Method for operating an electric vehicle and electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11964570-B2
Application number	US-202017787647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2020
Priority date	Dec 18, 2019
Publication date	Apr 23, 2024
Grant date	Apr 23, 2024

Abstract

In a method for operating an electric vehicle, including an electrical drive device for driving the vehicle, a control device for controlling the driving of the vehicle, a first energy storage device for supplying the control device with a first DC voltage, a second energy storage device for supplying the drive device with a second DC voltage, and an energy supply unit providing an output DC voltage, the first energy storage device is connected to the energy supply unit via a converter device, the second energy storage device is connected to the energy supply unit, the converter device converts the output DC voltage into the first DC voltage, a first power flow from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device is prevented and a second power flow from the second energy storage device to the first energy storage device is prevented.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating an electric vehicle, including an electrical drive device adapted to drive the vehicle, a control device for controlling driving movement of the vehicle, a first energy storage device adapted to supply the control device with a first DC voltage, a second energy storage device adapted to supply the drive device with a second DC voltage, and an energy supply unit adapted to provide an output DC voltage, the first energy storage device being connected via a converter device to the energy supply unit, the second energy storage device being connected to the energy supply unit, the converter device adapted to convert the output DC voltage into the first DC voltage, comprising:
preventing a first power flow from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device; and
preventing a second power flow from the second energy storage device to the first energy storage device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the driving movement of the vehicle includes traction of the vehicle, the second energy storage device is chargeable and dischargeable more rapidly than the first energy storage device, the second DC voltage is greater than the first DC voltage, the energy supply unit is adapted to periodically provide the output DC voltage, and the converter is adapted to convert the output DC voltage into the first DC voltage in response to the first DC voltage being smaller than the output DC voltage.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electric vehicle is arranged as a driverless mobile assistance system, the first energy storage device includes a rechargeable battery storage device, the second energy storage device includes a double layer capacitor device, the first power flow is always prevented, and the second power flow is always prevented.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an output current of the energy supply unit has a value substantially constant over time.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the output current is regulated to the value substantially constant over time.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein energy is supplied to the energy supply unit with contact or without contact.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein energy is supplied periodically to the energy supply unit during travel.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the converter device including a unidirectional and/or electrically isolated DC/DC converter to prevent the first power flow.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second power flow is prevented by a diode arranged between the second energy storage device and the converter device.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second energy storage device is directly connected to the energy supply unit and/or directly connected to the converter device, the second power flow is prevented by monitoring the second DC voltage by a gradient evaluation, the converter device being activated in response to a positive gradient of a voltage level of the second DC voltage and/or in response to the second DC voltage being greater than a minimum voltage value, the converter device being deactivated in response to a non-positive gradient of the voltage level of the second DC voltage.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first DC voltage for charging the first energy storage device is varied.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first DC voltage for charging the first energy storage device is varied by the control device.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second energy storage device is adapted to receive more current than can be provided by the energy supply unit.

14. A device for supplying a first load of an electric vehicle with a first DC voltage and for supplying a second load with a second DC voltage, comprising:
a first energy storage device adapted to supply the first DC voltage;
a second energy storage device adapted to supply the second DC voltage;
an energy supply unit adapted to supply an output DC voltage, the first energy storage device being connected via a converter device to the energy supply unit, the second energy storage device being connected to the energy supply unit;
wherein the converter device is adapted to convert the output DC voltage into the first DC voltage;
wherein the device is adapted to prevent a first power flow from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device and to prevent a second power flow from the second energy storage device to the first energy storage device.

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the electric vehicle is arranged as a driverless mobile assistance system of an intralogistics application, the first energy storage device includes a rechargeable battery storage device, the second energy storage device is arranged as a double layer capacitor device and/or is chargeable and dischargeable more rapidly than the first energy storage device, the energy supply unit is adapted to periodically supply the output DC voltage, the second DC voltage is greater than the first DC voltage, the converter device is adapted to convert the output DC voltage into the first DC voltage in response to the first DC voltage being smaller than the output DC voltage, and the device is adapted to always prevent the first power flow from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device and to always prevent the second power flow from the second energy storage device to the first energy storage device.

16. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the energy supply unit includes a controllable current source.

17. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the first energy storage device is arranged removably and replaceable on the electric vehicle.

18. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the first energy storage device includes an overvoltage protection, an undervoltage protection, and/or an overcurrent protection by a current measurement and/or a voltage measurement.

19. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the first energy storage device includes an overtemperature protection by a temperature measurement.

20. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the second energy storage device includes an overvoltage protection and/or an overcurrent protection by a current measurement and/or a voltage measurement.

21. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the second energy storage device includes an overtemperature protection by a temperature measurement.

22. An electric vehicle, comprising:
a device adapted to supply a first load of an electric vehicle with a first DC voltage and to supply a second load with a second DC voltage, including:
a first energy storage device adapted to supply the first DC voltage;
a second energy storage device adapted to supply the second DC voltage;
an energy supply unit adapted to supply an output DC voltage, the first energy storage device being connected via a converter device to the energy supply unit, the second energy storage device being connected to the energy supply unit;
wherein the converter device is adapted to convert the output DC voltage into the first DC voltage;
wherein the device is adapted to prevent a first power flow from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device and to prevent a second power flow from the second energy storage device to the first energy storage device;

an electrical drive device adapted to drive the vehicle; an

Assignees

• Sew Eurodrive Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• SCHäFER JENS
• Becker Jan
• Bockelmann Gero
• Hauck Matthias
• Schumann Christian
• Schmidt Josef

Classifications

• H02J2105/30

  the load networks being external to vehicles, i.e. exchanging power with vehicles · CPC title

• H02J7/865

  Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H02J7/345

  using capacitors as storage or buffering devices · CPC title

• B60L50/40

  using propulsion power supplied by capacitors · CPC title