Automobile charger

• US 10,046,653 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pilot Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pilot Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Calvin Shiening, Wang, Chung-Hsin
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SUN J
• Application Number:
  US15/355,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20170066338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0034 using reverse polarity correcting or protecting circuits mechanical means of polarity protection H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• 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

A novel automobile charger comprises a direct current (DC) voltage supply, wherein a positive pole of the DC voltage supply is connected with a first end or a first lead of a DC-to-DC module, a first end of a battery voltage detection module and a first end of a load module simultaneously while a negative pole of the DC voltage supply is connected with a second end of the DC-to-DC module, a first end of a microcontroller, a first end of an automobile start control module and a second end of the battery voltage detection module simultaneously. A third end of the DC-to-DC module is connected with a second end of the microcontroller. Third, fourth, and fifth ends of the microcontroller are connected with a third end of the battery voltage detection module, a second end of the automobile start control module and a first end of a load detection module respectively. A second end of the load detection module is connected with a third end of the automobile start control module and a second end of the load module simultaneously.

Claims

1. An automobile charger, comprising:

a first pole of a first battery connected with a first lead of a power converter, a first lead of a battery level detector, and a first lead of a load;

a second pole of the first battery connected with a second lead of the power converter, a first lead of a microcontroller, a first lead of a switching circuit and a second lead of the battery level detector;

a third lead of the power converter connected with a second lead of the microcontroller; and

three additional leads of the microcontroller connected with a third lead of the battery level detector, a second lead of the switching circuit and a first lead of a load detector, respectively,

wherein a second lead of the load detector is connected with a third lead of the switching circuit and a second lead of the load, and

wherein the load includes a second battery and a motor.

2. The automobile charger according to claim 1, wherein:

the power converter includes a one-way current device, a resistance R1, a capacitance C1, a voltage stabilizing device, a capacitance C2 and a capacitance C3;

a first terminal of the one-way current device is connected with the first pole of the first battery;

a second terminal of the one-way current device is connected with a first lead of the capacitance C1 and an IN port of the voltage stabilizing device through the resistance R1;

an OUT port of the voltage stabilizing device is connected with a first lead of the capacitance C2, a first lead of the capacitance C3 and a power port of a microcontroller U2;

a second lead of the capacitance C1, a second lead of the capacitance C2 and a second lead of the capacitance C3 as well as a common port of the voltage stabilizing device are grounded and connected with the second pole of the first battery;

a first port of the microcontroller U2 is connected with the second pole of the first battery through a light source and a resistance R12 in series connection;

a second port of the microcontroller U2 is connected with an input of the switching circuit;

a third port of the microcontroller U2 is connected with the second pole of the first battery through a capacitance C4 and a resistance R7 in parallel connection and is also connected with the power port through a variable resistance RT;

a fourth port of the microcontroller U2 is connected with the second pole of the first battery through a resistance R10, a capacitance C6 and a resistance R13 in parallel connection;

the fourth port of the microcontroller U2 is also connected with the first pole of the first battery through a resistance R2 and is also connected with a first pole of the second battery and the motor through a resistance R9;

two leads of the second battery are in parallel connection with the capacitance C7, the resistances R9, R10, the capacitance C6 and the resistance R13 together to form the load detector;

a fifth port of the microcontroller U2 is grounded through a capacitance C5;

a common port of the microcontroller U2 and one end of a capacitance C4 are grounded;

the second lead of the capacitance C4 is connected with the power port of the microcontroller U2;

the resistance R2, the capacitance C6 and the resistance R13 form the battery level detector; and

an output of the switching circuit is connected with the motor and one end of a resistance R14, wherein the other end of the resistance R14 is grounded.

3. The automobile charger according to claim 1, wherein:

the power converter is operably configured to provide a stable voltage for the microcontroller which collects relevant data to conduct a corresponding control;

the battery level detector conducts a measurement of a voltage of the first battery; and

the switching circuit conducts power supply or power outage for the load through the microcontroller, wherein the load detector detects whether the load is correctly connected.

4. The automobile charger according to claim 1, wherein the battery level detector is further configured to provide a protection for the first battery.

5. The automobile charger according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller, when placed in a standby mode, closes all outputs when a voltage of the first battery is lower than that of a state being able to supply power and then recovers when the voltage of the first battery is higher than that of the state being able to supply power.

6. The automobile charger according to claim 1, wherein the switching circuit is an electronic switch.

7. A charging device, comprising:

a battery level detector to detect a level of a first battery;

a load detector to detect a type of connection of a load;

a microcontroller to generate an output signal based on the level of the first battery and the type of connection of the load; and

switching circuitry to selectively connect the first battery to the load based on the output signal.

8. The charging device of claim 7, wherein the type of connection includes a proper connection of the load and an improper connection of the load.

9. The charging device of claim 8, wherein the load is a second battery and a motor powered by the second battery.

10. The charging device of claim 9, wherein the proper connection of the load is a polarity match between the second battery and the motor, and

wherein the improper connection of the load is a polarity reversal between the second battery and the motor or a disconnection of the second battery from the motor.

11. The charging device of claim 8, wherein the microcontroller is configured to:

generate the output signal to cause the switching circuitry to connect the first battery to the load if the load is properly connected and the level of the first battery is above a threshold; and

generate the output signal to cause the switching circuitry to disconnect the first battery from the load if i) the level of the first battery is below the threshold, or ii) the load is improperly connected.

12. The charging device of claim 7, wherein the battery level detector detects a recharging level of the first battery.

13. The charging device of claim 12, wherein the microcontroller generates the output signal to cause the switching circuitry to disconnect the first battery from the load if the recharging level of the first battery is greater than a threshold.

14. The charging device of claim 7, further comprising:

a power converter to convert power received from the first battery into a stable power source that powers the microcontroller.

15. The charging device of claim 14, wherein the power converter is a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter.

16. The charging device of claim 7, wherein the level of the first battery is a voltage level.

17. A method, comprising:

detecting a level of a first power source;

detecting a type of connection of a load;

generating an output signal based on the level of the first power source and the type of connection of the load; and

selectively connecting the first power source to the load based on the output signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the type of connection includes a proper connection of the load and an improper connection of the load.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the load is a second power source and an electrical component powered by the second power source,

wherein the proper connection of the load is a correct polarity connection between the second power source and the electrical component, and

wherein the improper connection of the load is an incorrect polarity connection between the second power source and the electrical component or a disconnection of the second power source from the electrical component.

20. The method of claim 18, the generating comprising:

generating the output signal to cause the switching circuitry to connect the first power source to the load if the load is properly connected and the level of the first power source is above a threshold; and

generating the output signal to cause the switching circuitry to disconnect the first power source from the load if i) the level of the first power source is below the threshold, or ii) the load is improperly connected.