DESC:PORTABLE DEVICE FOR CHARGING SWAPPABLE POWER PACKS
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority from Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 202321037171 filed on 30/05/2023, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by a reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to swappable power pack charging. The present disclosure particularly relates to a portable device for charging swappable power pack of an electric vehicle.
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 or by replacing the depleted battery pack with a fully charged battery pack.
The replaceable battery packs are also known as swappable battery packs and resolve the problems of charger availability and range anxiety associated with fixed battery packs. Moreover, the swappable battery packs may also solve the problem high initial cost of ownership of the electric vehicles. Since the battery is the most expensive component of the electric vehicle, the cost associated with the ownership of the battery pack may be eliminated by getting a swappable battery as a service.
However, the swappable battery packs also require infrastructure in terms of battery swapping stations. The battery swapping stations convert the electrical energy received from the grid to charge the swappable battery packs. Such charging infrastructure is sparsely available and require the user to travel to the swapping station to replace the depleted swappable battery pack with a charged battery pack. Moreover, such charging infrastructure require a lot of initial investment making it difficult to set-up. Furthermore, huge battery swapping stations may also increase localised load on the grid and may un-stabilize the grid leading to power failures.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved system for swappable battery pack charging that overcome one or more problems associated as set forth above.
SUMMARY
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable device for charging plurality of swappable power packs.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a portable device for charging a plurality of swappable power packs. The portable device comprises an active front-end AC-DC converter connected to a power source, a dual active bridge DC-DC converter, a plurality of connectors for electrically connecting the plurality of swappable power packs to the dual active bridge converter, and a control unit configured to control operation of the active front-end AC-DC converter and the dual active bridge DC-DC converter.
The present disclosure provides a portable device for charging a plurality of swappable power packs. Beneficially, the portable device of the present disclosure eliminates the need for swapping stations for charging of the swappable power packs. Furthermore, the portable device of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of reducing the costs of the clean energy storage ecosystem. Beneficially, the portable device of the present disclosure is compact in size and portable. Beneficially, the portable device of the present disclosure is capable of charging swappable power packs of different voltage levels.
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 block diagram of a portable device for charging swappable power packs, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.
Figure 2 illustrates a circuit diagram of the portable device for charging swappable power packs, in accordance with another 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 a d portable device for charging swappable power pack 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 “battery module” refers to a plurality of individual battery cells connected to provide a higher combined voltage or capacity. The battery module is used to store the electrical energy and provide the electrical energy when required.
As used herein, the term “high voltage winding” refers to primary winding of the transformer which is on the higher voltage of the step-down transformer.
As used herein, the term “low voltage winding” refers to secondary winding of the step transfer which is on the lower voltage of the step-down transformer.
As used herein, the term “battery management system” refers to electronic device that manages charging and discharging of the plurality of battery cells of the battery module. The battery management system may monitor the voltage and current during the charging and discharging process. Furthermore, the battery management system may monitor the temperature and state of charge of the plurality of battery cells of the battery module. Moreover, the battery management system may also perform cell balancing and provide protection to the plurality of battery cells from overcharging/ over discharging.
As used herein, the terms ‘control unit and ‘processor’ are used interchangeably and refer to a computational element that is operable to respond to and process instructions that control the AC-DC converter and DC-DC converter. Optionally, the control unit may be a micro-controller, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, a digital signal processor, or any other type of processing unit. Furthermore, the term “microprocessor” may refer to one or more individual processors, processing devices, and various elements associated with a processing device that may be shared by other processing devices. Furthermore, the microprocessor may be designed to handle real-time tasks with high performance and low power consumption. Furthermore, the microprocessor may comprise custom and/or proprietary processors.
As used herein, the term “power source” refers to an equipment supplying AC power for charging the swappable power pack. The source may supply domestic AC power.
As used herein, the term “communicably coupled” refers to a bi-directional connection between the various components of the portable device and the power pack. The bi-directional connection between the various components of the portable device enables the exchange of data between two or more components of the portable device and the power pack.
As used herein, the terms “DC link capacitor bank”, “DC link capacitor”, “DC bus capacitor”, and “capacitor” are used interchangeably and refer to a plurality of capacitors that are used to smooth out the fluctuating DC voltage coming from the battery module or going to the battery module. The DC link capacitor bank functions to smooth out the power between the battery module and the controlled rectifier, stabilize the DC bus voltage, and act as energy storage for transient loads.
As used herein, the terms “plurality of switching legs”, “switching leg”, and “phase legs” are used interchangeably and refer to individual circuit blocks of the H-bridges which are responsible for converting the DC power into the AC power and/or the AC power into the DC power. It is to be understood that each circuit block converts DC power into one phase of AC power, thus, based on the number of phases required of AC power, the number of phase inverter legs are utilised.
As used herein, the term “gate drivers” refers to electronic components responsible for controlling the switching of Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) which forms switches in the power converter. It is to be understood that the gate drivers convert the control signal into precise voltage and current pulses required to turn the power electronics switches on and off rapidly. These switches may control the flow of electrical current to the electric motor, ultimately determining its speed, torque, and direction of rotation. Similarly, the switches may control the flow of the electric current to the battery module, for charging the battery module, when the swappable power pack is connected to the power source.
