Charging device for an electric vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging device (1) for an electric motor vehicle, comprising an electrical energy storage device (10), an electrical connection device (14) which is connected to the electrical energy storage device (10) and which is configured to supply electrical energy from the electrical energy storage device (10) to a motor vehicle, a housing (15) in which the electrical energy storage device (10) is arranged, and a fire protection element (16) which is configured to prevent the spread of a fire inside the housing (15).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging device for an electric motor vehicle.

[0002] Charging devices for an electric vehicle may include one or more electrical energy storage elements. These are often exposed to high power levels, both during charging and discharging. As a result, these energy storage elements can ignite and, in particular, set fire to surrounding equipment.

[0003] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved charging device for an electric motor vehicle.

[0004] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a charging device for an electric motor vehicle is provided.

[0006] The charging device comprises an electrical energy storage device, an electrical connection device that is connected to the electrical energy storage device and that is designed to provide electrical energy from the electrical energy storage device to a motor vehicle, a housing in which the electrical energy storage device is arranged; and a fire protection element that is designed to prevent the spread of a fire inside the housing.

[0007] The charging device according to the invention serves in particular to provide electrical energy to a motor vehicle in a particularly safe manner and to contain a fire that has ignited inside the housing of the charging device and in particular to prevent an attack on equipment in the vicinity of the charging device.

[0008] For this purpose, the charging device initially comprises an electrical energy storage device.

[0009] An electrical energy storage device is a device designed to store electrical energy, for example, through electrochemical processes, over an extended period of time. In particular, the electrical energy storage device is a battery, which is furthermore designed to be rechargeable, i.e., as an accumulator.

[0010] In particular, the electrical energy storage device comprises one or more battery cells that can be interconnected. In particular, the electrical energy storage device can be an energy storage device based on lithium or a lithium compound, in particular lithium ions, and can also be referred to as a lithium-ion accumulator.

[0011] Typical examples of such a lithium-ion battery are lithium cobalt dioxide batteries, lithium manganese batteries, lithium nickel manganese cobalt batteries, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum batteries and / or lithium iron phosphate batteries.

[0012] In particular, the electrical energy storage device comprises an energy storage device that was previously used in another device, such as a motor vehicle, in particular a predominantly or exclusively battery-electric powered motor vehicle.

[0013] For example, the electrical energy storage device comprises one or more storage cells that have a reduced capacity, for example, less than 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, or 50%. For example, the electrical energy storage device comprises one or more storage cells that have been subjected to a certain number of charging cycles, for example, more than 100, 200, 500, 800, or 1000. For example, the electrical energy storage device also comprises one or more storage cells that have a certain manufacturing and / or usage age, for example, at least 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 8 years, or 10 years.

[0014] The charging device also comprises an electrical connection device which is connected to the electrical energy storage device and which is designed to provide electrical energy from the electrical energy storage device to a motor vehicle.

[0015] The electrical connection device is designed to engage with a corresponding receptacle on the motor vehicle. For this purpose, the electrical connection device comprises, for example, a plug and a cable that is connected to the electrical energy storage device and can be inserted into a plug receptacle of the motor vehicle.

[0016] In particular, the charging device can comprise a plurality of such electrical connection devices, in particular of different types and / or standards, which are designed to charge multiple motor vehicles, in particular simultaneously. For example, the electrical connection device comprises one or more of a Type 1, Type 2, CHAdeMo, CCS Type 1 or 2, supercharger, and / or safety plug. For this purpose, the charging device can also comprise charging electronics designed to control and / or monitor one or more charging processes on motor vehicles.

[0017] The charging device also includes a housing in which the electrical energy storage device is arranged.

[0018] The housing encloses the electrical energy storage device at least partially and, in particular, completely. The housing is, in particular, cuboid-shaped and can comprise one or more side walls, in particular four, arranged essentially at right angles to one another, as well as a base and a roof wall, so that the electrical energy storage device is enclosed by the housing on all sides. In particular, when closed, the housing encloses the electrical energy storage device in an airtight or gas-tight manner.

[0019] The housing can be fixed in place and encompass a foundation or be attached to it. However, the housing can be movable or fixed in place. For this purpose, the housing can, in particular, have the shape and / or external dimensions of a container, particularly a standard or ISO container with a length of 20 or 40 feet.

[0020] In particular, the electrical energy storage device can be permanently or continuously connected to a power grid, in particular in order to recharge the electrical energy storage device from the power grid after the electrical energy has been released.

[0021] In particular, however, the electrical energy storage device does not have a permanent connection to a power grid or, in particular, is not permanently connected to the power grid. However, the housing or the electrical energy storage device can be designed to be charged externally via the electrical connection device or another external connection.

[0022] In particular, the charging device is designed as a so-called pop-up charging device, which can provide electrical energy for motor vehicles even in remote locations where there is no connection to a power grid, such as at festivals.

[0023] Alternatively or additionally, the charging facility may also include other facilities, such as seating, one or more shops, or one or more restaurants, so that people can stay there during the charging process. The charging facility may also be referred to as a charging hub.

