阅读说明：本技术 Ev快速充电线和插座 (EV quick charging wire and socket ) 是由 保罗·肯尼士·戴尔洛克 罗斯·戴卡斯特拉·普西福尔 斯图尔特·C·索尔特 大卫·布莱恩·格利克 于 2020-02-03 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供了“EV快速充电线和插座”。一种车辆充电系统可以包括：充电插头,所述充电插头包括覆盖所述插头的至少一部分的至少一个手柄罩；以及车辆充电插座,所述车辆充电插座被构造成接纳所述插头,所述插头和所述插座包括具有至少一种聚合物和至少一种陶瓷的导热且电绝缘材料,以将在充电期间产生的热量通过所述插头部分和插座传递到车身中以进行消散。(The present disclosure provides "EV quick charging wires and sockets". A vehicle charging system may include: a charging plug comprising at least one handle cover covering at least a portion of the plug; and a vehicle charging receptacle configured to receive the plug, the plug and receptacle comprising a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material having at least one polymer and at least one ceramic to transfer heat generated during charging through the plug portion and receptacle into a vehicle body for dissipation.)

1. A charging plug for an electric vehicle, the charging plug comprising:

a handle comprising a handle cover; and

a plug portion connected to the handle and configured to attach to a vehicle charging receptacle, the plug portion comprising a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material having at least one polymer and at least one ceramic.

2. The charging plug of claim 1, wherein the polymer is nylon.

3. The charging plug of claim 1, wherein the ceramic is at least one of boron nitride and aluminum nitride.

4. The charging plug of claim 1, wherein the ceramic comprises at least 20% by volume of the thermally conductive material.

5. The charging plug of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive material has an in-plane thermal conductivity of 4.0W/m-K.

6. The charging plug of claim 1, wherein the through-plane thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive material is 1.5W/m-K.

7. The charging plug of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive material comprises maleic anhydride.

8. A charging system, the charging system comprising:

a vehicle charging plug having at least one handle cover covering at least a portion of the plug; and

a vehicle charging receptacle configured to receive the plug,

the plug and the receptacle comprise a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material having at least one polymer and at least one ceramic.

9. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the polymer is nylon.

10. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the ceramic is at least one of boron nitride and aluminum nitride.

11. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the ceramic comprises at least 20% by volume of the thermally conductive material.

12. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the thermally conductive material has an in-plane thermal conductivity of 4.0W/m-K.

13. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the through-plane thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive material is 1.5W/m-K.

14. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the thermally conductive material comprises maleic anhydride.

Technical Field

Disclosed herein are a quick charge cord and a receptacle for an electric vehicle.

Background

Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular. Customers of Electric Vehicles (EVs) desire faster charging times of their EVs. Various charging wires and sockets are used to charge the EV. However, the associated increased current requirements may result in undesirable heating of the charging components.

Disclosure of Invention

A charging cable for an electric vehicle may include: a handle comprising a handle cover; and a plug portion connected to the handle and configured to attach to a vehicle charging receptacle, the plug portion comprising a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material having at least one polymer and at least one ceramic, the at least one ceramic incorporated into the polymer to dissipate heat while having little or no effect on electrical conductivity of the plug portion such that the plug portion remains an electrical insulator.

A vehicle charging system may include: a charging plug comprising at least one handle cover covering at least a portion of the plug; and a vehicle charging receptacle configured to receive the plug, the plug and receptacle comprising a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material having at least one polymer having at least one ceramic mixed therein to transfer heat from a plug portion to the receptacle for dissipation during charging while maintaining electrically insulating properties of the plug portion.

A vehicle may include a vehicle charging receptacle configured to receive a charging plug, the receptacle including a polymer-ceramic composite having at least one polymer and at least one ceramic to increase thermal conductivity of the plug and the receptacle while maintaining electrical insulation properties of the plug and the receptacle.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly pointed out in the appended claims. However, other features of the various embodiments will become more apparent and the best understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging system;

FIG. 2 illustrates an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging system;

figure 3 shows in block diagram form a side view of the plug of figure 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example rear view of a receptacle;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example graph of thermal conductivity of various elements and compounds; and

fig. 6 shows an example graph of the thermal conductivity of a material as a function of the weight percent of aluminum nitride (AlN).

Detailed Description

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

As Electric Vehicles (EVs) become more popular, more and more users need mechanisms to charge their EVs. Customers further demand faster charging times of their EV's batteries. However, the power cord and the receptacle may typically be made of a thermoplastic material. These thermoplastics are thermal insulators with thermal conductivities of about 0.2W/mk (watts/meter-kelvin) and do not dissipate heat. Typically, plastic is chosen for both the plug and the receptacle because both require electrical insulation. Since most thermal conductors are also electrical conductors, die cast metals are not used, as well as conductive fillers like graphite and carbon in plastics, and metals like copper and stainless steel.

