CHARGING STATION PROVIDING THERMAL CONDITIONING OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE DURING CHARGING SESSION

• US 20150306974A1
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: MARDALL, JOSEPH, Van Dyke, Christopher H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,527,403 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/06 using only one supply
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/656 characterised by the type of heat-exchange fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• 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

Abstract

A method of thermally conditioning an energy storage of a vehicle while charging includes: receiving, at a charging station, thermal information about the energy storage; supplying, by the charging station, electric energy to the energy storage in a charging session; and providing, by the charging station and based on the thermal information, thermal conditioning of the energy storage during at least part of the charging session.

Claims

1. A method of thermally conditioning an energy storage of a vehicle while charging, the method comprising:

receiving, at a charging station, thermal information about the energy storage;

supplying, by the charging station, electric energy to the energy storage in a charging session; and

providing, by the charging station and based on the thermal information, thermal conditioning of the energy storage during at least part of the charging session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising actuating an arm so that an electric connector and a fluid connector mounted thereon make contact with the vehicle, wherein the electric energy is supplied to the energy storage through the electric connector, and wherein the thermal conditioning of the energy storage is provided through the fluid connector.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein actuating the arm comprises guiding the arm to a position underneath the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein actuating the arm comprises coupling the electric connector to an electric port on the vehicle, and coupling the fluid connector to a fluid port on the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein coupling the fluid connector to the fluid port comprises coupling the fluid connector to a thermal system of the vehicle, the method further comprising providing, by the charging station and to the thermal system, a first liquid through the fluid connector, and extracting, by the charging station, a second liquid from the thermal system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising actuating an arm so that a thermal contactor mounted thereon enters through an opening in the energy storage and contacts a thermal exchange plate inside the energy storage.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising actuating an arm so that an air inlet couples with an air intake on the energy storage, wherein providing the thermal conditioning comprises feeding air into the energy storage through the air intake.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the thermal conditioning comprises directing one or more conditioned jets of fluid at the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a thermal mode from at least a cooling mode and a heating mode based on the thermal information, wherein the thermal conditioning corresponds to the selected thermal mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the thermal information comprises a temperature value specified by the energy storage, and wherein the thermal mode is selected according to the temperature value.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the temperature value reflects a fluid temperature requested by the energy storage, and wherein providing the thermal conditioning comprises supplying fluid having the requested fluid temperature to the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the thermal conditioning comprises contacting the energy storage with a conductive pad during the charging session, and circulating a fluid through the conductive pad.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising guiding the vehicle into position at the charging station using at least one contoured vehicle guide on a ground surface.

14. A system comprising:

charging equipment configured to supply electric energy in a charging session to an energy storage of a vehicle; and

means for providing, based on thermal information about the energy storage received from the vehicle, thermal conditioning of the energy storage during at least part of the charging session.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising an actuated arm that the means maneuvers to provide the thermal conditioning.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the arm is configured to be maneuvered under the vehicle for the charging session.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the arm has an electric connector and a fluid connector mounted thereon, the electric connector configured to couple to an electric port on the vehicle, the fluid connector configured to couple to a fluid port on the vehicle, wherein the charging equipment supplies the electric energy to the energy storage through the electric connector, and wherein the means provides the thermal conditioning of the energy storage through the fluid connector.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising at least one reservoir with a fluid, wherein the means draws from the reservoir to provide the thermal conditioning.

19. The system of claim 18, having a first reservoir with heated liquid and a second reservoir with a cooled liquid, and respective valves coupled to the first and second reservoirs, wherein the means draws an amount of liquid from at least one of the first and second reservoirs according to the thermal information to provide the thermal conditioning.

20. A vehicle comprising:

an energy storage configured to store electric energy for at least propulsion of the vehicle; and

a coupling configured to receive thermal conditioning of the energy storage provided by a system external to the vehicle.

21. The vehicle of claim 20, further comprising a thermal system for the energy storage, wherein the coupling comprises a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger configured to provide thermal exchange between a first liquid provided by the system external to the vehicle, and a second liquid in the thermal system.

22. The vehicle of claim 20, wherein the coupling comprises an air intake on the energy storage, and wherein the thermal conditioning provided by the system external to the vehicle comprises air being fed into the energy storage through the air intake.