Charge coupler and method for autonomously charging vehicle batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11130412-B2
Application number	US-201816214826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2018
Priority date	Dec 10, 2018
Publication date	Sep 28, 2021
Grant date	Sep 28, 2021

Abstract

A system for charging a battery carried by a vehicle may include a charging box for coupling to a vehicle chassis and including interface electrical contacts electrically coupled to the battery. The system may also include a charge coupler including coupler electrical contacts for electrically coupling to the interface electrical contacts from under the vehicle and configured to be coupled to an electrical power supply. The charging box may include an interface activation surface, and the charge coupler may include a housing for enclosing the coupler electrical contacts and including a base for supporting the coupler electrical contacts, a coupler activation surface opposite the base, an opening, and a door configured to open the opening to expose the coupler electrical contacts as the interface activation surface contacts the coupler activation surface and moves the coupler activation surface toward the base.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charge coupler comprising:
an electrical connector configured to be coupled to an electrical power source;
an electrical contact; and
a housing for enclosing the electrical contact, the housing comprising:
a base configured to support the electrical contact;
an activation surface opposite the base, the activation surface having an opening;
a door configured to move between a first position in which the door covers the opening and a second position in which the door is open and exposes the electrical contact; and
a linkage coupling the activation surface to the door, such that as the activation surface moves from an extended position toward a compressed position, the door moves from the first position to the second position.

2. The charge coupler of claim 1 , wherein the linkage is coupled to the base, the activation surface, and the door.

3. The charge coupler of claim 1 , further comprising a biasing member coupled to the activation surface and the base and configured to bias the activation surface toward the extended position.

4. The charge coupler of claim 1 , wherein applying at least a portion of a weight of a vehicle to the activation surface causes the activation surface to move to the compressed position.

5. The charge coupler of claim 1 , wherein the electrical contact is at least partially supported by a contact biasing member configured to bias the electrical contact in a direction away from the base.

6. The charge coupler of claim 1 , wherein when the activation surface is in the compressed position, the electrical contact extends through the opening, such that an end of the electrical contact remote from the base extends beyond a plane in which the opening lies.

7. The charge coupler of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a peripheral portion coupling the base and the activation surface to one another, and wherein the peripheral portion comprises a resilient flexible material at least one of (1) forming a seal between the base and the activation surface throughout a range of motion from the extended position to the compressed position, or (2) biasing the activation surface toward the extended position.

8. The charge coupler of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a barrier opposite the base and coupled to the activation surface, the barrier defining the opening.

9. The charge coupler of claim 8 , wherein the activation surface extends at least partially around a periphery of the barrier and the barrier moves with the activation surface.

10. A system for charging a battery carried by a vehicle, the system comprising:
a charge coupler comprising:
an electrical connector configured to be coupled to an electrical power source;
an electrical contact configured to be electrically coupled to a vehicle electrical contact of the vehicle; and
a housing for enclosing the electrical contact of the charge coupler, the housing comprising:
a base configured to support the electrical contact of the charge coupler;
an activation surface opposite the base, the activation surface of the charge coupler having an opening; and
a door configured to move between a first position closing the opening and a second position opening the opening and exposing the electrical contact,

wherein the activation surface and the door are coupled to one another, such that applying force to the activation surface causes the activation surface to move from an extended position toward a compressed position, causes the door to move from the first position to the second position, causes the electrical contact to contact the vehicle electrical contact, and causes energy to flow to or from the vehicle via the electrical contact.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the activation surface and the door are coupled to one another, such that applying weight to the activation surface causes the activation surface to move from the extended position toward the compressed position.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the charge coupler comprises at least three electrical contacts, and the at least three electrical contacts are substantially aligned with one another along a line.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the electrical contact of the charge coupler presents a substantially planar coupler contact surface, and the vehicle electrical contact presents a substantially planar vehicle contact surface.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein a first surface area of the vehicle electrical contact is greater than a second surface area of the electrical contact.

15. A charge coupler comprising:
an electrical contact;
a base configured to support the electrical contact;
an activation surface opposite the base, the activation surface having an opening;
a door configured to move between a first position in which the door covers the opening and a second position in which the door is open and exposes the electrical contact; and
a linkage coupling the activation surface to the door, such that as the activation surface moves from an extended position toward a compressed position, the door moves from the first position to the second position.

16. The charge coupler of claim 15 , wherein the linkage is coupled to the base, the activation surface, and the door.

17. The charge coupler of claim 15 , further comprising a biasing member coupled to the activation surface and the base and configured to bias the activation surface toward the extended position.

18. The charge coupler of claim 15 , wherein applying at least a portion of a weight of a vehicle to the activation surface causes the activation surface to move to the compressed position.

19. The charge coupler of claim 15 , wherein the electrical contact is at least partially supported by a contact biasing member configured to bias the electrical contact in a direction away from the base.

20. The charge coupler of claim 15 , wherein when the activation surface is in the compressed position, the electrical contact extends through the opening, such that an end of the electrical contact remote from the base extends beyond a plane in which the opening lies.

Assignees

• Zoox Inc

Inventors

• Boecker Moritz
• Booth Bryan Emrys
• Kentley-Klay Timothy David
• Osellame Richard Luke
• Stoffel Christopher John

Classifications

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H02J7/70 Primary

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• B60L53/16 Primary

  Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60L2260/32

  Auto pilot mode · CPC title

• B60L53/36

  by positioning the vehicle · CPC title