Disclosed herein is a wire and socket for EV charging that is modified to conduct heat while still electrically isolating the plug/handle from the customer and the socket from the vehicle. To facilitate heat transfer from the handle assembly to the receptacle and to the body of the vehicle, a thermally conductive polymer that provides electrical insulation may be used. Such a material will help to quickly dissipate heat from the handle assembly and into the vehicle body.

The plug and receptacle may be made of a low cost plastic and ceramic (e.g., boron nitride and nylon) mixture or composite, which may increase the thermal conductivity of the material from about 0.2W/m-K to about 4.0W/m-K in-plane (i.e., in line with heat transfer) and 1.5W/m-K through-plane (i.e., perpendicular to heat transfer). The thermal conductivity is improved by approximately a factor of 20, with the mechanical and electrical properties remaining unchanged. Thus, the handle/plug may use a unique thermally conductive and electrically insulating plastic to carry heat away from the wire and transfer the heat to the receptacle for vehicle dissipation. The handle may thermally insulate the actual surface in contact with the user from the heat generated by the charging current. The receptacle component is also made of a thermally conductive plastic and transfers heat from the plug. Ribs may be disposed on the back of the receptacle to increase surface area and further dissipate heat. The handle may include a foam layer or other insulator between the thermally conductive plastic of the plug portion and the handle cover of the handle.

Fig. 1 and 2 show an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging system 100. The EV charging system 100 may include an EV plug 102 and a receptacle 104 disposed on a vehicle 106. In the example shown in fig. 1, the EV plug 102 is located in the receptacle 104. The wire 110 may extend from the EV plug 102 to an EV charging station and be configured to carry current from the charging station to the vehicle 106 to charge the vehicle battery. The EV plug 102 may include a handle 114 configured to be held by a user. The receptacle 104 may be made of a conductive plastic configured to transfer heat from the plug 102.

The plug 102 may include a handle 114 and a plug portion 116. The handle 114 may include a handle cover 120 configured to contact a user. The handle cover 120 may be made of a thermally insulating, non-conductive plastic to help protect the customer from heat. The plug portion 116 may be made of a thermally conductive plastic compound or mixture (generally referred to herein as thermally conductive plastic) to enable heat to be transferred from the wires 110 through the plug portion 116 to the socket 104 (not shown in fig. 2).

Fig. 3 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a representative plug 102, such as that shown in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 3, the plug portion 116 may abut the handle housing 120. A portion of plug portion 116 may extend into the interior of handle cover 114. The charging cord 110 can extend from the handle 114. Within the handle 114, an insulating foam 124 may be disposed between the thermally conductive plastic of the plug portion 116 and the electrically non-conductive and non-conductive plastic of the handle cover 120.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example rear view of the receptacle 104. To increase heat transfer and dissipation from the plug 102 to the receptacle 104, the receptacle 104 may include a plurality of ribs 130 on the back of the receptacle 104. These ribs 130 may not be visible to the user. The ribs 130 may increase the surface area of the back of the receptacle 104 to further dissipate heat received from the plug 102. In addition, the receptacle 104 overlaps the surrounding body panel of the vehicle, thereby further dissipating heat from the plug 102.

Thus, the plug 102 and the receptacle 104 are both made of thermally conductive plastic. Various compositions of thermally conductive plastic may be used for the plug 102 and the receptacle 104. In one example, the base material may be a tough, lightweight synthetic polymer, such as nylon. Nylon has high melt flow and can easily fill long, thin, complex flow paths with minimal warpage. The thermal deformation of nylon can be as high as 220 ℃. In addition, nylon can withstand continuous heating at the same temperature without degradation. Nylon is inherently flame retardant. Nylon may have high mechanical strength and excellent dimensional stability. Nylon can also be resistant to organic solvents. Nylon can have a wide processing window and rapid cycling during manufacture. Nylon is a good electrical and thermal insulator with a surface resistivity of about 2.0x10¹⁴Ohm/sq and volume resistivity of 10¹⁶Ohm-cm. The conductivity of the nylon through plane can only be 0.25W/m.K. In the present application, high resistivity is desired to prevent short circuits. Thus, nylon may also be used as a base material due to its low cost, low density, high melting temperature, and high electrical resistivity. Of course other plastics and/or polymersThe compounds may be suitable for particular applications.

