CHARGING STATION FOR HYBRID POWERED VEHICLES

• US 20030120442A1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Pellegrino
• Original Assignee: Ed Farrell, Nicholas J. Pellegrino
• Inventors: Farrell, Ed, Pellegrino, Nicholas J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,614,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/60
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• 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 charging station for a hybrid energy vehicle includes a housing, a controlled access power receptacle coupled to the housing, the power receptacle having a connector coupled to a power source, the connector for receiving a connection to supply an electrical charge to a vehicle, logic circuitry contained within the housing coupled to the power receptacle for controlling access by a user to one of the connector and the power receptacle, and an optical reader coupled to the logic circuitry for reading data associated with the vehicle from a data source remote from the optical scanner unit, where said data source is in optical communication with the scanner unit, the scanner unit communicating said data to the logic circuitry. A method of charging a vehicle includes the steps of providing a machine readable coded element associated with a vehicle, locating the vehicle sufficiently proximate to a charging station having an optical reader unit to allow the vehicle to be connected thereto, connecting the vehicle to the charging station, and displaying the coded element to the charging station optical reader unit so as to initiate flow of power from a power supply to charge the vehicle. Additionally, a method of charging a vehicle includes reading machine readable data associated with a vehicle, communicating the machine readable data to a central processing location, processing the machine readable to receive an approval signal or a disapproval signal, in response to receiving an approval signal of the data, instructing the charging station to open a power receptacle for receiving a connector allowing an electrical power connection between a power source and the vehicle, and charging the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus capable of connecting a vehicle to an external power source, said external power source having a power receptacle being electrically coupled to the external power source, said apparatus comprising:

connection means for removeably connecting said power source to said vehicle;

logic circuitry coupled to said connection means for selectively controlling access by a user to the power source; and

an optical reader coupled to the logic circuitry for reading data associated with the vehicle from a remote data source, said remote data source being in optical communication with the scanner unit, the scanner unit communicating said data to the logic circuitry for controlling charging of said vehicle based on said data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a central processor unit; and

a transceiver in communication with the logic circuitry for relaying data received by the logic circuitry to said central processor unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the data source is a visible encoded element mounted on the vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising circuitry coupled to the logic circuitry for controlling access to charging by regulating the flow of power from the power source whereby charging of the vehicle is controlled.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising circuitry coupled to the logic circuitry for controlling access to the power receptacle whereby charging of the vehicle is controlled.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the connection means is remote from the logic circuitry.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the connection means is disposed within a parking space, said parking space having a surface, and wherein the connection means comprises a cable and intrinsic connector extendible from the parking space surface to engage the vehicle.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the connection means is disposed within said vehicle and the power receptacle is disposed on a parking space surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the connection means comprises an automatically extendible connector for engagement with a corresponding connector on a vehicle.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a display coupled to the logic circuitry.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data source is a machine readable bar code element.

12. A method of charging a vehicle comprising the steps of:

providing a machine readable coded element associated with a vehicle;

connecting the vehicle to the charging station; and

displaying the coded element to the charging station optical reader unit so as to initiate flow of power from a power supply to charge the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of displaying the coded element further comprises displaying machine readable data on the vehicle such that an electronic reader located on the charging station reads the data.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of displaying the coded element further comprising displaying machine readable data on a card displayed before an electronic reader located on the charging station such that the electronic reader reads the data on the card.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of displaying the coded element further comprises swiping a machine readable card into a slot disposed within the reader.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of displaying the coded element further comprises displaying a machine readable card before an optical device within the reader.

17. A method of charging a vehicle comprising the steps of:

reading machine readable data from a data source associated with a vehicle;

communicating the data to a central processing location;

processing the machine readable data to receive an approval signal or a disapproval signal; and

in response to receiving an approval signal of the data, initiating a flow of power to the vehicle to charge the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

in response to a disapproval signal, displaying information on a display of the charging station with respect to the disapproval of the data.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the processing step further comprises comparing the data to account information corresponding to the data input.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising displaying charging options to a user on a display of the charging station.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the reading data step further comprises receiving data from a data source applied to the vehicle.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the reading step further comprises receiving data from a card inserted into a card reader.

23. The method of claim 17 further comprising;

providing a charging station having a controlled access power receptacle, the power receptacle coupled to a connection to a power source for charging a vehicle; and

instructing the charging station to open the power receptacle so as to receive a connector allowing an electrical power connection between the power source and the vehicle.

24. An apparatus capable of connecting a vehicle to a power source for charging, the apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a controlled access power receptacle coupled to the housing, the power receptacle being electrically coupled to the power source;

connection means coupled to the power receptacle for removeably coupling a vehicle to the power source;

logic circuitry contained within the housing coupled to said connection means for selectively controlling access by a user to the power receptacle; and

,

an optical reader coupled to the logic circuitry for reading data associated with a vehicle from a remote data source, said remote data source being in optical communication with the scanner unit communicating said data to the logic circuitry for controlling charging of said vehicle based on said data.