Control module applied to high-power charging of electric automobile

Abstract

The utility model discloses a control module applied to high-power charging of an electric automobile, which relates to the technical field of electric automobile charging and comprises a communication unit, a liquid cooling acquisition unit and a central processing unit. Wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit and receive or process data with the charging pile, the charging gun and the liquid cooling module; the liquid cooling acquisition unit is configured to be used for acquiring working condition information of the liquid cooling module in real time; the central processing unit is configured to generate a control instruction related to controlling the liquid cooling module to correct the terminal temperature of the charging gun to a preset temperature based on the working condition information, and the central processing unit sends the control instruction to the liquid cooling module through the communication unit; the control module can adapt to the charging piles in different scenes, and an independently adaptive controller does not need to be designed according to field requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of electric vehicle charging, in particular to a control module used for high-power charging of electric vehicles. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the number of new energy vehicles in my country has continued to increase, and the new energy vehicle charging industry has ushered in rapid development. As an energy supply device for electric vehicles, the electric vehicle charging pile has its input end connected to the AC power grid and its output end is equipped with a charging gun for charging electric vehicles.

[0003] Reference Figure 1 The existing electric vehicle charging system mainly consists of a charging pile and a charging gun. The charging pile establishes a communication connection with the charging gun through the CAN bus, and the charging pile provides AC / DC power to the charging gun. A charging pile controller and a liquid cooling unit are set in the charging pile, and the charging pile controller and the liquid cooling unit are connected by the IO bus. In the scenario of high-power charging, the charging pile controller is used to control the liquid cooling unit to achieve cooling of the charging gun.

[0004] At present, charging pile manufacturers, charging gun manufacturers and liquid cooling unit manufacturers are three independent manufacturers. Generally, charging pile manufacturers select and integrate charging guns and liquid cooling units to obtain charging systems. Since charging pile manufacturers do not know the performance of charging guns and liquid cooling units very well, there is a possibility that the charging system is not optimally configured in terms of selection. Existing charging gun manufacturers obtain little charging operation data during the charging process of electric vehicles, making operation and maintenance difficult. Moreover, charging pile manufacturers need to control the liquid cooling unit and need to connect various control signal lines to meet various level requirements. Therefore, it is difficult for charging pile manufacturers to make the charging pile and charging gun stably compatible, which increases the design complexity of the charging pile.

[0005] In addition, the liquid cooling unit is selected and controlled by the charging pile, and the charging gun and the liquid cooling unit are in an electrically and control-isolated state. The liquid cooling unit is controlled by the charging pile, and generally adopts a relatively simple start-stop control. The liquid cooling unit cannot obtain the temperature information of the charging gun tip. From the control principle, it is impossible to accurately control the gun tip temperature. In order to ensure the safety of the charging process, the charging pile generally sets the cooling capacity of the liquid cooling unit to a higher level, which causes noise and energy waste. Utility Model Content

[0006] The utility model provides a control module applied to high-power charging of electric vehicles, which effectively solves the problems of noise and energy waste by directly controlling the liquid cooling module for precise temperature control, helps to extend the service life of the liquid cooling module, and saves energy and is environmentally friendly.

[0007] The utility model provides a control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles, including a communication unit, a liquid cooling collection unit and a central processing unit;

[0008] The communication unit is configured to send, receive and process data with the charging pile, the charging gun and the liquid cooling module;

[0009] The liquid cooling acquisition unit is configured to obtain working condition information of the liquid cooling module in real time;

[0010] The central processing unit is configured to generate a control instruction related to controlling the liquid cooling module to correct the terminal temperature of the charging gun to a preset temperature based on the operating condition information, and the central processing unit sends the control instruction to the liquid cooling module through the communication unit.

[0011] Optionally, the communication unit includes an RS 485 communication interface and two CAN communication interfaces, the RS 485 communication interface is used to communicate with the liquid cooling module, one of the CAN communication interfaces is used to communicate with the charging pile, and the other CAN communication interface is used to communicate with the charging gun.

[0012] Optionally, the communication unit further includes an RS 485 reserved interface, and the RS 485 reserved interface is used to establish a communication connection with the charging pile.

[0013] Optionally, the communication unit further includes an isolation switch quantity input interface, an isolation switch quantity output interface and a switch quantity output interface which are communicatively connected to the charging pile;

[0014] The isolating switch input interface is used to receive a charging start or stop instruction from the charging pile;

[0015] The isolation switch output interface and the switch output interface are used to receive the operation status information of the charging pile, and the operation status information includes normal operation, stop operation, fault and other status information.

