Recharging station and related electric vehicle

• US 8,400,106 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PVI Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PVI Incorporated
• Inventors: Midrouillet, Pierre, Sirier, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US12/089,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20080277173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,345 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/105, 320/109, 320/115
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0461 from the side
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0494 with arrangements for sliding
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/143 Busses
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/91 Electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• 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: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• 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

The invention relates to a recharging station (10) for recharging an electric vehicle (50) powered by energy storage means (52), said vehicle (50) being designed to follow a route via a point at which the recharging station (10) is situated, said station (10) including recharging means (12) suitable for recharging the storage means (52) of the electric vehicle (50) while said vehicle is in the vicinity of the station. The invention is characterized in that the recharging means (12) comprise a storage device (14) suitable for storing electrical energy delivered by an electrical energy source (16), and connection means (18) for electrically connecting the storage device (14) of the station (10) to the storage means (52) of the vehicle (50), and for transferring the energy stored in the storage device (14) of the station (10) to the storage means (52) of the electric vehicle (50).

Claims

1. An installation, comprising:

a plurality of recharging stations for recharging an electric vehicle powered by energy storage means, said storage means comprising a capacitor for powering an electric motor of the electric vehicle and a storage battery;

said electric vehicle being designed to follow a route via points at which the recharging stations are situated;

each of the stations including recharging means for recharging the storage means of the electric vehicle while said vehicle is in the vicinity of said station;

the recharging means comprising a storage device for storing electrical energy delivered by an electrical energy source; and

connection means for electrically connecting the storage device of each of the stations to the storage means of the electric vehicle, and for transferring the energy stored in the storage device of each of the stations to the storage means of the electric vehicle, said stations being disposed along the route followed by the electric vehicle; and

wherein the connection means of each of the stations are suitable for transferring the quantity of energy that is sufficient to enable the electric vehicle to travel at least as far as the next station,

wherein said storage battery is connected to the capacitor via a reversible energy transfer device provided with means for controlling a direction of the transfer of energy between the capacitor and the storage battery as a function of the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor,

the reversible energy transfer device being configured for enabling the capacitor to discharge a surplus energy into the storage battery when the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor exceeds a predetermined upper threshold and for enabling the storage battery to recharge the capacitor when the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor is less than a lower threshold; and

wherein an electrical coupling device is disposed between the connection means and the capacitor of the vehicle for preventing electric arcs from appearing while the electrical connection is being established between the vehicle and the recharging station, the electrical coupling device comprising an unidirectional DC/DC converter.

2. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the storage device of the recharging station comprises a supercapacitor.

3. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the connection means of the recharging station are provided with a safety device suitable for enabling energy to be transferred only when the recharging station is connected correctly to the electric vehicle.

4. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle comprises connection means for connecting the storage means of the electric vehicle to the connection means of the recharging station, wherein said connecting means of the electric vehicle comprises an arm that is laterally extensible so as to connect to the connection means of the recharging station provided on the roof of said charging device.

8. The installation according to claim 2, wherein, during the recharging stage, the capacitor of the storage means of the electric vehicle and the supercapacitor of the storage device of the recharging station are connected together so as to transfer electrical energy stored in the supercapacitor of the storage device into the capacitor of the storage means.

9. The installation according to claim 4, wherein the connection means of the recharging station comprises an electric connector suitable for receiving an electrical connector mounted on said arm.

5. An electric vehicle, comprising:

electrical energy storage means that comprise a capacitor; and

an electric motor powered by the energy stored in the capacitor;

said energy storage means being suitable for being recharged by a recharging station having connection means;

the electric vehicle also including connection means for connecting the storage means of the vehicle to the connection means of the recharging station while the electric vehicle is in the vicinity of said recharging station;

wherein the storage means of the electric vehicle further comprise a storage battery connected to the capacitor via a reversible energy transfer device provided with means for controlling a direction of the transfer of energy between the capacitor and the storage battery as a function of the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor,

the reversible energy transfer device being configured for enabling the capacitor to discharge a surplus energy into the storage battery when the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor exceeds a predetermined upper threshold and for enabling the storage battery to recharge the capacitor when the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor is less than a lower threshold; and

wherein it further comprises an electrical coupling device disposed between the connection means and the capacitor of the vehicle for preventing electric arcs from appearing while the electrical connection is being established between the vehicle and the recharging station, the electrical coupling device comprising an unidirectional DC/DC converter.

6. The electric vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the capacitor of the electric vehicle is a supercapacitor.

7. The electric vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the capacitor of the electric vehicle is suitable for recharging the storage battery.

10. An installation, comprising:

a plurality of recharging stations for recharging an electric vehicle powered by energy storage means, said storage means comprising a capacitor for powering an electric motor of the electric vehicle and a storage battery;

said electric vehicle being designed to follow a route via points at which the recharging stations are situated;

each of the stations including recharging means for recharging the capacitor of the electric vehicle while said vehicle is in the vicinity of said station;

the recharging means comprising a supercapacitor for storing electrical energy delivered by an electrical energy source; and

connection means for electrically connecting the supercapacitor of each of the stations to the capacitor of the electric vehicle, and for transferring the energy stored in the supercapacitor of each of the stations to the capacitor of the electric vehicle, said stations being disposed along the route followed by the electric vehicle; and

wherein the connection means of each of the stations are suitable for transferring the quantity of energy that is sufficient to enable the electric vehicle to travel at least as far as the next station,

wherein said storage battery is connected to the capacitor via a reversible energy transfer device provided with means for controlling a direction of the transfer of energy between the capacitor and the storage battery as a function of the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor,

the reversible energy transfer device being configured for enabling the capacitor to discharge a surplus energy into the storage battery when the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor exceeds a predetermined upper threshold and for enabling the storage battery to recharge the capacitor when the quantity of energy contained in the capacitor is less than a lower threshold; and

wherein, during the charging stage, the capacitor of the storage means of the electrical vehicle and the supercapacitor of the storage device of the recharging station are connected together through an electrical coupling device comprising an unidirectional DC/DC converter so as to transfer electrical energy stored in the supercapacitor of the storage device into the capacitor of the storage means.