Integrated inductive and conductive electrical charging system

• US 8,933,661 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Nergaard, Troy A., Straubel, Jeffrey Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Parihar, Suchin
• Application Number:
  US13/460,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 716/100, 320/108
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• 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

An apparatus and method efficiently integrating inductive and conductive charging systems, including embodiments directed towards enabling user selection of either, or both, of conductive and inductive charging. Conductive charging and inductive charging both have, in certain contexts or when judged by different criteria, advantages over the other. Systems and methods relying on one or the other would not have as wide-spread value to a user with opportunities to access both types of charging modalities.

Claims

1. A charging system for an energy storage system of an apparatus, comprising:

a conductive rectifier stage wholly disposed on the apparatus, said conductive rectifier stage including a first inverter switching circuit coupled to a first primary winding of an isolation transformer and a first output smoothing circuit coupled to both a first secondary winding of said isolation transformer and to the energy storage system, said first output smoothing circuit including a first inductance, said conductive rectifier stage rectifying a first AC line voltage conductively received at the apparatus wherein said first inverter switching circuit is responsive to a first control signal;

a partial inductive rectifier stage wholly disposed on the apparatus, said partial inductive rectifier stage part of an inductive rectifier stage partially disposed on the apparatus, said inductive rectifier stage including a second inverter switching circuit coupled to a second primary winding of an induction transformer and a second output smoothing circuit coupled to both a second secondary winding of said induction transformer and to the energy storage system, said inductive rectifier stage rectifying a second AC line voltage not conductively received at the apparatus wherein said second inverter switching circuit is wholly disposed off the apparatus and wherein said second inverter switching circuit is responsive to a second control signal; and

a controller communicated to said rectifier stages to provide said first control signal and said second control signal.

2. The charging system of claim 1 wherein said controller includes a master controller and a slave controller, said master controller communicated to said conductive rectifier stage to provide said first control signal and wirelessly communicated to said slave controller wherein said slave controller is communicated to said second inverter switching circuit to provide said second control signal wherein said master controller is disposed on the apparatus and said slave controller is disposed off the apparatus.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said inverter switching circuits each include a plurality of semiconductor power switching devices and wherein said control signals include modulation control signals for said plurality of semiconductor power switching devices.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter coupled between said output smoothing circuits and the energy storage system.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said first output smoothing circuit includes a smoothing capacitance in parallel with the energy storage system.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said second output smoothing circuit is coupled in parallel to both said first output smoothing circuit and to said smoothing capacitance.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein each said output smoothing circuit includes a diode bridge coupled in parallel to said smoothing capacitance.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a snubber circuit coupled to both said output smoothing circuits.

9. The system of claim 6 further comprising a snubber circuit coupled to both said output smoothing circuits.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said second output smoothing circuit includes said first inductance, wherein said first output smoothing circuit provides a first quantity of instantaneous power, wherein said second output smoothing circuit provides a second quantity of instantaneous power and wherein said first inductance is sized to store a maximum of a sum of said quantities of instantaneous power from both said rectifier stages when both said rectifier stages are operated concurrently.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said second output smoothing circuit includes said first inductance, wherein said first output smoothing circuit provides a first quantity of instantaneous power, wherein said second output smoothing circuit provides a second quantity of instantaneous power and wherein said first inductance is sized to store a maximum instantaneous power of either of said quantities of instantaneous power from said rectifier stages when said rectifier stages are operated non-concurrently.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said second output smoothing circuit includes a second inductance.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said first output smoothing circuit provides a first quantity of instantaneous power, wherein said second output smoothing circuit provides a second quantity of instantaneous power, wherein said first inductance is sized to store a maximum of said first quantity of instantaneous power, and wherein said second inductance is sized to store a maximum of said second quantity of instantaneous power.

