DESC:INTEGRATED ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CHARGING, COOLING, AND TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING STATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is related to electric vehicles, more particularly to a modular battery charging system implemented at an integrated charging station for an electric vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the present disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

[0003] At present, developments are increasingly made towards electric vehicles. An electric vehicle can operate by driving motors using electricity charged in an electric battery. However, some times, fully recharged electric battery is not sufficient for a long travel, and other times charging of the electric battery might get depleted due to several factors including external weather condition, tire pressure, a driving load, and so on. Therefore, a user may have to charge/recharge the electric battery during travel at a public charging station, (i.e., outside a residence), upon paying certain fees.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Generally, a cruising range of an electric vehicle and a life of an electric battery of the electric vehicle can be affected by one or more parameters such as, ambient temperature while charging/driving, tire pressure, or the like. However, available charging stations do not consider such parameters while charging the electric battery of the electric vehicle.

[0005] Consequently, there is a need for a modular battery charging system at an electric charging station, which monitors the one or more parameters related to the electric battery while charging.

[0006] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a modular battery charging system for an electric battery of an electric vehicle. The modular battery charging system comprises: i) a battery charging unit configured to charge the electric battery of the electric vehicle, the battery charging unit includes a connector configured to be connected to a charging socket of the electric vehicle for charging the electric battery; ii) a battery cooling unit configured to regulate one or more thermal parameters of the electric battery while charging of the electric battery and to cool the electric battery while charging of the electric battery based on the regulated one or more thermal parameters; and iii) a vehicle tire management unit configured to manage one or more tire parameters associated with one or more tires of the electric vehicle.

[0007] Advantageously, a combined action of charging the electric battery, cooling the electric battery based on the regulated thermal parameters, and regulating the tire parameters improves a cruising range of the electric vehicle and enhances a battery life of the electric vehicle.

[0008] In yet another embodiment, the battery charging unit further comprises an extendible cable having the connector, and the battery charging unit is connected to a power source.

[0009] In yet another embodiment, the power source comprises one or more of an electric grid, a solar power generator, and a wind power generator.

[0010] In yet another embodiment, the battery charging unit further comprises a controller configured to determine a battery charging rate of the electric battery, a time required for charging the electric battery, and a percentage of charge available in the electric battery. The controller is configured to calculate a charging cost for charging the electric battery and subsequently initiate payment for charging of the electric battery. Thus, improving the battery life of the electric battery.

[0011] In yet another embodiment, the battery cooling unit comprises the coolant and is configured to cool the electric battery while charging of the electric battery based on the regulated one or more thermal parameters, wherein the one or more thermal parameters comprise at least one of: an ambient temperature and a battery temperature

[0012] In yet another embodiment, the battery cooling unit comprises: a fluid circulation unit, a heat exchange unit, a blower configured to blow air towards the electric battery, and a controller configured to control the fluid circulation unit, the heat exchange unit, and the blower.

[0013] In yet another embodiment, the vehicle tire management unit comprises: a tire inflator, a tire pressure monitoring unit, and a controller configured to control the tire inflator and the tire pressure monitoring unit, and wherein the vehicle tire management unit is operated during the charging of the electric battery.

[0014] In yet another embodiment, the battery charging unit, the battery cooling unit, and the vehicle tire management unit are formed as a single integrated part.

[0015] In yet another embodiment, the modular battery charging system further comprises a controlling circuity configured to simultaneously control the battery charging unit, the battery cooling unit, and the vehicle tire management unit for performing combination of charging the electric battery, cooling the electric battery while charging, and monitoring the one or more tire parameters associated with the one or more tires, thereby improving a battery life of the electric battery and a cruising range of the electric vehicle. The modular battery charging system further comprises a notification unit configured to provide information indicating a status of the charging of the electric battery, the one or more thermal parameters and the one or more tire parameters on a user interface of the modular battery charging system. The modular battery charging system further comprises a transceiver configured to transmit the information indicating the status of the charging of the electric battery, the one or more thermal parameters and the one or more tire parameters to an external entity

[0016] Advantageously, providing such a real time information helps to understand health of the electric battery and accordingly to perform one or more corrective actions to improve the battery life of the electric battery. Further, providing the information identifying the tire parameters may be used to determine an extra load in the electric vehicle.

