Recharging electric vehicles

• US 9,365,127 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wayne Fueling Systems LLC (Dover Corporation)
• Inventors: Olsson, Mats
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodas, Richard Isla
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES RUIZ, JOHALI ALEJANDRA
• Application Number:
  US12/944,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,041 Days
• Field of Search: 320/101, 320/123, 320/109, 705/77
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/006 Converting flow of air into electric energy, e.g. by using wind turbines
• 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 charge transfer apparatus having an input and an output includes: an AC/DC converter coupled to the input of the charge transfer apparatus and configured to receive AC power at a first power level; and a charge storage device coupled to the AC/DC converter, where the charge storage device is configured to receive charge at the first power level and to transfer charge to the output of the charge transfer apparatus at a second power level, and the second power level is greater than the first power level.

Claims

1. A charge transfer system including a charge transfer apparatus having an input and an output, the charge transfer system comprising:

an AC/DC converter of the charge transfer apparatus coupled to the input of the charge transfer apparatus, the AC/DC converter configured to receive off-grid AC power at a first power level;

a charge storage device of the charge transfer apparatus coupled to the AC/DC converter, the charge storage device configured to receive charge at the first power level and to transfer charge to the output of the charge transfer apparatus at a second power level, the second power level being greater than the first power level; and

a point of sale apparatus configured to facilitate a commercial and/or retail transaction involving the transfer of the charge to the output of the charge transfer apparatus and to receive power from the grid while the AC/DC converter is receiving the off-grid AC power.

2. The charge transfer system of claim 1, wherein the charge storage device comprises a battery array configured to be controllably discharged through the output of the charge transfer apparatus.

3. The charge transfer system of claim 2, wherein the battery array comprises multiple batteries electrically coupled in a series-parallel arrangement.

4. The charge transfer system of claim 1, wherein the output of the charge transfer apparatus is a first output, the charge transfer apparatus further comprising a second output.

5. The charge transfer system of claim 4, wherein the charge storage device is configured to transfer charge to the first and second output in parallel using time multiplexing.

6. The charge transfer system of claim 5, further comprising a generator coupled in parallel to the charge storage device and operable to transfer charge to the charge storage device.

7. The charge transfer system of claim 1, wherein the charge transfer apparatus is configured to be selectively connected and disconnected from the utility power grid, and wherein the charge storage device is configured to transfer charge to the output of the charge transfer apparatus when the charge transfer apparatus is disconnected from the utility power grid.