Enhanced electrified vehicle charger security
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDale F. JORDAN, III, Matthew Erich VON DER LIPPE, Jude BERTHAULT, Jeffrey Alan PALIC
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle charging system includes a locking mechanism to secure a charge plug to a charge port of a vehicle. The system includes a wireless transceiver and a near field communication transceiver. The system further includes a controller programmed to, responsive to receiving a request to disengage the locking mechanism during charging, send the request to a vehicle owner via the wireless transceiver, and, responsive to receiving an unlock command via the wireless transceiver, disengage the locking mechanism.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a traction battery;
- a wireless transceiver;
- a near field communication (NFC) transceiver;
- and
- a controller programmed to engage a lock mechanism for securing a charge plug during charging and, responsive to receiving a request to unlock the charge plug via the NFC transceiver, transmit an unlock request and a present state of charge of the traction battery to a vehicle owner via the wireless transceiver, and, responsive to receiving an unlock command via the wireless transceiver, disengage the lock mechanism.
A charging system comprising:
- a lock mechanism configured to secure a charge plug to a charge port of a vehicle;
- a near field communication (NFC) transceiver;
- a cellular modem;
- and
- a controller programmed to, responsive to the lock mechanism being engaged and receiving a request to unlock the charge plug via the NEC transceiver, transmit an unlock request and a present state of charge of a traction battery being charged to a vehicle owner via the cellular modem, and, responsive to receiving an unlock command via the cellular modem, disengage the lock mechanism.
A method comprising:
- receiving, via a near field communication transceiver of a vehicle, a request to disengage a lock mechanism securing a charge plug to a charge port of a vehicle during charging;
- sending, via a wireless transceiver of the vehicle, the request and a present traction battery state of charge to a vehicle owner responsive to receiving the request to disengage the lock mechanism;
- and
- disengaging, by a controller, the lock mechanism responsive to receiving an unlock command via the wireless transceiver.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.