Method for charging an electrical energy accumulator of a motor vehicle, a motor vehicle, and a charging station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12589666-B2
Application number	US-202218062490-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2022
Priority date	Dec 7, 2021
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

A method for charging at least one electrical energy accumulator of a motor vehicle, in which electrical energy from a charging station external to the motor vehicle is transferred across a detachable electrical connection to the energy accumulator, while a cooling fluid is taken from the charging station across a detachable cooling fluid connection and by means of a delivery device to at least one cooling element of the motor vehicle, so that thermal energy is transferred from the energy accumulator across the cooling element to the cooling fluid and taken away by means of the cooling fluid, wherein a pressure in the cooling fluid or in a mixture consisting of the cooling fluid and a gas is reduced, before and/or during the supplying thereof to the cooling element, by means of at least one pressure reducing element, so that the boiling temperature of the cooling fluid is lowered such that it evaporates at least partly during the transfer of the thermal energy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for charging at least one electrical energy accumulator of a motor vehicle, comprising:
transferring electrical energy from a charging station external to the motor vehicle across a detachable electrical connection to the energy accumulator, while a cooling fluid is taken from the charging station across a detachable cooling fluid connection and by a delivery device to at least one cooling element of the motor vehicle, so that thermal energy is transferred from the energy accumulator across the cooling element to the cooling fluid and taken away by the cooling fluid, wherein a pressure in the cooling fluid or in a mixture consisting of the cooling fluid and a gas is reduced, before and/or during the supplying thereof to the cooling element, by at least one pressure reducing element, so that the boiling temperature of the cooling fluid is lowered such that it evaporates at least partly during the transfer of the thermal energy.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the pressure reducing element is an expansion element and/or a turbine, by which energy can be removed from the cooling fluid or the mixture.

3 . The method according to claim 2 wherein the expansion element is a throttle.

4 . The method of claim 1 ,
wherein electrical energy from a charging station external to the motor vehicle is transferred across a detachable electrical connection to the energy accumulator, while a cooling fluid is taken from the charging station across a detachable cooling fluid connection and by a delivery device to at least one cooling element of the motor vehicle, so that thermal energy is transferred from the energy accumulator across the cooling element to the cooling fluid and taken away by the cooling fluid, and wherein the cooling fluid evaporating during the transfer of the thermal energy is circulated at least partly in a circuit in which the cooling element is included.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein:
a cooling appliance which cools down the cooling fluid after the transfer of the thermal energy is included in the circuit.

6 . The method according to claim 5 wherein the cooling appliance is a condenser.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cooling fluid is water or CO 2 and/or the gas is ambient air.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the charging station comprises a cooling fluid reservoir and/or is connected to a cooling fluid source, the cooling fluid being taken by the delivery device from the cooling fluid reservoir or the cooling fluid source to the cooling element.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cooling fluid or the mixture is supplied partially or entirely after the transfer of the thermal energy to a phase separator of the motor vehicle or that of the charging station, by which a liquid phase, consisting of the liquid cooling fluid, and a gaseous phase, consisting of the evaporated cooling fluid, of the cooling fluid or the mixture are separated from each other.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein:
the gaseous phase is discharged into the surroundings and/or the liquid phase is supplied to the liquid cooling fluid before the transfer of the thermal energy.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , in which the gaseous phase is discharged into the surroundings, wherein:
the gaseous phase is discharged into the surroundings by a gas phase discharge line, leading from the phase separator to a gas phase vent opening of the motor vehicle or the charging station, the delivery device being situated in the region of the gas phase discharge line.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cooling element is a cooling plate or a heat exchanger standing in thermal contact with the energy accumulator, by which thermal energy is transferred to the cooling fluid by a coolant circulating in a cooling circuit independent of the charging station for the cooling of the energy accumulator.

13 . A motor vehicle, comprising:
at least one electrical energy accumulator, an electrical interface to form a detachable electrical connection, by which electrical energy can be transferred from a charging station external to the motor vehicle to the energy accumulator, a cooling fluid interface to form a detachable cooling fluid connection, by which a cooling fluid can be taken from the charging station by a delivery device to at least one cooling element of the motor vehicle, so that thermal energy can be transferred from the energy accumulator across the cooling element to the cooling fluid and taken away by the cooling fluid, and either: a pressure reducing element and/or a phase separator, to which the cooling fluid or the mixture can be supplied partially or entirely after the transfer of the thermal energy and by which a liquid phase, consisting of the liquid cooling fluid, and a gaseous phase, consisting of the gaseous cooling fluid and/or the gas, of the cooling fluid or the mixture can be separated from each other.

14 . The motor vehicle according to claim 13 , comprising the phase separator, wherein:
the motor vehicle comprises a liquid phase discharge line, which leads from the phase separator to the cooling element and/or to a cooling fluid line leading to the cooling element, whereby the liquid phase can be supplied by the liquid phase discharge line to the liquid cooling fluid at the motor vehicle side and before the transfer of the thermal energy; and/or the motor vehicle comprises a gas phase discharge line, leading from the phase separator to a gas phase vent opening of the motor vehicle, whereby the gaseous phase can be discharged into the surroundings by the gas phase discharge line, in which the delivery device is arranged.

15 . The motor vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the electrical interface is a charging socket and the cooling fluid interface is a connector.

16 . A motor vehicle, comprising:
at least one electrical energy accumulator, an electrical interface to form a detachable electrical connection, by which electrical energy can be transferred from a charging station external to the motor vehicle to the energy accumulator, a cooling fluid interface to form a detachable cooling fluid connection, by which a cooling fluid can be taken from the charging station by a delivery device to at least one cooling element of the motor vehicle, so that thermal energy can be transferred from the energy accumulator across the cooling element to the cooling fluid and taken away by the cooling fluid, and either: a return connection interface, by which a detachable return connection is formed from the motor vehicle to the charging station, through which the cooling fluid or the mixture can be taken after the transfer of the thermal energy in order to form the circuit; and/or a liquid phase discharge line, which leads from a phase separator to the cooling element and/or to a cooling fluid line leading to the cooling element and by which a liquid phase of the cooling fluid or the mixture can be supplied to the liquid cooling fluid at the motor vehicle side and before the transfer of the thermal energy in order to form the circuit.

17 . The motor vehicle according to claim 16 , wherein the electrical interface is a charging socket and the cooling fluid interface is a connector.

18 . A charging station for charging at least one electrical energy accumulator of a motor vehicle, comprising:
an electrical interface to form a detachable electrical connection, by which electrical energy

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Rebinger Christian
• Schroeder Dirk

Classifications

• B60L58/26 Primary

  by cooling · CPC title

• H01M10/66

  Heat-exchange relationships between the cells and other systems, e.g. central heating systems or fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• H01M10/6568

  characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings · CPC title

• H01M10/613

  Cooling or keeping cold · CPC title