over a predetermined interval; and

discharging the energy storage device at least once during the predetermined interval.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein determining the voltage across the energy storage device includes periodically determining the voltage across the energy storage device.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising comparing a first determined voltage to a second determined voltage, storing the greater of the first and second determined voltages in a memory, and determining a charging state associated with the electrically powered vehicle based on the determined voltage stored in the memory.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising toggling a state voltage command, from the processor, to provide a duty cycle representative of an amount of energy suitable for transfer from a charging station to the electrically powered vehicle.

47. The method of claim 43, further comprising blocking the state voltage from charging the energy storage device when the state voltage is negative.

48. The method of claim 43, further comprising performing a self-test, by the processor, based on the voltage across the energy storage device.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the energy storage device is part of a detection circuit of the charging device, said method further comprising supplying a negative voltage to the detection circuit as the state voltage during the self-test.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising determining that the self-test passed if the processor receives a negative detect signal in response to the negative voltage supplied to the detection circuit.