Vehicle and base station assembly

• US 9,620,896 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikhil Dubbaka
• Original Assignee: Nikhil Dubbaka
• Inventors: Dubbaka, Nikhil
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuong T
• Application Number:
  US15/134,445
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 439668, 439188, 439669, 439944
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6205 Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/629 Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/631 for engagement only
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/26 for engaging or disengaging the two parts of a coupling device structural association with two-part coupling device H01R13/629
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A two sided electrical connection system that automatically connects two connector sides together is provided. A male side and female side of the connector have bodies shaped such that the male side may be received by the female side automatically by a force of gravity. Guiding structure around the female side of the two sided connector allows the male side to be guided into place without requiring perfect alignment of the two sides of the connector.

Claims

1. A vehicle and base station assembly comprising:

an automatic two part electrical connector mated between vehicle the base station, the electrical connector comprising a male side and a female side, the male side connected to the vehicle by an electric cable, the male side having a guiding structure configured to guide it into electronic connection with the female side automatically by gravity;

the female side connected to the base station and configured to receive the male side by the guiding structure of the male side and a corresponding shape of the female side to receive at least a portion of the male side, an electrical connection of the base station being provided to the female side;

an electrical contact on an outer surface of the male side being in contact with an electrical contact on an inner surface of the female side, thereby providing electrical communication between the vehicle and the base station.

2. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the guiding structure of the male side is a conical shaped body, the electrical contact of the male side being on an exterior of the body, and wherein the female side is shaped as a funnel to receive the cone shaped body, the electrical contact of the female side being on an inner face of the funnel.

3. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the male side has a cylindrical shaped body, the electrical contact of the male side being on an exterior of the body, and wherein the female side has a cylindrical body defining a cylindrical opening sized to receive the male side body.

4. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the male side guiding structure is a rolling ball configured to roll along a surface towards the female side, the rolling ball sized to pass through at least a portion of the female side.

5. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 4 wherein the surface is a ramp configured to guide the rolling ball towards the female side.

6. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the cable is extendable and retractable from a bottom of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the cable is connected to an arm and extendable and retractable from this arm, the arm extendable and retractable from a side of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the cable and male side are retractable and extendable from the vehicle.

9. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 further comprising a magnet on at least one of the male side and the female side, the magnet holding the male side to the female side.

10. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the electrical connection between the vehicle and base station is a charging connection, the base station providing a charging to a battery of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the electrical connection between the vehicle and base station is a data communication connection.

12. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 wherein the electrical contact protrudes from the outer surface of the male side.

13. The vehicle and base station assembly of claim 1 further comprising a secondary guiding structure positioned about the female connector, the secondary guiding structure sloping inward towards the female connector and configured to guide the male side into the female side by gravity causing the male side guidance to slide along the inward sloping and gravity.