Method for charging a battery for supplying power to a drive motor of a motor vehicle

• US 9,174,544 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2011
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Origuchi, Masato, Marchal, Caroline
• Primary Examiner(s): GARBOWSKI, LEIGH M
• Application Number:
  US13/883,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20130300361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/446 Initial charging measures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A method for charging a battery, including: determining a final state of charge and a final temperature of the battery; and calculating charging power and/or cooling power required to reach the two final values within a minimum amount of time.

Claims

1. A battery charger, comprising:

an electrical charging device which delivers a charging power;

a cooling device, which delivers a cooling power;

an input for receiving a final state of charge and a final temperature of the battery; and

a control unit which computes the charging power and/or the cooling power necessary for reaching the two final values in a minimum time by considering equations

2. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooling device comprises a variable flow rate and/or a variable temperature of coolant, so as to modify the cooling power as a function of the charging power.

3. A station for managing batteries for supplying power to a drive motor of a motor vehicle, comprising at least battery charger as claimed in claim 1.

4. A method for charging a battery, comprising:

determining values of a final state of charge and a final temperature of the battery;

computing charging power and/or cooling power necessary for reaching the two final values in a minimum time, considering equations;

5. The method for charging a battery as claimed in claim 4, wherein the computing defines a charging time making it possible to reach, in substantially a same time, the final state of charge and the final temperature of the battery.

6. The method for charging a battery as claimed in claim 4, wherein the determining values comprises determination of the final state of charge and of the final temperature of the battery as a function of some or all of the following parameters:

state of a charging station using the charging method;

state of a charger using the charging method;

state of the battery to be recharged.

7. The method for charging a battery as claimed in claim 4, wherein the equations are resolved before initiating charging of the battery and/or over a predetermined time period during the charging of the battery.

8. The method for charging a battery as claimed in claim 4, wherein a thermal resistance of a cooling device is fixed and the computing computes the charging power as a function of the thermal resistance.

9. The method for charging a battery as claimed in claim 8, wherein the charging power is computed by formula:

10. The method for charging a battery as claimed in claim 9, further comprising computing a maximum charging power dependent on a charging station and on the battery to be charged.

11. The method for charging a battery as claimed in claim 4, wherein a thermal resistance of a cooling device is variable and the computing computes the thermal resistance as a function of the charging power.

12. The method for charging a battery as claimed in one claim 4, further comprising reading a temperature, a state of charge, and potential other parameters characterizing a state of the battery and communicating a result to the charging device.

13. The method for charging a battery as claimed in claim 4, wherein the thermal resistance Rth is computed by formula: