DESC:CHARGER SOCKET OF A CHARGING CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority from Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 202321036225 filed on 25/05/2023, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by a reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to an electric power-supplying apparatus of electric vehicle(s). The present disclosure particularly relates to a connector for charging electric vehicle(s).
BACKGROUND
Recently, there has been a rapid development in electric vehicles because of their ability to resolve pollution-related problems and serve as a clean mode of transportation. Generally, electric vehicles include a battery pack, power pack, and/or combination of electric cells for storing electricity required for the propulsion of the vehicles. The electrical power stored in the battery pack of the electric vehicle is supplied to the traction motor for moving the electric vehicle. Once the electrical power stored in the battery pack of the electric vehicle is depleted, the battery pack is required to be charged from a power source.
Electric vehicle charging is functionally similar to charging of any other electronic/electric device. However, the electric vehicle battery pack stores a large amount of power, and hence, requires a longer charging duration. To solve the problem of longer charging time, charging systems have been developed that are capable of delivering large amounts of power to the battery pack, hence, reducing the charging time required to charge the battery pack of the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle charging systems comprise a power supply, a charging cable, and a charging connector.
The currently used charging connectors are big, bulky, and are designed for large devices such as car, bus, truck, generators etc. Due to the larger size of such devices, there is plenty of spaces available for installing the charging equipment and charging port. Therefore, the currently used charging connectors are designed big and bulky for ease of production. However, the handling/usage of such big and bulky charging connectors is laborious.
Moreover, the existing charging connectors include separate communication modules for communicably connecting the charger to the electric vehicle, which further results in increased complexity in architecture and overall bulkiness of the connector. Moreover, the existing communication modules have limited functionality.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved charging connector that overcomes one or more problems associated as set forth above.
SUMMARY
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a charging connector for an electric vehicle.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a charging connector configured to communicably and electrically connect a charger to an electric vehicle. The charging connector comprises a first plurality of terminals, a second plurality of terminals, and a third plurality of terminals. The first plurality of terminals are configured to enable transfer of first power between the charger and the electric vehicle. The second plurality of terminals are configured to enable transfer of second power between the charger and the electric vehicle. The third plurality of terminals are configured to enable communication between the charger and the electric vehicle.
The present disclosure discloses the charging connector configured to communicably and electrically connect a charger to an electric vehicle. The charging connector as disclosed by the present disclosure is capable of fast charging the electric vehicle. The charging connector as disclosed by the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of enabling fast and rich communication between the charger and the electric vehicle. The charging connector as disclosed by the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of enabling fault diagnostic between the charger and the electric vehicle.
Additional aspects, advantages, features, and objects of the present disclosure would be made apparent from the drawings and the detailed description of the illustrative embodiments constructed in conjunction with the appended claims that follow.
It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure are susceptible to being combined in various combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Wherever possible, like elements have been indicated by identical numbers.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates a front view of an electric vehicle charging connector, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.
In the accompanying drawings, an underlined number is employed to represent an item over which the underlined number is positioned or an item to which the underlined number is adjacent. A non-underlined number relates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlined number to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify a general item at which the arrow is pointing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the present disclosure and ways in which they can be implemented. Although some modes of carrying out the present disclosure have been disclosed, those skilled in the art would recognize that other embodiments for carrying out or practicing the present disclosure are also possible.
The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of certain embodiments of an electric vehicle charging connector and is not intended to represent the only forms that may be developed or utilized. The description sets forth the various structures and/or functions in connection with the illustrated embodiments; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprising”, “include(s)”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, or system that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or system. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus preceded by “comprises... a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.
In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which are shown by way of illustration-specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
The present disclosure will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the description with unnecessary detail.
As used herein, the terms “electric vehicle”, “EV”, and “EVs” are used interchangeably and refer to any vehicle having stored electrical energy, including the vehicle capable of being charged from an external electrical power source. This may include vehicles having batteries that are exclusively charged from an external power source, as well as hybrid vehicles which may include batteries capable of being at least partially recharged via an external power source. Additionally, it is to be understood that the ‘electric vehicle’ as used herein includes electric two-wheelers, electric three-wheelers, electric four-wheelers, electric pickup trucks, electric trucks, and so forth.
As used herein, the terms “battery pack”, “battery”, and “power pack” are used interchangeably and refer to multiple individual battery cells connected to provide a higher combined voltage or capacity than what a single battery can offer along with the necessary electronic components and circuitry required to do so. The battery pack is designed to store electrical energy and supply it as needed to various devices or systems. Battery packs, as referred herein may be used for various purposes such as power electric vehicles and other energy storage applications. Furthermore, the battery pack may include additional circuitry, such as a battery management system (BMS), to ensure the safe and efficient charging and discharging of the battery cells. The battery pack comprises a plurality of cell arrays which in turn comprises a plurality of battery cells.
As used herein, the term “charging connector” refers to a specialized plug that connects an electric vehicle to a charging station or outlet, allowing the battery to be recharged. The connector may comprise a standardized connector or a proprietary connector.
As used herein, the term “charger” refers to device that supplies electricity to recharge electric vehicles (EVs). The charger comprises necessary electronics to convert received electrical energy in form suitable for charging the battery of the electric vehicle. The charger may be an AC charger, a DC charger or combination thereof.
As used herein, the term “first plurality of terminals” refers to a first set of electrical terminals electrically connecting charger and the electric vehicle.
As used herein, the term “first power” refers to alternating current electric power.
As used herein, the term “second plurality of terminals” refers to a second set of electrical terminals electrically connecting charger and the electric vehicle.
As used herein, the term “second power” refers to direct current electric power.
As used herein, the term “third plurality of terminals” refers to a third set of network terminals communicably connecting charger and the electric vehicle.
As used herein, the term “line terminal” refers to a terminal that delivers alternating current from the charger to the electric vehicle.
As used herein, the term “neutral terminal” refers to a terminal that that provides return path to the alternating current flowing from the charger to the electric vehicle.
As used herein, the term “ground terminal” refers to a low impedance path between the charger and the earth for providing electrical safety.
As used herein, the term “controller area network” refers to serial communication system designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to transfer data between each other.
As used herein, the term “load” refers to the battery pack of the electric vehicle which is being charged by the charging connector from the electric power received from the power source.
Figure 1, in accordance with an embodiment, describes a charging connector 100 configured to communicably and electrically connect a charger to an electric vehicle. The charging connector 100 comprises a first plurality of terminals 102, a second plurality of terminals 104, and a third plurality of terminals 106. The first plurality of terminals 102 are configured to enable transfer of first power between the charger and the electric vehicle. The second plurality of terminals are 104 configured to enable transfer of second power between the charger and the electric vehicle. The third plurality of terminals 106 are configured to enable communication between the charger and the electric vehicle.
The present disclosure discloses the charging connector 100 configured to communicably and electrically connect a charger to an electric vehicle. The charging connector 100 as disclosed by the present disclosure is capable of fast charging the electric vehicle. The charging connector 100 as disclosed by the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of enabling fast and rich communication between the charger and the electric vehicle. The charging connector 100 as disclosed by the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of enabling fault diagnostic between the charger and the electric vehicle.
In an embodiment, the first plurality of terminals 102 comprise at least one line terminal, at least one neutral terminal and at least one ground terminal. Beneficially, the at least one line terminal, the at least one neutral terminal and the at least one ground terminal enable electrical connection between the charger and the electric vehicle for transfer of the first power between the charger and the electric vehicle.
In an embodiment, the first power is an alternating current power. Beneficially, the alternating current power charges the electric vehicle at a lower cost. More beneficially, the alternating current power charges the electric vehicle without overloading the network.
In an embodiment, the second plurality of terminals 104 comprise at least one positive terminal and at least one negative terminal. Beneficially, the at least one positive terminal and the at least one negative terminal enable electrical connection between the charger and the electric vehicle for transfer of the second power between the charger and the electric vehicle. In an embodiment, the at least one ground terminal is common between the first plurality of terminals 102 and the second plurality of terminals 104. In other words, the second plurality of terminals 104 may use the at least one ground terminal of the first plurality of terminals 102 for grounding.
In an embodiment, the second power is a direct current power. Beneficially, the direct current power charges the electric vehicle at a faster rate. In other words, the direct current power enables higher rate of power transfer between the charger and the electric vehicle.
In an embodiment, the third plurality of terminals 106 comprises controller area network (CAN) terminals. Beneficially, the third plurality of terminals 106 comprises CAN high (CANH) and CAN low (CANL) terminals.
In an embodiment, the controller area network terminals are configured to enable controller area network communication between the charger and the electric vehicle. Beneficially, the CAN communication enables faster and rich communication between the charger and the electric vehicle.
In an embodiment, the controller area network terminals are configured to enable at least one of: identification and authentication between the charger and the electric vehicle. Beneficially, the identification and authentication between the charger and the electric vehicle prevents unauthorized charging, protects the infrastructure against cyberattacks, optimize charging and ensures accurate billing.
In an embodiment, the controller area network terminals are configured to enable data transfer between the charger and the electric vehicle. Beneficially, the transferred data may include battery data, user data, control data, proximity data, temperature, location data and so on. Beneficially, the transfer of data enables various functionalities and features in the event of charger charging the electric vehicle.
In an embodiment, the controller area network terminals are configured to enable fault diagnostic between the charger and the electric vehicle. Beneficially, the fault diagnostic using the controller area network terminals while charging of the electric vehicle eliminates the requirement of additional diagnostic checks. More beneficially, the fault diagnostic between the charger and the electric vehicle enable communication of charger status during unavailability of network communication for the charger.
In the description of the present invention, it is also to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms “disposed,” “mounted,” and “connected” are to be construed broadly, and may for example be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, either mechanically or electrically. They may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.
Modifications to embodiments and combinations of different embodiments of the present disclosure described in the foregoing are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. Expressions such as “including”, “comprising”, “incorporating”, “have”, and “is” used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural where appropriate.
Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the present disclosure, the drawings, and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A charging connector (100) configured to communicably and electrically connect a charger to an electric vehicle, wherein the charging connector (100) comprises:
- a first plurality of terminals (102) configured to enable transfer of first power between the charger and the electric vehicle;
- a second plurality of terminals (104) configured to enable transfer of second power between the between the charger and the electric vehicle; and
- a third plurality of terminals (106) configured to enable communication between the charger and the electric vehicle.
2. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first plurality of terminals (102) comprise at least one line terminal, at least one neutral terminal and at least one ground terminal.
3. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first power is an alternating current power.
4. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second plurality of terminals (104) comprise at least one positive terminal, and at least one negative terminal.
5. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second power is a direct current power.
6. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third plurality of terminals (106) comprises controller area network terminals.
7. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller area network terminals are configured to enable controller area network communication between the charger and the electric vehicle.
8. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller area network terminals are configured to enable at least one of: identification and authentication between the charger and the electric vehicle.
9. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller area network terminals are configured to enable data transfer between the charger and the electric vehicle.
10. The charging connector (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller area network terminals are configured to enable fault diagnostic between the charger and the electric vehicle.