Safety device, charging device and system

Abstract

Charging device (26), with - a communication interface (34) configured to receive a value representative of a current additional current value by which the current through an electrical fuse (12) can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse (12) to trip, and - a processing unit (36) configured to adjust a current for an electrical consumer unit (14) depending on the value that is representative of the current additional current value. - wherein the processing unit (36) is configured to imprint a predetermined test pattern (40) onto the current for the electrical consumer unit (14), and in the case of a correlation between the predetermined test pattern (40) and values ​​received at the communication interface (34) which are representative of the current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse (12) can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse (12) to trip, to conclude that the charging device (26) is electrically coupled to the electrical fuse (12).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a safety device, a charging device, and a system comprising a safety device and a charging device.

[0002] Modern vehicles typically use high-performance batteries to supply electrical energy to their electrical components. In electric vehicles, especially hybrid and electric vehicles, the battery is often charged via a wall socket. Here, it is particularly important to adhere to technical requirements such as short charging times and safe, uninterrupted charging.

[0003] DE 10 2010 001 712 A1 describes a method for charging a rechargeable energy storage device. Load information regarding the load capacity of a circuit breaker can be determined, for example, as a percentage load capacity, a value relating to the current load capacity, and / or a value relating to the difference between the current load capacity and a maximum possible load capacity. For example, the load information can include at least a current that can be passed through the circuit breaker for a specific time interval in addition to the current load capacity without the circuit breaker tripping.

[0004] Furthermore, DE 10 2010 001 712 A1 describes how such a rechargeable energy storage device can be charged in a simple way, taking into account the additional possibility of further utilization of a circuit breaker.

[0005] DE 10 2009 025 303 A1 describes how, after an electromechanical connection is established via an interface on a cable assembly between an electric vehicle and an electric vehicle charging station, a charging station control unit causes an oscillator voltage source to generate a first pulse-width modulated square wave signal with a duty cycle of ninety percent (see paragraphs

[0047] ,

[0048] ). A measuring device then detects the first square wave signal and forwards the information to a vehicle control unit. The vehicle control unit recognizes the signal emitted by the charging station and, as confirmation, activates a first switching element after five hundred milliseconds.

[0006] As part of further communication between the vehicle control unit and the charging station control unit, the vehicle control unit itself generates a third pulse-width modulated signal by switching the first switching element. This third pulse-width modulated signal contains an identification message from the electric vehicle to the charging station. The identification message consists of a sequence of bytes with a variable number and therefore variable total message length in bytes. The individual bytes are each encoded using pulse-width modulation. The identification message is structured as follows: First, a start identifier consisting of a single byte with the value 0 × 01 is transmitted. This is followed by another single byte, which specifies an index to a key. This index was randomly generated by the vehicle control unit.

[0007] The vehicle identifier is subsequently transmitted, also encrypted byte by byte. This identifier uniquely identifies the electric vehicle or its owner. After decryption, the charging station control unit can access information stored for this identifier. This information may be stored within the charging station control unit itself or requested from another source via a separate communication link (not shown here). This information can include the electric vehicle's charging authorization as well as various technical parameters such as maximum charging current, maximum energy storage capacity, the number of completed charging cycles, and much more.

[0008] US 2010 / 0007306 A1 describes a vehicle charging system. When a plug is connected to a socket of the power source, a control circuit is activated by the power supplied by the power source.

[0009] Part of a feed control system controls a signal generation circuit to generate a pilot signal, which is a control signal that is transmitted to a control unit.

[0010] The pilot signal is transmitted to the control unit via a control pilot line. This control line serves as the control line through which the control signal is transmitted to the vehicle.

[0011] The control unit receives the pilot signal via the control pilot line and determines the duty cycle of the received pilot signal. This allows it to recognize the nominal current that can be supplied from the power source to the vehicle via the charging cable.

[0012] US 2010 / 0301809 A1 describes a connected electric vehicle charging station that protects against overcurrent and ground faults. Upon detecting an overcurrent or ground fault condition, the connected electric vehicle charging station disconnects the connection of a charging point to prevent current from flowing between the electric vehicle and the connected charging station, thus interrupting the charging process. The connected charging station clears the overcurrent or ground fault condition upon receiving an authorized request transmitted remotely. The authorized request can be received by the vehicle operator connected to the charging session or by a charging station administrator via an RFID-tagged device, or via SMS or email. The connected charging station clears the overcurrent or ground fault condition without requiring manual reset of a circuit breaker or residual current device (RCD).

