Methods and devices for cranking a vehicle in cold ambient temperatures

Abstract

A control system (100-Fig.1) controls a vehicle charging system 200 that comprises an on-board charger (OBC 220) that is: electrically connectable to an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE 230); and configured to charge one or more electrical components of the vehicle in dependence on an initiation of a charging process operable on receipt of a low-voltage (LV) power supply. The control system comprises one or more processors (120-Fig.1) collectively configured to: receive a battery condition signal (160-Fig.1) indicative of a condition (e.g., state-of-charge (SOC), power output) of a LV battery 240; determine, in dependence on the battery condition signal, that the condition of the LV battery is less than a threshold condition; and, in dependence on the determination, output a control signal to control an auxiliary system 222 (e.g. AC-DC flyback converter) of the OBC to source the LV power supply from the EVSE to initiate the charging process. The threshold condition may comprise: a threshold SOC corresponding to a SOC required to initiate the charging process; and / or a threshold power output corresponding to a power output of the LV battery required to initiate the charging process.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to methods and devices for cranking a vehicle in cold ambient temperatures. Aspects of the invention relate to a control system for controlling a charging system of a vehicle, to a charging system, to a vehicle and to a method for controlling a charging system of a vehicle. BACKGROUND It is known to provide on-board chargers to electric vehicles such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles. The on-board chargers may be used to receive electrical power from electric vehicle supply equipment such as electric vehicle chargers, and to charge one or more electrical components using the received electrical power (such as a battery of the electric vehicle). The on-board charger may itself require an electrical power supply to operate to then be used to charge the electric vehicle components. Some electric vehicles are provided with low voltage batteries to power the on-board charger’s charging operations, as well as other vehicle functions. However, when an ambient temperature around the vehicle is low, the state of charge or power output of the low voltage batteries is reduced. This may interfere with the operation of the onboard charger and prevent charging of the electric vehicle when temperatures are low. Typically, this situation may be remedied using an external battery to jump-start the electric vehicle. However, this is not always possible. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a control system for controlling a charging system of a vehicle, to a charging system, to a vehicle and to a method for controlling a charging system of a vehicle as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a control system for controlling a charging system of a vehicle. The control system is configured to determine to activate an auxiliary system of the charging system to provide an electrical power supply when a low voltage power supply is not operational. The auxiliary system is configured to source the electrical power supply from an, electric vehicle supply equipment, and to provide the electrical power supply to initiate a charging process of an on-board charger of a vehicle. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a control system for controlling a charging system of a vehicle, the charging system comprising an on-board charger electrically connectable to an electric vehicle supply equipment, and configured to charge one or more electrical components of the vehicle in dependence on an initiation of a charging process operable on receipt of a low voltage power supply, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to: receive a battery condition signal indicative of a condition of a low voltage battery; determine, in dependence on the battery condition signal, that the condition of the low voltage battery is less than a threshold condition; and output, in dependence on the determination, a control signal to control an auxiliary system of the on-board charger to source the low voltage power supply from the electric vehicle supply equipment to initiate the charging process. The control system can use the auxiliary system to provide power from the electric vehicle supply equipment to initiate the charging process when the vehicle low voltage battery isn’t able to. Thus, the vehicle can be charged even when the low voltage battery is not operational. Electric vehicle supply equipment may include, but is not limited to, chargers, charging stations, generators or other means of electrical supply for an electric vehicle. In some examples, the control system comprises one or more controllers collectively comprising at least one electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving an input signal; and at least one memory device electrically coupled to the at least one electronic processor and having instructions stored therein; and wherein the at least one electronic processor is configured to access the at least one memory device and execute the instructions thereon so as to: receive a battery condition signal indicative of a condition of a low voltage battery; determine, in dependence on the battery condition signal, that the condition of the low voltage battery is less than a threshold condition; and output, in dependence on the determination, a control signal to control an auxiliary system of the on-board charger to source the low voltage power supply from the electric vehicle supply equipment to initiate the charging process. In some examples, the one or more processors are collectively configured to determine that the condition of the low voltage battery is greaterthan the threshold condition; and output, in dependence on the determination, a control signal to control the low voltage battery to provide the low voltage power supply to initiate the charging process. In some examples, the electric vehicle supply equipment outputs a high voltage power supply. In some examples, the electric vehicle supply equipment outputs a high voltage AC power supply. In some examples, to source the low voltage power supply from the electric vehicle supply equipment, the auxiliary system is configured to receive electrical power from the electric vehicle supply equipment, to convert the electrical power from AC to DC, and to output the converted electrical power to the on-board charger. In some examples, the OBC may be configured to transform the power supplied by the electric vehicle supply equipment from a first voltage to a second voltage. In some examples, the auxiliary system comprises a flyback convertor. In some