DE102011018457B4 - Charging station for charging vehicles with an electric drive using mechanical power transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

Charging station (100, 200) for a vehicle (150, 250) with at least one electric machine (152, 252) used as a drive, with a drive device (110) for delivering mechanical power, a mechanical clutch device (130) which is designed to A drive device (110) is to be coupled to the electric machine (152, 252) of the vehicle (150, 250), a control device (120, 220) for controlling the drive device (110) and for controlling the mechanical power during a regenerative braking mode of the electric machine (152, 252), wherein the control device (120, 220) is also designed to end the transmission of the mechanical power when the mechanical power currently being transmitted falls below a threshold value, and an energy storage device (140) which is designed to supply the drive device (110 ) to supply energy to cover power peaks and/or for self-sufficient operation.

Description

The present invention relates generally to vehicles that use at least one electric machine for propulsion and require an energy store that can be charged externally.

In the area of private transport, increasing the efficiency of vehicles is becoming increasingly important. This is often sought in that at least one electric machine is provided, which is used directly for the propulsion of the vehicle. Examples of such vehicles include hybrid vehicles that are already available today, in which the electric machine contributes directly to the propulsion of the vehicle, ie by providing mechanical energy to the drive wheels. Although in these hybrid vehicles a significant contribution to the drive energy has so far been generated by an internal combustion engine, there are increasing efforts to expand the electrical energy storage devices of such vehicles in such a way that longer and longer distances can be covered purely electrically or at least with a high proportion of electrical energy, where the energy store is then at least partially recharged by external energy, ie energy not supplied by the internal combustion engine.

In other vehicle concepts, the electric machine is used exclusively to propel the vehicle, while additional devices such as internal combustion engines, fuel cells and the like are used to provide the electrical energy or at least a significant part of it, especially for covering longer distances. There are also purely electric vehicles in which the energy for propulsion is obtained exclusively from an on-board energy storage device, which therefore also has to be charged regularly.

For this purpose, corresponding charging devices are carried in these vehicles, which can be connected to an external electrical connection socket, so that the energy store can be charged according to the available external electrical energy and the power of the charging device carried. The achievable charging times essentially depend on the capacity of the external charging connection as well as the size and performance of the internal charger that is carried along.

Although more and more publicly available connection options are being provided for the electrical charging devices that are being carried, there is currently no comprehensive supply of electrical energy for charging the energy storage devices of vehicles. In particular, for such vehicles with electrical energy stores according to conventional charging techniques, suitably designed electrical charging devices are to be provided in which, depending on the design, certain components of the existing power electronics for the electrical drive train are also used, but still other components, in particular for the voltage adjustment between the external charging connection and the internal voltage of the energy storage device are required.

Furthermore, sometimes there is no standardized connector plug for connecting the vehicle's internal charger to the electrical connection sockets of a charging station, so that conventional sockets are usually used for the usual household power connection and the charger then ensures the adaptation to the energy store. The amount of electrical energy that can be supplied is also significantly restricted through the use of household connection plugs and chargers tailored to them.

Document US 2008/0 297 109 A1 describes a system for transmitting mechanical energy to a vehicle, a vehicle bus and control system being described which serves to switch on the generator mode and to control the electric drive motor of the vehicle in generator mode.

The pamphlet DE 10 2010 060 341 A1 also describes a system for transferring mechanical energy to a vehicle, with a controller detecting current state variables of the vehicle's electrical energy store and controlling the drive device to drive the mechanical clutch device and to comply with current limit values of the energy store.

The pamphlet DE 35 28 476 A1 describes how, with some charging techniques, the charging power is reduced as the battery's state of charge increases.

In light of the situation presented above, it is an object of the present invention to provide means for charging energy stores in vehicles, whereby one or more of the above problems are avoided or at least reduced in effect.

In order to achieve the aforementioned object, a charging station for a vehicle is provided according to the present invention, which has the features of claim 1.

Further advantageous embodiments emerge from the dependent claims.

