# US 11,897,350 B2 · Materials handling vehicle charging system comprising a floor-mounted charging plate > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,350 B2 - Document ID: US11897350B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/363,953 - Filed: 2021-06-30 - Published: 2022-01-06 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-07-02 - Assignees: Crown Equipment Corporation - Applicants: Crown Equipment Corporation - Inventors: Florian Trautner; Robert Shearrer; Stefan Hannemann; Kevin Gilliland; Adam Wietholter - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897350B2 ## CPC - B60L 53/16: Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B66F 9/07504: {Accessories, e.g. for towing, charging, locking} - B60L 53/30: Constructional details of charging stations - B60L 53/36: by positioning the vehicle - B66F 9/07586: {Suspension or mounting of wheels on chassis} - H02J 50/005: {Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices} - H02J 50/10: using inductive coupling - B60L 2200/36: Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks - B60L 2200/42: Fork lift trucks - B60L 2200/44: Industrial trucks or floor conveyors - Y02P 90/60: Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes - 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 - B66F: HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD ({invalid lifting devices A61G7/10; } mounting artificial islands on piles or like supports E02B17/00; scaffolding combined with lifting devices E04G1/22; lifting devices for sliding forms E04G11/24; lifting of buildings E04G23/06; shores or struts E04G25/00; lifts or other hoisting devices on ladders E06C7/12; props for mining E21D15/00) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A materials handling vehicle including a vehicle-side charging contact assembly coupled to a battery, a steerable drive wheel defining a drive wheel track width W, and a pair of load wheels defining a load wheel gap G between the pair of load wheels that is larger than the drive wheel track width W. A charging station includes a pair of floor-side charging contacts configured to transfer charging current to the vehicle-side charging contact assembly. The pair of floor-side charging contacts define an inner contact spacing S1 that is larger than the drive wheel track width W, and an outer contact spacing S2 that is larger than the inner contact spacing S1 and smaller than the load wheel gap G to permit passage of the steerable drive wheel between the floor-side charging contacts, followed by passage of the pair of load wheels outside of the floor-side charging contacts. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A materials handling vehicle charging system comprising a materials handling vehicle and a charging station, wherein: the materials handling vehicle comprises a materials handling mechanism, a battery, a drive mechanism powered by the battery, a vehicle-side charging contact assembly defining a vehicle-side contact profile, vehicle-side charging circuitry coupling the vehicle-side charging contact assembly to the battery, a central drive line extending between a leading end and a trailing end of the materials handling vehicle, a steerable drive wheel motively coupled to the drive mechanism, and a pair of load wheels positioned on opposite sides of the central drive line; the steerable drive wheel is aligned with the central drive line and defines a drive wheel track width W; the pair of load wheels are positioned on opposite sides of the central drive line and define a load wheel gap G between the pair of load wheels that is larger than the drive wheel track width W; the charging station comprises a floor-mounted charging plate assembly, a battery charger, and floor-side charging circuitry coupling the floor-mounted charging plate assembly to the battery charger; the floor-mounted charging plate assembly comprises a pair of floor-side charging contacts defining a floor-side contact profile that complements the vehicle-side contact profile of the vehicle-side charging contact assembly to enable direct contact transfer of charging current from the floor-side charging contacts to the vehicle-side charging contact assembly; and the pair of floor-side charging contacts define an inner contact spacing S1 that is larger than the drive wheel track width W, and an outer contact spacing S2 that is larger than the inner contact spacing S1 and smaller than the load wheel gap G to permit passage of the steerable drive wheel between the pair of floor-side charging contacts, followed by passage of the pair of load wheels outside of the pair of floor-side charging contacts, with vehicle movement along the central drive line. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein: the floor-mounted charging plate assembly comprises a mounting platform and a multi-directional charging plate mounted to the mounting platform; and the multi-directional charging plate carries the floor-side charging contacts and comprise s a charging plate footprint that is rotationally symmetric at a plurality of mounting positions about a rotational mounting axis orthogonal to a mounting plane defined by the mounting platform. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 2, wherein the charging plate footprint is rotationally symmetric through at least four rotational mounting positions. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 2, wherein: the floor-mounted charging plate assembly comprises mounting hardware; and the mounting platform and the multi-directional charging plate comprise a plurality of complementary mounting holes arranged such that the mounting hardware can be used to secure the multi-directional charging plate to the mounting platform through the complementary mounting holes at the plurality of mounting positions about the rotational mounting axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein: the floor-mounted charging plate assembly comprises a mounting platform and a multi-directional charging plate mounted to the mounting platform; the floor-side charging contacts are carried by the multi-directional charging plate and comprise a positive floor-side contact and a negative floor-side contact spaced apart to define the inner contact spacing S1; the multi-directional charging plate comprises a directional indicator oriented in a primary cardinal direction, and the positive floor-side contact and the negative floor-side contact lie on opposite sides of a line of travel extending in the primary cardinal direction between the positive floor-side contact and the negative floor-side contact. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 5, wherein the multi-directional charging plate comprises a pair of directional indicators, with one on an entry-side of a space between the floor-side charging contacts, and the other on an exit side of the space between the floor-side charging contacts. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein: the inner contact spacing S1 is from about 50 mm to about 400 mm; the outer contact spacing S2 is from about 120 mm to about 500 mm; the drive wheel track width W is from about 40 mm to about 160 mm; and the load wheel gap G is from about 300 cm to about 1600 cm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein: the drive wheel track width W is at least about 40 mm; the inner contact spacing S1 is at least about 15 mm larger than the drive wheel track width W; the outer contact spacing S2 is at least about 70 mm larger than the inner contact spacing S1; and the load wheel gap G is at least about 20 mm larger than the outer contact spacing S2. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the floor-mounted charging plate assembly comprises a mounting platform that is configured to receive a charging plate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 9, wherein the mounting platform is configured as a can and the charging plate forms a lid portion of the mounting platform can. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 10, wherein the charging station comprises conduit extending from the mounting platform can, and charging conductors extending from the floor-side charging contacts, through the mounting platform can and the conduit, to floor-side charging circuitry of the charging station. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 9, wherein: the mounting platform comprises an upstanding receiving portion; and the mounting platform is configured to receive the charging plate with the charging plate coplanar with a terminal edge of the upstanding receiving portion of the mounting platform. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 9, wherein the mounting platform is configured to receive the charging plate such that the charging plate can be mounted to the mounting platform so as to be coplanar with a travel surface of a warehouse floor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 9, wherein the mounting platform comprises a plurality of peripherally-extending stabilizers. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 14, wherein: the floor-mounted charging plate assembly comprises mounting hardware; the mounting platform and the charging plate comprise a plurality of complementary mounting holes arranged such that the mounting hardware can be used to secure the charging plate to the mounting platform through the complementary mounting holes; the peripherally-extending stabilizers comprise a stabiliser that is visually distinct from a remaining plurality of the stabilizers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein: the steerable drive wheel is positioned at the leading end of the materials handling vehicle; the pair of load wheels are positioned at the trailing end of the materials handling vehicle; and the vehicle-side charging contact assembly is positioned at the trailing end of the materials handling vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 16, wherein the materials handling vehicle is a tugger configured to pull a load from the trailing end of the materials handling vehicle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side charging contact assembly is positioned at the trailing end of the materials handling vehicle and comprises a vehicle-side actuator that is configured to lower vehicle-side charging contacts into contact with the pair of floor-side charging contacts of the floor-mounted charging plate assembly. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The materials handling vehicle charging system of claim 1, wherein: the materials handling vehicle further comprises vehicle-side data transfer contacts and vehicle-side data transfer circuitry; and the floor-mounted charging plate assembly further comprises floor-side data transfer contacts positioned between the floor-side charging contacts; and the vehicle-side data transfer contacts and the floor-side data transfer contact define complementary contact profiles to facilitate data transfer between the charging station and the materials handling vehicle. ### Claim 20 A materials handling vehicle charging station comprising a floor-mounted charging plate assembly, a battery charger, and floor-side charging circuitry coupling the floor-mounted charging plate assembly to the battery charger, wherein: the floor-mounted charging plate assembly comprises a pair of floor-side charging contacts defining a floor-side contact profile that is configured to complement a vehicle-side contact profile of a target materials handling vehicle, to enable direct contact transfer of charging current from the floor-side charging contacts to a vehicle-side charging contact assembly; and the pair of floor-side charging contacts define an inner contact spacing S1 that is larger than a drive wheel track width W of the target materials handling vehicle, and an outer contact spacing S2 that is larger than the inner contact spacing S1 and smaller than a load wheel gap G of the target materials handling vehicle, to permit passage of a steerable drive wheel of the target materials handling vehicle between the pair of floor-side charging contacts, followed by passage of a pair of load wheels of the target materials handling vehicle outside of the pair of floor-side charging contacts.