WO2018053014A1

WO2018053014A1 - Car with recharging system

Info

Publication number: WO2018053014A1
Application number: PCT/US2017/051382
Authority: WO
Inventors: James DIERICKX
Original assignee: Dierickx James
Priority date: 2016-09-13
Filing date: 2017-09-13
Publication date: 2018-03-22

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to a car having a recharging system.

Description

CAR WITH RECHARGING SYSTEM

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application claims the benefit of US Patent Application No. 62/495,379 which was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on September 13, 2016, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

[0002] Example embodiments relate to a car having a recharging system.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0003] The average electric car can run for 40 to 200 miles on one charge. Although charging stations for cars are becoming common place, there is still a risk that consumers will be unable to find a charging station before the battery in their car runs down. Further, many electric cars have ranges of only 40 to 50 miles, which is impractical for some potential drivers. In addition, the time for charging a conventional electric car battery can be lengthy.

SUMMARY

[0004] The inventor set out to design a system usable in an electric car wlhich allows the car to travel beyond distances it was designed to travel. As a consequence the inventor designed a novel and nonobvious charging system which not only allows a driver to drive their electric car beyond distances it was designed to travel but also allows for faster charging time. In one nonlimiting example embodiment, the system includes batteries that are usable to charge a main battery on a car. The systems are also usable for increasing the rate at which a battery can be charged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Example embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

[0006] FIG. 1 is a view of system in accordance with example embodiments; and

[0007] FIG. 2 is a view of another system in accordance with example embodiments

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are not intended to limit the invention since the invention may be embodied in different forms. Rather, the example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0009] In this application, when an element is referred to as being "on," "attached to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element, the element may be directly on, directly attached to, directly connected to, or directly coupled to the other element or may be on, attached to, connected to, or coupled to any intervening elements that may be present. However, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly attached to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements present. In this application, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[00010] In this application, the terms first, second, etc. are used to describe various elements and components. However, these terms are only used to distinguish one element and/or component from another element and/or component. Thus, a first element or component, as discussed below, could be termed a second element or component.

[00011] In this application, terms, such as "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," are used to spatially describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. However, in this application, it is understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the structure. For example, if the structure in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the term "below" is meant to encompass both an orientation of above and below. The structure may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[00012] Example Embodiments are illustrated by way of ideal schematic views. However, example embodiments are not intended to be limited by the ideal schematic views since example embodiments may be modified in accordance with manufacturing technologies and/or tolerances.

[00013] The subject matter of example embodiments, as disclosed herein, is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different features or combinations of features similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other technologies. Generally, example embodiments relate a car having a recharging system.

[00014] FIG. 1 is a view of a system 1000 that may be installed in an automobile that runs on electricity. In FIG. 1, the system 1000 includes a primary power source 15 (for example, a power source having a first chemistry, for example, a power source comprised of one or more lithium batteries) that may provide power to various systems of the automobile. The system 1000 may also include a backup power source 1 (for example, a power source having either the first chemistry or a second chemistry, for example, a power source comprised of one or more lead batteries) which may recharge the primary power source 15 and/or assist in providing power to the primary power source 15 to increase a rate at which the primary power source 15 is charged.

[00015] In example embodiments, the system 1000 may include an inverter 3 (for example, a modified sine wave inverter or a pure sine wave inverter) to generate AC power to recharge the primary power source 15. In the nonlimiting example embodiment of FIG. 1, the inverter 3 may be powered by the backup power source 1 to generate the AC power (for example 120 VAC or 240 VAC). For example, the backup power source 1 may be connected to the inverter 3 by one or more wires 2 to provide power to the inverter 3. A switch 4 may be provided in the system 1000 to turn the inverter 3 on or off. The switch 4 may be activated remotely so a driver may activate or deactivate the inverter 3 at a location remote from the inverter 3. [00016] In example embodiments, the inverter 3 may deliver the AC power (for example, 120 VAC or 240 VAC) to a charger 5. The charger 5 may then deliver AC power to a battery management system 16 via a cable 6 and an electrical interface 11. In the alternative, the charger 5 may provide power to the interface 11 via an electrical cable 8, a socket 7, a second socket 31, an electrical line 9, and another socket 10. The second socket 31, electrical line 9, and another socket 10 may resemble a conventional extension cord. The battery management system 16 may charge the primary power source 15 using the AC power from the charger 5.

[00017] In example embodiments, the system 1000 may include an internal port plug 12 to receive shore power (for example, 110 VAC, 120 VAC). The internal port plug 12 may provide power to charger 14, via an electrical cable 13, and the charger 14 may charge the backup power source 1. The internal port plug 12 may also provide power to the charger 5 via an electrical cable 33. The charger 5 may provide the power to the interface 11 and battery management system 16 to charge the battery 15. Thus, in one nonlimiting example embodiment, each of the primary and back up power sources 1 and 15 may be simultaneously charged via shore power received at the internal port plug 12.

[00018] In one nonlimiting example embodiment, the charger 5 may include circuitry that syncs power from the inverter 3 and the internal port plug 12. This may allow for an increase in the amount of current that may be provided to the battery management system 16. For example, the inverter 3 may provide 30 amps to the charger 5 and the internal port plug 12 may also provide 30 amps to the charger 5. The charger's circuitry may combine these currents and provide 60 amps of current to the battery management system 16. This may allow for a relatively fast charging of the primary power source 15.

