EV Charging Cable Cooling Using the Vehicle Climate Loop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charging cables for electric vehicles lack specific cooling features, limiting current capacity and charging speed, and existing solutions for integrating cooling mechanisms are cumbersome, costly, and complex.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system that diverts refrigerant fluid from the car's climate control system to a heat exchanger within the charging cable, where it expands and evaporates to cool the cable, then is compressed and condensed, using standard components and minimal modifications to the existing air conditioning system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooling system is integrated into the charging cable using a heat exchanger with refrigerant fluid circulation, then the charging cable cooling efficiency is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the charging cable cooling function with the vehicle's existing air conditioning system by integrating a heat exchanger that utilizes the same refrigerant fluid circulation. This combines two separate functions (cable cooling and cabin climate control) into a unified system, improving cooling efficiency without adding a completely independent cooling infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger and refrigerant fluid system serve multiple purposes: they cool the charging cable during charging operations and simultaneously provide climate control for the vehicle cabin. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated cooling systems, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity and manufacturing cost.
2Productivity
If the charging cable is cooled by diverting refrigerant fluid from the climate control system, then the charging speed increases, but the climate control system requires modification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the refrigerant fluid circulation into separate circuits: one for the original climate control system and another for the charging cable heat exchanger. This segmentation allows the cable cooling function to be added as a modular component, enabling faster charging while requiring only minimal modifications to the existing climate control system rather than redesigning the entire system.
3Power
If a dedicated cooling system is added to the charging cable, then the current capacity increases, but the vehicle interior space is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from a separate dedicated system and integrates it into the existing air conditioning infrastructure. By taking out the refrigerant fluid circulation as a shared resource and routing it through the charging cable heat exchanger, the system increases current capacity without occupying additional vehicle interior space for separate cooling components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system efficiently cools the charging cable with reduced complexity and cost, requiring minimal adaptation to the vehicle's climate control system.
Implementation Method 1
In the heat exchanger the fluid evaporates, efficiently cooling the liquid that flows in the charging cable
Implementation Method 2
refrigerant fluid from the cars climate control system is diverted into the cable heat exchanger. In it or before it, it is expanded to achieve a low temperature. In the heat exchanger the fluid evaporates
Implementation Method 3
The refrigerant later is later compressed to a high pressure and condensed in the climate control condenser
Implementation Method 4
The refrigerant later is later compressed to a high pressure and condensed in the climate control condenser
Implementation Method 5
cable cooling heat-exchanger
Data Source
Figure 1~2b
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The disclosure concerns a cable cooling system (3) for cooling an embedded part of a battery charging cable (9) of a battery-operated vehicle, said vehicle comprising an air conditioning system (2) operated with a coolant fluid circuit that is configured for absorbing heat by phase changing expansion, such as a compressor (29) operated air conditioning system. According to the disclosure, said cable cooling system (3) comprises a cable cooling liquid that is circulated in a closed circuit (41) for absorbing heat from said charging cable (9) and discharging said heat toward said air conditioner coolant fluid (31), through a cable cooling heat-exchanger (311) that is incorporated within said air conditioner coolant fluid circuit (2) so as to be cooled by said air conditioner coolant fluid circuit. Preferably, cooling liquid is a non-dielectric liquid such as an ethylene-glycol solution, which enables a very efficient cooling with simple and standard components.