As used herein, the term “switches” and “plurality of switch” are used interchangeably and refers to power electronics devices that control the flow of electric power. The switches are responsible for converting the DC power into AC power and/or AC power into DC power. Beneficially, MOSFETs are used as switches in the controlled rectifier as the MOSFETs have low on-state resistance that helps in reducing power losses and increasing the overall efficiency of the controlled rectifier. The switches may be at least one of MOSFETs, IGBTs, transistors, or a combination thereof.
As used herein, the terms “plurality of sensors” “sensor arrangement” and “sensors” are used interchangeably and refer to a configuration of sensors in the system and/or arrangement to measure, monitor, or detect specific parameters, conditions, and/or events. The plurality of sensors may comprise current sensors, voltage sensors, hall effect sensors, insulation monitoring sensors, or a combination thereof.
Figure 1, in accordance with an embodiment, describes a portable device 100 for charging a plurality of swappable power packs 102. The portable device 100 comprises an active front-end AC-DC converter 104 connected to a power source, a dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106, a plurality of connectors 110 for electrically connecting the plurality of swappable power packs 102 to the dual active bridge converter 106, and a control unit 120 configured to control operation of the active front-end AC-DC converter 104 and the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106.
The present disclosure provides a portable device 100 for charging a plurality of swappable power packs 102. Beneficially, the portable device 100 of the present disclosure eliminates the need for swapping stations for charging of the swappable power packs 102. Furthermore, the portable device 100 of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of reducing the costs of the clean energy storage ecosystem. Beneficially, the portable device 100 of the present disclosure is compact in size and portable. Beneficially, the portable device 100 of the present disclosure is capable of charging swappable power packs of different voltage ratings.
In an embodiment, the portable device 100 comprises a plurality of charging bins to receive the plurality of swappable power packs 102 within. Beneficially, the plurality of charging bins securely holds the plurality of swappable power packs 102 during the charging.
In an embodiment, the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106 comprises a primary H-bridge 106a, a high frequency transformer 108, and a plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b. Beneficially, the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106 enables bidirectional flow of power. Such bidirectional flow of power enables charging of the plurality of the swappable power packs 102 and powering of domestic load connected to the portable device 100 during unavailability of AC power from the grid.
In an embodiment, the high frequency transformer 108 comprises a high voltage winding 108a and a plurality of low voltage windings 108b, wherein the high voltage winding 108a is connected to the primary H-bridge 106a and the plurality of low voltage windings 108b are connected to the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b. Beneficially, the plurality of low voltage windings 108b allows simultaneous charging of the plurality of swappable power packs 102.
In an embodiment, each of the swappable power pack 102 comprises at least one battery module 102a, and a battery management system. Beneficially, the swappable power pack 102 may be charged at home of a user using the portable device 100.
In an embodiment, the plurality of swappable power packs 102 is in electrical connection with the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b via the plurality of connectors 110.
In an embodiment, the battery management system manages charging and discharging of the at least one battery module 102a and monitors a plurality of parameters associated with the at least one battery module 102a. Beneficially, the battery management system interacts with a plurality of battery cells in the battery module 102a to monitor and manage the charging and discharging of the battery module 102a. Beneficially, the battery management system may prevent the overcharging and over discharging of the battery module 102a. It is to be understood that the plurality of parameters associated with the at least one battery module 102a may include charging voltage, charging current, discharging voltage, discharging current, temperature, state of charge, state of health and so on. Beneficially, the battery management system manages the charging and discharging of the at least one battery module 102a based on the plurality of parameters associated with the at least one battery module 102a.
In an embodiment, the battery management system is communicably coupled to the control unit 120, to communicate the monitored plurality of parameters associated with the at least one battery module 102a. Beneficially, the battery management system communicates the monitored plurality of parameters associated with the at least one battery module 102a to the control unit 120 for efficient and optimized charging and discharging of the at least one battery module 102a.
In an embodiment, the portable device 100 comprises a DC link capacitor bank 112 connected with the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b to minimize voltage ripple between the battery management system and the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b. Beneficially, the DC link capacitor bank 112 absorbs the periodic voltage and/or current spikes between the battery management system 102b and the plurality of controlled rectifiers 106b.
In an embodiment, the portable device 100 comprises a DC link capacitor bank 114 between the active front-end AC-DC converter 104 and the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106 to minimize voltage ripple therebetween.
In an embodiment, the active front-end AC-DC converter 104 comprises an inductor 104a for power factor correction of the AC input received from the power source. Beneficially, the inductor 104a improves the power factor of the AC input received from the power source to reduce losses in the AC-DC converter 104.
In an embodiment, the active front-end AC-DC converter 104 comprises a rectification bridge 104b configured to convert AC input received from a power source into DC voltage for the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106. Beneficially, the rectification bridge 104b converts the AC input received from the power source into a stable DC voltage for the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106.
