Cable management assembly and method

• US 10,549,653 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2017
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Perez Barrera, Oswaldo, Perez, Victor Ariel, Jimenez Hernandez, Alvaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Estrada, Angel R
• Application Number:
  US15/805,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20190135122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 174135, 174 681, 174 683, 174 72 A, 248 681, 248 481, 248 49, 248 741, 248 742, 248 743, 320109, 320107, 385134, 385135
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/34 of parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/60 Monitoring or controlling charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 3/01 for supporting or guiding the pipes, cables or protective tubing, between relatively movable points, e.g. movable channels
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/32 using mounting clamps
• 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

Abstract

A cable management assembly configured for selective attachment to an electrified vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a cable management structure, and an electromagnet configured to be selectively activated to attach the cable management structure to an exterior of the electrified vehicle. A theft prevention feature and a method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A cable management assembly configured for selective attachment to an electrified vehicle, comprising:

a cable management structure; and

an electromagnet configured to be selectively activated to attach the cable management structure to an exterior of the electrified vehicle.

2. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a battery electrically coupled to the electromagnet; and

a control module electrically coupled to the battery, the battery configured to activate the electromagnet in response to an instruction from the control module.

3. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the control module is configured to deactivate the electromagnet only upon receipt of a recognized input.

4. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

a user interface electrically coupled to the control module, the control module configured to detect the recognized input from an input to the user interface.

5. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein the user interface is a keypad including a plurality of keys.

6. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 5, wherein the plurality of keys are alphanumeric keys.

7. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein the user interface is a biometric scanner.

8. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 7, wherein the biometric scanner is a thumb print scanner.

9. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

a transceiver electrically coupled to the control module, the control module configured to detect the recognized input from a signal received by the transceiver.

10. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 9, wherein the signal received by the transceiver is from a mobile device.

11. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 9, wherein the transceiver is configured to send a signal to the electrified vehicle indicating that the cable management assembly is still attached to the electrified vehicle, and wherein the electrified vehicle is configured to generate a corresponding prompt.

12. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the cable management structure includes a hook configured to support a charging cable of the electrified vehicle.

13. A cable management assembly configured for selective attachment to an electrified vehicle, comprising:

a cable management structure;

an electromagnet selectively activated to attach the cable management structure to an exterior of the electrified vehicle;

a battery electrically coupled to the electromagnet; and

a control module configured to instruct the battery to deactivate the electromagnet only upon receipt of a recognized input.

14. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

a user interface electrically coupled to the control module, the control module configured to detect the recognized input from an input to the user interface.

15. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the user interface is one of (1) a keypad and (2) a biometric scanner.

16. The cable management assembly as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

a transceiver electrically coupled to the control module, the control module configured to detect the recognized input from a signal received by the transceiver.

17. A method, comprising:

attaching a cable management structure to an exterior of an electrified vehicle by activating an electromagnet.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

deactivating the electromagnet only upon receipt of a recognized input.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the recognized input includes one of (1) an input of a PIN code and (2) an input of biometric information.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the recognized input is from a signal from a mobile device.