[0017] In addition, the information may be used to generate insights on an available cruising range of the electric vehicle, when to do the next charging of the electric battery of the electric vehicle, and what is the available battery life of the electric battery of the electric vehicle.

[0018] Embodiments herein also provide a method for managing an electric battery of an electric vehicle. The method comprising: i) charging, by a modular battery charging system, the electric battery, wherein the electric battery is charged by connecting a connector to a charging socket of the electric vehicle for charging the electric battery; ii) regulating, by the modular battery charging system, one or more thermal parameters of the electric battery while charging; iii) cooling, by the modular battery charging system, the electric battery based on the regulated one or more thermal parameters, and iii) managing, by the modular battery charging system, one or more tire parameters associated with one or more tires of the electric vehicle.

[0019] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0020] The invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings in which

[0021] Figure 1 illustrates an example modular battery charging system according to an embodiment herein;

[0022] Figure 2 illustrates a battery charging unit of a modular battery charging system according to an embodiment herein;

[0023] Figure 3 illustrates a battery cooling unit of a modular battery charging system according to an embodiment herein;

[0024] Figure 4 illustrates a vehicle tire management unit of a modular battery charging system according to an embodiment herein;

[0025] Figure 5 illustrates a top-level assembly of a wall mounted single part integrated charging station according to an embodiment herein;

[0026] Figure 6 illustrates a front view of a top-level assembly of a wall mounted single part integrated charging station according to an embodiment herein;

[0027] Figure 7 illustrates a side view of a top-level assembly of a wall mounted single part integrated charging station according to an embodiment herein;

[0028] Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 illustrate providing information associated with an electric battery according to an embodiment herein; and

[0029] Figure 14 is a flow chart illustrating example method steps of a method performed for managing an electric battery of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0030] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0031] The present invention provides a single part integrated charging station for managing an electric battery of an electric vehicle. The present invention is related to improving efficiency of charging the electric battery of the electric vehicle and a cruising range of the electric vehicle.

[0032] Figure 1 discloses an example modular battery charging system 100. The modular battery charging system 100 referred herein may be provided as a single integrated part at an electric charging station, which is used for charging of an electric vehicle 115. The electric vehicle 115 may correspond to an electric battery based operating vehicle, having an electric motor. In some examples, the electric vehicle 115 may include, but are not limited to, a two-wheeler, a three-wheeler, a four-wheeler, and so on. The modular battery charging system 100 is connectable to the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115. In some examples, the electric battery 113 may be a rechargeable battery.

[0033] The modular battery charging system 100 may be connected to the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115.

[0034] The modular battery charging system 100 comprises a controlling circuitry 101, a battery charging unit 103, a battery cooling unit 105, a vehicle tire management unit 107, a notification unit 109, and a transceiver 111. The components 101-111 may be connected to each other and the controlling circuitry 101 may control the components 102-111. In some examples, the battery charging unit 103, the battery cooling unit 105, and the vehicle tire management unit 107 may be formed as a single integrated part of the electric charging station.

[0035] The battery charging unit 103 is configured to charge the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115. The battery charging unit 103 includes a connector 502 (as shown in Figure 5) that is configured to be connected to a charging socket of the electric vehicle 115 for charging the electric battery 113. Further, the battery charging unit 103 may be connected to a power source (not shown). In some examples, the power source may include, but is not limited to, an electric grid, a solar power generator, a wind power generator, and so on.

[0036] The battery cooling unit 105 is configured to monitor and regulate one or more thermal parameters of the electric battery 113 while charging of the electric battery 113. The thermal parameters of the electric battery 113 may include, but are not limited to, a battery temperature, an ambient temperature (weather), and so on. The battery cooling unit 105 is also configured to cool the electric battery 113 while charging of the electric battery 113, based on the regulated one or more thermal parameters. The battery cooling unit 105 may comprise a coolant 301 configured to cool the electric battery 113 while charging of the electric battery 113.

[0037] The vehicle tire management unit 107 is configured to monitor, and regulate/manage one or more tire parameters associated with one or more tires of the electric vehicle 115. The one or more tire parameters may include, but are not limited to, tire pressure, tire health, air inside the tire, and so on. Thus, automated monitoring and regulating of the tire parameters may improve performance of the electric vehicle 115. Further, regulating the tire parameters may reduce impact of the tire pressure on the cruising range of the electric vehicle 115.

