Electric vehicle with secondary charge cord release mechanism

• US 8,690,591 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2011
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Charnesky, Scott P., Alexander, Paul W., Argote, Tony Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIBENEDETTO, MICHAEL N
• Application Number:
  US13/156,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20120313580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 439/153, 439/258, 439/304, 191/8, 191/12.4, 320/104, 320/109
• US Class Current: 439/153
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6397 with means for preventing unauthorised use
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20402 Flexible transmitter [e.g., Bowden cable]

Abstract

A secondary (backup) release (unlocking and unlatching) of a charge cord for plug-in electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles is provided. A charging port is configured to receive a charging cord and includes a lock bolt configured to lock the charging cord in the charging port during charging. The vehicle also includes a hood assembly having a hood latch with a first cable coupled to the hood latch. A second cable is coupled to the latch bolt and a sheath of the first cable for unlocking the lock bolt. A retainer is coupled to the hood assembly and is configured to limit movement of the second cable until the hood latch has released the hood assembly.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an electric engine coupled to a battery source;

a hood assembly having a hood latch;

a charging port configured to receive a charging cord for charging the battery source and having a lock bolt configured to lock the charging cord in the charging port, wherein the charging cord includes a latch for latching the charging cord to the charging port, and the charging port includes an unlatch bolt coupled to the lock bolt; and

a cable release system comprising;

a first cable coupled to the hood latch;

a second cable coupled to the lock bolt and a sheath of the first cable; and

a retainer coupled to the hood assembly configured to limit movement of the second cable until the hood latch has released the hood assembly and thereafter release the second cable;

wherein a first operation of the cable release system unlocks the charging cord from the charging port and a second operation of the cable release system unlocks the charging cord from the charging port and the unlatch bolt is configured to unlatch the latch of the charging cord from the charging port when the second cable moves the lock bolt to an unlocked position.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, which includes a a guide pin in the charging cable to facilitate alignment with the charging port.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the hood latch is coupled to a first return spring having a first spring stiffness.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the lock bolt is coupled to a second return spring having a second spring stiffness being less than the first spring stiffness.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hood latch is coupled to a first return spring having a first spring stiffness and the lock bolt is coupled to a second return spring having approximately the first spring stiffness.

6. A vehicle, comprising:

an electric engine coupled to a battery source;

a hood assembly having a hood latch;

a charging port configured to receive a charging cord for charging the battery source, the charging cord having a latch for coupling the charging cord to the charging port, and the charging port having a lock bolt configured to lock the latch of the charging cord in the charging port;

a cable release system, comprising;

a first cable coupled to the hood latch, the first cable including a sheath;

a second cable coupled to the lock bolt and the sheath of the first cable; and

a retainer coupled to the hood assembly configured to limit movement of the second cable until the hood latch has released the hood assembly;

wherein a first operation of the cable release system releases the hood latch and a second operation of the cable release system unlocks the charging cord from the charging port;

an unlatch bolt coupled to the lock bolt and configured to unlatch the latch of the charging cord from the charging port when the second cable moves the lock bolt to an unlocked position.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the hood assembly moves to a first position after release.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the retainer releases the second cable after the hood assembly has moved to the first position.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the movement of the second cable after release from the retainer moves the lock bolt to an unlocked position.

10. The vehicle of claim 7, which includes a guide pin in the charging cable to facilitate alignment with the charging port.

11. A vehicle, comprising:

an electric engine coupled to a battery source;

a hood assembly having a hood latch moveable from a latched position to an unlatched position;

a charging port configured to receive a charging cord for charging the battery source the charging cord having a latch for coupling the charging cord to the charging port, and the charging port having a lock bolt configured to lock the charging cord in the charging port in a locked position and being movable to an unlocked position and an unlatch bolt coupled to the lock bolt and configured to unlatch the latch of the charging cord from the charging port; and

a cable release assembly, comprising;

a first cable coupled to the hood latch, the first cable having a sheath;

a second cable coupled to the lock bolt and the sheath of the first cable; and

a retainer coupled to the hood assembly configured to prevent the second cable from moving the lock bolt from the locked position to the unlocked position until the first cable has moved the hood assembly from the latched position to the unlatched position;

wherein a first operation of the cable release system releases the hood latch and a second operation of the cable release system moves the lock bolt to an unlocked position and unlatches the latch of the charging cord via the unlatch bolt from the charging port.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein upon a first operation of the cable release assembly, the hood assembly moves to a first position after the first cable has moved the hood assembly from the latched position to the unlatched position.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the retainer releases the second cable after the hood assembly has moved to the first position.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, which includes a guide pin in the charging cable to facilitate alignment with the charging port.

15. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the retainer releases the second cable after the hood assembly has moved from the first position to a second position.

16. A vehicle, comprising:

an electric engine coupled to a batter source;

a charging port configured to receive a charging cord for charging the battery source and having a lock bolt configured to lock the charging cord in the charging port;

a latch assembly configured to move from a latched position to an unlatched position;

a dual-pull cable release assembly having a first cable coupled to the latch assembly and a second cable coupled to a sheath of the first cable; and

a retainer configured to limit movement of the second cable until the first cable has moved the latch assembly to the unlatched position and then release the second cable after the latch assembly has moved to the unlatched position;

wherein a first operation of the dual-pull cable release assembly moves the latch assembly to the unlatched position and a second operation of the dual-pull cable release assembly unlocks the charging cable from the charging port;

and an unlatch bolt coupled to the lock bolt and configured to unlatch the charging cord from the charging port when the second cable moves the lock bolt to an unlocked position.