The charging station according to the invention is therefore designed in such a way that external mechanical energy and thus power can be transferred to the electric machine of the vehicle, which in turn is in generator mode, so that the mechanical power supplied externally by the vehicle's internal components, ie by the electric machine and the power electronics coupled with it can be converted into electrical power. Components that are part of the vehicle in any case are therefore preferably used during the charging process, without having to take special properties of the energy store, the system voltage used, and the like into consideration. In other words, typically the power electronics of the electrical machine and the electrical machine itself are suitably designed to efficiently convert the energy of the energy store into mechanical power at the desired level in cooperation with the energy store of the vehicle. In the opposite direction, a desired high electrical power can thus also be demanded from the electrical machine during the charging process, which is thus also converted into electrical power in a very efficient manner. For example, the charging capacity of the charging station can therefore be very high, since the electrical machine and the associated power electronics are generally designed for high capacities, for example when the vehicle is in recuperation mode. For its part, the charging station can efficiently provide the desired mechanical power by means of electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic components, etc. as required, without these components having to be adapted to vehicle-specific properties.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the coupling device is designed for mechanical coupling to at least one driven wheel of the vehicle. With this type of design of the coupling device, it is possible to apply external mechanical energy to any type of vehicle without the need for significant modifications to the vehicle, or the vehicles can remain completely unchanged with regard to the coupling to the charging station. In one embodiment, the mechanical coupling can take place in such a way that, for example, a roller or cylinder of the drive device of the charging station is brought into frictional contact with the running surface of the driven wheel. In other embodiments, suitably designed wheel rims can be provided on the vehicle, so that mechanical engagement of the clutch device is possible with high mechanical efficiency. In such embodiments, the charging station is also suitably designed to ensure that the vehicle is relatively stationary when mechanical power is being fed to one or more driven wheels.

In a further advantageous embodiment, a communication device is provided which is designed to receive control signals from the vehicle. In this way, the energy store can be charged in a way that is coordinated with the vehicle, or specifications from the vehicle owner can be queried when charging the energy store and, if appropriate, can be complied with accordingly.

In one embodiment, the control device is designed to control at least the power transmission from the drive device to the electric machine using at least some of the control signals. For example, for this purpose, control can be carried out in such a way that a maximum power is not exceeded, or that only a predetermined amount of energy is fed in.

According to the invention, the charging station has an energy storage device so that, if necessary, very high power peaks can be bridged, even if the power supplied to the charging station from the outside is not sufficient to cover these peaks. The storage device can be designed to store electrical energy and/or mechanical energy, this depending on the type of energy with which the drive device of the charging station is operated.

In this context, it should be noted that "mechanical" energy is also considered herein to be energy provided in the form of pressurized gases and/or liquids. If the energy store is provided in the form of a store for storing electrical energy, this can be provided, for example, in the form of capacitors, so that a very high level of electrical power can be drawn off for a short time if the current charging process exceeds the electrical power that can be supplied by an electrical Connection for the charging station can be supplied.

According to the invention, the control device of the charging station is designed to end the transmission of the mechanical power when the currently transmitted mechanical power falls below a threshold value. In this way, it can be ensured that the charging process is completed in good time, for example when the regenerative braking mode in the vehicle is terminated. For example, the vehicle's internal power electronics can detect a high charge level of the energy storage device, excessive temperature of a component, etc. and then, as with normal driving, Reduce recuperation appropriately or switch off completely. In this way, components already present in the vehicle can also be used efficiently to control the charging process.

In an example useful for understanding the invention, a charging device is provided in a vehicle powered using at least one electric machine. The charging device includes a control unit that is designed to switch the electric machine to a regenerative braking mode when the vehicle is relatively stationary in relation to a charging station.

The in-vehicle charging device thus includes a control unit which, in contrast to conventional charging devices in electrically powered vehicles, does not require any specially designed power electronics, but can initiate the regenerative braking mode in a controllable manner, so that the in-vehicle drive components can be used to charge the in-vehicle energy store. That is to say, through the action of the control unit, the vehicle is prepared for the absorption of mechanical energy or power when the vehicle is stationary, so that an efficient charging process can be carried out.

