Vehicle charging port arrangement

• US 8,853,996 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2010
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sekido, Kiyohito, Shigematsu, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Assistant Examiner(s): DIBENEDETTO, MICHAEL N
• Application Number:
  US13/260,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/107, 320/109, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 191/1, 191/2, 191/12.1, 191/12.2
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric 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

Abstract

A vehicle charging port arrangement is provided with a vehicle body, an electric charging port and a charging-in-progress indicator. The vehicle body includes a vehicle cabin and a vehicle front end portion having an upper surface. The electric charging port is arranged on the vehicle front end portion. The electric charging port is configured to receive an electric charging connector. The charging-in-progress indicator is movably mounted to the vehicle front end portion to move in a vertical direction between a charging port access position that provides access to the electric charging port and a charging port blocking position that prevents access to the electric charging port. The charging-in-progress indicator is visible from inside the vehicle cabin looking over the upper surface of the vehicle front end portion while the charging-in-progress indicator is in the charging port access position.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging port arrangement comprising:

a vehicle body including a vehicle cabin and a vehicle front end portion having an upper surface;

an electric charging port arranged on the vehicle front end portion, with the electric charging port being configured to receive an electric charging connector; and

a charging-in-progress indicator movably mounted to the vehicle front end portion to move between a charging port access position that provides access to the electric charging port and a charging port blocking position that prevents access to the electric charging port, with the charging-in-progress indicator being visible from inside the vehicle cabin looking over the upper surface of the vehicle front end portion while the charging-in-progress indicator is in the charging port access position.

2. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 1, wherein

an upper most point of the charging-in-progress indicator is located higher than a point of intersection between the charging-in-progress indicator and a line that passes through an eye point of a seated passenger and is tangent to the upper surface of the vehicle front end portion while the charging-in-progress indicator is in the charging port access position.

3. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 1, wherein

the upper surface of the vehicle front end portion is located lower than a line connecting an eye point of a seated passenger and an upper most point of the charging-in-progress indicator while the charging-in-progress indicator is in the charging port access position.

4. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 1, wherein

the charging-in-progress indicator includes a charging port lid movably arranged with respect to the vehicle front end portion between an open position corresponding to the charging port access position and a closed position corresponding to the charging port blocking position.

5. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 4, wherein

the vehicle front end portion includes a motor room hood with the upper surface of the vehicle front end portion being at least partially formed by the motor room hood.

6. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 4, further comprising

at least one additional electric charging port arranged adjacent to the electric charging port with the charging port lid being a single common lid that simultaneously exposes the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the open position and simultaneously covers the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the closed position.

7. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 6, wherein

the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port are arranged horizontally side-by-side so as to be closely adjacent to each other.

8. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 2, wherein

the charging-in-progress indicator includes a charging port lid movably arranged with respect to the vehicle front end portion between an open position corresponding to the charging port access position and a closed position corresponding to the charging port blocking position.

9. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 8, wherein

the vehicle front end portion includes a motor room hood with the upper surface of the vehicle front end portion being at least partially formed by the motor room hood.

10. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 8, further comprising

at least one additional electric charging port arranged adjacent to the electric charging port with the charging port lid being a single common lid that simultaneously exposes the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the open position and simultaneously covers the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the closed position.

11. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 10, wherein

the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port are arranged horizontally side-by-side so as to be closely adjacent to each other.

12. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 3, wherein

the charging-in-progress indicator includes a charging port lid movably arranged with respect to the vehicle front end portion between an open position corresponding to the charging port access position and a closed position corresponding to the charging port blocking position.

13. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 12, wherein

the vehicle front end portion includes a motor room hood with the upper surface of the vehicle front end portion being at least partially formed by the motor room hood.

14. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 12, further comprising

at least one additional electric charging port arranged adjacent to the electric charging port with the charging port lid being a single common lid that simultaneously exposes the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the open position and simultaneously covers the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the closed position.

15. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 14, wherein

the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port are arranged horizontally side-by-side so as to be closely adjacent to each other.

16. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 5, wherein

at least one additional electric charging port arranged adjacent to the electric charging port with the charging port lid being a single common lid that simultaneously exposes the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the open position and simultaneously covers the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the closed position.

17. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 16, wherein

the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port are arranged horizontally side-by-side so as to be closely adjacent to each other.

18. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 9, wherein

at least one additional electric charging port arranged adjacent to the electric charging port with the charging port lid being a single common lid that simultaneously exposes the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the open position and simultaneously covers the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the closed position.

19. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 18, wherein

the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port are arranged horizontally side-by-side so as to be closely adjacent to each other.

20. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 13, wherein

at least one additional electric charging port arranged adjacent to the electric charging port with the charging port lid being a single common lid that simultaneously exposes the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the open position and simultaneously covers the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port while the lid is in the closed position.

21. The vehicle charging port arrangement as recited in claim 20, wherein

the at least one additional electric charging port and the electric charging port are arranged horizontally side-by-side so as to be closely adjacent to each other.