examples, the flyback convertor is an AC-DC flyback convertor. Advantageously, the use of a flyback convertor reduces a weight and / or size requirement compared to other implementations. In some examples, the condition comprises a state of charge of the low voltage battery; and the threshold condition comprises a threshold state of charge corresponding to a state of charge required to initiate the charging process. Advantageously, the charging process can be initiated when the low voltage battery has a low state of charge or is flat. In some examples, the condition comprises a power output of the low voltage battery; and the threshold condition comprises a threshold power output corresponding to a power output of the low voltage battery required to initiate the charging process. Advantageously, the charging process can be initiated when power output of the low voltage battery is low. In some examples, the one or more processors are collectively configured to receive a connection signal indicative of a connection of the on-board charger to the electric vehicle supply equipment, and to output the control signal further in dependence on the received connection signal. In some examples, the one or more processors are collectively configured to execute a handshake protocol with the electric vehicle supply equipment in dependence on the connection signal, and to output the control signal further in dependence on completion of the handshake protocol. In some examples, the handshake protocol comprises exchanging one or more of a proximity pilot or control pilot signal with the electric vehicle supply equipment. In some examples, the control system comprises a battery chip configured to output electrical power corresponding to a power requirement to operate the handshake protocol and to transmit the control signal to the auxiliary system of the on-board charger. Advantageously, the on-board battery chip is able to power the handshake protocol and initiate the charging process even when the low voltage battery is completely flat. In some examples, the battery chip is configured to output the electrical power in dependence on the condition of the low voltage battery being less than a second threshold condition, wherein the second threshold condition is less than the first threshold condition. Advantageously, the on-board battery chip is only used when necessary and thus can have a reduced size and / or capacity. In some examples, the second threshold condition is one or more of a threshold state of charge or a threshold power output corresponding to a state of charge or power output to perform the handshake protocol. Advantageously, the battery chip can have a small size and capacity suitable for powering low requirement processes. In some examples, the one or more processors are collectively configured to determine, in dependence on the battery condition signal, that the condition of the low voltage battery is greater than the threshold condition; and in dependence on the determination, output a second control signal to disable the auxiliary system and to source the low voltage power supply from the low voltage battery. Advantageously, the present invention provides multiple ways in which to initiate the OBC charging process. In some examples, the low voltage battery comprises a 12V battery, and the electric vehicle supply equipment is configured to output 230V electrical power. In some examples, the electric vehicle supply equipment is configured to output single phase, three phase or split phase AC current. Advantageously, the present invention is operable with existing electric vehicle supply equipment and power grids. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging system comprising: the control system according to any preceding statement; the on-board charger; and the low voltage battery. In some examples, the on-board charger is configured to initiate the charging process using a low voltage power supply supplied by one of the low voltage battery or the auxiliary system. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising the control system or the charging system of any preceding statement. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a charging system of a vehicle, the charging system comprising an on-board charger electrically connectable to an electric vehicle supply equipment, and configured to charge one or more electrical components of the vehicle in dependence on an initiation of a charging process operable on receipt of a low voltage power supply, the method comprising: receiving a battery condition signal indicative of a condition of a low voltage battery; determining, in dependence on the battery condition signal, that the condition of the low voltage battery is less than a threshold condition; and outputting, in dependence on the determination, a control signal to control an auxiliary system of the on-board charger to source the low voltage power supply from the electric vehicle supply equipment to initiate the charging process. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, are arranged to perform a method according to any preceding statement. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in anyway and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a block diagram illustrating a control system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a block diagram illustrating a charging system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 shows a block diagram illustrating an auxiliary charging structure of the charging system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figures 4 and 5 show flow charts illustrating methods in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 6 shows a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present disclosure relates to a control system for controlling a charging system of a vehicle, to a charging system, to a vehicle and to a method for controlling a charging system of a vehicle. The control system is provided to control the charging system of the vehicle to source a low voltage power supply to initiate a charging process of an on-board charger (OBC) of the vehicle. The OBC may be configured to charge one or more electrical components of the vehicle (such as a high voltage battery) in dependence on initiation of the charging process operable on receipt of the low voltage power supply. Once the charging process is initiated, the OBC may receive electrical power from an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), or a charging station, and provide the received electrical power to charge the one or more electrical components of the vehicle. It is known to provide a low voltage battery to provide the low voltage power supply to operate the charging process. However, in conventional systems, when the low voltage battery is unable to provide the low voltage