Temperature monitoring HEV charger cord assembly and charging method

• US 9,490,640 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Gibbons, James J, Pham, Thanh D., Haider, Wayne, Thompson, Wayne Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/132,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20150171646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/107, 320/109, 320/111, 320/115, 320/150
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007192 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A temperature monitoring vehicle charger cord assembly includes a wall plug; a pair of power prongs carried by the wall plug; at least one thermal sensor carried by the wall plug, the at least one thermal sensor adapted to monitor a charging temperature; a battery electric vehicle electrical plug; and a microprocessor electrically interfacing with the power prongs, the at least one thermal sensor and the battery electric vehicle electrical plug. The microprocessor is programmed to perform at least one of terminating electrical current and reducing amperes of electrical current flowing from the pair of power prongs to the battery electric vehicle electrical plug if the charging temperature at least meets a predetermined maximum threshold charging temperature. A temperature monitoring vehicle charging method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A temperature monitoring vehicle charger cord assembly, comprising:

a wall plug;

a pair of power prongs carried by the wall plug;

at least one thermal sensor carried by the wall plug, the at least one thermal sensor configured to monitor a charging temperature, the charging temperature associated with at least a portion of the wall plug;

a battery electric vehicle electrical plug; and

a microprocessor electrically interfacing with the power prongs, the at least one thermal sensor and the battery electric vehicle electrical plug, the microprocessor configured to execute programmed instructions stored in non-transitory memory, said microprocessor configured to cause the performance of at least one of terminating electrical current and reducing amperes of electrical current flowing from the pair of power prongs to the battery electric vehicle electrical plug if the charging temperature is determined by the microprocessor to at least meet a predetermined maximum threshold charging temperature.

2. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a ground prong electrically interfacing with the battery electric vehicle electrical plug.

3. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising a wiring bundle electrically connecting the pair of power prongs to the battery electric vehicle electrical plug.

4. The assembly of claim 3 further comprising a wiring conduit carried by the wall plug, and wherein the wiring bundle extends through the wiring conduit.

5. The assembly of claim 4 further comprising a conduit spacer flange carried by the wiring conduit.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one thermal sensor comprises at least one thermistor.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the at least one thermistor is a ceramic or polymer material.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the wall plug comprises a generally semi-cylindrical sensor housing portion and a housing extension portion extending from the sensor housing portion, and the at least one thermal sensor is contained in the sensor housing.

9. A temperature monitoring vehicle charger cord assembly, comprising:

a wall plug;

a pair of power prongs carried by the wall plug;

at least one thermal sensor carried by the wall plug, the at least one thermal sensor configured to monitor a charging temperature, the charging temperature associated with at least a portion of the wall plug;

a battery electric vehicle electrical plug;

a microprocessor electrically interfacing with the power prongs, the at least one thermal sensor and the battery electric vehicle electrical plug, the microprocessor configured to execute programmed instructions stored in non-transitory memory, said microprocessor configured to cause the performance of at least one of terminating electrical current and reducing amperes of electrical current flowing from the pair of power prongs to the battery electric vehicle electrical plug if the charging temperature is determined by the microprocessor to at least meet a predetermined maximum threshold charging temperature; and

the microprocessor further configured to cause reestablishment of electrical current flowing from the pair of power prongs to the battery electric vehicle electrical plug if the charging temperature falls below the predetermined maximum threshold charging temperature after the charging temperature at least meets the predetermined maximum threshold charging temperature.

10. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising a ground prong electrically interfacing with the battery electric vehicle electrical plug.

11. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising a wiring bundle electrically connecting the pair of power prongs to the battery electric vehicle electrical plug.

12. The assembly of claim 11 further comprising a wiring conduit carried by the wall plug, and wherein the wiring bundle extends through the wiring conduit.

13. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a conduit spacer flange carried by the wiring conduit.

14. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the at least one thermal sensor comprises at least one thermistor.

15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the at least one thermistor is a ceramic or polymer material.

16. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the wall plug comprises a generally semi-cylindrical sensor housing portion and a housing extension portion extending from the sensor housing portion, and the at least one thermal sensor is contained in the sensor housing.