Charging station for electric vehicles
First Claim
1. A charging station for electric vehicles that are equipped with a rechargeable battery, a traction motor and a traction controller for said traction motor, said charging station comprising:
- a power section, a power controller section, a power connector for connecting said power section to an electric vehicle for recharging the battery thereof, an interface between said charging station and said electric vehicle, power cables capable of carrying high charging currents from said power section through said power connector to said electric vehicle, signal cable means capable of carrying control signals between said power controller section and said electric vehicle, and lockout means;
wherein said power section is capable of delivering high charging currents at the requisite charging voltage for the battery being charged within predetermined limits of power to be delivered, wherein the rate of delivery of said charging current is controllable;
wherein said power section comprises a power source, rectifying means, and means for controlling the flow of charging current to the rechargeable battery;
wherein said signal cable carries signals from said battery to said power controller that are at least indicative of the voltage of the battery at any instant in time;
wherein said power controller section and said means for controlling the flow of charging current to said rechargeable battery are each fast acting so as to be able to turn delivery of said charging current on and off in less than a few milliseconds;
means for measuring the resistance free voltage of said battery during intervals when delivery of said charging current to said battery has been turned off, whereby operation of said power controller section may be affected by said resistance free voltage, and thereby operation of said means for controlling the flow of charging current to said battery and of said charging station may be controlled as a function of said resistance free voltage of said battery;
wherein at least said power cables and said signal cable means are associated with said interface; and
wherein said lockout means is associated with said power connector, and will preclude delivery of charging current to said battery except when said lockout means is locked closed;
whereby operation of said charging station to recharge a battery in an electric vehicle is contingent upon said lockout means being locked closed so as to assure flow of charging current and control signals on their respective cables, and said operation is controlled so that the power being delivered is within said predetermined limits.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A charging station for electric vehicles which have rechargeable batteries is provided. The charging station comprises a power section controlled by a fast acting power controller, a power connector and associated power cables for connecting to the vehicle, an interface with signal cables to carry status and/or control signals between the vehicle and the power controller, and a lockout which precludes delivery of power to the vehicle except when the power connector is in place. High charging currents are delivered to the battery of the vehicle as a consequence of signals at any instant in time to the power controller, so as to be able to turn delivery of the charging current on and off in less than a few milliseconds. The resistance free voltage of the vehicle battery is measured during intervals when the charging current is off, and the operation of the power controller is a function of the battery resistance free voltage at any instant in time. Operation may be manually controlled, whereby at least maximum voltage and current settings are preset by the operator; or operation may be completely automatic and under the control of a charge controller within the vehicle and associated with the battery. Thus, for each vehicle that is equipped with a charge controller, the operation of the charging station is battery specific, and may be quite different as to conditions of voltage and current being delivered to another electric vehicle which may be subsequently re-charged from the same charging station.
447 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A charging station for electric vehicles that are equipped with a rechargeable battery, a traction motor and a traction controller for said traction motor, said charging station comprising:
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a power section, a power controller section, a power connector for connecting said power section to an electric vehicle for recharging the battery thereof, an interface between said charging station and said electric vehicle, power cables capable of carrying high charging currents from said power section through said power connector to said electric vehicle, signal cable means capable of carrying control signals between said power controller section and said electric vehicle, and lockout means; wherein said power section is capable of delivering high charging currents at the requisite charging voltage for the battery being charged within predetermined limits of power to be delivered, wherein the rate of delivery of said charging current is controllable; wherein said power section comprises a power source, rectifying means, and means for controlling the flow of charging current to the rechargeable battery; wherein said signal cable carries signals from said battery to said power controller that are at least indicative of the voltage of the battery at any instant in time; wherein said power controller section and said means for controlling the flow of charging current to said rechargeable battery are each fast acting so as to be able to turn delivery of said charging current on and off in less than a few milliseconds; means for measuring the resistance free voltage of said battery during intervals when delivery of said charging current to said battery has been turned off, whereby operation of said power controller section may be affected by said resistance free voltage, and thereby operation of said means for controlling the flow of charging current to said battery and of said charging station may be controlled as a function of said resistance free voltage of said battery; wherein at least said power cables and said signal cable means are associated with said interface; and wherein said lockout means is associated with said power connector, and will preclude delivery of charging current to said battery except when said lockout means is locked closed; whereby operation of said charging station to recharge a battery in an electric vehicle is contingent upon said lockout means being locked closed so as to assure flow of charging current and control signals on their respective cables, and said operation is controlled so that the power being delivered is within said predetermined limits. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification