STATION FOR RAPIDLY CHARGING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY

• US 20140062397A1
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lightening Energy
• Original Assignee: Lightening Energy
• Inventors: Dyer, Christopher K., Epstein, Michael L., Culver, Duncan
• Granted Patent: US 9,233,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• 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 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 : by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 : Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 : Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 : for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 : Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 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 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A vehicle charging station is provided. The vehicle charging station includes a charging source providing an electrical charge, a coolant source providing coolant and a connector having both an electrical supply section delivering the electrical charge and a coolant supply section delivering the coolant. The connector is capable of connecting to a vehicle. A connector for a vehicle charging station and an electric vehicle are also provided.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

an electric battery powering a drive system of the vehicle;

a charging connector receptacle for removably receiving a connector of a charging station, the receptacle including a coolant inflow section for receiving coolant an electrical inflow section for receiving electrical charge from the charging station;

a coolant conduit between the electric battery and the receptacle configured to direct coolant from the coolant inflow section of the receptacle into an interior of the electric battery to remove heat generated internally within the electric battery during charging; and

an electrical power connection between the electrical battery and the receptacle.

2. The electric vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein the electric battery includes a housing and a plurality of battery cells inside of the housing, the coolant conduit directing coolant inside of the housing to remove the heat generated internally within the electric battery.

3. The electric vehicle recited in claim 1 wherein the electrical power connection includes an electrical conduit.

4. The electric vehicle recited in claim 1 further comprising a vehicle controller connecting to a charging station.

5. The electric vehicle as recited in claim 4 wherein the vehicle controller receives information on a present chemistry of the electric battery and provides the information to the charging station.

6. The electric vehicle as recited in claim 4 further comprising voltage sensors sensing voltages of cells of the electric battery and providing the voltages to the vehicle controller.

7. The electric vehicle recited in claim 3 wherein the vehicle controller sends information on the state of the battery to the charging station to determine charge parameters.

8. The electric vehicle recited in claim 3 further comprising a sensor for measuring at least one of the temperature and voltage of the battery and providing feedback to vehicle controller for cooling and charging the battery.

9. The electric vehicle as recited in claim 1 further comprising a separate receptacle for coupling to a charging cord plugged into a standard home or office electrical outlet.

10. The electric vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein the charging connector receptacle includes an additional electrical inflow section for coupling to a charging cord plugged into a standard home or office electrical outlet.

11. The electric vehicle as recited in claim 9 wherein the electrical inflow section receives DC power and the separate receptacle receives AC power.

12. A vehicle charging station comprising:

a high power DC electric supply for rapidly charging an electric battery of a vehicle;

a coolant source providing an electrically insulating liquid coolant; and

a connector having both an electrical supply section delivering the electrical charge and a coolant supply section delivering the coolant, the connector capable of connecting to the receptacle of the vehicle to charge the electric battery and to supply the electrically insulating liquid coolant from the coolant source through a coolant conduit in the vehicle into the electric battery to cool the battery as the electric battery is charged.

13. The vehicle charging station as recited in claim 12 wherein the connector includes a coolant return section for returning coolant to the coolant source.

14. The vehicle charging station as recited in claim 13 further comprising a coolant return pump for returning the coolant to the coolant to the coolant source.

15. The vehicle charging station as recited in claim 13 wherein the electrically insulating liquid coolant provided by the coolant source is an oil.

16. The vehicle charging station as recited in claim 13 wherein the electrically insulating liquid coolant provided by the coolant source is a paraffinic hydrocarbon.

17. The vehicle charging station as recited in claim 13 wherein the electrically insulating liquid coolant provided by the coolant source is has a dielectric breakdown voltage sufficient to prevent damage to electrical components of the electric battery.

18. A vehicle charging station comprising:

charging source providing an electrical charge;

a coolant source providing coolant;

a connector having both an electrical supply section delivering the electrical charge and a coolant supply section delivering the coolant, the connector capable of connecting to the receptacle of a vehicle to charge an electric battery in the vehicle and to supply coolant from the coolant source through a coolant conduit in the vehicle into the electric battery to cool the battery as the electric battery is charged; and

a controller displaying cooling options, receiving an input of a selected one of the cooling options and controlling the flow of coolant from the coolant source through the connector to the electric battery based on the selected cooling option.