However, unmodified nylon may have a lower thermal conductivity. In order to increase the thermal conductivity without significantly affecting the electrical insulation properties, ceramic materials may be added. Some example ceramics may be aluminum nitride or boron nitride. Each of these is a good thermal conductor and is electrically insulating. In one example, at least about 20% by volume of any of these materials may be added to the nylon base material. In another example, at least about 30% by weight of any of these materials may be added to the nylon base material. By adding aluminum nitride or boron nitride, the thermal conductivity of the material can be increased from about 0.2W/m.K to about 4.0W/m.K in-plane and 1.5W/m.K through-plane. This corresponds to an approximately 20-fold increase in thermal conductivity, while the electrical conductivity remains virtually unchanged, i.e. the added ceramic has a minimal effect on the electrical conductivity, so that the resulting composite plastic remains an electrical insulator. Although various morphologies may be used for specific applications, representative embodiments use a sheet having a thickness to width ratio of about 40 to 1.

In addition to the ceramic additive, about 2-3% maleic anhydride may be added to make the ceramic additive compatible with the base polymer. That is, maleic anhydride can stabilize and blend the plastic material. Thus, the modified plastic material may be thermally conductive while still remaining electrically insulating. The nylon base material may function for long periods of time at melting temperatures as high as 170 ℃. This exceeds the expected operating temperature of the power electronics which may reach 150 ℃.

Although boron nitride or aluminum nitride may be used, boron nitride may provide a more effective filler in the present application. The through-plane thermal conductivity of the boron nitride flakes was about 600W/m-K. The boron nitride flakes can have excellent surface area to thickness and weight ratios (e.g., 10 m)²/gm). This may allow for less weight of material to meet the required increase in thermal conductivity, thereby reducing cost and manufacturing time.

Fig. 5 shows an exemplary graph of thermal conductivity of various elements and compounds. As shown in fig. 5, the thermal conductivity of Boron (BN) may be higher than that of aluminum nitride (AlN), silicon carbide (sic) ((n))SiC) and silicon nitride (Si)₃N₄) Alumina (Al)₂O₃) And silicon dioxide (SiO)₂)。

Fig. 6 shows an example graph of the thermal conductivity of a material as a function of the weight percent of aluminum nitride (AlN). As shown, the thermal conductivity increases with increasing weight percent of aluminum nitride.

Accordingly, disclosed herein is an EV charging system that includes a handle that can use a unique thermally conductive and electrically insulating plastic to carry heat away from the wire and transfer the heat to a receptacle for dissipation by the vehicle. The handle may insulate the actual surface in contact with the user from the heat generated during charging. The receptacle component is made of a thermally conductive plastic and transfers heat from the plug. Ribs may be disposed on the back of the receptacle to increase surface area and further dissipate heat. The handle may include a foam layer between the thermally conductive plastic of the plug portion and the handle cover of the handle. A mixture of low cost plastics (e.g., boron nitride and nylon) can increase the thermal conductivity of the material from about 0.2W/m-K to about 4.0W/m-K in-plane and 1.5W/m-K through-plane. The thermal conductivity is improved by approximately a factor of 20, with the mechanical and electrical properties of the material remaining substantially unchanged.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.

According to the present invention, there is provided a charging plug for an electric vehicle, the charging plug having: a handle comprising a handle cover; and a plug portion connected to the handle and configured to attach to a vehicle charging receptacle, the plug portion comprising a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material having at least one polymer and at least one ceramic.

According to one embodiment, the polymer is nylon.

According to one embodiment, the ceramic is at least one of boron nitride and aluminum nitride.

According to one embodiment, the ceramic comprises at least 20% by volume of the thermally conductive material.

According to one embodiment, the thermally conductive material has an in-plane thermal conductivity of 4.0W/m-K.

According to one embodiment, the through-plane thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive material is 1.5W/m-K.

According to one embodiment, the thermally conductive material comprises maleic anhydride.

According to the present invention, there is provided a charging system having: a vehicle charging plug having at least one handle cover covering at least a portion of the plug; and a vehicle charging receptacle configured to receive the plug, the plug and receptacle comprising a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material having at least one polymer and at least one ceramic.

According to one embodiment, the polymer is nylon.

According to one embodiment, the ceramic is at least one of boron nitride and aluminum nitride.

According to one embodiment, the ceramic comprises at least 20% by volume of the thermally conductive material.

According to one embodiment, the thermally conductive material has an in-plane thermal conductivity of 4.0W/m-K.

According to one embodiment, the through-plane thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive material is 1.5W/m-K.

According to one embodiment, the thermally conductive material comprises maleic anhydride.

In accordance with the present invention, a vehicle is provided having a vehicle charging receptacle configured to receive a charging plug, the receptacle comprising a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material having at least one polymer and at least one ceramic.

According to one embodiment, the polymer is nylon.

According to one embodiment, the ceramic is at least one of boron nitride and aluminum nitride.

According to one embodiment, the ceramic comprises at least 20% by volume of the thermally conductive material.

According to one embodiment, the vehicle charging receptacle includes a plurality of ribs disposed on a back side of the receptacle to increase surface area and further dissipate heat from the charging plug.

According to one embodiment, the thermally conductive material comprises maleic anhydride.