[0038] The controlling circuitry 101 is configured to simultaneously control the battery charging unit 103, the battery cooling unit 105, and the vehicle tire management unit 107 to perform combination of actions such as the charging of the electric battery 113, cooling of the electric battery 113 while the charging is performed, and regulating the one or more thermal parameters and the one or more tire parameters. Such a combination of performed actions may improve a cruising range of the electric vehicle 115 and enhances a battery life of the electric battery 113 by cooling and monitoring the electric battery health and managing tire pressure inside the electric vehicle while performing the charging.

[0039] The notification unit 109 is configured to provide information indicating a status of charging of the electric battery 113, the one or more thermal parameters of the electric battery, the one or more tire parameters associated with the tires of the electric vehicle 115, or the like. In some examples, the status of charging of the electric battery 113 may identify one or more of: time left for the charging of the electric battery 112, a percentage of charge available in the electric battery 113, or the like. The notification unit 109 may provide the information in a form of: text, audio, animation, icons, Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), and so on.

[0040] The transceiver 111 is configured to transmit the information indicating the status of charging of the electric battery 113, the one or more thermal parameters of the electric battery, the one or more tire parameters associated with the tires of the electric vehicle 115, or the like to an external entity (not shown) through a communication network. In some examples, the communication network may include, but are not limited to, a wired network, a cellular network, a wireless LAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy, Zigbee, Wi-Fi direct (WFD), Ultra-wideband, (UWB), infrared data association (IrDA), near field communication (NFC), and so on. In some examples, the external entity may include, but is not limited to, a computing device being used by the user, a server (standalone server, or a server deployed on a cloud, or the like), and so on. Examples of the computing device may include, but are not limited to, a cellular phone, a handheld device, a personal digital assistant, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, and so on.

[0041] In some embodiments, the external entity may use the received information to generate insights on the available cruising range of the electric vehicle 115, when to do the next charging of the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115, and what is the available battery life of the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115.

[0042] Various embodiments describing components of the modular battery charging system 100 are described in later parts of description.

[0043] Figure 2 discloses an example battery charging unit 103 of the modular battery charging system 100. The battery charging unit 103 comprises an electric charger 201 with AC-DC connectors, a power supply unit 203, and a control unit 205.

[0044] The electric charger 201 includes the connector 502 (as shown in Fig. 5) to be connected to a charging socket of the electric vehicle 115 for charging the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115.

[0045] The power supply unit 203 is configured to provide power to the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115 for charging, when the connector 502 is connected to the charging socket of the electric vehicle 115.

[0046] The control unit/controller 205 is configured to control the electric charger 201 and the power supply unit 203 to manage the charging of the electric battery 113. The control unit 205 is also configured to determine a battery charging rate of the electric battery 113, a time required for charging of the electric battery 113, a percentage of charge available in the electric batter 113, or the like. The control unit/controller 205 is also configured to calculate a charging cost for charging of the electric battery 113 and subsequently initiate a payment for the charging of the electric battery 113.

[0047] Figure 3 discloses an example battery cooling unit 105 of the modular battery charging system 100. The battery cooling unit 105 includes a coolant 301, a blower 303, a temperature monitoring unit 305, a fluid circulation unit, a heat exchange unit, and a control unit/controller 307.

[0048] The coolant 301 is used to cool the electric battery 113 while charging of the electric battery 113. The blower 303 circulates air inside the electric battery 113 to cool down the electric battery 113. The temperature monitoring unit 305 is configured to monitor and regulate the thermal parameters of the electric battery 113 such as, a temperature of the electric battery 113, ambient temperature, or the like.

[0049] The control unit/controller 307 is configured to control the components 301-305, and flow of the coolant 301, and the air flow based on the monitored temperature of the electric battery 113.

[0050] Figure 4 illustrates the vehicle tire management unit 107 of the modular battery charging system 100. The vehicle tire management unit 107 is configured to monitor and regulate one or more tire parameters associated with tires of the electric vehicle 115.

[0051] The vehicle tire management unit 107 comprises an air filling unit/tire inflator 401, a tire pressure monitoring unit 403, and a control unit 405. The air filling unit 401 is configured to maintain air in the tires of the electric vehicle 115. The tire pressure monitoring unit 403 is configured to monitor tire pressure of the tires. The air filling unit 401 is also configured to maintain air inside the tires based on the monitored tire pressure of the tires.

