VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM

• US 20180141445A1
• Filed: 01/19/2018
• Published: 05/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bell, Christopher W., Kallio, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 10,272,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• 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 system includes a slidable bar, a connecting bar attached to the slidable bar, and a charging device carried by the connecting bar and movable with the slidable bar. The charging device may be automatically aligned to a receiving device of an electrified vehicle using motion of the electrified vehicle to move the charging device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

automatically aligning a charging device of a charging system relative to a receiving device of an electrified vehicle using motion of the electrified vehicle to move the charging device.

2. The method as recited as recited in claim 1, comprising wirelessly charging a battery of the electrified vehicle in response to aligning the charging device relative to the receiving device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the charging device includes a transmitting coil and the receiving device includes a receiving coil for wirelessly transmitting electrical energy between the charging device and the receiving device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a visual target guides the electrified vehicle into proper orientation relative to an alignment system of the charging system.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the visual target is positioned in a direct line of sight in front of a driver side of the electrified vehicle.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically aligning the charging device includes allowing the electrified vehicle to be driven longitudinally forward until a wheel of the electrified vehicle abuts a wheel stop of the charging system.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically aligning the charging device includes engaging wheel guides of the charging system along inner surfaces of wheels of the electrified vehicle as the electrified vehicle is moved in a direction toward the charging system.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the wheel guides are curved to travel along the inner surface of the wheels.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, comprising moving a slidable bar in a lateral direction as the wheel guides engage the inner surfaces of the wheels to position the charging device over top of the receiving device.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, comprising a connecting bar that extends from the slidable bar and carries the charging device.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the charging device is fixed relative to the connecting bar and is positioned on an opposite end of the connecting bar from the slidable bar.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein movement of the slidable bar moves the charging device between a first position in which a transmission coil of the charging device is offset from a receiving coil of the receiving device and a second position in which the transmitting coil is aligned with the receiving coil such that power may be wirelessly transferred from the transmitting coil to the receiving coil.