Patent Publication Number: US-2023158906-A1

Title: Charging station with climate control

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present disclosure is a continuation (CON) of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/108,425, filed on Dec. 1, 2020, and entitled “CHARGING STATION WITH CLIMATE CONTROL,” the contents of which are incorporated in full by reference herein. 
    
    
     INTRODUCTION 
     The present disclosure relates generally to the automotive field. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle charging station with climate control. Although the charging of electric vehicles (EVs) is contemplated herein, the present disclosure may be applied to the charging of other electric machines and devices as well. 
     With the rapid advance of fast charging technologies for vehicles, the cooling demand of batteries during charging has increased dramatically, from a few kW in normal charging to potentially 15+ kW in direct current fast charging (DCFC). Such a large load requires the refrigerant system of a vehicle to be sized well above the standard configuration, especially for charging during hot ambient. For example, the displacement of an electric compressor may have to increase from 30+ cubic centimeter (cc) to 40+ cc or even 50+ cc. The rest components in the system, such as chiller, condenser, and air conditioning (AC) lines, all need to be upsized accordingly. This not only causes significant development and validation efforts, but introduces a system that is generally oversized for the vast majority of use cases. The new system may suffer from packaging constraint, as well as reduced efficiency (hence range loss) due to degraded efficiency of larger compressor and increased system pressure drop. On the other hand, in cold winter months, fast charging may be slowed if the battery temperature is too low. This requires batteries to be heated to enable a sufficient charging rate, taxing the heating system of a vehicle. In extremely cold regions (below −20 degrees C.), enhanced battery heating and shortened charging times are especially desired. 
     The present background is provided only as illustrative context for the application of the principles of the present disclosure and is not intended to be limiting. It will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the principles of the present disclosure may be applied in other contexts equally. 
     SUMMARY 
     To address the aforementioned challenges, the present disclosure provides a charging station assembly capable of generating and delivering a conditioned airflow while charging a battery of a vehicle. The temperature and flow rate of this conditioned airflow may be controlled based on the ambient conditions and battery status. The conditioned airflow may be directed toward an outside heat exchanger of a refrigerant system of the vehicle to enhance capacity. In particular, if the vehicle is equipped with a certain heat pump system, both cooling capacity and heating capacity can be significantly improved through assistance from the external conditioned airflow across the outside heat exchanger. The conditioned airflow may also be routed to the battery pack for direct cooling or heating through additional ventilation system. In hot ambient conditions, the charging station provides cool air to facilitate battery cooling. In cold ambient conditions, the charging station provides hot air to facilitate battery heating. The concept is to shift the load from the vehicle refrigerant system to the charging system, thereby improving battery thermal management capability, while eliminating the need for an oversized refrigerant system. 
     In one illustrative embodiment, the present disclosure provides a charging station assembly comprising a charging assembly to charge a battery of a vehicle and a climate control assembly to generate a conditioned airflow. The climate control assembly may be integrated with the charging assembly or stand alone as a separate part when integration becomes inconvenient, for example, due to space limitation of the charging assembly, or costly due to interruption on the existing charging assembly design. 
     In another illustrative embodiment of the charging station assembly, the climate control assembly comprises a remote station generating the conditioned airflow and a fluid transport system delivering the conditioned airflow from the remote station to the vehicle. 
     In still another illustrative embodiment of the charging station assembly, the climate control assembly comprises a remote station generating a conditioned coolant flow, a coolant-to-air heat exchanger, a fan assembly coupled to the coolant-to-air heat exchanger, and a fluid transport system delivering the conditioned coolant flow from the remote station to the coolant-to-air heat exchanger. 
     In yet another illustrative embodiment of the charging station assembly, the climate control assembly comprises a local refrigerant unit generating the conditioned airflow. 
     In another illustrative embodiment of the charging station assembly, the conditioned airflow is directed toward an outside heat exchanger of a refrigerant system of the vehicle. 
     In still another illustrative embodiment of the charging station assembly, the conditioned airflow is routed to a battery pack of the vehicle for direct cooling or heating through additional ventilation system. 