[0024] In particular, the charging device is not directly or indirectly connected or connectable to a municipal or municipal water network, for example, because the charging device is located in a remote location. In particular, the charging device also does not have a connection in the housing to which an external hose can be connected.

[0025] For example, the charging device does not have any active fire protection agent supply devices, such as one or more fire extinguishers or extinguishing agent reservoirs from which a fire protection agent can be provided, but only the fire protection element described below.

[0026] Furthermore, the charging device has a fire protection element which is designed to prevent the spread of a fire inside the housing.

[0027] The fire protection element is designed to inhibit and / or suppress a fire that has ignited inside the housing and, in particular, to prevent, reduce and / or delay the spread of the fire from the inside of the housing to the outside or the surroundings of the housing.

[0028] Such a fire can occur, in particular, due to chemical processes in the electrical energy storage device and can be caused, in particular, by charging and discharging processes of the electrical energy storage device and / or temperature fluctuations in the environment of the housing, such as particularly high levels of solar radiation. Such a fire is inhibited, suppressed, and / or prevented by the fire protection element.

[0029] For this purpose, the fire protection element can be arranged in or on the housing and be made of or comprise a fire-retardant, fire-suppressant, and / or fire-stopping material. This can be either a spatially and physically independent element or a coating of the charging device, which is arranged or applied, in particular, to the interior. In particular, it can be a mineral material or a mineral coating and / or a high-melting material, such as sand or ceramic, that has fire-protection properties.

[0030] The fire protection element is designed to be passive. This means that the fire protection element operates without the addition of an extinguishing agent, such as water or the like, and prevents or reduces a fire solely due to the arrangement and / or material properties of the fire protection element.

[0031] The charging device according to the invention makes it possible to supply electrical energy to a motor vehicle in a particularly safe manner and to contain a fire that has ignited inside the housing of the charging device and, in particular, to prevent it from spreading to equipment in the vicinity of the charging device.

[0032] According to a further development, the fire protection element is enclosed by at least one housing wall.

[0033] The fire protection element can be applied or arranged as a coating on the inside of one or more, in particular all, of the walls.

[0034] Alternatively or additionally, the fire protection element can be provided as a plate-shaped element on the inside of one or more, in particular all, of the walls.

[0035] In particular, the fire protection element is arranged completely throughout the entire interior or on all walls from the inside.

[0036] This training ensures that a fire cannot spread to the outside world.

[0037] According to a further development, the charging device comprises two electrical energy storage elements, wherein the fire protection element extends between the two electrical energy storage elements.

[0038] For example, one or more cells are combined to form a first energy storage element, and one or more cells are combined to form a second energy storage element. These two energy storage elements can then be spatially separated from each other, particularly with the exception of an electrical connection to each other and / or to the connection element or to a central charging electronics system, such that the fire protection element extends between them.

[0039] In particular, the fire protection element completely separates the first energy storage element from the second energy storage element.

[0040] For example, the fire protection element is designed as a partition wall within the housing. For example, the fire protection element extends through the entire interior of the housing and divides the interior of the housing into two horizontal or two vertical parts. The two parts can, in particular, be of equal size and / or contain essentially the same number of battery cells, or the energy storage elements in the two parts can have essentially the same capacity.

[0041] More than one fire protection element can also be provided as a partition wall. For example, two partition walls can be provided, in particular one vertical and one horizontal, which divide the interior of the housing into four, particularly equal-sized parts, or two vertical or two horizontal partition walls which divide the interior of the housing into three, particularly equal-sized parts. Additional partition walls in the form of fire protection elements are also possible, for example, three, four, eight, or more.

[0042] In this embodiment, the fire protection element can also be designed as a coating along a wall and / or as a plate-shaped element.

[0043] This further development ensures that the fire cannot spread inside the housing and, in particular, that it cannot spread between two or more energy storage elements.

[0044] According to a further development, the charging device further comprises a separation device which is designed to separate an electrical connection of the charging device.

[0045] The disconnection device is designed to disconnect an electrical connection of the charging device. This can occur, in particular, in the event of a fire and can be done either automatically, for example, by using a fire detector such as a temperature or smoke sensor, or manually, for example, by pressing a button, which is arranged, in particular, on the outside of the housing.

[0046] The separation particularly includes an electrical and, above all, physical separation of one or more electrical connections of the charging device. The separation can be both reversible, i.e., detachable and reconnectable, and irreversible, for example, by cutting or severing one or more electrical connections, for example, with a cutting device.

[0047] The electrical line that can be separated by the separation device can be either electrical lines between multiple battery cells and / or multiple energy storage elements, or an electrical line between the connection device and / or charging electronics and the energy storage element(s). In particular, these are the electrical lines between a first and second energy storage element, which are separated from each other by a fire protection element.

[0048] This advanced technology ensures that the spread of fire inside and outside the enclosure is particularly safe, as the cause of the fire is reduced.

[0049] According to a further development, the charging device further comprises a gas extraction element which is designed to discharge a gas formed by the fire from the interior of the housing to the surroundings of the housing.