[0052] The control unit/controller 405 is configured to control the air filling unit 401 and the tire pressure monitoring unit 403 to maintain the pressure inside the tires of the electric vehicle 115.

[0053] All the above described units 103, 105, and 107 are integrated in a single housing in an integrated charging station, which helps in charging of the electric battery by improving a battery life of the electric battery and a cruising range of the electric vehicle.

[0054] Figure 5 illustrates an example top-level assembly of a wall mounted single part integrated charging station (modular battery charging system 100) according to an embodiment herein. The wall mounted single part integrated charging station comprises the modular battery charging system 100. The modular battery charging system 100 is configured to charge the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115 along with regulating the thermal parameters of the electric battery 113 and the tire parameters of tires of the electric vehicle and cooling the electric battery 113 based on the regulated thermal parameters. Some of components of the modular battery charging system 100 are depicted in Figure 5. For example, the connector 502 and the extensible cable 501 of the battery charging unit 103, and the notification unit 109 are depicted in Figure 5.

[0055] The connector 502 attached to the extensible cable 501 may be connected to a charging socket of the electric vehicle 115 for charging the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115.

[0056] The notification unit 109 may provide information indicating a status of charging the electric battery 113, the thermal parameters of the electric battery 113, the tire parameters of the tires of the electric vehicle 115, and so on. In some examples, the status of charging the electric battery 113 may indicate one or more of: time required for charging of the electric battery 113, a percentage of charge available in the electric battery 113, or the like. The notification unit 109 may also enable a user/operator to interact with the modular battery charging system 100.

[0057] Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the front view and a side view of the top-level assembly of the wall mounted single part integrated charging station. The single part integrated charging station includes charger components sub-assembly 701, a back cover 702, a front cover 603, air cover vent 604, a holder 705 for holding the notification unit 109, the notification unit 109, a connector holder 607 for holding the connector 502, a hose holder 608 for holding coolant hose, a back plate 609, and the cable 501.

[0058] Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 illustrate providing the information associated with an electric battery. The information referred herein may be information indicating a status of charging the electric battery 113, thermal parameters of the electric battery 113, tire parameters of tires of the electric vehicle 115, or the like. In some examples, the information may be provided on a user interface of the at least one external entity. For an instance, the at least one external entity may be a computing device being used by a user/operator of the electric vehicle. In some examples, the information may be provided on a user interface/display screen of the modular battery charging system 100.

[0059] The information identifying the status of charging of the electric battery 113 and thermal parameter like an ambient temperature is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. As illustrated in Figure 8, the status of charging indicates that the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115 is currently charging. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the status of charging indicates that the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115 is currently not charging.

[0060] The information identifying a recommended tire parameter is illustrated in Figures 10, 11, and 12. For example, the recommended tire parameter may be a tire pressure recommended for front/back tires of the electric vehicle 115. Further, icons/options may be provided to the user for setting (increase or decrease) the tire pressure for the front/back tires based upon the recommendation, as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11.

[0061] The information identifying the status of charging of the electric battery 113 is illustrated in Figure 13. The status herein may indicate a percentage of charge available in the electric battery 113 and time required to fully charge the electric battery 113.

[0062] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating example method steps of a method 1400 for managing the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115. The method 1400 is performed by the modular battery charging system 100.

[0063] At step 1401, the method 1400 comprises charging the electric battery 113 of the electric vehicle 115. The electric battery 113 is charged by connecting the connector 502 to a charging socket of the electric vehicle 115.

[0064] At step 1403, the method 1400 comprises regulating one or more thermal parameters of the electric battery 113 while charging. In some examples, the thermal parameters may comprise at least one of: an ambient temperature, a battery temperature, or the like.

[0065] At step 1405, the method 1400 comprises cooling the electric battery 113 based on the regulated one or more thermal parameters.

[0066] At step 1407, the method 1400 comprises regulating one or more tire parameters associated with one or more tires of the electric vehicle 115. The tire parameters may include, but are not limited to, a tire pressure, tire health, air inside the tires, and so on.

[0067] The present disclosure provides an improved electric charging station with the modular battery charging system comprising the battery charging unit 103, the battery cooling unit 105, and the vehicle tire management unit 107 under a single housing. Since, the battery cooling unit 105 and the vehicle tire management unit 107 are integrated with the battery charging unit 103 as described above, the present invention includes automatic cooling of the electric battery 113 while charging based on ambient temperature/battery temperature and monitoring and regulating pressure in the tires, thereby achieving best vehicle performance.

