Back to results
US 12,603,465 B2Granted
Automotive DC/AC power inverter and power outlet with plug-detect mode
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJesus Guadarrama, Tania Cristina Vazquez, Oswaldo Arias, Enrique Denicia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A DC/AC power inverter of an automotive vehicle receives DC power, outputs DC power to an electrical outlet of the automotive vehicle and, responsive to receiving a communication signal from the electrical outlet indicating a plug has been electrically coupled with the electrical outlet, outputs AC power to the electrical outlet.
Claims12
An automotive power system comprising:
- an electrical outlet including sensing circuitry configured to, in response to detecting a voltage that exceeds a value due to a change from absence to presence of a plug being coupled to the electrical outlet, generate a communication signal, wherein the sensing circuitry includes a Zener diode having a breakdown voltage that defines the value;
- and
- a DC/AC power inverter configured to receive DC power as input and selectively provide DC power or AC power as output responsive to the communication signal such that the DC/AC power inverter outputs DC power to the electrical outlet during absence of the plug being coupled to the electrical outlet and outputs AC power to the electrical outlet during presence of the plug being coupled to the electrical outlet.
A method comprising:
- while an electrical outlet of a vehicle does not have a plug electrically coupled therewith, generating by a DC/AC power inverter of the vehicle DC power for the electrical outlet;
- while the electrical outlet has the plug electrically coupled therewith, generating by the DC/AC power inverter AC power for the electrical outlet;
- and
- generating by an opto isolator of the electrical outlet a signal for the DC/AC power inverter after the plug is electrically coupled with the electrical outlet.
1 more element
A vehicle comprising:
- a traction battery;
- an electrical outlet including sensing circuitry configured to, in response to detecting a plug has been electrically coupled with the electrical outlet, generate a communication signal, wherein the sensing circuitry includes a Zener diode and wherein the detecting includes a voltage exceeding a breakdown voltage of the Zener diode;
- and
- a DC/AC power inverter configured to receive DC power from the traction battery, to output DC power to the electrical outlet of the vehicle and, responsive to receiving a communication signal from the electrical outlet indicating the plug has been electrically coupled with the electrical outlet, to output AC power to the electrical outlet.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.