Cooling of charging cable

• US 9,321,362 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2014
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesia Motors Incorporated
• Inventors: Van Dyke, Christopher H., Mardall, Joseph, Ferguson, Joshua W., Woo, Yee Shan, Newport, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SUN J
• Application Number:
  US14/173,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20150217654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/423 using a cooling fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/502 composed of different pieces H01R13/514 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• 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

A charging system for an electric vehicle includes: a power supply; a cable having first and second ends, the first end attached to the power supply, the cable comprising a charging conductor and a cooling conduit, each of which extends from the first end to the second end; and a connector attached to the second end of the cable, the connector having a form factor corresponding to a charge port of the electric vehicle; wherein the cooling conduit is adapted to convey a fluid that cools the charging conductor.

Claims

1. A charging system for an electric vehicle comprising:

a power supply;

a cable having first and second end, the first end attached to the power supply, the cable comprising a charging conductor and a cooling conduit, each of which extends from the first end to the second end;

a ground cable that extends from the first end to the second end and is touching the charging conductor and the cooling conduit, wherein the ground cable is adapted to conduct heat from the charging conductor to the cooling conduit; and

a connector attached to the second end of the cable, the connector having a form factor corresponding to a charge port of the electric vehicle;

wherein the cooling conduit is adapted to convey a fluid that cools the charging conductor.

2. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the cooling conduit is adapted so that the fluid is conveyed from the first end to the second end, and thereafter from the second end to the first end.

3. The charging system of claim 2, wherein the connector comprises at least one electric contact held by an armature at the second end, wherein the cooling conduit forms a loop by the armature so as to return to the first end.

4. The charging system of claim 3, wherein the loop includes a connecting piece attached to an inlet portion of the cooling conduit coming from the first end and to an outlet portion of the cooling conduit leading toward the first end.

5. The charging system of claim 2, wherein the connector comprises at least one electric contact held by an armature at the second end, the armature having an interior cavity with an inlet opening and an outlet opening, wherein an inlet portion of the cooling conduit coming from the first end is connected to the inlet opening, and the outlet opening is connected to an outlet portion of the cooling conduit leading toward the first end.

6. The charging system of claim 2, having at least first and second charging conductors, wherein the cooling conduit comprises an inlet portion coming from the first end and an outlet portion leading toward the first end, and wherein the charging cable has a cross section profile in which each of the inlet and outlet portions is touching each of the first and second charging conductors.

7. The charging system of claim 2, having at least first, second, third and fourth charging conductors, wherein the cooling conduit comprises an inlet portion coming from the first end and an outlet portion leading toward the first end, wherein the charging cable has a cross section profile in which the inlet portion is touching at least the first and second charging conductors and in which the outlet portion is touching at least the third and fourth charging conductors.

8. The charging system of claim 2, wherein the cooling conduit forms a fluid channel around at least one electric contact in the connector.

9. The charging system of claim 2, wherein the cooling conduit forms a fluid channel around an inside of a handle of the connector.

10. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the ground cable has a braided outer surface that is in thermal contact with the charging conductor and the cooling conduit.

11. The charging system of claim 1, further comprising at least one signal cable that extends inside the ground cable from the first end to the second end.

12. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the cooling conduit conveys a liquid that cools the charging conductor.

13. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the connector includes a fluid hub that defines an interior fluid path from an inlet opening to an outlet opening, the interior fluid path traversing essentially an entire interior of the fluid hub.

14. The charging system of claim 13, wherein the fluid hub comprises a first part, having the inlet opening, joined to a second part having the outlet opening, at least one of the first and second parts having a wall extending into the interior of the fluid hub, the interior fluid path defined at least in part by the wall.

15. The charging system of claim 13, wherein the fluid hub further comprises at least one busbar attached to the fluid hub, the busbar adapted to be electrically connected to a contact socket of the connector.

16. The charging system of claim 13, wherein the fluid hub further comprises at least one circuit component configured for use in charging the electric vehicle, the circuit component mounted on a board attached to the fluid hub.

17. A charging system for an electric vehicle comprising:

a power supply;

a cable having first and second end, the first end attached to the power supply, the cable comprising a charging conductor and a cooling conduit, each of which extends from the first end to the second end; and

a connector attached to the second end of the cable, the connector having a form factor corresponding to a charge port of the electric vehicle, wherein the connector includes a fluid hub that defines an interior fluid path from an inlet opening to an outlet opening, the interior fluid path traversing essentially an entire interior of the fluid hub;

wherein the cooling conduit is adapted to convey a fluid that cools the charging conductor.

18. The charging system of claim 17, further comprising a ground cable that extends from the first end to the second end and is touching the charging conductor and the cooling conduit, wherein the ground cable is adapted to conduct heat from the charging conductor to the cooling conduit.

19. The charging system of claim 18, wherein the ground cable has a braided outer surface that is in thermal contact with the charging conductor and the cooling conduit.

20. The charging system of claim 18, further comprising at least one signal cable that extends inside the ground cable from the first end to the second end.