Parallel Charging Switch Units for Current Imbalance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional charging systems for heavy vehicles struggle with high power requirements, leading to extended charging times and potential damage from current path imbalances, which is critical for vehicles requiring high availability and reduced downtime.
Innovation Solution
A charging system with parallelly arranged charging switch units, each equipped with a contactor, measurement device, and variable resistor, controlled by a charging control unit to balance current paths and mitigate imbalances by adjusting resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If parallel charging switch units are used to increase charging power, then charging time is reduced, but current path imbalances may cause damage to components
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors current distribution across parallel charging paths and dynamically adjusts switching elements to balance current flow, preventing overheating and damage while maintaining high charging power
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic current balancing through controlled switching elements that adapt in real-time to varying resistance conditions in different parallel paths, ensuring safe operation during high-power charging
2Power
If conventional charging systems are used for high capacity energy storages, then system simplicity is maintained, but charging power is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The charging system is divided into multiple parallel charging switch units, each handling a portion of the total charging power, allowing the system to scale capacity while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit manages multiple parallel charging paths using standardized switching elements and control logic, enabling a single system design to handle varying power requirements through configurable parallel configurations
3Productivity
If multiple parallel charging paths are used, then charging capacity is increased, but current imbalance detection and control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit automatically detects current imbalances and adjusts switching elements without external intervention, enabling the system to self-regulate current distribution across parallel paths and reducing operational complexity
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 enables high-power charging while preventing damage by detecting and balancing current imbalances, ensuring efficient and safe charging operations.
Implementation Method 1
for each charging switch unit, a measurement device configured to determine a parameter indicative of a resistance in a current path through the charging switch unit
Implementation Method 2
a variable resistor configured to control the resistance in the current path
Data Source
AI summary
A charging system for an energy storage in a vehicle comprising: a plurality of parallelly arranged charging switch units, each having an input terminal configured to be connected to a common charging port, and an output terminal configured to be connected to the energy storage, wherein each charging switch unit comprises a contactor configured to control a flow of current from the charging port to the energy storage; for each charging switch unit, a measurement device configured to determine a parameter indicative of a resistance in a current path through the charging switch unit, and a variable resistor configured to control the resistance in the current path; and a charging control unit connected to each of the charging switch units and configured to, if an estimated difference in resistance between any two of the plurality of current paths through a charging switch unit is higher than a predetermined difference threshold value, control the variable resistor of a charging switch unit in the current path having the lowest resistance to increase the resistance of that current path.