# US 11,299,053 B2 · Method and apparatus for charging an electric vehicle using a charging cable > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,299,053 B2 - Document ID: US11299053B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/869,493 - Filed: 2020-05-07 - Published: 2020-11-12 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-07 - Assignees: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft - Applicants: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Thomas Kristof - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11299053B2 ## CPC - B60L 53/18: Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 53/11: {DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4} - B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer - B60L 53/20: characterised by converters located in the vehicle - B60L 53/22: Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 53/62: in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge - B60L 53/65: involving identification of vehicles or their battery types - B60L 53/66: Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles - B60L 58/20: having different nominal voltages - H02J 7/342: {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)} - H02J 7/42: with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones - H02J 7/751: {concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries} - B60L 53/31: Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles - H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV] - H02J 2207/20: Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - Y02T 90/167: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV] - Y04S 30/14: Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A method and an apparatus (100) use a charging cable (108) for charging an electric vehicle. The apparatus has a first voltage converter (110) to transform a charging voltage applied to the charging cable (108) to a high voltage for a high-voltage battery (104) of the electric vehicle. The apparatus (100) also has a second two-level voltage converter (112) to charge a low-voltage battery (106) of the electric vehicle by transforming the high voltage to an intermediate voltage for an intermediate circuit (118) and transforming the intermediate voltage to a low voltage for the low-voltage battery (106). The intermediate circuit (118) is designed to precharge the charging cable (108) using the intermediate voltage before the beginning of a charging process. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for charging an electric vehicle using a charging cable, the apparatus comprising: a first voltage converter designed to transform a charging voltage applied to the charging cable to a high voltage for charging a high-voltage battery of the electric vehicle; a second, two-level, voltage converter designed to transform the high voltage of the high-voltage battery to an intermediate voltage for an intermediate circuit and to transform the intermediate voltage to a low voltage for a low-voltage battery, and wherein the intermediate circuit is designed to precharge the charging cable using the intermediate voltage before beginning a charging process. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first voltage converter and the second voltage converter have means that prevent a reverse flow of current through the first voltage converter and the second voltage converter into the charging cable, and wherein the apparatus further has a means that prevents a reverse flow of current from the charging cable into the intermediate circuit at least in the charging process. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electrical connection, by way of which the charging cable, which is connected to the electric vehicle, is electrically connected to the intermediate circuit to precharge the charging cable, wherein the apparatus has a switching device to start the charging of the electric vehicle when the charging cable is precharged. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is designed to set the intermediate voltage depending on information about a charging voltage provided by a charging column. ### Claim 5 A method for charging an electric vehicle using a charging cable, comprising: charging a high-voltage battery of the electric vehicle by using a first voltage converter for transforming a charging voltage applied to the charging cable to a high voltage for charging the high-voltage battery of the electric vehicle, and charging a low-voltage battery of the electric vehicle by using a second two-level voltage converter for first transforming the high voltage of the high-voltage battery to an intermediate voltage and then transforming the intermediate voltage to the low voltage, and precharging the charging cable using the intermediate voltage before beginning a charging process. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising preventing a reverse flow of current through the first voltage converter and the second voltage converter into the charging cable, and preventing a return flow of current from the charging cable into the intermediate circuit at least in the charging process. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising electrically connecting to the intermediate circuit the charging cable that is connected to the electric vehicle for precharging the charging cable, and starting the charging of the electric vehicle after the charging cable is precharged. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising setting the intermediate voltage depending on information about a charging voltage provided by a charging column.