[0050] The gas extraction element can be either a passive gas extraction element, such as a chimney, a pipe or a fireplace, or an active gas extraction element, i.e. one equipped with a conveying device that transports the gas produced by the fire, particularly in the form of smoke or soot, to the outside.

[0051] Several gas extraction elements may also be provided, in particular one for each compartment formed by a fire protection element in the form of a partition wall.

[0052] The gas vent element(s) can also be designed, in particular, with a valve or flap, so that gas can escape but no gas can enter the housing from the outside. The valve and / or an active gas vent element can also be triggered automatically or manually, as described above.

[0053] This further development ensures that the heat generated by the fire inside the housing, and in particular the associated temperatures, is dissipated in a particularly safe and controlled manner, thus preventing further ignition of energy storage elements.

[0054] According to a further development, the charging device further comprises a filter element which is designed to filter the gas before it is discharged to the environment.

[0055] This further development makes it possible to filter out harmful or health-endangering particles of the gas and thus protect the environment around the charging device particularly well.

[0056] The invention also encompasses combinations of the features of the described embodiments. The invention therefore also encompasses implementations that each comprise a combination of the features of several of the described embodiments, unless the embodiments are described as mutually exclusive.

[0057] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. Shown are: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a charging device; Fig. 2 a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of a charging device.

[0058] The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual features of the invention that can be considered independently of one another, each of which also develops the invention independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure is intended to encompass combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0059] In the figures, the same reference symbols designate elements with the same function.

[0060] Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a charging device 1 for an electric motor vehicle.

[0061] The charging device 1 comprises an electrical energy storage device 10, which, as shown by way of example, comprises twelve energy storage elements arranged in four rows and three columns, of which a first energy storage element 11, a second energy storage element 12 and a third energy storage element 13 have been provided with a reference symbol by way of example.

[0062] The charging device 1 also comprises an electrical connection device 14 which is connected to the electrical energy storage device 10 and which is designed to provide electrical energy from the electrical energy storage device 10 to a motor vehicle.

[0063] The electrical energy storage elements are surrounded by a housing 15 which completely covers an interior space in which the energy storage elements are arranged, on all sides, and seals it gas-tight.

[0064] The housing 15 is shown as a cuboid, which comprises four side walls, a bottom wall and a cover wall.

[0065] In this embodiment, each of the walls is designed as a fire protection element 16, which is configured to prevent the spread of a fire that develops inside the housing 15 due to the electrical energy storage elements. The fire protection element 16 is designed here in the form of a coating applied to the inside of the walls.

[0066] The charging device 1 may also comprise a disconnecting device (not shown) which is designed to disconnect an electrical connection of the charging device.

[0067] Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of a charging device 1 for an electric motor vehicle.

[0068] In contrast to Fig. 1 shows how the fire protection element 16 is designed as partition walls that extend between several electrical energy storage elements.

[0069] The left band protection element 16 and the outer walls form a first fire protection compartment, the left and right fire protection elements and the outer walls form a second fire protection compartment and the right fire protection element and the outer walls form a third fire protection compartment, which are separated from each other.

[0070] As can also be seen, an equal number of energy storage elements are provided per fire protection compartment, in this case, four energy storage elements, for example. It can also be seen that the three fire protection compartments formed by the two fire protection elements 16 are essentially the same size.

[0071] In this Fig. 2, a gas vent element 17 is additionally provided, which is designed to discharge a gas formed by the fire from the interior of the housing 15 to the surroundings of the housing 15. The gas vent element 17 is shown as an example in the third fire protection compartment, but it can also be arranged at a different location, in particular in another fire protection compartment, or several gas vent elements can be provided, in particular one for each fire protection compartment.

[0072] The gas exhaust element may comprise a filter element (not shown) which is designed to filter the gas before it is discharged to the environment.

[0073] It goes without saying that a combination of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is conceivable, in which both one or more of the outer walls and one or more partition walls can be provided as fire protection elements 16.

[0074] It is also understood that in the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, one or more gas extraction elements may be provided.

[0075] Overall, the examples show how a charging hub can be provided with fire protection.

Claims

[1] Charging device (1) for an electric motor vehicle, comprising: - an electrical energy storage device (10); - an electrical connection device (14) which is connected to the electrical energy store (10) and which is designed to provide electrical energy from the electrical energy store (10) to a motor vehicle; - a housing (15) in which the electrical energy storage device (10) is arranged; and - a fire protection element (16) designed to prevent the spread of a fire inside the housing (15). [2] Charging device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the fire protection element (16) is enclosed by at least one housing wall. [3] Charging device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the charging device comprises two electrical energy storage elements (11, 12, 13) and wherein the fire protection element (15) extends between the two electrical energy storage elements (11, 12, 13). [4] Charging device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a disconnecting device configured to disconnect an electrical connection of the charging device (1). [5] Charging device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a gas extraction element (17) which is designed to discharge a gas formed by the fire from the interior of the housing (15) to the surroundings of the housing (15). [6] Charging device (1) according to claim 5, further comprising a filter element which is designed to filter the gas before it is discharged to the environment.

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