CHARGE CONTROLLER FOR A BATTERY IN A VEHICLE

• US 20160214492A1
• Filed: 01/26/2016
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Spesser, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,604,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/20 characterised by converters located in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4225 using a non-isolated boost converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3378 in a push-pull configuration of the parallel type H02M3/3374 takes precedence
• 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 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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

A method for charging a battery of a vehicle uses a battery charging station that provides an electric current at a first DC voltage. The electric current that is output by the battery charging station at the first DC voltage is supplied to a charger of the vehicle, The electric current at the first DC voltage is converted within the charger into a second electric current at a second DC voltage that is required for charging the battery of the vehicle, and then is supplied to the battery.

Claims

1. A method for charging a battery of a vehicle, the method comprising:

using a battery charging station that provides an electric current at a first DC voltage, supplying the electric current at the first DC voltage from the battery charging station to a charger of the vehicle, converting the electric current at the first DC voltage within the charger into a second electric current at a second DC voltage that is required for charging the battery, and supplying the electric current at a second DC voltage to the battery.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a charge controller and the method further comprises using the charge controller to change between different charging paths of the vehicle on the basis of electrical properties of a respective electric current provided by the battery charging station at a respective voltage, wherein at least one charging path is routed via the charger and at least one further path can be used for directly charging the battery.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the charger comprises an electrical link for isolating a circuit at the first DC voltage from a circuit at the second DC voltage, the method further comprising converting an electric current at the first DC following the conversion into an electric current at the second DC voltage, into an alternating current and routed via the electrical link and, after the electrical link, is converted back into a direct electric current at the second voltage.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the first DC voltage is supplied to an intermediate circuit of the charger.

5. A vehicle having an electric battery, a charge controller and at least one charger, wherein the vehicle can be connected to a battery charging station that can supply the vehicle with an electric current at a first DC voltage and wherein the charge controller is configured so that, if the first DC voltage is lower than a second DC voltage that is required for charging the battery, it transmits an electric current, which can be transmitted from the battery charging station to the vehicle, to the charger via a power path, and wherein the charger is configured to convert the electric current at the first DC voltage into a second electric current at the second DC voltage.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the charge controller is configured so that, if the battery charging station provides an electric current at the second DC voltage that is suitable for charging the battery, the charge controller transmits the electric current provided by the battery charging station to a path that can charge the battery directly.

7. The vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the charge controller is configured to transmit the electric current that can be provided by the battery charging station at AC voltage to a path to the charger, and wherein the charger is configured to transform the electric current at AC voltage into an electric current at DC voltage.

8. A charger for a vehicle that is configured to convert an electric current that can be provided by a battery charging station at a first DC voltage into an electric current at a second DC voltage and to charge a battery of the vehicle by supplying said electric current to the vehicle or to the battery.

9. The charger of claim 8, wherein the charger comprises at least one DC-DC voltage converter.

10. The charger of claim 8, wherein the charger comprises a step-up converter for converting the first DC voltage into the second DC voltage.

11. A charge controller for controlling a charging process for charging a battery of a vehicle at a battery charging station, wherein the charge controller comprises a module for measuring a voltage of an electric current that can be provided by the battery charging station and a module for changing over to different charging paths within the vehicle on the basis of electrical properties of the electric current that can be provided by the battery charging station.

12. The charge controller of claim 11, wherein the charge controller comprises a protection module for decoupling the battery charging station from the vehicle if an intermediate circuit of a charger of the vehicle is overloaded.

13. The charge controller of claim 12, wherein the charge controller comprises a temperature sensor for sensing an overload in the intermediate circuit.

14. The charge controller of claim 11, wherein the charge controller comprises a module for adapting an efficiency of conversion of an electric current at the first DC voltage into an electric current at the second DC voltage by a charger.

15. The charge controller of claim 14, wherein the charge controller is configured to regulate the adaptation of the efficiency on the basis of environmental data sensed by at least one sensor for surroundings and/or the charger.