[0068] The present disclosure improves battery life of the electric battery of the electric vehicle by cooling the electric battery while charging and improves battery range per charge and reduce charging losses.

[0069] The present disclosure provides real time information about battery health, tire pressure to the user of the electric vehicle, so that the user can take corrective action.

[0070] According to the proposed disclosure, the vehicle tire management unit 107 integrated with the battery charging unit 103 fills the air into the tires of the electric vehicle 115, else the user have to go to a petrol station to fill the tire pressure. This enables the user to efficiently utilize time.

[0071] Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments and examples thereof, other embodiments and equivalents are possible. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with functional and procedural details, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in terms of the procedural steps within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms. Thus, various modifications are possible of the presently disclosed system and process without deviating from the intended scope of the present invention.

,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A modular battery charging system (100) for an electric battery (113) of an electric vehicle (115), the modular battery charging system (100) comprising:
a battery charging unit (103) configured to charge the electric battery (113), wherein the battery charging unit (103) comprises a connector (502) configured to be connected to a charging socket of the electric vehicle (115) for charging the electric battery (113);
a battery cooling unit (105) configured to regulate one or more thermal parameters of the electric battery (113) while charging and to cool the electric battery (113) while charging of the electric battery (113), based on the regulated one or more thermal parameters; and
a vehicle tire management unit (107) configured to regulate one or more tire parameters associated with one or more tires of the electric vehicle (115).

2. The modular battery charging system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the battery charging unit (103) further comprises an extendible cable (501) having the connector (502), wherein, the battery charging unit (103) is connected to a power source.

3. The modular battery charging system (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the power source comprises one or more of an electric grid, a solar power generator, and a wind power generator.

4. The modular battery charging system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery charging unit (103) further comprises a controller (205) configured to:
determine a battery charging rate of the electric battery (113), a time required for charging the electric battery (113), and a percentage of charge available in the electric battery (113); and
calculate a charging cost for charging the electric battery (113) and subsequently initiate payment for charging of the electric battery (113).

5. The modular battery charging system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cooling unit (105) comprises a coolant (301) and is configured to cool the electric battery (113) while charging of the electric battery (113), based on the regulated one or more thermal parameters, wherein the one or more thermal parameters comprise at least one of: an ambient temperature and a battery temperature.

6. The modular battery charging system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cooling unit (105) comprises:
a fluid circulation unit;
a heat exchange unit;
a blower (303) configured to blow air towards the electric battery (113); and
a controller (307) configured to control the fluid circulation unit, the heat exchange unit, and the blower (303).

7. The modular battery charging system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle tire management unit (107) comprises:
a tire inflator (401);
a tire pressure monitoring unit (403); and
a controller (405) configured to control the tire inflator (401) and the tire pressure monitoring unit (403), and wherein the vehicle tire management unit (107) is operated during the charging of the electric battery (113).

8. The modular battery charging system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery charging unit (103), the battery cooling unit (105), and the vehicle tire management unit (107) are formed as a single integrated part.

9. The modular battery charging system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modular battery charging system (100) further comprises:
a controlling circuitry (101) configured to simultaneously control the battery charging unit (103), the battery cooling unit (105), and the vehicle tire management unit (107) for performing combination of charging the electric battery (113), cooling the electric battery (113) while charging, and monitoring the one or more tire parameters associated with the one or more tires, thereby improving a battery life of the electric battery (113) and a cruising range of the electric vehicle (115);
a notification unit (109) configured to provide information indicating a status of the charging of the electric battery (113), the one or more thermal parameters and the one or more tire parameters on a user interface of the modular battery charging system (100); and
a transceiver (111) configured to transmit the information indicating the status of the charging of the electric battery (113), the one or more thermal parameters and the one or more tire parameters to an external entity.

10. A method provided for managing an electric battery (113) of an electric vehicle (115), the method comprising:
charging, by a modular battery charging system (100), the electric battery (113), wherein the electric battery (113) is charged by connecting a connector (502) to a charging socket of the electric vehicle (115);
regulating, by the modular battery charging system (100), one or more thermal parameters of the electric battery (113) while charging;
cooling, by the modular charging system (100), the electric battery (113) based on the regulated one or more thermal parameters; and
regulating, by the modular battery charging system (100), one or more tire parameters associated with one or more tires of the electric vehicle (115).