DESC:CHARGING ADAPTER FOR BATTERY PACK
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority from Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 202321051264 filed on 31/07/2023, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by a reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to swappable battery pack charging systems. The present disclosure particularly relates to a system for converting home inverter in swappable battery charging module.
BACKGROUND
Recently, there has been a rapid development in the battery technology as the batteries are being used in the energy storage solutions for storing clean energy. The battery packs are utilized in stationary applications such as energy storage stations or uninterrupted power supplies for power backups and in mobility applications such as powering electric vehicles.
Generally, the battery packs used in the stationary applications are non-smart battery packs that lacks intelligent battery management systems. Furthermore, such non-smart battery packs are also used in low speed & cost-effective electric vehicles. Such vehicles may be low speed local mobility vehicles and last mile delivery/connectivity vehicles. Such battery packs are not capable of being charged at fast chargers capable of charging smart battery packs as the non-smart battery packs cannot communicate with the fast chargers. The fast chargers are designed to begin charging only when the communication with the battery pack is established. Thus, essentially the fast chargers are only compatible with smart battery packs having smart battery management system. Such fast chargers may not charge the non-smart battery packs which are not capable of communicating with the charger. Furthermore, such non-smart battery packs lack smart safety features.
Therefore, there exists a need for a charging mechanism that overcomes one or more problems associated as set forth above.
SUMMARY
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a charging adapter for charging battery packs with a charger.
In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a charging adapter for charging battery packs with a charger. The charging adapter comprises an input connector for electrically connecting the charging adapter to the charger, an output connector for electrically connecting the charging adapter to the battery pack, a sensing module configured to sense at least one status parameter associated with the battery pack, and a control unit communicably coupled with the sensing module and the charger. The control unit is configured to receive the at least one sensed parameter associated with the battery pack, generate at least one charging parameter required for charging the battery pack, and communicate the at least one charging parameter to the charger for charging of the battery pack.
The present disclosure provides a charging adapter for charging battery packs with a charger. The charging adapter of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of charging non-smart battery packs using smart fast chargers. Beneficially, the charging adapter of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of fast charging the non-smart battery packs. Beneficially, the charging adapter of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of enabling charging of different types of battery packs using the smart fast charger. Beneficially, the charging adapter of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of enabling smart protection and safety features during charging of the battery packs using the fast charger. The charging adapter of the present disclosure is a cost-effective solution to charge different types of battery packs using the smart fast charger.
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 charging adapter for charging battery packs with a charger, 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 a a charging adapter for charging battery packs with a charger 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 “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. 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.
As used herein, the term “non-smart battery pack” refers to a battery pack that lacks a smart battery management system.
As used herein, the term “input connector” refers to a specialized electro-mechanical connector for connecting the charging adapter with DC output of the smart charger.
As used herein, the term “smart charger”, “fast charger” and “charger” are used interchangeably and refer to a designated smart charger for charging compatible battery packs. The charger is capable of communicating with the battery packs using various communication protocols such as Controller Area Network.
As used herein, the terms “output connector”, and “battery pack connector” are used interchangeably and refer to an electro-mechanical connector that establishes electrical and mechanical contact with the battery packs. The output connector may receive the terminals of the swappable battery pack to establish electrical connection with the swappable battery pack. Alternatively, the output connector may receive a plug and cord arrangement that connects with the terminals of the battery pack.
As used herein, the term “switch” and “plurality of switch” are used interchangeably and refer to devices that control the flow of electrical current.
As used herein, the terms “control unit”, “microcontroller” and ‘processor’ are used interchangeably and refer to a computational element that is operable to respond to and process instructions that operationalize the charging adapter for charging the non-smart battery packs. 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, or any other type of processing unit. Furthermore, the term “processor” 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 control unit comprises a software module residing in the control unit and executed by the microcontroller to control the operation of the sensing module and switch. It is to be understood that the software module may comprise algorithms and control instructions to control the operation of the sensing module and switch.
As used herein, the term “sensing module” refers to an electronic module comprising suitable sensors to sense various parameters associated with the battery pack and the charger. The sensing module may comprise voltage sensor, current sensor and so on.
As used herein, the term “state of charge” refers to an amount of available charge in the battery pack relative to its total capacity of holding the charge. The state of charge is represented as a percentage.
As used herein, the term “communicably coupled” refers to a bi-directional connection between the various components of the system. The bi-directional connection between the various components of the system enables exchange of data between two or more components of the system. Similarly, bi-directional connection between the system and other elements/modules enables exchange of data between system and the other elements/modules.
As used herein, the term “DC supply line” refers to an electrical pathway for supplying electrical power from the input connector to the output connector. The DC supply line may be capable of handling high amount of power to fast charge the battery packs connected at the output connector.
