Motor vehicle device having a charging and/or discharging unit

• US 9,073,443 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2011
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Baier, Karlheinz, Kronewitter, Matthias, Weber, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US13/994,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304298A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,333 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• 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 electric and/or hybrid motor vehicle device includes a charge and/or discharge unit, which has a vehicle-side energy transfer unit for touch-free coupling with at least one corresponding external energy transfer unit for charging and/or discharging at least one battery device. The motor vehicle also includes a motor vehicle level-adjustment unit that is provided to adjust at least two different motor vehicle heights. The adjustment unit is provided to adjust a gap between the at least two energy transfer units to a charge level during a charging and/or discharging process.

Claims

1. An electric or hybrid motor vehicle device, comprising:

a charge or discharge unit, which has a vehicle-side energy transfer unit configured for touch-free coupling with a corresponding external energy transfer unit for charging or discharging at least one battery device;

a motor vehicle level-adjustment unit configured to adjust at least two different motor vehicle heights; and

an adjustment unit configured to adjust a gap between the vehicle-side energy transfer unit and the corresponding external energy transfer unit to a charge level by means of the motor vehicle level-adjustment unit during a charging or discharging proces,

wherein the adjustment unit comprises a control unit configured for automatic or partially automatic adjustment of the charge level by means of the motor vehicle level-adjustment unit,

wherein the control unit has a regulatory operating mode configured to adjust the charge level for the charging or discharging process depending at least on a charge or discharge output of the charge or discharge unit.

2. The electric or hybrid motor vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has a control operating mode configured to adjust the charge level for the charging or discharging process independent of a charge or discharge output of the charge or discharge unit.

3. The electric or hybrid motor vehicle device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured, at least in the control operating mode, to adjust the charge level for the charging or discharging process to a fixed value of the charge level.

4. The electric or hybrid motor vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the charge or discharge unit comprises a sensor system and the control unit is configured to activate the charging or discharging process automatically, depending on the sensor system.

5. The electric or hybrid motor vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein a motor vehicle body is connected tightly to the vehicle-side energy transfer unit.

6. The electric or hybrid motor vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle level-adjustment unit is configured to operate hydraulically or pneumatically and the adjustment unit is configured to adjust at least one operating resource parameter of the motor vehicle level-adjustment unit.

7. The electric or hybrid motor vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle level-adjustment unit has at least one chassis component configured to adjust the charge level.

8. A method for adjusting a gap between a vehicle-side energy transfer unit and a corresponding external energy transfer unit for charging or discharging at least one battery device of a motor vehicle device, the method comprising:

adjusting, by an adjustment unit, the gap between the vehicle-side energy transfer unit and the corresponding external energy transfer unit by altering a height of the motor vehicle,

wherein in a regulatory charging operating mode the height of the motor vehicle is adjusted to a particular height depending at least on a charge or discharge output of a charge or discharge unit.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the gap adjustment is performed automatically or partially automatically.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein in a control charging operating mode the gap adjustment is performed independent of the charge or discharge output of the charge or discharge unit.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the control charging operating mode the gap is adjusted to a fixed gap distance.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

automatically activating the charging or discharging process automatically.