# US 12,005,799 B2 · Method and device for charging an electric vehicle

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- Number: US 12,005,799 B2
- Document ID: US12005799B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/283,329
- Filed: 2020-01-10
- Published: 2022-01-06
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-01-10
- Assignees: Fronius International GmbH
- Applicants: Fronius International GmbH
- Inventors: Michael Schubert; Markus Brandstoetter
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005799B2

## CPC

- B60L 53/62: in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
- B60L 53/64: Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
- B60L 53/305: {Communication interfaces}
- B60L 53/51: Photovoltaic means
- B60L 53/53: Batteries
- B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity
- B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
- H02J 1/14: Balancing load and power generation in DC networks
- H02J 3/322: {the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging}
- H02J 3/381: {Dispersed generators}
- H02J 7/02: for charging batteries from AC mains by converters
- 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 7/35: with light sensitive cells
- H02J 7/80: including monitoring or indicating arrangements
- H02J 7/865: {Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence)}
- H02J 7/92: with prioritisation of loads or sources
- H02J 7/933: {the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters}
- H02J 2101/24: Photovoltaics
- H02J 2105/12: supplying households or buildings
- H02J 2105/52: for limitation of the power consumption in the networks or in one section of the networks, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
- Y02B 10/10: Photovoltaic [PV]
- Y02E 10/56: Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
- Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- 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 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
- Y04S 30/12: Remote or cooperative charging
- 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
- Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- 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

In a method and a device for charging an electric vehicle with a charging current, having: a connection for connecting to a domestic mains supply connected to a power generating plant, a power supply grid, an energy management device, and possibly an energy storage; a charging connection for connecting to the electric vehicle (11) to be charged; and a control device for controlling the charging current for charging the electric vehicle, at least one device determines the surplus power of the domestic mains supply and the power drawn from the power supply grid and compares them with at least one activation threshold and/or deactivation threshold. The control device is designed so that the charging current for charging the electric vehicle is according to the at least two preset charging currents, by activating or deactivating the corresponding preset charging current when upon reaching the corresponding activation threshold values or deactivation threshold values.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for charging an electric vehicle comprising:
connecting the electric vehicle to a charging current from a domestic mains supply connected to a power generating plant, a power supply grid,
and an energy management device;
controlling the charging current for charging the electric vehicle by a control device connected to the energy management device, wherein the charging current is selected from at least first and second preset charging currents preset for the control device, wherein the first preset charging current is less than the second preset charging current, and the electric vehicle is charged with one of the at least first and second preset charging currents controlled by the energy management device;
defining an activation threshold value and a deactivation threshold value for each of the at least first and second preset charging currents;
selecting the charging current for charging the electric vehicle from the at least first and second preset charging currents by determining a surplus power of the domestic mains supply and a drawn power drawn from the power supply grid and making a comparison between the surplus power and at least one activation threshold value defined for each of the at least first and second preset charging currents and between the drawn power and at least one deactivation threshold value defined for each of the at least first and second preset charging currents, and
upon reaching the corresponding activation threshold values or deactivation threshold values, activating or deactivating the corresponding preset charging current, the first preset charging current being activated when based on the comparison a first activation threshold value is reached and being deactivated when based on the comparison a first deactivation value is reached and the second preset charging current being activated when based on the comparison a second activation threshold value is reached and being deactivated when based on the comparison a second deactivation value is reached, wherein a current infeed from the domestic mains supply is used to charge the electric vehicle until the first activation threshold is reached or exceeded.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a power supplied to the power supply grid is compared with the activation threshold values and with the deactivation threshold values, and the corresponding preset charging current is activated or deactivated, or the determined amount of the drawn power drawn from the power supply grid is compared with the activation threshold values and with the deactivation threshold values, and the corresponding preset charging current is activated or deactivated.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the charging of the electric vehicle is stopped when the determined amount of power drawn from the power supply grid exceeds the deactivation threshold of a smallest preset charging current.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the activation of a preset charging current is maintained over a selectable minimum time.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a time window is set and wherein the charging current for charging the electric vehicle is supplied according to one of the at least first and second preset charging currents in a manner that takes the set time window into account.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein an operating mode is changed to one in which the electric vehicle is charged with a fixed predefined charging current and/or to an operating mode for deactivating the supply of power.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the controller of the charging current for charging the electric vehicle is controlled remotely.

### Claim 8

A device for charging an electric vehicle with a charging current, comprising:
a connection for connecting to a domestic mains supply connected to a power generating plant, a power supply grid, and an energy management device;
a charging connection 414 for connecting to the electric vehicle to be charged;
a control device for controlling the charging current for charging the electric vehicle; and
at least one device for determining a surplus power of the domestic mains supply and a drawn power drawn from the power supply grid and for making a comparison between a surplus power of the domestic mains supply and at least one activation threshold defined for each of at least first and second preset charging currents and between the drawn power and at least one deactivation threshold value defined for each of the at least first and second preset charging currents, the first preset charging current being less than the second preset charging current;
wherein the control device is designed to connect to the energy management device;
wherein the control device is configured to select from the at least first and second preset charging currents the charging current for charging the electric vehicle upon reaching the corresponding activation threshold values or deactivation threshold values, by activating or deactivating the corresponding preset charging current, the first preset charging current being activated when based on the comparison a first activation threshold value is reached and being deactivated when based on the comparison a first deactivation value is reached and the second preset charging current being activated when based on the comparison a second activation threshold value is reached and being deactivated when based on the comparison a second deactivation value is reached, wherein a current infeed from the domestic mains supply is used to charge the electric vehicle until the first activation threshold is reached or exceeded.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The device according to claim 8, wherein a changeover device is provided for switching over to an operating mode for charging the electric vehicle with a fixed predefined charging current and/or to an operating mode for deactivating the supply of power.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The device according to claim 8, wherein the control device is designed for connecting to an inverter of a photovoltaic system, which forms the energy management device.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The device according to claim 8, wherein the control device is designed for connecting to an electricity meter which forms the energy management device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The device according to claim 8, wherein a device is provided for selecting a time window so that the charging current for charging the electric vehicle is supplied taking the selected time window into account.