[0013] US 2011 / 0133693 A1 describes an electric vehicle charging station installed in a residential building, connected to a main circuit breaker in the electrical distribution panel. The charging station includes a charging port that connects an electric vehicle to a residential service line that supplies power from the electrical grid to the residence; a power controller that regulates the amount of power the electric vehicle can draw from the service line through the charging port; a receiver that receives energy readings from one or more power monitors indicating how much power is being drawn from the service line; and control modules that cause the power controller to regulate the amount of power the electric vehicle can draw from the charging port based on the received energy readings in order to prevent the main circuit breaker from tripping.

[0014] The object underlying the invention is to create a safety device, a charging device, and a system comprising a safety device and a charging device, which enables safe operation of the safety device and the charging device and can be implemented cost-effectively.

[0015] The problem is solved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims.

[0016] According to a first aspect, the invention is characterized by a charging device with a communication interface configured to receive a value representative of the current additional current by which the current through an electrical fuse can be increased to a maximum extent without causing the fuse to trip, and a processing unit configured to adjust the current for an electrical load depending on the value representative of the current additional current. Such a charging device makes it possible to adjust the current for the electrical load so that the value for the maximum permissible current for the electrical load is reached. This reliably prevents overloading of the electrical fuse. Thus, a safety reserve for the current through the electrical fuse can be provided.Furthermore, the available charging power can be used very efficiently. If the electrical device includes a battery, the charging time for the battery can be kept short.

[0017] Furthermore, the processing unit is designed to imprint a predefined test pattern onto the current for the electrical consumer unit, and in the event of a correlation between the predefined test pattern and values ​​received at the communication interface, which are representative of the current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse to trip, to conclude that the charging device is electrically coupled to the electrical fuse.

[0018] According to a second aspect, the invention is characterized by a system with a safety device and a charging device according to the first aspect.

[0019] The safety device comprises a current sensing unit configured to detect a current through an electrical fuse, a determination unit configured to determine, depending on the detected current through the electrical fuse, a value representative of a current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse to trip, and a communication interface configured to provide the value representative of the current additional current value for transmission to a charging device.

[0020] Such a safety device has the advantage that information can be made available that can prevent the electrical fuse from being overloaded. In particular, it can prevent the electrical fuse from tripping. This prevents power outages caused by overloaded electrical fuses.

[0021] Preferably, the value that is representative of a current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse to trip depends on a value that is representative of the maximum permissible continuous current through the electrical fuse.

[0022] The advantages of the system correspond to the advantages of the first aspect.

[0023] In an advantageous embodiment of the second aspect, the communication interface of the safety device and the communication interface of the charging device are designed and arranged such that they can communicate via an electrical supply line through which the charging device is supplied with current for the electrical consumer unit. This has the advantage that reliable communication between the communication interfaces is possible.

[0024] Preferably, the communication interface of the safety device and the second communication interface of the charging device are designed as interfaces of a powerline communication system for data transmission. This allows for particularly simple and secure communication between the interfaces.

[0025] In a further advantageous embodiment of the second aspect, the communication interface of the safety device and the communication interface of the charging device are designed as interfaces for radio-based data transmission. This has the advantage that the communication between the interfaces can be implemented very flexibly.

[0026] In a further advantageous embodiment of the second aspect, the communication interface of the safety device and the communication interface of the charging device are designed as WLAN interfaces.

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the schematic drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a schematic view of a system with a safety device and a charging device in a first embodiment, Fig. 2 a schematic view of the system with a safety device and a charging device in a further embodiment, and Fig. 3 A schematic view of the system with several safety devices and a charging device in a further embodiment.

[0028] Elements of the same construction or function are provided with the same reference symbols across all figures.

[0029] The Fig. 1 and Fig. Figures 2 each show a power supply unit 10, which is protected by an electrical fuse 12, and an electrical consumer unit 14.

