CHARGING DEVICE INCLUDING A RETRACTABLE POWER CONDUIT AND METHOD OF OPERATING A CHARGING DEVICE

• US 20140077761A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hooker, John Kenneth, Venkataraman, Ganesh, Myers, Scott Charles, Hamrin, Michelle Nicole, Henry, Joseph Sean
• Granted Patent: US 9,487,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/34 of parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A charging device for use with a power storage device includes a housing, a power conduit configured to deliver current to the power storage device, and a cable reel assembly coupled to the housing and to the power conduit. The cable reel assembly is configured to permit extension of a portion of said power conduit from said housing and to retract the portion of said power conduit into said housing.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle charging device for charging a power storage device of an electric vehicle, said electric vehicle charging device comprising:

a housing, a power conduit configured to couple to the electric vehicle to deliver current to the electric vehicle'"'"'s power storage device to charge the power storage device;

a cable reel assembly coupled to said housing and to said power conduit, said cable reel assembly configured to permit extension of a portion of said power conduit from said housing and retraction of the portion of said power conduit into said housing, said cable reel assembly comprising a brake configured to selectively prevent at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit relative to said housing; and

an electronic controller within said housing, said controller configured to selectively enable said brake to prevent at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit relative to said housing

2. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said brake comprises an electromagnetic brake.

3. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said brake comprises a permanent magnet configured to prevent at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit relative to said housing.

4. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said brake is configured to electromagnetically overcome a magnetic field created by said permanent magnet in response to a signal from said electronic controller to permit at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit relative to said housing.

5. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to enable said brake to prevent at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit relative to said housing when said conduit is coupled to the power storage device.

6. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 5, wherein said controller is configured to disable said brake to permit at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit relative to said housing when said conduit is disconnected from the power storage device.

7. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the power storage device is located in an electric vehicle and wherein said power conduit comprises a connector configured to connect said power conduit to the electric vehicle to deliver current to the power storage device.

8. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 7, wherein said controller is configured to enable said brake to prevent at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit relative to said housing in response to a signal indicating said power conduit connector is connected to the electric vehicle.

9. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to enable said brake to prevent extension of said power conduit relative to said housing when use of said charging device is not permitted.

10. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a sensor configured to detect a position of said power conduit relative to said housing, and wherein said controller is configured to enable said brake to prevent extension of said power conduit when said sensor detects said power conduit is in a fully retracted position within said housing and use of said charging device is not permitted.

11. A method of operating an electric vehicle charging device including a housing, an electronic controller, and a retractable power conduit coupled to a cable reel within the housing, the charging device configured to deliver current to a power storage device in an electric vehicle, said method comprising:

selectively locking the power conduit by the electronic controller to prevent at least one of extension and retraction of the power conduit relative to the housing.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein selectively locking the power conduit comprises locking the power conduit to prevent at least one of extension and retraction of the power conduit relative to the housing when the power conduit is coupled to the electric vehicle.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, further comprising unlocking the power conduit to permit at least one of extension and retraction of the power conduit relative to the housing when the power conduit is decoupled from the electric vehicle.

14. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein selectively locking the power conduit comprises locking the power conduit to prevent extension of the power conduit from the housing when the use of the charging device is not permitted.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein locking the power conduit to prevent extension of the power conduit from the housing when the use of the charging device is not permitted comprises locking the power conduit to prevent extension of the power conduit from the housing when a sensor detects the power conduit is in a fully retracted position within the housing and use of the charging device is not permitted.

16. An electric vehicle charging device for charging a power storage device of an electric vehicle, said electric vehicle charging device comprising:

a housing,

a power conduit including a connector configured to connect to the electric vehicle, said power conduit configured to deliver current to a power storage device in the electric vehicle; and

a cable reel assembly coupled to said housing and to said power conduit, said cable reel assembly comprising;

a cable reel configured to permit extension of said power conduit from said housing and to retract said power conduit into said housing; and

a brake coupled to said cable reel, said brake configured to selectively prevent extension and retraction of said power conduit.

17. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 16, further comprising a controller communicatively coupled to said brake, said controller configured to selectively enable said brake to prevent at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit.

18. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 16, wherein said controller is configured to enable said brake to prevent at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit when said power conduit connector is coupled to the electric vehicle.

19. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said controller is configured to disable said brake to permit at least one of extension and retraction of said power conduit relative when said power conduit connector is coupled to the electric vehicle.

20. An electric vehicle charging device in accordance with claim 16, wherein said controller is configured to enable said brake to prevent extension of said power conduit when use of said charging device is not permitted.