Motor vehicle having an inductive charging coil arranged on a lubricant reservoir of an internal combustion engine of the vehicle

• US 9,662,992 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Doepke, Hubertus
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US14/279,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/24 characterised by the combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/40 characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/34 Plug-like or socket-like devices specially adapted for contactless inductive charging of electric vehicles positioning means for charging devices using inductive energy transfer B60L53/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/21 External power supplies
• CPC Class Codes: F01M 11/0004 Oilsumps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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: Y10S 903/905 Combustion engine

Abstract

A motor vehicle includes at least one electric motor for driving the motor vehicle, at least one electrical energy storage device via which the electric motor can be supplied with electrical current, and a charging device having at least one coil via which electrical energy can be inductively transmitted for charging the electrical energy storage device. An internal combustion engine of the motor vehicle includes a reservoir in which lubricant for lubricating the internal combustion engine can be received and on which the coil, and optionally at least one electronics component associated with the coil, is arranged.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

an electric motor for driving the motor vehicle;

an electrical energy storage device via which the electric motor is suppliable with electrical current;

an internal combustion engine comprising a reservoir for storing lubricant used to lubricate the internal combustion engine; and

a charging device comprising a coil via which electrical energy is inductively transmitted for charging the electrical energy storage device, the coil being arranged on the reservoir of the internal combustion engine.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the reservoir comprises a receiving chamber in which the lubricant is held, and

the coil is accommodated inside the receiving chamber.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising:

an electronics component associated with the coil, the electronics component being arranged inside the receiving chamber.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electronics component associated with the coil, the electronics component being located on the reservoir.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 3, wherein

a bottom of the reservoir that downwardly delimits the receiving chamber in a vertical vehicle direction is formed of a non-magnetic material.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the non-magnetic material is a plastic material.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

a bottom of the reservoir that downwardly delimits the receiving chamber in a vertical vehicle direction is formed of a non-magnetic material.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the non-magnetic material is a plastic material.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the coil is located in an axle area of the motor vehicle.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the axle area is a front axle area for steerable wheels of the motor vehicle.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the coil is located, at least regionally, in a space delimited, at least regionally, by at least two support elements of the motor vehicle.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the coil has an outer contour configured to correspond to an inner contour of the space delimited by the at least two support elements of the motor vehicle.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir is an oil pan for the internal combustion engine.

14. A lubricant reservoir for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle equipped with an electric motor for driving the motor vehicle, an electrical energy storage device for supplying electrical energy to the electric motor, and a charging device via which the electrical energy storage device is charged with electrical energy, the reservoir comprising:

a housing in which lubricant for the internal combustion engine is received; and

a coil of the charging device being located on the housing, the coil facilitating inductive charging of the electrical energy storage device.

15. The reservoir according to claim 14, wherein the housing includes a bottom formed of a non-magnetic material.

16. The reservoir according to claim 14, wherein the coil is arranged inside the housing.

17. The reservoir according to claim 14, further comprising:

an electronics component coupled with the coil, the electronics component being located on the housing.

18. The reservoir according to claim 14, wherein the reservoir is an oil pan of the internal combustion engine.