Method and apparatus for supplying auxiliary electrical power to an electric or hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9321357-B2
Application number	US-201213436290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2012
Priority date	Mar 30, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

The present invention may include a towable trailer being mechanically couplable to a vehicle, the towable trailer including an auxiliary battery housing unit, a wheel being rotatably connected to the towable trailer, an auxiliary battery disposed within the auxiliary battery housing unit of the towable trailer, the vehicle including a storage battery, the auxiliary battery of the towable trailer being electrically couplable with the storage battery of the vehicle via a bidirectional pathway, and a control system configured to control a transfer of electrical energy between the auxiliary battery of the towable trailer and the storage battery of the vehicle along the bidirectional pathway.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An auxiliary power system for supplying auxiliary electrical power to an electrical or hybrid vehicle, comprising:
a towable trailer being mechanically couplable to a vehicle, the towable trailer including an auxiliary battery housing unit;
at least one wheel being rotatably connected to the towable trailer;
one or more auxiliary batteries disposed within the auxiliary battery housing unit of the towable trailer, the vehicle including one or more storage batteries, the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer being electrically couplable with the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle via a bidirectional pathway, wherein the bidirectional pathway is configured to transfer electrical energy from the one or more auxiliary batteries to the one or more storage batteries, and from the one or more storage batteries to the one or more auxiliary batteries; and
a control system configured to control a transfer of electrical energy between the one or more auxiliary batteries and the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle along the bidirectional pathway, wherein the control system is configured to maintain a charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer above a preselected charge level by controlling the transfer of electrical energy from the one or more storage batteries to the one or more auxiliary batteries;
wherein electrical energy is transferred from an energy conversion portion of the vehicle through the one or more storage batteries to the one or more auxiliary batteries via the bidirectional pathway.

2. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the control system configured to control a transfer of electrical energy between the one or more auxiliary batteries and the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle along the bidirectional pathway comprises:
a control system configured to selectively electrically couple the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer with the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle.

3. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to maintain a charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle above a preselected charge level.

4. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to establish at least one of a charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or a charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries, wherein at least one of the charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or the charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer are determined by one or more parameters.

5. The auxiliary power system claim 4 , wherein the control system is configured to establish at least one of a charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or a charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries, wherein at least one the charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or the charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer are determined by one or more external parameters.

6. The auxiliary power system claim 4 , wherein the control system is configured to establish at least one of a charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or a charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries, wherein at least one of the charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or the charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer are determined by one or more internal parameters.

7. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to establish at least one of a charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or a charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries, wherein at least one of the charge state of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or the charge state of the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer are selectable via user input.

8. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to control a rate of transfer of electrical energy between the one or more auxiliary batteries and the one or more storage batteries.

9. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , further comprising:
a user interface device, the user interface device being communicatively coupled to the control system.

10. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the one or more auxiliary batteries are electrically couplable with the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle via charge/discharge circuitry of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle.

11. The auxiliary power system claim 10 , wherein the one or more auxiliary batteries are electrically couplable with the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle via a charging socket of the charge/discharge circuitry of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle.

12. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the at least one wheel being rotatably connected to the towable trailer comprises:
at least one wheel being rotatably connected to the towable trailer, wherein the at least one wheel is configured to translate the towable trailer utilizing a pulling force from the vehicle.

13. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the at least one wheel being rotatably connected to the towable trailer comprises:
at least one wheel being rotatably connected to the towable trailer and operatively connected to a trailer drivetrain, the trailer drivetrain configured to supply propulsive energy to the towable trailer.

14. The auxiliary power system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an auxiliary output operatively connected to the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer, the auxiliary output configured to supply electrical energy from the one or more auxiliary batteries to an additional device selectively electrically couplable to the auxiliary output.

15. The auxiliary power system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a generator disposed within the towable trailer.

16. The auxiliary power system of claim 15 , wherein the generator is configured to supply electrical energy to at least one of the one or more storage batteries of the vehicle or the one or more auxiliary batteries of the towable trailer.

17. The auxiliary power system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a battery monitoring system configured to monitor one or more characteristics of at least one of the one or more auxiliary batteries or the one or more storage batteries.

18. The auxiliary power system claim 1 , wherein the energy conversion portion of the vehicle is configured to convert the electrical energy stored in the one or more storage batteries to mechanical energy for utilization by a transmission of the vehicle to propel the vehicle.

19. The auxiliary power system of claim 1 , wherein the energy conversion portion of the vehicle includes a power conversion circuitry.

20. The auxiliary power system of claim 1 , wherein the energy conversion portion of the vehicle includes an electric motor.

21. The auxiliary power system of claim 1 , wherein the energy conversion portion of the vehicle includes a generator.

22. An auxiliary power system for supplying auxiliary electrical power to an electrical or hybrid vehicle, comprising:
a towable trailer being mechanically couplable to a vehicle, the towable trailer including an auxiliary battery housing unit;
at least one wheel being rotatably connected to t

Assignees

• Caldeira Kenneth G
• Chan Alistair K
• Cook Daniel B
• Duncan William David
• Hyde Roderick A
• Ishikawa Muriel Y
• Kare Jordin T
• Latham John
• Salter Stephen H
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Tuckerman David B
• Weaver Thomas A
• Whitmer Charles
• Wood Victoria Y H
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Caldeira Kenneth G
• Chan Alistair K
• Cook Daniel B
• Duncan William David
• Hyde Roderick A
• Ishikawa Muriel Y
• Kare Jordin T
• Latham John
• Salter Stephen H
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Tuckerman David B
• Weaver Thomas A
• Whitmer Charles
• Wood Victoria Y H
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• B60L50/60

  using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) · CPC title

• H02J7/342

  The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68) · CPC title

• Y02P90/60

  Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes · CPC title

• B60L2200/40

  Working vehicles · CPC title

• B60L2200/12

  Bikes · CPC title