# US 11,440,420 B2 · Apparatus and system for connecting electric vehicles to an electrical network and method of use

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- Number: US 11,440,420 B2
- Document ID: US11440420B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/625,948
- Filed: 2018-06-28
- Published: 2020-05-21
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2017-06-28
- Assignees: Trojan Energy Limited
- Applicants: Trojan Energy Limited
- Inventors: Ian Mackenzie
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440420B2

## CPC

- B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer
- B60L 53/66: Data transfer between charging stations and 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 53/18: Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
- B60L 53/305: {Communication interfaces}
- B60L 53/63: in response to network capacity
- B60L 53/64: Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
- B60L 53/65: involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
- B60L 53/665: {Methods related to measuring, billing or payment}
- B60L 53/68: Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
- B60L 55/00: Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
- H01R 13/42: Securing in a demountable manner
- H02J 7/50: acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially
- H02J 7/70: characterised by the mechanical construction
- B60L 53/36: by positioning the vehicle
- B60L 2260/54: Energy consumption estimation
- H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV]
- Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- 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 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
- Y02T 90/167: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
- Y04S 10/126: the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
- Y04S 30/14: Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
- 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
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS

## Abstract

An access connector, system and methods for accessing an electrical network are described. The access connector comprises a body portion configured to be installed in roadside infrastructure such that the access connector is substantially flush with an outer surface of the of the roadside infrastructure. The access connector provides a mechanical and electrical connection point for an electrical vehicle connector. The system comprises a plurality of access connectors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An access connector for accessing an electrical network, wherein the access connector comprises a body portion configured to be installed in roadside infrastructure such that an installed access connector provides a mechanical and electrical connection point for an electrical vehicle connector and has a top surface that is substantially flush with a surface of the ground; and
wherein the body portion of the access connector comprises a bore and locking plug which is axially movable within the bore to allow insertion of the electric vehicle connector into the bore.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The access connector according to claim 1, wherein the access connector is configured to be integrated into a pedestrian walkway adjacent a vehicle carriageway.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The access connector according to claim 1, wherein the access connector is configured to facilitate and/or control the transmission of electrical power between the electrical network and an electric vehicle, via the electric vehicle connector.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The access connector according to claim 1, comprising a locking mechanism operable to lock the locking plug into an upper position in the bore and operable to release the locking plug to allow downward movement of the locking plug into the bore of the access connector when a downward pushing force is applied to the locking plug.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The access connector according to claim 4, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking component in a recess in an inner wall of the bore of the access connector.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The access connector according to claim 5, wherein the locking component is electrically conductive, and is configured to provide electrical contact between the access connector and a corresponding electrical vehicle connector.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The access connector according to claim 4, wherein movement of the locking mechanism between a locked and an unlocked position is actuated by a motor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The access connector according to claim 4, wherein the locking mechanism of the access connector is actuated by a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) signal.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The access connector according to claim 1, wherein the access connector is configured to accept an intermediate connector module, the intermediate connector module operable to be connected to an electric vehicle.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The access connector according to claim 1, configured to receive a cable comprising a power transmission line or lines and/or a communication transmission line or lines.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The access connector according to claim 1, comprising one or more additional functional features selected from the group consisting of: coloured lights which provide a visual indication of the status of the connector, trace heating elements, cleaning rings, seals, a computer, pressure vents, valves and drains.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

An intermediate connector module for connecting to an access connector for accessing an electrical network according to claim 1.

