Widely deployable charging system for vehicles

• US 8,307,967 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2008
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Green Dot Transportation Inc.
• Original Assignee: Satyajit Patwardhan
• Inventors: Patwardhan, Satyajit
• Primary Examiner(s): Morano, S. Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCARRY JR, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/168,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20090011616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,591 Days
• Field of Search: 191 2- 4, 191/10, 191 14- 19, 320/108, 320/109
• US Class Current: 191/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/00 Current collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles current collectors in general H01R41/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/629 Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/70 with built-in switch
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• 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 mechanical, electrical and telecommunication system to electrically connect a vehicle to an electricity source to transfer energy to the vehicle is presented. In one rendition the system has a stationary portion on the road or infrastructure side, and a moving member on the vehicle. The system is designed to tolerate misalignments of a parked vehicle with respect to the parking stall. The infrastructure or road side component of the system being mechanically static is designed rugged and therefore is widely deployable. The system along with moving member is fail-safe and poses no threat to humans, the vehicle being charged or the vehicles sharing the road. An important component of the system is a pair of rigid, insulating strips with a series of conductors on each of them, placed at approximately right angles to each other. One of the strips is mounted on the infrastructure or road side and the other on the vehicle. The two strips cover the lateral and longitudinal misalignment of the parked vehicle. As long as the two strips have an overlap, the connection can be made by the conductors in the overlap region. The system is designed to operate only in the active presence and active desire of a vehicle to connect to the infrastructure or road side stationary part.

Claims

1. An apparatus which electrically connects a first group of electric terminals on a first object to a second group of electric terminals on a second object comprising:

a first array of one or more conductive elements, each electrically connected to one of the members of the first group of electric terminals;

a second array of one or more conductive elements, each connected by a first group of electrical switches to each member of the second group of electric terminals; and

an actuating mechanism which is attached to the first array of conductive elements and contacts the first array of conductive elements with the second array of conductive elements or is attached to the second array of conductive elements and contacts the second array of conductive elements with the first array of conductive elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising of a microprocessor connected to each of the electrical switches from the first set of electrical switches that are connected to second array, which can determine the potential of the conductive elements of the second array and activate the first set of electrical switches.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism moves the conductive elements from the first and the second array with respect to each other after the two arrays are contacted.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism maintains constant contact between the first and second array of conductive elements when the first and the second object are moved with respect to each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first object is a surface and the second object is a transportation vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein electric heating coils are embedded in the first array and the second array.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein heated air from a pneumatic cylinder in the actuating mechanism is passed over the first array and the second array to melt any accumulated snow or frozen moisture.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the conductive elements of the first array is replaced by two or more conductive elements whose individual members are connected by a second set of electrical switches to one of the conductive elements of the first group of electric terminals.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of electric terminals in the first group and the number of electric terminals in the second group are 3.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

a first electric terminal from the first group of electric terminals is connected to an electrical supply line from a power source with an electrical switch with a first electrical control terminal;

a second electric terminal from the first group of electric terminals is connected to a neutral line from the power source;

a third electric terminal from the first group of electric terminals is connected to the first electrical control terminal of the electrical switch of the first electric terminal; and

one of the electric terminals from the second group of electric terminals is connected to a second power source.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising of a microprocessor connected to each of the electrical switches from the first set of electrical switches that are connected to second array, which can determine the potential of the conductive elements of the second array and activate the first set of electrical switches.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the conductive elements of the first array is replaced by two or more conductive elements whose individual members are connected by a second set of electrical switches to one of the conductive elements of the first group of electric terminals.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first object is a surface and the second object is a transportation vehicle.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein electric heating coils are embedded in the first array and the second array.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein heated air from a pneumatic cylinder in the actuating mechanism is passed over the first array and the second array to melt any accumulated snow or frozen moisture.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first array and the second array are aligned in an approximately perpendicular arrangement.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the actuating mechanism moves the conductive elements from the first and the second array with respect to each other after the two arrays are contacted.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the length of the conductive elements in the first array is S_C and the space between the conductive elements in the first array is S_G and the length of the conductive elements in the second array is L_C and the space between the conductive elements in the second array is L_G wherein:

S_C+S_G<

L_C;

S_C<

L_G;

S_C+2S_G>

L_C; and

2S_C+2S_G=L_C+L_G.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein S_C=S_G;

L_C=(3−

x) S_C;

L_G=(1+x) S_C; and

0<

x<

1.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

a first electric terminal from the first group of electric terminals is connected to an electrical supply line from a power source with an electrical switch with a first electrical control terminal;

a second electric terminal from the first group of electric terminals is connected to a neutral line from the power source;

a third electric terminal from the first group of electric terminals is connected to the first electrical control terminal of the electrical switch of the first electric terminal; and

one of the electric terminals from the second group of electric terminals is connected to a second power source.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising of a microprocessor connected to each of the electrical switches from the first set of electrical switches that are connected to second array, which can determine the potential of the conductive elements of the second array and activate the first set of electrical switches.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least one of the conductive elements of the first array is replaced by two or more conductive elements whose individual members are connected by a second set of electrical switches to one of the conductive elements of the first group of electric terminals.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first object is a surface and the second object is a transportation vehicle.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein electric heating coils are embedded in the first array and the second array.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein heated air from a pneumatic cylinder in the actuating mechanism is passed over the first array and the second array to melt any accumulated snow or frozen moisture.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first array and the second array are aligned in an approximately perpendicular arrangement.