SHOP PORT COOLING WITH PHASE-CHANGE MATERIAL AND POROUS HEAT CONDUCTOR CAGE

Abstract

Electric vehicle charging port (12), including: a pair of charging pins (16), wherein the charging pins (16) of the pair of charging pins (16) each have a base area (18) connected to a respective charging cable (20) of the electric vehicle charging port (12); a pair of porous cages (24a, 24b), wherein the porous cages (24a, 24b) of the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b) each surround one of the two base areas (18); a phase-change material (26) which is arranged in the porous cages (24a, 24b) of the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b); and a steam chamber (28) which is arranged between one of the two base regions (18) and the porous cage (24a, 24b) surrounding this base region (18) of the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b).

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The present disclosure relates to cooling for a vehicle charging port.

[0002] In this context, DE 10 2018 108 181 A1 discloses a charging coupler which is connected at one end to a charging cable via line contacts and which has charging contacts at its free other end, for the cooling of which cooling devices in the form of latent heat storage with a phase change material embedded in a foam structure are provided.

[0003] Furthermore, it is known from WO 2020 / 197 982 A1 or CN 201 387 265 Y to use phase-change materials, for example, for cooling electronic components. DE 10 2019 110 241 A1 mentions a cooling mechanism for a connector with a heat pipe in which a two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant is enclosed.

[0004] Charging stations monitor the charging pin temperature during DC fast charging while electric vehicles are being charged. If the charging pin temperature exceeds a certain threshold (e.g., 70°C), the charging system reduces its charging rate from full maximum charging to a very low rate (e.g., 1 / 5 of the maximum). If even higher pin temperatures occur, exceeding the limit (e.g., 90°C), charging will cease. It is known to cool the charging pins with a liquid cooling loop, which imposes packaging limitations and requires piping and heat exchangers for cooling the liquid. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent higher charging pin temperatures and also to greatly simplify the design by eliminating the need for complex cooling loops.

[0005] One of the aims of the invention is to create an electric vehicle charging port with a simple and stable design. SUMMARY

[0006] This problem is solved by an electric vehicle charging port having the features of claim 1.

[0007] Further advantageous embodiments can be found in the detailed description, the dependent claims, and the drawings. The detailed description and the specific examples are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to limit the scope of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION of the DRAWINGS

[0008] The drawings described here serve only to illustrate selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Fig. Figure 1 is an exemplary perspective view of a DC fast charging port according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 2 is a top view of the DC fast charging port; Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic view of a metal foam and a phase-change material surrounding a base area of ​​a charging pin, according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 4 is a schematic view of a metal lattice and a phase-change material surrounding a base region of a charging pin, according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 5 is a schematic view of a metal foam and a phase-change material encased in the metal foam surrounding a base region of a charging pin, according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 6 is a schematic view of a metal foam and a phase change material having heat tubes arranged therein and surrounding a base region of a charging pin, according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a covering of a metal foam and a phase-change material with cooling air passages arranged therein, surrounding a base area of ​​a charging pin and vented to an exterior of the vehicle, according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 8 is a schematic view showing an alternative passive airflow system through a pressure differential; and Fig. Figure 9 is a schematic view showing an alternative active airflow system.

[0009] Reference symbols can be used in the drawings to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] With reference to Fig. Figure 1 shows a vehicle 10 comprising a vehicle charging port 12. A DC fast-charging plug 14 of a charging station is illustrated, which is inserted into the charging port 12 by a user. The charging port 12 typically comprises two charging pins 16 (in Fig. 2 best shown), each adapted to be engaged by the DC fast-charging plug 14. The charging pins 16 each comprise a base area 18 connected to a charging cable 20 covered by a sheath 22.

