Battery charger for electric vehicle

• US 6,281,660 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2000
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Abe, Kunihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIBBITS, PIA FLORENCE
• Application Number:
  US09/545,032
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/104
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/543 the transmission being a continuously variable transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/918 Continuously variable

Abstract

Disclosed is a battery charger for an electric vehicle, which prevents capacitors in a circuit section from being deteriorated even when the circuit section is not used over a long period of time and can therefore charge reliably a main battery supplying power to an engine. The battery charger comprises a circuit section having capacitors for rectifying and boosting an AC input voltage; a converter section for converting a DC input voltage to an AC output voltage, boosting the AC voltage to a predetermined voltage level, and applying the AC voltage of a predetermined voltage level to the capacitors of the circuit section; and a switch section placed between a high voltage battery and the circuit section for disconnecting the high voltage battery from the circuit section when the high voltage battery is not charged, and connecting the high voltage battery to the circuit section when the high voltage battery is charged.

Claims

1. A battery charger for an electric vehicle equipped with a main battery for feeding drive power to motors, comprising:

a circuit section having capacitors for rectifying and boosting an AC input voltage to an increased voltage;

a converter section for converting a DC input voltage to an AC voltage and boosting said AC voltage to a predetermined voltage level and normally applying said AC voltage of said predetermined voltage level to said capacitors of said circuit section; and

a switch section, intervened between said main battery and said circuit section, for disconnecting said main battery from said circuit section during a first interval of time when said main battery is not being charged and connecting said main battery to said circuit section at a second interval of time for a charging said main battery;

wherein said converter section maintains voltage on said capacitors of said circuit section during both said first time interval and said second time interval to inhibit deterioration of said capacitors.

2. The battery charger according to claim 1, further comprising an electrical outlet for external input and output, provided between said converter section and said circuit section, for inputting an AC voltage from an external voltage supply to said circuit section and outputting said AC voltage from said converter section to an electrical load separate from said battery charger.

3. The battery charger according to claim 2, wherein said switch section is constituted by an electromagnetic relay which performs a time delay operation at a predetermined charge time.

4. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein said switch section is constituted by an electromagnetic relay which performs a time delay operation at a predetermined charge time.

5. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein said circuit section is a voltage doubler.

6. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein the capacitors of said circuit section include electrolytic capacitors.