System monitoring power connector and cable health

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11034260-B2
Application number	US-201615078304-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2016
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A method of protecting an electric vehicle (EV) charger connector from excessive heat includes monitoring the internal temperature of an electrical connector, the electrical connector having pilot and pilot return signal lines, reducing a voltage between the pilot and pilot return signal lines in response to the internal temperature exceeding a first threshold, and reducing charging current provided through the electrical connector in response to the change in voltage so that the internal temperature exceeding the first threshold will result in a reduction of charging current through the connector.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of electric vehicle (EV) electrical connector monitoring, comprising:
monitoring a temperature of an electrical connector via a temperature sensor circuit disposed within the electrical connector, the electrical connector having a pilot line and a pilot return line, and the temperature sensor circuit connected between the pilot line and the pilot return line;
reducing a first voltage between the pilot line and the pilot return line to a second voltage in response to the monitored temperature exceeding a first threshold, wherein the first voltage is reduced via the temperature sensor circuit;
reducing charging current provided on a power line through the electrical connector in response to the reduction in the first voltage; and
reducing the second voltage between the pilot line and the pilot return line to a third voltage in response to the monitored temperature exceeding a second threshold, wherein the second voltage is reduced via the temperature sensor circuit.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of reducing the charging current comprises stopping the charging current.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of changing the voltage between the pilot line and the pilot return line comprises electrically shorting the pilot line and the pilot return lines together via the temperature sensor circuit.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor circuit comprises a thermistor.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprises opening a switch that is electrically connected in series with either one of the pilot line or pilot return line.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor circuit comprises a resistor connected in series with a thermostat, and wherein the thermostat is triggered at the first threshold temperature to reduce the voltage between the pilot line and the pilot return line.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a cessation of power request signal provided to the electrical connector in response to the further reduction of the voltage between the pilot line and the pilot return line.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing the second voltage comprises electrically shorting the pilot line and the pilot return line together.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reducing the second voltage comprises opening a switch disposed in series with one of the pilot line and the pilot return line.

10. A method of protecting an EV charger connector from excessive heat, comprising:
monitoring a temperature of an electrical connector via a temperature sensor circuit disposed within the electrical connector, wherein the temperature sensor circuit is connected between a pilot line and a pilot return line;
reducing a first voltage between the pilot line and the pilot return line to a second voltage in response to the monitored temperature exceeding a first threshold, wherein the first voltage is reduced via the temperature sensor circuit;
switching on an over-temperature alarm circuit in response to the reduction in the first voltage between the pilot line and the pilot return line;
wherein the internal temperature exceeding the first threshold will result in an alarm indication from the over-temperature alarm circuit;
reducing the second voltage between the pilot line and the pilot return line to a third voltage in response to the monitored temperature exceeding a second threshold, wherein the second voltage is reduced via the temperature sensor circuit.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the switching on the over-temperature alarm circuit comprises tripping a thermostat.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the over-temperature alarm circuit comprises an LED light encompassed by the electrical connector.

13. A battery monitoring apparatus, comprising:
first and second pilot lines in an electrical connector;
first and second power lines in the electrical connector; and
a temperature sensor circuit disposed within the electrical connector, wherein the temperature sensor circuit is electrically coupled to the first pilot line and the second pilot line, wherein the temperature sensor circuit reduces a first voltage between the first and second pilot lines to a second voltage in response to a monitored temperature measured by the temperature sensor circuit exceeding a first threshold, and wherein the temperature sensor circuit reduces the second voltage between the first and second pilot lines to a third voltage in response to the monitored temperature measured by the temperature sensor circuit exceeding a second threshold.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the temperature sensor circuit comprises a thermistor.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the temperature sensor circuit comprises a resistor connected in series with a thermostat.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising an excessive heat alarm.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the thermostat is electrically coupled between the first and second power lines and the thermostat is a normally-open thermostat.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
a thermal alarm connected in series with the temperature sensor circuit.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising:
a second temperature sensor circuit electrically coupled between the first and second pilot lines and configured to close in response to the temperature exceeding the second threshold.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein power to at least one of the first and second power lines is switched off in response to closing of the second temperature sensor circuit across the first and second pilot lines.

Assignees

• Aerovironment Inc
• Webasto Charging Systems Inc

Inventors

• Dickinson Blake Edward
• Hori Bradford M
• Dresselhaus Daniel D

Classifications

• B60L3/04 Primary

  Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H) · CPC title

• B60L58/24 Primary

  for controlling the temperature of batteries · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• H02H3/085

  making use of a thermal sensor, e.g. thermistor, heated by the excess current (also responsive to the temperature of the protected device H02H5/041, thermal images H02H6/00) · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title