VEHICLE BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20140021913A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Martin, Douglas Raymond, Treharne, William David
• Application Number:
  US13/553,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20140021913A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/08 Methods and devices for control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• 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 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 : involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 : involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 : Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 : with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

In at least one embodiment, a vehicle includes a battery and an inductive charge plate electrically connected with the battery. The vehicle further includes at least one controller configured to, in response to detecting an authenticated charge system, cause an initiation signal to be transmitted such that the charge system initiates charging of the battery via the charge plate and cause an association signal to be intermittently or continuously transmitted such that charging of the battery via the charge plate is maintained.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a battery;

a charge plate electrically connected with the battery; and

at least one controller configured to, in response to detecting an authenticated charge system, (a) cause an initiation signal to be transmitted such that the charge system initiates charging of the battery via the charge plate and (b) cause an association signal to be intermittently or continuously transmitted such that charging of the battery via the charge plate is maintained.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause the association signal to be transmitted at predetermined time intervals.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause the intermittent or continuous transmission of the association signal to be interrupted in response to the vehicle being shifted into a torque enabled state such that the charge system discontinues charging of the battery via the charge plate.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause the intermittent or continuous transmission of the association signal to be interrupted in response to the battery achieving a threshold charge level such that the charge system discontinues charging of the battery via the charge plate.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause a termination signal to be transmitted in response to the battery achieving a threshold charge level such that the charge system discontinues charging of the battery via the charge plate.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause a termination signal to be transmitted in response to the vehicle being shifted into a torque enabled state such that the charge system discontinues charging of the battery via the charge plate.

7. A vehicle comprising:

a battery;

a charge plate electrically connected with the battery; and

at least one controller configured to, in response to detecting a predefined condition of the battery while the battery is being charged by a charge system via the charge plate according to a first charge procedure, (a) cause a change signal to be transmitted such that the charge system charges the battery according to a second charge procedure via the charge plate and (b) cause an association signal to be intermittently or continuously transmitted such that charging of the battery via the charge plate according to the second charge procedure is maintained.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause the association signal to be transmitted at predetermined time intervals.

9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause the intermittent or continuous transmission of the association signal to be interrupted in response to the vehicle being shifted into a torque enabled state such that the charge system discontinues charging of the battery via the charge plate.

10. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause the intermittent or continuous transmission of the association signal to be interrupted in response to the battery achieving a threshold charge level such that the charge system discontinues charging of the battery via the charge plate.

11. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause a termination signal to be transmitted in response to the battery achieving a threshold charge level such that the charge system discontinues charging of the battery via the charge plate.

12. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to cause a termination signal to be transmitted in response to the vehicle being shifted into a torque enabled state such that the charge system discontinues charging of the battery via the charge plate.

13. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein charging the battery according to the second charge procedure provides a different amount of current to the battery per unit time than charging the battery according to the first charge procedure.

14. A method for charging a battery of a vehicle comprising:

detecting an authenticated charge system separate from and in proximity to the vehicle; and

in response, (a) causing an initiation signal to be transmitted such that the charge system initiates charging of the battery according to a charge procedure and (b) causing an association signal to be intermittently or continuously transmitted such that charging of the battery according to the charge procedure is maintained.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising causing the intermittent or continuous transmission of the association signal to be interrupted in response to the vehicle being shifted into a torque enabled state such that charging of the battery according to the charge procedure is discontinued.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising causing the intermittent or continuous transmission of the association signal to be interrupted in response to the battery achieving a threshold charge level such that charging of the battery according to the charge procedure is discontinued.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising causing a termination signal to be transmitted in response to the vehicle being shifted from a parked state such that charging of the battery according to the charge procedure is discontinued.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising causing a termination signal to be transmitted in response to the battery achieving a threshold charge level such that charging of the battery according to the charge procedure is discontinued.