As used herein, the term “communication line” refers to a communication pathway for communicably coupling the components of the charging adapter with the charger. The communication line may support various suitable communication protocols as known to a person skilled in the art.
As used herein, the term “power supply unit” refers to a power converter that converts power received from a source into suitable DC power to powerup the components of the charging adapter.
As used herein, the term “input unit” refers to a physical interface capable of receiving a user input. The input unit may be physical buttons. Alternatively the input unit may be a touch sensitive display.
As used herein, the term “user” refers to an owner of the charging adapter or the battery pack.
Figure 1, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, describes a charging adapter 100 for charging battery packs 102 with a charger 104. The charging adapter 100 comprises an input connector 106 for electrically connecting the charging adapter 100 to the charger 104, an output connector 108 for electrically connecting the charging adapter 100 to the battery pack 102, a sensing module 110 configured to sense at least one status parameter associated with the battery pack 102, and a control unit 112 communicably coupled with the sensing module 110 and the charger 104. The control unit 112 is configured to receive the at least one sensed parameter associated with the battery pack 102, generate at least one charging parameter required for charging the battery pack 102, and communicate the at least one charging parameter to the charger 104 for charging of the battery pack 102.
The charging adapter 100 of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of charging non-smart battery packs 102 using smart fast chargers 104. Beneficially, the charging adapter 100 of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of fast charging the non-smart battery packs 102. Beneficially, the charging adapter 100 of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of enabling charging of different types of battery packs using the smart fast charger 104. Beneficially, the charging adapter 100 of the present disclosure is advantageous in terms of enabling smart protection and safety features during charging of the battery packs using the fast charger 104. The charging adapter 100 of the present disclosure is a cost-effective solution to charge different types of battery packs using the smart fast charger 104.
In an embodiment, the charging adapter 100 comprises a DC supply line 114 between the input connector 106 and the output connector 108 to electrically couple the input connector 106 with the output connector 108 for charging the battery pack 102. Beneficially, the DC supply line 114 enables flow of power between the charger 104 and the battery pack 102 via the charging adapter 100 to charge the battery pack 102. It is to be understood that the DC supply line 114 supports high amount of power delivery ranging in kilowatts to charge the battery pack 102.
In an embodiment, the charging adapter 100 comprises a switch 116 installed on the DC supply line 114. Beneficially, the switch 116 provides electrical isolation between the charger 104 and the battery pack 102. It is to be understood that the switch 116 may temporarily disconnect the charger 104 and the battery pack 102.
In an embodiment, the control unit 112 is configured to operate the switch 116 installed on the DC supply line 114 to electrically connect and/or disconnect the charger 104 and the battery pack 102. Beneficially, the control unit 112 may keep the switch 116 in open state to keep the charger 104 and the battery pack 102 electrically disconnected. Beneficially, the control unit 112 closes the switch 116 when the at least one charging parameter are communicated to the charger 104 and accepted by the charger 104.
In an embodiment, the control unit 112 is configured to determine a charging profile of the battery pack 102 and generate the at least one charging parameter required for charging the battery pack 102 based on the determined charging profile. Beneficially, the control unit 112 is configured to determine the charging profile of the battery pack 102 based on a nominal no load voltage of the battery pack. Beneficially, the determination of the charging profile may enable the control unit 112 to generate more accurate charging parameters required for charging the battery pack 102.
In an embodiment, the charging adapter 100 comprises a communication line 118, wherein the communication line 118 is configured to establish communication between the control unit 112 and the charger 104. Beneficially, the communication line 118 may support wide variety of suitable communication protocols for charring of the battery pack 102. In an embodiment, the communication line 118 supports Controller Area Network. In another embodiment, the communication line 118 supports combination of proximity pilot and control pilot. In another embodiment, the communication line 118 may support a combination of Controller Area Network, Proximity Pilot and Control pilot.
In an embodiment, the charging adapter 100 comprises a power supply unit 120, wherein the power supply unit 120 is configured to power up the control unit 112 and the sensing module 110. In an embodiment, the power supply unit 120 may be a flyback converter. Beneficially, the power supply unit 120 provides DC power to the control unit 112 and the sensing module 110 to enable functioning of the charging adapter 100.
In an embodiment, the power supply unit 120 is configured to receive DC power from at least one of: the charger 104 and the battery pack 102. Beneficially, the power supply unit 120 utilizes power from the at least one of: the charger 104 and the battery pack 102 to power up the control unit 112 and the sensing module 110 to enable functioning of the charging adapter 100.