power supply, the charging process cannot be initiated and the vehicle systems cannot be charged. The EVSE typically provides high voltage alternating current which cannot be used directly by conventional OBCs to initiate and / or perform the charging process. The conventional OBC is configured to only receive the high voltage power supply once the charging process has been initiated using the low voltage power supply. The present invention provides a charging system including an auxiliary system wherein the auxiliary system can source the low voltage power supply from the EVSE. The present invention also provides a control system for controlling the charging system to activate the auxiliary system to source the low voltage power supply from the EVSE. It should be understood that where reference is made to supplying electrical power for “initiating” the charging process, this may mean that electrical power is required to operate one or more initial stages of the charging process, such as charging authentication, charging authorization, handshake protocols or the generation and / or transmission of control signals to / from the OBC. In some examples, the charging system may operate in part using electrical power received from the low voltage battery as in the conventional systems, for example to provide electrical power to a converter or a transformer of the OBC. That is, the present invention, and particularly the auxiliary system of the OBC, may be configured for supplying the electrical power to initiate the charging process (e.g., an auxiliary system of the OBC), and may be de-activated once the charging process 5 has begun and electrical power is being provided from the EVSE to one or more electrical components of the vehicle. In another example, the charging system may utilise power received from the EVSE via the auxiliary system of the present invention to operate the charging process for longer, or until the low voltage battery is able to take over operation of the charging process. In other words, supplying electrical power for “initiating the charging process” should be understood as meaning supplying electrical power to perform at least one or more initial actions of the charging process, but also as supplying electrical power to perform the charging process at least until a low voltage battery or low voltage power supply of the vehicle is able to supply the electrical power. The present invention therefore provides a charging system including an alternative power supply for the low voltage power supply of the OBC using high voltage power received from the EVSE. Various examples of the present invention are described below and include methods and means for determining when to activate the auxiliary system, how to convert the electrical power supplied by the EVSE and to provide the converted electrical power to initiate the charging process, and further how to operate a handshake protocol when the low voltage battery is unable to output sufficient low voltage power supply to operate the handshake protocol. Advantageously, the present invention provides a way to initiate the charging process and thus charge the vehicle when the low voltage battery is unable to output sufficient power to initiate and / or perform the charging process. This is particularly beneficial in cold environments where the state of charge and / or power output of the low voltage battery may be reduced due to the temperature. A control system for controlling a charging system of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying Figure 1. As shown in Figure 5, the control system and the charging system may be installed in a vehicle 600. A control system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying Figure 1 and a charging system 200 of a vehicle 600 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to accompanying Figures 2 and 3. As shown in Figure 6, the control system 100 and / or the charging system 200 can be installed in the vehicle 600. With reference to Figure 1, there is illustrated a control system 100 for controlling a charging system 200, such as the charging system 200 shown in Figure 2, which is described in detail below. The control system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1 comprises one controller 110, although it will be appreciated that this is merely illustrative. The controller 110 comprises processing means 120 and memory means 130. The processing means 120 may be one or more electronic processing device 120 which operably executes computer-readable instructions. The memory means 130 may be one or more memory devices 130. The memory means 130 is electrically coupled to the processing means 120. The memory means 130 is configured to store instructions, and the processing means 120 is configured to access the memory means 130 and execute the instructions stored thereon. The controller 110 comprises an input means 140 and an output means 150. The input means 140 may comprise an electrical input of the controller 110. The output means 150 may comprise an electrical output of the controller 110 and may be configured to output a control signal 170 under the control of the processing means 120. The input means 140 is arranged to receive one or more input signals. The input means 140 is arranged to receive at least a battery condition signal 160 indicative of a condition of a low voltage battery of the vehicle 600. The battery condition signal 160 may be indicative of a state of charge and / or a power output of the low voltage battery. The state of charge comprises a remaining charge of the battery corresponding to power available to be output by the low voltage battery. The power output of the low voltage battery comprises a maximum power output of the low voltage battery. It should be understood that the state of charge and the power output of the low voltage battery may be affected by ambient temperature. The input means 140 may be further configured to receive a connection signal 162. The connection signal 162 is indicative of a connection of an on-board charger of the vehicle to an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) or charging station. For example, the connection signal 162 may be received in dependence on a completion of a handshake protocol between one or more vehicle systems such as the on-board charger, and the EVSE. In another example, the connection signal 162 may be understood to include the handshake protocol. The handshake protocol should be understood as the transmission and reception of one or more signals between the vehicle systems and the EVSE. The processing means 120 is configured to determine, in dependence on the battery condition signal 160, that the condition of the low voltage battery is less than a first threshold condition. In some examples, the first threshold condition comprises a first threshold