[0011] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the base region 18 of the charging pins is surrounded by a porous metal or graphite cage 24a, 24b containing phase-change material 26, which is enclosed within the pores of the metal or graphite cage 24a, 24b. The porous metal or graphite cage 24a, 24b can contain a metal or graphite foam 24a, as shown in Figure 3. Fig. 3 shown, or a metallic mesh 24b, as in Fig. Figure 4 shows the following. For the purposes of this disclosure, the porous metal or graphite cage 24a, 24b, or the metallic mesh 24b is referred to as a high thermal conductivity cage 24. A vapor chamber 28 may optionally be arranged between the high thermal conductivity cage 24 and the base region 18 of the charging pin 16. Phase change materials (PCMs) are substances that absorb or release large amounts of so-called “latent” heat when they undergo a change in their physical state, i.e., from solid to liquid. Exemplary phase change materials may include paraffin waxes and salt hydrates. The phase change material 26 is able to absorb a large amount of heat and, in combination with the metal or graphite foam 24a or metal mesh 24b, greatly improves the cooling performance of the phase change material 26.In particular, the cooling performance of the phase change material 26 is defined by the equation of the (Figure of Merit; FOM):. FOM≈kρL; where k = thermal conductivity; ρ = density; and L = latent heat. Because the phase-change material, such as paraffin wax, has a relatively low thermal conductivity of k = 0.15 W / m / K, the high thermal conductivity cage 24 is dispersed throughout the phase-change material 26 to enhance the overall thermal conductivity. The use of an optional vapor chamber 28 can also be employed to enhance heat absorption. The vapor chamber 28 can comprise an enclosed chamber containing 5–10% of a fluid, such as methanol, ammonia, water, or acetone, which can change to a vapor when heated. Accordingly, the present disclosure integrates the phase-change material 26 with an optional vapor chamber 28 and high thermal conductivity foam or mesh (metal or graphite) 24 to provide a faster response to transient heat generation.

[0012] An example calculation for the required phase change material volume for a phase change material with a density of ρ = 820 kg / m³, a latent heat of 240 kJ / kg, and CP = 2.85 kJ / kg-K (where "CP" is the specific heat capacity of the material), where approximately 36 kJ of heat is generated for a 30 W heat input during a 20-minute charge at 500 A. Allowing a temperature increase of 20 degrees in the phase change material results in a required phase change material volume of 148 ml.

[0013] With reference to Fig. 5 The porous metal housing 24a, 24b can be encased with extra porous metal material 30, such as metal foam or metal mesh, to dissipate heat transfer from pins to the phase change material and reduce the regeneration time during an off cycle.

[0014] As another option, heat pipes 32 can be arranged inside the porous cage with high thermal conductivity 24a, 24b to further enhance the heat transfer from the heat source to the outside together with the phase change material 26 and the porous housing with high thermal conductivity 24a, 24b.

[0015] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, the base areas 18 and the porous cages with high thermal conductivity 24a, 24b of the charging pins 16 can be surrounded by a cover 34 that includes airflow passages 36. A discharge air duct 38 can be connected to the interior of the cover 34 and communicate with an outer surface 40 of the vehicle 10. Accordingly, the airflow over the outer surface of the vehicle can further assist in cooling the charging pins while the vehicle is being driven after the charging event. According to further aspects, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the air duct 38 can be provided with a flow separator 42 at a point in the airflow, so that a pressure differential is created in the air duct 38 to passively draw air through the cover 34. Finally, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 9, the air duct 38 is equipped with a blower 44 to provide an active airflow through the cover 34, which can be activated during and after a charging event.

[0016] The foregoing description is for illustrative purposes only and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. It should be understood that one or more steps within a process may be carried out in a different order (or concurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure. The described embodiments are not mutually exclusive.

[0017] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, switching elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including "connected," "intervening," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "above," "on," "below," and "arranged." Unless expressly described as "direct," when a relationship between first and second elements is described in the above disclosure, this relationship can be a direct relationship, in which no other intervening elements exist between the first and second elements, or it can also be an indirect relationship, in which one or more intervening elements (either spatial or functional) exist between the first and second elements.As used here, the phrase "at least one of A, B and C" should be interpreted as meaning a logical (A OR B OR C) using a non-exclusive logical OR, and not as meaning "at least one of A, at least one of B and at least one of C".