In a further example which contributes to a better understanding of the present invention, the control unit further comprises a communication device which is designed to transmit a control signal to the external charging station which supplies external mechanical power. In this way, the charging process takes place by supplying external mechanical energy under the control of the vehicle, so that vehicle-specific properties or specifications of the vehicle owner can intervene in the control of the charging process.

The control signal has at least one signal component that causes the external charging station to interrupt the supply of the external mechanical power. This signal component for interrupting the supply of the external mechanical power can be generated, for example, on the basis of information relating to the energy status of the energy store, the status of power electronic components, and the like.

In other examples, the control signal also contains signal components that enable the charging process to be adapted appropriately to vehicle-specific characteristics. In other examples, the control unit is designed accordingly in such a way that it controls the charging process in a suitable manner, for example by setting the degree of recuperation to the desired level.

To explain the invention, non-claimed methods for charging an energy store of a vehicle, which has at least one electric machine used to drive the vehicle, are also described below. In this case, external mechanical power is transmitted to the electric machine of the vehicle when the vehicle is relatively stationary. Furthermore, a generator operation of the machine is set by a control unit during the transmission of the external mechanical power. Furthermore, the method includes the monitoring of the energy status of the energy store by the control unit.

This means that the charging of the energy store is achieved by a controlled setting of the generator operation of the vehicle when the vehicle is at a standstill relative to a charging station. As already explained above, the "infrastructure" can be used efficiently in a corresponding method, in particular with regard to power electronics and the conversion of mechanical power into electrical power with a high degree of vehicle efficiency, in order to charge the energy storage device, with the power essentially being generated by the in-vehicle components is fixed.

It should be noted that while the method finds advantageous application in stationary charging systems, in some aspects it is also used in mobile charging stations, such as vehicle transport systems, car washes, and the like, but where the vehicle is stationary relative to a docking device .

• 1A schematisch eine Darstellung eines zumindest teilweise elektrisch betriebenen Fahrzeugs an einer Ladestation gemäß der vorliegenden Erfindung zeigt;
• 1B schematisch eine Kupplungsvorrichtung der erfindungsgemäßen Ladestation zur Einspeisung von mechanischer Leistung über zumindest ein angetriebenes Rad des Fahrzeugs zeigt;
• 1C schematisch die Kupplungsvorrichtung zeigt, wobei ein speziell gestalteter mechanischer Anschluss zur Übertragung der mechanischen Leistung auf die elektrische Maschine vorgesehen ist;
• 1D schematisch die Ladestation zeigt, in der der erfindungsgemäße elektrische Speicher in der Ladestation vorgesehen ist;
• 1E schematisch die Ladestation zeigt, wobei ein „mechanischer“ Speicher vorgesehen ist, etwa in Form eines Druckspeichers und dergleichen, so dass Leistungsspitzen effizient überbrückt werden können; und
• 2 schematisch eine Ladevorrichtung in einem Fahrzeug zeigt, um einen gesteuerten Nutzbremsmodus zum Aufladen eines Energiespeichers des Fahrzeugs einzustellen.

These and other advantageous embodiments can also be found in the appended patent claims. Further advantageous embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• 1A schematically shows a representation of an at least partially electrically powered vehicle at a charging station according to the present invention;
• 1B schematically shows a coupling device of the charging station according to the invention for feeding in mechanical power via at least one driven wheel of the vehicle;
• 1C schematically shows the clutch device, wherein a specially designed mechanical connection is provided for transmitting the mechanical power to the electric machine;
• 1D schematically shows the charging station in which the electrical storage device according to the invention is provided in the charging station;
• 1E shows the charging station schematically, with a "mechanical" storage device being provided, for example in the form of a pressure storage device and the like, so that power peaks can be bridged efficiently; and
• 2 12 schematically shows a charging device in a vehicle for setting a controlled regenerative braking mode for charging an energy store of the vehicle.