     In another illustrative embodiment, the charging station assembly further comprises a control unit operable for controlling a temperature and flow rate of the conditioned airflow. 
     In still another illustrative embodiment, the charging station assembly further comprises a sensor assembly measuring an ambient temperature and conditioned airflow temperature. 
     In another illustrative embodiment of the charging station assembly, the control unit controls the temperature and flow rate of the conditioned airflow responsive to at least an ambient temperature. 
     In yet another illustrative embodiment, the charging station assembly further comprises a data transmittal device reading signals from the vehicle on at least battery pack temperature. 
     In still yet another illustrative embodiment of the charging station assembly, the control unit controls the temperature and flow rate of the conditioned airflow responsive to at least an ambient temperature and battery pack temperature. 
     In another illustrative embodiment, the present disclosure provides a charging method comprising charging a battery of a vehicle using a charging assembly, generating a conditioned airflow from a climate control assembly, and delivering the conditioned airflow to the vehicle. 
     In still another illustrative embodiment of the charging method, the climate control assembly comprises a remote station generating the conditioned airflow and a fluid transport system delivering the conditioned airflow from the remote station to the vehicle. 
     In yet another illustrative embodiment of the charging method, the climate control assembly comprises a remote station generating a conditioned coolant flow, a coolant-to-air heat exchanger, a fan assembly coupled to the coolant-to-air heat exchanger, and a fluid transport system delivering the conditioned coolant flow from the remote station to the coolant-to-air heat exchanger. 
     In still yet another illustrative embodiment of the charging method, the climate control assembly comprises a local refrigerant unit generating the conditioned airflow. 
     In another illustrative embodiment, the charging method further comprises controlling a temperature and flow rate of the conditioned airflow using a control unit. 
     In still another illustrative embodiment, the charging method further comprises measuring an ambient temperature and conditioned airflow temperature using a sensor assembly. 
     In still yet another illustrative embodiment, the charging method further comprises controlling the temperature and flow rate of the conditioned airflow responsive to at least an ambient temperature. 
     In yet another illustrative embodiment, the charging method further comprises reading signals from the vehicle on at least battery pack temperature using a data transmittal device. 
     In still another illustrative embodiment, the charging method further comprises controlling the temperature and flow rate of the conditioned airflow responsive to at least an ambient temperature and battery pack temperature. 
     In the following description, there are shown and described embodiments of a charging station assembly and related charging methods. As it should be realized, the assembly and methods are capable of other, different embodiments and their several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the charging station assembly and charging methods as set forth and described in the following claims. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure is illustrated and described herein with reference to the various drawings, in which like reference numbers are used to denote like assembly components/method steps, as appropriate, and in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram of one illustrative embodiment of the vehicle charging station assembly of the present disclosure, utilizing a remote airflow station; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram of another illustrative embodiment of the vehicle charging station assembly of the present disclosure, utilizing a remote coolant flow station and a coolant-to-air heat exchanger; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a further illustrative embodiment of the vehicle charging station assembly of the present disclosure, utilizing a local refrigerant unit; 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram illustrating the mechanism for enhanced cooling capacity in hot ambient conditions using the cold airflow of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic diagram illustrating the mechanism for enhanced heating capacity in cold ambient conditions using the hot airflow of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is a schematic diagram of coolant-side circuit of an illustrative heat pump system, the operation of which is enhanced by the hot airflow of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  7    is a schematic diagram of conditioned airflow routed to the battery module of a vehicle, representing another illustrative embodiment of the vehicle charging station assembly of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure provides a charging station assembly capable of generating and delivering a conditioned airflow while charging a battery of a vehicle. The temperature and flow rate of this conditioned airflow may be controlled based on the ambient conditions and battery status. The conditioned airflow may be directed toward an outside heat exchanger of a refrigerant system of the vehicle to enhance capacity. In particular, if the vehicle is equipped with a certain heat pump system, both cooling capacity and heating capacity can be significantly improved through assistance from the external conditioned airflow across the outside heat exchanger. The conditioned airflow may also be routed to the battery pack for direct cooling or heating through additional ventilation system. In hot ambient conditions, the charging station provides cool air to facilitate battery cooling. In cold ambient conditions, the charging station provides hot air to facilitate battery heating. The concept is to shift the load from the vehicle refrigerant system to the charging system, thereby improving battery thermal management capacity, while eliminating the need for an oversized refrigerant system. 
       FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram of one illustrative embodiment of the vehicle charging station assembly  10  of the present disclosure, utilizing a remote airflow station  12 . The charging station assembly  10  comprises a charging assembly  19  and a climate control assembly  29 . The charging assembly  19  includes a control console  14  operable for directing standard and/or fast charging operations to a vehicle to be charged (not drawn). For conventional wired charging, a cord and charge coupler plug (not drawn) are also attached to the vehicle. Optionally, the control console  14  may include a wired or wireless communications module  22  operable for receiving vehicle/battery information from the vehicle itself, or from the cloud, on a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) basis. The climate control assembly  29  may include a remote airflow station  12  that supplies a conditioned airflow, a duct system  18  to transport the conditioned airflow from the remote station  12  to the vehicle, an airflow vent  16 , and a baffle door  24 . Optionally, the climate control assembly may also be equipped with a sensor assembly  21  that includes at least a first temperature sensor  23  measuring the ambient temperature and a second temperature sensor  25  measuring the conditioned airflow temperature. 
     Here, the conditioned airflow is delivered from the remote airflow station  12  via the duct system  18 , similar to a central heating/AC system used in a dwelling or building. Preferably, the duct system  18  is well insulated to minimize thermal losses during transport. Temperature and flow rate of the airflow out of the vent  16  may be manually controlled by a user from the control console  14 . The remote station  12  adjusts cooling or heating power on the airflow and fan speed accordingly in response to the user request. Alternatively, the remote station  12  can be automatically controlled via an embedded algorithm based upon at least an ambient temperature read from the first sensor  23 . Note that although the charging assembly  19  and the climate control assembly  29  are depicted as integral in  FIG.  1   , the two assemblies may stand alone as separate parts. 
       FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram of another illustrative embodiment of the vehicle charging station assembly  10  of the present disclosure, utilizing a remote coolant flow station  26  and a coolant-to-air heat exchanger  28 . The charging station assembly  10  comprises a charging assembly  19  and a climate control assembly  29 . Comparing to the embodiment in  FIG.  1   , description on the charging assembly  19  is identical and will not be repeated here. The climate control assembly  29  now includes a remote coolant flow station  26  that supplies a conditioned coolant flow, a hose circuit  30  to transport the conditioned coolant flow from and back to the remote station  26 , a coolant-to-air heat exchanger  28 , a fan assembly  32 , an airflow vent  16 , and a baffle door  24 . Optionally, the climate control assembly  29  may also be equipped with a sensor assembly  21  that includes at least a first temperature sensor  23  measuring the ambient temperature and a second temperature sensor  25  measuring the conditioned airflow temperature. 
     Similarly to the embodiment in  FIG.  1   , the hose circuit  30  is preferably insulated to minimize thermal losses during transport. Temperature and flow rate of the airflow out of the vent  16  may be manually controlled by a user from the control console  14 . The remote station  26  adjusts cooling or heating power on the coolant flow to change the coolant temperature into the coolant-to-air heat exchanger  28 . Speed of the coolant pump (not drawn) in the hose circuit  30  and speed of the fan assembly  32  are also adjusted accordingly in response to the user request. Alternatively, the remote station  12  and fan assembly  32  can be automatically controlled via an embedded algorithm based upon at least an ambient temperature read from the first sensor  23 . 
       FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a further illustrative embodiment of the vehicle charging station assembly  10  of the present disclosure, utilizing a local refrigerant unit  42 . Again, the charging station assembly  10  comprises a charging assembly  19  and a climate control assembly  29 . Comparing to the embodiment in  FIG.  1   , description on the charging assembly  19  is identical and will not be repeated here. The climate control assembly  29  now includes a local refrigerant unit  42  with integrated fan assembly (not drawn) that supplies a conditioned airflow, an airflow vent  16 , and a baffle door  24 . Optionally, the climate control assembly  29  may also be equipped with a sensor assembly  21  that includes at least a first temperature sensor  23  measuring the ambient temperature and a second temperature sensor  25  measuring the conditioned airflow temperature. Temperature and flow rate of the airflow out of the vent  16  may be controlled manually by a user from the control console  14 . The local refrigerant unit  42  adjusts cooling or heating power and fan speed accordingly in response to the user request. Alternatively, they can be controlled automatically via an embedded algorithm based upon at least an ambient temperature read from the first sensor  23 . 
       FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram illustrating the mechanism for enhanced cooling capacity in hot ambient conditions using the cold airflow of the present disclosure.  FIG.  4   a    shows a typical front-end module consisting of a condenser (or an outside heat exchanger, OHX, if the refrigerant system is a heat pump)  34 , a low-temperature radiator (LTR)  36 , and a fan assembly (not drawn).  FIG.  4   b    shows a pressure-enthalpy diagram for vapor compression cycle involving a compressor (COMP), a condenser (COND), an electronic expansion valve (EXV), and a chiller. As the external cold airflow blows across the condenser, the head pressure drops and the vapor compressor cycle is pushed downwards with enhanced cooling capacity from the chiller. Furthermore, the LTR  36  may provide additional heat rejection from the battery if the battery pack and LTR are thermally connected via a coolant circuit. Therefore part of the DCFC load is shifted away from the refrigerant system in the vehicle. This reduces, and potentially eliminates, fan load on the vehicle and overcomes the challenge in upsizing the refrigerant system. 
       FIG.  5    is a schematic diagram illustrating the mechanism for enhanced heating capacity in cold ambient conditions using the hot airflow of the present disclosure.  FIG.  5   a    shows a front-end module in a heat pump system consisting of an outside heat exchanger, OHX,  34 , a low-temperature radiator (LTR)  36 , and a fan assembly (not drawn).  FIG.  5   b    shows a pressure-enthalpy diagram for vapor compression cycle involving a compressor (COMP), a water-cooled condenser (WCC), an electronic expansion valve (EXV), and an OHX. As the external hot airflow blows across the OHX  34 , the low-side pressure increases, hence the refrigerant mass flow rate increases (due to higher density), and the vapor compressor cycle is pushed upwards with enhanced heating capacity from the WCC. 
       FIG.  6    is a schematic diagram of coolant-side circuit of an illustrative heat pump system, the operation of which is enhanced by the hot airflow of the present disclosure. The coolant circuit  40  consists of a four-way valve  41 , a water-cooled condenser (WCC)  42 , an optional positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater  44 , a heater loop pump  43 , a battery loop pump  45 , a battery pack  46 , a chiller  47 , a heater core  48 , and a degas bottle  49 . The four-way valve  41  is in a position to interconnect the heater loop and battery loop and allow the WCC  42  and battery pack  46  to be thermally communicated. As explained in  FIG.  5   , heating capacity from the WCC  42  is boosted by the external hot airflow across the OHX, thereby expediting the battery heating and improving the charging rate in cold ambient conditions. The optional PTC heater  44  can be activated to further enhance battery heating in extreme environment (e.g. below −20 degree Celsius). If cabin heating is requested simultaneously during charging process, the HVAC blower will be turned on to allow air to be heated via the heater core  48  and supplied to the cabin. In this case, high heating capacity is particularly appreciated. 
     Finally,  FIG.  7    is a schematic diagram of conditioned airflow routed to the battery module of a vehicle, representing another illustrative embodiment of the vehicle charging station assembly of the present disclosure. While liquid cooling appears to be mainstream technology nowadays in battery thermal management, air cooling is still being used due to low cost and easiness of implementation. Through an additional ventilation system that comprises at least a duct and blower assembly, the conditioned airflow generated by the charging assembly is routed to the battery module of a vehicle for direct cooling or heating. 
     The present disclosure is illustrated and described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments and specific examples thereof. It will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following non-limiting claims for all purposes.