# US 12,179,621 B2 · Electric vehicle port > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,179,621 B2 - Document ID: US12179621B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/885,110 - Filed: 2022-08-10 - Published: 2023-02-16 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2021-08-11 - Assignees: Archer Aviation Inc. - Applicants: Archer Aviation, Inc. - Inventors: Young-Joon Suh; Erik Saetre; Julien Thiebaud; Nicolas Rousseau; Julien Montousse; Niki James Smart - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179621B2 ## CPC - B64F 1/30: for embarking or disembarking passengers - B60L 53/12: Inductive energy transfer - B60L 53/18: Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles - B60L 53/302: Cooling of charging equipment - B60L 53/36: by positioning the vehicle - B60L 53/39: with position-responsive activation of primary coils - B60L 53/50: Charging stations characterised by energy-storage or power-generation means - B64F 1/22: for handling aircraft - B64F 1/35: for supplying electrical power to stationary aircraft - E01F 3/00: Landing stages for helicopters, e.g. located above buildings (layout of airfields B64F; buildings or like structures for special purposes E04H) - B60L 2200/10: Air crafts - 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 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - B64F: GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - 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 - E01F: ADDITIONAL WORK, SUCH AS EQUIPPING ROADS OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATFORMS, HELICOPTER LANDING STAGES, SIGNS, SNOW FENCES, OR THE LIKE - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A port for electric vehicles includes an off-loading zone for off-loading one or more passengers from an electric vehicle; a loading zone for loading one or more passengers onto the electric vehicle; and a charging zone for charging the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle is moving from the off-loading zone to the loading zone. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A port for electric vehicles comprising: a plurality of lanes, each lane comprising: an off-loading zone for off-loading one or more passengers from an electric vehicle; a loading zone for loading one or more passengers onto the electric vehicle; and a charging zone for charging the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle is moving from the off-loading zone to the loading zone, wherein each lane of the plurality of lanes corresponds to a different amount of required charging of electric vehicles such that a particular electric vehicle is routed to a particular lane of the plurality of lanes based on a required amount of charging of the particular electric vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The port of claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is an electric aircraft. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The port of claim 2, wherein the port comprises a landing zone for aircraft to land and a take-off zone for aircraft to take-off, wherein the charging zone of each of the plurality of lanes is located in a facility and the facility is located between the landing zone and the take-off zone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The port of claim 3, further comprising at least one tug vehicle for moving the electric aircraft from the landing zone to the off-loading zone of a lane of the plurality of lanes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The port of claim 4, wherein the at least one tug vehicle is autonomous. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The port of claim 1, wherein the port comprises separate access ramps for passengers to access the off-loading zone and the loading zone of a lane of the plurality of lanes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The port of claim 1, comprising a tether for connecting to the electric vehicle to provide electricity while the electric vehicle is moving through the charging zone of a lane of the plurality of lanes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The port of claim 7, wherein the tether is configured to automatically connect to the electric vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The port of claim 7, wherein the tether is configured to cool the electric vehicle during charging. ### Claim 10 A method for off-loading and loading passengers of electric vehicles comprising: determining a required amount of charging for an electric vehicle; selecting a charging lane of a plurality of charging lanes of a port based on the required amount of charging for the electric vehicle, wherein each lane of the plurality of charging lanes comprises an off-loading zone, a charging zone, and a loading zone; routing the electric vehicle to an off-loading zone of the selected lane and off-loading at least one arriving passenger; moving the electric vehicle through a charging zone of the selected lane toward a loading zone of the selected lane and charging the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle is moving toward the loading zone of the selected lane; and loading at least one departing passenger on the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle is located in the loading zone of the selected lane. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, comprising moving the electric vehicle toward the loading zone of the selected lane by a tug vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the tug vehicle is autonomous. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the electric vehicle is an electric aircraft, and the method comprises directing the electric aircraft to land at a landing zone before off-loading the at least one arriving passenger and directing the electric aircraft to take-off from a take-off zone after loading the at least one departing passenger, wherein the landing zone and the take-off zone are separate zones located on opposite sides of the charging zone of the selected lane. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, comprising cooling the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle is charging. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, comprising flowing coolant to the electric vehicle for cooling the electric vehicle while charging the electric vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, comprising automatically connecting a charging tether to the electric vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, comprising charging multiple electric vehicles simultaneously in adjacent charging zones. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the electric vehicle moves in a single direction from the off-loading zone of the selected lane to the loading zone of the selected lane.