Patent Application
20240149726
The present disclosure relates generally to electrical generators for converting mechanical or chemical energy into electric power. More specifically, aspects of this disclosure relate to fuel cell powered electrical generators and vehicle charging stations.
Current production motor vehicles, such as the modern-day automobile, are originally equipped with a powertrain that operates to propel the vehicle and power the vehicle's onboard electronics. In automotive applications, for example, the vehicle powertrain is generally typified by a prime mover that delivers driving torque through an automatic or manually shifted power transmission to the vehicle's final drive system (e.g., differential, axle shafts, corner modules, road wheels, etc.). Automobiles have historically been powered by a reciprocating-piston type internal combustion engine (ICE) assembly due to its ready availability and relatively inexpensive cost, light weight, and overall efficiency. Such engines include compression-ignited (CI) diesel engines, spark-ignited (SI) gasoline engines, two, four, and six-stroke architectures, and rotary engines, as some non-limiting examples. Hybrid-electric and full-electric vehicles (collectively “electric-drive vehicles”), on the other hand, utilize alternative power sources to propel the vehicle and, thus, minimize or eliminate reliance on a fossil-fuel based engine for tractive power.
A full-electric vehicle (FEV)—colloquially labeled an “electric car”—is a type of electric-drive vehicle configuration that altogether omits an internal combustion engine and attendant peripheral components from the powertrain system, relying instead on a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a traction motor for vehicle propulsion. The engine assembly, fuel supply system, and exhaust system of an ICE-based vehicle are replaced with a single or multiple traction motors, a traction battery pack, and battery cooling and charging hardware in a battery-based FEV. Hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) powertrains, in contrast, employ multiple sources of tractive power to propel the vehicle, most commonly operating an internal combustion engine in conjunction with a battery-powered or fuel-cell-powered traction motor. Since hybrid-type, electric-drive vehicles are able to derive their power from sources other than the engine, HEV engines may be turned off, in whole or in part, while the vehicle is propelled by the electric motor(s).
High-voltage (HV) electrical systems govern the transfer of electricity between the traction motors and the rechargeable battery packs that supply the requisite power for operating many hybrid-electric and full-electric powertrains. To provide the power capacity and energy density needed to propel a vehicle at desired speeds and ranges, contemporary traction battery packs group multiple battery cells (e.g., 8-16+ cells/stack) into individual battery modules (e.g., 10-40+ modules/pack) that are electrically interconnected and mounted onto the vehicle chassis, e.g., by a battery pack housing or support tray. Located on a battery side of the HV electrical system is a front-end DC-to-DC power converter that is electrically connected to the traction battery pack(s) in order to increase the supply of voltage to a main DC bus and a DC-to-AC power inverter module (PIM). A high-frequency bulk capacitor may be arranged across the positive and negative terminals of the main DC bus to provide electrical stability and store supplemental electrical energy. A dedicated Electronic Battery Control Module (EBCM), through collaborative operation with a Powertrain Control Module (PCM) and each motor's power electronics package, governs operation of the battery pack(s) and traction motor(s).
As hybrid and electric vehicles become more prevalent, infrastructure is being developed and deployed to make day-to-day use of such vehicles feasible and convenient. Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for recharging electric-drive vehicles comes in many form factors, including residential electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) that are purchased and operated by a vehicle owner (e.g., installed in the owner's garage). Other EVSE examples include publicly accessible EVCS made available by public utilities or private retailers (e.g., at municipal charging facilities or commercial charging stations), and advanced high-powered, high-voltage charging stations used by manufacturers, dealers, and service stations. Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, for instance, can be recharged by physically connecting a charging cable of the EVCS to a complementary charging port of the vehicle. By comparison, wireless charging systems utilize electromagnetic field (EMF) induction or other wireless power transfer (WPT) technology to provide vehicle charging capabilities without the need for charging cables and cable ports. It is axiomatic that large-scale vehicle electrification in turn necessitates a concomitant buildout of readily accessible charging infrastructure that can support daily vehicle use in both urban and rural scenarios, for both short-distance and long-distance vehicle ranges.
