Cooling of charging cable

• US 9,701,210 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2016
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Inventors: Ferguson, Joshua Willard, Van Dyke, Christopher H., Mardall, Joseph, Woo, Yee Shan, Newport, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SUN J
• Application Number:
  US15/076,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20160200206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• 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, the charging system comprising:

a power supply;

a cable having a first end and a 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 has an inlet opening and an outlet opening;

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

2. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the connector further includes contacts for electrical connection to the electric vehicle, and wherein the contacts are held by the fluid hub.

3. The charging system of claim 2, wherein the contacts are essentially cylindrical, and wherein the fluid hub is shaped to receive and hold the contacts.

4. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the fluid hub comprises a housing configured to be closed by a cap.

5. The charging system of claim 4, wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening are positioned on the cap.

6. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the connector further includes contacts for electrical connection to the electric vehicle, and a fluid channel that surrounds at least part of the contacts.

7. The charging system of claim 6, wherein the fluid channel is coupled to the fluid hub.

8. The charging system of claim 7, wherein a coupling of the fluid channel is done via an interior of the fluid hub.

9. The charging system of claim 6, wherein the fluid channel defines a spiral shaped flow pattern.

10. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the connector further includes contacts for electrical connection to the electric vehicle, the contacts having corresponding busbars, and wherein each of the busbars is positioned against a substantially flat face of the fluid hub.

11. The charging system of claim 10, wherein each busbar of the busbars is jogged relative to a corresponding contact of the contacts.

12. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the fluid hub defines a single interior fluid path from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.

13. The charging system of claim 12, wherein the single interior fluid path makes a U-turn between the inlet opening and the outlet opening.

14. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the fluid hub comprises two halves attached to each other.

15. The charging system of claim 14, wherein each of the inlet opening and the outlet opening is positioned on a respective one of the two halves.

16. The charging system of claim 14, wherein a wall enclosed within an interior of the fluid hub defines an interior fluid path from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.

17. The charging system of claim 16, wherein the wall is formed by corresponding pieces on the respective one of the two halves.

18. The charging system of claim 1, wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening are staggered from each other horizontally and vertically on a common face of the fluid hub.

19. The charging system of claim 1, further comprising circuit components mounted onto the fluid hub.

20. The charging system of claim 1, 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.