Vehicle charging station
A charging station for an electric vehicle, wherein the electric vehicle and the charging station each have couplers and & communication modules. The couplers are releasably coupled for transfer of energy & the communication modules communicate the charging data. The charging station further include: an interface connects with an external source of electrical energy; a control module provides control signals and a switching module is responsive to the control signals for selectively connecting the second coupler and the interface for allowing the transfer of energy between the couplers; and operating in: a first mode to allow provide at least one of a regulated the coupler current or and the coupler voltage to be regulated; or a second mode to allow the provide an unregulated coupler current or and the coupler voltage to be unregulated.
1. A charging station for an electric vehicle, wherein the electric vehicle has a body, a first coupler mounted to the body, and a first communications module, and wherein the charging station includes:
a second coupler for releasably and complementarily coupling with the first coupler for allowing a transfer of energy from the second coupler to the first coupler at a coupler voltage and a coupler current;
a second communications module for communicating first charging data with the first communications module;
an interface for connecting with an external source of electrical energy;
a control module for providing control signals; and
a switching module that is responsive to the control signals for selectively:
connecting the second coupler and the interface for allowing the transfer of energy between the first coupler and the second coupler; and
operating in: a first mode to allow at least one of the coupler current and the coupler voltage to be regulated; and operating in a second mode to allow the coupler current and the coupler voltage to be unregulated.
2. The station according to claim 1 including a DC energy storage device and wherein the switching module is responsive to the control signals for selectively connecting a storage device with the second coupler for allowing the transfer of energy between the couplers.
3. The station according to claim 2 , wherein the switching module is responsive to the control signals for selectively disconnecting the storage device from the second coupler.
4. The station according to claim 2 , wherein the switching module is responsive to the control signals for selectively connecting the storage device with the interface for allowing transfer of energy between the storage device and the external source.
5. The station according to claim 2 , wherein the energy storage device has a device current and a device voltage and the switching module is responsive to the control signals for operating in a third mode for connecting the interface and the storage device such that at least one of the device current or device voltage is regulated by the interface.
6. The station according to claim 2 , wherein, in a mode of operation, the switching module is responsive to the control signals for operating in a fourth mode for connecting the interface and/or the storage device with the second coupler for allowing the coupler current to be drawn, at least in part, from at least one of the interface or the energy storage device.
7. The station according to claim 5 , wherein the coupler voltage is directly derived from the device voltage.
8. The station according to claim 1 , wherein the first charging data is indicative of whether the station is to operate in the first mode or the second mode.
9. The station according to claim 1 , wherein the interface includes a regulator for transferring energy with the external source and for providing an output current and an output voltage to transfer energy with at least one of a storage device and the second coupler, wherein at least one of the output current or the output voltage is regulated.
10. The station according to claim 9 , wherein one or more of the device voltage and device current is defined, at least in part, by the respective output voltage and the output current.
11. The station according to claim 1 , wherein the switching module, in a fifth mode, is responsive to the control signals for selectively transferring energy between the storage device and the second coupler, wherein at least one of the coupler voltage and coupler current and the device voltage and device current is regulated by the interface.
12. The station according to claim 9 , wherein one or more of the coupler voltage and coupler current is defined, at least in part, by the respective output voltage and the output current.
13. The station according to claim 9 wherein, when transferring energy to the external source, the output voltage and the output current is defined, at least in part, respectively by at least one of: the coupler voltage and the coupler current; and a device voltage and a device current of the storage device.
14. The station according to claim 9 , wherein the coupler current is derived from at least one of a device current of the storage device or the output current.
15. The station according to claim 1 , wherein the interface includes a pair of interface terminals, wherein the second couplers include a pair of second coupler terminals, and wherein the interface terminals are directly connected to the second coupler terminals.