Electric vehicle charging system and method

    公开(公告)号:US11884177B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-01-30

    申请号:US17543893

    申请日:2021-12-07

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    摘要: An electric vehicle (EV) charging system includes a plurality of electrical vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) units, a plurality of associated EV charging stations, electrical power distribution wires or cables for distributing electrical power from the plurality of EVSE units to the plurality of EV charging stations, and an EVSE communications bus. Each EVSE unit includes a microcontroller unit (MCU) and a solid-state switch that control whether electrical current is able to flow to an associated EV charging station and connected plug-in EV (PEV) load. The MCUs communicate over the EVSE communications bus and, as PEVs charge, plug into, and unplug from the plurality of EV charging stations, reallocate or reapportion an available supply current among the plurality of EVSE units while also dynamically adjusting one or more circuit protection attributes also provided by the EVSE units.

    Solid-state circuit breaker with galvanic isolation

    公开(公告)号:US11322916B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-05-03

    申请号:US16898538

    申请日:2020-06-11

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    摘要: A solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) with galvanic isolation capability includes an electrical bus with line-side and load-side terminals and a solid-state device connected in series with a closeable air gap between the line-side and load-side terminals. During normal operating conditions, the solid-state device is switched ON and the SSCB forces movable contacts inside the SSCB to close the air gap, so that an electrical current path is maintained between the line-side and load-side terminals and electrical current is allowed to flow through the SSCB and an attached load. Upon a short circuit or overload of unacceptably long duration occurring in the load circuit, the SSCB switches the solid-state device OFF to prevent current from flowing through the load, and releases the movable contacts to open the air gap and thereby establish galvanic isolation between the line-side and load side terminals.

    Hybrid Air-Gap / Solid-State Circuit Breaker

    公开(公告)号:US20200083699A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-03-12

    申请号:US16683774

    申请日:2019-11-14

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    摘要: A hybrid air-gap/solid-state device protection device (PD) for use in an electrical power distribution system includes an air-gap disconnect unit connected in series with a solid-state device, a sense and drive circuit, and a microcontroller. Upon the sense and drive circuit detecting an impending fault or exceedingly high and unacceptable overvoltage condition in the PD's load circuit, the sense and drive circuit generates a gating signal that quickly switches the solid-state device OFF. Meanwhile, the microcontroller generates a disconnect pulse for the air-gap disconnect unit, which responds by forming an air gap in the load circuit. Together, the switched-OFF solid-state device and air gap protect the load and associated load circuit from being damaged. They also serve to electrically and physically isolate the source of the fault or overload condition from the remainder of the electrical power distribution system.

    Hybrid air-gap / solid-state circuit breaker

    公开(公告)号:US10541530B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-01-21

    申请号:US15443736

    申请日:2017-02-27

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    摘要: A hybrid air-gap/solid-state device protection device (PD) for use in an electrical power distribution system includes an air-gap disconnect unit connected in series with a solid-state device, a sense and drive circuit, and a microcontroller. Upon the sense and drive circuit detecting an impending fault or exceedingly high and unacceptable overvoltage condition in the PD's load circuit, the sense and drive circuit generates a gating signal that quickly switches the solid-state device OFF. Meanwhile, the microcontroller generates a disconnect pulse for the air-gap disconnect unit, which responds by forming an air gap in the load circuit. Together, the switched-OFF solid-state device and air gap protect the load and associated load circuit from being damaged. They also serve to electrically and physically isolate the source of the fault or overload condition from the remainder of the electrical power distribution system.

    DYNAMIC COORDINATION OF PROTECTION DEVICES IN ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

    公开(公告)号:US20180277317A1

    公开(公告)日:2018-09-27

    申请号:US15995383

    申请日:2018-06-01

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    摘要: A dynamically coordinatable electrical distribution system includes a plurality of intelligently-controlled protection devices (PDs), a communication and control bus (comm/control) bus, and a central computer. The plurality of intelligently-controlled PDs is configured to protect a plurality of associated electrical loads from faults, developing faults, and other undesired electrical anomalies. Each of the PDs further has electrically adjustable time-current characteristics. The intelligently-controlled PDs are communicatively coupled to the comm/control bus and configured to report current data representative of real-time currents flowing through their respective loads to the central computer, via the comm/control bus. The central computer is configured to communicate with the plurality of PDs over the comm/control bus and dynamically coordinate the time-current characteristics of the plurality of PDs based on the current data it receives from the PDs.