Presented herein are articulating roof assemblies for electrical generator systems, methods for making and methods for using such roof assemblies, and fuel cell powered generators/charging stations with such roof assemblies. In a non-limiting example, there are presented mobile FC-powered EVCS for recharging the traction battery packs of electric-drive vehicles. The mobile EVCS includes a wheeled trailer that carries a high-voltage DC fuel cell (FC) generator, an FCS fuel supply system for storing and dispensing a hydrogen-rich fuel, one or more plug-in cables for electrically connecting the generator to electric loads, and electrical conditioning, cooling, and control hardware for governing the transfer of electricity. Extending across the top of the mobile EVCS is an articulating roof assembly with a pair of roof panels that covers the fuel cell generator and attendant electrical hardware for added protection during EVCS transport and storage. When desired, one or both roof panels may be deployed outwardly from opposing sides of the trailer to provide an awning for shielding users of the mobile EVCS from sun, rain, and other inclement weather. The plug-in cables may be suspended from the roof panels to provide cable lift assist to users of the EVCS and to preclude cable damage by preventing the cables from being dropped on the ground. For a hybrid FCS-photovoltaic EVCS architecture, a solar panel may be buttressed on each roof panel; the roof panels may be actively deployed to optimized tilt angles that will maximize PV output. To improve thermal management of the EVCS's heat-generating components, the roof panels may be actively deployed to an optimized airflow routing orientation for increased convective cooling by ambient airflow.
Attendant benefits for at least some of the disclosed concepts include articulating roof assemblies for mobile or stationary electrical generator systems that help to protect the system during transit/idle and provide weather protection to users of the generator system. The roof assembly may be scaled up or down (e.g., include a single or multiple roof panels) and may be readily adapted for different applications (e.g., each panel may slide and/or rotate to various positions). To prevent cable damage/wear, a roof panel may be designed to support one or more of the plug-in charging cables. The roof may also support solar panels that capture solar energy to supplement the system's electrical capacity. The roof panels may provide active thermal management to route system exhaust in line with passing airflow to achieve a scavenging effect for better system efficiency.
Aspects of this disclosure are directed to articulating roof assemblies for electrical generator systems, including standalone and grid-integrated designs for both automotive and non-automotive applications. In an example, there is presented an electrical generator system for generating electrical power for an electric load. The generator system includes a mobile or stationary support frame with an electrical generator that is mounted onto the rigid support frame and operable to selectively generate electric power. One or more charging cables are electrically connected to the generator in order to transfer the electric power from the generator to one or more loads, such as an electric-drive vehicle. An electronic control circuit is communicatively connected to the electrical generator and operable to govern the system's creation and transfer of electric power. A roof assembly is mounted onto the support frame and includes one or more roof panels. Each roof panel is movable between an undeployed position, whereat the roof panel at least partially covers the generator, and a deployed position, whereat the roof panel is obliquely angled to and/or projects outwardly from a lateral side or fore/aft end of the support frame.
Additional aspects of this disclosure are directed to FC-powered vehicle charging stations for recharging the batteries of motor vehicles. As used herein, the terms “vehicle” and “motor vehicle” may be used interchangeably and synonymously to include any relevant vehicle platform, such as passenger vehicles (ICE, REV, FEV, fully and partially autonomous, etc.), commercial vehicles, industrial vehicles, tracked vehicles, off-road and all-terrain vehicles (ATV), motorcycles, farm equipment, watercraft, aircraft, etc. For non-automotive applications, disclosed concepts may be implemented for all logically relevant uses, including stand-alone power stations, portable power packs, backup generator systems, pumping equipment, residential, commercial and industrial uses, etc. By way of non-limiting example, a mobile EVCS is presented for recharging traction battery packs of electric-drive vehicles. The mobile EVCS is equipped with a rigid support frame, which may be in the nature of a towable, wheeled trailer with housing sidewalls that project upwardly from the wheeled trailer and collectively define a protective outer housing. One or more fuel storage containers are mounted onto the rigid support frame to store a hydrogen-rich fuel (e.g., pure or mixed H2) and, if desired, an oxygen rich fuel (e.g., pure or mixed O2). An electrical generator is mounted to the EVCS support frame, e.g., within the charger housing, and operable to generate electric power. The generator may be in the nature of a fuel cell system with one or more fuel cell stacks that are fluidly connected to the fuel storage container(s) and operable to convert the fuel into electricity.
