Auxiliary station cooling unit for DC faster charge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12415431-B2
Application number	US-202217715593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2022
Priority date	Apr 7, 2022
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

A charging station for a vehicle, a system and a method of charging the vehicle. The system includes a heat exchanger at the vehicle. The charging station includes a reservoir including a charging station coolant, a dispenser unit configured to circulate the charging station coolant from the reservoir through the vehicle to absorb heat generated at the vehicle, and a cooling unit for cooling the charging station coolant from the reservoir. Heat generated during the charging of the vehicle is transferred into a vehicle coolant circulating within the vehicle. The heat is transferred from the vehicle coolant to a charging station coolant. The charging station coolant is flowed out of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of charging a vehicle, comprising:
transferring a heat generated during the charging of the vehicle into a vehicle coolant circulating within the vehicle;
transferring the heat from the vehicle coolant to a charging station coolant;
flowing the charging station coolant out of the vehicle and into an underground reservoir associated with a charging station; and
switching a coolant valve between a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein, in the first configuration, the coolant valve circulates the charging station coolant from the underground reservoir through a radiator for removal of the heat and, in the second configuration, the coolant valve circulates charging station coolant from the underground reservoir to an insulated reservoir for removal of the heat to a secondary coolant fluid stored in the insulated reservoir.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting between circulating the charging station coolant through the radiator circulating the charging station coolant to the insulated reservoir based on an ambient temperature.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the charging station further comprises a fan coupled to the radiator and a condenser, further comprising using the fan to cool the charging station coolant at the radiator and to cool the secondary coolant fluid in the condenser.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
coupling a hose to the vehicle, the hose including a connector having a first port and a second port;
flowing the charging station coolant into the vehicle via the first port; and
flowing the charging station coolant out of the vehicle through the second port.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising switching a configuration of a valve of an internal circulation circuit of the vehicle when the hose is connected to the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein switching the configuration includes placing a heat exchanger in the internal circulation circuit to allow the heat to transfer from the vehicle coolant to the charging station coolant at the heat exchanger.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising cooling the vehicle coolant via a chiller in the vehicle.

8. A charging station for a vehicle, comprising:
an underground reservoir including a charging station coolant;
a dispenser unit configured to circulate the charging station coolant from the underground reservoir through the vehicle to absorb a heat generated at the vehicle; and
a cooling unit for cooling the charging station coolant from the underground reservoir, the cooling unit including:
a radiator;
an insulated reservoir that stores a secondary coolant fluid; and
a coolant valve switchable between a first configuration in which the coolant valve circulates the charging station coolant from the underground reservoir through a radiator removal of the heat and a second configuration in which the coolant valve circulates the cha tion coolant from the underground reservoir to an insulated reservoir for removal of the heat to the secondary coolant fluid stored in the insulate reservoir.

9. The charging station of claim 8 , wherein the coolant valve is placed in one of the first configuration and the second configuration based on an ambient temperature.

10. The charging station of claim 9 , wherein the cooling unit further comprises a fan coupled to the radiator and a condenser, wherein the fan cools the charging station coolant at the radiator and cools the secondary coolant fluid in the condenser.

11. The charging station of claim 8 , further comprising a hose for coupling the dispenser unit to the vehicle, the hose including a connector with a first port for flowing the charging station coolant into the vehicle and a second port for flowing the charging station coolant out of the vehicle.

12. The charging station of claim 11 , further comprising an electronic control unit configured to send a command to a valve of an internal circulation circuit of the vehicle when the hose is connected to the vehicle to switch a configuration of the valve.

13. The charging station of claim 12 , wherein switching the configuration of the valve includes placing a heat exchanger in the internal circulation circuit to allow the heat from a vehicle coolant to be transferred to the charging station coolant at the heat exchanger.

14. The charging station of claim 8 , wherein the charging station coolant is sent from one of the radiator and the insulated reservoir to the vehicle.

15. A system for charging a battery of a vehicle, comprising:
a heat exchanger at the vehicle;
an underground reservoir exterior to the vehicle, the underground reservoir including a charging station coolant;
a dispenser unit configured to circulate the charging station coolant from the underground reservoir through the vehicle to absorb a heat generated at the vehicle; and
a cooling unit for cooling the charging station coolant from the underground reservoir, the cooling unit including:
a radiator;
an insulated reservoir that stores a secondary coolant fluid; and
a coolant valve switchable between a first configuration in which the coolant valve circulates the charging station coolant from the underground reservoir through a radiator for removal of the heat and a second configuration in which the coolant valve circulates the charging station coolant from the underground reservoir to an insulated reservoir for removal of the heat to the secondary coolant fluid stored in the insulated reservoir.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the coolant valve is placed in one of the first configuration and the second configuration based on an ambient temperature.

17. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a hose for coupling the dispenser unit to the vehicle, the hose including a connector with a first port for flowing the charging station coolant into the vehicle and a second port for flowing the charging station coolant out of the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 17 , further comprising an electronic control unit configured to send a command to a valve of an internal circulation circuit of the vehicle when the hose is connected to the vehicle to switch a configuration of the valve.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein switching the configuration of the valve includes placing the heat exchanger in the internal circulation circuit to allow the heat from a vehicle coolant to be transferred to the charging station coolant at the heat exchanger.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the charging station coolant is sent from one of the radiator and the insulated reservoir to the vehicle.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Lopez Richard J
• Vaddiraju Srinivasa Rao

Classifications

• B60L53/16 Primary

  Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60L53/31

  Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• H05K7/20936

  Liquid coolant with phase change · CPC title

• B60L53/302 Primary

  Cooling of charging equipment · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

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