Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of a present disclosure relate to electrical charging, and more particularly to a method for charging a battery pack of an electric vehicle by a dual transmission path.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is pertinent to note that demand for electric vehicles is increased to cater to the needs of users and provide a pollution-free environment. Electric vehicles are powered using lithium-ion battery packs and serve the important function of providing power to the main and auxiliary systems. In today’s time, one of the essential problems with the electric vehicle is its long charging time. Conventional electrical vehicles use either AC inputs connected through the charging circuitry or a portable charger. These conventional electrical vehicles provide minimal power and need frequent charging. This conventional method of charging uses AC input or an external charger and takes quite a long time and repeated charging. In conventional charging there exists usage of chargers with fewer possibilities of conversion and deliver minimal power at the end. In these charging systems in electric vehicles, we find the on-board charger, vehicle control unit, battery management system, and power source being important components. There is a portable charger that could be used for those electrical vehicles in case of dynamic charging.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
In these electric vehicles, the actual time taken to charge is quite lengthy. In order to overcome the problem of slow charging of the battery pack of the electric vehicle, the consumers are provided with chargers of higher voltage ratings that can speed up the charge and reduce the time of charging. However, these high-voltage chargers are bulky due to the presence of higher-rating electrical components. Moreover, the cables of the higher voltage chargers are also heavier in weight as the thickness of the conductor is comparatively much higher than standard chargers due to the increase in the flow of current through the cables. Consecutively, the charging assembly becomes bulky and heavier and as a result, it becomes difficult for the rider to carry the charging assembly. Hence, it is a primary objective of the present invention to increase the charging speed of the battery pack of the electric vehicle without increasing the weight of the chargers.
Moreover, the conventional charging method uses either AC or DC transmission of current and employs the on-board chargers on the electric vehicle. In a scenario wherein the rider is carrying only the DC charger and the DC connector becomes malfunctions then the rider is left with no other alternative option to charge the electric vehicle. Alternatively, if the rider is carrying only the AC charger and the AC connector fails to function normally, then the same situation arises for the rider wherein the rider is left with no alternative option to charge the electric vehicle. Thus, it is another objective of the present option to provide an alternative option for the rider to charge the electric vehicle wherein the rider is carrying on a single type of charger and the AC or the DC connector has failed to function normally.
In the case of conventional charging methods, the output is very minimal and the frequency of charging is high due to the low transmission rate of power of the charger. For a long drive, wherein the need of charging the battery pack on the mid-way arises, the rider has to wait for a long time to recharge the electric vehicle on the mid-way. The third objective of the present invention is to decrease the charging time of the battery pack of the electric vehicle.
The above-mentioned shortcomings, disadvantages and problems are addressed herein, and which will be understood by reading and studying the following specification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Various embodiments herein describe method for charging a battery pack of an electric vehicle by a dual transmission path. Initially, a high-voltage AC input is received from an AC power source by an off-board charger and the high-voltage AC input is split into a first high-voltage AC and a second high-voltage AC by the off-board charger. Subsequently, the first high-voltage AC is converted to a first low-voltage DC by the off-board charger and transmitting the first low-voltage DC to a DC connector of the electric vehicle by the off-board charger, said DC connector is mounted on the electric vehicle. Consecutively, sending the first low-voltage DC to the battery pack by the DC connector. Thereafter, transmitting the second high-voltage AC to an AC connector by the off-board charger, the AC connector is mounted on the vehicle. Sending the second high-voltage AC to an On-board charger of the electric vehicle by the AC connector and converting the second high-voltage AC to a second low-voltage DC by the on-board charger. Further, transmitting the second low-voltage DC to the battery pack of the electric vehicle.
Another embodiment of the present invention discloses a system for charging a battery pack of an electric vehicle by a dual transmission path. The system comprises an AC power source, an off-board charger, a DC connector, an AC connector, and an On-board charger. The AC power source is configured to supply a high-voltage AC input and the off-board charger is configured to split the high-voltage AC input into a first high-voltage AC and a second high-voltage AC. Moreover, the DC connector is configured to establish a connection between the off-board charger and the battery pack, said DC connector is mounted on the electric vehicle. Thereafter, an AC connector is configured to establish a connection between the off-board charger and on-board charger, said AC connector is mounted on the electric vehicle. The on-board charger is configured to convert the second high-voltage AC to a second-low voltage DC.