[0016] Optionally, the communication unit also includes an electronic lock control interface that is communicatively connected to the charging gun.

[0017] Optionally, the liquid cooling collection unit includes a fan speed input interface, a water pump speed input interface, a water inlet pressure collection interface, a water outlet pressure collection interface, a liquid level collection input interface, and a flow collection input interface for communicating with the liquid cooling module.

[0018] Optionally, the communication unit also includes a fan speed output interface and a water pump speed output interface that are communicatively connected to the liquid cooling module.

[0019] Optionally, the liquid cooling acquisition unit further includes a liquid cooling temperature input interface for connecting to a liquid cooling module, and the liquid cooling temperature input interface is used to connect to a liquid cooling temperature sensor of the liquid cooling module.

[0020] Optionally, the liquid cooling acquisition unit also includes a data acquisition reserved interface for communicating with the liquid cooling module.

[0021] Optionally, the control module further includes a 4G communication unit, and the central processing unit establishes a communication connection with the cloud through the 4G communication unit; the central processing unit is further configured to upload the acquired working condition data of the charging pile, the charging gun and the liquid cooling module to the cloud, and generate a health temperature strategy algorithm in the cloud;

[0022] The central processing unit analyzes and processes the acquired operating condition data based on the health temperature strategy algorithm to obtain the temperature correction parameter of the liquid cooling module, and feeds back the temperature correction parameter to the liquid cooling module through the liquid cooling acquisition unit.

[0023] Optionally, the control module further includes an NFC communication unit, and the NFC communication unit is used for providing a Bluetooth communication connection between a mobile terminal of the maintenance personnel and the control module.

[0024] Optionally, the control module is a gateway controller.

[0025] Optionally, the gateway controller is used to form an integrated charging device with the charging gun and the charging pile, and the gateway controller and the liquid cooling module are both installed in the cabinet of the charging pile.

[0026] Optionally, the central processing unit includes a power supply interface, and the central processing unit is connected to the power supply of the charging pile through the power supply interface.

[0027] Optionally, the central processing unit is a MCU micro control unit.

[0028] The utility model provides a control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles, with beneficial effects:

[0029] 1. The gateway controller directly controls the liquid cooling module to achieve precise temperature control of the terminal operating temperature of the charging gun, instead of setting the cooling capacity of the liquid cooling module higher or lower in the original charging pile, which helps to avoid the liquid cooling module always working at the maximum heat dissipation power, effectively solves the problems of noise and energy waste, helps to extend the service life of the liquid cooling module, and saves energy and is environmentally friendly;

[0030] 2. The gateway controller has rich communication interfaces and a wide range of applications. It can adapt to more piles, guns, and cooling systems. It also helps to adapt to charging piles in different scenarios, without the need to design a separate controller based on on-site needs;

[0031] 3. The integrated device consisting of a charging gun, a gateway controller and a liquid cooling module does not require modification of the charging pile communication protocol, and the liquid cooling module control is completed by the gateway controller, which helps to reduce the design complexity and cost of the charging pile, achieves stable compatibility between the charging pile and the charging gun, helps to extend the service life of the charging equipment, and saves energy and is environmentally friendly;

[0032] 4. The gateway controller has an NFC connection function. The maintenance personnel's mobile terminal can quickly connect to the gateway controller via Bluetooth, making it convenient for maintenance personnel to read the gateway controller's error data and update the controller program, helping to ensure the convenience of on-site equipment troubleshooting and equipment upgrades.

[0033] It should be understood that the contents described in this section are not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present utility model, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present utility model. Other features of the present utility model will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0035] Figure 1 It is a structural block diagram showing the connection relationship between the charging gun, the charging pile, the charging pile controller and the liquid cooling module in the background technology;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a structural block diagram showing the connection relationship between the gateway controller and the charging gun and charging pile in this embodiment;

[0037] Figure 3 is a structural block diagram of the control module in this embodiment.

[0038] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a partial wiring structure between the control module, the charging pile and the liquid cooling module in this embodiment.

[0039] Figure 5 It is a structural block diagram of the specific interface of the control module in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the utility model, the technical solution in the embodiment of the utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiment of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiment is only a part of the embodiment of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiment of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0041] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the utility model and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the utility model described here can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0042] refer to Figure 2 A control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles. Specifically, the control module takes a gateway controller as an example. The gateway controller plays a bridging role. The gateway controller establishes communication connections with the charging pile, the charging gun and the liquid cooling module of the charging gun respectively. The gateway controller can obtain data information of the charging pile, the charging gun and the liquid cooling module in real time, and forward the communication data that needs to be transmitted between the charging pile and the charging gun.

[0043] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 ,The gateway controller specifically includes a communication unit, a liquid cooling acquisition unit and a central processing unit.

[0044] Refer to 4 and Figure 5 , wherein the central processing unit is specifically an MCU microcontroller unit, and a 24V power supply interface is provided on the central processing unit. A 24V independent power supply is provided inside the charging pile cabinet in this embodiment, and the 24V independent power supply is used to power the gateway controller and the liquid cooling module. Therefore, a 24V power supply interface is also provided on the liquid cooling module accordingly.

[0045] In addition, the power supply unit of the gateway controller in this embodiment adopts modular input to minimize EMC emission and impact on power supply equipment, and compatibility with 12V and 24V input is taken into consideration in the overall design.

[0046] Since there is a control circuit board inside the charging gun, it requires 12V power supply to operate normally. Therefore, a 12V power output port is set on the gateway controller to facilitate direct power supply to the charging gun.

[0047] The communication unit is configured to send, receive and process data with the charging pile, the charging gun and the liquid cooling module;

[0048] The liquid cooling acquisition unit is configured to monitor and obtain the working condition information of the liquid cooling module in real time.

[0049] The communication unit and the liquid cooling acquisition unit in this embodiment are both controlled by the central processing unit, and the central processing unit is further configured to generate control instructions related to controlling the liquid cooling module to correct the terminal temperature of the charging gun to a preset temperature based on the working condition information, and the central processing unit can send control instructions to the liquid cooling module through the communication unit. For example, the preset temperature is the normal working temperature of the charging gun terminal during the charging process, and the normal working temperature can be written in the program by the backend administrator of the charging system.

[0050] It should be noted that the gateway controller, charging gun and liquid cooling module in this embodiment constitute an integrated charging device, wherein the gateway controller and the liquid cooling module are used to be installed inside the charging pile. Before leaving the factory, the integrated device only needs to establish communication connections between the gateway controller and the charging pile, charging gun and liquid cooling module. In actual use, there is no need to modify the charging pile communication protocol to control the liquid cooling module, thus achieving stable compatibility between the charging pile and the charging gun, which helps to reduce the design complexity of the charging pile.

[0051] The liquid cooling module in the prior art is controlled by the charging pile, and generally adopts a relatively simple start-stop control, which cannot accurately control the various parameters of the liquid cooling module, and therefore cannot accurately control the temperature of the charging gun. In order to ensure the safety of the charging process, the charging pile generally sets the cooling capacity of the liquid cooling module to a higher or lower level. In this way, the entire liquid cooling module will always work at the maximum heat dissipation power. In the long run, it will not only cause noise and energy waste, but also cause the liquid cooling module to run at high load all year round, resulting in accelerated aging of the equipment. Therefore, the liquid cooling module is controlled by the gateway controller to accurately control the temperature of the charging gun, which effectively solves the problems of noise and energy waste of the liquid cooling module; and the integrated device consisting of the charging gun, gateway controller and liquid cooling module is adopted, which reduces the design complexity of the charging pile, realizes the stable compatibility between the charging pile and the charging gun, and helps to extend the service life of the charging equipment and save energy and protect the environment.

[0052] Reference Figure 4The communication unit includes multiple communication interfaces, two of which are CAN communication interfaces. The charging pile is connected to one of the CAN communication interfaces CAN BUS 1 through the CAN bus to realize the communication connection between the gateway controller and the charging pile; the charging gun is connected to another CAN communication interface CAN BUS2 through the CAN bus to realize the communication connection between the gateway controller and the charging gun. The setting of the two CAN communication interfaces enables the gateway controller to forward the CAN messages transmitted between the charging pile and the charging gun, realizing the transparent transmission of data between the charging pile and the charging pile.

[0053] The liquid cooling module is not produced by the manufacturers of traditional charging facilities, so most manufacturers of liquid cooling modules do not support CAN communication. Therefore, the RS 485 communication interface 485 BUS 1 is set on the gateway controller to connect to the liquid cooling module to achieve communication connection between the gateway controller and the liquid cooling module, so that the gateway controller can efficiently and accurately control the temperature of the liquid cooling module in the scenario of high-power charging pile charging.

