Wireless battery charging system having emergency shutdown for a traction battery of an electric vehicle

• US 9,827,863 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2015
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Bartz, Stephan, Roehrl, Thoams
• Primary Examiner(s): Levin, Naum B
• Application Number:
  US14/843,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20160089988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• 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 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• 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 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 vehicle-side, electronic charging device of a wireless battery charging system receives, converts and feeds energy into a rechargeable traction battery of an electric vehicle traction motor. The traction battery is charged by an external charging system via a wireless link and the vehicle-side charging device. The vehicle-side charging device includes a first LC resonant circuit between first and second output ports, and a current rectifier having first and second AC voltage inputs and first and second DC voltage outputs. Either (i) the first and second DC voltage outputs of the current rectifier, or (ii) the first and second AC voltage inputs of the current rectifier, or (iii) the first and the second output ports of the first LC resonant circuit, or (iv) a first and a second connection of the reception coil are switchably connected to one another via an actuable kill switch.

Claims

1. A vehicle-side, electronic charging system device of a wireless battery charging system, the vehicle-side, electronic charging system device being configured to receive, convert, and feed energy to a rechargeable traction battery for supplying electrical energy to an electric traction motor of an electric vehicle, wherein the traction battery is configured to be charged by an external charging system device via a wireless link and the vehicle-side charging system device, the vehicle-side charging system device comprising:

a first LC resonant circuit comprising;

a first coil in the form of a reception coil configured to receive electromagnetic energy and having a first connection and a second connection,

a first capacitor,

a first output port, and

a second output port,

wherein the first output port is electrically conductively connected to the second output port via the first capacitor and the first coil, and

a current rectifier having a first AC voltage input and a second AC voltage input on an input side of the current rectifier, and a first DC voltage output and a second DC voltage output on an output side of the current rectifier,

wherein the current rectifier is designed to convert an AC electric voltage applied between the first and second AC voltage inputs into a DC electric voltage which between the first and second DC voltage outputs,

wherein the first AC voltage input is directly or indirectly electrically conductively connectable to the first capacitor via the first output port, and the second AC voltage input is directly or indirectly electrically conductively connectable to the first coil via the second output port,

wherein the first DC voltage output is directly or indirectly electrically conductively connectable to a first port of the traction battery, and the second DC voltage output is directly or indirectly electrically conductively connectable to a second port of the traction battery, and

wherein at least one of the following pairs of elements are electrically conductively connectable switchably to one another via an actuable switch of a kill switch;

the first and the second output ports of the first LC resonant circuit, or

the first and the second connections of the first coil.

2. The charging system device of claim 1, wherein:

the kill switch has an overcurrent protection device and an actuable overcurrent switch, and

the first and the second output ports of the first LC resonant circuit are electrically conductively connectable switchably to one another via the actuable overcurrent switch, and

the overcurrent protection device is connected in series via a link between the first connection of the first coil and the first output port, or the overcurrent protection device is connected in series via a link between the second connection of the first coil and the second output port of the first LC resonant circuit.

3. The charging system device of claim 1, wherein:

the kill switch has an overcurrent protection device and an actuable overcurrent switch, and

the first and second connections of the first coil are electrically conductively connectable switchably to one another via the actuable overcurrent switch, and

the overcurrent protection device is connected in series via a link between the first connection of the first coil and the first output port or the overcurrent protection device is connected in series via a link between the second connection of the first coil and the second output port of the first LC resonant circuit.

4. The charging system device of claim 1, wherein the kill switch is configured such that when the actuable switch of the kill switch is switched from an open state to a closed state, a charging current is substantially dissipated through an overcurrent protection device by the closed switch without resistance and, as a result, increases up to above a protection device threshold value of the overcurrent protection device, with the result that the overcurrent protection device responds and transfers from a closed state to an open state and the charging current is thus interrupted.

5. The charging system device of claim 1, wherein the electrical rectifier device has a control and monitoring device configured to switch a respective kill switch from an open state to a closed state when, in response to a request to terminate the charging operation which is directed and transmitted from the control and monitoring device to an external charging system device, feedback from the external charging system device with confirmation that the charging operation has been terminated does not arrive at the control and monitoring device within a predetermined period of time that begins at a time of the transmission of the request.

6. The charging system device of claim 1, wherein the control and monitoring device is configured to perform one or more of the following functions:

monitoring a charge voltage of the traction battery,

monitoring a charge current of the traction battery,

monitoring a temperature of the traction battery,

monitoring a temperature of the current rectifier,

monitoring a temperature of an electric shock protection discharge resistor,

monitoring a state signal generated by the charging device indicative of whether or not a correct state or correct operation of the charging device is present,

monitoring an interlock signal routed on a first and second interlock signal line that connects the control and monitoring device to a plug-type connector on the rectifier device side that contains the first and second AC voltage input ports, and is indicative of whether or not an electrical plug-type connection has been produced (a) between the first and second output ports, and (b) between the first and second AC voltage input ports, or

monitoring one or more predefined state signals that are indicative of whether or not correct operation or a correct state of the electric vehicle or correct operation or a correct state of a generating set of the electric vehicle is present, and which are supplied to the control and monitoring device via a vehicle bus system.

7. The charging system device of claim 6, wherein the control and monitoring device is configured to wirelessly transmit a request signal to terminate a charging operation which is directed to a charging device in response to the control and monitoring device detecting an incorrect state or incorrect operation.

8. The charging system device of claim 1, wherein the actuable switch of the kill switch or an actuable switch of an DC-link discharge device comprises a semiconductor-based switch or a mechanical switch.

9. The charging system device of claim 1, wherein an overcurrent protection device of the kill switch includes a fuse or a temperature-dependent, reversible interruption element.