Illuminated vehicle charging assembly

• US 10,205,338 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Salter, Stuart C., Dellock, Paul Kenneth, Lathrop, James A., Lobo, Harry, Rogers, Jason C., Jala, Sriram, Padgett, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Zixuan
• Application Number:
  US15/180,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 320108-109, 307104, 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 2/00 Non-electric light sources using luminescence using excitation by radioactivity G21H3/02, H01J65/06, H01J65/08; using excitation by an external electromagnetic field or by external corpuscular radiation H01J65/04; Light sources using electrochemiluminescence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/12 the coatings comprising photoluminescent substances
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/10 comprising photoluminescent material
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/32 characterised by the arrangement of the photoluminescent material
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 9/38 Combination of two or more photoluminescent elements of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2101/00 Point-like light sources

Abstract

A wireless vehicle charging system is provided herein. The charging system includes a charging station having a power source and a charging station interface operably coupled to a primary coil assembly. The primary coil assembly includes a primary coil therein for generating a magnetic field. An illumination system is disposed within the primary coil assembly and includes a passive illumination system and an active illumination system. A first photoluminescent structure is disposed within the passive illumination system and is configured to luminesce in response to excitation by an incident light. A vehicle has a secondary coil assembly thereon operably coupled with a rectifier and configured to transmit electrical current from the secondary coil assembly to a battery. A second photoluminescent structure is disposed on a vehicle component and is configured to luminesce in response to excitation by a light source on the primary coil assembly.

Claims

1. A wireless vehicle charging system, comprising:

a charging station having a power source and a charging station interface operably coupled to a primary coil assembly, the primary coil assembly including a primary coil therein for generating a magnetic field;

an illumination system disposed within the primary coil assembly including a passive illumination system and an active illumination system;

a first photoluminescent structure within the passive illumination system and configured to luminesce in response to excitation by an incident light; and

a vehicle having a secondary coil assembly thereon operably coupled with a rectifier and configured to transmit electrical current from the secondary coil assembly to a battery, wherein a second photoluminescent structure is disposed on a vehicle component and configured to luminesce in response to excitation by a light source on the primary coil assembly.

2. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the passive illumination system illuminates from a top surface of the primary coil assembly above the coil.

3. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 2, wherein the passive illumination system is configured to have a negligible effect on the magnetic field generated by the primary coil.

4. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the active illumination system is disposed outwardly of the primary coil and includes LED sources dispersed in a printed LED arrangement.

5. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the first and second photoluminescent structures each include at least one photoluminescent material therein configured to convert an excitation light into a visible converted light.

6. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the printed LED arrangement is disposed on at least one peripheral side of the primary coil assembly and orientated towards the vehicle.

7. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 3, wherein the vehicle component is a vehicle wheel rim that is configured to luminesce in a plurality of colors based on a charging status of the vehicle battery.

8. A vehicular charging system, comprising:

a primary coil assembly including a primary coil therein for generating a magnetic field and a light source, the primary coil assembly configured to operatively couple to a secondary coil assembly; and

an overmold disposed around a top surface of the primary coil assembly and having one or more optics configured to direct excitation light from the light source of the primary coil assembly towards a photoluminescent structure separated from the primary coil assembly and configured to luminesce in response to excitation by the light source.

9. The charging system of claim 8, further comprising:

a light detecting device configured to sense a level of incident light disposed around a surface of the primary coil assembly.

10. The charging system of claim 9, further comprising:

a reflective layer disposed on the light source.

11. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the light source includes LED sources dispersed in a printed LED arrangement.

12. The charging system of claim 8, wherein a controller is configured to activate the light source based on predefined events when a vehicle having a vehicle transceiver therein is disposed proximately to the primary coil assembly and is in communication with the controller.

13. The charging system of claim 8, wherein a controller is configured to activate the light source based on predefined events when an electronic device is disposed proximately to the primary coil assembly and is in communication with the controller.

14. A charging system, comprising:

a charging station having a light source therein;

an optic operably coupled with the light source for distributing an excitation light in a focused direction towards an exterior feature of a vehicle; and

a photoluminescent structure disposed on the exterior feature of the vehicle and configured to luminesce in response to the excitation light in one or more colors based on a charging status of the battery.

15. The charging system of claim 14, wherein the excitation light is emitted from the light source disposed proximately to a peripheral portion of a primary coil assembly.

16. The charging system of claim 15, wherein the light source includes LED sources dispersed in a printed LED arrangement that are each configured to emit an excitation light.

17. The charging system of claim 14, wherein the feature of the vehicle is one or more wheel assemblies.

18. The charging system of claim 14, wherein the photoluminescent structure contains more than one photoluminescent material such that a wheel assembly illuminates in a plurality of colors.

19. The charging system of claim 14, wherein the photoluminescent structure is disposed on a rim within a wheel assembly.

20. The charging system of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more optics configured to direct the excitation light from the light source on a primary coil assembly towards the photoluminescent structure.