1 shows schematically a vehicle 150 that has at least one electric machine 152 that is used to propel the vehicle 150 . In the illustrated embodiment, the electric machine 152 is mechanically connected to wheels 151 via a schematically illustrated power coupling 156, which represents any power transmission, optionally with a gearbox. The electric machine 152 can also be arranged on or in one or more of the wheels 151 with or without an integrated gear. Furthermore, the electrical machine 152 is typically connected to power electronics 153, which suitably converts the electrical energy stored in an energy store 154 or electrical energy that is generated by another component in the vehicle 150, so that the electrical machine 152 has a dem mechanical power adapted to the current needs of the vehicle 150 to the wheels 151 via the coupling 156 . The electrical machine can be a synchronous machine, an asynchronous machine, a reluctance machine, a DC machine, or another type of electrical machine. In general, a variety of suitable converters are known in the prior art that can convert DC voltage into suitable multi-phase voltages and currents so that a desired speed and a desired torque are provided by the electric machine 152 when it is configured as an AC machine. In a similar way, DC voltage regulators are also known, which impress current and voltage as required on the machine 152, if this is provided in the form of a DC voltage machine. For example, vehicles with an electric drive that are already available today have electric machines with an output of a few kW up to several 10 kW or even several 100 kW, so that the components 153 and 154 are also designed accordingly in order to handle these high outputs. In particular, the electronics 153 and the energy store are designed in such a way that, even in regenerative braking mode, they can feed back a large part of the power supplied by the machine 152 to the store, depending on the state of charge of the store 154 .

Furthermore, a charging station 100 is shown, which has a drive device 110 in order to transmit mechanical power to the electric machine 152 in the vehicle 150 via a clutch device 130 . In one embodiment, the drive device 110 includes a motor 111, such as an electric motor, with a schematically illustrated power transmission 116 for coupling to the device 130. In the case of an electric motor, an electronic power component 112 is provided, which in turn is connected to a control device 120. so that the power component 112 supplies the electric motor 111 with electrical energy in a suitable manner. The electric motor 111 is advantageously designed in such a way that the mechanical power that is typically required by the vehicle 150 when charging the energy store 154 can be provided. For this purpose, for example, powerful asynchronous machines with suitable power components can be used efficiently. However, other electrical machines that have a relatively high degree of efficiency over a desired power range can also be used. In other embodiments, other drive components can also be used, such as is described below with reference to FIG 1E is explained.

The drive component 111 is mechanically coupled to the coupling device 130 by means of the power transmission 116 in a suitable manner, for example via gears, belts, chains, etc., so that finally a mechanical coupling to the electric machine 152 is established, for example via one or more of the drive wheels 151, and thus with the machine 152 a mechanical interaction can take place. For example, the coupling device 130 can be brought into direct mechanical contact with the running surface of the wheel 151, for example by providing a suitable opening in a bearing surface 101 in which a part of the coupling device 130, for example in the form of a cylinder or roller, can be connected to the wheel 151 is brought into contact, such as by lifting the contact element, such as a roller, of the coupling device 130, as indicated schematically at 117, and bringing it into contact with the wheel 151 therewith. A suitable trough can also be provided in the surface 101, which is provided with two or more rollers, in order on the one hand to make mechanical contact with the wheel 151 and on the other hand also to hold the wheel 151 in a suitable position. In other specific embodiments, the coupling device 130 is designed in such a way that after the vehicle has been driven on and secured, at least two driven wheels can be driven at the same time mechanical power can be applied. The drive device 110 is supplied with energy or power by suitable means 103, for example by a power supply and/or hydraulically and/or pneumatically operated devices, with a storage device for covering power peaks and/or for autonomous operation being provided, as will be seen below is described.

1B 12 schematically shows a portion of charging station 100 when mechanically coupled to electric machine 152 of vehicle 150. FIG. For this purpose, for example, in one embodiment, a roller 132 is brought into contact with the running surface 151L of at least one wheel 151A, for which corresponding suitable mechanical components, which are not shown separately, can be used. If only one drive wheel is acted upon, it may be necessary to ensure that the effect of a differential gear 152A is eliminated. Otherwise, a corresponding second roller 132 (not shown) can be provided which acts on the drive wheel 151B. In the case of drives in which an electric machine is attached directly to the wheel 151A, this wheel can be fed in by switching off an “electronic” differential, so that in this case too mechanical energy is fed in only on one wheel if required, with here the respective performance data of the associated electrical machine must be taken into account. Similarly, other clutch components 131 may be provided, for example engaging the rim of at least one of the wheels 151A, 151B, while at the same time suitable rollers or rollers may be provided to support the wheels 151A, 151B. In other embodiments, the components 131 can be used simultaneously to lift the vehicle 150, so that the desired mechanical power can then be transmitted via the components 131 directly to the wheels 151A and/or 151B.

