# US 11,305,658 B2 · Charger for charging an electric vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,658 B2 - Document ID: US11305658B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/617,897 - Filed: 2018-06-01 - Published: 2020-06-18 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-06-02 - Assignees: Engineer & Artist Pty Ltd - Applicants: Engineer & Artist Pty Ltd - Inventors: Anthony Fagan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305658B2 ## CPC - B60L 53/18: Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) - B60L 53/16: Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 53/36: by positioning the vehicle - B60L 53/37: using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras - H01R 13/631: for engagement only - H02J 7/751: {concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries} - H01R 2201/26: for vehicles - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A charger for charging an electric vehicle, comprising: a movable plug assembly comprising a downward facing plug that is connectable to an upward facing socket on top of the electric vehicle, the moveable plug assembly being mounted above the electric vehicle such that the movable plug assembly can be moved to be above the electric vehicle when the downward facing plug is not connected to the upward facing socket; a downward facing image capturing device; and a controller connected to the movable plug assembly and the downward facing image capturing device, and arranged to: control the downward facing image capturing device to capture at least one image in respect of the upward facing socket; and when the downward facing plug is not in alignment or connection with the upward facing socket, control a movement in respect of the movable plug assembly based on the at least one image, in order to enable the downward facing plug to move from above the electric vehicle downwards into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A charger for charging an electric vehicle, comprising: a movable plug assembly comprising a downward facing image capturing device and a downward facing plug that is connectable to an upward facing socket on top of the electric vehicle, the movable plug assembly being mounted above the electric vehicle such that both the downward facing image capturing device and the downward facing plug of the movable plug assembly can be moved to be above the electric vehicle when the downward facing plug is not connected to the upward facing socket; and a controller connected to the movable plug assembly and the downward facing image capturing device, and arranged to: control the downward facing image capturing device to capture at least one image in respect of the upward facing socket; and when the downward facing plug is not in alignment or connection with the upward facing socket, control a movement in respect of the movable plug assembly based on the at least one image, in order to enable the downward facing plug to move from above the electric vehicle downwards into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller controls the downward facing image capturing device to capture the at least one image in respect of the upward facing socket, by: controlling the downward facing image capturing device to repeatedly capture one or more images until the controller recognizes the upward facing socket from the one or more images. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A charger as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controller recognizes the upward facing socket from the one or more images, by recognizing at least one visual indicator on the electric vehicle from the one or more images. ### Claim 4 A charger for charging an electric vehicle, comprising: a movable plug assembly comprising a proximity sensor and a downward facing plug that is connectable to an upward facing socket on top of the electric vehicle, the movable plug assembly being mounted above the electric vehicle such that both the proximity sensor and the downward facing plug of the movable plug assembly can be moved to be above the electric vehicle when the downward facing plug is not connected to the upward facing socket; and a controller connected to the movable plug assembly and the proximity sensor, and arranged to: control the proximity sensor to sense whether or not the downward facing plug is within a predetermined proximity of the upward facing socket; and upon the proximity sensor sensing that the downward facing plug is not within the predetermined proximity of the upward facing socket, control a movement in respect of the movable plug assembly in order to enable the downward facing plug to move from above the electric vehicle downwards into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A charger as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller is arranged to control the downward facing plug to output electric charge to charge the electric vehicle upon the proximity sensor sensing that the downward facing plug is within the predetermined proximity of the upward facing socket. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable plug assembly comprises: a mount for enabling the movable plug assembly to be mounted above the electric vehicle; and an extendable arm comprising: a first end connected to the mount; and an opposite second end at which the downward facing plug is provided such that the downward facing plug is above the electric vehicle when the extendable arm is not extended. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A charger as claimed in claim 6, wherein the movable plug assembly is mounted to a ceiling of a garage for storing the electric vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) A charger as claimed in claim 6, wherein the extendable arm comprises a first section connected to the mount by a first pivot. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A charger as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a first actuator connected to the mount and the first section, and arranged to extend the first section away from the mount on the first pivot or contract the first section towards the mount on the first pivot. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A charger as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is arranged to control the first actuator to move the downward facing plug vertically and/or longitudinally towards the upward facing socket. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) A charger as claimed in claim 8, wherein the extendable arm comprises a second section connected to the first section by a second pivot. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A charger as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a second actuator connected to the first section and the second section, and arranged to extend the downward facing plug away from the first section on the second pivot or contract the downward facing plug towards the first section on the second pivot. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A charger as claimed in claim 12, wherein the controller is arranged to control the second actuator to move the downward facing plug vertically and/or longitudinally towards the upward facing socket. ### Claim 14 (depends on 6) A charger as claimed in claim 6, wherein the mount is part of a laterally movable platform, and the controller is arranged to control the laterally movable platform to move the downward facing plug laterally towards the upward facing socket. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein the downward facing plug is provided in a self-aligning head that pivots, translates and/or rotates the downward facing plug when the downward facing plug is moving downwards into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A charger as claimed in claim 15, wherein the self-aligning head is arranged to spring back to a downward facing position when the downward facing plug is moved upwards out of alignment or connection with the upward facing socket. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) A charger as claimed in claim 15, wherein the self-aligning head comprises at least one tapered guide corresponding to at least one chamfered guide slot of the upward facing socket, wherein the at least one tapered guide rotates the downward facing plug into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket when the at least one tapered guide is moving downwards into alignment or connection with the at least one chamfered guide slot. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) A charger as claimed in claim 15, wherein the self-aligning head comprises a chamfered cylindrical surface having a smaller diameter than a corresponding cylindrical surface of the upward facing socket, wherein the at least one chamfered cylindrical surface translates the downward facing plug into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket when the at least one chamfered cylindrical surface is moving downwards into alignment or connection with the corresponding cylindrical surface of the upward facing socket. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) A charger as claimed in claim 15, wherein the self-aligning head is connected to an end of the movable plug assembly by a pivot, and is arranged to pivot the downward facing plug into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket when the downward facing plug is moving downwards into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket. ### Claim 20 A charger for charging an electric vehicle, comprising: a movable plug assembly comprising: an image capturing device; a proximity sensor; and a downward facing plug that is connectable to an upward facing socket on top of the electric vehicle, the movable plug assembly being mounted above the electric vehicle such that the image capturing device, the proximity sensor and the downward facing plug of the movable plug assembly can be moved to be above the electric vehicle when the downward facing plug is not connected to the upward facing socket; and a controller connected to the movable plug assembly, the image capturing device and the proximity sensor, and arranged to: control the image capturing device to capture at least one image in respect of the upward facing socket; and when the downward facing plug is not in alignment or connection with the upward facing socket, control a first movement in respect of the movable plug assembly based on the at least one image, in order to enable the downward facing plug to move from above the electric vehicle downwards into alignment with the upward facing socket; control the proximity sensor to sense whether or not the downward facing plug is within a predetermined proximity of the upward facing socket; and upon the proximity sensor sensing that the downward facing plug is not within the predetermined proximity of the upward facing socket, control a second movement in respect of the movable plug assembly in order to enable the downward facing plug to move from above the electric vehicle downwards into alignment or connection with the upward facing socket.