[0030] The electrical consumer unit 14 comprises a charger 16 and a battery 18. The charger 16 and the battery 18 can, in particular, be assigned to a hybrid or electric vehicle. In further embodiments, the charger 16 and the battery 18 can be assigned to other electrical consumers.

[0031] An electrical supply line 22 is arranged between the power supply unit 10 and the electrical consumer unit 14. It is designed to electrically couple the power supply unit 10 with the electrical consumer unit 14.

[0032] Additional electrical loads not shown here may be connected to the power supply unit 10.

[0033] The Fig. 1 and Fig. Figure 2 further shows a system 20 with a safety device 24 and a charging device 26.

[0034] The safety device 24 is electrically coupled to the electrical fuse 12. The safety device 24 has a current sensing unit 28, a detection unit 30 and a communication interface 32.

[0035] The current sensing unit 28 is configured to detect a current through the electrical fuse 12. The determination unit 30 is configured, depending on the detected current through the electrical fuse 12, to determine a value that is representative of the current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse 12 can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse 12 to trip. The communication interface 32 of the fuse device 24 is configured to provide the value that is representative of the current additional current value.

[0036] The charging device 26 has a further communication interface 34. The communication interface 34 of the charging device 26 is configured to communicate with the communication interface 32 of the safety device 24. This allows information provided at the communication interface 32 of the safety device 24 to be received by the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26.

[0037] The charging device 26 further comprises a processing unit 36. The processing unit 36 ​​is configured to adjust the current for the electrical consumer unit (14), in particular to adjust the charging current for the accumulator 18.

[0038] In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the communication interface 32 of the fuse device 24 is coupled to the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26 such that the communication interface 32 of the fuse device 24 and the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26 are configured as interfaces of a power line communication system for data transmission. Power line communication systems for data transmission are used to transmit data over a power supply network. In a power line communication system for data transmission, an information signal can be modulated onto an existing voltage signal. The modulation of the information signal can occur independently of the voltage and frequency of the voltage signal.

[0039] The following describes the function of system 20 with the safety device 24 and the charging device 26 according to Fig. 1. can be described: The current sensing unit 28 detects the current flowing through the electrical fuse 12. The determination unit 30 calculates a value based on the detected current flowing through the electrical fuse 12. This value represents the maximum additional current by which the current through the electrical fuse 12 can be increased without causing the electrical fuse 12 to trip. Preferably, the value representing the current additional current is a value representing the maximum permissible continuous current of the electrical fuse 12. In further embodiments, the value representing the current additional current can be a value representing the maximum permissible current of the electrical fuse 12 for a predetermined duration.The value that is representative of the current additional current value is provided by the communication interface 32 of the safety device 24.

[0040] The value representing the current additional current by which the current through the electrical fuse 12 can be increased without tripping the fuse 12 is received by the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26. Depending on this value, the charging current for the accumulator 18 is adjusted by the processing unit 36. This makes it possible to limit the current consumption of the charger 16 and / or the accumulator 18 such that the current through the fuse 12 does not exceed the maximum permissible current through the fuse 12. This prevents overloading of the electrical fuse 12 of the power supply unit 10.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the value representing the current additional current value by which the current through an electrical fuse 12 can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse 12 to trip is superimposed on a voltage signal of the electrical supply line 22 by means of signal modulation. The information about the value provided at the communication interface 32 of the fuse device 24 can thus be easily transmitted via the electrical supply line 22 to the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26.

[0042] The following section will describe the function of system 20 when additional electrical consumers are switched on and off at the power supply unit 10, based on the embodiment of the Fig. 1. can be described: If another consumer is connected to the power supply unit 10, the current through the fuse 12 may initially increase. The communication interface 32 of the fuse device 24 provides the value that represents the current additional current by which the current through the electrical fuse 12 can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse 12 to trip. This value is transmitted via the electrical supply line 22 to the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26. This value can then be used to adjust the current in the electrical consumer unit 14.This allows the current through fuse 12 to be limited to the maximum value that prevents it from tripping, using a value representative of the current increase by which the current through fuse 12 can be raised without causing it to trip. This prevents an interruption of the power supply.

