Vehicle Conductive Charge Port Having Cooling Infrastructure

• US 20160221458A1
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lopez, Juan, Basoukeas, Nondo G.
• Granted Patent: US 10,377,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change
• 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 vehicle conductive charge port is configured to conductively transfer charging current from an external source to the vehicle for charging a traction battery of the vehicle. A cooling system is configured to cool the charge port depending on a temperature of the charge port. The cooling system may use coolant and/or air to cool the charge port.

Claims

1. An assembly for charging a traction battery of a vehicle comprising:

a charge port configured to conductively transfer charging current from an external source to the vehicle; and

a cooling system configured to cool the charge port depending on a temperature of the charge port.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the cooling system includes a temperature sensor configured to monitor the temperature of the charge port.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the cooling system is a liquid cooling system configured to use coolant to cool the charge port.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein:

the liquid cooling system includes a cold plate having a coolant chamber with a coolant ingress port and a coolant egress port, the cold plate being attached to the charge port.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein:

the liquid cooling system further includes a heat exchanger configured to cool heated coolant, the liquid cooling system is further configured to provide a flow of coolant through the coolant chamber of the cold plate for absorbing heat from the charge port and to the heat exchanger.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the cooling system is an air cooling system configured to use air to cool the charge port.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein:

the air cooling system is a forced air cooling system configured to provide a forced flow of air toward the charge port to dissipate heat from the charge port into an environment of the charge port.

8. The assembly of claim 6 wherein:

the air cooling system is a natural air convection system.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein:

the natural air convection system includes a heat-sink device attached to the charge port to absorb heat of the charge port and dissipate the heat into an environment of the charge port.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein:

the heat-sink device includes at least one of a heat pipe, heat spreader, and a thermoelectric cooling module.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein:

the charge port is further configured to mate with a charge connector associated with the external source to conductively transfer charging current from the external source to the vehicle.

12. A method for charging a traction battery of a vehicle comprising:

transferring charging current from an external source to the vehicle conductively through a charge port; and

cooling the charge port, by a cooling system configured to cool the charge port, depending on a temperature of the charge port.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

monitoring the temperature of the charge port.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein:

cooling the charge port includes using coolant to cool the charge port.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein:

cooling the charge port includes using a forced flow of air to cool the charge port.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein:

cooling the charge port includes using natural air convection to cool the charge port.

17. A vehicle comprising:

a traction battery;

a charge port configured to conductively transfer charging current from an external source to the traction battery; and

a cooling system configured to cool the charge port depending on a temperature of the charge port.

18. The vehicle of claim 17 wherein:

the cooling system includes a temperature sensor configured to monitor the temperature of the charge port.

19. The vehicle of claim 17 wherein:

the cooling system is a liquid cooling system configured to use coolant to cool the charge port.

20. The vehicle of claim 17 wherein:

the cooling system is an air cooling system configured to use air to cool the charge port.