Spring loaded brush carrier

• US 9,522,603 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2015
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proterra Operating Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Proterra AG
• Inventors: Allen, Justin Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Arun
• Application Number:
  US14/984,468
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 1/36 Single contact pieces along the line for power supply
• 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 charging station for an electric vehicle may include a charge head configured to engage with the charging blade of the vehicle to transfer power. The charge head may include a housing with a central cavity extending along its longitudinal axis and a plurality of electrode holders. Each electrode holder may include an electrode configured to transform from an extended configuration when the charging blade is not positioned in the central cavity to a retracted configuration when the charging blade is positioned in the central cavity. In its extended configuration, the electrode may extend into the central cavity from a side wall of the housing, and in the retracted configuration, at least a portion of the electrode may retract into the housing. Each electrode may also include a plurality of springs configured to bias the electrode in the extended configuration.

Claims

1. A charging station for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle including a charging blade configured to receive power from the charging station, comprising:

a charge head configured to engage with the charging blade and transfer electric power to the vehicle, the charge head including;

a housing having a longitudinal axis;

a central cavity extending along the longitudinal axis of the housing, the central cavity being configured to receive the charging blade of the vehicle therein; and

a plurality of electrode holders positioned in the housing, each electrode holder of the plurality of electrode holders including;

an electrode that extends into the central cavity through an opening on a side wall of the housing that forms a boundary wall of the central cavity, the electrode being configured to transform from an extended configuration when the charging blade is not in the central cavity to a retracted configuration when the charging blade is positioned in the central cavity, wherein (a) in the extended configuration, the electrode extends into the central cavity from within the housing through the opening on the side wall of the housing, and (b) in the retracted configuration, at least a portion of the electrode in the central cavity retracts into the housing through the opening on the side wall; and

a plurality of springs configured to bias the electrode in the extended configuration.

2. The charging station of claim 1, wherein each electrode holder further includes a plurality of links rotatably coupled to each other and connected to the electrode and to the plurality of springs, the plurality of links being configured to rotate the electrode about a first axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

3. The charging station of claim 2, wherein the plurality of links are configured to rotate the electrode about the first axis while the electrode is in contact with the charging blade of the vehicle.

4. The charging station of claim 2, wherein the plurality of springs are connected between two oppositely positioned links of the plurality of links.

5. The charging station of claim 4, wherein the plurality of springs are arranged parallel to each other and each spring of the plurality of springs is inclined with respect to a second axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the first axis.

6. The charging station of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode holders are arranged in a mirror-symmetric manner about the longitudinal axis.

7. The charging station of claim 6, wherein the plurality of electrode holders include four electrode holders.

8. The charging station of claim 1, wherein the electrode is an electrically conductive brush.

9. The charging station of claim 1, wherein the charge head is configured to automatically descend to receive the charging blade in the central cavity.

10. The charging station of claim 1, wherein the central cavity extends from one end of the housing to an opposite end of the housing, and the housing is mirror-symmetric about the longitudinal axis.

11. The charging station of claim 1, wherein the central cavity is symmetrically positioned about the longitudinal axis of the housing, and when the charge head engages with the charging blade of the vehicle, the longitudinal axis of the housing is collinear with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

12. A method of charging an electric vehicle at a charging station, the electric vehicle including a charging blade on an external surface of the vehicle, and the charging station including a charge head having (a) a housing with a central cavity extending along a longitudinal axis of the charge head, and (b) a plurality of spring-loaded electrodes, wherein each electrode of the plurality of spring loaded electrodes extends from within the housing into the central cavity through an opening on a side wall of the housing that forms a boundary wall of the central cavity, comprising:

moving the charge head into contact with the external surface of the vehicle;

sliding the charge head on the external surface such that the charging blade of the vehicle slides into the central cavity of the charge head;

sliding at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes of the charge head against the charging blade;

retracting a portion of the at least one electrode in the central cavity into the housing, through the opening on the side wall, in response to the sliding; and

rotating the at least one electrode about a first axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis while the electrode is sliding against the charging blade.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the electric vehicle is a bus.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the charge head includes a plurality of links rotatably coupled to each other and a plurality of springs coupled to the plurality of links and the at least one electrode, and wherein rotating the at least one electrode includes moving the plurality of links relative to each other to rotate the at least one electrode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of springs are arranged parallel to each other and each spring of the plurality of springs is inclined with respect to a second axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the first axis, and wherein rotating the at least one electrode includes inducing a moment on the at least one electrode using the plurality of springs.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the charging blade is positioned on a roof of the vehicle, and moving the charge head includes lowering the charge head to land on the roof of the vehicle.

17. A charging system for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle including a charging blade that extends along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, comprising:

a charging station having a charge head positioned over the roof of the vehicle, wherein the charge head is configured to automatically descend to contact the charging blade, the charge head including;

a housing that extends along the longitudinal axis;

a central cavity extending through the housing along the longitudinal axis, the central cavity being configured to receive the charging blade of the vehicle therein; and

a plurality of electrode holders positioned in the housing, each electrode holder of the plurality of electrode holders including;

a spring-loaded electrode that extends into the central cavity through an opening on a side wall of the housing that forms a boundary wall of the central cavity, the electrode being configured to slide against the sliding blade and rotate about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis while sliding against the charging blade, wherein the spring-loaded electrode is configured to transform from an extended configuration when the charging blade is not positioned in the central cavity to a retracted configuration when the charging blade is positioned in the central cavity, wherein (a) in the extended configuration, the electrode extends into the central cavity from within the housing through the opening on the side wall of the housing, and (b) in the retracted configuration, at least a portion of the electrode in the central cavity retracts into the housing through the opening on the side wall;

a plurality of links rotatably coupled to each other; and

a plurality of springs coupled to the plurality of links and the electrode, wherein the plurality of springs are arranged parallel to each other and each spring of the plurality of springs is inclined with respect to a second axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the first axis.

18. The charging system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of electrode holders are arranged in a mirror-symmetric manner about the longitudinal axis.

19. The charging system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of electrode holders include four electrode holders and the at least one electrode is a conductive brush.

20. The charging system of claim 17, wherein, when the charge head engages with the charging blade, the longitudinal axis of the vehicle is collinear with the longitudinal axis of the housing.