Traction Battery Charging Voltage Adapter for EV Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-voltage traction batteries in electric vehicles cannot be efficiently charged at standard charging columns with lower maximum charging voltage due to restrictive communication protocols, limiting charging options and increasing the sparsity of charging networks.
Innovation Solution
A method that allows high-voltage traction batteries to be charged at charging columns with lower maximum voltage by using a charging voltage adapter to adjust the voltage and performing an insulation test at the lower voltage level, enabling the battery to be charged at both 400 V and 800 V, and allowing the charging process to proceed with the appropriate voltage setting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If communication protocols are designed to ensure safe charging operations, then charging safety is improved, but compatibility between high-voltage batteries and low-voltage charging columns deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation tester performs an insulation test at the charging column side before the actual charging process begins. This preliminary action verifies the safety of the charging lines at the actual charging voltage level, ensuring that safety checks are conducted under the real operating conditions that will be experienced during charging, thereby resolving the contradiction between safety and compatibility.
2Reliability
If insulation testing is performed at the requested charging voltage level, then charging safety is improved, but the ability to charge at lower voltage columns deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation test voltage is dynamically adjusted based on the actual charging voltage level provided by the charging column. If the charging column provides a lower voltage than requested, the insulation test is performed at that lower actual voltage level rather than the originally requested higher voltage. This dynamic adaptation allows high-voltage batteries to be safely charged at low-voltage columns while maintaining safety standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The test voltage parameter is changed from the requested charging voltage to the actual charging voltage provided by the column. This parameter change enables the insulation testing to match the real operating conditions, allowing the system to adapt to different charging column voltage capabilities while maintaining safety verification at the appropriate voltage level.
3Productivity
If high-voltage charging is used, then charging speed is improved, but the availability of charging locations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The high-voltage traction battery system is designed to accept both high-voltage and low-voltage charging inputs. The battery management system can dynamically adapt to the voltage level provided by the charging column, enabling the same battery to be charged at both 800V high-voltage columns and 400V low-voltage columns. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by allowing the battery to utilize available charging infrastructure while maintaining the capability for high-speed charging when high-voltage columns are available.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for charging a traction battery of a vehicle at a stationary charging column includes having the vehicle charging controller register a charging process to the charging column charging controller with a high voltage value of the traction battery as a requested maximum charging voltage. The charging column charging controller then performs an insulation test at an insulation test voltage that corresponds to the requested maximum charging voltage or to the maximum charging column voltage when the latter is lower than the requested maximum charging voltage. The insulation test voltage is measured by a vehicle voltmeter. If the measured insulation test voltage corresponds to the lower voltage value, the vehicle charging controller registers a charging process to the charging column charging controller with the low voltage value as new requested charging voltage and sets the charging voltage adapter to a charging column voltage corresponding to the low voltage value.