Thermal wall plug sensing and control

• US 8,729,856 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Nathan, John F., Hein, David A., Sallam, Faisal K., Mueller, Mark Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US13/078,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20120212179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 439/108, 439/503, 439/508, 439/504
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/00 Individual connecting elements providing two or more spaced connecting locations for conductive members which are, or may be, thereby interconnected, e.g. end pieces for wires or cables supported by the wire or cable and having means for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal, or conductive member, blocks of binding posts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6683 with built-in sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• 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 90/10 Technologies relating to charging of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A system and method operable to facilitate thermal wall plug sensing and control may include an ability to control current drawn by a charging system or other load according to a temperature determined at an interface between the charging system and an energy source used to provided energy to the charging system. A temperature sensed with a temperature sensor included in a plug assembly or other housing or cord used to connect the charging system to the energy source may be used to implement the temperature regulated current control.

Claims

1. A plug assembly operable for connecting a vehicle cordset used to facilitate powering a vehicle charging system to a wall outlet, the plug assembly comprising:

a positive connector configured to facilitate carrying current from the wall outlet to the vehicle charging system;

a neutral connector configured to facilitate returning current from the vehicle charging system to the wall outlet;

a ground connector configured to facilitate connecting the vehicle charging system to earth ground; and

a temperature sensor operable to detect a temperature at the wall outlet;

wherein the vehicle charging system is operable to control current flow through the positive connector as a function of the temperature;

wherein the current flow is controlled according to a schedule where an amount of current flow is decreased in proportion to an increase in the temperature; and

wherein the amount of current flow is set by the vehicle charging system to a first level and the schedule specifies;

decreasing current flow from the first level to a second level in the event the increase in temperature is greater than a first amount and less than a second amount, and

decreasing current flow from the first level to a third level in the event the increase in temperature is greater than the second amount, the third level being less than the second level.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein a resistance of the temperature sensor approximates the temperature at the wall outlet.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the temperature sensor is one of a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) device, and a thermistor.

4. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a housing shaped to enclose the temperature sensor and to support the positive, neutral, and ground connectors such that at least a portion of each of the positive, neutral, and ground connectors extend exterior to the housing to be inserted within corresponding receptacles of the wall outlet.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the housing is injection molded over the temperature sensor, positive connector, neutral connector, and ground connector and comprised of non-conducting, at least semi-rigid material.

6. The assembly of claim 5 further comprising a positive wire, a neutral wire, a ground wire, and a temperature wire respectively connected to the positive connector, the neutral connector, the ground connector, and the temperature sensor, each wire separately extending exterior to the housing within an insulated enclosure for receipt within a receptacle of the vehicle charging system.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein a voltage of the temperature wire is measured by the vehicle charging system to determine the temperature.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the schedule specifies ceasing current flow in the event the increase in temperature is greater than a third amount.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein a rate at which the amount of current flow is decreased is proportional to a rate at which the temperature increases such that the amount of current flow is decreased more quickly as the rate of temperature increases more quickly.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the plug assembly is further defined as a first plug assembly, and further comprising:

a vehicle cordset; and

a second plug assembly to connect to a vehicle.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the second plug assembly is further defined as a multi-port plug assembly.

12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the multi-port plug assembly further comprises a plug present port.

13. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the multi-port plug assembly further comprises a control pilot port.

14. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the multi-port plug assembly further comprises three hot line ports for three-phase alternating current, one neutral line port, and one earth ground line port.