Here, high-voltage AC input is received from an AC power source, the high-voltage AC input gets split into first high-voltage AC and second high-voltage AC by an off-board charger; The first high-voltage AC gets converted to a first low-voltage DC by the off-board charger; transmitting the first low-voltage DC to a DC connector of the electric vehicle by the off-board charger. Subsequently, sending the first low-voltage DC to the battery pack by the DC connector and transmitting the second high-voltage AC to an AC connector by the off-board charger. Thereafter, sending the second high-voltage AC to an On-board charger of the electric vehicle by the AC connector, and converting the second high-voltage AC to a second low-voltage DC by the on-board charger. Further, transmitting the second low-voltage DC to the battery pack of the electric vehicle.
As per the first embodiment of the present invention, the system comprises a vehicle control unit to send an input to the off-board charger, the input indicates the amount of current to be transmitted to the DC connector.
As per the second embodiment of the present invention, the system of the off-board charger comprises a first rectifier circuit to convert the first high-voltage AC to the first low-voltage DC.
As per the third embodiment of the present invention, the on-board charger comprises a second rectifier circuit to convert the second high-voltage AC to the second low-voltage DC.
As per the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the system comprises one or more CAN cables that connect the on-board charger and the off-board charger with the VCU for monitoring and controlling the transmission of the current by the on-board charger and the off-board charger.
As per the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the off-board charger is a portable charger.
The foregoing has outlined, in general, the various aspects of the invention and serves as an aid to better understanding the more complete detailed description which is to follow. In reference to such, there is to be a clear understanding that the present invention is not limited to the method or application of use described and illustrated herein. It is intended that any other advantages and objects of the present invention that become apparent or obvious from the detailed description or illustrations contained herein are within the scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The other objects, features, and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the system as per the current invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the method as per the current invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the connection of off-board charger with the electric vehicle.
Further, that skilled-in-the-art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for charging a battery pack (101) of an electric vehicle (10) by a dual transmission path. receiving a high-voltage AC input (1021) from an AC power source (102).
In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled-in-the-art to practice the invention, 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 invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.
The specification may refer to “an”, “one” or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations. This does not necessarily imply that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes”, “comprises”, “including” and/or “comprising” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations and arrangements of one or more of the associated listed items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying figures.
Figure 1 illustrates a system for charging the battery pack (101) of the electric vehicle (10) by a dual transmission path that includes and utilizes both the AC charging path and the DC charging path.
Figure 1 illustrates a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure discloses an AC power source (102), an off-board charger (103), a DC connector (104), an AC connector (105), and the battery pack (101). The off-board charger (103) is connected to the AC power source (102) for receiving high-voltage AC input (1021). The off-board charger (103) is also connected to the DC connector (104) and the AC connector (105). The off-board charger (103) transmits a first low-voltage DC (1033) to the DC connector (104) and also transmits a second high-voltage AC (1032) to the AC connector (105). Thereafter, The DC Connector (104) is operably configured to transmit the received first low-voltage DC (1033) to the battery pack (101). Moreover, the AC connector (105) is connected to the on-board charger (106) for transmitting the received second high voltage AC (1032) to the on-board charger (106). The on-board charger is operably coupled to the battery pack (101) and transmits a second Low-voltage DC (1061) to the battery pack (101). Further, the figure also illustrates a Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) (107) that is connected to the on-board charger (106) and Off-board charger (103) through Controlled Area Network (CAN) cables (107) to monitor and control the functionality of the Off-board charger (103) and the on-board charger (106).
Figure 2 illustrates a method for charging a battery pack (101) of the electric vehicle (10) by a dual transmission path that includes and utilizes both the AC charging path and the DC charging path. Figure 2 illustrates a method according to another embodiment of the present invention. The figure discloses that the off-board charger (103) receives a high-voltage AC input (1021) from an AC power source (102). The off-board charger (103) splits the high-voltage AC input (1021) into the first high-voltage AC (1031) and the second high-voltage AC (1032). In some of the embodiments, the proportion of splitting may be equal while in another embodiment the proportion of splitting may not be equal. Subsequently, the first high-voltage AC (1031) is converted to a first low-voltage DC (1033) by the Off-board charger (103) and transmits the first low-voltage DC (1033) to the DC connector (104) that is mounted on the electric vehicle (10). The DC connector (104) provides an entry terminal for the entry of the DC power to the electric vehicle (10) and also performs as a junction point to connect the off-board charger (103) with the battery terminal for DC transmission. Thereafter, the first low-voltage DC (1033) is sent or transmitted to the battery pack (101). On the other hand, the off-board charger (103) transmits the second high-voltage AC (1032) that is splatted from the high-voltage DC to the AC connector (105). The AC connector (105) provides an entry terminal of the AC power to the electric vehicle (10) and performs as a junction point to connect the off-board charger (103) with the on-board charger (106) for AC transmission. The received second high-voltage AC (1032) is transmitted to the on-board charger (106) by the AC connector (105), wherein the on-board charger (106) converts the second high-voltage AC (1032) is converted to the second low-voltage DC (1061). Further, after the conversion of the second low-voltage DC (1061) to the battery pack (101) of the electric vehicle (10).