state of charge and / or a first threshold power output. The first threshold state of charge and / or the first threshold power output respectively correspond to a state of charge and power output of the low voltage battery required to initiate and / or perform the charging process of the OBC. That is, the processing means 120 is configured to determine whether the low voltage battery is able to supply the low voltage power supply required to initiate and / or perform the charging process of the OBC. The processing means 120 is configured to control the output means 150 to output the control signal 170 in dependence on the determination that the condition of the low voltage battery is less than the first threshold condition. In some examples, the processing means 120 is also configured to determine whether the OBC is connected to the EVSE in dependence on the connection signal 162. The processing means 120 may further be configured to execute a handshake protocol with the EVSE in dependence on the connection signal, and to control the output means 150 to output the control signal 170 further in dependence on completion of the handshake protocol. In some examples, the handshake protocol involves transmission and / or reception of proximity pilot (PP) and / or control pilot (CP) signals, although it should be understood that the handshake protocol may include any suitable authorisation or authentication process involving communication between one or more component of the vehicle and the EVSE. The processing means 120 may also be configured to control a battery module (or battery chip) of the control system 100. The battery module may be an on-board battery chip of a controller including the control system 100. The battery module may comprise a small, low power battery configured to output sufficient electrical power to operate the handshake protocol and to transmit a command to the OBC to initiate the charging process. In some examples, the processing means 120 is configured to determine whether the condition of the low voltage battery is less than a second threshold condition. The second threshold condition may comprise one or more of a state of charge or a power output of the low voltage battery, and may be less than the first threshold condition. The second threshold condition may correspond to a state of charge or power output to perform the handshake protocol. In other words, the processing means 120 may determine whether the condition of the low voltage battery is sufficient to perform the handshake protocol. The processing means 120 may further determine to control the battery chip to supply low voltage powerto operate the handshake protocol in dependence on a determination that the condition of the low voltage battery is less than the second threshold condition. The processing means 120 may also be configured to determine, in dependence on the battery condition signal 160, that the condition of the low voltage battery is greater than the first and / or second threshold condition, and in dependence on the determination, to output a second control signal to disable the auxiliary system and to source the low voltage power supply from the low voltage battery. It should be understood that the battery condition signal 160 may be continuously received and thus the control system 100 and particularly the processing means 120 may be continuously informed of the condition of the low voltage battery, which should be understood to change with factors such as use of the low voltage battery, charging of the low voltage battery, and temperature. The output means 150 is arranged to output the control signal 170 to control an auxiliary system of the onboard charger to source low voltage power supply from the EVSE to initiate and / or perform the charging process. The control signal 170 may be configured to activate or de-activate the auxiliary system, and / or to control the auxiliary system to draw electrical power from the EVSE. The control signal 170 may further include information related to the power to be supplied to initiate and / or perform the charging process, such as a required voltage and / or current, and may control the auxiliary system to convert electrical power from the EVSE to the required voltage and / or current and to supply the converted electrical power to the OBC to initiate and / or perform the charging process. The output means 150 may further be configured to output a second control signal to control the auxiliary system of the OBC to stop supplying the low voltage power supply to the OBC. The second control signal may be output in dependence on a determination that the condition of the low voltage battery exceeds the first threshold condition, as discussed above. Figure 2 shows a charging system 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. The charging system 200 of Figure 2 may operate under the control of the control system 100 of Figure 1, or may be considered to comprise the control system 100 of Figure 1. The charging system 200 comprises a controller 210 optionally comprising a battery module 260, an on-board charger (OBC) 220 connectable to an EVSE 230, a low voltage battery 240, and one or more low voltage loads 250. The low voltage battery 240 is electrically connected to the low voltage load 250 and the OBC via one or more electrical lines 241,242. The OBC may comprise an auxiliary system 222 and a power input 224. The EVSE 230 may be electrically connected to a grid power source 270. It should be understood that although Figure 2 illustrates the EVSE 230, the EVSE 230 may be separate to the charging system 200. For example, the charging system 200 may be comprised by a vehicle (such as the vehicle 600 of Figure 6), and the EVSE 230 may comprise an external EVSE or charging station which can be electrically connected to the charging system 200. The controller 210 of the charging system 200 may comprise the charging system 100 of Figure 1. In one example, the controller 210 may also be referred to as a vehicle control unit (VCU). The controller 210 is electrically and communicatively coupled to the OBC 220, and may also be configured to communicate with the EVSE 230. As discussed above, the controller 210 is configured to receive a battery condition signal 160 indicative of a condition of the low voltage battery 240. The controller 210 is also configured to transmit control signals to the OBC 220. In the example of Figure 2, the controller 210 is able to communicate with the OBC 220 over a control area network (CAN) 212. In the example of Figure 2, two CAN 212 connections are illustrated, which may be understood as transmission and reception CAN signals. