ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING METHOD

• US 20170158075A1
• Filed: 07/28/2016
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Cyber Switching Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cyber Switching Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: REYNOLDS, Charles H., SILORIO, Ronald L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,843,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• 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 53/20 characterised by converters located in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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: 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]

Abstract

A method of charging one or more electric vehicles (EVs) includes receiving a voltage over a dedicated circuit from an electric power supply. A charging current is generated using the voltage and directed to a first output connection if a first EV is connected to a head that is connected to the first output connection. The charging current to the first one of the output connections is stopped, then directed to a second output connection if a second EV is connected to a head coupled to the second output connection.

Claims

1. A method of charging one or more electric vehicles (EVs), the method comprising:

receiving a voltage over a dedicated circuit from an electric power supply, wherein the voltage is converted to a charging current;

directing the charging current to a first output connection of a plurality of output connections if a first EV is connected to a head coupled to the first output connection, wherein each of the output connections is couplable to at least one head of a plurality of heads that are connectable to the EVs;

stopping the charging current to the first output connection; and

after said stopping, directing the charging current to a second output connection of the plurality of output connections if a second EV is connected to a head coupled to the second output connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said directing the charging current to a first output connection comprises directing the charging current to the first output connection for a first interval of time, wherein said stopping comprises stopping the charging current to the first output connection when the first interval expires, and wherein said directing the charging current to a second output connection comprises directing the charging current to the second output connection for a second interval of time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a length of the first interval and a length of the second interval are individually programmable to be any interval of time.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first interval and the second interval are not more than 30 minutes each in length.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing the charging current to the output connections in round-robin fashion, one at a time, if multiple EVs are connected to the output connections.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the output connections include an output connection designated as a priority connection, wherein the method further comprises directing the charging current to the priority connection more frequently than to other output connections of the plurality of output connections.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said directing the charging current to a first output connection comprises directing the charging current to the first output connection until the charging current drops to a threshold, wherein said stopping comprises stopping the charging current to the first output connection when the threshold is reached, and wherein said directing the charging current to a second output connection comprises directing the charging current to the second output connection.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, before the charging current is provided to an output connection, whether there is an electrical load coupled to the output connection, wherein the charging current is not directed to the output connection if there is not an electrical load coupled to the output connection.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, before the charging current is provided to an output connection, whether an EV coupled to the output connection is fully charged, wherein the charging current is not provided to the output connection if the EV is fully charged.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, before a charging current is provided to an output connection, whether the output connection is already drawing a current, and for indicating a fault condition when the output connection is drawing a current before the charging current is provided.

11. A method of controlling the charging of one or more electric vehicle (EVs), the method executed by a controller comprising a central processing unit, the controller coupled to a plurality of channels, the method comprising:

directing a charging current generated from an input power supply to a first channel of the plurality of channels, wherein each of the channels is couplable to at least one head of a plurality of heads that are concurrently connectable to EVs;

turning off the charging current to the first channel; and

directing a charging current generated from the input power supply to a second channel of the plurality of channels, wherein a charging current from the input power supply is provided to only one of the channels at a time if multiple EVs are concurrently connected to the heads.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each channel of the channels is coupled to a respective output connection, and wherein each channel comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a voltage sensor and a current sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising detecting whether there is an electrical load coupled to a channel before a charging current is provided to the channel, wherein the charging current is not provided to the channel if there is not an electrical load coupled to the channel.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising detecting a charge signature for an EV coupled to a channel before a charging current is provided to the channel, wherein the charging current is not provided to the channel if the charge signature indicates that the EV is fully charged.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said directing a charging current to a first channel comprises providing the charging current to the first channel for a first interval of time, wherein said turning off comprises turning off the charging current to the first channel when the first interval of time expires, and wherein said directing a charging current to a second channel comprises providing the charging current to the second channel for a second interval of time.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a charging current to each of the channels, one channel at a time, in round-robin fashion.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the channels include a channel designated as a priority channel, wherein the method further comprises providing a charging current to the priority channel more frequently than to other channels of the plurality of channels.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising turning off the charging current to the first channel when the charging current to the first channel drops below a threshold amount, and then providing the charging current to the second channel.

19. A method of charging one or more electric vehicles (EVs) at a charging station, the method comprising:

receiving, at an input for the charging station, a voltage from an electric power supply over a dedicated circuit, wherein the charging station further comprises a plurality of output cables and a plurality of heads connectable concurrently to a plurality of EVs, each of the output cables coupled to at least one head of the plurality of heads; and

providing a charging current generated using the voltage to only one of the output cables at a time if multiple EVs are concurrently connected to the charging station via the heads in accordance with a charging procedure, wherein the charging current is provided to a first one of the output cables and then the charging current is stopped, switched to a second one of the output cables, and restarted.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said providing comprises providing the charging current to the first one of the output cables for a first interval of time, turning off the charging current to the first one of the output cables when the first interval of time expires, and then providing the charging current to the second one of the output cables for a second interval of time.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said providing comprises providing a charging current to each of the output cables one output cable at a time in round-robin fashion.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said providing comprises providing a charging current to the first one of the output cables, turning off the charging current to the first one of the output cables when the charging current to the first one of the output cables drops below a threshold amount, and then providing a charging current to the second one of the output cables.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising detecting an electrical load coupled to an output cable before a charging current is provided to the output cable, wherein the charging current is not provided to the output cable if there is not an electrical load coupled to the output cable.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising detecting a charge signature for an EV coupled to an output cable before a charging current is provided to the output cable, wherein the charging current is not provided to the output cable if the charge signature indicates that the EV is fully charged.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the output cables comprise an output cable operable for delivering a charging current to a first head and a second head, wherein the charging current delivered through the output cable is split between the first and second heads if the first and second heads are connected to respective EVs at the same time.