Figure 3 illustrates the connection and mounting position of the off-board charger (103) with the electric vehicle (10). The Off-board charger (103) receives the high-voltage AC input (1021) from the AC power source (102). Thereafter, the first rectifier circuitry (1034) of the off-board charger (103) is connected to the DC connector (104) mounted on the electric vehicle (10). On the other hand, the splitted second high-voltage AC (1032) is transmitted to the AC connector (105).
As per the first embodiment of the present invention, when an off-board charger (103) as disclosed by the present invention is connected to the AC connector (105) and the DC connector (104), a vehicle control unit (VCU) (107) monitors and examines a plurality of parameters of the battery pack (101). Depending on the examined plurality of parameters the VCU (107) sends an input to the Off-board charger (103) on the amount of current to be transmitted to the DC connector (104). Thereafter, the Off-board charger (103) splits the high voltage AC into the first high voltage AC (1031) and the second high voltage AC (1032) as per the received input from the VCU (107) and converts the first high voltage AC (1031) to the first low voltage DC (1033), Additionally, the off-board charger (103) transmits the outstanding amount of high voltage AC to the second high voltage AC (1032).
As per the second embodiment of the present invention, the off-board charger (103) comprises a first rectifier circuit (1034). The first rectifier circuit (1034) is configured to convert the first high-voltage AC (1031) to the first low-voltage DC (1033).
As per the third embodiment of the present invention, the on-board charger (106) comprises a second rectifier circuit (1062). The second rectifier circuit (1062) is configured to convert the second high-voltage AC (1032) received from the AC connector (105) to the second-low voltage DC.
As per the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the system comprises one or more Controlled Area Network (CAN) cables (107) that connect the on-board charger (106) and the off-board charger (103) with the VCU (107). The VCU (107) monitors and controls the transmission of the current by the on-board charger (106) and the off-board charger (103). The VCU (107) controls and regulates different operations of the electric vehicle (10) such as but not limited to sensing battery temperature, and monitoring the state of charge (SoC) of the battery pack (101), cable impedance, and losses. The VCU (107) receives the input of the different parameters from different assemblies of the electric vehicle (10) through CAN cables (107). Depending on the monitoring and evaluation of the different parameters the VCU (107) sends the input to the off-board charger (103) on the amount of current to be transmitted to the DC connector (104). Moreover, the VCU (107) may include an electronic processor such as a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit, and a non-transitory computer-readable memory for storing different parameters of the battery pack (101).
As per the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the off-board charger (103) is a portable charger.
In an exemplary embodiment, the input sent by the VCU (107) to the off-board charger (103) may depend on For example, after evaluation of different parameters related to the battery pack (101) condition the VCU (107) determines that 50 A of current has to be fed to the battery pack (101) for charging the plurality of battery cells of the battery pack (101). The VCU (107) evaluates a plurality of parameters related to the transmission of current from the off-board charger (103) to the battery pack (101) such as but not limited to, cable impedance, and transmission losses. Considering the different losses, the VCU (107) may calculate the total amount of current including the losses so that even after transmission losses the battery pack (101) receives in a total of 50 A. Thereafter the VCU (107) calculates the amount of current to be transmitted to the DC connector (104) depending on different parameters such as transmission losses, conversion losses, and cable impedance and determines the amount of current to be transmitted by the off-board charger (103) to the DC connector (104). Further, the VCU (107) sends an input to the off-board charger (103) wherein the input includes the amount of current to be transmitted by the off-board charger (103) to the DC connector (104).
While specific language has been used to describe the invention, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.
FURTHER ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
So, the current invention solves the problem of increasing the charging speed of the battery pack (101) of the electric vehicle (10) without increasing the weight of the charger. As the user has to carry the normal portable charger that can only transmit the AC supply and is able to charge the battery pack (101) only through the AC path, on the other hand, the off-board charger (103) as disclosed by the present invention has a similar weight can charge the battery pack (101) faster. The weight of the cable assembly of the off-board charger (103) also remains the same in comparison with the conventional portable charger. As a result, without much addition to the weight of the portable charger, the charging speed of the battery pack (101) is increased. As per the method and system disclosed in the present invention, the battery pack (101) may be charged in half of the time it consumes if the battery pack (101) is charged with the conventional portable charger.
In a situation, wherein the user is carrying only one type of charger may be AC or DC and the charger connector present on the electric vehicle (10) of the same type of charger fails to function normally then the off-board charger (103) as discussed in the present invention provides an alternative option to the user to charge the electric vehicle (10). As the off-board charger (103) is capable of charging the electric vehicle (10) via both AC connector (105) and DC connector (104) so, even if one of the connectors malfunctions then also the off-board charger (103) is configured to charge the electric vehicle (10) with the normal functioning connector.
As a result, with the increasing speed for charging the battery pack (101) the time consumption reduces. As a result, even if the rider is going for a long drive wherein the need to recharge the battery pack (101) on midway arises, the rider can recharge the electric vehicle (10) in almost half of the time in comparison to the conventional charger.