1C shows schematically the charging station 100 mechanically coupled to the vehicle 150, the coupling device 130 having a suitable component 133 to act on the electric machine 152 without direct action on the drive wheels. For example, a suitable additional connection 152C can be provided in a differential gear 152A, which on the one hand cancels the effect of the differential gear 152A on the drive wheels when it comes into contact with the component 133 and at the same time produces a mechanical coupling with the electric machine 152.

In other exemplary embodiments, the mechanical connection 152C can be provided in such a way that it is possible to influence the electric machine 152 while bypassing the differential gear 152A. For example, a corresponding transmission component can be provided in contact with the shaft of the machine 152 so that the mechanical power can be fed directly into the electric machine when coupled to the port 152C, disengaging the drive wheels.

During operation of the charging station 100, as for example in the 1A until 1C is shown, the vehicle 150 is brought into contact with the drive device 110 via the coupling device 130, and the vehicle 150, ie the electric machine 152 in connection with associated electronic and mechanical components, such as braking devices for the stabilization of the vehicle 150 for power transmission, and the like, is brought into a state in which the machine 152 operates as a generator and a standstill of the vehicle relative to the station 100 is ensured. The machine 152 with the associated electronics 153 and the energy store 154 is thus placed in a regenerative braking mode, but without moving the vehicle relative to the clutch device 130 . For this purpose, a suitable control unit, as described below with reference to 2 is described, are used to set the desired operating state. The drive device 110 then transmits mechanical power to the electric machine 152 via the clutch device 130, so that electric power is fed from the machine 152 via the vehicle-internal power component 153 into the energy store 154, as is often the case, for example, in recuperation mode of the vehicle 150 while driving he follows. That is, the in-vehicle components, which typically have a high efficiency and a high power bandwidth, can be used efficiently for the storage of electrical energy in the storage device 154 . Since the energy store 154 is typically also designed to provide and thus also to temporarily store large amounts of energy, charging can also take place with high power, so that larger amounts of energy can be stored within a short period of time.

If, for example, charging is carried out with a mechanical power of 50 kW, i.e. 50 kW of mechanical power is available at the output of the coupling device 130, and an efficiency of 90% is assumed for the coupling to the components 152, 153 and for these components themselves, the output is the Power electronics 153 an electrical power of 45 kW, so that four or more kilowatt hours of energy can be stored in about 6 minutes, depending on the charging efficiency of the storage unit 154. If the vehicle 150 is designed for recuperation operation with even higher performance, even larger amounts of energy can be fed in within a few minutes , Preferably, the charging station is designed to be able to provide such large mechanical services at short notice. The energy store does not have to be fully charged, so that in particular critical phases when the end-of-charge voltage of the energy store is reached, which generally require longer charging phases with less power, are avoided. Typically, the energy store can be charged to about 80% of its capacity in a very short time.

The charging process is controlled by the control device 120 in such a way that the process is interrupted or terminated as soon as a certain amount of energy has been transmitted or as soon as the vehicle 150 reacts in a predefined manner to the supply of mechanical power. For example, the charging process can be controlled using the vehicle's internal control devices in the power electronics or in other electronic systems of the vehicle, which, for example, prevent the accumulator 154 from being charged too much in recuperation mode, since by reducing the braking torque, for example, that of the electric machine 152 their consumed mechanical power is regulated back accordingly in order to reliably avoid overheating and/or overcharging of the accumulator 154. For this purpose, the machine 152 is simply actuated appropriately by means of the power component 153, so that the machine is operated without a braking effect. In some specific embodiments, the control device 120 of the charging station 100 can determine this drop in the mechanical power consumed by the machine 152 and, if the value falls below a predetermined threshold value, can completely end the charging process, for example by decoupling the device 130 and/or by switching off the motor 111.

