External Voltage Maintainer to Prevent EV Charging Backfeed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery hybrid electric vehicles experience power loss due to backfeeding when an external power supply is connected, causing voltage fluctuations and potential power supply failure, which prevents continuous operation of vehicle computers and data offloading during idle periods.
Innovation Solution
An external high-power voltage maintainer with a voltage control device, such as a diode or relay monitor circuit, is used to disconnect and reconnect power to prevent backfeeding, ensuring continuous power to the vehicle's low-voltage power domain and enabling data offloading through communication interfaces like cellular or Wi-Fi.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If an external power supply is connected to charge the battery, then the battery can be recharged during idle periods, but electrical current backfeeds to the external power source causing vehicle power loss
Solution Approach 1:
A diode is introduced as an intermediary component between the vehicle's electrical system and the external power source. The diode allows current to flow in only one direction (from external source to battery), blocking reverse current flow that would cause backfeeding. This intermediary device enables safe charging while preventing the harmful backfeed effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful backfeed current is extracted and isolated from the main power circuit by using a diode to separate the forward charging current from the reverse backfeed current. The diode effectively removes the problematic reverse current path while preserving the useful charging function.
2Loss of energy
If the vehicle is turned off to conserve energy, then power consumption is reduced, but data offloading and communication functions cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle's electrical system is segmented into multiple independent power domains: a high-voltage domain for when the vehicle is running, and a low-voltage domain that can operate independently when the vehicle is off. This segmentation allows the low-voltage computer system to remain active for data offloading while the main vehicle systems remain powered down to conserve energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The external power source is connected and begins charging the battery in advance during idle periods when the vehicle is parked. This preliminary charging action ensures that sufficient energy is stored to support extended low-voltage operation for data offloading and communication functions without requiring the main vehicle systems to be active.
3Reliability
If the DC/DC converter is designed for standard vehicle operation, then it works reliably during driving, but it cannot support external power charging when the vehicle is not running
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical power system is designed with multi-functionality to handle multiple operating modes: standard vehicle operation with internal DC/DC conversion, external power charging with the vehicle off, and hybrid operation. The system can adaptively switch between these modes using control logic that monitors power source availability and system state, allowing the same hardware to serve multiple purposes without compromising reliability in any mode.
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
This solution effectively mitigates power loss by maintaining the vehicle's low-voltage power domain, allowing continuous operation of vehicle computers and enabling data offloading without idling the vehicle, even when the vehicle is not running.
Implementation Method 1
Some power supplies with low impedance, for example, are not designed to operate concurrently with other power supplies, such as a vehicle's high voltage power supply, and may allow for backfeeding.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods are provided for mitigating vehicle power loss. A vehicle charging system may include a power supply, and a voltage control device associated with receiving first voltage from the power supply, providing the first voltage to a hybrid vehicle or a battery electric vehicle, and blocking a second voltage from the hybrid vehicle or the battery electric vehicle, wherein the vehicle charging system is external to the hybrid vehicle or the battery electric vehicle.