Vehicle charging station having a dual position locking door

• US 7,804,274 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2008
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chargepoint, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coulomb Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Baxter, David, Tormey, Milton T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fantu; Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US12/177,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20100013433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/34 of parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• 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: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/003 for electricity
• 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 vehicle charging station including a compartment having a door, a receptacle disposed within the interior of the compartment for receiving a charging cord from a vehicle, and a door mechanism. The door mechanism includes a first latch for locking and unlocking the door from a closed position. The first latch locks the door in the closed position without drawing power and keeps the door locked in the closed position if power is lost to the vehicle charging station. The door mechanism also includes a second latch for locking and unlocking the door in a second position such that the door is ajar allowing the cord to pass from the vehicle to the interior of the compartment. The second latch allows the door to open beyond its ajar position to allow the cord to be removed if power is lost to the vehicle charging station while the door is locked in the second position.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging station, comprising:

a compartment having a door;

a receptacle disposed within the interior of the compartment for receiving a charging cord from a vehicle; and

a door locking mechanism including;

a first latch to;

lock the door in a closed position without drawing power and keep the door locked in the closed position if power is lost to the vehicle charging station while the door is locked in the closed position, and

unlock the door from the closed position to allow access to the receptacle; and

a second latch to;

lock the door in a charging position when the charging cord is plugged into the receptacle to prevent access to the receptacle, wherein the door is ajar in the charging position to allow the charging cord to pass from the vehicle to the interior of the compartment while preventing the charging cord from being unplugged from the receptacle, and

unlock the door from the charging position to allow the charging cord to be unplugged from the receptacle if power is lost to the vehicle charging station.

2. The vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the first latch is to lock the door in the closed position to prevent unauthorized access to the interior of the compartment.

3. The vehicle charging station of claim 1, wherein the charging position allows for a plurality of cord types to be used in the vehicle charging station and is not limited to right angle plugs.

4. The vehicle charging station of claim 2, further comprising an authorization mechanism for authorizing a customer to cause the first latch to unlock the door from the closed position allowing the customer to insert the cord into the receptacle or to cause the second latch to unlock the door from the charging position to allow the customer to retrieve the cord from the receptacle.

5. A method for locking and unlocking a door of a vehicle charging station, wherein the door is coupled with a compartment having a receptacle for receiving a charging cord of a vehicle, the method comprising:

locking the door without drawing power in a first position while the vehicle charging station is idle to prevent access to the compartment, wherein the door remains locked in the first position if the charging station loses power while the charging station is idle;

upon receiving a request from a customer to use the vehicle charging station, unlocking the door from the first position to allow the customer to open the door and insert a plug of the charging cord into the receptacle;

receiving the plug of the charging cord from the customer;

locking the door in a second position to prevent access to the plug of the charging cord; and

upon receiving a request from the customer to retrieve the charging cord, unlocking the door from the second position.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the locking the door without drawing power in the first position includes extending a first locking pin whose movement is controlled by a first solenoid, wherein when power is not applied to the first solenoid the first locking pin is extended, and wherein the unlocking the door from the first position includes applying power to the first solenoid causing the first locking pin to retract.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the locking the door in the second position includes applying power to a second solenoid causing a second locking pin to extend to lock the door, wherein the unlocking the door from the second position includes removing the application of power from the second solenoid causing the second locking pin to retract.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising authorizing the customer prior to unlocking the door from the first position and the second position.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the door is completely closed in the first position and the door is ajar in the second position allowing the charging cord to pass from the vehicle to the interior of the compartment while preventing the charging cord from being unplugged from the receptacle, and wherein the second position allows the vehicle charging station to accept multiple charging cord plug types and charging cord gauges and is not limited to accepting a charging cords having a right angle plug.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein the door is locked in the second position such that when power is lost to the vehicle charging station the door is automatically unlocked from the second position allowing retrieval of the charging cord.

10. A charging station to charge electric vehicles, comprising:

a power receptacle compartment hingedly coupled with a door, the power receptacle compartment including a power receptacle to receive an electrical plug coupled with a battery of an electric vehicle;

a locking apparatus including;

a first locking unit to lock the door in a closed position without drawing power such that if power is lost to the charging station the door remains locked, wherein the power receptacle is inaccessible when the door is locked in the closed position, and

a second locking unit to lock the door in a charging position when the electrical plug is inserted into the power receptacle to prevent access to the electrical plug, and to unlock the door from the charging position if the charging station loses power.

11. The charging station of claim 10, wherein the power receptacle compartment has a depth for the power receptacle to accept a plurality of plug end types and a plurality of cord gauges, and the power receptacle is not limited to receiving a right angle plug.

12. The charging station of claim 10, further comprising:

a first sensor to detect whether the door is in the closed position;

a second sensor to detect whether the door is in the charging position, wherein the door is fully closed in the closed position and the door is partially closed in the charging position; and

a plug sensor to detect whether the electrical plug is inserted into the power receptacle.

13. The charging station of claim 10, further comprising a power supply, and wherein the first locking unit includes a first solenoid to control movement of a first locking pin, the first solenoid to cause the first locking pin to retract when power is received from the power supply.

14. The charging station of claim 10, further comprising an authorization unit to receive power receptacle compartment access requests and to cause those requests to be authorized.

15. The charging station of claim 13, wherein the second locking unit includes a second solenoid to control movement of a second locking pin, wherein the second locking unit is to extend the second locking pin to lock the door in the charging position when power is received from the power supply.

16. The charging station of claim 14, further comprising the authorization unit to direct the second locking unit to unlock the door from the charging position upon receipt of an authorized power receptacle compartment access request.

17. The charging station of claim 14, further comprising the authorization unit to direct the first locking unit to unlock the door from the closed position upon receipt of an authorized power receptacle compartment access request.