    Hybrid diamond solid-state circuit protector

    公开(公告)号:US10804692B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-10-13

    申请号:US15995851

    申请日:2018-06-01

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    摘要: A solid-state circuit protector includes a first power semiconductor device having an ON resistance that increases with increasing temperature and a second power semiconductor device connected in parallel with the first power semiconductor device having an ON resistance that decreases with increasing temperature. During times when abnormally high currents are flowing through the solid-state circuit protector, the second power semiconductor is switched ON so that some or all of the current is diverted through it, thus protecting the first power semiconductor device from being damaged due to overheating. The first power semiconductor device is either switched OFF, allowing it to cool in anticipation of a lighter load, or is configured to remain ON so that it shares the burden of carrying the high current with the parallel-connected second power semiconductor device yet operates cooler and at a lower ON resistance since it is not required to pass the full current.

    Dynamic coordination of protection devices in electrical distribution systems

    公开(公告)号:US10784061B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-09-22

    申请号:US16259484

    申请日:2019-01-28

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    摘要: A dynamically coordinatable electrical distribution system includes a plurality of intelligently-controlled protection devices (PDs), a communication and control bus (comm/control) bus, and a central computer. The plurality of intelligently-controlled PDs is configured to protect a plurality of associated electrical loads from faults, developing faults, and other undesired electrical anomalies. Each of the PDs further has electrically adjustable time-current characteristics. The intelligently-controlled PDs are communicatively coupled to the comm/control bus and configured to report current data representative of real-time currents flowing through their respective loads to the central computer, via the comm/control bus. The central computer is configured to communicate with the plurality of PDs over the comm/control bus and dynamically coordinate the time-current characteristics of the plurality of PDs based on the current data it receives from the PDs.

    Selective Coordination of Solid-State Circuit Breakers and Mechanical Circuit Breakers in Electrical Distribution Systems

    公开(公告)号:US20190341213A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-11-07

    申请号:US16382590

    申请日:2019-04-12

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    IPC分类号: H01H71/10 H01H71/12 H02H3/16

    摘要: In an electrical distribution system including a solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) and one or more downstream mechanical circuit breakers (CBs), a solid-state switching device in the SSCB is repeatedly switched ON and OFF during a short circuit event, to reduce a root-mean-square (RMS) value of the short circuit current. The resulting pulsed short circuit current is regulated in a hysteresis control loop, to limit the RMS to a value low enough to prevent the SSCB from tripping prematurely but high enough to allow one of the downstream mechanical CBs to trip and isolate the short circuit. Pulsing is allowed to continue for a maximum short circuit pulsing time. Only if none of the downstream mechanical CBs is able to trip to isolate the short circuit within the maximum short circuit pulsing time is the SSCB allowed to trip.

    ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM AND METHOD
    9.
    发明公开

    公开(公告)号:US20230202338A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-06-29

    申请号:US18178024

    申请日:2023-03-03

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    IPC分类号: B60L53/67 B60L53/16 H02J7/00

    摘要: An electric vehicle (EV) charging system includes a plurality of electrical vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) units, a plurality of associated EV charging stations, phase conductors coupled between the charging stations and corresponding bi-directional solid-state switches and a neutral conductor configured to complete charging circuits with associated ones of the phase conductors, and an EVSE communications bus. Each EVSE unit includes a microcontroller unit (MCU) and driver that control current flow through the bi-directional solid-state switches providing charging current to respective EV charging stations and connected plug-in EVs (PEVs). The MCUs communicate over the EVSE communications bus and, as PEVs plug into, charge, and unplug from the plurality of EV charging stations, reallocate or reapportion an available supply current among the plurality of EVSE units while also dynamically adjusting one or more circuit protection attributes provided by the EVSE units.

    Distribution panel for intelligently controlled solid-state circuit breakers

    公开(公告)号:US11552458B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-01-10

    申请号:US17697223

    申请日:2022-03-17

    申请人: Atom Power, Inc.

    摘要: An electrical distribution panel for controlling the distribution of electrical power to a plurality of loads includes a plurality of solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs), each including a thermally conductive heatspreader and one or more power semiconductor devices that control whether electrical current is able to flow to an attached load; a distribution panel heatsink configured in thermal contact with the SSCB heatspreaders; one or more cooling fans that blow air onto the distribution panel heatsink; a stacked bus bar with quick-fit pin-mount receptacles for receiving mating/matching press-fit connection pins located on line-side terminals of the SSCBs; a communications and control (comm/control) bus communicatively coupled to the plurality of SSCBs; and a head-end interface and gateway to which an external computer can connect, to, among other things, set and alter trip settings of the plurality of SSCBs via the comm/control bus.