### Claim 13

A system for connecting electric vehicles to an electrical network, the system comprising:
a plurality of access connectors operable to receive power from the electrical network,
wherein each of the plurality of access connectors are installed in roadside infrastructure such that each access connector of the plurality of access connectors provides a mechanical and electrical connection point for an electrical vehicle connector and has a top surface that is substantially flush with the ground; and
wherein each access connector of the plurality of access connectors comprises a bore and a locking plug which is axially movable within the bore to allow insertion of the electric vehicle connector into the bore.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of access connectors is integrated into a pedestrian walkway adjacent a vehicle carriageway.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of access connectors is connected to the electrical network, and the electrical network is a conventional electrical grid suitable for municipal electricity supply.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, wherein the system is operable to control distribution and transmission of electrical power from the electrical network to one or more electric vehicles connected to the plurality of access connectors.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, wherein the system is operable to control distribution and transmission of electrical power from one or more electric vehicles connected to the plurality of access connectors back to the electrical network.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, comprising a control and distribution module connected to the electrical network and serving a plurality of access connectors within a certain predetermined locality or vicinity of the control and distribution module.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system according to claim 18, comprising a plurality of control and distribution modules, each control and distribution module connected to the electrical network and serving a plurality of access connectors in different localities or vicinities.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The system according to claim 18, wherein the control and distribution module comprises one or more features selected from a group consisting of: a metering module, an ambient temperature sensor, a residual current device (RCD) and fault sensing element, a computer, one or more communication modules, a transformer, an inverter and a rectifier.

### Claim 21 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of access connectors is installed in a location selected from the group consisting of: a pedestrian walkway, a cycle path, a car parking facility, or at the side of a vehicle carriageway.

### Claim 22 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of access connectors is installed adjacent a roadside.

### Claim 23 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of intermediate connector modules, each intermediate connector module operable to be connected to an electric vehicle.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The system according to claim 23, wherein each of the plurality of intermediate connector modules is operable to be inserted into an access connector when the locking plug is unlocked, to connect an electric vehicle to the system.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The system according to claim 24, wherein each access connector comprises a locking mechanism operable to lock an inserted intermediate connector module in the access connector, wherein the locking mechanism of an access connector is operable to unlock and release an inserted intermediate connector module by operation of a releasing mechanism.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The system according to claim 25, wherein the releasing mechanism comprises an RFID chip on an intermediate connector module and an RFID reader on the access connector.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The system according to claim 25, wherein the releasing mechanism is operable to be released in response to a control signal sent from a user interface (UI) device to the respective access connector.

### Claim 28 (depends on 13)

A method of connecting an electrical vehicle to an electrical network using the system of claim 13.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The method according to claim 28, comprising identifying or authenticating a user of the electric vehicle to the system.

### Claim 30 (depends on 28)

The method according to claim 28, comprising transmitting power to the electric vehicle.

### Claim 31 (depends on 13)

A method of charging an electrical vehicle using the system of claim 13.

### Claim 32 (depends on 31)

The method according to claim 31, comprising monitoring the status of charge of the electric vehicle connected to at least one of the plurality of access connectors.

### Claim 33 (depends on 31)

The method according to claim 31, comprising controlling the electrical power transmission to the at least one of the plurality of access connectors at least in part in dependence on the status of charge of the at least one electric vehicle.

### Claim 34

A system for connecting electric vehicles to an electrical network, the system comprising:
a plurality of access connectors operable to receive power from the electrical network, each of the plurality of access connectors having a top surface that is substantially flush with a surface of a pavement, a bore and a locking plug which is axially movable within the bore to allow insertion of an electric vehicle connector into the bore.

### Claim 35

An access connector for accessing an electrical network, wherein the access connector has a top surface that is configured to be substantially flush with a surface of the ground when installed;
wherein the access connector has a locked condition and an unlocked condition; and
wherein in the unlocked condition an intermediate connector module is operable to be connected to the access connector to access the electrical network.

### Claim 36

An access connector for providing access to an electrical network, the access connector comprising:
a top surface that is configured to substantially flush with a surface of the ground when installed; and
an aperture and a locking plug moveably positioned within said aperture, where the connector has a first closed condition in which the top of the plug is flush with the top surface of the access connector and is locked in place, and a second open condition in which the plug is unlocked and downward movement of the plug within the aperture of the access connector is permitted.