Patent Application
20120161703
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to electric vehicle service equipment and electric vehicle charging stations and, more particularly, to a transport module for a portable electric vehicle charging device.
2. Related Art
Electric and hybrid-electric automobiles are quickly gaining popularity in the U.S. and around the world. One previous obstacle to wide-spread acceptance was the lack of a sufficient infrastructure, including easily accessible service equipment for charging such vehicles. Several different methods and systems for connecting electric vehicles to off-board equipment for charging have been developed including, for example, cord-and-plug connected adapters that can be transported with an electric vehicle and are configured to be compatible with the most commonly available grounded electrical outlet. Such adapters typically have a rating of less than 120 VAC and 15 A. Higher rated electric vehicle supply equipment (e.g., rated at 208-240 VAC, 30-100 A or higher) is also available in the form of wall-mounted or pedestal-mounted electric vehicle charge systems configured for permanent installation at a fixed location.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a portable electric vehicle charging device is provided. The portable electric vehicle charging device may include electric vehicle supply equipment, a pedestal, and a transport module. The electric vehicle supply equipment may include a service entrance cable and an electric vehicle connector configured for connection to an electric vehicle inlet. At least a portion of the electric vehicle supply equipment may be disposed in a housing enclosure. The pedestal may be coupled to and support the housing enclosure and may include a base. The transport module may be coupled to the base of the pedestal and may include a platform having a through hole, a plurality of wheels coupled to a bottom surface of the platform, and a cable guide element coupled to the bottom surface of the platform beneath the though hole. The service entrance cable may extend from the housing enclosure through the through hole and may be supported and guided in the cable guide element.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a transport module for an electric vehicle charging device may be provided. The transport module may include a platform having a through hole; a plurality of wheels coupled to a bottom surface of the platform; and a cable guide element coupled to the bottom surface of the platform beneath the though hole. When the transport module is coupled to the electric vehicle charging device, a service entrance cable extends from electric vehicle supply equipment of the electric vehicle charging device through the through hole and is supported and guided in the cable guide element.
Further features and advantages, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise indicated, the accompanying drawing figures are not to scale. Several embodiments of the invention will be described with respect to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like features throughout the figures, and in which:
An embodiment of the invention is discussed in detail below. In describing an embodiment, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other equivalent components can be employed and other methods developed without departing from the broad concepts of the invention. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference as if each had been individually incorporated.
The transport module 20 may be coupled to the base 18 of the pedestal 16 and includes a plurality of wheels 34 to allow a user to easily move the electric vehicle charging device 10 over a horizontal surface such as the ground or the floor of a building when transporting the device. The transport module 20 includes a platform 30 having a through hole 32 (see
In another embodiment, the transport module 20 may be coupled to the housing enclosure 14 without using the base 18 or the pedestal 16.
In another embodiment, the transport module 20 may be coupled to the base 18, which is not coupled to a pedestal 16, but is coupled to the housing enclosure 14.
A cable guide element 36 may be coupled to the bottom surface of the platform 30 beneath the though hole 32. The guide element 36 may be in the form of, for example but not limited to, a tray having a primary support surface 42 and one or more side walls 44 connected to the bottom surface of the platform 30 and defining an opening 45 on at least one other side. In the embodiment depicted in
The platform 30 may also include one or more handles 46 which may be, for example but not limited to, attached to or integrally formed on the bottom or top surface of the platform 30 to provide a user operating the electric vehicle charging device 10 with a gripping point, for example, when lifting the device 10 into or out of a vehicle. The handle 46 may also allow a user to easily carry the transport module 20 when detached from the base 18. The handle 46 may also be integrally formed in the platform 30 by providing an appropriately sized and shaped through hole adjacent to an outer periphery of the platform 30.
In another embodiment, the tray 36 may include other configurations and shapes than shown in
In another embodiment, the base 18 may be rotatably connected to the transport module 20 with, for example but not limited to, a ball bearing ring assembly (not shown). With this configuration, the subassembly of the electric vehicle supply equipment 12, the housing enclosure 14, and the pedestal 16 may swivel with respect to the transport module 20. As such, a face of the housing enclosure 14 having indicators to be viewed by a user may be rotated by the user without tangling the service entrance cable 26. A rotary locking mechanism (not shown) may also be included with the rotatable connection between the base 18 and the transport module 20, so as to lock a desired position between the base 18 and the transport module 20.
According to another embodiment, the base 18 may be fixedly connected to the transport module 20 and one of the housing enclosure 14 and the pedestal 16 may be configured to rotate relative to the other elements, including the base 18 and the transport module 20. As such, a face of the housing enclosure 14 having indicators to be viewed by a user may be rotated by the user without tangling the service entrance cable 26. A rotary locking mechanism (not shown) may also be included with the rotatable connection between the pedestal 16 and the base 18 or between the housing enclosure 14 and the pedestal 16, so as to lock the housing enclosure 14 in a desired position relative to the base 18 and transport module 20.
While embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it should be understood that it has been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the invention should not be limited by any of the described embodiments, but should instead be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/427,349 filed Dec. 27, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61427349 | Dec 2010 | US |