Continuing with the discussion of the preceding example, one or more charging cables are electrically connected to the electrical generator; each charging cable includes an insulated, high-voltage electrical cable with a plug-in connector (e.g., CHAdeMO, CCS, etc.) that is connectable to compatible connector ports of the electric-drive vehicle(s). An electronic control circuit is communicatively connected to the generator and attendant electronic hardware to govern the creation and transfer of system-generated power. A roof assembly is mounted onto the support frame, extending across an opening at the top of the system outer housing. The roof assembly includes a pair of automated roof panels, each of which is movable between a respective undeployed position, whereat the roof panel at least partially covers the electrical generator, and a respective deployed position, whereat the roof panel is obliquely angled to and/or projects outwardly from the rigid support frame.
Aspects of this disclosure are also directed to manufacturing workflow processes, system control logic, and computer-readable media (CRM) for making and/or using any of the disclosed roof assemblies and/or generator systems. In an example, a method is presented for manufacturing an electrical generator system. This representative method includes, in any order and in any combination with any of the above and below disclosed options and features: receiving a rigid support frame; mounting an electrical generator to the rigid support frame, the electrical generator being operable to generate electric power; connecting a charging cable to the electrical generator, the charging cable being configured to transfer the electric power generated by the electrical generator to a load; connecting a control circuit to the electrical generator, the control circuit being configured to govern the creation and transfer of electric power; and mounting a roof assembly to the rigid support frame, the roof assembly including a roof panel movable between an undeployed position, whereat the roof panel at least partially covers the electrical generator, and a deployed position, whereat the roof panel is obliquely angled to and/or projecting outwardly from the rigid support frame.
For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, the roof assembly may employ a single roof panel or multiple (first, second, third, etc.) roof panels, each of which may be moved manually or via controller-automated actuator from a respective undeployed position, at least partially covering a respective surface area of the generator system, and a respective deployed position, angled to and/or projecting outwardly from a respective side/end of the generator's support frame. In either instance, the roof assembly may use a respective slide rail assembly to slidably mount each roof panel to the support frame such that the roof panel slides back-and-forth between its undeployed and deployed positions. As another option, the roof assembly may use a respective pivot hinge assembly to pivotably mount each roof panel to the support frame such that the roof panel rotates back-and-forth between its undeployed and deployed positions. An electromechanical, hydraulic, or pneumatic actuator may be employed to deploy/retract the roof panel(s).
For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, the roof assembly may employ a cable coupling assembly to mount a charging cable to a roof panel such that the charging cable moves in unison with the roof panel from the undeployed position to the deployed position, and back again. In this instance, the cable coupling assembly may include a cable suspension bracket that suspends the charging cable from an underside surface of the roof panel, e.g., to enable connecting of the cable to an electric load while preventing the cable from touching the ground. As yet another option, a protective cable cabinet may be fixedly mounted onto the generator's rigid support frame; the cable coupling assembly may employ a spring-driven cable retractor that biases the charging cable from an extended state, extending out from the cable cabinet, to a retracted state, retracted into the cable cabinet.
For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, a photovoltaic (PV) cell may be mounted onto an exterior surface of a roof panel in order to produce additional electric power for the electrical generator system. In this instance, the cell-bearing roof panel may be deployed to any one of multiple tilt angles at which the roof panel and the PV cell are obliquely angled to the rigid support frame, e.g., to optimize PV energy production. As another option, a roof panel may be deployed to any one of multiple predefined venting positions displaced away from and obliquely angled to the rigid support frame such that the panel routes ambient airflow across the generator and/or electrical hardware to thereby convectively remove thermal energy therefrom. For multi-panel constructions, each roof panel may be independently deployed to a distinct length/angle from the support frame.
