System and installation for charging an electric motor vehicle

• US 9,579,985 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conductix-Wampfler France
• Original Assignee: Conductix-Wampfler France
• Inventors: Lacour, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US14/395,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20150097529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/109, 320/111, 320/114, 320/115, 439/135, 439/141, 439/142
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and 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

The invention relates to a system for electrically coupling an electrical charging device to the power storage means of a vehicle. The system includes a bar, a protective panel, a flap, a drive means, and a control device for synchronizing the movements of the bar, protective panel, and flap between a stowed position and a position for extending from the ground.

Claims

1. System for electrically coupling an electrical charging device to electrical energy storage means of an electrically driven motor vehicle, the system including:

a support embeddable in an indentation made in the ground;

at least one electrically conductive bar, the bar being capable of being electrically connected to the charging device;

at least one panel for protecting the indentation wherein the embeddable support is housed and capable of clearing an upper opening of the support;

at least one flap capable of extending upward from the support to prevent objects from falling into said upper opening;

drive means, capable of moving the bar, the protective panel and the flap;

between a retracted position where;

the bar and the flap are positioned inside the indentation, and where

the protective panel covers the indentation

and a clearance position where;

the bar and the flap extend at least partially outside the indentation and where

the protective panel protrudes from the ground

a control device to synchronize the movements of the bar, the flap and the protective panel, the control device being designed to control the relative movement of the bar with respect to the protective panel when an opening formed between the flap and the protective panel is sufficient to allow passage of said bar between retracted position and the clearance position.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control device is designed to:

control the movement of the protective panel and of the flap so as to hold the protective panel in contact with the flap between the retracted position and an intermediate position,

control the movement of the protective panel and of the flap so as to separate the protective panel from the flap between the intermediate position and the clearance position, the separation between the protective panel and the flap forming the opening for passage of the bar.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the control device is designed to:

control the movement of the flap in rotation about a first pivot connection between the retracted position and the intermediate position; and

control the movement of the flap in rotation about the first pivot connection and in rotation about a second pivot connection between an intermediate position and the clearance position.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the drive means include a single electric motor driving a shaft in rotation.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the protective panel is connected pivotally to the embeddable support by a hinge extending along one edge of the indentation.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the protective panel includes an upper wall and two side walls perpendicular to the upper wall, the side walls extending inside the indentation in the retracted position and extending at least partially outside the indentation in the clearance position.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control device includes a bent connecting rod:

pivotally connected to the protective panel at one of its ends; and

pivotally connected to the drive means at its other end.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the bent connecting rod is pivotally connected to the drive means through an arm fastened to the drive mans, the system also including a releasable locking element to:

on the one hand, fasten the arm to the drive means; and

on the other hand, to release the arm from the drive means when a crushing force applied to the protective panel exceeds a threshold value and the panel is not in the retracted position.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the releasable locking element is a shear pin.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the arm and the bent connecting rod are arranged so that:

in the retracted position, the angle between the arm and the vertical is comprised between about 0 and 20°

, preferably between 0 and 10°

; and

in the clearance position, the angle between the arm and the horizontal is comprised between about 0 and 20°

, preferably between about 0 and 10°

.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the flap is pivotally connected to the protective panel, the control device including elastic means such as a spring, for applying a force to the flap tending to separate it from the protective panel.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control device also has two connecting rods pivotally connected to the bar and to the protective panel.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control device includes a stroke limiter to reduce the distance travelled by the bar between the retracted position and the clearance position.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the stroke limiter is arranged so that the distance travelled by the bar between the retracted position and the clearance position is less than the distance travelled by the protective panel between the retracted position and the clearance position.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the stroke limiter includes a central connecting rod pivotally connected to two lateral connecting rods at its two ends and pivotally connected to a tab fastened to the protective panel at a pivot connection located between the ends of the central connecting rod, the free end of one of the lateral connecting rods being pivotally connected to the bar and the free end of the other lateral connecting rod being pivotally connected to the embeddable support.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the bar is mounted on a base comprising elastic means exerting a force on the bar tending to separate the bar from the base.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the base further includes a sensor for detecting the bar coming into contact with a vehicle and to control stopping of the drive means when said coming into contact is detected.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the sensor includes an end-of-stroke detector for detecting a force exerted by the bar on the base tending to compress the elastic means and for controlling the stopping of the drive means said force exceeds a threshold.

19. An installation for recharging electrically driven vehicles, wherein it includes a vehicle parking area provided with a plurality of systems for electrically coupling an electrical charging device to electrical energy storage means of an electrically driven motor vehicle, each system including:

a support in an indentation made in the ground;

at least one electrically conductive bar, the bar being capable of being electrically connected to the charging device;

at least one panel for protecting the indentation wherein the embeddable support is housed and capable of clearing an upper opening of the support;

at least one flap capable of extending upward from the support to prevent objects from falling into said upper opening,

drive means, capable of moving the bar, the protective panel and the flap;

between a retracted position where;

the bar and the flap are positioned inside the indentation, and where

the protective panel covers the indentation

and a clearance position where;

the bar and the flap extend at least partially outside the indentation and where

the protective panel protrudes from the ground

a control device to synchronize the movements of the bar, the flap and the protective panel, the control device being designed to control the relative movement of the bar with respect to the protective panel when an opening formed between the flap and the protective panel is sufficient to allow passage of said bar between the retracted position and the clearance position.