In an embodiment, the sensing module 110 is configured to sense at least one parameter of the DC supply line 114 during the charging of the battery pack 102. Beneficially, the sensing module 110 senses the at least one parameter of the DC supply line 114 during the charging of the battery pack 102 and provide the same to the control unit 112 as feedback to regulate the charging of the battery pack 102.
In an embodiment, the charging adapter 100 comprises an input unit 122 configured to receive at least one user input. Beneficially, the input unit 122 may receive the user input pertaining to the charging profile of the battery pack 102 connected to the output connector of the charging adapter 100. It is to be understood that the input unit 122 powered up from the power supply unit 120.
In an embodiment, the at least one sensed parameter associated with the battery pack 102 comprises a battery voltage with load, a nominal no load battery voltage, a battery current and so on.
In an embodiment, the at least one charging parameter comprises a charging current, a charging voltage and so on.
In an embodiment, the at least one parameter of the DC supply line comprises a current flowing through the DC supply line, a voltage across the DC supply line and so on.
In an embodiment, the charging adapter 100 comprises the input connector 106 for electrically connecting the charging adapter 100 to the charger 104, the output connector 108 for electrically connecting the charging adapter 100 to the battery pack 102, the sensing module 110 configured to sense the at least one status parameter associated with the battery pack 102, and the control unit 112 communicably coupled with the sensing module 110 and the charger 104. The control unit 112 is configured to receive the at least one sensed parameter associated with the battery pack 102, generate the at least one charging parameter required for charging the battery pack 102, and communicate the at least one charging parameter to the charger 104 for charging of the battery pack 102. Furthermore, the charging adapter 100 comprises the DC supply line 114 between the input connector 106 and the output connector 108 to electrically couple the input connector 106 with the output connector 108 for charging the battery pack 102. Furthermore, the charging adapter 100 comprises the switch 116 installed on the DC supply line 114. Furthermore, the control unit 112 is configured to operate the switch 116 installed on the DC supply line 114 to electrically connect and/or disconnect the charger 104 and the battery pack 102. Furthermore, the control unit 112 is configured to determine the charging profile of the battery pack 102 and generate the at least one charging parameter required for charging the battery pack 102 based on the determined charging profile. Furthermore, the charging adapter 100 comprises the communication line 118, wherein the communication line 118 is configured to establish communication between the control unit 112 and the charger 104. Furthermore, the charging adapter 100 comprises the power supply unit 120, wherein the power supply unit 120 is configured to power up the control unit 112 and the sensing module 110. Furthermore, the power supply unit 120 is configured to receive DC power from at least one of: the charger 104 and the battery pack 102. Furthermore, the sensing module 110 is configured to sense at least one parameter of the DC supply line 114 during the charging of the battery pack 102. Furthermore, the charging adapter 100 comprises the input unit 122 configured to receive at least one user input.
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 adapter (100) for charging battery packs (102) with a charger (104), wherein the charging adapter (100) comprises:
- an input connector (106) for electrically connecting the charging adapter (100) to the charger (104);
- an output connector (108) for electrically connecting the charging adapter (100) to the battery pack (102);
- a sensing module (110) configured to sense at least one status parameter associated with the battery pack (102); and
- a control unit (112) communicably coupled with the sensing module (110) and the charger (104), wherein the control unit (112) is configured to:
- receive the at least one sensed parameter associated with the battery pack (102);
- generate at least one charging parameter required for charging the battery pack (102); and
- communicate the at least one charging parameter to the charger (104) for charging of the battery pack (102).
2. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging adapter (100) comprises a DC supply line (114) between the input connector (106) and the output connector (108) to electrically couple the input connector (106) with the output connector (108) for charging the battery pack (102).
3. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the charging adapter (100) comprises a switch (116) installed on the DC supply line (114).
4. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control unit (112) is configured to operate the switch (116) installed on the DC supply line (114) to electrically connect and/or disconnect the charger (104) and the battery pack (102).
5. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (112) is configured to determine a charging profile of the battery pack (102) and generate the at least one charging parameter required for charging the battery pack (102) based on the determined charging profile.
6. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging adapter (100) comprises a communication line (118), wherein the communication line (118) is configured to establish communication between the control unit (112) and the charger (104).
7. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging adapter (100) comprises a power supply unit (120), wherein the power supply unit (120) is configured to power up the control unit (112) and the sensing module (110).
8. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the power supply unit (120) is configured to receive DC power from at least one of: the charger (104) and the battery pack (102).
9. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing module (110) is configured to sense at least one parameter of the DC supply line (114) during the charging of the battery pack (102).
10. The charging adapter (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging adapter (100) comprises an input unit (122) configured to receive at least one user input.