Illuminated vehicle charging system

• US 10,131,237 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Salter, Stuart C., Dellock, Paul Kenneth, Lobo, Harry, Lathrop, James A., Padgett, Terry, Jala, Sriram
• Primary Examiner(s): Siek, Vuthe
• Application Number:
  US15/189,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20170368954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/50 using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/325 Pulse-width modulation [PWM]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• 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 wireless vehicle charging system is provided herein. The charging system includes a charging station having a power source and a charging station interface operably coupled to a primary coil assembly. The primary coil assembly includes a primary coil therein for generating a magnetic field. An illumination system is disposed within the primary coil assembly and includes a passive illumination system and an active illumination system. A first photoluminescent structure is disposed within the passive illumination system and is configured to luminesce in response to excitation by an incident light. A second photoluminescent structure is disposed within the active illumination system and is configured to luminesce in response to excitation by a light source. A vehicle having a secondary coil assembly thereon is operably coupled with a rectifier and is configured to transmit electrical current from the secondary coil assembly to a battery.

Claims

1. A wireless vehicle charging system, comprising:

a charging station having a power source and a charging station interface operably coupled to a primary coil assembly, the primary coil assembly including a primary coil therein for generating a magnetic field;

an illumination system disposed on the primary coil assembly including a passive illumination system and an active illumination system;

a first photoluminescent structure utilized with the passive illumination system and configured to luminesce in response to excitation by an incident light;

a second photoluminescent structure utilized with the active illumination system and configured to luminesce in response to excitation by a light source; and

a vehicle having a secondary coil assembly thereon operably coupled with a rectifier and configured to transmit electrical current from the secondary coil assembly to a battery.

2. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the passive illumination system illuminates from a top surface of the primary coil assembly above the coil.

3. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 2, wherein the passive illumination system is configured to have a negligible effect on the magnetic field generated by the primary coil.

4. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the active illumination system is disposed outwardly of the primary coil and includes LED sources dispersed in a printed LED arrangement.

5. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the first and second photoluminescent structures each include at least one photoluminescent material therein configured to convert an excitation light into a visible converted light.

6. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the first photoluminescent structure illuminates in a first color and the second photoluminescent structure illuminates in a second color.

7. The wireless vehicle charging system of claim 3, wherein the first photoluminescent structure includes a long persistence photoluminescent material therein that is configured to emit converted light for more than one hour after the removal of the excitation light.

8. A vehicular charging system, comprising:

a primary coil assembly configured to generate a magnetic field;

a secondary coil assembly configured to transmit electrical current from the secondary coil assembly to a battery, the primary coil assembly disposed externally of a vehicle; and

a photoluminescent structure on the primary coil assembly and configured to luminesce in response to excitation by a light source when the photoluminescent structure is disposed between the primary and secondary coil assembly.

9. The charging system of claim 8, further comprising:

a light detecting device configured to sense a level of incident light disposed around a surface of the primary coil assembly.

10. The charging system of claim 9, wherein the light detecting device is disposed proximate a rear portion of the primary coil assembly, wherein the rear portion is disposed away from a front portion of a vehicle.

11. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the light source includes LED sources dispersed in a printed LED arrangement.

12. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to activate the light source based on predefined events when a vehicle having a vehicle transceiver therein is disposed proximately to the primary coil assembly and is in communication with the controller.

13. The charging system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to activate the light source based on predefined events when an electronic device is disposed proximately to the primary coil assembly and is in communication with the controller.

14. A charging system, comprising:

a charging station configured to electrically couple to a vehicle, the charging station including a primary coil assembly separable from the vehicle and configured to transmit electrical current from the charging station to a battery; and

a first photoluminescent structure disposed on the charging station and configured to luminesce in response to excitation by an incident light when the vehicle is separated from the primary coil assembly.

15. The charging system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second photoluminescent structure operably coupled with a light source, wherein the light source emits excitation light and the second photoluminescent structure luminesces in response to receiving the excitation light.

16. The charging system of claim 15, wherein the light source includes LED sources dispersed in a printed LED arrangement that are each configured to emit an excitation light.

17. The charging system of claim 16, wherein the light source is configured as a border that correlates with a portion of the charging station.

18. The charging system of claim 14, wherein the first photoluminescent structure includes a long persistence photoluminescent material therein.

19. The charging system of claim 14, wherein illumination provided by the first photoluminescent structure has a substantially negligible effect on the charging efficiency of the charging system.

20. The charging system of claim 15, wherein the light source is illuminated during a night-like condition.