Charging device for an energy store and method for operating such a charging device

• US 9,296,302 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Birke, Peter, Bonnekessel, Stefan, Schiemann, Michael, Schweiger, Hans-Georg, Demitter, Bjrn
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kebede, Tessema
• Application Number:
  US13/390,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/40 related to technical updates when adding new parts or software
• 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 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• 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 charging device for an energy store, e.g., a lithium ion battery in an electric vehicle, may include a circuit for adjusting the charging device in a full charging mode or a parked charging mode, wherein the charging device is set up for producing a fully charged state of the energy store in full charging mode, and for producing a parked charged state of the energy store in parked charging mode, wherein the parked charging state corresponds to a reduced charge state of the energy store. Methods for operating such a charging device, and an electric vehicle having such a charging device, may also be provided.

Claims

1. A charging device for an energy store comprising a lithium ion battery in an electric vehicle, wherein the charging device comprises:

a circuit for setting the charging device to a fully charging mode or a parked charging mode,

wherein the charging device is configured to produce a fully charged state of the energy store in the fully charging mode and to produce a parked charge state of the energy store in the parked charging mode,

wherein the parked charge state corresponds to a specified reduced charge state of the energy store, and

a controller configured to;

determine whether the charging device is set to the fully charging mode or the parked charging mode,

determine a current charged state of the energy store, and

in response to determining that the charging device is set to the parked charging mode;

comparing the current charged state of the energy store to the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode,

in response to determining that the current charged state of the energy store is below the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode, automatically initiating a charging of the energy store from a power supply network, and

in response to determining that the current charged state of the energy store is above the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode, automatically initiating an extraction of energy from the energy store and feeding of the extracted energy back into the power supply network.

2. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the fully charging mode is activated on a standard basis and the charging device has a parking pushbutton key for activating the parked charging mode.

3. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device has an interface for receiving and evaluating an activation signal, transmitted to the charging device, for producing the fully charged state or the parked charge state of the energy store.

4. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device is configured to carry out a charging process with a target time and with a target charge state, wherein the charging device includes a computing unit for calculating a starting time of the charging process and of the target charge state on the basis of a current charge state of the energy store, available charging power of the power supply network, the target time and a planned energy consumption, wherein the charging device also has an input interface for inputting the target time and the planned energy consumption.

5. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device has a computing unit and an interface for receiving temperature information, wherein the charging device is configured to calculate a chronological charging power profile on the basis of a charging strategy, implemented in the computing unit, taking into account the temperature information.

6. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device has a computing unit and an interface for receiving information about at least one power supplier, wherein the information is selected from group the consisting of:

power costs, a network utilization factor and power generating methods, wherein the charging device is configured to calculate a chronological charging power profile and to select the power supplier on the basis of a charging strategy, implemented in the computing unit, taking into account the received information.

7. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device has a computing unit and an interface for receiving and automatically processing a program code for changing or updating programming of the computing unit.

8. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device is configured to emit an identification code to the power supplier.

9. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device comprises a computing unit with an interface for exchanging data with the energy store, wherein the computing unit transmits via the interface a program code to the energy store in order to change or update programming of the energy store and to receive data from the energy store, wherein the data is selected from group the consisting of:

fault messages, maintenance requests and repair requests, wherein the charging device further comprises an interface for exchanging data with a power supplier.

10. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device comprises a computing unit with an interface for exchanging data with an electric vehicle, connected to the charging device, wherein the computing unit transmits via the interface a program code in order to change or update programming of the device and to receive data from the device, wherein the data is selected from group the consisting of:

fault messages, operating information, maintenance requests and repair requests, wherein the charging device further comprises an interface for exchanging data with a power supplier.

11. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the charging device includes a computing unit which is configured to carry out a utilization analysis of the power supply network on the basis of an analysis of a network voltage and a network frequency in the power supply network, and to calculate a chronological charging power profile on the basis of a programmed charging strategy taking into account the utilization analysis.

12. A method for operating a charging device for an energy store comprising a lithium ion battery in an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

switching the charging device by means of a circuit into a fully charging mode or a parked charging mode,

producing in the fully charging mode a fully charged state by the charging device, and

producing in the parked charging mode a parked charge state of the energy store, wherein the parked charge state corresponds to a specified reduced charge state of the energy store,

determining, by a controller, whether the charging device is set to the fully charging mode or the parked charging mode,

determining, by the controller, a current charged state of the energy store, and

in response to determining that the charging device is set to the parked charging mode;

comparing, by the controller, the current charged state of the energy store to the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode,

in response to determining that the current charged state of the energy store is below the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode, automatically initiating, by the controller, a charging of the energy store from a power supply network, and

in response to determining that the current charged state of the energy store is above the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode, automatically initiating, by the controller, an extraction of energy from the energy store and feeding of the extracted energy back into the power supply network.

13. An electric vehicle having a charging device comprising:

a circuit for setting the charging device to a fully charging mode or a parked charging mode,

wherein the charging device is configured to produce a fully charged state of an energy store in the fully charging mode and to produce a parked charge state of the energy store in the parked charging mode,

wherein the parked charge state corresponds to a specified reduced charge state of the energy store, and

a controller configured to;

determine whether the charging device is set to the fully charging mode or the parked charging mode,

determine a current charged state of the energy store, and

in response to determining that the charging device is set to the parked charging mode;

comparing the current charged state of the energy store to the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode, and

in response to determining that the current charged state of the energy store is below the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode, automatically initiating a charging of the energy store from a power supply network, and

in response to determining that the current charged state of the energy store is above the specified reduced charge state corresponding to the parked charging mode, automatically initiating an extraction of energy from the energy store and feeding of the extracted energy back into the power supply network.