Method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle
First Claim
1. A method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle with an external power source, comprising the steps of:
- (a) determining an overall available power that is available from the external power source, wherein the overall available power is determined by obtaining a current reading from a component that is directly or indirectly connected to the external power source and using the current reading in the determination of the overall available power;
(b) determining an overall requested power that is requested by a plurality of vehicle systems within the plug-in electric vehicle, wherein the plurality of vehicle systems are located within the same plug-in electric vehicle and include a high voltage battery unit and at least one thermal system; and
(c) determining if the overall requested power exceeds the overall available power, and if the overall requested power does exceed the overall available power then allocating the overall available power from the external power source to the plurality of vehicle systems according to an allocation process that considers a first weighted value influenced by one or more predetermined priorities and a second weighted value influenced by one or more current vehicle conditions, wherein the amount of power that is distributed to the high voltage battery unit and the at least one thermal system is impacted by both the first and second weighted values.
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Abstract
A system and method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle with an external power source, even when the overall power requested by the plug-in electric vehicle exceeds the overall power available from the external power source. In an exemplary embodiment, a method determines the overall power requested by one or more vehicle systems, and then compares that to the overall available power from the external power source. If the overall requested power exceeds the overall available power, then the power from the external power source is allocated or apportioned to the different vehicle systems according to an allocation process that may consider factors like predetermined priorities and current vehicle conditions.
68 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle with an external power source, comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining an overall available power that is available from the external power source, wherein the overall available power is determined by obtaining a current reading from a component that is directly or indirectly connected to the external power source and using the current reading in the determination of the overall available power; (b) determining an overall requested power that is requested by a plurality of vehicle systems within the plug-in electric vehicle, wherein the plurality of vehicle systems are located within the same plug-in electric vehicle and include a high voltage battery unit and at least one thermal system; and (c) determining if the overall requested power exceeds the overall available power, and if the overall requested power does exceed the overall available power then allocating the overall available power from the external power source to the plurality of vehicle systems according to an allocation process that considers a first weighted value influenced by one or more predetermined priorities and a second weighted value influenced by one or more current vehicle conditions, wherein the amount of power that is distributed to the high voltage battery unit and the at least one thermal system is impacted by both the first and second weighted values. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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10. A method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle with an external power source, comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining an overall available power that is available from the external power source; (b) determining an overall requested power that is requested by a plurality of vehicle systems; and (c) determining if the overall requested power exceeds the overall available power, and if the overall requested power does exceed the overall available power then allocating the overall available power from the external power source to the plurality of vehicle systems by a process that includes the steps of; (i) determining an individual modified power for each of the plurality of vehicle systems; (ii) adding together the individual modified powers for the plurality of vehicle systems to determine an overall modified power; and (iii) using the individual modified power for each of the plurality of vehicle systems and the overall modified power to determine how much power each of the plurality of vehicle systems is to receive from the external power source. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle with an external power source, comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining an overall available power that is available from the external power source; (b) determining an overall requested power that is requested by a plurality of vehicle systems within the plug-in electric vehicle, wherein the plurality of vehicle systems includes a high voltage battery unit, a battery thermal system and a cabin thermal system; and (c) determining if the overall requested power exceeds the overall available power, and if the overall requested power does exceed the overall available power then distributing the overall available power to the plurality of vehicle systems including the high voltage battery unit, the battery thermal system and the cabin thermal system all located within the same plug-in electric vehicle, wherein the amount of power that is distributed to each of the high voltage battery unit, the battery thermal system and the cabin thermal system is influenced by a predetermined priority and/or a current vehicle condition and is designed to charge the high voltage battery quickly while also controlling thermal aspects of the high voltage battery and an interior cabin of the plug-in electric vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle with an external power source, comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining an overall available power that is available from the external power source; (b) determining an overall requested power that is requested by a plurality of vehicle systems, wherein the plurality of vehicle systems includes a high voltage battery unit and a battery thermal system; and (c) determining if the overall requested power exceeds the overall available power, and if the overall requested power does exceed the overall available power then distributing the overall available power to the plurality of vehicle systems, wherein the amount of power that is distributed to each of the plurality of vehicle systems is influenced by a predetermined priority and/or a current vehicle condition according to an allocation method that includes the steps of; (i) determining an individual modified power for each of the plurality of vehicle systems; (ii) adding together the individual modified powers for the plurality of vehicle systems to determine an overall modified power; and (iii) using the individual modified power for each of the plurality of vehicle systems and the overall modified power to determine how much power each of the plurality of vehicle systems is to receive from the external power source. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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Specification