Cooling of charging cable

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9701210-B2
Application number	US-201615076432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Feb 5, 2014
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A charging system for an electric vehicle includes: a power supply; a cable having first and second ends, the first end attached to the power supply, the cable comprising a charging conductor and a cooling conduit, each of which extends from the first end to the second end; and a connector attached to the second end of the cable, the connector having a form factor corresponding to a charge port of the electric vehicle; wherein the cooling conduit is adapted to convey a fluid that cools the charging conductor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charging system for an electric vehicle, the charging system comprising:
a power supply;
a cable having a first end and a second end, the first end attached to the power supply, the cable comprising a charging conductor and a cooling conduit, each of which extends from the first end to the second end; and
a connector attached to the second end of the cable, the connector having a form factor corresponding to a charge port of the electric vehicle, wherein the connector includes a fluid hub that has an inlet opening and an outlet opening;
wherein the cooling conduit is adapted to convey a fluid that cools the charging conductor and the connector.

2. The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the connector further includes contacts for electrical connection to the electric vehicle, and wherein the contacts are held by the fluid hub.

3. The charging system of claim 2 , wherein the contacts are essentially cylindrical, and wherein the fluid hub is shaped to receive and hold the contacts.

4. The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid hub comprises a housing configured to be closed by a cap.

5. The charging system of claim 4 , wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening are positioned on the cap.

6. The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the connector further includes contacts for electrical connection to the electric vehicle, and a fluid channel that surrounds at least part of the contacts.

7. The charging system of claim 6 , wherein the fluid channel is coupled to the fluid hub.

8. The charging system of claim 7 , wherein a coupling of the fluid channel is done via an interior of the fluid hub.

9. The charging system of claim 6 , wherein the fluid channel defines a spiral shaped flow pattern.

10. The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the connector further includes contacts for electrical connection to the electric vehicle, the contacts having corresponding busbars, and wherein each of the busbars is positioned against a substantially flat face of the fluid hub.

11. The charging system of claim 10 , wherein each busbar of the busbars is jogged relative to a corresponding contact of the contacts.

12. The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid hub defines a single interior fluid path from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.

13. The charging system of claim 12 , wherein the single interior fluid path makes a U-turn between the inlet opening and the outlet opening.

14. The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid hub comprises two halves attached to each other.

15. The charging system of claim 14 , wherein each of the inlet opening and the outlet opening is positioned on a respective one of the two halves.

16. The charging system of claim 14 , wherein a wall enclosed within an interior of the fluid hub defines an interior fluid path from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.

17. The charging system of claim 16 , wherein the wall is formed by corresponding pieces on the respective one of the two halves.

18. The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening are staggered from each other horizontally and vertically on a common face of the fluid hub.

19. The charging system of claim 1 , further comprising circuit components mounted onto the fluid hub.

20. The charging system of claim 1 , further comprising a ground cable that extends from the first end to the second end and is touching the charging conductor and the cooling conduit, wherein the ground cable is adapted to conduct heat from the charging conductor to the cooling conduit.

Assignees

• Tesla Motors Inc
• Tesla Inc

Inventors

• Woo Yee Shan
• Van Dyke Christopher H
• Mardall Joseph
• Newport Christopher
• Ferguson Joshua Willard

Classifications

• B60L53/302 Primary

  Cooling of charging equipment · CPC title

• H01B7/423

  using a cooling fluid · CPC title

• H01R2103/00

  Two poles · CPC title

• H01R13/502

  composed of different pieces (H01R13/514 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60L53/18

  Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles · CPC title