Charger cooling air source selection method

• US 9,854,717 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Blackburn, Thomas, DuBois, Monica, Gebbie, James George, Jackson, Kenneth J.
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cotov, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US14/033,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20150087215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 454 70
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/24 Devices purely for ventilating or where the heating or cooling is irrelevant nozzles, air-diffusers B60H1/34
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/003 Component temperature regulation using an air flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/28 Door position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20845 for automotive electronic casings H05K7/2089 takes precedence
• 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 charger cooling air source selection method includes cooling a vehicle battery charger by opening an outside air vent door in a vehicle and drawing outside air through the outside air vent door; determining whether the outside air vent door will close; and if the outside air vent door will not close, establishing and maintaining positive air pressure in a cabin of the vehicle by ensuring an open configuration of a recirculation door in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A controller-implemented charger cooling air source selection method, a controller causing steps comprising:

cooling a vehicle battery charger by opening an outside air vent door of the vehicle and drawing outside air through the outside air vent door while maintaining a recirculation door in a closed configuration, the outside air vent door in a rear portion of the vehicle, the recirculation door in a front portion of the vehicle;

determining whether the outside air vent door will close in response to an attempt to close the outside air vent door caused by the controller; and

if the outside air vent door will not close, establishing and maintaining positive air pressure in a cabin of the vehicle by ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle, the recirculation door configured to close the cabin to outside air through the recirculation door in the closed configuration and open the cabin to outside air through the recirculation door in the open configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising drawing outside air through the outside air vent door by operating an outside air fan.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing positive air pressure in a cabin of the vehicle by ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle further comprises operating a vehicle climate control fan.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein cooling a vehicle battery charger comprises opening the outside air vent door in the vehicle if a temperature of the cabin of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined set temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein drawing outside air through the outside air vent door comprises drawing outside air through the outside vent door through a fan outlet duct disposed in thermally conductive contact with the vehicle battery charger.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle comprises opening the recirculation door from the closed configuration.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle comprises maintaining the recirculation door in the open configuration.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing inside air from the cabin of the vehicle by operating an air extractor.

9. A controller-implemented charger cooling air source selection method, a controller causing steps comprising:

charging a vehicle battery of a vehicle by operation of a vehicle battery charger;

cooling the vehicle battery charger by opening an outside air vent door in a vehicle and drawing outside air from outside the vehicle through the outside air vent door into a cabin of the vehicle while maintaining a recirculation door in a closed configuration, the outside air vent door in a rear portion of the vehicle, the recirculation door in a front portion of the vehicle;

determining whether the outside air vent door will close in response to an attempt to close the outside air vent door caused by the controller; and

if the outside air vent door will not close, establishing and maintaining positive air pressure in the cabin of the vehicle by ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle, the recirculation door configured to close the cabin to outside air through the recirculation door in the closed configuration and open the cabin to outside air through the recirculation door in the open configuration.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising drawing outside air through the outside air vent door by operating an outside air fan.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein establishing positive air pressure in a cabin of the vehicle by ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle further comprises operating a vehicle climate control fan.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein cooling a vehicle battery charger comprises opening the outside air vent door in the vehicle if a temperature of the cabin of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined set temperature.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein drawing outside air through the outside air vent door comprises drawing outside air through the outside vent door through a fan outlet duct disposed in thermally conductive contact with the vehicle battery charger.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle comprises opening the recirculation door from the closed configuration.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle comprises maintaining the recirculation door in the open configuration.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising removing inside air from the cabin of the vehicle by operating an air extractor.

17. A controller-implemented charger cooling air source selection method, a controller causing steps comprising:

charging a vehicle battery of a vehicle by operation of a vehicle battery charger;

determining whether the vehicle battery charger requires cooling and a temperature of a cabin of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined set temperature;

determining if the vehicle battery charger requires cooling and the temperature of the cabin of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined set temperature;

if the vehicle battery charger requires cooling, cooling the vehicle battery charger by opening an outside air vent door and operating a vehicle climate control fan in a vehicle to draw outside air from outside the vehicle through the outside air vent door into a cabin of the vehicle by operating an outside air fan, the outside air vent door being opened while maintaining a recirculation door in a closed configuration, the outside air vent door in a rear portion of the vehicle, the recirculation door in a front portion of the vehicle;

determining whether the outside air vent door will close in response to an attempt to close the outside air vent door caused by the controller; and

if the outside air vent door will not close, establishing and maintaining positive air pressure in the cabin of the vehicle by ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle, the recirculation door configured to close the cabin to outside air through the recirculation door in the closed configuration and open the cabin to outside air through the recirculation door in the open configuration.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle comprises opening the recirculation door from the closed configuration.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein ensuring an open configuration of the recirculation door in the vehicle comprises maintaining the recirculation door in the open configuration.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising removing inside air from the cabin of the vehicle by operating an air extractor.