[0018] In the diagrams, the direction of an arrow, as indicated by the arrowhead, generally shows the flow of information (such as data or instructions) that is relevant to the illustration. For example, if Element A and Element B exchange a variety of information, but information transferred from Element A to Element B is relevant to the illustration, the arrow may point from Element A to Element B. This unidirectional arrow does not mean that no other information is transferred from Element B to Element A. Furthermore, Element B may send requests or acknowledgments of information to Element A in return for information sent from Element A to Element B.

[0019] In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" or the term "controller" may be replaced by the term "circuit"."The term 'module' may refer to, be part of, or include: an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field-programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor controller (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor controller; other suitable hardware components providing the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above components, such as in a system-on-a-chip."

[0020] The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuits may include wired or wireless interfaces connected to a local area network (LAN), the internet, a wide area network (WAN), or combinations thereof. The functionality of a particular module of this disclosure may be distributed among multiple modules connected via interface circuits. For example, multiple modules may enable load balancing. In another example, a server (also referred to as a remote or cloud module) may perform certain functionality on behalf of a client module.

[0021] The term "code," as used above, can include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and can refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, data structures, and / or objects. The term "shared processor circuit" refers to a single processor circuit that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor circuit" refers to a processor circuit that, in combination with additional processor circuits, executes some or all of the code from one or more modules. References to "multi-processor circuits" include multi-processor circuits on discrete dies, multi-processor circuits on a single die, multiple cores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a single processor circuit, or a combination of the above.The term shared processor circuit refers to a single memory circuit that stores some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term group memory circuit refers to a memory circuit that, in combination with additional memory, stores some or all of the code from one or more modules.

[0022] The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readable medium. The term computer-readable medium used here encompasses non-volatile electrical or electromagnetic signals that propagate through a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readable medium can therefore be considered tangible and non-volatile.Non-restrictive examples of a non-volatile, tangible, computer-readable medium include non-volatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit, a erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-only memory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static random access memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit), magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or a hard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or a Blu-ray Disc).

[0023] The devices and methods described in this application can be implemented, in whole or in part, by a special-purpose computer created by configuring a general-purpose computer to perform one or more specific functions contained in computer programs. The functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications that can be translated into computer programs through the routine work of a skilled person or programmer.

Claims

[1] Electric vehicle charging port (12), comprising: a pair of charging pins (16), wherein the charging pins (16) of the pair of charging pins (16) each have a base area (18) connected to a respective charging cable (20) of the electric vehicle charging port (12); a pair of porous cages (24a, 24b), wherein the porous cages (24a, 24b) of the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b) each surround one of the two base areas (18); a phase-change material (26) which is arranged in the porous cages (24a, 24b) of the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b); and a steam chamber (28) which is arranged between one of the two base regions (18) and the porous cage (24a, 24b) surrounding this base region (18) of the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b). [2] Electric vehicle charging port (12) according to claim 1, wherein the pair of porous cages (24a) is made of a metal foam. [3] Electric vehicle charging port (12) according to claim 1, wherein the pair of porous cages (24a) are made of graphite foam. [4] Electric vehicle charging port (12) according to claim 1, wherein the pair of porous cages (24b) is made of a metal mesh. [5] Electric vehicle charging port (12) according to claim 1, wherein the phase change material (26) comprises a paraffin wax or a salt hydrate. [6] Electric vehicle charging port (12) according to claim 1, wherein the vapor chamber (28) comprises one of methanol, ammonia, water and acetone therein. [7] Electric vehicle charging port (12) according to claim 1, further comprising a metal housing which surrounds the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b). [8] Electric vehicle charging port (12) according to claim 1, further comprising heat pipes (32) arranged in the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b). [9] Electric vehicle charging port (12) according to claim 1, wherein the porous cages (24a, 24b) have high thermal conductivity and wherein the electric vehicle charging port (12) further comprises a cover (34) that surrounds the base areas (18) of the pair of charging pins (16) and the pair of porous cages (24a, 24b) and includes the airflow passages (36).

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