Method for charging a rechargeable energy store, charging device for a rechargeable energy store, and circuit breaker

• US 9,178,375 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Kilb, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bowers, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US13/577,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20130141042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• 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 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/085 making use of a thermal sensor, e.g. thermistor, heated by the excess current also responsive to the temperature of the protected device H02H5/041, thermal images H02H6/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• 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 rechargeable energy store, including: coupling the rechargeable energy store to a power supply line; ascertaining a piece of utilization information regarding a capacity utilization of a tripping load of a circuit breaker coupled to the power supply line; and/or ascertaining a separate piece of charging information regarding a power and/or a time remaining of a separate charging current supplied to another energy store by the power supply line; setting at least one selection variable regarding a time characteristic of a setpoint current intensity of a setpoint charging current supplied by the power supply line to the energy store, in view of the ascertained utilization information and/or the ascertained, separate charging information; and applying a charging current from the power supply line to the energy store in view of the at least one set selection variable. A related charging device and a circuit breaker are described.

Claims

1. A method for charging a rechargeable energy store, the method comprising:

coupling the rechargeable energy store to a power supply line;

performing at least one of (i) ascertaining a piece of utilization information that indicates a utilization amount corresponding to a current load that is sufficient to trip a circuit breaker coupled to the power supply line, and (ii) ascertaining a separate piece of charging information regarding at least one of a power and a time remaining of a separate charging current supplied to a further energy store by the power supply line;

setting a time characteristic of a setpoint current intensity of a charging current supplied by the power supply line, based on the at least one of the ascertained utilization information and the ascertained, separate charging information; and

applying the charging current from the power supply line to the rechargeable energy store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time characteristic is set by setting at least one of (i) a constant setpoint current intensity of the charging current, (ii) a greatest current intensity of the setpoint current intensity, (iii) a time characteristic of a varying setpoint current intensity of the charging current, (iv) a waiting time prior to activating the charging current, and (v) a break-off time of the charging current.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein while the charging current is applied to the rechargeable energy store, a piece of reference charging information regarding the time characteristic of the setpoint current intensity is outputted to a component coupled to the further energy store.

4. A charging device for a rechargeable energy store, comprising:

a receiving device, which is configured to receive, from a circuit breaker of a power supply line to which the rechargeable energy store is coupleable, at least one of (i) an outputted utilization information signal that indicates a utilization amount corresponding to a current load that is sufficient to trip the circuit breaker and (ii) a separate charging information signal, which is outputted by a component coupled to a further energy store, wherein the separate charging information signal indicates at least one of a power and a time remaining of a separate charging current provided by the power supply line to the further energy store;

an evaluation device, which is configured to set a time characteristic of a setpoint current intensity of a charging current suppliable by the power supply line to the rechargeable energy store, based on at least one of the received utilization information signal and the received, separate charging information signal; and

a control device, which is configured to supply at least one control signal to a charging circuit, such that the charging circuit produces the charging current according to the time characteristic of the setpoint current intensity set by the evaluation device.

5. The charging device of claim 4, wherein the charging device includes an information output device, with the aid of which a reference charging information signal regarding the time characteristic of the setpoint current intensity is output, during activation of the charging circuit, to the component coupled to the further energy store.

6. A rechargeable energy store, comprising:

a charging device for a rechargeable energy store, including;

a receiving device, which is configured to receive, from a circuit breaker of a power supply line to which the rechargeable energy store is coupleable, at least one of an outputted utilization information signal that indicates a utilization amount corresponding to a current load that is sufficient to trip the circuit breaker and a separate charging information signal, which is outputted by a component coupled to a further energy store, wherein the separate charging information signal indicates at least one of a power and a time remaining of a separate charging current provided by the power supply line to the further energy store;

an evaluation device, which is configured to set a time characteristic of a setpoint current intensity of a charging current suppliable by the power supply line to the rechargeable energy store, based on at least one of the received utilization information signal and the received, separate charging information signal; and

a control device, which is configured to supply at least one control signal to a charging circuit, such that the charging circuit produces the charging current according to the time characteristic of the setpoint current intensity set by the evaluation device.

7. A vehicle, comprising:

at least one of a charging device and a rechargeable energy store having the charging device;

wherein the charging device charges the rechargeable energy store, and includes;

a receiving device, which is configured to receive, from a circuit breaker of a power supply line to which the rechargeable energy store is coupleable, at least one of an outputted utilization information signal that indicates a utilization amount corresponding to a current load that is sufficient to trip the circuit breaker and a separate charging information signal, which is outputted by a component coupled to a further energy store, wherein the separate charging information signal indicates at least one of a power and a time remaining of a separate charging current provided by the power supply line to the further energy store;

an evaluation device, which is configured to set a time characteristic of a setpoint current intensity of a charging current suppliable by the power supply line to the rechargeable energy store, based on at least one of the received utilization information signal and the received, separate charging information signal; and

a control device, which is configured to supply at least one control signal to a charging circuit, such that the charging circuit produces the charging current according to the time characteristic of the setpoint current intensity set by the evaluation device.

8. A circuit breaker, comprising:

a sensor device, which is configured to ascertain a piece of utilization information that indicates a utilization amount corresponding to a current load that is sufficient to trip the circuit breaker; and

a signal output device, which is configured to supply a utilization information signal corresponding to the piece of utilization information to a charging device for a rechargeable energy store;

wherein the charging device charges the rechargeable energy store, and includes;

a receiving device, which is configured to receive, from a circuit breaker of a power supply line to which the rechargeable energy store is coupleable, at least one of the utilization information signal and a separate charging information signal, which is outputted by a component coupled to a further energy store, wherein the separate charging information signal indicates at least one of a power and a time remaining of a separate charging current provided by the power supply line to the further energy store;

an evaluation device, which is configured to set a time characteristic of a setpoint current intensity of a charging current suppliable by the power supply line to the rechargeable energy store, based on at least one of the received utilization information signal and the received, separate charging information signal; and

a control device, which is configured to supply at least one control signal to a charging circuit, such that the charging circuit produces the charging current according to the time characteristic of the setpoint current intensity set by the evaluation device.

9. The circuit breaker of claim 8, wherein the signal output device is configured to supply the utilization information signal to the charging device via the power supply line when the circuit breaker and the charging device are both connected to the power supply line.

10. The circuit breaker of claim 8, wherein the circuit breaker includes a thermal trip element, by which the circuit breaker is tripped in response to an actual utilization amount that is at least equal to the indicated utilization amount;

and wherein the sensor device is configured to ascertain a piece of temperature information as at least part of the utilization information, the piece of temperature information indicating a temperature of a current-carrying component of the thermal trip element.