For any of the disclosed systems, methods, and devices, the rigid support frame may include a towable, wheeled trailer with multiple housing sidewalls that project upwardly from the wheeled trailer and interconnect with one another to form a lockable and weatherproof generator housing. The roof assembly may extend across and cover a roof opening between the sidewalls. For a closed-shell construction without a roof opening, the deployable roof panels may sit flush within complementary recesses in a roof panel of the generator housing. The electrical generator may take on a variety of different forms, including FC-powered generators, PV-powered generators, engine-powered generators, grid-integrated generators, and any combination thereof. For EVCS applications, the charging cable may include an electrical cable with a plug-in connector that is connectable to a compatible connector port of an electric-drive vehicle.
The above Summary does not represent every embodiment or every aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing summary merely provides a synopsis of some of the novel concepts and features set forth herein. The above features and advantages, and other features and attendant advantages of this disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description of illustrated examples and representative modes for carrying out the disclosure when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and appended claims. Moreover, this disclosure expressly includes any and all combinations and subcombinations of the elements and features presented above and below.
The present disclosure is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments of the disclosure are shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the novel aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the particular forms illustrated in the above-enumerated drawings. Rather, this disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, combinations, permutations, groupings, and alternatives falling within the scope of this disclosure as encompassed, for example, by the appended claims.
This disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. Representative embodiments of the disclosure are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail with the understanding that these embodiments are provided as an exemplification of the disclosed principles, not limitations of the broad aspects of the disclosure. To that extent, elements and limitations that are described, for example, in the Abstract, Introduction, Summary, and Detailed Description sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, by implication, inference or otherwise.
For purposes of the present detailed description, unless specifically disclaimed: the singular includes the plural and vice versa; the words “and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the words “any” and “all” shall both mean “any and all”; and the words “including,” “containing,” “comprising,” “having,” and the like, shall each mean “including without limitation.” Moreover, words of approximation, such as “about,” “almost,” “substantially,” “generally,” “approximately,” and the like, may each be used herein in the sense of “at, near, or nearly at,” or “within 0-5% of,” or “within acceptable manufacturing tolerances,” or any logical combination thereof, for example. Lastly, directional adjectives and adverbs, such as fore, aft, inboard, outboard, starboard, port, vertical, horizontal, upward, downward, front, back, left, right, etc., may be with respect to a motor vehicle, such as a forward driving direction of a motor vehicle when the vehicle is operatively oriented on a horizontal driving surface.
Discussed below are electrical generator systems, such as stationary, mobile, standalone, and grid-integrated generator systems, equipped with a multifunctional articulating roof assembly. By way of example, and not limitation, a fuel cell (FC) powered mobile charging station is equipped with a single-panel or multi-panel articulating roof that is designed to provide user protection from rain, sun, snow, and other elements. For PV-powered architectures, the roof assembly is designed to collect solar energy by means of a photovoltaic (PV) cell array. To that end, each roof panel may buttress thereon a solar-powered PV cell and may be deployable to any one of multiple optimized tilt angles for maximum PV power production. A roof panel may suspend therefrom one or more of the charging cables to assist users with operating the heavy charging cables while also helping to preclude wear and damage by preventing the cable and connector from being dropped on the ground. Additionally, one or more of the roof panels may be selectively deployed to an optimized airflow routing orientation to help direct ambient airflow across the heat-generating electrical components of the generator system.
