METHODS AND APPARATUS TO CHARGE A VEHICLE AND TO FACILITATE COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE VEHICLE

• US 20160114686A1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beattie, James Gordon Jr., Triano, Stephen Francis, Rios, Roque
• Granted Patent: US 10,106,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to facilitate communication between a charging station and a vehicle are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a first charging interface to communicatively couple with a second charging interface of a charging station. The example apparatus also includes a communication interface actuatable between a stored position and a deployed position, the communication interface comprising a first radio frequency waveguide, the first radio frequency waveguide to physically engage a second radio frequency waveguide of the charging station to form a electromagnetically sealed waveguide, the electromagnetically sealed waveguide to guide radio frequency communication signals between the communication interface and the charging station.

Claims

1. A charging station, comprising:

a first charging interface to communicatively couple with a second charging interface of a vehicle;

a communication interface to communicate with the vehicle; and

a first radio frequency waveguide to engage a second radio frequency waveguide of the vehicle to form an electromagnetically sealed waveguide between the charging station and the vehicle, the electromagnetically sealed waveguide to guide radio frequency communication signals between the communication interface and the vehicle.

2. A charging station as defined in claim 1, wherein the electromagnetically sealed waveguide shields radio frequency communications from radio frequency interference operating from outside of the electromagnetically sealed waveguide.

3. A charging station as defined in claim 1, further comprising a network interface in communication with the communication interface to facilitate communicating between the charging station and a network.

4. A charging station as defined in claim 1, wherein the first charging interface is to inductively couple with the second charging interface of the vehicle to charge a battery of the vehicle.

5. A charging station as defined in claim 1, wherein the first charging interface is a primary inductive coil to create an electromagnetic field to induce an electrical charging current in the second charging interface.

6. A charging station as defined in claim 1, wherein the first charging interface is embedded into a surface of a parking space.

7. A charging station as defined in claim 1, wherein the communication interface is adjacent to the first charging interface.

8-17. -17. (canceled)

18. An apparatus for use on a vehicle to facilitate charging a battery of the vehicle, comprising:

a first charging interface to communicatively couple with a second charging interface of a charging station;

a communication interface actuatable between a stored position and a deployed position, the communication interface comprising a first radio frequency waveguide, the first radio frequency waveguide to physically engage a second radio frequency waveguide of the charging station to form a electromagnetically sealed waveguide, the electromagnetically sealed waveguide to guide radio frequency communication signals between the communication interface and the charging station.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the electromagnetically sealed waveguide is to shield radio frequency communications inside the electromagnetically sealed waveguide from radio frequency interference outside of the electromagnetically sealed waveguide.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the communication interface is in communication with a controller area network bus of the vehicle.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the first charging interface is to inductively couple with the second charging interface of the charging station to charge a battery of the vehicle.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the second charging interface includes a primary inductive coil to induce an electrical current into a secondary inductive coil of the first charging interface.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the communication interface is mounted to the vehicle via a track system, the track system to facilitate alignment of the first radio frequency waveguide to the second radio frequency.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, further comprising a wedge structure protruding from the distal end of the communication interface to move debris when the communication interface is deployed.

25. A vehicle comprising:

a battery;

a first charging interface to communicatively couple with a second charging interface of a charging station, the first charging interface communicatively coupled to the battery;

an on-board computing system commutatively couple to the battery; and

a communication interface communicatively coupled to the on-board computing system, the communication interface actuatable between a stored position and a deployed position, the communication interface comprising a first radio frequency waveguide, the first radio frequency waveguide to mate with a second radio frequency waveguide of the charging station to form a electromagnetically sealed waveguide, the electromagnetically sealed waveguide to facilitate radio frequency communication signals between the communication interface and the charging station.