REFERENCE TABLE

S. No. Name Reference Numerals
1 Electric Vehicle 10
2 Battery pack 101
3 AC power source 102
4 High-voltage AC input 1021
5 Off-board charger 103
6 First high-voltage AC 1031
7 Second High-voltage AC 1032
8 First low-voltage DC 1033
9 DC connector 104
10 AC connector 105
11 On-board Charger 106
12 Second Low-Voltage DC 1061
13 Vehicle Control Unit 107
14 First Rectifier circuit 1034
15 Second Rectifier circuit 1062
16 CAN cables 107

, Claims:CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A method for charging a battery pack (101) of an electric vehicle(10) by a dual transmission path, the method comprises:
receiving a high-voltage AC input (1021) from an AC power source (102);
splitting the high-voltage AC input (1021) into first high-voltage AC (1031) and second high-voltage AC (1032) by an off-board charger(103);
converting the first high-voltage AC (1031) to a first low-voltage DC (1033) by the off-board charger(103);
transmitting the first low-voltage DC (1033) to a DC connector (104)of the electric vehicle (10) by the off-board charger(103), the DC connector (104)is mounted on the electric vehicle (10);
sending the first low-voltage DC (1033) to the battery pack (101) by the DC connector (104);
transmitting the second high-voltage AC (1032) to an AC connector (105) by the off-board charger (103), the AC connector (105)is mounted on the vehicle (10);
sending the second high-voltage AC (1032) to an On-board charger (106) of the electric vehicle (10) by the AC connector (105);
converting the second high-voltage AC (1032) to a second low-voltage DC (1061) by the on-board charger (106);
transmitting the second low-voltage DC (1061) to the battery pack(101) of the electric vehicle (10).

2. A system for charging a battery pack (101) of an electric vehicle (10) by a dual transmission path, the system comprises:
an AC power source (102) configured to supply the high-voltage AC input (1021),
an off-board charger (103) configured to split the high-voltage AC input (1021) into a first high-voltage AC (1031) and a second high-voltage AC (1032),
a DC connector (104) configured to establish a connection between the off-board charger (103) and the battery pack (101), the DC connector (104) is mounted on the electric vehicle (10),
an AC connector (105) configured to establish a connection between the off-board charger (103) an on-board charger (106), the AC connector (105) is mounted on the electric vehicle (10),
the on-board charger (106) configured to convert the second high-voltage AC (1032) to a second-low voltage DC (1061),
wherein,
receiving a high-voltage AC input (1021) from an AC power source(102);
splitting the high-voltage AC input (1021) into first high-voltage AC (1031) and second high-voltage AC (1032) by an off-board charger(103);
converting the first high-voltage AC (1031) to a first low-voltage DC (1033) by the off-board charger (103);
transmitting the first low-voltage DC(1033) to a DC connector (104) of the electric vehicle(10) by the off-board charger(103),
sending the first low-voltage DC(1033) to the battery pack (101) by the DC connector(104);
transmitting the second high-voltage AC(1032) to an AC connector (105) by the off-board charger (103),
sending the second high-voltage AC (1032) to an on-board charger (106) of the electric vehicle (10) by the AC connector (105);
converting the second high-voltage AC(1032) to a second low-voltage DC(1061) by the on-board charger(106);
transmitting the second low-voltage DC (1061) to the battery pack (101) of the electric vehicle(10).

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the system comprises a vehicle control unit (VCU) (107) to send an input to the off-board charger (103), the input indicates the amount of current to be transmitted to the DC connector (104).

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the off-board charger (103) comprises a first rectifier circuit (1034) to convert the first high-voltage AC (1031)to the first low-voltage DC (1033).

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the on-board charger (106) comprises a second rectifier circuit (1062) to convert the second high-voltage AC (1032) to the second low-voltage DC (1061).

6. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the system comprises one or more Controlled Area Network (CAN) cables (107) that connect the on-board charger (106) and the off-board charger (103) with the VCU (107) for monitoring and controlling the transmission of the current by the on-board charger (106) and the off-board charger (103).

7. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the off-board charger (103) is a portable charger.