Charging station and connector therefor, and method of charging an electric vehicle with a charging station
AssigneeEaton Intelligent Power Limited
InventorsMichel Rivas, Paul David Seff, David Austin Eldridge
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connector is for a charging station. The charging station has a charging box having a signaling mechanism. The connector includes an electrical receptacle structured to be electrically connected to the signaling mechanism; a housing coupled to the electrical receptacle; an indicating assembly coupled to the housing; and an interface between the indicating assembly and the signaling mechanism in order to energize the indicating assembly and provide an indication of charging status.
Claims18
A connector for a charging station adapted to charge an electric vehicle, said charging station comprising a charging box having a signaling mechanism, said connector comprising:
- an electrical receptacle structured to be mechanically coupled and electrically connected to said electric vehicle and to be electrically connected to said signaling mechanism;
- a housing comprising first and second housing members that are coupled to said electrical receptacle and to each other, said housing having an interior and an exterior;
- an indicating assembly comprising a printed circuit board, a plurality of light sources disposed on said printed circuit board on the interior of said housing, and a plurality of light pipes;
- and
- an interface between said indicating assembly and said signaling mechanism in order to energize a number of said light sources of said indicating assembly and provide a visual indication of a corresponding charging state,
- wherein the second housing member includes a pair of opposing first and second internal support portions each having a groove, said printed circuit board extending into said groove of said first internal support portion and said groove of said second internal support portion in order to be supported by the second housing member on the interior of said housing, and
- wherein the first housing member includes a plurality of slots each aligned with a corresponding one of said light sources, and
- wherein each of said light pipes extends from a corresponding one of said light sources on the interior of said housing through a respective one of the slots in the first housing member in order to provide said visual indication of said charging state on the exterior of said housing of said connector.
A charging station for charging an electric vehicle comprising:
- a charging box having a signaling mechanism;
- and
- a connector comprising:
- an electrical receptacle structured to be mechanically coupled and electrically connected to said electric vehicle and to be electrically connected to said signaling mechanism,
- a housing comprising first and second housing members that are coupled to said electrical receptacle and to each other, said housing having an interior and an exterior,
- an indicating assembly comprising a printed circuit board, a plurality of light sources disposed on said printed board on the interior of said housing, and a plurality of light pipes, and
- an interface between said indicating assembly and said signaling mechanism in order to energize a number of said light sources of said indicating assembly and provide a visual indication of a corresponding charging state,
- wherein the second housing member includes a pair of opposing first and second internal support portions each having a groove, said printed circuit board extending into said groove of said first internal support portion and said groove of said second internal support portion in order to be supported by the second housing member on the interior of said housing, and
- wherein the first housing member includes a plurality of slots each aligned with a corresponding one of said light sources, and
- wherein each of said light pipes extends from a corresponding one of said light sources on the interior of said housing through a respective one of the slots in the first housing member in order to provide said visual indication of said charging state on the exterior of said housing of said connector.
A method of charging an electric vehicle with a charging station, said charging station comprising a charging box and a connector, said charging box having a signaling mechanism, said connector comprising an electrical receptacle electrically connected to said signaling mechanism, a housing comprising first and second housing members that are coupled to said electrical receptacle and to each other, said housing having an interior and an exterior, an indicating assembly comprising a printed circuit board, a plurality of light sources disposed on said printed circuit board on the interior of said housing, and a plurality of light pipes, and an interface between said indicating assembly and said signaling mechanism, the second housing member having a pair of opposing first and second internal support portions each having a groove, said printed circuit board extending into said groove of said first internal support portion and said groove of said second internal support portion in order to be supported by the second housing member on the interior of said housing, the first housing member having a plurality of slots each aligned with a corresponding one of said light sources, the method comprising the steps of:
- mechanically coupling and electrically connecting said electrical receptacle to the electric vehicle;
- sending a signal from said signaling mechanism to said indicating assembly;
- and
- energizing a number of said light sources of said indicating assembly in order to transport light from said light sources on the interior of said housing through said light pipes and respective slots in the first housing member to provide a visual indication of a corresponding charging state on the exterior of said housing of said connector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.