[0054] In addition, the gateway controller also has a reserved RS 485 interface 485 BUS 2. The gateway controller can communicate with the charging pile through the RS 485 bus. By reserving the RS 485 reserved interface 485 BUS 2, it helps to prevent the charging pile from not reserving a CAN interface in the early stage of development. In addition, the power supply adopts a wide voltage input to ensure adaptation to various working conditions and a wide range of applications.

[0055] The CAN / 485 communication unit in this embodiment uses a communication module design with full isolation of power supply and communication to ensure that multiple device connections do not interfere with each other and to protect the control module.

[0056] It is worth mentioning that the setting of multiple communication interfaces and multiple reserved interfaces on the gateway controller facilitates the connection of various control lines, helps to adapt charging piles in different scenarios, and does not require the design of separate adaptation controllers based on on-site requirements. It has a wide range of applications and helps to reduce the design complexity of charging piles, so as to achieve stable compatibility between charging piles and charging guns.

[0057] Reference Figure 5In order to facilitate the gateway controller to monitor the operating status of the charging pile, the communication unit includes an isolated switch input interface GPIO IN 1-4, an isolated switch output interface GPIO IN 1-4 and a switch output interface GPIO IN 5 connected to the charging pile. The isolated switch input interface GPIO IN 1-4 is used to receive the start or stop charging instruction of the charging pile; the isolated switch output interface GPIO IN 1-4 and the switch output interface GPIO IN 5 are both used to receive the operating status communication of the charging pile, and the operating status information includes normal operation, stop operation, fault and other status information. It should be noted that the isolated switch output and the switch output are essentially the same, and are both used to output level signals, among which the isolation switch can be used to achieve electrical isolation.

[0058] Reference Figure 5 The communication unit also includes an electronic lock control interface, which is used to connect to the charging gun. An H-bridge output circuit is provided in the gateway controller to control the electronic lock of the charging gun, which is used to lock the charging gun when charging; and unlock the charging gun when not charging.

[0059] Reference Figure 5 The liquid cooling acquisition unit includes a fan speed input interface PWM IN 2, a water pump speed input interface PWM IN 1, an inlet pressure acquisition interface MCU AD IN 1, an outlet pressure acquisition interface MCU ADIN 2, a liquid level acquisition input interface GPIO IN 5, a flow acquisition input interface GPIO IN 6 and a temperature sensor input interface MCU AD IN 4-7 connected to the liquid cooling module; the liquid cooling acquisition unit can obtain real-time operating data such as fan speed, water pump speed, inlet pressure, outlet pressure, liquid level, flow and temperature of the liquid cooling module through the above interfaces.

[0060] The liquid cooling module in the related technology mainly includes a liquid cooling shell, which is used to store coolant. The liquid cooling shell is provided with a fan for cooling the coolant. The liquid cooling shell is respectively provided with a liquid level sensor for detecting the water level and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the coolant. The liquid shell is connected with a liquid cooling inlet pipe and a liquid cooling outlet pipe. Water pumps and flow sensors are provided in the pipelines of the liquid cooling inlet pipe and the liquid cooling outlet pipe. Pressure sensors are provided on both sides of the water pump. The coolant in the liquid cooling shell can be circulated to the charging gun terminal through two water pumps, fans, liquid cooling inlet pipes and liquid cooling outlet pipes to achieve heat exchange and cooling of the charging gun terminal.

[0061] In this embodiment, a flow sensor and a pressure sensor are used to detect the operating status of the water pump.

[0062] Among them, the two flow sensors are used to detect the coolant flow in the liquid cooling water inlet pipe and the coolant flow in the liquid cooling water outlet pipe respectively; when the water pump is running, the flow is large; when the water pump stops, the flow is small.

[0063] The two pressure sensors are used to detect the pressure of the coolant before it enters the water pump and the pressure of the coolant after it enters the water pump; when the water pump stops, the pressure is low; when the water pump is running, the pressure is high.

[0064] In addition, in order to facilitate the expansion needs of the gateway controller in the future, the liquid cooling acquisition unit also includes a data acquisition reserved interface. The data acquisition reserved interface can be connected to the temperature sensor or pressure sensor of the liquid cooling module to serve as a backup, which helps the gateway control to accurately control the temperature of the liquid cooling module.

[0065] The gateway controller in this embodiment has rich communication interfaces and a wide range of applications. It can adapt to more piles, guns, and liquid cooling modules and is suitable for most application scenarios.