[0043] If another load is switched off at the power supply unit 10, the current through the fuse 12 may initially decrease. The communication interface 32 of the fuse device 24 provides the value that is representative of the current additional current by which the current through the fuse 12 can be increased at most without causing the fuse 12 to trip. This value is transmitted from the communication interface 32 of the fuse device 24 via the electrical supply line 22 to the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26. This allows the charging current for the battery 18 to be adjusted so that the current through the fuse 12 is limited to prevent the fuse 12 from tripping. By adjusting the charging current for the battery 18 in this way, a short charging time for the battery 18 can be achieved.

[0044] In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the communication interface 32 of the locking device 24 and the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26 are configured as interfaces for wireless data transmission. Preferably, the communication interface 32 of the locking device 24 and the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26 are configured as WLAN interfaces. Alternatively, wireless data transmission can also be carried out, for example, via Bluetooth interfaces. In further embodiments, wireless data transmission can also be carried out via other known radio methods.

[0045] The value that is representative of the current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse 12 can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse 12 to trip is determined in a manner corresponding to that described in the embodiment of the Fig. 1 determined and provided. The communication of the provided values ​​from the communication interface 32 of the safety device 24 to the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26 takes place in the embodiment according to Fig. 2 by means of a radio signal 38.

[0046] Fig. Figure 3 shows several power supply units 10, each protected by an electrical fuse 12, as well as the electrical load unit 14. The electrical load unit 14 is electrically coupled to one of the several power supply units 10 via the supply line 22. To enable a reliable assignment between the corresponding power supply unit 10 and the electrical load unit 14, authentication of the power supply unit 10 against the electrical load unit 14 is performed. Based on the Fig. Section 3 will explain an advantageous authentication method.

[0047] First, the electrical load unit 14 imprints a predefined test pattern 40 onto the charging current for the accumulator 18. Current waveforms 42 through the electrical fuses 12 are determined. Depending on a correlation of the values ​​received at the communication interface 34 of the charging device 26, which are representative of the current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse 12 can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse 12 to trip, with the predefined test pattern 40, it can be determined which of the power supply units 10 is electrically coupled to the electrical load unit 14 in order to charge the accumulator 18. This easily avoids confusion regarding the electrical coupling between the power supply units 10 and the electrical load unit 14. Reference symbol list 10 Power supply unit 12 electrical fuses 14 electrical consumer units 16 charger 18 Accumulator 20 System 22 Feed line 24 Safety device 26 Charging device 28 Current sensing unit 30 Investigation Unit 32 Communication interface of the safety device 34 Communication interface of the charging device 36 processing units 38 Radio signal 40 test samples 42 Course

Claims

[1] Charging device (26), with - a communication interface (34) configured to receive a value representative of a current additional current value by which the current through an electrical fuse (12) can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse (12) to trip, and - a processing unit (36) configured to adjust a current for an electrical consumer unit (14) depending on the value that is representative of the current additional current value. - wherein the processing unit (36) is configured to imprint a predetermined test pattern (40) onto the current for the electrical consumer unit (14), and in the case of a correlation between the predetermined test pattern (40) and values ​​received at the communication interface (34) which are representative of the current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse (12) can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse (12) to trip, to conclude that the charging device (26) is electrically coupled to the electrical fuse (12). [2] System (20) with a charging device (26) according to claim 1 and a safety device (24) with - a current detection unit (28) designed to detect a current through an electrical fuse (12), - an investigation unit (30) which is trained to determine, depending on the current measured through the electrical fuse (12), a value that is representative of a current additional current value by which the current through the electrical fuse (12) can be increased at most without causing the electrical fuse (12) to trip, and - a communication interface (32) designed to provide the value representative of the current additional current value for transmission to a charging device (26). [3] System (20) according to claim 2, wherein the communication interface (32) of the safety device (24) and the communication interface (34) of the charging device (26) are designed and arranged such that they can communicate via an electrical supply line (22) through which the charging device (26) is supplied with the current for the electrical consumer unit (14). [4] System (20) according to claim 2, wherein the communication interface (32) of the safety device (24) and the communication interface (34) of the charging device (26) are designed as interfaces for radio-based data transmission. [5] System (20) according to claim 4, wherein the communication interface (32) of the safety device (24) and the communication interface (34) of the charging device (26) are designed as WLAN interfaces.

Images