CHARGE STATE INDICATOR FOR AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20090021364A1
• Filed: 07/18/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Kohn, Scott Ira, Lyons, David Frederick, Frey, Paul DeWitt, Eberhard, Martin Forest, Smith, Malcolm Sloan
• Granted Patent: US 8,063,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/468
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/543 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle indicating taxis' state of hire or fare G07B13/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/14 lighting through the surface to be illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/16 Circuits; Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/64 for a single lighting device
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

One embodiment of the present subject matter includes a battery mounted to a vehicle, with a charge state circuit located in the electric vehicle and coupled to the battery, the charge state circuit configured to provide a charge state signal indicative of the charge state of the battery. The embodiment includes a charging coupler port located proximate to a user accessible exterior of the electrical vehicle and coupled to the battery, the charging coupler port to conduct charging energy to the battery and to provide a charger connection signal indicative of a connection to an external power source. The embodiment also includes a lighting circuit coupled to the charging coupler port and the charge state circuit to control the brightness and color of an illuminated indicator responsive to the charge state signal and the charger connection signal.

Claims

1. Apparatus, comprising:

a battery mounted to a vehicle;

a charge state circuit located in the electric vehicle and coupled to the battery, the charge state circuit configured to provide a charge state signal indicative of the charge state of the battery;

a charging coupler port located proximate to a user accessible exterior of the electrical vehicle and coupled to the battery, the charging coupler port to conduct charging energy to the battery and to provide a charger connection signal indicative of a connection to an external power source; and

a lighting circuit coupled to the charging coupler port and the charge state circuit to control the brightness and color of an illuminated indicator responsive to the charge state signal and the charger connection signal.

2. The electrical vehicle of claim 1, wherein the illuminated indicator includes at least one multi-color lamp.

3. The electrical vehicle of claim 1, wherein the illuminated indicator includes an illuminated indicator light pipe disposed between a body panel of the electrical vehicle and the charging coupler port to transmit light from the illuminated indicator to the body panel.

4. The electrical vehicle of claim 3, wherein the illuminated indicator light pipe and the charging coupler port at least partially define a recess in the electric vehicle, with the illuminated indicator shielded from the recess by the illuminated indicator light pipe.

5. The electrical vehicle of claim 3, wherein the illuminated indicator light pipe is at least partially arcuate and encircles the charging coupler port along the exterior of the vehicle.

6. The electrical vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a charging coupler port door to at least partially cover a charging coupler recess which contains the charging coupler port.

7. The electrical vehicle of claim 6, wherein the charging coupler port door is coupled to the vehicle using a hinge.

8. The electrical vehicle of claim 6, further comprising a switch coupled to the charging coupler port door and the lighting circuit to define a conductive path to the lighting circuit when the charging coupler port door is open to monitor the conductive path and to operate the illuminated indicator when the charging coupler port door is in an open state.

9. The electrical vehicle of claim 6, wherein the lighting circuit is to operate the illuminated indicator to deliver a white color if the charging coupler is not coupled to the charging coupler port and the charging coupler port door is in an open state.

10. Method, comprising:

connecting a charging coupler to a charging coupler port of an electric vehicle;

communicating a charger connection signal indicative of the state of connection of the charging coupler and the charging coupler port to a lighting controller;

determining a charge state signal indicative of the charge state of a battery coupled to the electric vehicle;

communicating the charge state signal to the illuminated indicator controller; and

providing an external indication of the charger connection signal and the charge state signal by controlling the brightness and the color of illuminated indicator coupled to the charging coupler port.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising illuminating the charging coupler port with the at least one illuminated indicator while a charging coupler port door coupled to the vehicle and covering a recess in which the charging coupler port is located is open.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising controlling the illuminated indicator to a blue color if the charging coupler is coupled to the charging coupler port and the charging coupler port is not transmitting charging energy.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a target charge state;

comparing the charge state to the target charge state; and

controlling the illuminated indicator to a green color if the charge state exceeds the target charge state.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a first electrical vehicle fault with a fault detection circuit; and

controlling the illuminated indicator to a red color if the first electrical vehicle fault is detected.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting a second electrical vehicle fault with the fault detection circuit; and

varying the illumination of the illuminated indicator over time responsive to the second fault signal.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling the illuminated indicator to a yellow color if the charging coupler is coupled to the charging coupler port and the charging coupler port is transmitting charging energy.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising pulsing the illuminated indicator when the charging coupler port is transmitting charging energy.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising pulsing illuminated indicator at a first frequency when the charge state of the battery is at a first charge, and at a second frequency, which is less than the first frequency, when the charge state of the battery is at a second charge which is higher than the first charge.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising flashing the illuminated indicator to a red color if the first electrical vehicle fault is detected.

19. Apparatus, comprising:

communicating a charge state signal indicative of the charge state of a battery coupled to an electric vehicle;

communicating a charger connection signal indicative of the state of connection of a charging coupler to a charging coupler port of an electric vehicle; and

means for controlling the brightness and the color of an illuminated indicator coupled to the charging coupler port to communicate the charger connection signal and the charge state signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for controlling the brightness and the color of an illuminated indicator coupled to the charging coupler port to communicate the charger connection signal and the charge state signal include lighting circuit coupled to the charging coupler port and the charge state circuit, the lighting circuit configured to control the brightness and color of illuminated indicator responsive to the charge state signal and the charger connection signal.