Method and system for charging an electric bicycle from the power supply of a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10967739-B2
Application number	US-201916274502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2019
Priority date	Feb 21, 2018
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

A method for charging an electric bicycle from the power supply of a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle is coupled via an electrical trailer connection and an electrical adapter to the battery of the electric bicycle. In order to provide anti-theft protection, the motor vehicle sends the battery a query signal relating to identification data of the battery via a communication channel. Subsequently, the motor vehicle listens in on the communication channel upon transmission of the identification data of the battery. For the case in which the motor vehicle receives incorrect identification data or no identification data from the battery, an alarm signal is output.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for charging an electric bicycle from a power supply of a motor vehicle, comprising:
the motor vehicle, having the power supply and an electrical trailer connection coupled to the power supply, wherein the electrical trailer connection includes at least a positive terminal and a negative terminal;
the electric bicycle, having a battery with a charge connection which includes at least a positive terminal and a negative terminal;
an electrical adapter which, on the input side, is coupled to the electrical trailer connection of the motor vehicle and which includes an output connection which includes at least a positive terminal and a negative terminal, wherein the positive terminal of the output connection is coupled via the electrical adapter to the positive terminal of the electrical trailer connection of the motor vehicle and the negative terminal of the output connection is connected via the electrical adapter to the negative terminal of the electrical trailer connection; wherein,
a) the motor vehicle sends the battery a query signal relating to identification data of the battery via a communication channel;
b) the motor vehicle listens in on the communication channel upon transmission of the identification data of the battery;
c) for the case in which the motor vehicle receives incorrect information data or no identification data from the battery, an alarm signal is output by an alarm system of the motor vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step c) includes the following sub-step c1):
c1) if the motor vehicle receives identification data from the battery, this data is compared in the motor vehicle against reference data.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the identification data is transmitted in an encrypted manner on the communication channel from the battery to the motor vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein as communication channel for a communication between the motor vehicle and the battery, in particular for the sending of the query signal from the motor vehicle to the battery and for the transmission of the identification data from the battery to the motor vehicle, at least one of the following transmission paths is used:
a positive line which couples the positive terminal of the battery to the positive terminal of the electrical trailer connection;
a control line which couples a control terminal of the charge connection of the battery to a control terminal of the electrical trailer connection;
wireless near-field communication between the battery and the motor vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after detection of an electrical coupling of the electric bicycle to the power supply of the motor vehicle, the query signal of step a) is sent at predetermined time intervals.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle is designed to carry out the following steps:
e) verification as to whether a coupling of the battery of the electric bicycle to the power supply of the motor vehicle is a first-time coupling of a battery of an electric bicycle to the power supply of the motor vehicle;
f) if in step e) a first-time coupling is detected: request for an authorization for the coupling of the battery to the power supply of the motor vehicle;
g) if in step f) a successful authorization has taken place: transmission of the identification data of the battery from a memory device of the battery to the motor vehicle; and
h) storing of the identification data transmitted in step g) in a memory device of the motor vehicle as reference data.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein during the production of the battery, the identification data is stored in a memory device of the battery.

8. A system for charging an electric bicycle from the power supply of a motor vehicle, comprising:
the motor vehicle, having the power supply and an electrical trailer connection coupled to the power supply, wherein the electrical trailer connection includes at least a positive terminal and a negative terminal;
the electric bicycle, having a battery with a charge connection which includes at least a positive terminal and a negative terminal;
an electrical adapter which can be coupled, on the input side, to the electrical trailer connection of the motor vehicle and which includes at least a first output connection which includes a positive terminal and a negative terminal, wherein the positive terminal of the first output connection can be coupled via the electrical adapter to the positive terminal of the electrical trailer connection of the motor vehicle, and the negative terminal of the first output connection can be coupled via the electrical adapter to the negative terminal of the electrical trailer connection; wherein,
the motor vehicle is designed to send the battery a query signal relating to identification data of the battery via a communication channel, to listen in on the communication channel upon transmission of the identification data of the battery; and, if the motor vehicle receives incorrect identification data or no identification data from the battery, to output an alarm signal by an alarm system of the motor vehicle.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Lacher Peter
• Aunkofer Markus

Classifications

• H02J7/751

  concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries · CPC title

• B60L50/20 Primary

  using propulsion power generated by humans or animals · CPC title

• H02J7/342

  The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68) · CPC title

• B60L53/66

  Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles · CPC title

• B60L2200/12

  Bikes · CPC title