14. The system of claim 2 further comprising a sensing system collecting a first set of charging parameters and wherein said controller is responsive to said first set of charging parameters when providing said control signals.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said sensing system includes a first AC voltage sensor coupled to said first AC line voltage, a first AC current sensor coupled between said first AC line voltage and said first inverter switching circuit, a battery current sensor coupled to said first output smoothing circuit, and a battery voltage sensor coupled to the energy storage system.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said controller wirelessly receives a second set of charging parameters from said inductive rectifier stage.

17. The system of claim 1 further comprising a power connector and a relay directly coupling said second secondary winding to said first secondary winding.

18. A charging method for an energy storage system of an apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

a) rectifying a first AC line voltage conductively received at the apparatus using a conductive rectifier stage wholly disposed on the apparatus, said conductive rectifier stage including a first inverter switching circuit coupled to a first primary winding of an isolation transformer and a first output smoothing circuit coupled to both a first secondary winding of said isolation transformer and to the energy storage system, said first output smoothing circuit including a first inductance, wherein said first inverter switching circuit is responsive to a first control signal;

b) rectifying a second AC line voltage not conductively received at the apparatus using an inductive rectifier stage partially disposed on the apparatus, said inductive rectifier stage including a second inverter switching circuit coupled to a second primary winding of an induction transformer and a second output smoothing circuit coupled to both a second secondary winding of said induction transformer and to the energy storage system wherein said second inverter switching circuit is wholly disposed off the apparatus and wherein said second inverter switching circuit is responsive to a second control signal; and

c) communicating said control signals to said inverter switching circuits from a controller having a master controller wholly disposed on the apparatus.

19. A charging method for an energy storage system of an apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

a) evaluating whether a conductive rectifier stage wholly disposed on the apparatus is energized from a first AC line voltage wherein said conductive rectifier stage includes a first output smoothing circuit including a plurality of components, said first output smoothing circuit including a first inductance;

b) evaluating whether an inductive rectifier stage partially disposed on the apparatus is energized from a second AC line voltage wherein a second output smoothing circuit of said inductive rectifier stage disposed on the apparatus is coupled to said first output smoothing circuit and shares at least one component of said plurality of components; and

c) charging the energy storage system using any rectifier stage that has evaluated as being energized.

20. A charging system for an energy storage system of an apparatus, comprising:

a conductive rectifier stage wholly disposed on the apparatus, said conductive rectifier stage including a first inverter switching circuit coupled to a first primary winding of an isolation transformer and a first output smoothing circuit coupled to both a first secondary winding of said isolation transformer and to the energy storage system, said conductive rectifier stage rectifying a first AC line voltage conductively received at the apparatus wherein said first inverter switching circuit is responsive to a first control signal;

a partial inductive rectifier stage wholly disposed on the apparatus, said partial inductive rectifier stage part of an inductive rectifier stage partially disposed on the apparatus, said inductive rectifier stage including a second inverter switching circuit coupled to a second primary winding of an induction transformer and a second output smoothing circuit coupled to both a second secondary winding of said induction transformer and to the energy storage system, said inductive rectifier stage rectifying a second AC line voltage not conductively received at the apparatus wherein said second inverter switching circuit is wholly disposed off the apparatus and wherein said second inverter switching circuit is responsive to a second control signal;

a controller communicated to said rectifier stages to provide said first control signal and said second control signal, said controller including a master controller and a slave controller, said master controller communicated to said conductive rectifier stage to provide said first control signal and wirelessly communicated to said slave controller wherein said slave controller is communicated to said second inverter switching circuit to provide said second control signal wherein said master controller is disposed on the apparatus and said slave controller is disposed off the apparatus; and

a sensing system collecting a first set of charging parameters and wherein said controller is responsive to said first set of charging parameters when providing said control signals.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said sensing system includes a first AC voltage sensor coupled to said first AC line voltage, a first AC current sensor coupled between said first AC line voltage and said first inverter switching circuit, a battery current sensor coupled to said first output smoothing circuit, and a battery voltage sensor coupled to the energy storage system.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said controller wirelessly receives a second set of charging parameters from said inductive rectifier stage.