[0066] Reference Figure 5 , considering that the gateway controller can use a large amount of data to build a mature and self-iterative control algorithm when pairing different charging guns and liquid cooling modules, the 4G communication unit adopts Quectel's 4G CAT-1 solution to ensure low power consumption and low frequency data transmission without interference with other nearby devices. The 4G communication unit can establish a communication connection with the cloud, and then the gateway controller can upload the acquired data of the charging pile, charging gun and liquid cooling module to the cloud, and generate a health temperature strategy algorithm in the cloud. The gateway controller can analyze and process the acquired data based on the health temperature strategy algorithm to obtain the temperature correction parameters of the liquid cooling module, and feed back the temperature correction parameters to the liquid cooling module in real time, so that the liquid cooling module can correct the terminal temperature of the charging module until the preset temperature is reached.

[0067] In this embodiment, the communication unit also includes a fan speed output interface PWM OUT 2 and a water pump speed output interface PWM OUT 1; after obtaining the operating condition data of the liquid cooling module, the control module can calculate the correction parameters corresponding to the liquid cooling module, namely the water pump speed and the fan speed, through the health temperature strategy algorithm, and send the fan speed to the liquid cooling module through the fan speed output interface PWM OUT2, and send the water pump speed to the liquid cooling module through the water pump speed output interface PWM OUT 1, and then the liquid cooling module controls the water pump to work according to the water pump speed and the fan to work according to the fan speed, and finally realizes the cooling of the charging gun terminal temperature.

[0068] In one embodiment, in order to facilitate on-site personnel to repair and upgrade equipment, an NFC communication unit is also provided on the gateway controller, using NORDIC's mature solution. NFC can quickly connect to the Bluetooth of the maintenance personnel's mobile terminal, making it convenient for the maintenance personnel to read the error data of the gateway controller and update the controller program, thereby helping to ensure the convenience of on-site equipment troubleshooting and equipment upgrades.

[0069] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention is described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles, characterized in that: It includes a communication unit, a liquid cooling acquisition unit and a central processing unit; The communication unit is configured to send, receive and process data with the charging pile, the charging gun and the liquid cooling module; The liquid cooling acquisition unit is configured to obtain working condition information of the liquid cooling module in real time; The central processing unit is configured to generate a control instruction related to controlling the liquid cooling module to correct the terminal temperature of the charging gun to a preset temperature based on the working condition information, and the central processing unit sends the control instruction to the liquid cooling module through the communication unit; The liquid cooling collection unit includes a fan speed input interface, a water pump speed input interface, a water inlet pressure collection interface, a water outlet pressure collection interface, a liquid level collection input interface, and a flow collection input interface for communicating with the liquid cooling module.

2. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The communication unit includes an RS 485 communication interface and two CAN communication interfaces, the RS 485 communication interface is used to communicate with the liquid cooling module, one of the CAN communication interfaces is used to communicate with the charging pile, and the other CAN communication interface is used to communicate with the charging gun.

3. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The communication unit also includes an RS 485 reserved interface, and the RS 485 reserved interface is used to establish a communication connection with the charging pile.

4. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication unit also includes an isolation switch quantity input interface, an isolation switch quantity output interface and a switch quantity output interface which are communicatively connected to the charging pile; The isolating switch input interface is used to receive a charging start or stop instruction from the charging pile; The isolation switch output interface and the switch output interface are used to receive the operation status information of the charging pile, and the operation status information includes normal operation, stop operation, and fault status information.

5. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication unit also includes an electronic lock control interface that is communicatively connected to the charging gun.

6. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication unit also includes a fan speed output interface and a water pump speed output interface which are communicatively connected to the liquid cooling module.

7. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid cooling acquisition unit also includes a liquid cooling temperature input interface for connecting to the liquid cooling module, and the liquid cooling temperature input interface is used to connect to the liquid cooling temperature sensor of the liquid cooling module.

8. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid cooling acquisition unit also includes a data acquisition reserved interface for communicating with the liquid cooling module.

9. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module also includes a 4G communication unit, and the central processing unit establishes a communication connection with the cloud via the 4G communication unit.

10. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module also includes an NFC communication unit, which is used for Bluetooth communication connection between the mobile terminal of the maintenance personnel and the control module.

11. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module is a gateway controller.

12. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 11, characterized in that: The gateway controller is used to form an integrated charging device with the charging gun and the liquid cooling module. The gateway controller and the liquid cooling module are both installed in the cabinet of the charging pile.

13. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central processing unit includes a power supply interface, and the central processing unit is connected to the power supply of the charging pile through the power supply interface.

14. The control module for high-power charging of electric vehicles according to claim 13, characterized in that: The central processing unit is a MCU micro control unit.

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