Of course, other criteria can also be taken into account when executing a loading process, as is also explained in more detail with reference to 2 is explained later.

1D shows schematically charging station 100 with a memory 140, which enables continuous operation of drive device 110, even if the mechanical power required from drive 110 exceeds the power that is supplied externally to charging station 100, for example in the form of electrical power 143.
In the embodiment shown, the memory 140 is equipped with electrical memories 141, for example in the form of capacitors and the like, which in turn are supplied by suitable power electronics 142 with DC voltage that is obtained from the external connection 143. In this way, for example, a connection power 143 that is not designed for the maximum possible output power of the drive 110 is sufficient, while vehicles can still be charged at high power for a short time.

1E FIG. 12 schematically shows charging station 100 according to further illustrative embodiments in which storage 140 is provided in the form of “mechanical” storage. For example, accumulator 140 may be an accumulator that is connected to power device 110 through appropriate conduits.
For example, drive device 110 is provided in the form of a hydraulic system that is connected to accumulator 140, so that hydraulic fluid can be fed into a circuit via suitable pumps 114, 115 and, if necessary, can also be collected in accumulator 140 under high pressure. For example, the pump 115 can be operated continuously, for example with a moderately low rated output, so that the pressure in the accumulator 140 is maintained continuously or the pressure and/or the volume of fluid in the accumulator are increased during times when the station 100 is not being used, so that the hydraulic fluid can then be delivered in the required quantity and at a suitable pressure to the corresponding drive components 111A, . . . 111C in the form of hydraulic motors, compressed air motors, etc. The power to be delivered mechanically by the individual drive components 111A, . In this case, several vehicles can be charged at the same time, and different mechanical power can be transmitted individually. On the other hand, the store 140 can be continuously “loaded” without the pump 115 having to apply the mechanical power of all the drive components 111A, . . . , 111C.

It should be noted that the drive system 110 may also include pneumatic components, as well as a mixture of electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic components. In other embodiments, the accumulator 140 is provided with a mechanical accumulator in the form of a flywheel, which can be coupled to one or more vehicles via the drive components 111A, ..., 111C. It should be noted that the coupling devices 130 are shown schematically as being connected via the roller 132, each with a driven wheel 151 of a vehicle are brought into contact. Typically, however, at least two driven wheels per vehicle are coupled by providing suitable "tank wells" into which the drive axle wheels enter and are brought into contact with the rollers 132 .

The mechanical accumulator 140 can therefore be charged continuously in phases when the station is not fully utilized, while vehicles can be charged with high output in phases when the station is used to a high degree, without the total input power for the station 100 being the sum of the output powers of the individual drives 111A, .. .,111C.

2 FIG. 12 schematically shows a vehicle 250 in mechanical contact with a charging station 200. FIG. The vehicle 250 may have the same characteristics as the vehicle 150 previously referred to 1A is described. The same applies to the charging station 200. The vehicle 250 thus includes an electric machine 252 in connection with power electronics 253 and an energy store 254. Furthermore, the electric machine 252 can be brought into contact mechanically with the charging station 200, as has also been explained above. The vehicle 250 also includes a charging device 256 which has at least one control unit 255 . The control unit 255 is connected at least to the power electronics 253 and is designed to put this and thus the electric machine 252 into a recuperation mode, ie a regenerative braking mode, during the mechanical coupling to the charging station 200 . For this purpose, the control unit 255 can query a user interface (not shown), in which the vehicle owner announces a charging process, or in other embodiments, communication takes place via a communication device 258 with a control device 220 of the charging station 200, which in turn has a communication device 221 , so that the control unit 255 is informed of the forthcoming charging process. For this purpose, the two communication devices 258, 221 can exchange information via control signals 257, so that the desired vehicle status is set and desired charging parameters are defined. That is to say that the control unit 255 ensures, if required, that the vehicle is sufficiently mechanically secured and the drive is reliably switched off, and that the regenerative braking mode is activated. If necessary, unit 255 can set a desired recuperation process by controlling power electronics 253, so that a desired charging process results. In other cases, if necessary, a regenerative braking profile is specified by the charging station 200 via the control device 220 .

