Vehicle battery external loading device including an AC/DC converter having a resonant insulated stage

• US 9,821,670 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Electronic Systems
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Electronic Systems
• Inventors: Biagini, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): GRANT, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US14/382,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20150097528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/42 Fork lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/44 Industrial trucks or floor conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0048 Circuits or arrangements for reducing losses using snubbers H02M1/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4208 Arrangements for improving power factor of AC input
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4225 using a non-isolated boost converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3382 in a push-pull circuit arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3387 in a push-pull configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (2) for charging a motor-driven device battery (5). Said charging device (2) includes: a first conversion module (3); a second conversion module (4); and a means (6) for controlling the first conversion module (3). The first conversion module (3) is suitable for converting an input AC current into an intermediate current and supplying said intermediate current to the second conversion module (4). The second conversion module (4) is suitable for converting the intermediate current into an output current and supplying said output current to the battery (5). The intermediate current is direct current, and the output current is also direct current. The controlling means (6) is suitable for adjusting the voltage of the intermediate current on the basis of operating parameters of the second conversion module (3).

Claims

1. A charging device (2) for a battery (5) of a motorised device, said charging device (2) being adapted to be mounted on the motorised device or to be connected to the motorised device external to said device, and comprising:

a first conversion module (3);

a second conversion module (4), comprising a resonant circuit (13) having at least one resonance frequency;

a controller (6) for controlling the first conversion module (3),

the first conversion module (3) being adapted to convert an input alternating current into an intermediate current and to supply the second conversion module (4) with said intermediate current;

the second conversion module (4) being adapted to convert the intermediate current into an output current and to supply the battery (5) with said output current;

the intermediate current being a direct current and the output current also being a direct current;

the controller (6) being adapted to adjust the voltage of the intermediate current as a function of operating parameters of the second conversion module (4).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the controller (6) is adapted to adjust the voltage of the intermediate current as a function of the voltage and/or of the power and/or of the intensity of the output current.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second conversion module (4) is a switching conversion module comprising galvanic isolation, operating at a switching frequency.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second conversion module (4) comprises a switching sub-module (12), associated with the resonant circuit (13), adapted to convert the intermediate current into a first alternating current with a switching frequency;

a transformation sub-module (14) adapted to convert the first alternating current into a second alternating current;

a rectification sub-module (15) adapted to convert the second alternating current into the output current.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the resonant circuit (13) is a circuit of the LC type or of the LLC type comprising at least one capacitor (18) and at least one inductor (19, 20).

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the controller (6) is adapted to adjust the voltage of the intermediate current so that the switching frequency can be adjusted to a setpoint value.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the setpoint value of the switching frequency is equal to the resonance frequency or is greater than the resonance frequency.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first conversion module (3) comprises a power factor correction circuit.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first conversion module (3) comprises a device for measuring the voltage of the intermediate current and a device for adjusting said voltage to a setpoint voltage, and

wherein the controller (6) is adapted to modulate the device for measuring the voltage of the intermediate current.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the controller (6) is a digital controller of the first conversion module (3).

11. The device according to claim 1, adapted to operate with a voltage of the intermediate current that is between 270 and 440 V;

and/or a voltage of the output current that is between 20 and 550 V and/or a power of the output current that is between 500 and 6,000 W.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the motorised device is an electrically powered motor vehicle.

21. A motorized device (8) comprising the charging device (2) according to claim 1, as well as the battery (5).

22. The motorized device (8) according to claim 21, which device is an electrically powered motor vehicle.

13. A method for charging a battery of a motorised device, comprising:

a first conversion of an alternating supply current into an intermediate current;

a second conversion of the intermediate current into an output current in a conversion module comprising a resonant circuit having a resonance frequency;

supplying the battery with the output current;

with the intermediate current being a direct current and the output current also being a direct current;

the method further comprising;

adjusting the voltage of the intermediate current as a function of parameters of the second conversion;

the method being implemented either inside or outside of said motorised device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the voltage of the intermediate current is adjusted as a function of the value of the voltage and/or of the power and/or of the intensity of the output current.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the voltage of the intermediate current is adjusted as a function of the resonance frequency.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the second conversion comprises an intermediate conversion of a direct current into an alternating current with a switching frequency.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the switching frequency is adjusted to a setpoint value.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the setpoint value of the switching frequency is equal to the resonance frequency or is greater than the resonance frequency.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the voltage of the intermediate current is between 270 and 440 V, and/or wherein the voltage of the output current is between 20 and 550 V and/or wherein the power of the output current is between 500 and 6,000 W.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the motorised device is electrically powered motor vehicle.