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it should be understood that the controller 210 may be communicatively coupled to the OBC 220 in a number of ways. The controller 210 in some examples is configured to communicate with the EVSE 230. In the example of Figure 2, two dashed lines illustrate signals 214 exchanged between the controller 210 and the EVSE 230. In one example, these signals 214 may comprise a control pilot (CP) and a proximity pilot (PP) signal, although it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. The exchange of communications between the controller 210 and the EVSE 230 may form part of a handshake protocol which is executed on connection of the OBC 220 to the EVSE 230 and used to establish, authorise or authenticate the connection prior to transmission of electrical power from the EVSE 230 to the OBC 220. In some examples, the controller 210 comprises an on-board battery module 260, which may otherwise be known as a battery chip. The battery module 260 comprises a battery of the controller 210 which is configured to power at least some of the operations of the controller 210. The controller 210 may be powered by the low power battery 240 and the battery module 260 may be provided as a back-up power source for particular functions of the controller 210. In some examples, the battery module 260 may be configured to output electrical power to operate the handshake protocol with the EVSE 230 by powering the transmission and reception of signals 214 with the EVSE 230, and also to transmit a control signal via the CAN 212 to the OBC 230 to initiate the charging process of the OBC 230, in situations where the low voltage battery 240 is not able to output electrical power to operate these processes. The battery module 260 may therefore have a small capacity and size, as it only needs to have sufficient output to power low demand operations, and may only be used if the low voltage battery 240 is unable to provide the necessary electrical power. The OBC 220 is configured to receive high voltage electrical power supply from the EVSE 230 via one or more power lines 234. The OBC 220 is configured to electrically charge one or more components of the vehicle. For example, the OBC 220 may be configured to provide electrical power to a high voltage battery of the vehicle. The high voltage battery may be a power supply used by the vehicle to power one or more torque systems of the vehicle to drive the vehicle. The OBC 220 may also provide electrical power to other electrical components of the vehicle. The OBC 220 may be configured to charge the one or more electrical components during a charging process. The charging process may require a low voltage electrical power supply in orderto perform one or more initial operations of the charging process. In normal operation, the low voltage electrical power supply may be provided by the low voltage battery 240. The OBC 220 may comprise a power input 224 configured to receive the low voltage power supply and to initiate and / or perform the charging process. The OBC 220 of the present invention comprises an auxiliary system 222. The auxiliary system 222 is configured to supply the low voltage power supply to initiate the charging process when the low voltage power supply cannot be provided by the low voltage battery 240. For example, the low voltage battery 240 may be unable to provide the low voltage power supply when the condition of the low voltage battery 240 is below a threshold condition. The condition and respective threshold condition of the low voltage battery 240 may comprise one or more of a state of charge or a power output of the low voltage battery 240. The auxiliary system 222 may be controlled by the controller 210 to operate only when needed. The auxiliary system 222 may be configured to receive high voltage power supply from the EVSE 230 and to convert the received high voltage power supply to the low voltage power supply to provide to initiate and / or perform the charging process of the OBC 230. In some examples, the auxiliary system 222 may be configured convert the electrical power from the EVSE 230 from AC to DC. In some examples, the auxiliary system 222 comprises a flyback convertor, such as an AC-DC flyback convertor. It should be understood that an AC-DC flyback may be configured to convert electrical energy from an AC supply to DC at a specified voltage and / or current. In some examples, the OBC 220 may further be configured to transform electrical power received from the EVSE 230 at a first voltage to a second voltage lower than the first voltage, and to output the transformed electrical power at the second voltage. The transformed electrical power may be used to supply one or more low voltage loads or to operate the OBC 220. For example, the OBC 220 may further comprise an AC-DC convertor such as a single-phase or multi-phase AC-DC convertor, a second flyback convertor, or may comprise one or more transformers. In some examples, the EVSE 230 may supply 230V AC which may be converted to 12V DC by the OBC 220, although it should be understood that this is an example only. As can be seen in Figure 2, the power input 224 of the OBC 220 may receive electrical power from the auxiliary system 222 or the low voltage battery 240 via electrical lines 241,242. It should be understood that the number of electrical lines 241, 242 shown in Figure 2 is purely illustrative and to provide an example, and may be different in other implementations. As has been discussed above, the controller 210 may determine whether to use the auxiliary system 222 to supply the low voltage power to initiate the charging process using the auxiliary system 222 or the low voltage battery 240, depending on the condition of the low voltage battery 240. In some examples, the OBC 220 may comprise an internal convertor or internal flyback configured to convert and supply electrical power to operate the OBC 220. In this example, the electrical power received via the auxiliary system 222 maybe provided to powerthe internal convertor or internal flyback, which may then power the OBC 220 to perform the charging process. The EVSE 230 may comprise any suitable type of electric vehicle supply equipment for providing electrical power to charge one or more electrical components of a vehicle. In some examples, the EVSE 230 is configured to provide high voltage electrical power. In one example, the high voltage electrical power is provided at 240V. The EVSE 230 may operate on any of single-phase, three-phase or split-phase input from a grid 270 power source. The EVSE 230 may comprise one or more switch 232 configured to electrically connect or disconnect the OBC 220 to the power supply. The EVSE 230 may be configured to output high voltage electrical power to the OBC 220 in dependence on the completion of the handshake protocol discussed above. The low voltage battery 240 is configured to store electrical energy and to output a low voltage power supply to the OBC 220 and / or to the low voltage load 250. The low