Isolated high voltage battery charger and integrated battery pack

A high-voltage battery-charging apparatus for a hybrid electric vehicle having an electrical system, comprising:

• an Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE) configured to provide an off-vehicle source of electrical energy for charging an on-board battery of said hybrid electric vehicle;
• a conductive coupling component that is configured to couple said EVSE to said on-board battery of said electric vehicle;
• an on-board high-voltage charging system that is coupled to said conductive coupling component and configured to control said charging of said on-board battery during a charging period and a non-charging period, said on-board high-voltage charging system comprising:
• a battery charger that is coupled to said conductive coupling component and configured to receive said electrical energy from said EVSE;
• a high-voltage bus coupled to said battery charger and said on-board battery of the hybrid vehicle, said high voltage bus configured to transmit said electrical energy from said battery charger and also configured to transmit said electrical energy stored by said on-board battery;
• a bus contactor interposed between said high voltage bus and said battery charger, said bus contactor configured to provide a first substantial electrical isolation between said battery charger and said high-voltage bus and to thereby allow said charging period during which said battery charger transmits electrical energy to said battery and not to said high-voltage bus;
• and
• an isolation mechanism interposed between said battery charger and said bus contactor and interposed between battery charger and said on-board battery, said isolation mechanism configured to provide a second substantial electrical isolation between said battery charger and said high-voltage bus, and also between said battery charger and said battery module during said non-charging period.

A method for charging a high-voltage battery of a hybrid electric vehicle having an electrical system, comprising:

• providing electrical energy with a battery charger;
• storing said electrical energy in a battery module to said hybrid electric vehicle;
• transmitting said electrical energy with a high-voltage bus from said battery module and from said power source to said electrical system;
• activating an isolation mechanism interposed between said battery charger and said battery module to provide a first substantial electrical isolation between said battery charger and said high voltage bus during a non-charging period of the battery module;
• and
• activating a bus contactor interposed between said high voltage bus and said battery charger to provide a second substantial electrical isolation between said battery charger and said high-voltage bus and to thereby allow a charging period of said battery module during which said battery charger transmits electrical energy to said battery and not to said high-voltage bus.

An Integrated Battery Pack (IPB) for a hybrid electric vehicle having an electrical system, which is coupled to a conductive coupling component and configured to control charging of a battery module with an EVSE during a charging and a non-charging period;

• comprising:
• a battery charger integrally formed in the IPB and coupled to the conductive coupling component, said battery charger configured to receive electrical energy from the EVSE;
• a high-voltage bus integrally formed in the IPB and coupled to said battery charger and the battery module, said high voltage bus configured to transmit said electrical energy received from said EVSE and also configured to transmit said electrical energy stored by the battery module;
• a bus contactor integrally formed in the IPB and interposed between said high-voltage bus and said battery charger, said bus contactor configured to provide a first substantial electrical isolation between said battery charger and said high voltage bus during the charging period;
• an isolation mechanism integrally formed in the IPB and interposed between said battery charger and said bus contactor and interposed between battery charger and said on-board battery, said isolation mechanism configured to provide a second substantial electrical isolation between said battery charger, said battery module and said high voltage bus during said non-charging period;
• and
• a cooling system integrally formed in the IPB, said cooling system configured to cool said battery charger during said charging period.