Innovations in Charging Stations for EV Batteries

A system for managing EV charging stations in a fair and efficient way even when demand exceeds capacity. It uses a controller to queue and prioritize charging requests from drivers and dynamically enable/disable chargers to avoid exceeding power limits. The controller balances demand, prevents overloads, and optimizes charging using techniques like load shedding during peak events.

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Charging electric vehicles without plugging in using charging stations that can be positioned above the vehicle and lowered onto contact plates on the vehicle's roof to establish an electrical connection. The stations have adjustable arms to align with the vehicle and collector braces with conductive pads to contact the vehicle's charge points. This allows automated charging of electric vehicles when parked under the stations.

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A multi-voltage vehicle charging port that prevents incorrect voltage source connection during jump starts. The charging port has separate compartments for 12V and 24V charging terminals. The compartments are locked by solenoids. A voltage sensing circuit detects the charging voltage applied to a sensing terminal. It releases the corresponding solenoid to unlock the compartment with the matching voltage terminal. This prevents connecting a 24V source to a 12V system or vice versa.

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A liquid cooled charging cable for electric vehicle charging stations that allows higher power charging than air cooled cables without becoming too large and heavy. The cable contains a coolant that is pumped around the conductors to cool them and prevent overheating at high charging currents.

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Managing electric vehicle charging stations using mobile devices and cloud servers to enable features like remote monitoring and control, reservations, payments, and data analysis. A mobile device acts as a communication gateway between the charging station and the cloud server. It relays requests for charging sessions, access keys, and other data. The cloud server facilitates charging transactions, validates payments, and provides charging parameters.

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System for managing electric vehicle charging stations using a cloud server and mobile devices. The mobile device acts as a communication intermediary between the charging station and the cloud server. It relays requests for charging sessions, access keys, and charging parameters between the station and server. The cloud server validates credit card info, generates access keys, and sends parameters to the station. This allows charging station transactions without direct cloud access.

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Battery swapping system for electric vehicles that enables quick and convenient battery exchange to avoid downtime from charging. Electric vehicles drive into a battery swap station and have their depleted battery quickly exchanged with a fully charged one. The depleted batteries are then charged for future swaps. This allows EVs to have instant access to charged batteries without waiting for charging, reducing downtime. Multiple swap stations can be placed around an area to extend EV range. The swapping system can be used by fleet vehicles like delivery vans or individuals who subscribe to the service.

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Charging an electric vehicle by using a mobile device as a means for a charging station to communicate with a cloud server. The system enables charging stations to use a mobile device as an intermediary to connect to the cloud server for charging transactions. This allows the cloud server to manage the charging process, validate payments, and provide access keys. The mobile device can be a vehicle component or a separate device.

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Passive cooling system for autonomous vehicle charging components to dissipate heat generated during charging without adding additional active cooling components. It uses a refrigerant-filled heat exchanger that contacts the charging electronics and coil. Heat transfers to the refrigerant which convectively flows to a condenser cooled by the vehicle's existing radiator fan. The refrigerant condenses and flows back to the heat exchanger.

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Smart charging system for electric vehicles that optimizes charging times and rates to reduce strain on power grids and allows charging to fit better with renewable generation. The charger controllers can prioritize charging based on user-entered end times, adjust charge rates, start/stop charging, and communicate with grid controllers.

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Sharing charging stations between connected vehicles to increase availability while reducing costs. A single power circuit is routed to multiple charging stations or connectors. A controller directs the charging current to one connector at a time in a round-robin fashion. It charges the vehicle connected to that connector for a set time before switching to the next connector and vehicle. If a connector has no vehicle or a charged vehicle, it bypasses that connector.

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An integrated on-board charger for an electric vehicle that can also wirelessly charge the vehicle. The charger has a transformer with coils that can couple to an external wireless charging pad to receive power. It also has bypass switches that can connect the AC and DC sides of the charger together. When the switches are closed and the transformer is coupled to a charging pad, power can flow through both converters to charge the battery. When the switches are open, power only flows through the AC converter to charge the battery.

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A mains plug for electric vehicle charging that has a sensor to detect power connection status. The plug has a contact housing and grip area. A sensor electrode is embedded in the grip area. The electrode can detect when the plug is inserted into a socket and connected to mains power. This allows the vehicle to know if it is properly charging.

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Efficient charging system for autonomous rovers that enables charging and swapping of their power sources without human intervention. The charging system includes charging stations with power supplies that switch between constant current, voltage, and power modes. The rovers have circuitry to control the station output and enable/disable it for safe hot swapping. Rovers trigger charging when they access the contacts. The stations don't restrict rover entry, allowing free access to enable swapping without external control.

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Portable electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that have their own power source to provide fast charging without being connected to the grid. The mobile charging stations have wheels, a propulsion system, hydrogen fuel cells, and an electrical connector to connect to a parked EV. They can be manually or autonomously moved to vehicles in parking areas to rapidly charge EVs without needing an existing charging infrastructure. This enables flexible EV charging options in locations without fixed charging stations.

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Optimizing charging efficiency and battery life in cold weather by preheating the battery before charging. The battery charger can be used to generate heat without charging the battery. This heat is transferred to the battery to warm it up. Once at a suitable temperature for charging, the battery can be charged. The charger can also be used to heat other vehicle systems. The goal is to improve charging efficiency and prevent damage from charging a cold battery.

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Onboard DC charging system for electric vehicles that allows them to charge from existing infrastructure without requiring updates to the charging stations. The system has a converter with a switching mechanism that selectively operates in driving mode or charging mode. In driving mode, it draws power from the vehicle battery to supply the motor. In charging mode, it draws power from the external DC source to charge the battery. The converter can boost or buck the voltage as needed to match the vehicle and station voltages. This allows Gen1 vehicles with 120V batteries to charge at Gen3 stations with 400V, and Gen3 vehicles with 800V batteries to charge at Gen1 stations with 400V, without requiring station updates.

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Deployable mobile charging stations for recharging electric vehicles that use hydrogen fuel cell generators to provide fast, on-demand electric vehicle charging without needing a grid connection. The mobile charging stations have wheels, a hydrogen storage tank, a fuel cell, and an electrical connector. They can be manually moved or automated to wherever vehicles are parked and connect to the vehicle's battery to rapidly charge it. The mobile stations can be deployed in parking lots or other locations to provide convenient charging without needing permanent infrastructure.

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A charging station for electric vehicles with a cost-efficient design and simplified charging circuitry compared to traditional charging stations. The charging station uses battery packs that are individually controlled to optimize charging voltage for the connected electric vehicle. The battery packs are connected in series and have switches to route power. A control unit monitors battery state and adjusts the switches to set the input voltage to match the EV's needs. This avoids complex power electronics.

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Optimizing the charging current for electric vehicles based on battery state of charge and chemistry to extend battery life. The method involves dynamically determining the optimal charge current based on the battery's current state of charge, temperature, and chemistry. This helps to minimize the impact of charging on battery life and performance by avoiding excessive current levels that can increase temperature and degrade the battery.

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