According to aspects of the disclosed concepts, an electrical generator system includes an electrochemical fuel cell stack that converts hydrogen-based fuel into electricity, a control system for monitoring and operating the fuel cell stack, a thermal management system for regulating the operating temperature of the stack and its peripheral hardware, and a weatherproof enclosure for protecting the generator system. The electrical generator system also includes an articulating roof that is moved manually or by electronic actuators that are activated/deactivated by the control system to shield nearby users from sun, rain, snow, etc. A plug-in charging cable may be suspended from a deployable roof panel to facilitate mating of the charging cable with a complementary charger port. The suspension attachment point traverses between a stowed location, near or inside the system's protective enclosure, and a deployed location, spaced from the protective enclosure and proximal to an electric load. The cable suspension assembly may employ a dedicated actuator to pay out and/or retract the charging cable using a recoil spring, a motorized spool, a counterweight system, or a similarly applicable technology.
The articulating roof assembly may be deployed and retracted manually, e.g., via pull-handle and slide rail system, hand-cranked gear box and control arms, etc. or via controller-activated actuators, e.g., bidirectional motor, air cylinder, hydraulic piston, etc. For PV-powered generator systems, the control system may track anticipated solar coverage during the day and actively modulate the roof panel tilt angle to maximize collection of solar energy. In a similar regard, the control system may track nearby wind currents and actively modulate the generator, the roof panel's airflow routing orientation, and the system's cooling fan airflow to route system exhaust in concert with ambient crosscurrents. This may involve movement of the roof panels to direct radiator outlet flow and air currents together, and may employ louvers on the roof panels that can be fixed or adjustable to blend together the two airflow paths.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like features throughout the several views, there is shown in
Presented in
The electrical generator system 10 of
Power generator 22 of
With continuing reference to
Presented in
A fuel cell control signal may be exchanged between the electronic controller 42 and the fuel cell system 30 to transfer control signals and operational information between the controller 42 to the stack 30. Similar control signals and information may be exchanged between the controller 42 and the DC boost converter circuit 32, the switch circuit 34, the RESS 36, and any of the other illustrated electrical hardware components. The fuel cell system 30 may employ one or more fuel cell stacks to generate electrical power from hydrogen-rich fuel and an oxidizing agent. The stack-generated electrical power may be presented in a stack output signal to the DC boost converter circuit 32, e.g., in a range of approximately 275 Vdc to approximately 400 Vdc from approximately 100 kilowatts to approximately 750 kilowatts. The DC boost converter circuit 32 may implement one or more DC-to-DC boost converters to convert the voltage range of the stack output into a recharge signal with a voltage range suitable to recharge the requesting electric load.
The switch circuit 34 may implement high-voltage switching circuitry to route (or switch) some or all of the recharge signal to the charging cables 28A-28N, the portable inverter 40, the fuel cell plant circuit 38, or the RESS 36. The rechargeable energy storage system 36 may implement one or more electrical energy storage devices, such as high-voltage, lithium-class secondary batteries, to selectively store and dispense electrical energy received from the DC boost converter circuit 32. The fuel cell plant circuit 38 may implement a variety of electrical, pneumatic, and thermal devices that support operations of the fuel cell stacks within the fuel cell system 30. The portable inverter 40 may implement a DC-to-DC converter and/or a DC-to-AC converter to convert a high-voltage signal to a low-voltage signal (e.g., in a range of about 10 Vdc to 15 Vdc or in a range of about 110 Vac to 130 Vac). The electronic controller 42 may implement control logic and/or software to govern the overall operation of the generator 22.
With reference next to
As noted above, the EVCS 100 of
Located on top of the EVCS housing 108 and securely mounted to the trailer frame 104 is a roof assembly 114 with either a single deployable roof panel (e.g., manually deployed, forward-projecting roof panel 16 of
In
With continuing reference to
To provide lift assist to users of the mobile EVCS 100 while concomitantly preventing dropping of the off times heavy and expensive charging cables, a cable coupling assembly 152 mounts the plug-in charging cable 128 to the roof panel 116A such that the charging cable 128 and roof panel 116A move as a unit to and from the deployed position. As shown in the inset view of
Aspects of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments; those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that many modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein; any and all modifications, changes, and variations apparent from the foregoing descriptions are within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the present concepts expressly include any and all combinations and subcombinations of the preceding elements and features.