Furthermore, the control unit 255 is optionally equipped in such a way that it can determine the energy status of the memory 254 in order to use it to determine suitable parameters for the charging process. For example, depending on the energy status of memory 254, a suitable course, i.e. the length and current feed-in power of a charging process can be determined, which is communicated to control device 220, for example, by means of control signal 257. On the basis of the control signal 257, for example, the desired mechanical power, the duration, the course of the charging curve, etc. can be transmitted, so that the drive device of the charging station 200 provides the mechanical power for the vehicle 250 in the desired, adapted form . In particular, the control signal 257 contains a signal component that indicates the end of the charging process to the charging station, so that the charging station 200 can cause or support mechanical decoupling from the vehicle 250 .

In other examples, the charging process is controlled by control unit 255, which, for example, controls the recuperation behavior and thus the mechanical power consumed by electric machine 252 in such a way that this is compatible with the previously determined parameters of the charging process. In this case, the charging station 200 is preferably designed in such a way that it reacts appropriately to different power requirements and provides the desired mechanical power that is currently required.

The present invention thus provides charging stations in which the electrical energy store of a vehicle can be at least partially charged by mechanically coupling the electrical machine of the vehicle and the charging station. Due to the mechanical coupling, no modifications are required with regard to the electrical properties of the energy store, the power electronics and the electric machine, with the use of a mechanical coupling to the drive wheels of the vehicle also requiring no mechanical changes in the vehicle and any types of vehicles can be loaded regardless of their specific properties. By providing a suitable control unit or a control algorithm in the vehicle, it can be put into a corresponding recuperation mode during the mechanical coupling to the charging station, so that controlled charging of the energy store is possible with high performance and thus in a short time. The charging station of the present invention can be designed so that multiple vehicles can be charged at the same time, so that many vehicles can be dispatched in a short time. The charging station can also be integrated into other systems, for example in car washes, motorail trains, and the like, so that while the vehicle is stationary, it can be used simultaneously to feed energy into the vehicle's internal energy store.
In further embodiments, “non-stationary” charging stations can be used, which, if necessary, seek out a vehicle on the open road and are mechanically coupled to it. For example, in one embodiment, the “non-stationary” charging station then serves as a towing vehicle, while the control unit in the vehicle appropriately controls the recuperation operation of the vehicle. In other embodiments, the mobile charging station has the coupling device in such a way that it can act on the drive wheels, for example by lifting the vehicle at the drive wheels, and the like, in which case the charging process in the previously with the 1 and 2 described manner can be done. The mobile charging station has a large energy storage device, for example in the form of a pressure storage device or an electrical storage device, so that on the one hand the energy requirements of the mobile charging station and on the other hand the energy requirements for a larger number of vehicles can be covered by the storage device.

Claims (6)

Charging station (100, 200) for a vehicle (150, 250) with at least one electric machine (152, 252) used as a drive a drive device (110) for delivering mechanical power, a mechanical coupling device (130) which is designed to couple the drive device (110) to the electric machine (152, 252) of the vehicle (150, 250), a control device (120, 220) for controlling the drive device (110) and for controlling the mechanical power during a regenerative braking mode of the electric machine (152, 252), wherein the control device (120, 220) is also designed to transmit the mechanical power to end falling below a threshold value of the currently transmitted mechanical power, and an energy storage device (140) which is designed to supply energy to the drive device (110) to cover power peaks and/or for autonomous operation. charging station (100, 200) after claim 1 , wherein the coupling device (130) for mechanical coupling to at least one driven wheel (151, 151A, 151B) of the vehicle (150, 250) is formed. Charging station (100, 200) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a communication device (220) is also provided, which is designed to receive control signals (257) from the vehicle (150, 250). charging station (100, 200) after claim 3 , The control device (120, 220) being designed to control at least the power transmission from the drive device (110) to the electric machine (152, 252) using at least some of the control signals (257). charging station (100, 200) after claim 1 , wherein the energy storage device (140) comprises a device for storing mechanical energy. charging station after claim 1 or 5 , wherein the energy storage device (140) has a device (141) for storing electrical energy.

Images