Electric vehicle charging dispenser and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11745604-B2
Application number	US-202217895594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2022
Priority date	May 8, 2020
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A charging dispenser includes a direct current (DC) electrical power input, a DC electrical power pass through output, and a DC electrical power charging output. The charging dispenser also includes a switching unit coupled to the DC electrical power input, the DC electrical power pass through output, and the DC electrical power charging output. Further, the charging dispenser includes a controller configured to provide control signals to the switching unit, the switching unit being configured, responsive to the control signals, to selectively electrically disconnect the DC electrical power input from the DC electrical power pass through output and electrically connect the DC electrical power input to the DC electrical power charging output of the charging dispenser and to selectively electrically connect the DC electrical power input to the DC electrical power pass through output and electrically disconnect the DC electrical power input from the DC electrical power charging output of the charging dispenser.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charging dispenser, comprising:
a direct current (DC) electrical power input coupled to a DC power module;
a DC electrical power pass through output coupled to another charging dispenser also coupled to the DC power module through the charging dispenser in a chain of charging dispensers;
a DC electrical power charging output;
a switching unit coupled between the DC electrical power input and the DC electrical power pass through output and the DC electrical power charging output within the charging dispenser; and
a controller configured to provide control signals to the switching unit, the switching unit being configured to, responsive to the control signals, selectively electrically disconnect the DC electrical power input from the DC electrical power pass through output and electrically connect the DC electrical power input to the DC electrical power charging output, thereby enabling DC electrical charging using the DC power module at the charging dispenser and disabling DC electrical charging using the DC power module at the another charging dispenser in the chain of charging dispensers.

2. The charging dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the control signals include timing signals from a master controller coupled to both the charging dispenser and the another charging dispenser in the chain of charging dispensers.

3. The charging dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a vehicle identification signal from a vehicle coupled to the charging dispenser.

4. The charging dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a vehicle diagnostics signal from a vehicle coupled to the charging dispenser.

5. The charging dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a vehicle battery charge level signal from a vehicle coupled to the charging dispenser.

6. The charging dispenser of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a vehicle identification signal from a vehicle coupled to the charging dispenser and to send the vehicle identification signal to the master controller.

7. The charging dispenser of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power supply receiving DC electrical power from a charging power cabinet and providing DC electrical power to the controller.

8. The charging dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the DC electrical power charging output is an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) outlet.

9. A charging dispenser, comprising:
a dispenser input comprising:
a direct current (DC) electrical power input,
a control signal input, and
a controller power input;

a DC electrical power pass through power output;
a dispenser DC electrical power output;
a switching unit coupled between the DC electrical power input and the DC electrical power pass through output and the dispenser DC electrical power output within the charging dispenser; and
a controller coupled to the control signal input and coupled to the controller power input, the controller configured to receive control signals from the control signal input from a master controller of a charging power cabinet,
wherein the DC electrical power pass through power output is configured to selectively electrically connect the DC electrical power input of the charging dispenser to a DC electrical power input of another charging dispenser coupled to the charging dispenser in a chain of charging dispensers and route DC electrical power from a DC power module coupled to the chain of charging dispensers to the another charging dispenser through the charging dispenser.

10. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide a switching signal to the switching unit.

11. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide a switching signal to the switching unit, the switching signal being configured to cause power from the DC electrical power input to flow through to the DC electrical power pass through output to the DC electrical power input of the another charging dispenser.

12. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide a switching signal to the switching unit, the switching signal being configured to cause electrical power from the DC electrical power input to flow through to the dispenser DC electrical power output, thereby preventing electrical power from the DC electrical power input from flowing through to the DC electrical power input of the another charging dispenser.

13. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the control signal from the master controller comprises a timing signal.

14. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a vehicle identification signal from a vehicle coupled to the charging dispenser.

15. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a vehicle diagnostics signal from a vehicle coupled to the charging dispenser.

16. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a vehicle battery charge level signal from a vehicle coupled to the charging dispenser.

17. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a vehicle identification signal from a vehicle coupled to the charging dispenser and is configured to send the vehicle identification signal to the master controller.

18. The charging dispenser of claim 9 , further comprising:
a power supply receiving DC electrical power from the controller DC electrical power input and providing DC electrical power to the controller.

19. A method of providing charging power to a vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving, by a controller of a charging dispenser, control signals from a master controller of a charging power cabinet;
supplying direct current (DC) electrical power to a DC electrical power input of the charging dispenser;
responsive to the control signals, using a switching unit within the charging dispenser, electrically disconnecting the DC electrical power input of the charging dispenser from a DC electrical power pass through output of the charging dispenser that is coupled to a DC electrical power input of another charging dispenser coupled to the charging dispenser in a chain of charging dispensers;
responsive to the control signals, using the switching unit within the charging dispenser, electrically connecting the DC electrical power input of the charging dispenser to a DC electrical power charging output of the charging dispenser; and
providing the DC electrical power to the vehicle through the DC electrical power charging output.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
responsive to the control signals, using the switching unit within the charging dispenser, electrically disconnecting the DC electrical power input of the charging dispenser from the DC electrical power charging output of the charging dispenser;
responsive to the control signals, using the switching unit within the charging dispenser, electrically connecting the DC electrical power input of the charging dispenser to the DC electrical power pass through output of the charging dispenser;
providing the DC electrical power to the DC electrical power input of the another charging dispenser coupled to the charging dispenser in the chain of charging dispensers through the DC electrical power pass through output of the charging dispenser; and
providing the DC electrical power to another vehicle through the another charging dispen

Assignees

• Rivian Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Erikson Tyler
• Hiti Silva
• Underhill Kyle

Classifications

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• Y02T90/12

  Electric charging stations · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

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

• Y02T10/7072

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