Vehicle charging system

• US 10,351,005 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2017
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Haag, Jeffrey Matthew, Reibling, Michael E., Amber, Lucas
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Nghia M
• Application Number:
  US15/648,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20190016218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 320104, 320109, 320113, 320115
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A charge system includes a base, a platform including a projecting plug, at least three interlinked legs, and a first and second sets of articulating joints. The at least three interlinked legs are of a fixed same length and are mechanically biased to be perpendicular to the base. The first and second sets of articulating joints respectively connect opposite ends of the legs with the platform and base such that, responsive to a force on the plug, the legs tilt while remaining parallel to each other and the platform remains parallel with the base.

Claims

1. A charge system comprising:

a base;

a platform including a projecting plug;

at least three interlinked legs of fixed same length mechanically biased to maintain the projecting plug to be perpendicular to the base; and

first and second sets of articulating joints respectively connecting opposite ends of the legs with the platform and base such that, responsive to a force on the plug, the legs tilt while remaining parallel to each other and the platform remains parallel with the base.

2. The charge system of claim 1, wherein the projecting plug is coupled with the platform via a twisting joint such that the projecting plug can rotate about a central axis of the plug.

3. The charge system of claim 2, wherein the projecting plug includes a guide pin that is configured to cooperate with a receptacle that includes a tapered surface and slot, such that a rotation occurs between the plug and receptacle until the plug and receptacle are aligned, after which the receptacle is configured to accept the plug inserted to a depth as determined by a length of the slot.

4. The charge system of claim 2, wherein the twisting joint is a wrist joint.

5. The charge system of claim 1, wherein the at least three interlinked legs form a parallel manipulator.

6. The charge system of claim 5, wherein the parallel manipulator is a parallelogram linkage that is configured to maintain the platform parallel with a base of the manipulator.

7. The charge system of claim 5, wherein the parallel manipulator is a 3-dimensional parallelogram linkage.

8. The charge system of claim 1, wherein the at least three interlinked legs form a Gough-Stewart platform.

9. The charge system of claim 1 further including an actuator coupled with the base.