Mechanism for locking and fault detection in the electrical vehicle supply equipment cord reel

• US 9,969,278 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konnectronix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Konnectronix Incorporated
• Inventors: Veiga, Peter, Unetich, Richard, Ray, Frank, Alford, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Kik, Phallaka
• Application Number:
  US14/968,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20160096440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 320109, 320104, 320105, 180313, 180 651, 191 122 R, 191 124, 191 122 A
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• 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 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 49/06 adapted for multi-purpose use
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/44 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/02 using take-up reel or drum
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/15 Protecting or guiding telephone cords
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

An electric vehicle charging assembly includes a cord reel, a cord reel locking mechanism, and a master control unit for selectively unlocking the cord reel in response to an authorization signal. The electric vehicle charging assembly monitors the rotational position of the cord reel to prevent unauthorized use, and to record or relay information related to the improper use or malfunction of the electric vehicle charging assembly.

Claims

1. An external, Level 1 vehicle charging system comprising:

a) An external cord reel subassembly for providing an electrical cord to facilitate an extension of a vehicle connector;

b) a ground fault detection mechanism connected to the cord reel subassembly to determine a presence of a fault event;

c) a control circuit operatively connected to the detection mechanism for automatically shutting down the external, Level 1 vehicle charging system in an occurrence of a fault event, the control circuit further connected to the external cord reel subassembly for further automatically reinitiating the charging event at a short, predetermined interval; and

d) a detection verification circuit for generating a simulated ground fault signal for verifying an operability of the ground fault detection mechanism in connection with a charging event.

2. The external, Level 1 vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the ground fault detection mechanism initially determines the presence of a fault event prior to the occurrence of a charging event.