In an embodiment, each of the H-bridge 106a, 106b and the rectification bridge 104b comprises a pair of switching legs, wherein each of the switching leg comprises a pair of switches. In an embodiment, the control unit 120 is configured to control the switching sequence of the switches to control the operation of the AC-DC converter 104 and the DC-DC converter 106.
In an embodiment, the portable device 100 comprises a plurality of gate drivers to control the switches of the switching legs. Beneficially, the gate drivers provide high-voltage and high-current signals needed to control the switching of switches. In a specific embodiment, the control unit 120 is configured to control switching sequence of the switches of each of the switching leg via the plurality of gate drivers. It is to be understood that the control unit 120 sends instructions to the plurality of gate drivers which in turn control the switches of the switching legs.
In an embodiment, the DC voltage received from the AC-DC converter 104 is converted into a high frequency AC input for the high frequency transformer 108. Beneficially, the high frequency transformer 108 functions on the high frequency AC input for efficient power conversion. It is to be understood that the high voltage winding 108a receives the high frequency AC input magnetizing the core of the high frequency transformer 108. The magnetized core of the high frequency transformer 108 induces a voltage in the plurality of low voltage windings 108b. In other words, the high frequency transformer 108 steps down the high frequency AC input to generate a variable AC output.
In an embodiment, the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b of the DC-DC converter 106 is configured to rectify the variable AC output of the high frequency transformer 118 into DC voltage for charging the plurality of swappable power packs 102.
It is to be understood that the switches used in the portable device 100 are bidirectional switches, thus, the swappable power packs 102 may be used to supply AC output power to a domestic load during the discharging of the battery (unavailability of the AC input power).
Figure 2, in accordance with an embodiment, describes describes the portable device 100 for charging a plurality of swappable power packs 102. The portable device 100 comprises the active front-end AC-DC converter 104 connected to the power source, the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106, the plurality of connectors 110 for electrically connecting the plurality of swappable power packs 102 to the dual active bridge converter 106, and the control unit 120 configured to control operation of the active front-end AC-DC converter 104 and the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106. Furthermore, the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106 comprises the primary H-bridge 106a, the high frequency transformer 108, and the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b. Furthermore, the high frequency transformer 108 comprises the high voltage winding 108a and the plurality of low voltage windings 108b, wherein the high voltage winding 108a is connected to the primary H-bridge 106a and the plurality of low voltage windings 108b are connected to the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b. Furthermore, each of the swappable power pack 102 comprises the at least one battery module 102a, and the battery management system. Furthermore, the plurality of swappable power packs 102 is in electrical connection with the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b via the plurality of connectors 110. Furthermore, the battery management system manages charging and discharging of the at least one battery module 102a and monitors the plurality of parameters associated with the at least one battery module 102a. Furthermore, the portable device 100 comprises the DC link capacitor bank 112 connected with the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b to minimize voltage ripple between the battery management system and the plurality of secondary H-bridges 106b. Furthermore, the portable device 100 comprises a DC link capacitor bank 114 between the active front-end AC-DC converter 104 and the dual active bridge DC-DC converter 106 to minimize voltage ripple therebetween. Furthermore, the active front-end AC-DC converter 104 comprises the inductor 104a for power factor correction of the AC input received from the power source.
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 portable device (100) for charging a plurality of swappable power packs (102), wherein the portable device (100) comprises:
- an active front-end AC-DC converter (104) connected to a power source;
- a dual active bridge DC-DC converter (106);
- a plurality of connectors (110) for electrically connecting the plurality of swappable power packs (102) to the dual active bridge converter (106); and
- a control unit (120) configured to control operation of the active front-end AC-DC converter (104) and the dual active bridge DC-DC converter (106).
2. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable device (100) comprises a plurality of charging bins to receive the plurality of swappable power packs (102) within.
3. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dual active bridge DC-DC converter (106) comprises a primary H-bridge (106a), a high frequency transformer (108), and a plurality of secondary H-bridges (106b).
4. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the high frequency transformer (108) comprises a high voltage winding (108a) and a plurality of low voltage windings (108b), wherein the high voltage winding (108a) is connected to the primary H-bridge (106a) and the plurality of low voltage windings (108b) are connected to the plurality of secondary H-bridges (106b).
5. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the swappable power pack (102) comprises:
- at least one battery module (102a); and
- a battery management system.
6. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of swappable power packs (102) is in electrical connection with the plurality of secondary H-bridges (106b) via the plurality of connectors (110).
7. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the battery management system manages charging and discharging of the at least one battery module (102a) and monitors a plurality of parameters associated with the at least one battery module (102a).
8. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable device (100) comprises a DC link capacitor bank (112) connected with the plurality of secondary H-bridges (106b) to minimize voltage ripple between the battery management system and the plurality of secondary H-bridges (106b).
9. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable device (100) comprises a DC link capacitor bank (114) between the active front-end AC-DC converter (104) and the dual active bridge DC-DC converter (106) to minimize voltage ripple therebetween.
10. The portable device (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active front-end AC-DC converter (104) comprises an inductor (104a) for power factor correction of the AC input received from the power source.