[00019] One obvious advantage of the system 1000 is the ability to charge the primary power source 15 using the backup power source 1. As discussed in the background section, electric cars have a limited range due to the finite amount of power stored in the primary power source 15. In the event the primary power source 15 is drained at a location remote from a charging station, power from the backup power source 1 may be used to charge the primary power source 15, the backup power source 1 supplies power via the inverter 3 by activating the switch 4 to turn the invertor 3 on, having the invertor 3 generate AC power for the onboard charger 5, and sending power from the charger 5 to and battery management system 16 to charge the primary power source 1. This would allow the primary power source 15 to recharge giving the driver the ability to travel greater distances than would be possible without the backup power source 1 on board. In addition, this may allow for people to travel to places that users of electric vehicles cannot visit. For example, many people have to travel 30 or more miles to work. Their work may not be located near a charging station. As a consequence, it is impractical for these people to effectively utilize an electric vehicle. However, users using a vehicle having the backup power source 1, may be able to recharge their primary power sources 15 while at work using the backup power sources 1 to recharge the primary power sources 15.

[00020] FIG. 2 is another example of a system 2000 that may be installed in an automobile that runs on electricity. As in system 1000, system 2000 includes a primary power source 15 and a backup power source 1. In FIG. 2, the system 2000 may further include a DC to DC voltage converter 24. The DC to DC voltage converter 24 may include a switch 4 which may be used to turn the DC to DC converter 24 on or off. The voltage converter 24, for example, may be, but is not required to be, configured to convert a relatively low voltage (for example, 12 Volts) to relatively high voltage (for example, 480 Volts). The voltage from the voltage converter 24 may be provided to a charger 28 which in turn delivers DC current through a cable 22 to a connector 23 and which may be connected to a battery management system 16. As in system 1000, the battery management system 16 controls charging of the primary power source 15.

[00021] In the system 2000 of FIG.2, the system 2000 may have an internal port plug 12 to receive shore power. The shore power may be used to recharge the backup power supply 1 by sending some of the power, through an electrical cable 13 to a battery charger 14 to recharge the backup power source 1. Another portion of the power received at the internal port plug 12 may be delivered, through an electrical cable 32, to an AC to DC converter 25 (for example, a rectifier converting AC power to high voltage). The system may further include a conditioning device 26 which conditions the high voltage from the AC to DC converter 25 and may deliver the voltage to the charger 28. In this manner, the charger 28 may receive power from the backup power supply 1 or the port plug 12 or from the backup power source 1 and the port plug 12.

[00022] In system 2000, AC power received at the internal port plug 12 may be used to generate a DC current via the AC to DC converter 25. This current may be conditioned by the conditioning device 26 and provided to the charger 28. The charger 28 may then deliver DC current to the primary power source 15 either through the cable 22, connector 23, and battery management module 16, or through a cable 18 to plug 17 to plug 27, through cable 20 to plug 21 and to a port 19 to provide the current to the battery management module 16 to power the primary power source 15.

[00023] In system 2000, the primary power source 15 may be charged either by the backup power source 1 or from the internal power plug 12 or from a combination of the backup power source 1 and the internal power plug. For example, in one nonlimiting example embodiment, the charger 28 may have circuitry that combines direct current from the DC to DC converter 24 and the conditioner 26. For example, the DC to DC converter 24 could provide 50 amps of current to the charger 28 and the conditioner 26 could likewise provide 50 amps of current to the charger 28. The charger 28 could combine these currents and send 100 amps of current to the battery management device 16 to increase the rate at which the primary power source 15 is charged.

[00024] In example embodiments intelligence may be built into the systems 1000 and 2000. For example, the battery management systems 16 of systems 1000 and 2000 may be configured to turn the switches 4 on or off to enable or disable the inverter 3 or the DC to DC converter 24. For example, if the battery management modules 16 determine that the primary power sources 15 are sufficiently charged, the battery management modules 16 may cause the inverter 3 and/or the DC to DC converter 24 to turn off. Similarly, the battery management modules 16 may cause the chargers 5 and 28 to shut down once it determines the primary power source 15 is sufficiently charged.

[00025] Example embodiments of the invention have been described in an illustrative manner. It is to be understood that the terminology that has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of example embodiments are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. An electric car comprising:

A primary power source;

A backup power source;

A port configured to receive shore power;

A battery management system;

A charger configured to receive power from the backup power source and the port;

At least one cable configured to provide power from the charger to the battery management system, wherein the battery management system is configured to control charging of the primary power source.

2. The electric car of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery charger configured to charge the backup power source; and

a cable configured to conduct electricity from the port to the battery charger.

3. The electric car of claim 1, wherein the primary power source is at least one lithium battery and the backup power source is at least one lead cell battery.

4. The electric car of claim 1, wherein the charger is configured to combine power from the backup power source and the port.

5. The electric car of claim 1, further comprising:

an inverter between the backup power source and the charger

6. The electric car of claim 5, wherein the inverter includes a switch that turns the invertor on and off.

7. The electric car of claim 5, wherein the inverter is one of a modified sine wave inverter or a pure sine wave inverter.

8. The electric car of claim 1, further comprising:

a DC to DC converter between the backup power source and the charger, and

an AC to DC converter between the port and the charger.

9. The electric car of claim 8, wherein the DC to DC converter includes a switch to turn the DC to DC converter on and off.

10. The electric car of claim 1, wherein the primary power source has a first chemistry and the backup power source one of the first chemistry and a second chemistry.