voltage battery 240 is some examples is configured to provide electrical power at 12V. The low voltage battery 240 may comprise any suitable battery type, but in some examples comprises a lithium-ion battery. The low voltage battery 240 is electrically and communicatively coupled to the controller 210 and is configured to output the battery condition signal 160 to indicate its condition to the controller 210 or the control system 100. The low voltage load 250 comprises one or more electrical components of the vehicle which are operable on a low voltage power supply. The low voltage power supply is received from the low voltage battery 240. In some examples, the low voltage load 250 includes vehicle components related to electronic control units (ECU) and traction units, although it should be understood that many other electrical components may be considered as low voltage loads 250. As described above, in the charging system 200 of Figure 2, the controller 210 may determine to control the auxiliary system 222 of the OBC 220 to provide the low voltage power supply to initiate and / or perform the charging process using high voltage electrical power from the EVSE 230, in dependence on a condition of the low voltage battery 240. As such, the charging process of the OBC 220 can be initiated even when the low voltage battery 240 is not able to provide the low voltage power supply required for the charging process, for example due to low state of charge or power output. Further, in some examples, the handshake protocol and / or the determination to activate the auxiliary system 222 can be operated using electrical power supplied by a battery module 260 of the controller 210 itself, in which examples the charging process can be initiated even when the low voltage battery 240 is entirely depleted. It should be understood that once the charging process is initiated, the low voltage battery 240 may be recharged, and the auxiliary system 222 may be de-activated by the controller 210. It should be understood that one or more components shown in Figure 2 may be omitted or a different arrangement to that exemplified in Figure 2 may be provided. For example, the battery module 260 of the controller 210 may be omitted in some examples. In other examples, the OBC 220 may comprise an internal controller configured to receive the battery condition signal 160 and to perform the operations described above as being of the controller 210. Figure 3 illustrates an example system architecture 300 for controlling the OBC 220 and more specifically the auxiliary system 222 of Figure 2. In Figure 3, the auxiliary system 310 is electrically connected between high voltage inputs from the EVSE 230 and the power input 370 of the OBC 220 via a diode 350 and a filter 360. The auxiliary system 310 is configured to receive a control signal 322 from an auxiliary processor 320 to enable or disable the auxiliary system 310. The low voltage battery 240 of Figure 2 is also connected to the power input 370 of the OBC 220 via a low voltage line 340 and the filter 360. The power input 370 of the OBC 220 is also configured to receive a wakeup signal 380 from the controller 210 of Figure 2. As can be seen in Figure 3, the power input 370 of the OBC 222 can be supplied by either the auxiliary system 310 or the low voltage battery line 340. The OBC 222 may be configured to initiate the charging process in dependence on receipt of the wakeup signal 380 from the controller 210 using electrical power received from the auxiliary system 310 or the low voltage battery line 340. The auxiliary system 310 may be controlled to provide the low voltage electrical power as discussed above in respect of Figures 1 and 2. In some examples, the auxiliary processor 320 comprises a module processor for the auxiliary system 222. In some examples, the auxiliary processor 320 comprises a module processor configured to output an “enable” or “disable” signal 322 to the auxiliary system 222 in dependence on a control signal received from the controller 210 of Figure 2, for example via a CAN communication. In some examples, the OBC 220, and particularly the power input 370, may comprise an internal convertor or internal flyback configured to convert and supply electrical power to operate the OBC 220. In this example, the electrical power received via the auxiliary system 310 may be provided to power the internal convertor or internal flyback, which may then power the OBC 220 to perform the charging process. It should be understood that some components shown in Figure 3 may be omitted or otherwise modified. For example, the diode 350 and the filter 360 may be provided to reduce noise in the system, but may be optional. Further, although various connections to ground are illustrated in Figure 3, it should be understood that these may differ in other implementations. Figure 4 illustrates a method 400 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 400 of Figure 4 may be implemented by the control system 100 of Figure 1 or the charging system 200 of Figure 2. In particular, the memory 130 may comprise computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor 120, perform the method 400 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 400 is a method for controlling a charging system of a vehicle. The charging system comprises an on-board charger (OBC) electrically connectable to an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and configured to charge one or more electrical components of the vehicle in dependence on an initiation of a charging process operable on receipt of a low voltage power supply. In one example, the charging system 200 may be the charging system 200 of Figure 2. The method 400 comprises receiving 410 a battery condition signal indicative of a condition of a low voltage battery 240. In some examples, the condition of the low voltage battery 240 comprises a state of charge and / or a power output of the low voltage battery 240. The method 400 further comprises determining 420, in dependence on the battery condition signal, that the condition of the low voltage battery 240 is less than a threshold condition. In some examples, the threshold condition comprises a threshold state of charge and / or a threshold power output of the low voltage battery 240. In an example, the threshold state of charge and / or a threshold power output respectively correspond to a state of charge and / or a power output required to initiate and / or perform a charging process of the OBC 220. The method 400 further comprises outputting 430, in dependence on the determination, a control signal to control an auxiliary system 222 of the on-board charger 220 to source the low voltage power supply from the EVSE 230 to initiate the charging process. In some examples, the control signal is configured to activate the auxiliary system 222 and control the auxiliary system 222 to receive electrical power from the EVSE 230 at a first voltage, to transform the electrical power to a second voltage lower than the first voltage, and to output the transformed electrical power at the second voltage to the OBC 220. It should be understood that the method 400 of Figure 4 may comprise further steps beyond those illustrated. For example, the method 400 may further comprise determining that the condition of the low voltage battery 240 exceeds the threshold condition and controlling the auxiliary system 222 to turn off. The method 400 may further comprise determining that the condition of the low voltage battery 240 is below a second threshold condition lower than the first threshold condition and controlling a battery module of the control system to power the auxiliary system 222 of the on-board charger 220. Figure 5 illustrates a method 500 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 500 of Figure 5 may be implemented by the control system 100 of Figure 1 or the charging system 200 of Figure 2. In particular, the memory 130 may comprise computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor 120, perform the method 500 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 500 of Figure 5 may be considered similar to the method 400 of Figure 4, but comprises additional steps not included in the method 400 of Figure 4. The method 500 of Figure 5 comprises receiving 510 a connection signal indicative of a connection of the onboard charger 220 to the EVSE 230. The connection signal may be received in response to a socket or connector of the OBC 220 being physically connected to a socket or a connector of the EVSE 230. For example, a user may plug in a charging cable of the EVSE 230 to a correspondingly shaped socket on OBC 220 the vehicle. The connection signal may indicate that the physical connection has been made. The method 500 comprises receiving 520 the battery condition signal and determining whether the condition of a low voltage battery 240 is less than a first and / or second threshold condition. This step of the method 500 of Figure 5 may be the same as described above. In dependence on the condition of the low voltage battery 240 being less than the first threshold condition, it may be determined that the auxiliary system 222 is to be used to supply the low voltage power supply required to initiate and / or perform the charging process of the OBC 220 from the EVSE 230 rather than the low voltage battery 240. In dependence on the condition of the low voltage battery 240 being less than the second threshold condition, it may be determined that a battery module 260 of the controller 210 is to be used to power one or more handshake protocols or to power transmission of control signals to the auxiliary system 222. One or more control signals may be generated and transmitted based on these determinations, as has been described above. The method 500 comprises performing 530 a handshake protocol in dependence on the connection signal and the condition of the low voltage battery 240. The handshake protocol may comprise any transmission and / or reception of communication signals between the controller 210 and the EVSE 230. In one example, the handshake protocol comprises exchange of a proximity pilot (PP) and a control pilot (PP) signals. The handshake protocol may be used to authenticate or authorise the connection of the OBC 220 and the EVSE 230 prior to the EVSE 230 transmitting power to the OBC 220. In dependence on the condition of the low voltage battery 240 and the second threshold condition, the handshake protocol may be powered by either the low voltage battery 240 or the battery module 260 of the controller 210. The method 500 comprises determining 540 to use the auxiliary system 222 to initiate the charging process of the OBC 220. The determination may be made in dependence on determining that the handshake protocol is complete and that the condition of the low voltage battery 240 is less than the first and / or second threshold condition. The method 500 comprises outputting 550 one or more control signals to the auxiliary system 222 to source the low voltage power supply from the EVSE 230 to initiate the charging process. The generation and / or transmission ofthe control signals may be powered by the low voltage battery 240 or the battery module 260 of the controller 210 in dependence on the condition of the low voltage battery 240 and the second threshold condition. The one or more control signals may control the auxiliary system 222 to activate and to source high voltage electrical power from the EVSE 230, and to transform the high voltage electrical power to the low voltage electrical power supply required to initiate and / or perform the charging process ofthe OBC 220. Figure 6 illustrates a vehicle 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 600 comprises a control system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1 and / or a charging system 200 as illustrated in Figure 2 (although it should be understood that at least the EVSE 230 of Figure 2 may be omitted and may be external to the vehicle 600). The vehicle 600 may be an electric vehicle having one or more electrical components such as a high voltage battery which may be charged by the EVSE 230 and the charging process ofthe OBC 220. The vehicle may comprise an electric motor configured to drive the vehicle 600. The vehicle 600 may be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or a battery electric vehicle (BEV). It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a charging system of a vehicle , the charging system comprising an on-board charger electrically connectable to an electric vehicle supply equipment, and configured to charge one or more electrical components of the vehicle in dependence on an initiation of a charging process operable on receipt of a low voltage power supply, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to:receive a battery condition signal indicative of a condition of a low voltage battery ;determine, in dependence on the battery condition signal, that the condition of the low voltage battery is less than a threshold condition; andoutput, in dependence on the determination, a control signal to control an auxiliary system of the on-board charger to source the low voltage power supply from the electric vehicle supply equipment to initiate the charging process.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein to source the low voltage power supply from the electric vehicle supply equipment, the auxiliary system is configured to convert electrical power from the electric vehicle supply equipment from AC to DC, and to output the converted electrical powerto the on-board charger.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the auxiliary system comprises a flyback convertor.

4. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the condition comprises a state of charge of thelow voltage battery ; andwherein the threshold condition comprises a threshold state of charge corresponding to a state of charge required to initiate the charging process.

5. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the condition comprises a power output of the low voltage battery; andwherein the threshold condition comprises a threshold power output corresponding to a power output of the low voltage battery required to initiate the charging process.

6. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to receive a connection signal indicative of a connection of the on-board charger to the electric vehicle supply equipment, and to output the control signal further in dependence on the received connection signal.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to execute a handshake protocol with the electric vehicle supply equipment in dependence on the connection signal, and to output the control signal further in dependence on completion of the handshake protocol.

8. The control system of any of claims 6 to 7, wherein the control system comprises a battery chip configured to output electrical power corresponding to a power requirement to operate the handshake protocol and to transmit the control signal to the auxiliary system of the on-board charger.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the battery chip is configured to output the electrical power in dependence on the condition of the low voltage battery being less than a second threshold condition, wherein the second threshold condition is less than the first threshold condition.

10. The control system of claim 9, wherein the second threshold condition is one or more of a threshold state of charge or a threshold power output corresponding to a state of charge or power output to perform the handshake protocol.

11. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more processors are collectively configured to determine, in dependence on the battery condition signal, that the condition of the low voltage battery is greater than the threshold condition; andin dependence on the determination, output a second control signal to disable the auxiliary system and to source the low voltage power supply from the low voltage battery.

12. A charging system comprising:the control system according to any preceding claim;the on-board charger; andthe low voltage battery.

13. The charging system of claim 12, wherein the on-board charger is configured to initiate the charging process using a low voltage power supply supplied by one of the low voltage battery or the auxiliary system.

14. A vehicle comprising the control system of any of claims 1 to 11 or the charging system of any of claims 12 to 13.

15. A method for controlling a charging system of a vehicle , the charging system comprising an onboard charger electrically connectable to an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, electric vehicle supply equipment, and configured to charge one or more electrical components of the vehicle in dependence on an initiation of a charging process operable on receipt of a low voltage power supply, the method comprising:receiving a battery condition signal indicative of a condition of a low voltage battery ;determining , in dependence on the battery condition signal , that the condition of the low voltage battery is less than a threshold condition; andoutputting , in dependence on the determination, a control signal to control an auxiliary system of the on-board charger to source the low voltage power supply from the electric vehicle supply equipment to initiate the charging process.Application No: GB2407016.1Examiner: Contract Unit ExaminerClaims searched: 1-15Date of search: 3 April 2025Patents Act 1977: Search Report under Section 17Documents considered to be relevant:Category Relevant to claims Identity of document and passage or figure of particular relevance X 1-15 US 2021 / 252990 Al (WANG) Paragraphs 100141-| 00161. [0020]-[0024], 10026]-[0041 ]. [0043], [0046]; figures 1, 2, 3A, 4, 6. X 1-15 US 2015 / 306973 Al (GUNNERUD et al) Paragraphs [0029]-[0031], [0037], [0038]; figure 1. X 1-15 EP 2113410 Al (TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK) Paragraphs [0006]-[0008], [0011], [0012], [0029]-[0031], [0034], [0049], [0050], [0067]-[0077]; figures 1, 2. v A 1-15 US 2023 / 352964 Al (JUNG et al) Paragraphs [0039]-[0046], [0050], [0051], [0063]-[0077], [0092]-[0099]; figures 1, 3, 6. X 1-15 US 2016 / 137149 Al (KAMACHI) Paragraphs [0026]-[0045], [0056]-[0067]; figures 1, 2, 4. A - US 2013 / 119755 Al (KLESYK) Paragraphs [0036]-[0042]; figure 2. A - EP 2631105 Bl (TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK) Paragraphs [0064], [0066]-[0068]; figures 1, 4. A - US 11904723 Bl (VIJ) Column 7, lines 31-44; column 10, lines 48-63; figures 2, 3.Categories:X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step A Document indicating technological background and / or state of the art. Y Document indicating lack of inventive step if P Document published on or after the declared priority date but combined with one or more other documents of same category. before the filing date of this invention. & Member of the same patent family J7 Patent document published on or after, but with priority date earlier than, the filing date of this application.Field of Search:Search of GB. EP, WO &US patent documents classified in the following areas of the UKCX :Worldwide search of patent documents classified in the following areas of the IPC____________B60L_____________________________________________________The following online and other databases have been used in the preparation of this search reportInternational Classification:Subclass Subgroup Valid From B60L 0053 / 22 01 / 01 / 2019 B60L 0001 / 00 01 / 01 / 2006 B60L 0053 / 20 01 / 01 / 2019 B60L 0053 / 66 01 / 01 / 2019 B60L 0058 / 12 01 / 01 / 2019

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